Chapter 132
Chapter 132: Prince Yong Has a Request
Second Madam’s father was a scholar. Their family counted as a wealthy household in their area.
She understood some basic principles.
Second Madam said: “When the Imperial Court changes and a new emperor takes the throne, he will not kill all the old ministers from the former dynasty. There is too much work. The emperor cannot handle everything himself. He still needs people to do the errands. But it does not take only a year or two to raise an official. As long as the officials are willing to be loyal to the new ruler, they will still be valued.”
Luo Ning said: “That is true.”
Encouraged, Second Madam went on: “If even the Imperial Court is like that, the inner residence is the same.”
Luo Ning asked: “You already have a plan?”
Second Madam said: “Of the people sister-in-law uses, other than her dowry maids, I will keep all the others. I will just have them state where they stand. I have picked out two who are especially capable. Later I will find a pretext to demote them. After some time, we will have Madam Wen promote them again. Then they can become Madam Wen’s trusted aides.”
In Second Madam’s view, the next household mistress of the Marquis Manor would definitely be the eldest young madam, Madam Wen.
No matter what happened with Luo Yin, Madam Wen and Luo Ning shared one heart.
The Imperial Court worked like this too. Before the old emperor died, he would demote capable ministers and leave them for the new emperor to use. When the new emperor ascended the throne, he would first clear their names. In this way he gained several loyal, important ministers.
Those with real conflicts of interest, such as Madam Bai’s dowry maids, had to be rooted out.
Apart from them, most of the stewards and maidservants were only working for a living. They would listen to whoever was in charge.
Luo Ning said: “Aunt, you may have to manage the household for a while. Sister-in-law probably will not handle affairs anymore.”
Second Madam was slightly stunned: “Why?”
Luo Ning said: “Sister-in-law is a smart person, and she has a son. What she needs to think about now is how the two of them will survive.”
Second Madam had not thought along this line. Only when she heard this did she understand.
That day at the thirty-li post station, everyone from the Luo family had seen Qiu Shi Dong and learned about his past with Madam Bai. Luo Yin also looked like him.
If Luo Yin was not of Luo family blood, and Madam Wen’s son Luo Li Qin was not either, what would become of Madam Wen and her child in the future?
This matter would not be made public, and even if Madam Wen wanted to ask for a divorce and leave the Luo family, she would have no way to take Luo Li Qin with her.
Mother and son were in an awkward position. Madam Wen would certainly not want to touch the matter of “being in charge” again.
She would choose to stay low-key and patient, hide herself as much as possible, try not to draw anyone’s attention, and raise her son into an adult.
In the future, if he had the chance to go out and become an official, then mother and son would have a chance to leave the Luo family together.
[Sister-in-law is quiet and clever. She will probably handle it like this.]
Second Madam said: “What a sin.”
Luo Ning said: “So do not think about keeping the inner residence steward position for sister-in-law to use. Think instead about how you yourself will use these people.”
It would take several years of adjustment and replacement.
Second Madam suddenly said: “A’Ning, as long as you can feel at ease, I can manage the inner residence well. When I hand it over to A’You in the future, it will not be a mess. Your second uncle does not know how to scheme. He is honest. My two sons do not look promising. I have no ambition.”
She had said the stewards had to declare their loyalty, but in the end she herself was the first to do so.
Luo Ning held her hand and said: “Aunt, of course I believe you.”
Who knew what the future would be like.
Luo Ning believed that with Aunt as head of the household, Luo You could study in peace, Grandmother could live out her old age safely, and the loyal servants at home would all have a place and a bowl of steady rice.
That was enough.
This bit of peace was all that Luo Ning wanted.
Bai Yu Lin had gone to the Marquis of Zhen Nan’s residence twice, wanting to see his sister, but had been stopped at the gate both times.
Madam Bai’s dowry maid sent a message out, saying something had happened inside. After being beaten, Nanny Zhen had died from exhaustion.
Losing a capable trusted maidservant was a very serious matter. Bai Yu Lin was extremely anxious.
He paced like an ant on a hot pan and discussed it with Qiu Shi Dong: “We cannot get in now. What should we do?”
Qiu Shi Dong was calm and relaxed.
The Imperial Merchant was gone, but he was not in a hurry. Madam Bai and Bai Ci Rong were locked up by the Luo family, but he was not worried either.
Qiu Shi Dong took his time drinking tea and said: “Do not panic. I will think of a way. The Marquis of Zhen Nan’s residence will let A’Rong out.”
As for Madam Bai, she was the mistress of the Marquis Manor. She would be fine.
Bai Yu Lin worried: “Luo Chong Ye would not lay a hand on my sister, would he?”
Qiu Shi Dong said: “The eldest miss’s wedding date has already been set. At a time like this, there cannot be any trouble with the Marchioness. Her life will not be in danger. Do not worry.”
Even after hearing this, Bai Yu Lin’s heart was still uneasy.
Without seeing Madam Bai and Bai Ci Rong, he could not sleep well.
Qiu Shi Dong then revealed his weapon: “I will ask the Marquis of Jian Ning for help. In a few days, you can go to the Marquis of Zhen Nan’s residence together with the Wang family’s young master and young miss.”
Bai Yu Lin said: “Really?”
Only then did his heart slowly settle down a little.
Because the Zhou family had gone to join the crowd when they sent Luo You to school, and because there had been too many people, there were indeed some rumors afterward.
“The Marchioness’s former fiance, whose engagement she broke, has come to the door.”
“The son might not be of the Luo family’s blood.”
These words became gossip and jokes among the prestigious clans, and most of the laughter was aimed at Luo Ning.
The Empress Dowager’s eyes and ears were sharp. She soon heard a bit of the rumor and especially summoned Luo Ning to ask about it.
Luo Ning answered in a calm, light tone: “He is a friend of my uncle. They do business together. We did not ask about the details. It is all old stuff.”
The Empress Dowager asked: “How is your mother?”
Luo Ning said: “She fell sick from anger. Also, a small golden Buddha statue that weighed one and a half jin went missing from her courtyard. She feels it is a bad omen, so her illness became worse.”
The Empress Dowager gave Luo Ning a quiet look.
Just as Luo Ning had expected, since there was no official case and no written notice to announce it to the world, the Empress Dowager could simply turn a blind eye.
The Empress Dowager quickly changed the topic: “How is your qin playing?”
Luo Ning said: “I have not practiced for quite a few days. I am rusty.”
The Empress Dowager smiled and said: “I have a guqin that has grown old and broken. Guqin are troublesome. Even if they were made by a famous craftsman, they still need repairs from time to time. I have invited Master Sun to come and make a new guqin for me. If you like, you can ask him to make one for you too, according to your taste.”
Master Sun was the top guqin maker of their time. He had made only twelve guqin in his life, and each one was a famous instrument.
Luo Ning smiled and said: “Then I will take advantage and share the good luck.”
While the two of them were talking, Prince Yong, Xiao Huai Feng, arrived, with his black dog at his side.
The Empress Dowager could not help saying: “Why did you bring Chang Ying Grand General into the palace again?”
Xiao Huai Feng said: “I brought it out to stretch its legs. It has been very lazy these days.”
For the past half month, Chang Ying Grand General had not been in a good mood for some reason and had been eating very little.
Xiao Huai Feng had come to the Imperial Palace to walk his dog.
Luo Ning could not help laughing and looked over at Chang Ying Grand General. The dog looked a little excited.
Seeing this, Xiao Huai Feng knew its life was not in danger. He gave a whistle, and Chang Ying Grand General ran over to Luo Ning, wagging its tail happily.
Luo Ning said: “Imperial Mother, Prince, I will take it to the courtyard to play for a while.”
She knew Xiao Huai Feng did not like Chang Ying Grand General acting spoiled.
It was better if he did not have to see it.
The Empress Dowager nodded: “Go.”
Luo Ning played with the dog in the courtyard for half an hour. She had a palace maid bring a sandbag. She threw it out, and the dog ran to fetch it, playing with great joy.
At noon, the black dog ate half a basin of beef, then lay on the ground and dozed.
Only then did Xiao Huai Feng’s heart settle down.
It turned out that the weather had been too hot and the dog had not been playing, so it had lost its appetite and stopped eating.