It was not easy for Tong Mingyu to go out. While she was still dealing with housework, she heard the housekeeper report: "A lot of gifts have been sent from Prince Jing's Mansion."
Coming to give gifts early in the morning... Tong Mingyu felt sorry for her future son-in-law, and then asked someone to carry the things in.
There were six boxes of gifts, most of which were clothing materials, including Yunling brocade, Shu brocade, Zhuanghua satin... There were also tribute satins and many precious gauze fabrics.
"Good morning, madam. I'm here to deliver something on the orders of the prince. These boxes of fabrics are for the old master, the old lady, the marquis, the marquis's wife and the elders of each family. The ones for the young masters and the young mistresses are over here." Following her to Prince Jing's mansion was Nanny Qian, Yin Qianhua's right-hand man. She explained with a smile on her face. The person in front of her was the prince's mother-in-law. She had to leave a good impression on her and help the prince complete this mission.
"Excuse me, Ma'am." Tong Mingyu gave Xiying beside her a look, and the latter took out a bulging purse from her sleeve and stuffed it into the visitor's pocket.
After several polite exchanges and refusals, the nanny smiled and put the purse into her sleeve. She had a better impression of the Crown Princess and her family, and her attitude became more friendly.
"These two boxes contain small gadgets given by the prince to the two young ladies. When our princess heard that she was going to send gifts to your house, she insisted that you bring some for her. By the time these two young masters had put their things in order, we almost couldn't seal the boxes!" Nanny Qian smiled, covering her lips with her hands.
Tong Mingyu said quickly, "The royal family has been taking great care of our two girls' food, clothing, and other expenses over the years. We don't know how to thank them enough!"
"We are a family from now on. It would be too formal if you are too polite." When Nanny Qian saw Tong Mingyu smiling but not saying anything, she knew that she had said too much. She pointed to a small box and said, "This is the fabric prepared by our prince. The size is here. The prince said that there is no rush except for the purse. Let the young lady embroider slowly and don't get tired." Nanny took out a neatly folded piece of paper and handed it to Tong Mingyu.
"How can we let the prince prepare his own clothes? Although the things in our mansion are not as valuable as those in Prince Jing's mansion, they are still our thoughtful gesture. Please tell the princess and the prince that I will urge my daughter to make clothes for the prince with all her heart."
The two exchanged pleasantries for a while before Tong Mingyu sent the enthusiastic nanny away.
The servants in my own household are incomparable to those in Prince Jing's mansion. Their words are truly charming and unobtrusive, and their ability to read people's expressions is second to none. No, I need to talk to Nanny Ruan about this. From now on, I need to train a few maids and find a few stewards. I must have them trained by the time my daughter gets married. How can I be without anyone available after she enters the palace?
Tong Mingyu gave up the idea of going to see her daughter today. After finishing the things at hand, she hurried to Yaoyuan Building.
Because Nanny Ruan is already in her fifties, she stays in Yaoyuan Tower most of the time. Xiao Yao asked someone to help her open a small garden to grow flowers and herbs. She usually has maids to serve her, and her life is very leisurely and comfortable.
Nanny Ruan, who had just finished tending to the flowers and plants and changed her clothes, saw Tong Mingyu walking towards Yuanyao Tower from afar while sitting by the window. She had enjoyed several years of leisure time, and it was time to get busy. After many twists and turns, her young apprentice finally married into the royal palace, so she had to train more useful staff for her.
Xiaofu and Xiaohui are okay in the Xiao family, but once they leave, they can't be relied on at all. Besides, they are already at the age to get married, so how long can they stay with their apprentice?
Nanny Ruan looked at Tong Mingyu who was getting closer and closer, and wondered why she was looking for her.
Tong Mingyu first asked about Nanny Ruan's diet and daily life, and then instructed the maids to serve her carefully. After exchanging pleasantries for a while, he explained the purpose of his visit.
The two people who equally cared about Xiao Yao soon came to each other's aid and found common topics. Nanny Ruan knew that the burden on her shoulders was heavy, and every choice and decision was closely related to her apprentice's future life.
"Since you trust me so much, I will definitely do my best to do this."
"If there are good candidates, you might as well prepare a few for Ruyi. This girl will be thirteen years old after the New Year."
"I understand." Xiao Yuan was also a child who grew up under the care of Nanny Ruan. Although her relationship with her was not as deep as hers with Xiao Yao, she had long regarded her as her own apprentice in her heart. Even if Tong Mingyu didn't say it, Nanny Ruan would help her keep an eye on her.
"You should stay at the Xiao family from now on!" Tong Mingyu wasn't just being polite; she truly hoped to provide for Nanny Ruan's retirement. No one could predict the true state of the Jing Palace, and she believed her daughter wouldn't want her to suffer with Qu.
Nanny Ruan smiled and shook her head. While the Xiao family was a good place, without Xiao Yao, there was no point in her staying. Precisely because she couldn't predict what Xiao Yao's life would be like after marrying into Prince Jing's mansion, she had to stay by her apprentice's side. She believed that with her in charge and the care of the princess and the county lord, her apprentice's life wouldn't be too bad.
"As for me! I will follow my disciple for the rest of my life. Wherever she marries, I will follow her."
"Although we have had many interactions with Prince Jing's Mansion over the years, we still don't know them well enough. I believe Ping An would be reluctant to let you go along and suffer the consequences. How about you stay at the Xiao family?"
Nanny Ruan shook her head again. Tong Mingyu, unable to persuade her, had to put the idea aside for the time being. The two of them agreed to select a maid the day after tomorrow and gather information on the manager's family. They planned to finalize the selection within a month and begin training before the New Year. Training qualified personnel within a year was not easy, so they had to proceed quickly.
After the nanny from Prince Jing's mansion returned, she praised Tong Mingyu again and excitedly took out the purse of reward to show Yin Qianhua.
"Did you tell me that I wanted the purse?" Yun Yichen was about to go out, but when he saw the purse in the nanny's hand, he couldn't help but ask.
It was okay to have no status before, but now I can always ask the little girl to embroider something for me! It’s good to have a status. I don’t have to envy others or steal...right? Who wants to be a thief when there is an upright path to follow?
"Brother, didn't I just embroider a purse for you the day before yesterday?" Yun Ruonan asked in surprise. Now that he has a fiancée, does that mean his sister's gift is worthless?
"Mother, you should find a proper embroidery master for Ruonan. Do all her husband's clothes, shoes, socks, and other items have to be made by the maids and servants in the future?"
Ugh! This seems to be a real problem, how can I solve it?
"I don't want to learn. It takes several days to embroider a purse. For a set of clothes, shoes and socks..." Yun Ruonan counted on her fingers, then shouted angrily, "Brother, are you planning to keep me indoors for a year?"
"Shouldn't you learn?" Yun Yichen never cared about these small details before. After he became famous and started to covet other people's things, he realized that it was really good to have a capable young wife. There would be clothes made by her and purses embroidered by her. When he wanted to change his taste, there would be someone to cook for him. Reading and painting together was also nice.
"Learn. When Ping'an marries me, I'll learn from her every day." If you torture me, I'll make sure you don't see your wife for days. Yun Ruonan looked at her brother provocatively.
The younger sister also learned bad things from the little girl. Yun Yichen no longer dared to mention the idea of letting his younger sister learn needlework and fled in panic.
He went straight to the palace. He had been so busy yesterday that he had to put aside the matter of his uncle almost causing trouble. Now that he had time, he had to talk and ask for some interest.
The emperor, who was reviewing memorials in the imperial study, stopped writing when he heard that Prince Jing wanted to see him. When he came to his senses and looked down, he saw two black ink marks on the memorial. He cursed inwardly, "bastard," and asked Chen He to pass it on.
"Yichen, greetings to the Emperor's uncle." After Yun Yichen finished his greetings, he stood up without waiting for the Emperor to speak. He also found a chair to sit down, as if he didn't notice the Emperor looking at him fiercely.
"What are you doing here?"
"What do you think?"
"Ahem, Chen He, do I have to meet with the ministers soon?"
"Yes!" Chief Steward Chen personally served Yun Yichen a cup of tea. He didn't think that this young master would leave just because he agreed with the emperor.
"Your Majesty, the prince is asking for an audience outside the palace." The young eunuch came in again to report.
"Achen, go to the back and have some tea. You'll soon know who the emperor's uncle favors." The emperor guessed that his son would arrive in a few days. The prince's mansion was being renovated, and the Xie brothers and sisters had moved out of the Yuan family and lived in his son's private residence. Doesn't this prove that they have reached some kind of agreement?
The Xie family is trying so hard to help the prince, I'm afraid they have their own ulterior motives!
"Your son greets His Majesty." Crown Prince Yun Yiheng walked to the imperial desk, lifted his robe, and knelt. He had wanted to come and inform the Emperor of his marriage to Xie Qingxuan a few days ago, but it was Xie Zhuoliang who advised him to wait. After all, the Crown Princess had just passed away, and if he showed any eagerness to marry, the Emperor and his ministers would certainly not be pleased.
"Something?" The Emperor glanced up from the pile of memorials at his eldest son. His son was only adequate as a reigning ruler, but he lacked the charisma to expand his territory. Fortunately, the world was at peace, and his abilities were more than enough to handle the situation. With the support of his younger brother and Xiaojiu, and the support of Xiaojiu, he could still teach him for a few more years, so there shouldn't be any problems.
"Your son...your son wishes to marry Xie Qingxuan, the daughter of the Lord of Xuancheng, as the Crown Princess."
"I've thought it through."
"yes."
"Regarding the Xie family...what do you think?"
"Replying to Father, Xuancheng is no longer as strong as it used to be. They need the support of the royal family and the Yun family even more."
The emperor nodded slightly. His son was not blinded by beauty and could see the essence of things. That was good.
"Xie Qingxuan can be the Crown Princess, but definitely not the Queen."
The prince hesitated for a moment and replied, "I understand."
"That Xie Zhuoliang probably has something to ask for, too!"
"Indeed, he originally wanted to take away the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, but now he has changed his mind and wants a group of craftsmen in textile and winemaking." Yun Yiheng didn't know why Xie Zhuoliang suddenly changed his request, but he was relieved. He hadn't even set his sights on the Xiao family. If this person was taken away by Xie Zhuoliang, it would be strange if he felt comfortable.
"Go tell Xie Zhuoliang to give up on the idea of marrying the girl from the Xiao family. She is going to marry into the royal family." The emperor glanced at the screen behind him and said lightly.
Yun Yiheng lowered his head, just enough to hide the look of surprise on his face. It turned out that his father... Never mind, he was going to marry Xie Qingxuan anyway, so he might as well warn Xie Zhuoliang and the matter would be over.
Yun Yichen: Uncle Emperor, you know that speaking like this can easily cause misunderstandings?
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