Chapter 110
Chapter 110: Prince Yong’s True Thank-You Gift
On the afternoon of the second day, Luo Ning was listening to Nanny He talk about the rules and taboos for asking doctors for help and using medicine in the Imperial Court when a maidservant came to knock on the door.
She served by Second Madam’s side.
The maidservant smiled and said: “The madams of the Zhou Family have come. They wish to see the Princess Consort.”
Luo Ning had helped arrange a future for her own brother and, along the way, had also included Zhou Huai.
To the Zhou Family, this was a great favor.
Luo Ning had not said anything about it, nor had she tried to claim credit. But if the elders of the Zhou Family pretended to be deaf and blind and acted as if Zhou Huai had gotten in all on his own, that would be very rude and ignorant of worldly manners.
Luo Ning smiled and said: “I am not busy right now. Let them come in.”
Nanny He then went back to her room to rest.
Luo Ning told Nanny Kong to prepare chilled melons and fruits to treat the guests.
A moment later, her aunt led two madams of the Zhou Family inside.
The Senior Madam of the Zhou Family managed the household. She was smooth and capable, skilled at dealing with all sides. The Third Madam, Zhou Huai’s mother, was a little nervous.
After a few lines of small talk, the Third Madam of the Zhou Family finally relaxed a bit.
The Senior Madam of the Zhou Family smiled and said: “A Huai has gotten such a good future. The Duke of the Realm is very pleased and has told us again and again to come thank the Princess Consort.”
Luo Ning said: “Our two families are close neighbors, with a side gate connecting us. We should be closer than relatives.
“A’You has been studying at the Zhou Family’s clan academy for three years. All we did was send some small gifts during the festivals, and the Zhou Family never despised us. It was the Zhou Family who first treated us kindly. The Luo Family is only returning the favor.”
The Zhou Family’s Senior Madam was a little moved.
She was not very jealous that her nephew had gotten a good chance. At least on the surface, she did not show it. She truly and sincerely thanked Luo Ning.
Luo Ning had them stay and eat some fruit. When the Senior Madam rose to leave, Luo Ning walked them to the gate of the courtyard.
The Senior Madam of the Zhou Family said: “…Your eldest girl is really different from before. From her manners and bearing, you cannot tell she takes after her mother.”
The Senior Madam of the Zhou Family disliked Madam Bai very much. This was also why the close neighbors had never visited each other. It was not that the Zhou Family was arrogant or looked down on the newly risen Luo Family.
Now that Second Madam and the Big Young Madam were running the household, the Senior Madam of the Zhou Family felt much more at ease coming to visit.
In truth, she did not know what Luo Ning had been like in the past.
When the Luo Family moved into this imperial-granted Marquis Manor, Luo Ning had already been badly injured, and later she went south to recover.
The Senior Madam had only seen that her looks were similar to Madam Bai’s, so she assumed her temperament was also the same.
Seeing Luo Ning now so open and poised, with a bit of the Old Madam’s backbone, and not as calculating as Madam Bai, the Senior Madam finally felt at ease.
Second Madam smiled and said: “Our eldest girl is the Princess Consort chosen by both Prince Yong and the Empress Dowager. Of course her looks and temperament are first-rate.”
They joked with each other for a while.
Luo Ning accepted the Zhou Family’s thanks and handed their gifts to Qiu Lan to put away in the storeroom.
Near dusk, just before the evening meal, her brother Luo You came.
He was carrying a bundle and also a few oil-paper parcels.
He wiped the sweat from his face and pushed the things toward Luo Ning as he said: “Big Sister, these are two pairs of shoes my wet nurse made. She told me to bring them to you. This is very good water chestnut cake. Zhou Huai and I often buy it. It melts in your mouth and is sweet and fragrant.”
Luo Ning smiled and accepted them: “The Zhou Family just came to send gifts, and now you bring gifts too. Why are you acting so polite?”
Luo You said: “It doesn’t count as a gift, just a small token. Zhou Huai is holding his head high at home. His grandfather specially called him over and praised him for being promising.”
Luo Ning could not help laughing: “You are still children at heart.”
Then she said: “I heard from the Prince that Lushan Academy is not above showing favoritism either. If you and Zhou Huai behave yourselves and win over the scholar-teachers, in two years you might have a chance to enter Lushan Academy.”
Luo You’s eyes lit up: “Really?”
Luo Ning said: “It depends on how you two perform in the next two years.”
Luo You said: “I will never let Big Sister lose face.”
He stayed for dinner and chattered on about how Bai Ci Rong had come to his courtyard.
He laughed and said: “She suddenly came over just to scold me. My wet nurse was almost furious to death. My wet nurse said she cannot even bear to scold the son she raised herself, so what right does a cousin have?”
Luo Ning felt a little envious.
From as far back as she could remember, she had never had a wet nurse.
She had heard that before she turned one, her wet nurse had already been driven out of the manor by Madam Bai.
After that, the people serving by Luo Ning’s side changed all the time.
She never grew close to them, and they never served her with true care. They just muddled through the days.
A real wet nurse who raises a child from birth would treat the young master or young miss as more important than her own flesh and blood, because they spend the whole year together.
It was exactly because Luo You had a wet nurse that he did not place his hopes or feelings on Madam Bai. So he did not suffer under her hands.
Luo Ning smiled and said: “That’s right. What right does a cousin have? Your wet nurse is right, and you also did very well.”
Luo You began to prepare the things he needed for school. Second Madam and the Big Young Madam made him new clothes and sewed new bedding for him.
Luo Ning gave Luo You one hundred taels of silver.
The family gave him ten taels of allowance every month, and he spent it all on food, yet it was still not enough.
He had never seen such a large sum of money.
He was still young and did not have strong self-control. Giving him too much would only harm him.
So Luo Ning only gave him one hundred taels. Later, she would add some every half year, to keep him from spending wildly and also to prevent him from being too short of money.
If he really ran short, selling his calligraphy would be a good choice too. First, without the arrogance of a young master of the Marquis Manor, he would be able to support himself no matter how his life turned out. Second, it would polish his handwriting and push him to improve.
Luo Ning did not object to him earning some money through proper means.
Compared to the idle dandies who only lived off their ancestors’ glory, the fact that Luo You could think of selling his writing for money made Luo Ning pleasantly surprised.
While the house was busy, Prince Yong’s manor sent someone with a black lacquer box for Luo Ning.
Inside was the land deed for a summer retreat villa on South Mountain.
The stewardess from Prince Yong’s manor said: “The Prince says this is a thank-you gift. The silver last time was only a small token. This is the real thank-you gift he prepared for the Princess Consort. In a few days, when it gets hotter, the Princess Consort can pack up and go live in the mountains, and come back when autumn turns cool.”
Luo Ning thanked her.
Every summer there were seven or eight days of heat that were almost unbearable. Once those days passed, the mornings and evenings became cool. Since she did not go out during the day, she could manage.
Luo Ning personally went to inspect the mountain estate.
The estate was very large, with thirteen or fourteen rooms front and back, and a fairly big kitchen. It could hold seven or eight people living together.
Luo Ning planned to move her grandmother there to escape the worst of the heat, as the old lady’s health was poor. As for herself, once she got through the hottest days of midsummer, she would return to the manor.
Qiu Shi Dong would be arriving soon.
If her guess was right, in this life he would enter the capital earlier, probably around these days.
Luo Ning had many things to do.
She returned and discussed it with her aunt and sister-in-law.
All the young sisters at home could go with Old Madam to the mountain estate to avoid the heat.
The Third Madam also wanted to go.
Luo Ning chose a few people and told the stewards to have everyone pack up. On the third day, they set out.
That morning there was not the slightest breeze, and waves of heat crashed over their bodies. But when they reached the summer retreat villa, the wind there was slightly cool and very pleasant.
Luo Ning could not help sighing: “Prince Yong’s gift is really wonderful.”
On South Mountain, there were only a little over twenty such retreat residences.
They were not something that could be bought just with money.
Decades ago, the great noble clans had already taken over the mountain. Since there had been no major change in the Imperial Court, the residences and land almost never changed hands.
Even if Prince Yong wanted to buy one, he would have to go through many twists and turns. That was why his gift arrived in Luo Ning’s hands a few days late.
Luo Ning did not know which family had vacated this residence for Prince Yong. She only knew that it must have been very expensive.
Prince Yong was a very generous superior officer.