pdf-ebookys Chapter 141 How Much Weight Does Love Hold in His Heart?
Chapter 141 How Much Weight Does Love Hold in His Heart?
Leaving aside Tang Lin's feelings, the emperor granted the request of the eldest daughter of General Xunhui's family to become the Princess Consort of Prince Jin.
At the same time, the emperor also issued an edict to send General Jiang, who already had no real power, to his post in the northwest. This was exactly what Prince Jin wanted, but that's a story for another time.
When Tang Lin was assigned this truly "skilled" job, no one in the Tang household knew it.
Winter melon was overjoyed.
She received generous rewards from the old lady and Madam Yun. Even Tang Xian, to encourage Donggua to innovate, rewarded her with two glittering little goldfish.
After the banquet that day, Madam Yun and the second young lady and her servant revealed that Consort Jiang, the birth mother of Prince Jin, had recently been promoted to the rank of Consort thanks to her son, and was given the title of 'Hui'. However, the background of this Consort Hui was criticized by many people in the harem.
Because she was originally a palace maid, and the emperor was still the crown prince at the time, he favored Consort Hui during the emperor's southern tour because of her outstanding appearance and brought her back to the capital. When the emperor ascended the throne, her rank was only 'Zhaoxun'.
(Rankings within the Crown Prince's harem: Crown Princess, Concubine, Lady-in-Waiting, Lady-in-Waiting, Attendant, and Imperial Concubine)
Because she came from humble origins, she often longed for folk delicacies while in the palace, and the Prince of Jin would often search for local specialties to present to her when he was away.
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"Sisters, share!"
Donggua presented Huayan with a small goldfish, about the size of a thumb, and then happily rolled around on the bed covered with fabric.
The old lady gifted two boxes of bird's nest, and Donggua presented two cups to the master as a token of respect. Now, holding the bird's nest, he said to Huayan:
"What would it taste like to add bird's nest to milk tea? In a few days, the village will send the old lady some pomelos again. When you make pomelo honey drink, you can try adding a little bird's nest."
Hua Yan hurriedly said, "Bird's nest is precious, so don't do anything reckless. Ask Doctor Zhen first if the two are incompatible before making any adjustments."
"Manager An is experienced. In the past, he always added red dates and goji berries to the stew. If he added it to the milk tea, it would be inappropriate for the flavor to mix with the tea."
After thinking for a moment, Donggua decided not to waste any ingredients and gave up on the idea.
“Then I will consult with my master before we discuss this further. There is another matter that my master mentioned to me privately. She plans to resign after the Second Miss’s coming-of-age ceremony and return to Lady An’s place in Jinan to live out her remaining years.”
Hua Yan pondered for a while and guessed that the old lady would agree. Firstly, after the second young lady's marriage was settled, the dowry nanny would be Aunt Mei. Secondly, once they arrived at the Prince's Mansion, it was another matter whether there would be a small kitchen in the concubine's courtyard. Even if there was, it could probably only make some snacks and the like, and winter melon would be enough.
Another point is that, as a concubine, the number of people accompanying her in her dowry cannot exceed that of the principal wife. There are quite a few intricacies involved in this, and an old person like Steward An should not be among them.
Hua Yan noticed that Dong Gua's voice was gradually dropping and was about to comfort him, but Dong Gua's mood changed a little too quickly!
"I want to drill a hole in this goldfish. Can you braid a flower rope for me to wear around my neck? No amulet can bring me as much peace as gold."
Hua Yan looked at Dong Gua with amusement, swallowing back all the words she wanted to say.
Ever since the two of them tried making tea pastries together, Donggua seemed to have unlocked a switch for imaginative ideas. She was certainly reluctant to part with Manager An, who had always genuinely supported her and treated her like his own granddaughter, but she was wise beyond her years and had her own way of handling things; she was truly wise in a seemingly foolish way.
"Then you'll have to find a craftsman outside the manor. But drilling a hole will probably cost you a lot of money. You should think it through."
Donggua thought about it seriously, shook his head and refused, saying in a simple voice, "Then forget it. I can't wear it on my body, but it's okay for me to take it out and look at it from time to time."
"Yongbaolou has recently launched a lot of new jewelry in preparation for the upcoming Second Miss's birthday. In a few days, I plan to go out of the mansion to pick out a dowry for Sister Huaying. Let's go shopping together then."
The servants in the manor have one day off per month. The first-class maids are not assigned a specific day. If they want to leave the manor, they just need to inform the second young lady and Aunt Mei in advance.
Donggua nodded and asked gossipily, "Has Sister Huaying's marriage been settled?"
After Hua Yan nodded, Dong Gua said, "When I worked in the small kitchen of Fu An Ju, Sister Hua Ying took care of me both openly and secretly many times. I will also add some makeup to my outfit then."
As they talked, Donggua carefully selected from a pile of tips, while Huayan also took the time to embroider two outer garments and a skirt, modeled after the patterns often worn by the stewards of the inner quarters, intending to give them to Huaying on the day of the dowry.
Hua Yan accepted Dong Gua's goldfish without any qualms. It's nothing unusual for sisters to accept each other's gifts. She also prepared a gift for Dong Gua, which she could retrieve when she went to Yong Bao Lou.
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On September 20th, palace eunuchs and officials from the Imperial Clan Court went to General Xunhui's residence to deliver the imperial decree of marriage. By the time the news reached the Tang residence, Huayan was already at noon.
On the same day, after Tang Lin finished his shift, he also spoke with the Second Miss. The imperial decree to bestow a concubine upon her would be announced on the 29th, which was the Second Miss's birthday.
On the same day, Huanyun sent two pieces of news.
One is that Lu Hua, the legitimate daughter of the General of the State, will fulfill her marriage agreement with the legitimate son of a third-rank military officer.
Secondly, a secret message has somehow spread among the powerful and wealthy in the capital: the death of the Seventh Prince, now the Prince of Heng, and his former wife may have been suspicious.
Hua Yan had already heard about the former, and even through Madam Yun, she knew that Consort Min in the palace, upon receiving the news, publicly smashed her favorite tea set to pieces...
As for the death of the Seventh Prince's Consort, it was revealed at this time. Hua Yan thought about it over and over again at night, and couldn't help but associate the source of this news with Prince Jin, whom she had met once in the back mountain of Guangci Temple.
If this is true, then the Prince of Jin is terrifying. He can even obtain secret information from the inner quarters, which means he must have planted many people in various places.
By connecting these points, Hua Yan realized, albeit belatedly, that the Prince of Jin's scheme was intricately linked.
First, he used Tang Xian's business to gain leverage against the Zhan family and eliminate their supporters. Then, when a major disaster struck Jinzhou and other places, he used his merit in disaster relief to gain the attention of civil officials.
Is his next move after being granted the title of Prince of Jin to take action against Prince Heng?
He has been biding his time and planning this meticulously, and you should know that he is only twenty-one years old this year!
No wonder Madam Yun once mentioned that Hua Yan was "almost a demon in intelligence," and she wasn't particularly surprised by Hua Yan's cleverness.
Women are naturally sensitive, and Hua Yan is even more so. After the matter of the second young lady becoming the concubine of Prince Jin was settled, for some reason, the first thing she thought of was how much love could take up in Prince Jin's heart, given his great talent and ambition.
The second young lady should focus on advancing her rank in the inner quarters and not get too caught up in romance.
With the support of the family head and the eldest young master, and with Madam Yun's meticulous planning, they have already made a smooth start, far ahead of other officials' wives and daughters. In the future, she will rise in status through her son, and even if she cannot become empress, she should be able to live a peaceful life in the harem.
Hua Yan's thinking was not wrong, but at this time she did not know what it meant to not compete for power once she truly entered the harem.
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September 29th is the second young lady's birthday, which is also her coming-of-age ceremony.