Chapter 64: Beautiful Bride
“Miss, have some tea.” Zhang Ma handed Wen Mingqian the brewed tea, “You probably won’t get used to the tea from over there.”
“It’s alright,” Wen Mingqian sat down and drank tea, “Old Madam really likes the things you make. Send them to her diligently these days, and don’t forget to bring a portion for Eldest Sister-in-law.”
“Don’t worry, Miss. Let alone just these few people, even if there were more, I could still manage.” Zhang Ma waved her hand, “Besides, stewing soup is the easiest. Put in the ingredients, add water, and just put it in the baking cylinder to stew by itself.”
“This is the fabric Old Madam bestowed upon you, take it.” Wen Mingqian pointed to the table.
“Oh, this is palace-made,” Zhang Ma said, touching it, “but it is indeed quite old.”
“What palace-made or not, just wear it.” Wen Mingqian said, “You only know that Old Madam bestowed it upon you.”
“Alright! I’ll make clothes out of it later and show them off all over the mansion.” Zhang Ma said with a smile, “To annoy those troublemakers.”
“I’m going out in a while, have them prepare the carriage.” Wen Mingqian finished her tea, “Have Granny Zhu accompany me.”
“Are you going to buy the little enchantresses?” Zhang Ma asked.
Wen Mingqian nodded: “Ever since we returned, Consort Song has been causing trouble. Now it’s our turn to fight back.”
“Heh heh, she wants to nurture the fetus, but it won’t go as she wishes.” Zhang Ma chuckled mischievously, “As long as we have control of the household, playing with her will be like a cat playing with a mouse!”
Wen Mingqian got into the carriage and went out, only returning at lunchtime.
Everyone saw that she had bought two maids.
“Did you see? The two maids Madam just bought, tsk tsk, they are so beautiful! Their little faces are as vibrant as peony petals. Their waists are so slender, you could snap them with one hand.”
“Why did Madam buy such dazzling maids? It must have cost a lot of silver.”
“I don’t know about that, but we’ve never had such beautiful maids in our mansion before. Especially the one in the purple dress, she’s too alluring, just one glance makes one lose their senses.”
The servants’ gossip reached Consort Song’s ears, and she became restless.
She said to Granny Yang, “Go and see, is it really as they say?”
“Little Madam, don’t be anxious, lie down properly. They are all prone to exaggeration, what they say might not be true.” Granny Yang comforted Consort Song before leaving.
Arriving at Lingyue Pavilion, she happened to meet the young maid Mei Er.
“Granny Yang, what are you here for?” Mei Er asked.
“I have something to ask Madam’s instructions, is Madam in the room?” Granny Yang said while looking around, but she didn’t see the new arrivals.
“Madam is here, there’s no one else in the room right now, you can go in.” Mei Er had something to do, and left after speaking.
Granny Yang then sauntered into the room, and just as she entered, someone inside lifted the curtain and met her face to face.
Granny Yang’s eyes lit up. She saw a girl around seventeen or eighteen years old, delicate and fair-skinned, with charming eyes. Her hands were slender like green onions, soft and boneless.
Her entire being looked like a blooming tuberose, fragrant and tender, truly making one’s mouth water.
“I’m new here and don’t recognize you, who is this Granny…” the girl’s red lips parted slightly, and she greeted her with a smile.
“She is Granny Yang from Little Madam’s chambers, let her in.” Wen Mingqian said softly.
The beautiful girl gently moved aside, letting Granny Yang enter.
At this moment, Granny Yang was somewhat dazed. This woman was indeed beautiful; those gossiping servants weren’t lying.
“Granny Yang, what are you here for?” It was Wen Mingqian’s question that brought her back to her senses.
“Oh, oh! This old woman is here for something, to ask Madam’s instructions,” Granny Yang said busily, “As you know, Little Madam has been nurturing the fetus these days. The doctor said besides medicine, she also needs good nourishment. She used to eat bird’s nest every day, and now it’s almost finished. So, she sent me here today to ask Madam’s opinion.”
Wen Mingqian smiled upon hearing this, “What’s the big deal? Let alone her needing to nurture the fetus now, even if she wanted to eat bird’s nest on a normal day, it wouldn’t be difficult.”
“That’s true, but now that Madam is in charge of the household, we still need to report to you.” Granny Yang said.
“Just go and get it.” Wen Mingqian said indifferently, “I’ll tell the butler later to ensure your room’s bird’s nest is supplied on time, without any mistakes.”
“Then thank you, Madam.” Granny Yang said gratefully.
Just then, another woman in purple emerged from the inner room, holding a Ge ware tea jar: “Madam, this tea is old and no longer good, so I’ll have to boil tea eggs.”
Her voice was as sweet as an oriole’s, and her steps were as graceful as could be.
Looking closer, she had fair skin, phoenix eyes, cherry lips, and pearly teeth, with a slender neck and a soft waist. She didn’t look like a real person, but rather like some fox spirit or flower demon undergoing trials in the mortal world.
This one surpassed the previous one even more. Granny Yang watched, trembling.
“Granny Yang, these are the two maids I just bought, Yun Ying and Sang Er.” Wen Mingqian said with a smile, pointing to the two of them, “They are new here and don’t understand the rules yet, they need to be trained for some time.”
“Heh… hehe… these are truly rare beauties.” Granny Yang’s heart pounded, but she could only flatter, “Then I won’t disturb Madam any longer.”
She walked back with her head bowed. Although Wen Mingqian hadn’t said anything or done anything, she still felt an unprecedented pressure.
“How was it? Did you see?” Consort Song had been worried about this matter.
“Little Madam, those two maids are indeed rare and unparalleled beauties.” Granny Yang said with a pale face, “Let alone men, even I, an old woman, felt flustered and unsettled just looking at them.”
“Has it really come to this?” Consort Song’s complexion was also very grim, “No need to say more, the one surnamed Wen must know she can’t win back the Master’s heart, so she bought two beautiful maids to seduce him.”
“This is not uncommon; it’s a common occurrence in large households.” Granny Yang agreed with Consort Song’s view, “Even the palace is not exempt.”
“Yes, Empress Wang brought Wu Zetian into the palace back then to compete with Consort Xiao.” Consort Song said hatefully, “She, Wen Mingqian, should be careful not to invite a wolf into the house!”
“Little Madam, whether she invites a wolf into the house or not is not our concern for now. The important thing is not to let them deal with us first.” Granny Yang reminded her, “After all, Wu Zetian did get rid of Consort Xiao back then!”
“It’s not that easy!” Consort Song narrowed her eyes, “Keep an eye on the Master. As soon as he returns to the mansion, have him come to my courtyard first.”
“Yes, yes, yes, Little Madam, I’ll keep an eye out now and won’t let him go over there.” Granny Yang knew Consort Song understood Gong Xu’s temper very well, so she quickly tried to fill her with more flattery, to keep him away from that side.
