Chapter One Hundred: Errand

  In terms of age, Cui Ying and the Second Princess should be around the same age, even if there is a difference, it shouldn't be much.

  But their status was so vastly different - master and slave, like heaven and earth.

  If the fourth prince's consort is like the second prince's consort, Chun Mo will be in trouble, and Chao Sheng may not have a good life either.

  But this time Chunmo's words were very reliable.

  Chao Sheng also felt that this mistress should have a really good temper.

  The fourth prince is really well-matched with her.

  When they paid their respects to the prince and princess, each of them received a red envelope according to their rank, containing two taels of silver. Of course, it was impossible for everyone in the courtyard to have such a high reward, and those with lower status probably only had eight cents, five cents, or even just two cents.

  The money was put up by the bride herself - what a lavish gesture!

  This treatment is already among the senior maidservants.

  Once out of the palace, the previous rank in the palace is no longer applicable.

  Now on the roster of Qi Zongguan, it must be clear who is a first-class lady-in-waiting, who is second or third class, and who is not even qualified to do miscellaneous chores. The prince's mansion is quite large, and naturally there are many attendants; at least one hundred people, including the four senior ladies-in-waiting, four middle-ranking ladies-in-waiting, eight junior ladies-in-waiting, and other members of the household brought by the prince's consort.

  After meeting the master, they began to assign personnel.

  Chao Sheng didn't know if it was the Fourth Prince's orders or Qi General Manager's own arrangement - Chao Sheng wasn't assigned to the kitchen, but rather to the study to serve.

  This job can be said to be very easy, a good thing.

  But the responsibility is also great. The fourth prince has always been strict with the study, and there was originally a cold-faced door god like Xiao Su, now there are two more guards. This is not surprising - places like the study usually have important things like letters and documents, in this era if someone else gets their hands on your handwriting, who knows what kind of forged poems or letters they might create, you might die without even knowing how. Chao Sheng had heard that it wasn't too long ago, probably just a decade or two decades ago, there was an unlucky general who lost a battle and was also accused of treason, the evidence being two letters.

  The characters written by the fourth prince are generally not very good and are never kept. Those that are left behind must be carefully preserved.

  The Manchu women also had their arrangements, with four staying in the imperial concubine's quarters to do chores, while others were assigned to the sewing room or the gardens, doing miscellaneous tasks such as sweeping.

  Man'er stayed in the imperial prince's mansion.

  Chao Sheng was truly happy for her.

  If we go back to separating and washing floors, wouldn't that be going down the old path again? If it's really like that, Man Er might just spit blood.

  She had washed enough clothes, and if she hadn't wanted to get rid of the bad luck of washing clothes in the first place, she wouldn't have been so anxious to enter the Weiyuan Palace. As a result, she went in and still washed clothes for a long time. Now that she has been transferred to the mansion, if she continues to wash clothes...

  It's really fate... Or maybe I just have a good affinity with washing machines.

  Chao Sheng is in charge of sweeping and tidying up the study, serving tea and pouring water.

  Tidal life is pondering... If this matter is the intention of the fourth prince, it's likely that he thinks she's still a reliable person?

  Or perhaps it's because she can read and write, so it's more convenient for her to collect and tidy up? In any case, if the master orders her to find a certain book, she wouldn't be at a loss as to how to respond.

  However, the attendants around him are literate, aren't they afraid of leaking secrets?

  In the era before the birth of the tide, especially in that last dynasty, it seems that even palace maids and eunuchs were not allowed to recognize characters.

  But this errand is too conspicuous.

  Elsewhere, servants were dispatched in groups of three or two, batch by batch, but only she, a single maid, was assigned to attend to this one area, the study.

  Alright, Xiao Shun is too. But does Xiao Shun count as a maid?

  There are also benefits.

  If she were also in the main house, or serving in the courtyard, or continuing to serve the fourth prince, then most of her time every day would actually be facing the princess consort, rather than the prince.

  Now she is serving in the study, which is equivalent to being outside the system of the inner courtyard.

  Chunmo is waiting in the main house.

  It looks like there is no difference from before.

  But on second thought, there's a big difference between them.

  Chun Mo used to serve in the main house too, but she served the Fourth Prince. Who lives in the main house now? The Crown Princess.

  The four senior maids beside the princess are not easy to deal with at a glance.

  It's not that there aren't any arrogant and overbearing ones, but there is one who stands out in front. I heard her name is Qin He. Her demeanor, her air, standing out, if you don't say she's a maid, who wouldn't take her for a proper young lady?

  The lady-in-waiting of Princess Wén's dowry should be led by her. It is said that her parents also came together as a family and are now in charge of one of Princess Wén's estates.

  Look, he has both ability and background——

  Chun Mo has been the top for a long time, but now she's in a completely new territory. Not to mention being the top again, even being second or third is not guaranteed. For these people who used to be by the prince's side, the princess is definitely needed, but will never be considered a confidant.

  Spring ink is definitely not easy to accept, but things are already like this, and she can only cheer up and face the new position and new challenges.

  The fourth prince finally doesn't have to go to school anymore.

  Once married, he is considered a grown-up and can share his father's worries and serve the imperial court.

  Of course, there can't be any important government affairs that he can intervene in, maybe just to give him some opportunity to see and learn. Firstly, he has no experience or seniority, secondly, the third prince already has a clear heir apparent style, while the fourth prince and his brothers who are not of high birth can only do some auxiliary and inconspicuous things, they cannot overshadow the master.

  The fourth prince is currently in a "graduation-unemployed" state, with plenty of free time.

  It's unclear whether the emperor did this on purpose or not, but it can be considered as giving his son a honeymoon.

  The fourth imperial concubine washed away the terrifying bridal makeup, revealing her true appearance, which was indeed gentle and beautiful. The new bride tied up her hair, showing a temperament and charm that was completely different from those of a young girl in the boudoir. There was a sweet beauty amidst her innocence, and a subtle charm within her elegance. When Chao Sheng came to pay his respects, Madame Wen was very warm: "I heard you're literate? Have you read books?"

  "I haven't read many books and I don't know many characters."

  "Wen said: 'That's also a rare thing.' And then he instructed her to serve him wholeheartedly."

  From head to toe, Wen was completely natural and didn't have any guard against her.

  Of course, Chao Sheng was just a small servant girl, and the mistress of the house wouldn't stoop to her level like this.

  Mr. Wen's hands were clasped together and rested naturally on his knees, with a elegant and natural posture, which showed that he came from a good family background and had received excellent education.

  When she spoke, Chun Mo was also standing in the house, but judging from her position, Wen Shi didn't seem to trust her much.

  This is only natural.

  But Madame Wen also wanted to use her. After all, Chun Mo understood the daily habits of the Fourth Prince and was in charge of the internal affairs and personnel of Yi Qiu Palace.

  However, as Dejun and the Fourth Prince's relationship became more harmonious, and he became increasingly familiar with the personnel and financial situation of the mansion, Chunmo's role gradually weakened, becoming dispensable.

  Chao Sheng also saw Man Er.

  This girl is doing chores in the yard - actually just sweeping and running errands, but she's so happy to say that she has good luck. Those who left the palace with her, such as Ying Ge, were assigned to the needlework room.

  "It's not easy to live there. But she was originally good at needlework." Man'er whispered: "If it wasn't for this advantage, she wouldn't have had the chance to get a share either."

  Chao Sheng laughed and teased her: "Then what's your strong point? If it were really like that, not assigning you to the laundry room would be a waste of talent."

  "Oh no, I don't want to wash clothes for the rest of my life!"

  The people who came out of Yiqiu Palace, such as Shanhu, Wen Yue and Qi Shu, have all been settled.

  I don't know how Qi's big business is going either?

  In today's world, if you want to make a name for yourself or stand out from the crowd, your skills had better be top-notch.

  Gui Shu has no other skills, she wants to stand out among the many maidservants, and is afraid that she can't get ahead without stepping on others.

  For example, Chun Mo.

  For example, Chao Sheng himself.

  When Chao Sheng asked Auntie Li, Auntie Li smiled and said: "She's sweeping the garden now. What do you want her to do?"

  "Hmm... always a lingering worry."

  "Don't worry, this girl can't stir up any big waves. Besides, even if she wants to, she'll have to be able to get an audience with the master first."

  Just as they were talking, a woman outside said: "Hey, Director Qi, how did you old man have the leisure to come to our place?"

  Director Qi... isn't it a bit too early for you to be called an old man?

  Chao Sheng hurriedly stood up and said: "It's nothing, I knew him before."

  While they were talking, Director Qī had already entered the room. Aunt Lǐ smiled and said: "Oh, little Qī - uh, now we should call you Director Qī."

  Zi Zongguan rarely showed a smile: "Sister Li is teasing me."

  Oh, it's really an old acquaintance!

  Chao Sheng turned over and brought tea.

  It's really... The interpersonal relationships are complicated enough. You can't figure out who has a past with whom, who has a grudge against whom, and which sentence will offend whom.

  Just like in "Dream of Red Mansions", Feng Sister tied up two wives and made a scene, but her mother-in-law came to spoil the show.

  Now this mansion is brand new, but it won't be long before it will also form a complex web of relationships like in the Dream of Red Mansions.

  The provincial government has already been divided into three factions.

  They were originally from Yiqiu Palace and formed one faction. The eunuchs assigned by the Imperial Supervisor of Servants formed another faction, while Wen's followers formed yet another faction.

  The people who came out of Yiqiu Palace have already dispersed.

  Yes, after calming down and thinking about it at night, I realized that's indeed the case.

  Apart from her, Xiao Shun and Xiao Su, everyone else dispersed to various parts of the mansion.

  The only exception is the person from the small kitchen originally.

  Li's aunt was used to having a few people under her, and they were still working for her.

  Maybe people in the kitchen should just stay in the kitchen, and it's also possible...

  It's because Director Qi and Auntie Li have an old relationship, so they took care of it when assigning tasks.

  It seems now that both factors exist, and the latter may account for a slightly larger proportion.

  Chao Sheng tactfully went out of the house and left the two people inside to reminisce about old times.

  The old woman outside the door said with a smile: "Miss Chao Sheng, come and sit over here. I have some tea, freshly brewed."

  Chao Sheng thanked her and said it was hard work.

  "The girl has been working hard as a maid, now she finally has some free time and should take a good rest."

  Cai Sheng just smiled and shook her head, after all, her usual image was that of a low-key and honest person.

  ——————————————————

  It's full already...

  Twist...

  The big orange is mighty and majestic, one kick exploded a bag of ketchup... oh yeah! Then I wiped the floor for half a day.