Pastoral Splendor

The spring breeze in March was exceptionally gentle, causing the curtains of the carriage to sway incessantly. Peeking out from inside the carriage, one could see several people riding horses nearby.

Xu Yixuan was dressed in a light purple robe, and his purple-gold crown shone brightly in the setting sun. Jian Yifei, who was next to him, was wearing a white robe, but there were some mud stains on the robe, gray spots that looked like raindrops splashed on flower petals.

Xu Yixuan and Jian Yifei had spent most of the day with her. Yan Ying thought to herself that she couldn't let them do that again tomorrow. Everyone had their own things to do, so how could they be so idle? She lifted the curtain and called out, "Brother Xu, you should take your people back to the palace. Don't see me off."

Madam Li nodded repeatedly, "That's right! If the young master doesn't return to the manor soon, I'm afraid the prince will be unhappy when he comes back and doesn't see the young master." Recently, the emperor has asked several princes to go to the cabinet to help with the affairs, seemingly to test their abilities. Prince Yu goes out early and returns late every day to guard the cabinet, but when he comes back, he always asks Xu Yixuan a question and tests his knowledge.

In Li's mother's view, this matter was both a good thing and somewhat unsettling.

Previously, Prince Yu had never paid this much attention to Xu Yixuan, but recently things have suddenly changed. It's likely that he's trying to seize the position of Crown Prince and is now currying favor with the Princess Consort. The General of the State holds military power and plays a crucial role in the selection of the Crown Prince. Consort Zhu's father is only a third-rank official, and her family doesn't have the Princess Consort's powerful background, making her seem much less influential. She also appears somewhat haggard lately.

However, Prince Yu's excessive attention to the heir apparent might not be a good thing. Previously, Consort Zhu had never taken the Princess and the heir apparent seriously. Every time she saw the Princess, she would hold her head high with a smug look on her face. Her son had been pampered by Prince Yu since birth. What was even more infuriating was that the son was very clever and had been taught to speak sweetly by Consort Zhu. Whenever Prince Yu returned to the mansion, he would hold him on his lap and talk to him with a smile.

Last year, when the Princess Consort visited the Prince at the villa, someone reported to the Emperor and Empress that she had been forced to go to the villa in Yuzhou by Consort Zhu. The Emperor and Empress were furious, summoned the Prince to the palace, reprimanded him, and ordered him to bring the Princess Consort back to the Prince's residence immediately. After returning, the Princess Consort felt that this matter was suspicious. For so many years, the Prince had been cold and indifferent to her; why did it take this time to report it to the Emperor and Empress? It was clearly the work of those princes vying for the Emperor's favor. The Princess Consort felt both joy and sorrow, and was also very uneasy. Like a mother cat protecting her cubs, she arched her back, ready to deal with Consort Zhu's tricks at any moment.

The prince has been keeping a close eye on him lately, and the young master hasn't been as fun as before. He doesn't have as many cheerful smiles every day. It wasn't until today that he was truly happy for most of the day. Now that he heard Miss Xiao sending him back, his expression immediately turned rather unpleasant.

Madam Li sighed, "Young Master, you should study hard before the Prince returns, lest he blame you again, and who knows, that Fourth Young Master might even add fuel to the fire..."

The son of Consort Zhu was the fourth among Prince Yu's children, and everyone in Prince Yu's mansion called him the Fourth Prince.

Xu Yixuan impatiently gripped the reins and tightened them, gritting his teeth as he said, "One day I'll definitely teach him a lesson with the sandalwood bow!" That brat always finds fault with him to complain to the Prince of Yu, sometimes even fabricating stories. When the Prince of Yu reprimands him, he doesn't even have a chance to refute.

"Criticizing at the last minute is useless. How would you know what books the Prince will test you on? You'd better tell him what you learned today beforehand, so he won't be picky," Yan Ying suggested to Xu Yixuan, leaning against the carriage door. "If it were me, I would definitely tell the Prince that I learned about current affairs and policy discussions on agriculture today, and then I could also talk about things on the estate, like, wasn't there a poem or something..."

Frowning, Yan Ying tried hard to squeeze out those few words: "I don't quite remember either, but it seems to have the lines 'the seasons change, autumn harvest and winter storage'."

Xu Yixuan's eyes lit up, and he immediately recited: "Heaven and earth were dark and yellow, the universe was vast and boundless, the sun and moon waxed and waned, the stars were arranged in order, cold came and heat went, autumn harvested and winter stored, the leap year was completed, the musical scales were harmonized, is this the poem?"

Yan Ying nodded. She wasn't sure if it was true, but she only remembered those two sentences. Xu Yixuan read it aloud again softly, then suddenly shouted, "This is a brilliant idea! I can talk to my father about farming now!"

Jian Yifei, standing beside him, quickly taught him another line: "Yixuan, you can also use that line from Sima Qian's autobiography. The meaning is similar, but deeper. 'Spring brings forth life, summer fosters growth, autumn harvests, and winter stores away; this is the great principle of Heaven. If we do not follow it, there will be no order or discipline for the world.' Do you remember?"

Yan Ying listened to Jian Yifei recite these words in a literary style, feeling somewhat confused. She pondered in her heart that these words seemed to mean that the changes in all things in the world are gradual? She could only speculate in secret, but dared not say it out loud. Then she saw Xu Yixuan nod excitedly: "Master, your theory is good. Let me think about how to tell Father."

Seeing Xu Yixuan happy, Madam Li was happy for him, even though she didn't know what he was thinking: "It's good that the young master is confident. Let's hurry back to the palace."

Xu Yixuan didn't insist this time, but glanced at Li Mama and said, "Have you prepared two maids for Miss Xiao? She lives alone in Baixiang Garden, and I'm afraid she'll feel anxious."

"I'm not worried at all. Let's skip the maid. I'm not used to being served. I just find them a nuisance." Yan Ying smiled. In her previous life, when she contracted the mountain, she would stay in the small wooden house with a dog every day without being afraid. This Baixiang Garden is right on the main street, with houses nearby. What is there to be afraid of?

"No, I absolutely have to send you two maids." Xu Yixuan said very seriously, "You need a few errand runners, don't you?"

Madam Li nodded repeatedly, "Of course. Your Highness, don't worry, the Princess Consort has already thought of this. She specially selected Xiuzhu and Xiuwen to serve Miss Xiao." Having finally managed to bring Miss Xiao to the capital, the Princess Consort would naturally make proper arrangements. How could she let her be too tired? She had already prepared maids, wishing she could send more than ten to serve her at once. If it weren't for her persistent persuasion, the Princess Consort was afraid she would have sent a whole bunch of people to Baixiang Garden.

"Xiuzhu and Xiuwen?" Xu Yixuan tilted his head and thought for a moment. "They seem to be two capable people?"

"Of course they're capable. If they weren't, the Princess Consort certainly wouldn't have sent them. You can rest assured, Young Master." Madam Li smiled broadly, finally managing to calm Xu Yixuan down after much persuasion, and had several servants escort him back. Watching Xu Yixuan's figure slowly disappear around the street corner, Madam Li finally breathed a long sigh of relief: "Finally back." But when she turned around and saw Yan Ying smiling at her, she felt a little uneasy.

"Miss Xiao, what's wrong?" Seeing that Yan Ying's smile was somewhat strange, Li's mother asked cautiously.

"It's nothing." Yan Ying continued to smile slightly at her, making Li's mother even more uneasy.

Yan Ying was just thinking about how hard Li's mother worked, having to put on different faces and speak to different people. She wondered what Li's mother's expression would be if she told her that she knew her identity. She was so happy with the thought that she couldn't help but laugh, which startled Li's mother.

The carriage arrived at Baixiang Garden at dusk, when the sun was setting heavily in the west. The crystal-clear red color was like a salted duck egg with a red yolk. Yan Ying smacked her lips, wondering why everything looked edible. Had she become a foodie after spending most of the day with Xu Yixuan, this glutton?

The gate to Baixiang Garden was open, and Yan Ying walked in. She saw two maids sitting in the courtyard, chatting idly. Mama Li called out, "Xiuzhu and Xiuwen, why haven't you started the fire and started cooking yet?"

The two maids were startled and quickly stood up, bowing their heads and saying, "Mother, we have never worked in the kitchen."

"You two have to do things even if you've never done them before? Are you trying to make the young ladies act like pampered young ladies?" Madam Li frowned, and the two maids quickly replied, "Yes, yes, Madam, don't be angry. We'll go cook right away."

Yan Ying laughed and said, "Mom, we can take our time with cooking. I'll cook for them today and then teach them later. If we force people who don't know how to cook to cook, they probably won't be able to eat it."

Mother Li softened her voice: "Miss Xiao is good to you, so you should learn from her. Don't be lazy!"

Xiuzhu and Xiuwen glanced gratefully at Yanying, and both of them said respectfully, "We will definitely work hard."

After a few more words of admonition from Mama Lai, Yan Ying watched from the side and thought to herself, "As expected of the head maid who is favored by the Princess Consort of Yu, these maids are all trembling with fear in front of her and do not utter a single word of rebuttal."

After Li Mama left, Yan Ying smiled and said to the two of them, "From now on, when we're together, let's not distinguish between master and servant. It sounds awkward. I'll just call you by your names."

Xiuzhu and Xiuwen were somewhat apprehensive: "How can this be? The Princess Consort said that we should serve Miss Xiao. Miss Xiao is our mistress."

"I told you not to call me that." Yan Ying frowned, not saying anything more to the two of them, and turned to look at Jian Yifei following behind her, saying, "Are you having dinner here?"

Jian Yifei fawned over her, saying, "Sanhua, I'll be eating here every day from now on!"

Yan Ying stretched out her hand: "Pay the rice and silver."

Jian Yifei took off her purse: "It's all yours. From now on, all my monthly salary will be with you."

"What will your mother say?" Yan Ying rolled her eyes at him: "Didn't you used to take your monthly salary back to her to keep?"

“My mother said she was saving money for my wedding, but later she wouldn’t even give me the money for the dowry, so naturally I can’t give her any more.” Jian Yifei looked at Yan Ying and smiled contentedly. “Besides, if I don’t give my monthly salary to my wife, who else am I supposed to give it to?”

Xiuzhu and Xiuwen listened from the side and found it interesting. They stared at Jian Yifei with wide eyes. Judging from his clothes and appearance, this young master was also from a wealthy family. Why did he marry Miss Xiao as his wife?

Seeing their curiosity, Yan Ying said frankly, "He is my fiancé. I can't be considered his wife yet, I can only say I'm his fiancée."

Jian Yifei stepped forward with a pained expression and grabbed Yan Ying's arm: "Sanhua, you can't abandon me."

Chapter 219 Greenhouse

These days, Yan Ying is almost overwhelmed with work, truly experiencing what it means to be completely exhausted. If it weren't for Aunt Fang and her husband bringing her sister's family over, Yan Ying suspects that the opening of Bai Xiang Yuan would have to be postponed.

There wasn't much to do at the shop. I called the manager and the shop assistant over and gave them instructions on how to arrange the goods, how to price them, how to promote sales, and the special offers for the first three days of opening. That wasn't much else to say. Fang's family and their two families came in with three trucks. As soon as they entered, they smiled and said, "Erhua hired a lot of people in the other village and worked like crazy to get the goods ready."

Yan Ying had already planned it out. To supply goods to two shops, it was definitely not enough to rely solely on the people of Xiaojia Village to dig bamboo shoots. So she had Erhua set up a shop in Baixiangyuan to buy bamboo shoots and ferns. Peeled bamboo shoots were four coins a pound, and fresh ferns were two coins a pound. This way, she could free up manpower to focus on making pickled bamboo shoots and canned red oil. This year, there was no longer the bustling scene of people from Xiaojia Village going to the back mountain to dig bamboo shoots. Yan Ying had now bought the back mountain, and not many people went to dig anymore.

Erhua hired a lot of people and produced a large batch of red oil canned goods, including pickled bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, button mushrooms, and wood ear fungus, plus the newly developed red oil fermented black beans, totaling about a thousand jars. These were sent to the capital along with canned fruit, roast duck, and cured chicken. Yanying directed the workers to unload the goods and put them in the warehouse, and then put some on the shelves. Looking at the neatly arranged jars in the shop, she sighed, "Running a shop is really tiring work."