The noble girl is beautiful. - Chapter 53

In the bedroom, Shen Yourong had fallen asleep, and the house was quiet inside and out. Since it was their first day at the residence, many things were still unorganized. Du Juan decided to tidy up and arrange things in the back room of the main house, while Hua Mei stayed in the inner room to watch over the young lady.

Du Juan and Hua Mei shared a room, but more often than not, they slept on a small bed near the master’s bedroom to be close at hand.

The servants had already moved their luggage, which consisted of several large camphor wood trunks, into the room. Du Juan opened the trunks and began to sort and arrange the clothing and personal items.

While she was busy with this task, she heard the sound of the curtain at the door rustling; it was Bai Yan who had come in.

“The Princess Consort is still asleep. Hua Mei and Bai Yue are with her, so I came to check on you,” Bai Yan said with a smile.

Du Juan quickly invited her to sit on the couch. “I’ve just started tidying up; it’s a bit chaotic. I hope I haven’t made you laugh at me.”

“I was worried you might be overwhelmed doing it alone, so I came to help,” Bai Yan said, helping her fold some clothes. She sighed and added, “It’s really unexpected. When we left your home, we said we might not see each other again, yet here you are becoming one of us.”

Du Juan smiled, saying, “It seems we are fated.”

“Indeed,” Bai Yan said, “We’ve been looking forward to this marriage since it was arranged earlier this year. Firstly, and to speak bluntly, the Prince is getting on in years, and it’s not proper for the household to lack a mistress. Secondly, you might not know, but our Prince is quite stubborn and not interested in women. Bai Yue and I are merely nominal attendants, helping with the household affairs managed by Eunuch Xue. The Prince prefers to have Changming around.”

She spoke to show loyalty, indicating that she and Bai Yue were not just secondary maidservants.

Du Juan understood the implication and responded with a smile, “Sister, you flatter me. Your experience surpasses mine by far. Even today, the way you styled the Princess Consort’s hair is something I couldn’t match. We will need your guidance in serving the Princess Consort in the future.”

“That’s nothing,” Bai Yan said with a deeper smile. “When we first met the Princess Consort at the Qi State Duke’s residence, I felt her character was exceptional, rare in the capital. Who would have thought such a remarkable person would end up in our household? It’s like a celestial being descended to us.”

They both laughed at this.

A young maidservant at the door lifted the curtain and said, “Sister Bai Yan, Sister Du Juan, the Princess Consort has awakened and is calling for you.”

They immediately stood up and went to the main room.

Hua Mei brought tea and a spittoon for Shen Yourong to rinse her mouth, then served a cup of clear tea to soothe her throat. Shen Yourong, looking somewhat drowsy, sat in front of the dressing table. Du Juan went over to help her with her makeup and reminded her to meet the household staff.

Shen Yourong nodded and allowed the maidservants to dress her. She changed into a grand red embroidered satin floral gown and took her place at the head of the main hall.

Eunuch Xue reported from outside, and Shen Yourong quickly invited him in.

She had met him before and remembered him as a pleasant old man. When he entered the room and saw her, he immediately beamed with a smile and performed a deep bow.

“Old servant greets the Princess Consort.”

Shen Yourong said, “Please rise!”

Du Juan and Hua Mei helped him to his feet, and Shen Yourong offered him a seat.
His visit was not only to pay respects but also to hand over the household accounts and various keys to her.

“His Highness instructed that from now on, all matters of the household are under the Princess Consort’s authority. The accounts, keys, and records are to be managed by you,” Eunuch Xue said. “The household managers and the women in charge of various sections are waiting outside.”

Shen Yourong nodded, took the accounts, and flipped through a few pages. She found the household rules to be quite strict, almost harsh. But she could understand that Ji Zhuo had to ensure everything was in order due to his challenging circumstances.

She closed the ledger and handed it to Du Juan. The young maidservants rolled up the curtain at the door, and the courtyard outside was filled with people.

Standing next to Shen Yourong were Du Juan, Hua Mei, Bai Yan, and Bai Yue, while Eunuch Xue sat in the hall. From a distance, Shen Yourong looked like a dignified and elegant figure, as if seated as a goddess.

Everyone in the courtyard immediately knelt and performed a deep bow.

She instructed them to rise and reviewed the roster, calling each person forward to be recognized.

Bai Yan stood beside her, quietly explaining who each person was, their responsibilities, other household members, and their familial connections.

After recognizing everyone, Hua Mei promptly handed each person a pouch of reward money. By the end, she had a good understanding of the household.

“That will be all for today,” Shen Yourong said, closing the roster.

The crowd outside again bowed in unison, thanking the Princess Consort for the rewards.

Eunuch Xue stepped forward to give some final instructions, saying, “The Princess Consort is kind, so you must be diligent. If any of you act inappropriately, cause trouble, or deceive, don’t blame me for being unmerciful!”

Everyone responded in agreement, and he turned to Shen Yourong, his expression brightening again. “I will now lead them away.”

After dealing with the household affairs for two hours, Shen Yourong felt sore from sitting for so long. Back in the inner room, Hua Mei used a beauty stick to massage her legs.

“Interestingly, no one has caused trouble,” Hua Mei said. “Previously, there were always those who tried to make things difficult for the new mistress.”
Bai Yue came in carrying a plate of autumn pears and smiled, “Princess Consort, you might not know, but before you arrived, Eunuch Xue had already reorganized the entire residence. The Prince even ordered that anyone who disrespects you should be thrown out and dealt with severely, and their entire family would suffer the consequences.”

Du Juan, hearing this, took the tea from Shen Yourong’s hand and said, “The Prince has thought of everything for you, handling every detail meticulously.”

Shen Yourong smiled and suddenly remembered something, “We’ve already given rewards to those outside, but we forgot about the people in our courtyard.”

“They’ve been prepared,” Du Juan said, taking out gifts for Bai Yan and Bai Yue from the cabinet. Each received two gold hairpins, two bolts of silk, and a pair of gold and silver jewelry.

Shen Yourong said to Bai Yan and Bai Yue, “These are the gifts we prepared for you earlier; I just remembered to give them now.”

They quickly thanked her, “Thank you, Princess Consort.”

Shen Yourong said, “You two are attending to the Prince, and now you’re with me. It might not be better than being by the Prince’s side, but I won’t mistreat you.”

Bai Yan and Bai Yue bowed again in gratitude.

Shen Yourong then said, “For the little maidservants in our quarters, each will receive two silver hairpins, a pair of silver jewelry, and a monthly allowance. For the third-rank servants outside, each will receive a monthly allowance.”

Bai Yan added, “Speaking of which, I was about to tell you. The main courtyard here is newly built by the Prince, and the servants were all transferred from various places. We were just waiting for you to come and rearrange things. You can also bring in any of the servants you are accustomed to.”

Shen Yourong considered this and asked to see the accounts. Previously, Ji Zhuo had very few personal servants: Bai Yan and Bai Yue, and Changming and Chang Su as attendants, while others were not allowed into his private quarters.

After a moment’s thought, she said, “Du Juan, you and Bai Yan can select from the remaining staff. I only need four main maidservants, including you and Bai Yue, with a monthly allowance of two taels of silver each. The eight secondary maidservants in the house will each receive one tael of silver per month, and the remaining maidservants and servants doing rough work outside will each receive eight hundred cash per month, as long as there are enough.”

She closed the accounts and said, “You and Du Juan take care of this, and let me know once you’ve made the selections.”

Bai Yan agreed.

The afternoon passed quickly, and by the time it was dusk, Ji Zhuo returned. As soon as he arrived at the residence, he went straight to the main courtyard. Inside, Shen Yourong had changed out of her formal attire and into more casual clothing. She came out to greet him, who looked at her for a while.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, feeling a bit embarrassed, “Is something wrong with my appearance?”

He shook his head and said, “I’ve always seen you in formal occasions wearing elegant clothes. I’ve never seen you in such casual attire before.”

She adjusted her clothes and said, “Is there anything special about it?”

She turned and went back into the room. He took off his outer robe and followed her in.

“Have you eaten yet?” He asked.

“Not yet,” she replied, “I was waiting for you.”

Ji Zhuo smiled and sat down by the bed, “Since we’re newly married, I should not have gone out, but there were urgent matters. In the future, if I come back late, you don’t need to wait for me; just eat first.”

She nodded, “I understand.”
He looked at her under the lamplight, his feelings stirred. He casually asked, “What did you do today?”

“Not much,” Shen Yourong said, propping her head up, her ear pendants swaying. “I met with the household staff this afternoon. They were all very orderly; no one tried to make things difficult.”

He chuckled, “They wouldn’t dare.”

She smiled at him and said, “Bai Yan mentioned that you had already instructed everyone in the residence to be organized.”

He nodded, “Is there something wrong?”

Shen Yourong said, “It makes me look like I don’t know how to manage things properly, and it might become a subject of gossip among other ladies.”

“Who would dare to gossip?” Ji Zhuo’s voice was low and his gaze deep and gentle. “Only you, perhaps. My intention in marrying you was to ensure you live comfortably, not to make you a manager of the household.”

She smiled with her lips pressed together. He took her hands in his, stroking them gently. Her hands, delicate and soft, had no calluses. A red ruby ring on her index finger highlighted her slender, fair fingers.

Holding her hands, he thought to himself how her entire being seemed as tender and soft as her hands, making it hard to let go.