Chapter 47
Chapter 47 Something Strange Happened Once Again
“In your judgment, how to train them?”
Lin Mengya thought for a while and told the Prince her opinion.
“The generals should be sent to the border. They will be good tacticians after living through the war. Guarding the capital city is an important task for them, but more importantly, they have to be tactical and clever. Advisors can become secret agents. They must slip into other officials’ mansions to be their advisors. In this way, we can clearly know others’ movements and our advisors can also gain more experience. We can get a double advantage.”
Long Tianhao suddenly felt excited. He had the same idea as Lin Mengya and he had already started to draw up a plan.
But he didn’t expect that it was Lin Mengya who completely understood what he wanted!
After thinking for a while, Long Tianhao suddenly realized that Lin Mengya had been kidnapped last night and he hadn’t asked whether she felt good yet.
“Are… you tired?” Long Tianhao felt strange after asking her this question.
In his life, he had never comforted anyone before. But he had just tried to console a woman a few seconds ago.
So he suddenly became awkward.
“I’m fine. Prince, if you’re tired, you can have a rest.”
Lin Mengya said with anger. He was so dull and inarticulate. She had been at danger last night and he didn’t console her after she came back home.
She had also been treated as the spy, otherwise, she wouldn’t have framed Baili Wuchen up.
“I… I didn’t mean that. Please stay and have lunch with me.”
He invited her a lunch, which was rare.
Lin Mengya nodded. She was starving, anyway.
They went out of the secret room and entered the study.
The smell of rice was particularly appetizing today.
Lin Mengya sat at the dining table and had a good appetite. There were red and sweet squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, delicious bamboo soup, and four or five refined dishes.
“No wonder the Prince asked the small kitchen to prepare so many dishes. Princess also has lunch here.”
Steward Deng said casually. But her heart beat faster after hearing his words.
She had fully understood that Long Tianhao was cold and indifferent to others. But she was still moved by this heart-warming behavior because this was rare for this man.
Lin Mengya ate happily. Everything was delicious when you were hungry.
“Prince, I have something to discuss with you.”
Biting the chopsticks, Lin Mengya tried hard to pretend to be innocent.
Long Tianhao looked at her and raised his eyebrows. Every time when Lin Mengya had this expression, something bad must have happened.
“Well, you can speak up. What’s the matter?”
Lin Mengya smiled and became serious.
“I think that we need to assign some work for the woman servants I bought from the broker house.” Lin Mengya pretended to mention this carelessly. In fact, she thought that there were only a few people in her yard and it was too empty.
“You brought them back, so you can make the plan by yourself.”
Long Tianhao didn’t want to interfere in the affairs of the inner chambers for womenfolk.
Since his mother and Lin Mengya were fully responsible for the affairs of the mansion, they had the right to make their own decisions.
“OK. Thank you, Prince. I’m full. You can continue to enjoy it.”
Lin Mengya had always been a very realistic person. After getting the permission of Long Tianhao, she put down her bowl and ran out of the study.
There was only Long Tianhao sitting at the dining table. But he suddenly felt that the same dishes were not so delicious after she had left.
“Miss Lin, do you really want to pick more servant girls? Have I done something wrong? Are you unsatisfied with me?”
Woman and girl servants she had brought back that day stood in the yard in two lines and waited for the inspection of their hostess.
“No, you are excellent. But I feel that our yard is so empty and desolate. Besides, you’re too busy taking care of me and Xiaoyu by yourself. I don’t want you to be so tired.”
She patted Baizhi’s hands to comfort her. This girl had already been jealous before Lin Mengya picked any servants.
The servants worked for her shouldn’t be so fragile.
“Well, OK. But I must be responsible for your diet and daily life in the future!”
Baizhi was still like a child and she became happy again after Lin Mengya had comforted her.
The woman and girl servants were standing obediently in the yard.
The blazing sun was shining right over their heads. After standing here in less than one hour, they were dripping with perspiration.
Lin Mengya sat at the door and stared at them. More and more woman servants and girl servants left.
Only those who could persist to the end could become her servants. She also wanted to take this opportunity to carefully observe their conduct.
Not all those who worked for her could become her confidants.
Gradually, half of them had left and there were only a dozen woman and girl servants standing in the yard.
Lin Mengya whispered to Aunt Jinyue and asked her to give them some instructions.
“Some people left before. We’ll give each of them three pennies, a piece of coarse cloth, and two pounds of fresh meat as family resettlement allowances. You can get these at the accountant. The rest of you come into the room and the master wants to ask you some questions.”
Those who had been eliminated didn’t expect that they also had a reward.
So they immediately went out to get the reward happily.
The left a dozen servants were not disappointed at all, instead, they were more eager to work for Lin Mengya.
More than a dozen servants walked in one by one. Lin Mengya sat behind the screen and no one could see her face.
“You know that the Prince’s mansion is different from the ordinary family. And my Qinglan Courtyard has more rules and trivial things. Do you have any skills? You can tell me now.”
They only felt that the voice of their hostess was very young.
They had caught a glimpse of her at the broker house that day and knew that the Princess was very beautiful and elegant. But they dared not to look straight at her.
“If the master asks you a question, you must show your respects before answering the question. This was polite and in conformity with our rules. But you’re new here and I’ll not punish you for this today.”
Aunt Jinyue was quite young, but she was strict and asked the servants to comply with the rules of the imperial palace.
The woman and girl servants dared not to look up. They obediently make a self-introduction one by one.
But their skills were common, like needlework and cooking.
After listening for a while, Lin Mengya asked Jinyue to bring them to take the examination.
They had spent an afternoon picking servants. At the time of dinner, Jinyue brought two beautiful girls to show respects for Lin Mengya.
“Respects to the Princess. There are two girls and their names are Xiaowan and Xiaoning. Master, I think they are agile, clever and have regular features, so I bring them over. Master, you can have a look.”
Lin Mengya looked at them carefully. The girl called Xiaowan was bright-eyed and had good features. She seemed to be quiet and calm.
And the other girl called Xiaoning was beautiful-looking, with her eyes slanting a bit upwardly. She must be clever and shrewd.
She was really somebody.
She couldn’t find a group of obedient and timid girls to work for her in the courtyard. One of them must be shrewd and smart, otherwise, they would be bullied by others.
“Pay respect to Princess Yu.”
It was the first time for these two girls to enter the royal family, so they were nervous.
They were kneeling on the ground and could only see her tiny feet in a pair of golden silk phoenix embroidered shoes.
They looked up secretly and saw a small face with a gentle smile.
Gee, the Princess looked even younger than them!
“Get up, I don’t have so many rules. As long as you are loyal and obedient, I will not be hard on you.”
Lin Mengya smiled and said. They looked scared and terrified, Aunt Jinyue must have given them an earful.
So she chose to be a good master to comfort them.
“Yes, master.”
Lin Mengya looked narrowly at these two girls who were standing obediently in front of her.
“From now on, Xiaowan, your name is Baiji and Xiaoning will be Baishao. You are all first-class servant girls. Aunt Jinyue will teach you everything.”
“Yes. Master, thank you for giving us a new name.”
The two girls were all happy.
It was a great blessing to become the first-class servant girl in the Qinglan Courtyard.
Aunt Jinyue wanted to take these two girls out. But at the same time, Steward Deng rushed into the Qinglan Courtyard hurriedly.
“Pay respect to the Princess. Princess, the Empress asked someone to bring a statuette of Songzi Guanyin (a Bodhisattva who can help women become pregnant and have children) from the palace and give it to you.”
The Empress?
She remembered her dignified but scheming face.
Why did she give her a statuette of Songzi Guanyin for no reason?
“I see. Jinyue and Baizhi, go with me to welcome the Empress’ gift.”
She nodded, brought two servants girls and went out of the Qinglan Courtyard with Steward Deng.
Whether it was a scheme or not, they must accept her gift because they couldn’t afford to offend the Empress.
“Princess, you’re too polite. I have been ordered by the Empress and give you a statuette of Songzi Guanyin.”
The eunuch said in a neutral voice. Lin Mengya immediately asked Baizhi to accept the red sandalwood box with the Songzi Guanyin statuette in it.
“Thank you for coming here so late in person.”
The eunuch clearly knew that his master didn’t get along well with the masters of Prince Yu’s Mansion.
“Princess, please open it and have a look. Then I can come back and report on my mission.”
Lin Mengya realized that something was wrong. She felt strange for no reason.
But if there was something wrong with the statuette, she could point out directly. So she decided to open it now.
As soon as she opened the box, the smell of sandalwood made them calm down.
Although it was only a Songzi Guanyin statuette, it was true to life and was of high quality.
“Princess, you’ve had a look, so I’ve finished my task. I have to leave now.”
The eunuch immediately hurried away. It seemed that he might be eaten if he stayed here any longer.
“Master, how to handle this statuette?” The Empress had been trying to frame Concubine De up many times in the imperial harem for the past years. But she could always come safely out of danger.
So Jinyue didn’t like the Empress who looked kind but was cruel and vicious inside.
“Put it in my room first. I’ll ask an expert to have a look tomorrow. If there’s nothing wrong with it, we can find a room to lay it.”
Lin Mengya looked at the sandalwood box once again. Why did she feel strange?
“You can also have a look. This is the Songzi Guanyin gifted by the Empress!”
After coming back, Baizhi asked Baiji and Baishao to look at the Box in her hands.
Jinyue was busy going back to the Art Courtyard and reporting this news to Concubine De. So these two girls were staying at the Qinglan Courtyard now.
None of them dared to touch the statuette. So they huddled together and discussed it.
“It’s definitely a treasure of the imperial palace. It’s so exquisite!”
Baishao was vivacious and Baizhi was the youngest of them. They became familiar with each other after a while.