eurekapd Chapter 158: Lotus Appreciation
Chapter 158: Lotus Appreciation
As evening fell, the sky gradually grew gloomy, like a vast gray curtain shrouding the Forbidden City. Soon, heavy rain poured down like a waterfall, its dense raindrops clattering to the ground. A cool breeze blew by, bringing a rare coolness and a sense of comfort and ease.
"Sister, come and rest!"
An Lingrong was wearing a light pink pajamas and was sitting on the bed waving at Shen Meiyu. The weather was unusually cool today, so she must go to bed early.
Shen Meizhuang sat on a soft couch, concentrating on her account book by the light of a glazed palace lantern. Her other hand expertly moved the beads on the abacus, making crisp sounds. Hearing An Lingrong's words, she replied without turning her head, "Wait a moment, I'll calculate it again."
Seeing that she was engrossed in reading, An Lingrong stood up and walked over to her side. She pulled out the account book and said helplessly, "Sister, you've already checked it twice, there won't be any mistakes. Besides, it's getting late now and the light is dim. It's not good for your eyes to keep reading!"
"The palace affairs are complicated. I just took over, so I have to be more careful and can't make any mistakes, otherwise I will be laughed at by some people for being stupid and incompetent." Shen Meizhuang stretched her aching arms. "Alas, I used to think it was easy when I saw Concubine Hua handling the palace affairs with ease, but when it came to me, I found that it was clearly a mess!"
An Lingrong asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
Shen Meizhuang sat at the dressing table, Caixing helping her remove her makeup. She said, "To put it simply, it's just one word: poverty! I've looked at the old account books. Since the Emperor ascended the throne, Concubine Hua has been assisting in the management of the six palaces, and she's put tens of thousands of taels of silver into the account!"
"So many!" An Lingrong was shocked.
"Yeah! Especially the palace selections and major festival banquets, money is spent like water!"
In other words, Nian Shilanhua used her own money to help her husband find concubines, and also spent money to treat the concubines to meals and entertainment.
An Lingrong rolled her eyes to the sky!
"So what should we do now? You're not going to put in so much silver too, are you?"
This is like a person who works hard and spends countless efforts to climb up the ladder and finally gets shares in the company, but when he looks at the financial statements, he finds that the company is already in financial deficit!
It feels like the sky is falling!
"How can I have so much money!" Seeing An Lingrong about to jump up, Shen Meizhuang said hurriedly, "The Emperor has ordered Prince Yi to investigate the deficit in the national treasury and has also implemented the land-based tax system in the local areas. Now the national treasury is much more abundant, and the harem doesn't have to be so tight on money. Besides, there are not many high-ranking concubines in the harem now, and there are few children either. The money allocated is barely enough!"
An Lingrong nodded. In history, Emperor Yongzheng left more than 30 million taels of silver to his prodigal son. Emperor Qianlong went to the south of the Yangtze River six times, and had a lot of fun with the dragon and the phoenix. After reading through the history books, there was hardly any emperor with a better fate than him.
Lying on the bed, An Lingrong hugged Shen Meizhuang's arm and asked, "Sister, things in the harem are so complicated. Have you ever thought about finding a helper?"
Shen Meizhuang raised the corner of her mouth slightly and said deliberately: "Helper? You?"
An Lingrong rolled her eyes and said unhappily, "Do you think I can do it?"
Shen Meizhuang pretended to be in deep thought: "Well... eating, drinking and having fun, you can, but the housekeeper and director, you can't!"
"Sister..." An Lingrong was a little angry. She propped herself up and reached out to tickle Shen Meizhuang's armpits, mumbling, "How can you say that to me? I won't agree!"
"Alright, alright, I won't say anything!" Shen Meizhuang quickly dodged backwards, avoiding her "claws", only regretting that the bed wasn't big enough. "Stop making trouble, stop making trouble, and have some manners!"
"What kind of etiquette is required in the middle of the night?"
Cai Xing, who was on night watch, listened to the laughter coming from the tent, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously rose.
The two of them played around for a while, and when they were a little tired, they continued, "Let's talk about serious matters. Who can help me?"
"Have you forgotten who everyone said you looked like when you first entered the palace?"
"Sister Jingpin!"
"Yes, Jingpin is calm and steady, and extremely intelligent. She is the best helper for you. But you have to wait a while before mentioning this matter, otherwise the emperor will think that you are incompetent and unable to manage the harem!"
Shen Meizhuang nodded repeatedly.
The rain continued to drizzle for three days. At the end of the fourth day, the sun finally emerged from the clouds, revealing a warm smile.
In Yonghe Palace, the head of the Imperial Household Department was respectfully reporting the expenses of each palace to Shen Meizhuang. An Lingrong sat aside and listened for a while before feeling a little bored. She glanced at the sky and said, "Sister, you are busy. I'm going out to play for a while!"
Shen Meizhuang stood up and asked, "Where are you going?"
"Royal Garden!"
"Come back early, the kitchen has made your favorite chicken wings for dinner."
"understood!"
When the last sentence was said, An Lingrong and Liu Zhu could no longer be seen, leaving only their voices echoing in the main hall.
Shen Meizhuang shook her head and chuckled, truly restless. She continued, "Butler Jiang, the weather is getting hotter. You must pay attention to the princess and the prince. Make sure there's plenty of ice, and be careful with the meals. Don't make any mistakes."
Jiang Zhongmin replied respectfully: "Yes!"
The master and servant strolled along the paths of the Imperial Garden, enjoying the fresh, post-rain air. A moment later, they reached the lake. The water was crystal clear, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds. The lotus leaves were lush and green, and the lotus flowers were in full bloom, their pink and white petals delicate and enchanting.
"My lady, look at that one, that one is the most beautiful!" Liu Zhu excitedly pointed to the most gorgeous pink lotus in the lake, her face filled with joy.
An Lingrong looked in the direction Liu Zhu pointed, a flicker of delight in her eyes. Amidst the green leaves, graceful lotus flowers stood out, like shy young girls, their faces flushed and their smiles lingering. A gentle breeze blew, and the lotus flowers swayed gently, dancing gracefully.
"So beautiful!" An Lingrong exclaimed.
Liu Zhu also smiled and said, "My lady, look at these lotus flowers. They are so beautiful. It's a pity that we can't pick them. Otherwise, we can put them in a vase so that you can see them every day."
An Lingrong smiled and shook her head. "No need. They are most beautiful here, growing freely. Let's just admire them from afar."
Looking at the emerald waters of the pond, An Lingrong asked, "Liu Zhu, there's a dish called lotus pod fish dumplings in 'Shan Jia Qing Gong'. Can you make it?"
Liu Zhu thought carefully for a while and said, "I don't know how to do it, but I can learn."
"Okay, I'll ask Xiao Luzi to pick lotus pods later, and we can also make lotus seed porridge for Sister Zhen and Sister Mei."
"Uh-huh."
A gentle breeze blew by, and An Lingrong felt relaxed and happy. She unconsciously hummed softly: "Lotus can be picked in the south of the Yangtze River. The lotus leaves are so lush, and there are two carp playing in the green waves..."
(Remembering Yao Beina)
Liu Zhu, who was standing beside her, listened attentively with her ears tilted to the side, an intoxicated expression on her face. When An Lingrong finished her song, she leaned over to her and whispered, "Young lady, you sang beautifully!"