"That makes sense. We must remember the Empress's kindness."
“What you say is true, madam.”
The old nanny actually understood the benefits of using inferior coal for heating better than Madam Chen. Although she was the madam's trusted nanny and had some influence among the masters and mistresses of the mansion.
No matter how much face she had, she was still a servant. In winter, the master's allowance for silver and charcoal was very tight, and there were always some shortfalls. As a servant, no matter how much face she had, she could not surpass her master.
She also has a family and children. For a family, silver charcoal is far from enough. If even lower-grade coal could be used for heating, then winter wouldn't be so unbearable.
Before the nanny left, Madam Chen, still worried, gave her another instruction: "Although those people are peasants, they were sent by people from the palace. Don't fawn over them too much, but don't mistreat them either."
"Yes, madam."
Upon hearing this, the old woman, who had already decided to treat those people well, would now be even more cautious.
Once someone has caught the eye of the palace, regardless of their status, they become someone who needs to be treated with caution.
Madam Chen had more than enough control over the inner quarters. With her trusted nanny overseeing things, the heating system was installed in about four or five days. It was also thanks to the many hands that were put to good use. Madam Chen even had other people in the mansion lend a hand, which made it possible for it to be so fast.
On the day the heating was turned on, Lord Chen and Madam Chen were in the same room. The heat was concentrated quickly, and the room was warm, unlike the warmth of a charcoal brazier.
The warmth from the radiator is more even, unlike the charcoal brazier. It gets warmer when you're close to it, but if you're far away, it's the same as not using a charcoal brazier at all.
"Master, this is truly a wonderful thing. I already thought it wouldn't be bad, but who would have thought it would be so warm? This room is just like springtime. I've only been here for a short while, and I'm already sweating."
Winter is really cold. Even if there is a charcoal brazier in the house, you still have to pay attention to keeping warm. In the house, Madam Chen only needs to wear a cloak, which is different from when she is outside.
She was wearing cotton clothes inside and out, and in the heated room, she felt like her whole body was on fire.
Lord Chen was also happy, but his happiness stemmed from the fact that his house now had heating.
The house was furnished with new things, so he should be happy. He wasn't as surprised as Madam Chen, after all, he was someone who had seen the world in Emperor Kangxi's study.
"It is indeed excellent. Let's connect it to everyone in the manor! We'll calculate the coal usage in the next couple of days. If it's within the usual quota of silver coal, then let everyone in the manor use it!"
What he meant by "used by everyone in the household" was that both the masters and servants in the household used it.
Madam Chen naturally had no objection; this was also a good way to win over the servants.
"What you say is true, sir. I will make the arrangements immediately. Also, I have decided to invite some acquaintances to the manor for tea the day after tomorrow. What do you think, sir?"
"Madam can arrange this."
"Alright, I'll make the arrangements then. I'll prepare the invitations shortly."
"Um"
On this day, everyone in the Chen household, from masters to servants, felt the warmth of spring in the dead of winter.
In just one day, without waiting two days, Madam Chen calculated the amount of coal needed for heating. The amount was naturally increased, but the second-grade coal and silver charcoal were much cheaper. So even if the whole household used them for the entire winter, the money spent would still be much less than in previous years when silver charcoal was used.
Given this fact, Mrs. Chen felt that tomorrow's banquet should be a good day.
She invited many wives of officials of higher rank than herself, gaining respect in their presence. In return, Lord Chen would also benefit from this. Madam Chen would naturally have calculated this carefully.
Therefore, this matter not only concerns the kindness of His Majesty and the Empress, but also her future! Naturally, she will do her best.
"Be careful with tomorrow's banquet, Granny, go and keep an eye on things."
"Yes, Madam, I'll go right away."
The trusted nanny truly lived up to her reputation; she was like a brick, always ready to be moved wherever needed. No sooner had she finished overseeing the heating "project," settled the accounts, and received her reward than she immediately threw herself into the next task.
Fortunately, Madam Chen was generous with the pay; otherwise, this kind of job would have been impossible for most people.
Not long after, a stern voice rang out from a courtyard in the Chen residence.
"Madam attaches great importance to tomorrow's banquet. You are all in charge, so you should be careful in everything you do. If anything goes wrong and offends the distinguished guests who are coming to the mansion, you will be in trouble with your future."
"Yes, Granny Lu," everyone said in unison.
The old woman nodded and said, "Alright, hurry up and get busy. I'll come over to check on things whenever I need to, so don't slack off."
The crowd dispersed.
Soon, amidst the hustle and bustle of the Chen residence, the day of the banquet arrived.
The banquet lasts from morning to afternoon. Morning refers to about an hour before dinner, around nine or ten o'clock, when people start arriving one after another. Afternoon, naturally, refers to about an hour before dark. In winter, it gets dark early, around five or six o'clock, and guests usually leave around three or four o'clock in the afternoon.
The banquet was naturally held indoors, but fortunately the hall in the mansion was large enough to accommodate everyone.
People don't start entering the mansion until after nine o'clock, but Madam Chen got up very early, around five o'clock. She dressed herself, went out to check everything, and returned around seven o'clock. After having breakfast, seeing her children, paying respects to her mother-in-law, and exchanging a few words with her sisters-in-law, she returned to her own courtyard, naturally after eight o'clock.
She changed her clothes and touched up her makeup. Not long after she came out into the hall, someone arrived.
She greeted the people who had arrived with her daughter, and by the time everyone was there, it was almost ten o'clock.
As everyone sat together, some of the more hot-tempered individuals had sweat on their foreheads. There were many people today, and Madam Chen had specifically instructed that the temperature not be set too high, but there were always some who couldn't tolerate the heat.
The lady, sweating profusely, was also puzzled. She had a charcoal brazier in her room all winter, but she never sweated. She couldn't help but look around, but she didn't see a charcoal brazier. How strange!
"Sister Chen, I didn't see a charcoal brazier here, but why is the room so warm? I'm sweating."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked over and indeed it was Madam Lu. Her husband held a slightly lower official rank than Lord Chen, and she was a few years younger than Madam Chen. Among this group of people, she was not the oldest, but she had a rather fiery temper.
Upon hearing this, Madam Chen thought to herself, "Finally, you've asked the right question."
Under everyone's gaze, she explained with a smile, "We didn't use a charcoal brazier, we used the heating."
Everyone looked completely bewildered.
Madam Chen didn't keep them waiting long and quickly explained, "It's a wonderful new product that Her Majesty the Empress has come up with. It can be heated with even the lowest grade of coal. Once the heating is on, the whole house is incredibly warm. My husband had to ask Steward Liang a few more questions before we got this opportunity."
So everyone started asking around by the heater, and Madam Chen naturally told them everything that needed to be said.
Everyone present was shrewd enough to understand from Madam Chen's words why His Majesty and the Empress had allowed heating to be installed in Lord Chen's residence. It was just four taels of silver for a room, no trouble at all.
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