Unaware that she had inadvertently offended her husband, Liu Mentang focused solely on recounting her day’s activities to keep him informed.
Cui Xingzhou frowned as he listened to the tale of Miss He’s misplaced affections. He felt compelled to correct Liu Mentang’s misconceptions.
Since he hadn’t committed the errors Mentang described, the Prince of Huaiyang felt inexplicably uncomfortable hearing her misunderstanding. He said, “How could Miss He, a merchant’s daughter, possibly recognize the Prince of Huaiyang? Perhaps some scoundrel deceived her?”
Mentang, who had merely mentioned this in passing to her husband, noticed his serious tone and replied, “Miss He isn’t a sheltered young lady confined to her home. She’s unlikely to mistake someone’s identity. I just don’t know what the Prince of Huaiyang looks like to have captivated He Zhen so thoroughly. In my opinion, she’s simply seen too few good men. If she were to meet a man like you, my husband, she’d realize that Prince is hardly worth mentioning.”
Her words seemed to soften Cui Jiu’s expression. The topic of He Zhen’s refusal to marry was then set aside.
Later, during his monthly visit to the prince’s mansion for a meal, the Prince of Huaiyang took the opportunity to summon Steward Gao for questioning.
Steward Gao pondered for a moment, his eyes rolling upward in thought. He did recall an encounter between the prince and the He family. It happened when the prince’s sister, Cui Fu, was preparing for her wedding. Various shops were presenting samples for her dowry, including the He family’s store.
It was during the most chaotic times in Zhenzhou. The He family encountered bandits on their journey, but fortunately, the prince and his troops happened to be passing by and rescued their carriage.
Steward Gao, known for his excellent memory, recalled that if he wasn’t mistaken, Miss He was also in the carriage at the time, witnessing the young prince’s gallant demeanor.
At this point, the steward cautiously glanced at the prince, unsure why he suddenly inquired about such an old incident.
However, as various merchants often sent gifts to the steward during festivals to curry favor with the prince’s household, Gao naturally knew about the He family’s third daughter’s reluctance to marry.
Hearing the prince’s sudden inquiry, he couldn’t help but wonder if the stars of romance had aligned, drawing a red thread of fate for the lovelorn Miss He.
Recalling that the prince had just ordered him to send nourishing tonics to the residence on North Street in Lingquan Town, Gao speculated that there might be a pregnancy. If so, that woman wouldn’t be able to serve the prince anymore.
Meanwhile, it seemed the prince wasn’t idle, already seeking his next beauty.
The Ninth Lord was indeed following in his father’s footsteps, perhaps even surpassing him in romantic pursuits!
Thinking this, Steward Gao inwardly sighed for Miss Lian in the mansion. Being the principal wife of the prince was no easy task! He wondered if the Ninth Lord could outdo his father and if the mansion’s courtyards could accommodate the future harem of concubines…
On Lian Silan’s side, she too had caught wind of the news.
As the future mistress of the prince’s mansion, she didn’t need to offer bribes; people eagerly curried favor with her, secretly passing along information.
The list of nourishing tonics sent to North Street hadn’t even been delivered before an exact copy found its way into Lian Silan’s hands.
Looking at the list of pregnancy-supporting supplements, Madam Lian Chu became extremely anxious. She slapped the table and said to her daughter, “In other matters, you may be more thoughtful than your mother, but when it comes to handling men, you’re still far behind! Think about it. The prince is in his prime, yet he’s delayed marriage for so long. If you don’t arrange suitable concubines for him, he’ll naturally seek them himself. I wanted to promote Lianxiang to serve the prince, but you refused. Now he’s been bewitched by some vixen, losing his sensibilities. Is… is that woman in the outside residence going to bear a child before you?”
Lian Silan felt a surge of anger but maintained her composure. “Hasn’t that woman on North Street fallen out of favor? A servant boy close to Steward Gao told me that the prince seems more interested in the He family’s third daughter now…”
Hearing this, Madam Lian Chu became even more furious. She immediately wanted to speak to her sister about her nephew’s outrageous behavior.
However, Lian Silan stopped her mother: “Mother, what use is there in telling the Imperial Consort? Cousin doesn’t listen to her at all. You’ll only provoke his anger towards me, achieving nothing…”
Madam Lian Chu knew this was true. She shook her head helplessly and asked, “Then what do you suggest we do?”
Lian Silan pressed her lips tightly and said, “When you wanted to send Lianxiang to a cousin, he didn’t fancy her and didn’t accept. Since that’s the case, whoever he likes, we should help him by bringing her into the mansion first. Firstly, this will prevent the prince from constantly going out. Secondly, the concubine can learn proper etiquette from the Imperial Consort, preventing her from harboring improper thoughts.”
Madam Lian Chu somewhat understood her daughter’s intention but still frowned, “What’s the background of that woman on North Street? How can we bring her in?”
Lian Silan smiled disdainfully, “The one from North Street is too lowly to bring in. That’s why my cousin set up an outside residence for her. However, He Zhen, although from a merchant family, is from a royal supplier with connections to Imperial Consort Xi in the palace. Such a lady, while not worthy of being a noble concubine, shouldn’t be slighted. Mother, don’t you think this is the right approach?”
Madam Lian Chu thought carefully and suddenly understood: her daughter could indeed discern what was important. No matter how favored the woman on North Street was, at most, the prince would allow her to bear some children for his old age. But children born to an outside woman couldn’t even be recorded in the clan’s genealogy. The He family’s daughter was different; she was a proper lady from a respectable background. If she truly gained the prince’s favor, she would be a real threat to her daughter. It was better to take the initiative and win her over first!
Having agreed on this, the mother and daughter decided that Lian Silan would visit the He family’s porcelain shop in Lingquan Town to see what kind of beauty this Miss He was, who had so captivated the prince that he specifically inquired about her to his steward.
Meanwhile, Cui Xingzhou was unaware that his future virtuous wife in the prince’s mansion had already made thorough considerations on his behalf, preparing to welcome a concubine of respectable background to serve him.
He had spent the past two days riding swiftly to the borders of Qingzhou Prefecture, examining the files of several local officials.
This wasn’t on a whim. A few days ago, during a long conversation with the retired Elder Meng, he learned some confidential information about the upheaval in the Eastern Palace years ago from this veteran of three reigns.
According to reports, after the Empress, persecuted by Imperial Consort Xi, was confined to the Cold Palace, the Crown Prince made preparations. Although he was tricked into the palace by Imperial Consort Xi’s false imperial edict and died from poisoned wine, his two legitimate sons were rescued by the Crown Prince’s loyal followers and disappeared without a trace.
Even now, those two escaped children remained a thorn in the side of Imperial Consort Xi, who had become the Holy Mother Empress Dowager.
The methods Imperial Consort Xi used to support the current Emperor’s ascension to the throne were too ruthless. After coming to power, she promoted her faction and persecuted loyal ministers. Many court officials, though angry, dared not speak out, inwardly longing for the virtuous Crown Prince of the past.
Elder Meng, by age, should have been at the prime of his political career. However, he refused to compromise his principles and retired early, citing illness as an excuse.
Cui Xingzhou had been his most promising student, and the mentor-student relationship was quite close. Now it seemed that this student had indeed lived up to expectations, not relying solely on his father’s influence. Therefore, Elder Meng placed his hopes on Cui Xingzhou and shared everything he knew with him.
As the two were about to part after their long, private conversation, Elder Meng earnestly said to him, “This old man may not see things clearly, but the current situation in the imperial court is filled with miasma, with petty men dancing about. This is not a long-term strategy for governing the country. I hope Xingzhou will assess the situation carefully and not be too inflexible. Preserve your strength. When changes occur in the court, loyal ministers will be needed to stem the tide and stabilize the realm…”
Cui Xingzhou bowed, indicating he had taken his mentor’s teachings to heart, and then bid farewell.
Subsequently, he came to Qingzhou to examine the files. This investigation revealed some clues, but several pages from certain officials’ files were missing, torn out by unknown persons.
When he returned to Lingquan Town, the sky was already filled with stars. Upon arriving at the North Street residence, he initially thought of calling for Madam Li to bring him something to eat.
However, Mentang, wrapping herself in clothes, said to him, “Madam Li woke up with a headache this morning, probably from eating too much sweet melon yesterday and catching a chill. The doctor just came to check on her, and she’s taken medicine and gone to sleep. My husband, what would you like to eat? I can make it for you.”
Cui Xingzhou, feeling the night chill outside, worried Mentang might catch a cold going out like this, so he asked, “Where are the two new maids? Let them do it.”
Mentang shook her head helplessly and said, “Fangxie and Bicao seem capable enough, but Madam Li is too strict in training new people. They spent the entire afternoon practicing just pouring water, and the poor girls’ wrists were swollen. Fortunately, Madam Li is ill today, so I thought I’d let them have a good night’s sleep. Madam will assign new tasks tomorrow!”
The Cui family wasn’t considered a large household, but Madam Li had many rules. Those tasks seemed to come from somewhere unknown. Even pouring water had to be done silently, without spilling a single drop, and with proper posture and hand gestures.
To be honest, the female tutor Mentang’s father hired for her before her marriage wasn’t as meticulous as Madam Li. Mentang initially tried to stop Madam Li from being so particular, but seeing how Madam Li looked at the two little maids’ lack of manners, her face as black as ink, with a look that said, “If I don’t speak out, I’ll suffocate,” Mentang finally gave up and let the old woman torment the two young ones. Only then did household harmony prevail, with meals served on time, three dishes, and a soup.
Now that Madam Li was asleep and the two little maids were pitiful, and since her husband disliked the food prepared by the rough maidservants, considering it unclean, it seemed she had no choice but to cook herself.
Cui Xingzhou knew about Mentang’s culinary skills. Only a few specific dishes were presentable, and her everyday cooking wasn’t her forte. Her knife skills were average, and she needed someone to assist her. So, half-reclining on the soft couch, he asked, “What are you going to make for me?”
Mentang remembered there was a basket of river shrimp and said, “How about fried shrimp? I learned it from Madam Li. If I fry them crispy and sprinkle some salt and pepper, they’ll go well with rice.”
Cui Xingzhou was hungry and thought anything cooked would do, so he nodded.