Ning Huaizhi keenly noticed the unusual state of Jiang Yuwei's body, and his own ears turned red as he whispered:
"Madam, why are you in such a hurry to come inside?"
Jiang Yuwei struggled to get out of Ning Huaizhi's arms, but she was too weak and her struggle was futile. She could only say:
"Huaizhi, what are you doing? Let me go!"
Ning Huaizhi thought Jiang Yuwei was angry, so he quickly let go of her hand and looked down at her.
"I just want to talk to you..."
Jiang Yuwei straightened her clothes, coughed a few times, and said:
"Ahem, what's on your mind?"
Ning Huaizhi scratched his head and asked, puzzled:
"Today I noticed that Princess Jing seemed to be intentionally protecting us, but she seemed rather unfriendly to her own son and daughter-in-law."
Jiang Yuwei looked up at Ning Huaizhi's face, pondered for a moment, and said softly:
"Don't overthink it. The princess is a good person. She's just fair in her actions and can't stand seeing others bully the weak."
Ning Huaizhi nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
"I see. In that case, Princess Jing is indeed a respected elder."
Fearing he would press her further and she would let something slip, Jiang Yuwei impatiently spoke up:
"Nothing much, I'm going back to my room to sleep. I'm really tired today."
Seeing that Jiang Yuwei looked exhausted, Ning Huaizhi couldn't bear to keep her asking him questions, so he nodded and said:
"Alright, Madam, you should get some rest."
Jiang Yuwei quickly turned around and went back to her room to sleep.
The next day,
Jiang Yuwei got up early and first went to the Princess's courtyard to handle the affairs of the Prince's mansion. She then massaged and gave the Princess acupuncture. Only then did she leave Ning Wan in the Princess's courtyard to keep the Princess company and relieve her boredom.
Jiang Yuwei herself took Yun Qing and Xia Yue out to prepare gifts for the Thousand Autumns Banquet.
Yun Qing first drove Jiang Yuwei to the rouge shop in a carriage. Jiang Yuwei memorized all the rouge styles in the capital and bought several ready-made rouges to compare with.
Then he went to the carpenter's shop to select the best small-leaf sandalwood, and went to the jewelry shop to buy some beautiful colored gemstones, mother-of-pearl, and ox horn accessories.
Then he turned around and bought some paint and materials for making rouge and face powder. He also went to the pharmacy to buy some spices and medicines.
After buying everything she needed, Jiang Yuwei directed Yun Qing to the blacksmith's shop. As soon as they entered, Jiang Yuwei called out to the blacksmith who was forging iron:
"Master craftsman, could you please take a look and see if you can make what's in this drawing?"
When the old man saw Jiang Yuwei hand him the sample paper, he quickly tapped it one last time before putting down what he was holding, taking the drawing and frowning as he looked at it for a while.
Jiang Yuwei was afraid he wouldn't understand, so she stepped forward and explained:
"I need two fine iron cages on these two sides, the same size, and the whole thing should not weigh more than 30 pounds. Make sure the crossbars connecting the two sides are welded firmly."
The old blacksmith nodded.
"This isn't difficult to make, but I have too many other jobs piling up right now. If you need it urgently, I can't make it."
Jiang Yuwei looked at the old blacksmith and smiled faintly:
"I need this very urgently. I must have it within three days at the latest. I can offer three times the price."
Upon hearing this, the blacksmith's eyes widened, and he frowned, saying:
"This thing isn't difficult to make, and it doesn't cost much, but the three-day deadline is really a problem for me."
Jiang Yuwei took out a purse and handed it to the old blacksmith with a smile:
"This is the deposit. Please keep it for now. I will send someone to collect it in three days. You will be very grateful then."
The old blacksmith opened his purse and glanced inside. He saw at least two taels of silver, smiled, nodded, and quickly put the silver into his pocket.
"Don't worry, Madam, I will definitely satisfy you in three days."
After leaving the blacksmith shop, Jiang Yuwei told Yun Qing to hurry back to the manor.
The group soon returned to Jinglan Pavilion.
By this time, Ning Huaizhi had already returned from the morning court session. Ever since that incident outside Jingweifang, Ning Huaizhi had declined all social engagements and always returned home early after the morning court session, not daring to linger outside for even a moment.
One reason was that he was afraid Jiang Yuwei would overthink things, and the other was that he had noticed some people whispering behind him during court sessions recently. Although he couldn't hear clearly, it seemed to be about Princess Qinglan.
Therefore, Ning Huaizhi naturally dared not go out drinking casually.
Jiang Yuwei was delighted to see Ning Huaizhi as soon as she entered the courtyard.
"Huaizhi, it's good that you're here. I have something I need you to do."
Ning Huaizhi stepped forward and took the bags from her hands, smiling as he said:
"Madam, what's the matter that you're in such a hurry?"
"Right now, the Thousand Autumns Banquet is imminent, and our General's Mansion should also prepare a gift for the Empress. I think that since we have just arrived in the capital and our foundation is not strong, we don't need to send rare treasures like others, which would only arouse suspicion."
As she spoke, Jiang Yuwei took out a drawing from her bosom and handed it over. It depicted an exquisite mechanical box, shaped like a blooming lotus flower, with many regular and beautiful gemstones inlaid on the outside.
Seeing Ning Huaizhi take the blueprints, Jiang Yuwei continued:
"I want to make something myself to give to the Empress. It will not only express our feelings but also please the Empress. Why not?"
Ning Huaizhi nodded repeatedly as he looked at the blueprints in his hand.
"You're so thoughtful, Madam."
"Just make this box from the blueprints as soon as possible; you don't need to worry about anything else."
As she spoke, Jiang Yuwei directed Yun Qing to move the tools and materials for making the box to the yard. Ning Huaizhi looked at the blueprints and then at the pile of materials on the ground, and muttered:
"This is going to be a tough battle."
After saying that, he looked up at Jiang Yuwei and smiled:
"Alright, leave the box to me."
Jiang Yuwei smiled and nodded, then looked at Yun Qing and said:
"According to the Princess Consort, in addition to the usual gift list, the Jing Prince's Mansion should also send something different to the Empress. I thought that since Yunqing knows kung fu, why don't you go on stage and perform the fire pot dance?"
Jiang Yuwei paused for a moment and then continued:
"The kettle isn't finished yet, so just use this stick to practice your movements. Once the blacksmith finishes the kettle in three days, you can start practicing properly. Make sure you're absolutely sure you're doing it right."
As she spoke, Jiang Yuwei handed Yun Qing a wooden stick.
"As for the costumes for the performance, I will have someone make them for you. You just need to tell Xia Yue your measurements."
Yun Qing glanced at the wooden stick in Jiang Yuwei's hand and nodded somewhat blankly.
"I will do my best, but I don't know if I can do it well."
Jiang Yuwei smiled sweetly at Yun Qing.
"You can definitely do it. I believe in you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have entrusted such an important task to you."
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