Chapter 380: Gift Giving
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Early the next morning, Yuwen Chu got up refreshed. He originally wanted to leave quietly, but unexpectedly, Mingzhu woke up. “The winter solstice is coming soon, and gifts must be prepared for each mansion. His Highness should have someone make drip dew pots. First, make a few hundred to send to the northwest, and then send a few to each major mansion. Say they came from the northwest. How about that?”
Wanting to make drip dew pots early in the morning? Yuwen Chu almost thought he had misheard. He turned back to look, only to see Mingzhu still rubbing her eyes sleepily, and thought that she had been sleeping excessively lately. Since it worried her like this, it meant she really wanted to do something. Therefore, he responded with interest, “Alright, your word is final. I’ll arrange it right away.”
“Your Highness, eat a little more. The road is slippery, so let them drive the carriage slower. I won’t see Your Highness off.” Mingzhu turned over and went back to sleep.
Yuwen Chu walked to the door but heard her call out again, “Your Highness, there’s one more thing I forgot to tell you.”
He had to stop again, smiling kindly, “What is it?”
This time Mingzhu sat up, solemnly saying, “Be careful of Consort Xiao and Anyang Wang. They have great ambitions.”
Yuwen Chu suppressed his smile, also speaking solemnly, “I understand. You can rest assured.”
Mingzhu coquettishly reached out to him, “Hug~”
Yuwen Chu smiled helplessly, shook his head, and sighed as he walked over to embrace her, giving her a tight hug and kissing her forehead before asking, “Can I go now?”
Mingzhu hugged his head and kissed him hard before laughing and shrinking back into the covers, “You can. Your Highness, take care.”
After Yuwen Chu left, Mingzhu slept for a while before getting up. Seeing that the snow had stopped, she put on her fox fur boots and went for a walk in the courtyard. When she returned to the room, she had someone call Li Quanxin over. “Who performed the song and dance at the northern garden yesterday?”
Li Quanxin rattled off a few names, one of which was recommended by Empress Dowager Min, while the others were sent by various prominent families. Mingzhu considered for a moment and said, “If someone comes asking, just agree to it. Treat their dowries like those of first-class maidservants, and double it. Allow them to take all their clothes and jewelry from their chambers. It’s a matter of dignity for them.”
“Wangfei is merciful,” Li Quanxin glanced at Mingzhu quietly and whispered, “Mr. Mei has taken a liking to Su Zi.”
“Su Zi?” Mingzhu frowned. Su Zi and her sister Su Ye were both bestowed by the Great Empress Dowager. She always treated them as her own people, and their performance had been good. She had even planned to find them good matches in a couple of years. She hadn’t expected Yuwen Chu to want to send them away now.
Li Quanxin whispered, “This time, news of the Wangfei’s pregnancy has already reached the palace before it’s confirmed… The Wangfei enjoys music and dance in her leisure time, although they wouldn’t dare have such audacity, precautions should still be taken. Mr. Mei comes from a wealthy family, he is kind-hearted, his wife passed away from illness many years ago, and he has not remarried since. He has a son and a daughter, both married, from a scholarly family, and he’s barely forty. Su Zi will have a good life with him.”
“Arrange it properly and talk to her nicely.” Mingzhu remained silent for a moment before agreeing. Yuwen Chu was right. It wasn’t that she thought the Great Empress Dowager would definitely harm her unborn child, but it was better to be prepared than to regret it later.
“Understood.” Li Quanxin hadn’t expected Mingzhu to be so straightforward. He had prepared many persuasive words before coming, but none of them were used. He simply explained the situation, and Mingzhu agreed. The Wangfei was even more rational and calm than he had thought, truly different after becoming a Mother.
Perhaps Su Zi and Su Ye also knew the current situation. When Li Quanxin went to talk to them, they accepted happily. Su Zi went to prepare her dowry joyfully. The women in the northern garden were both envious and resentful. Some thought the Wangfei was malicious and domineering. Not only did she not share her husband’s favor with others, but she also systematically sent away the beauties in the mansion. Some feared being the next one sent away, so they joined forces to instigate Su Zi and Su Ye to cause trouble. Li Quanxin immediately reported this to Mingzhu.
Mingzhu looked at Su Zi and Su Ye with a different perspective, out of respect for the Great Empress Dowager. As for the others, if they didn’t cause trouble, she wouldn’t bother them, but if they did, she wouldn’t hesitate to take action. She had Li Quanxin tie them up immediately and send them directly to those ministers who didn’t have wives. Whether they wanted them or not, they had to accept them first.
As a result, many ministers in the Ying Wang’s mansion received generous gifts from the Wangfei, but no one dared to touch them, busy reporting it to Yuwen Chu.
Seeing the exaggerated reactions of those who reported, Yuwen Chu casually commented, “Understood.” Then he turned to Mr. Meng and said seriously, “Wangfei has considered it very carefully, only giving to those without wives. Otherwise, if the wives quarrel and the back courtyard catches fire, gratitude will turn into resentment, which would only trouble me. It’s good now. In the future, I don’t have to worry about you gentlemen having no one to take care of you.”
The ministers almost couldn’t help but laugh at Yuwen Chu’s obvious implication that Mingzhu was a virtuous wife. But considering the charming beauty and the generous gifts, they all accepted the Wangfei’s kindness. Changshi Zhou Shuyi jokingly said, “The Wangfei is generous, benefiting herself and others. Let’s thank the Wangfei when the time is right. But remember, don’t let the flowers dazzle your eyes and leak what shouldn’t be leaked, or else, consider the consequences.”
All the ministers nodded in agreement. These beauties were carefully selected, both in looks and skills. No one disliked them, even if they didn’t want them, keeping them around to take care of daily life and feast their eyes on wouldn’t be bad.
Someone discovered a beauty in one of the ministers’ homes and was amazed, so after inquiring, they couldn’t help but spread the news throughout the capital. For a while, the reputation of the jealous Wangfei spread throughout the imperial palace, becoming the most famous topic before the marriage of Princess Wusun and Linan Wang.
Mingzhu stayed at home to nurture her pregnancy and couldn’t be reached by others. Yuwen Chu maintained a poker face wherever he went, making even those familiar with him reluctant to bring up the topic. Unable to speak to the main characters, the gossipmongers turned their attention to the women of the Fu family, saying that Fu’s daughters were difficult to marry, extremely jealous and domineering.
Although people like Lady Qian and the others were a bit frustrated, they didn’t think it was a bad thing. Fu’s daughters were originally good, and they had no worries about marriage. If they truly wanted to marry, they shouldn’t be picky. Before they even got married, they were already thinking about taking concubines. That wasn’t a good thing. They were just afraid that Mingzhu would go too far and make things irreparable. So, they had to visit Mingzhu together, bring her some delicious food, and advise her to stop while she was ahead.
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