Jinyi Spring

Chapter 208 Important Matters

Three days later, Shui Chuchen returned to the princess's residence after finishing her vigil.

As soon as they entered the main hall and sat down, Tang Jian stepped forward, bowed, and reported, "Your Highness, Eunuch Chen, the godson of Eunuch He, came over this afternoon and discussed some important matters with me."

"Firstly, this morning, Eunuch Chen went to Tongji Women and Children's Hospital to deliver an imperial decree. His Majesty not only bestowed honors upon the Feng family, but also rewarded those who served the princess with merit—Wang Mama received 1,000 taels of silver, Banxia 500 taels, and Shaoyao 200 taels. The peony reward is here. The remaining meritorious personnel received a total of 200 taels."

"Young Master Feng burst into tears on the spot, saying he missed his sister. Eunuch Chen comforted him, saying that after the princess finished keeping vigil for Empress Xiaoxian, she would come out of the palace to see him, and he could also send a letter to the palace to visit Her Highness the princess."

Shui Chuchen felt a pang of sadness upon hearing that "Feng Buji cried." She had heard that Feng Buji had been staying at the Xiao family's residence for the past two days, suggesting that he must have known in advance that he would be receiving the imperial edict today, which was why he went to the Feng residence.

Tang Jian added, "The second matter is that the imperial edicts bestowing honors upon the Xiao, Wang, and Cai families have also been sent. All the families have expressed their gratitude and said they would like to go to the palace to kowtow to Her Highness the Princess another day."

"The third matter is that the title of Earl of Wuyi of the Wen family has been restored. Wen Qian is dead, and the title has been inherited by Wen Kai, the former heir of the Earl of Wuyi. The official in charge of delivering the decree has already rushed to Huzhou."

"The fourth thing is that Lord Ming was appointed as the deputy commander of the Flying Eagle Guard, while still serving as the pacification commissioner of the Northern Garrison. His Majesty also rewarded Lord Ming with two thousand taels of silver; Lord Shangguan was appointed as a sixth-rank imperial physician, and his son-in-law was rewarded with one thousand taels of silver."

"The fifth matter is that the former Prefect of the Capital had conspired with Xue and Cheng to fabricate many false cases and was dismissed from office. The Junior Prefect Hu was promoted to Prefect of the Capital."

"In addition, the Ministry of Rites awarded Baima Village two hundred taels of silver, saying that the villagers had performed meritorious service in protecting the princess. When the villagers heard that the former Miss Feng was Princess Yong'an, many of the elders were moved to tears, saying that they were fortunate to know the legitimate princess. The Yao family was also awarded one hundred taels of silver and four bolts of silk. Jian He Niang was sentenced to divorce from her husband's family and awarded one hundred taels of silver and four bolts of silk..."

Shui Chuchen nodded slightly. The Emperor was unaware that Ming Shanyue was her destined one and would become her consort in the future.

In this dynasty, although the imperial sons-in-law were not entirely without real positions, key posts such as the deputy commander of the Flying Eagle Guard and the pacification commissioner of the Northern Garrison were not to be held by them.

When he finds out in the future, where will Ming Shanyue go?

Given her father's personality, Ming Shanyue is unlikely to hold a particularly important position before her elder brother, the Crown Prince, ascends to the throne, let alone serve in the Flying Eagle Guard.

However, upon hearing that Shangguan Ruyu and Lord Hu had both been promoted, Shui Chuchen was genuinely happy for them. She couldn't help but smile slightly.

He then asked, "Are those reward funds from the Emperor or from the public treasury?"

Tang Jian said, "Your Highness, it was all paid for by the Ministry of Rites from official funds, which is to maintain the dignity of the imperial court."

He paused, then lowered his voice, "Oh, there's one more thing—I heard that Xue Shi and Xue Jicheng are to be executed tomorrow."

Shui Chuchen hummed in response, her face expressionless, and asked no further questions.

Tang Jian added, "As is customary, this servant and Granny Li presented Eunuch Chen with eight gold ingots as a token of the princess's gratitude for delivering the message."

Shui Chuchen nodded. "Well done."

Peony came in carrying a bag of silver, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons with a smile.

She eagerly stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, not only did I receive so much silver, but I also heard from Eunuch Chen that I might be promoted to an eighth-rank female official!"

She tried to suppress her joy, but couldn't hide it. "Hehehe, I'm going to be an official! I'm going to bring glory to the Guo family! My parents will be so happy when they find out. I'm going to send some money back home; they'll definitely throw a huge banquet for me."

Shui Chuchen couldn't help but smile as she looked at her smug expression.

The following day, King Zhao did not come to Kunning Palace to keep vigil.

The Crown Prince and Shui Chuchen understood that he had gone with the Second Princess to see Xue Shi off on her final journey.

I heard that after Xue died, her body was placed directly into a thin coffin, carried to a desolate mountain outside the city, and hastily buried. There was no tombstone, and no honors were bestowed upon her.

As for the concubines and the other princes and princesses, none of them went to "see Xue off." One reason was that they dared not, and the other was that Xue had not treated them well when she was in power.

That evening, Shui Chuchen returned to the princess's residence and unexpectedly saw Aunt Wang, Banxia, ​​Du Ruo, and Aunt Wu standing under the corridor.

The group quickly knelt down and kowtowed.

Shui Chuchen said, "Get up."

She wasn't used to using the phrase "please rise" on her former servants.

Aunt Wang's face was beaming with joy, and her eyes were brimming with tears of excitement. Aunt Wu was also moved to tears. Now, the two of them truly deserved to be called "Grandma."

Granny Wang laughed, "This morning, the eunuchs from the palace sent us to collect our salaries, including this year's year-end bonus. There's silver, silk, and rice. This old servant has now been appointed a seventh-rank female official, Banxia and Shaoyao have been appointed eighth-rank, and Wu Er's wife and Du Ruo have been appointed ninth-rank. Oh my, this old servant never dreamed that she could become an official and receive a salary in this lifetime."

She then pointed to several piles of things placed under the eaves.

Banxia, ​​Du Ruo, and Granny Wu also excitedly spoke of the Emperor's boundless grace and their loyalty to their master.

According to custom, a legitimate princess could only have one eunuch of the sixth rank, one nanny of the seventh rank, and one personal female official of the eighth rank.

However, Princess Yong'an had a special upbringing, and Eunuch He knew her status in the Emperor's heart, so he did her a favor and made an exception by promoting an additional seventh-rank nanny and two eighth-rank female officials.

The group entered the hall, and Shui Chuchen listened to the stories about the maternal and child health clinic and Baima Village.

The number of pregnant women staying at the facility suddenly surged, filling all the wards and creating a waiting list of several hundred people.

Granny Wang and Banxia would take turns visiting Feng Buji at the Xiao residence every day. The Xiao family had even hired a tutor for him, but the little guy still missed his sister terribly and often shed tears.

Baima Village was bustling with activity, as people flocked from all directions, and a three-day feast was held. Not only were there more people going to Jiupo Ridge to pay their respects to Doctor Feng, but even the number of dead children buried in the reed marshes increased.

Even more outrageous, the area around the old Feng family residence in Baima Village is called Yuyepo, and the clinic is called Jinzhi Clinic.

The Zhao family was terrified and moved to another place a couple of days ago...

By this time, the palace gates were locked. Shui Chuchen asked Granny Li to arrange accommodations for the group, and then explained to Granny Wang the precautions for the clinic, the year-end bonuses, and the employee rewards.

During the rest period, Granny Wang served Shui Chuchen alone and gave her a letter written by Ming Shanyue.

Granny Wang laughed and said, "I heard from Guo Hei that there are strict rules in the palace. When Eunuch Chen came to deliver the imperial decree, I gave him twenty taels of silver as a tribute, as is customary."

Shui Chuchen nodded, but didn't respond. She was thinking about something else—the current clinic was too small; she needed to buy the entire alley and expand it into a large clinic.

Granny Wang smiled smugly and said in a low voice, "My brother and sister-in-law, those shameless people, all came to the clinic entrance and knelt down crying and begging this old servant, but this old servant ignored them completely."

"Banxia's parents and brothers also came, kneeling on the ground. We hid Banxia and ignored them. Those people are kicking themselves now that we've become officials and received so much reward money!"

She paused, then continued, "Du Ruo's parents somehow found out that Du Ruo was in our family and came to claim their daughter. Du Ruo had no choice but to give them five taels of silver to send them away. People from Baima Village, the Yao family, and relatives from the Feng family also came to the clinic to inquire about you. It's a good thing you and the young master aren't here, or we would have been driven crazy by it."

She talked on and on.

It was late at night, and Shui Chuchen was the only one left in the room. She lifted the bed curtains and, by the dim light, opened the neatly folded letter.

First came a few words of deep thought and concern, followed by the real business.

He Quan was the Emperor's absolute confidant and had no relation whatsoever with Empress Dowager Xue. He usually got along well with Ming Shanyue.

Tang Jian is absolutely trustworthy. He is from the same hometown as Chen Chun, He Quan's godson, and is also one of He Quan's men.

Caiju must not be trusted; she used to be someone close to Empress Dowager Xue. Empress Dowager Xue sent her there under the pretense of doting on her eldest granddaughter.

Granny Li is under investigation. She previously worked in the Imperial Ceremonial Bureau and doesn't seem to belong to either side. She might be innocent, or she might be a spy planted by Empress Dowager Xue. If it's the latter, it's the most dangerous situation.

After reading the letter, Shui Chuchen got up, walked to the corner of the wall, took down a gauze lantern, and held the letter close to the flame. The pages curled, turned black, and then turned to ash. She put the ashes into the water in her teacup, and then poured the water into the spider plant by the window.

Tang Jian must be given a more important position, and it would be best to also win over He Quan and Chen Chunshou.

Granny Li outwardly favored him, but secretly kept a close watch on him.

Picking chrysanthemums will be used to find a fault and drive them away.

Lying in bed again, I couldn't sleep. The palace was truly a place of constant intrigue and scheming; it was utterly boring. (End of Chapter)