freenovelworld Chapter 404 A Visit to Pay a Homage!
Chapter 404 A Visit to Pay a Homage!
"It's done. Granny Yu, you used to be in charge of the kitchen, so you can continue to be in charge of the kitchen now."
"Yes, Your Highness." Granny Yu was a clever woman; in this Prince's mansion, the kitchen was of utmost importance!
"Chunyu, I'm entrusting the study to you. You know some of my habits."
"Yes, Your Highness, I understand."
No one objected to Mu Xin Nuan's arrangements, since the people around the prince were all assigned to managerial positions, especially this Granny Song, who was appointed as the head manager of the prince's backyard. Her status was certainly not low.
Aunt Fang seemed quite satisfied with Mu Xin Nuan's arrangements and showed no dissatisfaction at having made Song Mama taller than her.
As for the two matrons bestowed by the Empress, they became head matrons serving Mu Xin Nuan, which pleased them even more. As long as they were by the Princess's side, what they did didn't matter.
“Rongyue, you are my head maid. Although we have brought quite a few people, we can’t leave them all in Yijing Garden. Besides, things are different now. I am now a princess, and we can’t have too few people in Yijing Garden. Otherwise, if those ladies and young misses come to visit, they might look down on me even more.”
"What are your orders, Miss?"
Aunt Fang, who was standing to the side, laughed and said, "Miss Rongyue, this way of addressing her is unacceptable and must be changed! Although Yan is the prince's fiefdom, it is still considered an outsider to the local aristocratic families. We must not be careless about any of the details."
Rongyue realized her mistake and repeatedly curtsied, saying, "This servant knows her error. What are your orders, Your Highness?"
Seeing her somewhat reserved demeanor, Mu Xin Nuan chuckled lightly, "Actually, it's nothing serious. Go and give all the maids we brought a good talking-to, make sure they don't break the rules."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Speaking of which, there is indeed a troubling matter that I need to entrust to Aunt Fang."
"Your Highness, please give me your instructions."
"We're short-handed here, but what about these sixteen newly bought maids?"
"This servant understands. Your Highness, please rest assured, since you have entrusted this Yijing Garden to this servant, this servant will certainly not disappoint Your Highness. This servant will personally select a place. If it is not suitable, I will send someone else to deliver it."
"That's wonderful. Thank you for your hard work, Auntie."
"Your Highness is too kind. You are the mistress, and I am just a servant. What is there to complain about in terms of hardship?"
"That may be true, but you are someone the prince relies on, and it is quite a burden to entrust you with these trivial matters."
"Your Highness is too kind. Since I was assigned to the Prince's side at the time, I naturally had to acknowledge the Prince as my master. Now that you are the Prince's wife and the mistress of this Prince's mansion, you are naturally my master as well."
This is tantamount to indirectly stating one's position.
Mu Xin Nuan was very satisfied with her expression of loyalty and nodded repeatedly, "Good! Since Aunt Fang has said so, then I feel much more at ease. I am young, and sometimes I may not be able to think things through. In the future, when you are by my side, you should often remind me. As for those two..."
As Mu Xin Nuan spoke, she shook her head helplessly, her smile tinged with bitterness, but ultimately she didn't speak too bluntly.
Aunt Fang was a shrewd person, so she naturally knew who she was talking about.
"Your Highness, rest assured, this servant knows what to do."
That night, both of them were exhausted, and Mu Xin Nuan fell asleep as soon as she touched the bed. Duanmu Chu Ze originally wanted to talk to her some more, but seeing her condition, he had no choice but to give up.
The next morning, when Mu Xinnuan woke up, she was the only one left in the dormitory.
"Where is the prince?"
"Your Highness, the Prince is discussing matters with several officials up ahead."
"Has Your Highness had breakfast yet?"
"No. I reckon it was used in the study. Lord Ziyi was there with him."
"Alright, let's set out the meal."
Mu Xin Nuan simply ate a small bowl of porridge and two crystal dumplings. Without Duanmu Chu Ze by her side, nothing tasted good.
"Your Highness, the Prefect's wife and other ladies have come to pay their respects and are currently in the front hall. I have come to ask if you would like to receive them."
"Yes, please invite them to the reception room in Yijing Garden."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Aunt Fang glanced outside and said, "Your Highness, the Prefect's wife comes from the Xie family in the capital."
"The Xie family? Is it related to the Crown Princess?"
"Your Highness, that's right. I've heard that this Prefect's wife is the Crown Princess's own sister, and that they have always had a deep and close relationship."
"Yes. I understand. In that case, we should definitely meet them. It turns out the Xie family still has people in Yan. We should at least help the Prince appease them."
"Your Highness is wise." Aunt Fang smiled slightly. This princess is not old, but her mind is truly exquisite.
"We, your humble servants, pay our respects to Your Highness and wish you good health."
"Ladies, please rise. Please have a seat."
"Thank you, Princess."
"This must be Madam He. I've long heard that Madam He is a good manager of her household and that her home is harmonious and peaceful. Meeting her today, I can confirm that Madam He is indeed a kind person."
"Thank you for your praise, Your Highness. I am unworthy of such praise."
Aunt Fang lowered her eyes, suppressing a smile. Madam He was indeed skilled at managing her household. To this day, Prefect He's mansion had many beauties and concubines, but none of them had been able to bear him a child safely. Therefore, apart from his legitimate children, the mansion was the only official in Yanzhou City without any illegitimate children.
"Since Your Highness has come to Yanzhou, we should have paid our respects at your residence yesterday, but considering your arduous journey, we postponed it until today. I wonder if Your Highness finds the climate in Yanzhou to be suitable?"
"It's not bad, just a bit windy and dusty, but otherwise there's nothing wrong with it."
"Winter is just around the corner. Your Highness may not know that winter arrives in Yan almost a month earlier than in other places, and the winter season is also longer. Your Highness is from the capital and can adapt, but if you were from Jiangnan, you might suffer some hardship."
A lady next to her laughed and said, "What Madam He said is true. The new bride of the Lu family last year was a woman from Jiangnan. She was petite and lovely, and very charming. It's just a pity that she didn't go out at all during the winter last year, saying that she couldn't stand the cold here."
"The new bride of the Lu family is the eldest daughter-in-law, yet she seems ill-suited to shoulder such a heavy responsibility," Madam He said with regret.
The new bride of the Lu family? And the eldest daughter-in-law at that? Mu Xin Nuan just smiled faintly and didn't say anything. She glanced to the side, and Mu Hua understood and had already retreated.
Aunt Fang noticed the interaction between the two, and her smile grew even more satisfied.