High-class maid

Chapter 263 I Won't Give Up Until I Ask

"Excuse me, is this Wang's Pickled Vegetables?"

A young girl who looked like a maid stood at the entrance of Jinxiufang, looking around. She couldn't associate this uniquely decorated shop with selling pickled vegetables.

"Indeed, I wonder if you're buying pickled vegetables, young lady?" Madam Wang put down the rag in her hand and warmly welcomed her in.

"Yes, who's in charge? Are they looking for you?" The maid turned her head to look at the shop and found that it was just Wang Shi alone.

"Indeed, may I ask which household you belong to, young lady, and how many jars of pickled vegetables you would like?"

"I am a maid in General Cao's mansion. Our mistress is pregnant, and eating your family's pickled vegetables can relieve her pregnancy. It just so happens that her sister-in-law is also pregnant, so the mistress asked me to come out and make this trip."

The young maid was naive and quickly revealed all her family's secrets.

"So you're from General Cao's residence. I've heard that the General and his wife have always had a good relationship, and now the wife is pregnant as she wished. It's truly a joyous occasion!" said Madam Wang.

General Cao and his wife are quite famous in the capital. He made his fortune on the frontier and returned to the city to be enfeoffed as a general a few years ago after making meritorious contributions. His wife had difficulty conceiving due to the cold on the frontier, but General Cao still doted on her as always. Now that the two are old enough to be grandmothers, they have welcomed their own child. How could Wang not congratulate them?

"Indeed, it's so hot these days. The servants from the border can't stand the heat in the capital. So the lady told me to buy more so that the servants can also have a taste."

The young maidservant, holding a teacup in one hand and a pastry in the other, sat leisurely on a stool, eating and talking without any hurry whatsoever.

Looking at the little girl who was two or three years younger than her own daughter, Madam Wang couldn't help but chuckle. She wondered how the people in the General's Mansion could trust her to come out and handle things.

"Madam is so kind-hearted that she's even letting the servants eat. I wonder how much she needs? I'll go buy the ingredients today," Madam Wang asked.

The maid smiled sheepishly: "Look at me, I was so busy chatting with you that I almost forgot the important business of this trip. Thirty jars of chili peppers and thirty jars of pickled vegetables, when can you deliver them to the General's Mansion? The sooner the better."

Wang took a deep breath. Sixty jars of pickled vegetables! This was the first time she'd ever received such a large order! But to appear unsophisticated, she calmly said...

"Just the shopping will take two days. My wife is pregnant, so we need to be even more careful about the quality of her food. In addition, we also need to wash and chop the vegetables. Hmm, about half a month."

"But we only have one jar of pickled vegetables left in our household. My wife loves those crisp radishes the most; they're sweet, spicy, and refreshing. How are we going to get through these next two weeks?" the maid said anxiously.

It seems that this lady treats the servants in the mansion very well, otherwise the little maid wouldn't be so nervous.

“I still have some pickled vegetables at home. If you don’t mind, young lady, you can come home with me to get them. I’ll find a helper to wash and chop the vegetables with me, and it should be ready in about ten days,” Wang said.

She thought of Yuan Dali's house in the alley. Now her children were all in school, and she spent her days washing clothes at home. If she could help her wash and chop vegetables for two days, she would be willing to do so if she paid her enough.

"Then I'll trouble you, Auntie. Let's go quickly."

The maidservant had eaten and drunk her fill. She paid Wang a deposit of thirty taels of silver. Wang then asked Shen Kun to watch the shop first. The two of them then took the General's Mansion's carriage to Shangqiao Street.

"I wonder what Xing'er is doing right now. I hope she hasn't made any mistakes."

When she had free time, Wang couldn't help but think about her daughter, fearing that her daughter might have suffered some injustice in the palace.

At this moment, Shen Xing'er, who was being worried about by her parents, had just arrived at the palace gate. She and Zhang Yuzhu stood on either side of the Princess, and anyone who didn't know better would have thought that she was also the Princess's granddaughter.

"The Princess has arrived. This is a sedan chair specially bestowed upon you by the Emperor. Please get in."

Eunuch Su was waiting at the palace gate early in the morning, with three sedan chairs behind him.

"How could I trouble Eunuch Su to come all this way to greet me? I am truly flattered," the Princess said with a smile.

"No, no, His Majesty has been talking about you all morning." After saying this, Eunuch Su flicked the whisk in his hand and gestured for them to get into the sedan chair.

After they were seated, the sedan chair, carried by eight eunuchs, moved steadily along the palace road. Before they even arrived at their destination, everyone in the harem knew that the Princess had arrived at the palace with two beautiful young women.

"His Majesty is hosting a banquet in the Imperial Garden today. The sky is clear and the peonies in the Imperial Garden are in full bloom. His Majesty has decided to wait for you in the Imperial Garden."

Eunuch Su noticed the confusion in the princess's eyes and explained to her with a smile.

"I see. Time really flies. It's April now, and the peonies are indeed in full bloom. We're in for a treat today," the princess said with a smile, her expression kind and gentle.

"Yes, and there's also the peony wine and peony cakes personally brewed by Her Majesty the Empress. Paired with today's scenery, they're absolutely exquisite," said Eunuch Su.

The eldest princess nodded, understanding his implication. The empress was also present.

Shen Xing'er didn't know how long she had been sitting in the sedan chair. With a thud, she was landed steadily on the ground.

Just as Shen Xing'er was at a loss, a pair of warm hands reached into the sedan chair. It turned out that Song Wenyang had come to pick her up.

Without a trace of affectation, she gently placed her hand on his arm and slowly stepped out of the sedan chair with him.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here," Song Wenyang whispered to comfort her.

Shen Xing'er didn't dare to respond, but simply nodded slightly to indicate that she understood.

"Your Highness, I've come to bother you again today. Zhu'er has been wanting to come to the palace for a long time, and she's brought her friends along," the Princess said with a smile as she entered the room.

"Please sit down. This is just a family dinner, don't be shy." The Emperor sat at the front and secretly glanced at Shen Xing'er. Hmm, she's not bad looking, a good match for his son.

"Etiquette must not be neglected, Zhu'er, come quickly and lead Xing'er to pay their respects." The princess beckoned to the two of them.

Because Shen Xing'er was there, Zhang Yuzhu gave a respectful bow to the Emperor and Empress. Shen Xing'er followed suit and did not make any mistakes.

"Whose daughter is this? I've never seen her before."

As soon as Shen Xing'er sat down, the Empress, who had been silent until now, asked with a half-smile.

"Reporting to my maternal aunt, I met Xing'er while traveling in another place. She is the kindest girl I have ever met. Her status is not important; good character is more important than anything else," Zhang Yuzhu said with a smile.

"I haven't seen such a beautiful girl in a long time. I didn't expect there to be such a beauty in the capital. How come I've never seen you before?"

The Empress turned her attention to Shen Xing'er, determined to find out more about her family background.