flstandardbreds Chapter 175 Chilling
Chapter 175 Chilling
The fact that his grandson and granddaughter have grown up and are on the right path is even more exciting and joyful for the Left Prime Minister than when he was promoted to Left Prime Minister himself.
With the children's studies progressing and their skills developing, the Xie family's future holds hope, preventing him from feeling utterly hopeless. In the past, he had spent countless sleepless nights worrying about his children's future. Now, that worry is finally gone, and in truth, Princess Yulin deserves much of the credit!
"Old woman, quickly prepare some gifts for me. I need to thank Princess Yulin, the Eldest Princess, Prince Duan, the old clan chief of Wuliping, and the headmaster of the academy! The gifts should be valuable and practical, and should be prepared according to each person's preferences!" The Left Prime Minister called out to his wife with delight.
Madam Xie smiled broadly: "Okay, I understand! After you're ready, you can go and thank them in person."
Prime Minister Xie said, “Of course I must personally go to express my gratitude. However, please take your eldest daughter-in-law with you to the Princess’s residence. If you have time, you can also come with me when I go to the General’s Mansion. Madam Shangguan is pregnant. You have given birth to so many children, so you have plenty of experience. You can chat with Madam Shangguan and share some of your experience with her!”
Madam Xie: "Yes, I'll take a few of my granddaughters with me. It'll be a good opportunity for the children to meet and get to know Princess Yulin!"
Prime Minister Xie said, “Princess Yulin is both fiercely opposed to evil and extremely kind and wise. You must not bring those two unruly and foolish ones with you! Otherwise, they might leave a very bad impression on Princess Yulin, and she might not want to deal with the Xie family in the future!”
Those two, both unruly and foolish, refer to the two illegitimate daughters of the Xie family. Not only did they learn the seductive tricks of their mistress, but they were also extremely unruly, never feeling comfortable without causing trouble. Most of the things they did were incredibly foolish, offending everyone in the neighborhood.
Madam Xie: "I know. I only bring daughters of good character to the General's Mansion. Those of bad character, even if they are daughters of the same family, are not qualified to go!"
Prime Minister Xie nodded in satisfaction: "Well said. Remember what you said. Don't give in to those girls' tears and tantrums! That's not good. The reason our grandson has become so naughty and doesn't like to study is mostly because you spoiled him!"
Madam Xie: "I understand. The lesson learned is profound enough. I will never make the same mistake again! Taking my eldest granddaughter to the General's Mansion was to broaden their horizons and help them befriend Princess Yulin. As for those virtuous concubine daughters, I will find them good husbands when they grow up and give them generous dowries."
As for those two who are both willful and not capricious, I'll choose them for marriages to families far away, with simple dowries! Afterwards, they won't see or hear from me, so I won't have to worry! In short, I won't bring shame to the Xie family, nor will I put you in a difficult position!
Prime Minister Xie nodded with great satisfaction: "Hmm, very good!"
Zisu stayed in Wuliping for a few days and saw that her younger brothers were all very sensible and had adapted well to life at the academy. So she took ten of her chosen maids and returned to the capital.
All ten maids were orphans, aged between ten and twelve, and all were healthy. Before coming to the capital, she had asked the academy's doctor to give them a thorough check-up. Since Madam Yu was pregnant, these maids needed to serve her closely, so extra care was required.
Zisu returned to the General's Mansion and, after having the maids bathe and change, brought them to Madam Yu: "Mother, these ten maids are all quite good. They are healthy and cheerful. You can choose as many as you like. If it's not enough, I'll go to Wuliping next time and bring a few more!"
Madam Yu smiled and nodded: "The ones you've chosen should all be good. How about this, everyone tell me what you're good at."
These ten people were of average appearance; none were particularly beautiful, nor were they ugly. Moreover, their eyes were all quite clear, suggesting they weren't the type to be particularly scheming. Excellent; she was quite satisfied after just one glance.
A maid stepped forward and said, "Replying to Madam, this servant is skilled in needlework."
Another maid stepped forward: "Reporting to Madam, this servant is skilled in kitchen work!"
After all ten people had spoken, Madam Yu selected one person skilled in needlework, one skilled in cooking, one skilled in caring for infants, and one skilled in caring for pregnant women. Most of these people came from the countryside and had done all sorts of hard and tiring work.
Zisu then said, "Mother, let's pick two more!"
Madam Yu waved her hand and said, "I won't choose anymore. Just pick two for me!"
Zisu: "Alright, these two have a real talent for martial arts, they know some basic fist and foot techniques, and they're very strong. Let's choose the two of them to be Mother's personal maids!"
These maids were all placed in Xiaoshitan and trained by Shen Laihui and Xiangli for half a year, and they were all fully qualified. Except for those who were eliminated, everyone was quite good. Those who were eliminated, except for those with moral problems, were sent to Zisu's farm in the suburbs of Beijing to do farm work.
Ms. Yu: "Okay, I'll do as you say."
Of the remaining three, Zisu took them into her care as her personal maids. Now, she didn't even have a single personal maid. She had to do everything herself.
She named her three maids Red Bean, Red Tea, and Red Leaf.
Of the seven maids serving Madam Yu, the two who knew martial arts were named Biluo and Bilu. As Madam Yu's personal maids, they didn't concern themselves with anything else, acting solely as her bodyguards, never leaving her side. The other five were named Lingluo (good at needlework), Tangyuan (good at cooking), and Zhenzhu (good at combing hair); Lingli (efficient at cleaning and tidying the house); and Xier (a simple-minded maid who was very good at massaging backs and shoulders).
Cherry and Begonia are both a year older than Perilla, and are already sixteen this year. They'll be getting married soon. The arrival of these seven young maids was, in fact, inevitable. The two women will take care of these seven maids for two years, and once they've grown up, they can retire gracefully.
Pan Kang was interested in Cherry, so he found Zisu and hesitated for a long time before finally speaking up: "Miss, I have taken a liking to Cherry. I wonder if you would be willing to let her be with me?"
Zisu: "Oh my, this is a good thing, why are you blushing?"
Pan Kang: "So, the young lady agrees?"
Zisu: "If Cherry agrees, I will naturally agree and will absolutely not object! On the contrary, I would be happy to see you two together!"
If they get together, Cherry can stay in the mansion after she gets married and work as a head housekeeper. That way, even if she gets married in the future, she can rest assured that Cherry will be there to help Madam Yu.
Zisu wanted to bring the two together.
Zisu spoke privately with Yingtao: "Pan Kang is twenty-two years old this year, not young anymore. He told me he wants to marry you. I've come to ask you what you think, do you like him, and do you want to be with him?"
Cherry blushed and hesitated for a while before shyly saying, "Miss, I'm willing! As long as you don't object, and as long as you think he's good, then I won't object!"
Zisu: "Pan Kang is a very good man. You've known him for many years, and we've been through thick and thin together. We both know what kind of person he is, and I think he's a good man you can entrust your life to. If you marry him, you can stay in the mansion after the wedding and work as a head housekeeper in the General's Mansion. I wonder if you'd be willing?"
Cherry was both surprised and delighted upon hearing this: "Miss, after we get married, can I really still come back to the manor to work?"
Zisu nodded vigorously: "Yes, of course, I couldn't be happier! I'm just worried that you might not want to stay in the General's Mansion anymore and want to leave to live your own life. Of course, if you don't want to stay, I won't stop you. This is a big deal, so you need to think it through!"
Cherry: "Miss, don't think about it anymore. I also like Pan Kang, and I agree to marry you! I'm also willing to stay in the General's Mansion and stay by your side forever!"
Zisu: "That's good. Now I can rest assured after I get married! Otherwise, with my mother's gentle nature, I really wouldn't be able to rest easy."
Cherry: "Are you saying that after you get married, we will have to stay in the General's Mansion and can't go with you?"
Zisu: "It depends on the situation. If the family I marry into is complicated, perhaps you will have to come with me to help me through the difficult times. If the family I marry into is not complicated, it's better for you to stay in the General's Mansion. Actually, my parents are not difficult to serve. It's much better for you to stay in the General's Mansion than to come with me to my husband's family!"
Cherry: "I know that I can live a peaceful and happy life if I stay in the General's Mansion. But if you get married without me, I will have a hard time putting my mind at ease."
Zisu: "So, from now on, you'll help me train Hongdou, Hongye, and Hongcha properly. When I go to Wuliping again in a while, I'll bring a few more people back. When the opportunity arises, Xiangli and Luo Jianming will buy some more people, preferably a few more families. Train them well, and they can come with me to my husband's family to manage my dowry shops or land!"
Cherry: "Girl, what are your plans for Begonia?"
Zisu: "She's sixteen this year. If she has someone she likes, I'll arrange her marriage. In the future, if she's willing to return to the General's Mansion as a head housekeeper, I'd welcome her! However, I don't think she'll be willing; Haitang has high aspirations!"
Cherry: "Miss, are you still angry with her about breaking the peach branch last time?"
Zisu: "No, it's not that. It's just that from that incident, I could sense that she wasn't very attentive to the people of the General's Mansion anymore. Many things can be seen in small things. Since that's the case, let her go! Otherwise, keeping her around will only turn her into an enemy, and that wouldn't be good! After all, we were master and servant together, and we went through difficult times together. I still hope that we can part amicably, so that when we meet again in the future, there can still be some affection between us!"
Cherry: "Haitang is confused. No matter how good things are outside, they can't compare to the General's Mansion. Making a living outside without anyone to protect you is incredibly difficult. Unless you buy a few acres of land in the countryside and live there honestly, farming the land. But with Haitang's personality, I'm afraid she's not willing to live such a life."
Zisu: "I will fully respect her opinion on what to do. If she wants to stay, I will naturally welcome her; if she wants to leave, I will not stop her. It all depends on her own choice."
Cherry: "Girl, Begonia is actually quite good too, it's just that she's grown up and has someone on her mind. So, sometimes she inevitably gets distracted and sometimes she's a little inconsiderate in her dealings with others."
Zisu was taken aback: "Who has she fallen for?"
Cherry hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke: "She fell in love with Lord Fang. Originally, the young lady planned to choose Lord Fang, and she was overjoyed. Later, the young lady lost those feelings for Lord Fang, and Begonia became a little lost and dejected."
Zisu: "Oh, so she likes Lord Fang! But even if I marry Lord Fang, I don't intend to make my dowry maid a concubine or a maidservant. Everyone understands this, right? So why is she so distraught?"
Cherry: "Who knows? Maybe she's fallen in love and can't help herself! Maybe you should let her leave the manor, so she won't hold a grudge against you in the future. That would be bad! If that happens, she might do something foolish one day, hurting both you and herself."
Zisu couldn't help but sigh deeply. At this moment, her feelings towards Haitang were complex. Haitang, Cherry, Pear, and even the long-gone Lilac, had almost all grown up with her. In particular, Haitang had also been with her through many difficult years. In her heart, Haitang was like family, a friend and a sister.