Chapter 20 When will I return? As soon as the festival came out, the matter of setting off for Mobei was…
As soon as the festival was over, the matter of setting off for Mobei was put on the agenda.
The Imperial Astronomical Observatory calculated the date and found that the weather on March 7 would be mild and suitable for travel. According to the speed of the princess's procession, it would take about three months to reach the royal court of Khalkha in the northern desert, Kulun. After reporting this to Emperor Kangxi, this date was set for the journey.
The Minister in charge of the Imperial Household Department, Fu Cha, made a special visit to the Fourth Princess's residence to inform her of the news.
Although nominally, the household affairs of the Fourth Princess's Mansion were managed by this Lord Fu Cha, he had too many things on his hands and was also responsible for the household affairs of several other royal palaces, so he was basically just a figurehead. This was also the first time that Mu Xue met him at the mansion.
General Fu Cha said: "It is indeed a long journey to Mobei. Starting from the capital, passing through Juyongguan, Zhangjiakou, and reaching Guihuacheng, this journey is not bad. However, the section from Guihuacheng to Kulun is mostly grassland, which is more difficult to travel."
Mu Xue heard from his words that he was quite familiar with Mongolia, so she asked, "You must have followed Khan Ama to the war, right?"
"I had the honor of accompanying you on your expedition to Dzungar." Chief Steward Fucha looked a little embarrassed, "But last year, there was a battle and the march went badly, so I lost my military position. Fortunately, the master was kind and still let me serve as the chief steward of the Ministry of Internal Affairs."
"Victory and defeat are common in the military, and it is inevitable that a horse will stumble." Mu Xue consoled him. Then she asked, "For such a long route, do our soldiers have people along the way?"
There was silence for a moment.
Fu Cha lowered his head and took a sip of tea, then slowly said, "There are always garrisons along the way to Guihua City. It's just that there are fewer people further ahead, but don't worry, Princess. Khalkha will send people to escort you to ensure your safety."
After hearing this, Mu Xue had an idea in her mind.
She smiled, pointed at the milk cake on the fruit table and said, "This dessert tastes good, may I use some?"
After having tea and snacks, and talking for a while, Chief Steward Fu Cha took his leave and went back.
Muxue began to pack her luggage.
The servants of the princess's mansion had just rested for two days from the urgency of the New Year's Day, and were busy cleaning up and preparing to load the carts. They had to report to the Ministry of Internal Affairs how many mule carts and horse carriages were needed so that they could make preparations.
Among these gifts, the highlights were nothing more than two items: gold and silver jewelry, and valuables, which were arranged by Madam Wu and Madam Zhao respectively.
Mother Zhao asked: "Should we take these Nanmu, red sandalwood, and Huanghuali furniture with us? I heard there is no fixed place to stay over there, I wonder if we will have a place to put them if we take them there."
"Take the valuable wooden furniture with you. There will always be a place to display them." Mu Xue said, "As for some common items, pick out the good ones to reward the Guo Luoluo family, and give the ordinary ones to Cui Gu and let the pawnshop handle them."
It takes two or three months to go to Mobei one way, and I don’t know how long it will take to return. These valuable furniture are all registered by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and I can’t exchange them for money at the pawnshop. If I leave them here, I don’t know who will benefit from it, so I might as well take them with me.
It took Madam Wu and Madam Zhao twelve days to sort out and register all the things.
This was almost all of her wealth. Mu Xue took the book and carefully read it twice.
When he saw the satin, he let out a small "eh".
There were two extra sets of Gu embroidered cloaks.
She asked: "Where did this Gu embroidered cloak come from?"
Nanny Wu replied, "It was a New Year gift from the imperial merchant Fan family. I told you about it at the time, but I was in a hurry to go to the palace for the banquet and didn't take a closer look."
After thinking about it, it seemed to be true. Mu Xue was curious about what Gu Xiu looked like, so she asked someone to find her out.
Opening a mahogany box and removing the cloth covering it, the Gu embroidery pattern inside was revealed, with a squirrel climbing a grape trellis, vivid and lifelike, just like a painting. Another piece was an embroidery pattern of a butterfly resting on a peony, equally exquisite.
Mu Xue praised: "No wonder this Gu embroidery is famous all over the world, the skills are indeed exquisite."
Nanny Wu said, "Princess, if you like it, try it on. I'll ask the embroiderer to adjust the waistline for you."
After all, these robes were sent from outside, so it is impossible for them to fit me perfectly.
Mu Xue put on the cloak while two maids who were good at housework wrote down the details. It took some time, so Mu Xue asked Aunt Wu: "Where did this Fan come from?"
"He is the Imperial Merchant of the Ministry of Internal Affairs appointed by the late emperor himself. He must want to show his filial piety to the princess." As for more, Nanny Wu didn't know.
This is also the shortcoming of the maids. They pay more attention to the movements of the ladies in the inner court, and know less about the officials outside.
Mu Xue was somewhat concerned about the word "imperial merchant". She had always wanted to increase her financial resources, so maybe this word "imperial merchant" could play a role.
In the afternoon, she called the chief official Mu Sen over and asked him about Fan's situation in detail.
This official was originally an official in the Imperial Household Department, so he knew something about all this. When the princess asked him about it, he told her everything.
It turned out that this Fan family was an imperial merchant who had served the court since the early Qing Dynasty. Their ancestral home was in Jiexiu, Shanxi. Last year, when the emperor went to war against Galdan, Fan had transported military rations, which was considered meritorious. He was even rewarded with an official title, making him one of the best imperial merchants.
Is he a royal merchant from Shanxi? Since he was responsible for transporting military rations, he must have business in Guihua City and Khalkha. Mu Xue thought about it and probably understood why they sent him gifts.
We will probably have some dealings with each other in the future.
On the day when the princess tried on the altered Gu embroidered cloak, Cui Gu from Rong'an Pawnshop happened to come to pay her respects. When she saw the princess' Gu embroidered cloak, she was filled with admiration.
"Thanks to the princess, I have finally opened my eyes today. I have always heard of Gu Xiu's name, and after seeing her today, I can see that she is indeed worthy of the name."
Aunt Wu was puzzled: "Is it so famous? Judging from the name, it was embroidered by someone named Gu?"
"Not entirely," Cui Gu said, "I heard that the woman who created this Gu embroidery was Miao."
Mu Xue knew the name Gu Xiu before, but she was not very familiar with the founder. She was curious when she heard this: "Which Miao?"
"Princess, it's the 'Miao' in 'absurd'," said Cui Gu.
"Then I don't understand," Mu Xue asked curiously, "Why not call her Miao Xiu, but Gu Xiu?"
Cui Gu lowered her eyes and smiled: "Because this Miao is the concubine of Master Gu. After Miao, there is a woman named Han Yuan, who has the highest attainments in painting and embroidery. Han Yuan is the wife of Master Gu. So everyone calls her 'Gu Xiu'."
For a moment, Mu Xue didn't know what to say. After a long while, she muttered, "Isn't this a case of mistaken identity..."
The concubine's craftsmanship and the wife's skills all became Gu's reputation.
Nanny Wu understood very well: "It's all like this. What wife, what concubine, in the end, they are all about the family. They are all the same."
Mu Xue curled her lips and said, "How can this be the same? If I could create achievements like Miao one day, but later generations gave this title to my son-in-law, I would be sick to death."
Nanny Wu and others all laughed.
"The princess is very proud, and her husband wouldn't dare to do that." Aunt Zhao said with a smile.
Mu Xue still had a drooping mouth, looking unhappy.
Seeing this, Nanny Wu sent someone to the kitchen to tell them to prepare something delicious.
The money in the kitchen was too little, so we decided to make a pot.
It’s just right to eat a hot pot before the weather gets warmer.
The best lamb tenderloin, lamb shank, top brain, and cucumber strips were cut into small pieces with a knife and placed on a plate. In addition, a casserole pot was made with lamb ribs, stewed until soft and tender, with the aroma of sauce and meat mixed together, and the aroma could already be smelled from the kitchen yard before the lid was opened.
Eunuch Qian followed the young eunuch who served the dishes to the main courtyard to wait on the meal. After a few bites, he saw that the master's expression looked a little better.
He secretly breathed a sigh of relief and felt faintly proud.
After the master had dinner, Eunuch Qian led the people to clear the table. In the past, in the palace, many dishes would be cooked to show off the pomp, and the dishes that the masters did not eat would be given to them to eat.
However, after the fourth princess left the palace and started her own household, she practiced frugality and always advocated the right amount of food. There were not so many leftovers, which made it easy to clean up and there was no need to worry about not having food to eat. The princess also allocated a monthly quota of oil and grain specifically for their servants, saying that it was specially for them to cook in the canteen. Even the lowest eunuchs could eat minced meat every day.
The princess never beat her servants, and their lives were actually quite comfortable. The only bad thing was that they had to go to Mobei.
When the table was carried out, Eunuch Qian happened to see the chief eunuch Yanxi coming out of the courtyard, so he stepped forward to greet him.
"Don't worry," Yan Xi said, with a half-smile, "You have more face in front of the master than I do."
"Oh, you're so embarrassed by what I said." Eunuch Qian said, bowing his waist, "All the eunuchs in this mansion know that you are the leader."
He said attentively, "I have also prepared a pot of fine wine for you. If you would be so kind as to drink with me in the front room, please."
"Alright."
Eunuch Qian asked his apprentice to prepare two side dishes and send them to the main room.
After a few glasses of hot wine, Yan Xi sighed, "I've finally figured it out in the past few months. We can't get in front of the princess. With these two maids standing in the way, who can see you?"
"Life is long," said Eunuch Qian. "When we get to the grassland, we will be needed more. Will the maids still be able to run around every day? We still have to rely on you for things outside."
"So, there are some benefits to going to Mobei."
They both fell silent. They both knew that neither of them was willing to leave the prosperous capital and go to the barren land of Mobei.
Originally, they became eunuchs, cut off their chances of having children, and just wanted to earn a career. Unfortunately, it was extremely difficult to get ahead among the eunuchs. Those who served the emperor in the palace were the first class. Those who served the favored concubines were the second class. The third class was serving in the palaces of princes and princesses. Although they could earn a title, they were still far behind the eunuchs of the same rank in the palace.
The eunuchs who worked in the princess's mansion were even lower than those who worked in the prince's mansion. After all, the princess was not like the prince, and she would never show her face in the court, so how could she have any future? Therefore, the eunuchs sent to the princess's mansion by the Ministry of Internal Affairs were mostly picked and chosen useless people. Among the ten eunuchs in the mansion, two were old, and one had some deficiencies. There were only five or six who were really useful.
But there is no way to not go, unless you die, you must go.
When the rumor about selecting eunuchs for the fourth princess first came out, two eunuchs were so scared by the news of going to Mongolia that they even planned to escape. Before they could escape, the rumor leaked out and they were immediately arrested and taken to the Ministry of Punishment. They were beaten with dozens of sticks. Although they were still breathing, they were estimated to not live for two years. It is said that they were later banished to the Shengjing Imperial Mausoleum to weed, and they died even faster.
"It's all fate." Yeon Hee raised his glass and clinked it with Eunuch Qian's.
I hope something good happens when I go to Mobei.
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