novelaction Chapter 434 Mother and Daughter Visit!
Chapter 434 Mother and Daughter Visit!
The problems at the Lu residence have been mostly resolved. Mu Xin Nuan's forceful approach was solely to ensure Lu Shao Feng could focus on serving the Prince with greater peace of mind. Without harmony within the household, his duties would be far from satisfactory!
She sent two nannies, Jin and Liu, to the Lu family.
Mu Xin Nuan wasn't worried about whether these two nannies would wholeheartedly protect Liu Shi. If they couldn't even handle something this simple, then there was no need for her to trust them anymore, was there?
Therefore, the two of them will certainly do their utmost to protect the Chang Le Prince's Mansion.
"Your Highness, Madam He has arrived."
Mu Xin Nuan's lips curled slightly. Madam He? If she remembered correctly, this Madam He was also from the Xie family in the capital. However, the difference was that this Madam He had always been close to the Crown Princess, but not so close to the other younger members of the family.
Her visit to the Prince of Chang Le's residence this time was most likely related to Madam Lu's matter. After all, the two were from the same lineage; how could she just stand by and do nothing?
However, compared to Madam Lu, Madam He, who has always presented herself as kind, is clearly much more cunning!
No wonder, Madam Lu came from a collateral branch of the Xie family, while this Madam He came from the direct line of the Xie family. She was the Crown Princess's own sister, so her way of dealing with people was naturally different from Madam Lu's.
"Chunyu, how is Madam He's family doing now?"
"Your Highness, Madam He has three sons and one daughter with Lord He. Lord He is only in his early thirties. To have so many offspring at this age, and all of them are legitimate children, is quite a remarkable achievement."
At first glance, this statement seems harmless, but upon closer examination, something feels off.
"You silly girl, you can't insult people like that! So what if Madam He is jealous? The important thing is that Master He is willing to let her be jealous, that's the key point!"
Aunt Fang's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but understand the princess's words a little better. She nodded and smiled, "What the princess said is true. To be treated so well by Prefect He, she must be a person of good character. And the relationship between husband and wife must be quite harmonious."
"Therefore, outsiders only saw Madam He's jealousy, but they didn't see Lord He's indulgence. If Lord He wanted to, he could have produced not just three, but ten illegitimate sons. But the problem is that he is unwilling! Over the years, although there have been many beautiful women in the Prefect's mansion, he is unwilling to let other women bear him children. It seems that his regard for Madam He is truly extraordinary."
Aunt Fang nodded in agreement. “What the Princess says is absolutely right. I’ve heard that whenever Lord He stays somewhere else, his concubine always has to take a bowl of contraceptive soup the next morning.”
"After all these years, haven't a single one or two been overlooked?"
Aunt Fang laughed, "How could there not be? It's just that disobeying Madam's wishes is the same as disobeying Lord He's wishes, so they were all given safflower. Since they're living in the backyard of the He residence, how could anyone who's pregnant or disobedient escape Madam He's eyes?"
"Well, let's go. Since she is the Crown Princess's own sister, we can't keep her waiting any longer. Besides, in the next few years, we'll need Lord He to handle many of the Prince's affairs."
"Yes, princess."
Aunt Fang understood that all the officials in Yan, except for one prefect, could be appointed and dismissed by the prince.
If Prefect He does not cooperate or obey, then the Prince cannot dismiss him. This is also the rule of the court; apart from the Emperor, no one else can make decisions regarding the prefect of this fiefdom.
"Please invite Madam He to sit in Yijing Garden. Carry my sedan chair over there. It's cloudy today, so please also bring my black mink cloak to keep Madam He warm on the way."
"Yes, princess."
Seeing how thoughtful the Princess Consort's arrangements were, Aunt Fang helped her up, saying, "Then let's move to the East Warm Pavilion. The Prince was worried that you might feel cold, so he sent extra people to heat the floor."
"Mmm." Mu Xin Nuan smiled sweetly. She was indeed a little afraid of the cold, but she loved to appreciate plum blossoms and snow in winter. It was just a pity that she hadn't seen a single snowflake since arriving in Yan.
"In the Yan region, do ordinary households also have underfloor heating?"
"Your Highness, at this time of year, only extremely wealthy families would use it. Moreover, they would usually just light a charcoal stove in the bedroom; they wouldn't directly burn the underfloor heating system, as that would waste too much charcoal."
Mu Xin Nuan felt a pang of depression when she thought of the suffering people. She wasn't Guanyin Bodhisattva, so she didn't intend to cut back on all her own expenses. In fact, even if she ate only salted vegetables and thin porridge for three meals a day, it wouldn't have much effect on those refugees.
This is what they mean by "a drop in the ocean".
Seeing that the princess had something on her mind again, Aunt Fang advised, "The princess has done so many good deeds for these people, providing them with food and cotton clothes. Now she has used her own money to buy so many medicinal herbs and sent them over. I don't know how many lives she has saved."
Mu Xin Nuan knew this was meant to comfort her, so she just smiled and said, "I'm fine. They're all living beings, so let's save as many as we can. I can't help with anything else, I just hope that Your Highness can worry less and get some rest."
"Your Highness, Madam He has arrived." Rongyue lifted the curtain and invited Madam He in.
"Greetings to the Princess, may the Princess enjoy boundless blessings and peace."
"What are you doing? Please get up quickly." Mu Xin Nuan gestured for Aunt Fang to help her up personally. "Madam He, there's no need for such formality. Since you are my eldest sister-in-law's sister, you are practically family with me. Why be so distant?"
Upon hearing this, Madam He smiled slightly and said, "Just now, the Princess Consort sent a sedan chair to pick me up. I really don't deserve such kindness."
"What are you saying? I heard from my prince that he grew up with the Crown Princess since he was a child. His affection for his eldest sister-in-law is no less than that for his mother!"
Madam He heard these words and they resonated with her. She used to visit the Eastern Palace often and had seen Prince Chang Le quite a few times. Back then, he was just a few years old, but now he had become a handsome and dashing prince.
"Oh, this little girl is quite pretty. Come here and let me take a look." Mu Xin Nuan turned her head and saw a little girl dressed in pink. She was only about ten years old, a little younger than herself. Her eyes showed a little respect and trepidation. When she heard Mu Xin Nuan call her, she turned her eyes to look at Madam He first.
"The Princess Consort has summoned you; go then," Madam He said with a smile. "Your Highness, this is my daughter."