Chapter 344: A Hundred Families’ Fortune
The next day, the couple went to add makeup with the wife of the Vice Minister of Personnel early in the morning.
As a result, they learned that Xingnong had returned to Han Garden last night, and Madam Gu had taken everyone to Han Garden early in the morning to add makeup.
Having made a wasted trip, the wife of the Vice Minister of Personnel was unhappy: “You don’t even know which residence the Crown Princess is in?”
Shen Ruolan smiled apologetically and said, “I’m so sorry, I forgot.”
She didn’t expect her mother to come and not remind her at all.
The wife of the Vice Minister of Personnel’s face darkened, but she didn’t say anything. If it weren’t for her son’s situation, having to marry a woman of low birth to be easily controlled, she wouldn’t bother to come to add makeup.
The news that the Crown Princess, who came from the countryside, had a large group of relatives from the countryside come to the capital to attend the Crown Princess’s wedding quickly spread throughout the capital, becoming a hot topic of conversation for every household that evening.
The noblewomen all expressed that they didn’t want to add makeup with a group of country bumpkins.
Of course, they had already come up with excuses. Since the Crown Princess was a princess of the Jin Kingdom and had now come to the Chu Kingdom, it was considered a marriage. They, the Chu Kingdom, were the husband’s family and didn’t need to add makeup.
She had to come for her son; otherwise, if her son was always unwilling to get married and was discovered to have a preference for men, then his future would be ruined.
She had already discussed it with her husband. They would find a woman from a humble family for their son to marry, give her the title of principal wife, and then let their eldest son consummate the marriage with her so that she could give birth to a son. This way, their youngest son would have a child to inherit the family line, and outsiders wouldn’t know that their son was “abnormal.”
Of course, to be on the safe side, after the woman gave birth to the child, there would be no need to keep her!
She had also looked at many women from humble families before, but their appearance and temperament were too poor, and she was not satisfied. She was afraid that it would affect the appearance of her grandson. Then, Shen Xingqing suddenly appeared and became a princess. She knew very well how this princess title came about.
This princess had offended the Empress Dowager, her mother was of low birth, and Wen Ruiqing had relied on himself to rise in rank. If something happened in the future, Wen Ruiqing wouldn’t dare to make a fuss!
Low birth, beautiful appearance, it was truly a perfect match! She even wanted to let Shen Xingqing give birth to a son and a daughter before letting her die of illness. After all, having a beautiful granddaughter, if well-cultivated, could be a great help to their family if she could marry into a noble family or the royal family in the future.
Maybe their family could even produce an empress! As long as a woman was beautiful enough, it wasn’t impossible!
But they couldn’t; it was too risky.
While the wife of the Vice Minister of Personnel was lost in her wishful thinking, they arrived at Han Garden.
Shen Ruolan got out of the carriage first and then helped the wife of the Vice Minister of Personnel out of the carriage.
Immediately, a gatekeeper came forward to greet them: “May I ask which residence the two madams are from?”
Shen Ruolan smiled and said, “I am the Crown Princess’s aunt, and this is Madam, the wife of the Vice Minister of Personnel. We are here to add makeup.”
When the gatekeeper heard that she was the princess’s aunt, his attitude became even more respectful. He said enthusiastically, “So you are the princess’s aunt, please come in!”
The two walked in, and a maid led the way for them: “Why didn’t the two madams come with the old madam? They arrived early in the morning.”
This maid was named Yao Huang and was one of the maids that the Crown Princess had brought from the Jin Kingdom. They were all part of Xingnong’s dowry.
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The Crown Princess of the Jin Kingdom had prepared four maids for Xingnong, each with a special skill. They were named Yao Huang, Wei Zi, Zhao Fen, and Er Qiao.
Originally, they wanted to prepare more dowry maids to serve Xingnong, but because the maids they prepared were all from the Jin Kingdom, leaving too many people in the Chu Kingdom’s imperial palace might displease the Chu Kingdom’s emperor. So they only prepared four.
Shen Ruolan’s face stiffened for a moment, and she smiled, “I went to pick someone up, so I was a little late.”
The wife of the Vice Minister of Personnel pursed her lips and didn’t say anything.
Yao Huang glanced at the two of them discreetly, then looked at the makeup gift boxes held by the maids behind them. She welcomed them in neither enthusiastically nor impolitely.
The Crown Princess had said that everyone who came to add makeup for the princess should be welcomed. There was no reason to refuse money.
As for those who came to cause trouble under the guise of adding makeup, they would accept the gifts and then beat them up and throw them out!
In the Chu Kingdom, except for the Chu Kingdom’s emperor, they didn’t have to give face to anyone. It all depended on whether they wanted face.
Inside the room
When Shen Ruolan and the wife of the Vice Minister of Personnel entered, the Gu Yuxia family had just finished adding makeup for Xingnong.
Now, it was the village chief’s wife’s turn to add makeup for Xingnong as a representative of the village.
In the past six months, the villagers of Peach Blossom Village had earned a lot of money, but they also knew that their little money was not even a drop in the bucket compared to truly wealthy families.
They were also worried that the makeup gifts they brought out would make Xingnong be ridiculed. Therefore, they discussed it and decided that each household would contribute twenty taels of silver to create a golden Guanyin statue for Xingnong, wishing her children.
The village chief’s wife smiled and said, “Crown Princess, this is a Guanyin statue for wishing you children, created by the villagers. We wish you many children, happiness, and good health! I don’t know how to say those fancy blessings, but I think a lifetime of peace and health is the greatest fortune!”
Xingnong smiled and accepted it, “Aunt is the one who speaks the best! This is the truth! Aunt, just call me Xingnong. If you call me Crown Princess again, I’ll be angry!”
The village chief’s wife smiled and agreed, “Okay, Xingnong!”
Xingnong smiled.
The wife of the Vice Minister of Personnel saw Xingnong being so close to a peasant woman and couldn’t help but think, as expected, she still couldn’t get rid of her vulgar countryside habits. Although she was a princess and would soon be the Crown Princess, she didn’t know the distinction between superior and inferior, losing face!
She looked at the room full of simply dressed women with only a few hairpins in their hair and pursed her lips when no one was looking. As expected, a person’s background and upbringing were very important. Although the Crown Princess was born to the Jin Kingdom’s emperor, she grew up in the countryside and liked to play with peasant women.
Look at how poor these people were. An entire village only gave one Guanyin statue for wishing her children. How could they have the nerve to present it?
She knew she shouldn’t have brought such expensive hair ornaments as a makeup gift today.
At this time, Madam Gu smiled and said, “What Zesen’s mother said is right. I have always only hoped that they, brother and sister, can grow up safe and sound! Nothing is more important than peace and health. Everything else is fake!”
The wife of the Vice Minister of Personnel glanced at Madam Gu. Country women really had no vision. What kind of expectation was peace and health? Of course, it was to hope for children with high official positions and great wealth, to become dragons and phoenixes among people, to enjoy a lifetime of glory and wealth!
“Indeed, that’s the greatest expectation for us elders!” The village chief’s wife took out another makeup gift: “This is a small cotton quilt for the little prince you and the Crown Prince will have. This is a blessing from the entire Futai County! The character for ‘fortune’ on it was written by the talented and benevolent officials of the entire Futai County, and then embroidered by over a thousand women skilled in embroidery. It gathers the good fortune of ten thousand families, wishing you and the Crown Prince endless fortune!”
