Chapter 82 Since the spy was about to leave, Mu Xue ordered the maids to clear...
Since they were ready to leave, Mu Xue ordered the maids to take inventory. All the gold, silver, and other valuables were packed and loaded into the car, just like when they came. As for the ingredients and seasonings they brought, they kept the amount needed for the journey, and asked the kitchen to prepare the rest and feed the servants.
"Just treat it as a celebration of the Spring Festival." Mu Xue put down the menu and instructed, "My husband and I and his family can have a share, and the children from the school can be invited as well. If you have other good friends, you can also invite them to eat together, don't save your stomach."
After hearing this, Madam Wu said, "There are still many good spices here. Don't waste them."
"It's not worth it. Bringing it with you will only cause trouble. When we return to China, we will have everything." Mu Xue said, "It's better to host a party and make everyone happy. Although we have temporarily left here, we haven't really severed our relationship. We still have to stay alert to any news from here. If we accumulate good karma now, who knows who will think of us and put us to good use tomorrow."
It's just some leftover ingredients and spices, I just took them out to make a scene, just as a casual move. Maybe it will be useful in the future.
Nanny Wu muttered, "It's not like we haven't given it before, but now we don't see any benefit. I don't think many people remember it."
"It's not like we're selling sheep. How can it be that fast if we just exchange money for goods?" Mu Xue said. "Besides, what's the matter? If only one of the ten people can remember and show some kindness, that will be enough."
She had already made her decision and what she said made sense, so Nanny Wu said nothing and just took the order and left.
Two large pots were immediately set up in front of the big tent, and the stove was lit with a joyful attitude that "this life is over".
Cinnamon, star anise and other precious spices brought from the south are stewed or fried with the mutton, which brings out the deliciousness of the mutton to perfection. The aroma is blown far away by the thawing wind.
Dorji's tent was right next to the princess's tent, and the maids and servants' noses were filled with the scent, which could not be shaken off.
"I wonder what delicious food the princess is cooking." A maid said enviously. They saw with their own eyes how good the princess was to her servants. They never missed out on food and had meat soup every now and then. Everyone secretly said that the Mongolian maids who were selected to serve in the princess's tent were lucky. They were lucky. They were fed and clothed the same as the dowry brought by the princess.
Fortunately, because of the young prince, the servants could occasionally get some sweet treats, such as the milk rolls made by the chefs in the palace during the New Year. The maid planned to ask the maids on the princess' side who were familiar with her later, hoping to get some to taste.
The steward Wujina glanced at her and said: "No matter how good you are, you are still the princess's subordinate. Don't forget your duty."
"Of course not." The maid immediately expressed her loyalty.
At this moment, a little maid came in and said, "Madame Kang, who is by the princess's side, is here."
"The prince is out now and is not in the tent."
"He said he wanted to talk to you specifically."
"Looking for me?"
Wujina was a little confused, but knowing that Nanny Kang was also one of the maids the princess valued, she stood up to greet her.
After some pleasantries, Aunt Kang smiled and said, "Can you smell the aroma outside? Princess is kind and thought that we will be heading south soon and it would be troublesome to carry things with us, so she brought out a lot of ingredients to prepare a feast, one after another, for two consecutive days. I specially invited everyone in your tent to come and taste the delicacies together."
"How can this be so nice?"
"It should be so," said Aunt Kang, holding Wujina's hand. "To be honest, the princess is also your mistress and she loves you."
Wujina caught a glimpse of the uncontrollable joy on the faces of the other maids, smiled and agreed: "Thank you, Princess."
Although he agreed, he couldn't really eat all of the princess's food. Wujina was an old woman and knew what was going on. She immediately told the servant to count a few sheep, slaughter them, and send them to the princess's kitchen as a way to add some meat.
No matter what the superiors thought, the subordinates were all very happy to have a few delicious meals. Moreover, the food given by the princess was so rich that it was like celebrating another New Year.
Even Meng Gen, the tea-serving maid in the king's tent, accepted the invitation. She was a little timid at first: "Is it not a good idea to go like this?"
"What's wrong with that?" Jia Ya, who invited her, said, "You don't have to be on duty at night. It's dark and there are a lot of people over there. They all go there to eat."
Meng Gen was finally dragged by Jia Ya to the princess's tent in the dark. When they arrived, it was really lively. There were many people gathered around, and the tables, chairs and benches were placed outside. After eating, one table wiped its mouth and left, taking its bowls and chopsticks to wash in the bucket next to it. The people behind came in again, and there were new dishes to eat.
Meng Gen was stunned by this scene. Moreover, the people who came to the banquet were far more than just the princess's servants. Just by looking over, she saw the male servant serving in another king's tent, and the maid serving at Ahai County Prince's place... She didn't know how many people had gathered. Some of them looked at each other, but even though they saw each other, they held up their bowls to cover their faces, tacitly pretending that they had never met.
"What are you standing there for? Come here. There are two empty seats here." Jia Ya pulled her to an empty table and sat her down. She handed her chopsticks and said, "Use your chopsticks to pick up the mutton stew. It will be finished in a short while. Hey, I'll pick some for you."
Seeing that the people at the same table had already reached out for the mutton pot with their chopsticks, Jia Ya quickly picked out two pieces of mutton and put them in Menggen's bowl, asking her to try it.
Menggen had eaten a lot of mutton, but this piece tasted different, with a special aroma. "This taste is special." It was completely different from the hand-pulled meat they usually ate.
"Of course it's different. It contains cinnamon and star anise. You guys don't eat much on the grassland." Jia Ya picked up a piece of spice and showed it to her. "We brought it from the interior. If you like it, eat more. After the princess leaves, it will take a long time before you can taste this flavor."
After eating heartily until his belly was full, Menggen stood up contentedly, followed the others to wash the dishes, and then walked back slowly.
Jiaya said she felt full, but she accompanied her for a walk.
When the ice and snow melt, there is still some thin ice on the sparse grass at night, which is bright enough to shine under the moonlight.
There was no one around, only the lantern in Jiaya's hand was emitting a little light.
Meng Gen said with emotion: "You really followed a good master."
"Yes, the princess is really nice." Jia Ya said, "We have even learned to read! There is no tuition fee and a teacher to teach us. If I hadn't followed you, I would have taught you too. This way you can write to me."
Meng Gen laughed and said, "Writing a letter? Even if I can write, I can't give it to you."
"It's possible, actually." Jia Ya raised the light a little, and spoke in a chatty tone, "Merchants still need to come and go to do business here. There will be a guild tent stationed in the trading street next to the princess's tent, and several people will take turns to guard it. If you want to send a letter, they are willing to do so. Besides, the princess is also planning to build a post road from Guihua to Kulun after Guihua is settled, so it will be more convenient to travel."
"By the way, there are medicinal herbs for sale in the merchants' tents on the trading street, just like the jar of medicine I gave you the other day, which is very effective in promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis." Jia Ya reminded, "If you really want to buy medicine, you can secretly tell them that you and I, that is, the princess's family, are old acquaintances. They will definitely give it to you at a lower price."
"I remember that. Thank you."
The two maids walked forward for a while in silence. After a while, Meng Gen suddenly looked around and confirmed that there was no one around, then lowered her voice and spoke.
"There is something I don't know if it is serious or not. Isn't the princess going on a long journey? In this case, the young prince will lack someone to take care of him. Maybe some nobles want to push some women to his side."
Upon hearing this, Jia stopped abruptly: "Since you said so, someone must have mentioned this matter. Could it be the Khan?"
"No." Menggen whispered in Jiaya's ear, "I ran into the concubine by chance when I was serving tea before. She mentioned that her niece from her mother's family was young and beautiful, and of noble status. She was the daughter of Taiji, and it wouldn't be a disgrace for her to be a concubine to the young prince."
After returning to the princess' camp, Jia immediately went to Nanny Kang's account office to report the matter.
Aunt Kang listened with a frown and said, "You did a good job. I'll take all this as tea."
As she spoke, she grabbed a few silver melon seeds and gave them to Jiaya.
Jiaya said no: "No, I just want to help the princess because I am grateful to her."
"I know what you mean, but the rules cannot be abolished." Nanny Kang said, "The princess has specifically instructed that those who have made contributions should be rewarded. Only by following the rules can more people abide by them. By the way, how should I thank the tea-serving maid you mentioned?"
Jia Ya took the silver melon seeds, thought for a moment, and said, "It's not appropriate to give it to her directly. I remember she has a younger sister who is weak. If possible, I want to take some herbs and give them directly to her sister. They have always had a good relationship as sisters, and this gift will make her happier than giving her silver directly."
"Okay, I'll do as you say." Following the princess's instruction, Aunt Kang wrote a note for Jia Ya and asked her to go back and rest.
Nanny Kang originally wanted to report to the princess immediately, but when she walked to the big tent, she saw Rong'er and others guarding the door.
She understood and asked softly, "Where is the Prince Consort?"
"Yes, is there anything I can do for you, old man? It may not be convenient right now." Rong'er said.
"Yes, there are some things." Nanny Kang said, "Please keep an eye on it, young lady. If the princess wakes up tomorrow, please inform her as soon as possible."
Rong'er kept these words in mind. The next morning, when she saw her husband leaving, she led her maid to help the princess wash and comb her hair, and told her about Nanny Kang's request for a meeting.
"Send her into the tent to talk."
Muxue simply washed up and instructed the maids and eunuchs to pack up her collection of books and load them into the car so that they could be ready to set off tomorrow.
Nanny Kang came into the tent, greeted her, and then reported the news she had heard from the tea-serving maid.
As Mu Xue listened, she slowly sat down, leaning against the pear wood desk.
"...This is really too much. You haven't even left yet, but you're already preparing to persuade your husband to take a concubine. This concubine is not a legitimate elder, but she is favored by the Khan now. What she said makes sense. I'm afraid that you and your husband will really live apart..."
Mu Xue interrupted expressionlessly, "There's nothing to be afraid of. I trust my husband. Even if he really can't keep me, then I don't want him."
This made Aunt Kang at a loss for words and she could only smile awkwardly.
"It's good as long as the master has an idea."
Mu Xue adjusted her mood and said, "I know about this matter. I will find a chance to talk to my husband. But it is not appropriate now. If I tell others about it right away, they will definitely suspect where I got the news from. If I keep investigating, I will definitely implicate the tea-serving maid you mentioned."
She lowered her eyes and said, "This is a small matter, not so urgent. But it is indeed a good start. Someone is willing to tip us off, which is a good thing. We must reward the tea-serving maid without leaving any trace."
"This servant has already asked about this. Jiaya said that she has a sickly sister. I can give her family some medicinal herbs, which will be helpful and not so conspicuous."
Mu Xue nodded: "Let's do it this way. You should also think about the rules carefully. Before you leave, go to the Chamber of Commerce to give them some instructions. If there is any important news, send it to me by express horse."
What we want is that people can know what is happening in the world even if they are not in the world.
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