Chapter 19

Back in Ming’an Hall, Yao Huang focused entirely on preparing for her outing.

Bailing was in charge of doing her hair. As Yao Huang sat at the dressing table, she instructed Qiuchan, who managed the accounts, to fetch twenty taels of silver for her. She also told Ah Ji to retrieve a set of plain cloth clothing from her dowry chest.

The Yao family had prepared a total of eighteen dowry chests for their daughter. Among them, eight chests were filled with seasonal clothing and bedding. The remaining ten chests contained more valuable items, such as a box of jewelry, two silver ingots worth ten taels each, and a box of cosmetics. The less valuable items included shoes, socks, towels, washbasins, foot basins, and feather dusters.

If Yao Huang’s husband had been an ordinary man, Yao Zhenghu and his wife would have also provided a set of commonly used hardwood furniture, such as tables, chairs, and a dressing table, to make up a more respectable dowry of twenty-four chests, fitting for a minor official’s family. However, since the prince’s mansion would undoubtedly furnish their daughter’s rooms with high-quality wooden furniture, there was no need for the Yao family to send such large items. Instead, they used the saved money to improve the quality of the other items.

Even so, the Yao family’s financial situation was not particularly prosperous. Luo Jinhua could only afford to prepare four sets of silk clothing and two sets of silk bedding for her daughter. The rest were made of plain cloth, packed at the bottom of the chests to add weight. After the wedding, if their daughter didn’t use these items herself, she could give them to her servants. This included the ordinary jewelry, cosmetics, shoes, socks, and washbasins.

On the day of the grand wedding, the Yao family’s dowry was mixed into the long procession of royal betrothal gifts, and it’s possible that no commoners even noticed it.

Yao Huang didn’t mind the modest dowry her parents had given her at all. After all, those plain cloth clothes and ordinary jewelry would come in handy today, wouldn’t they?

While Ah Ji was still sorting through the clothes, shoes, and socks in the chests, Qiuchan, who managed the accounts, returned first. She carried two ten-tael silver ingots in her hands, each larger than a baby’s fist.

In front of the princess consort, Qiuchan hesitantly stuffed the two silver ingots into a pouch.

Yao Huang looked at the pouch and felt as if she were seeing two fat men squeezed into a sack. At least the fat men’s flesh could be compressed, but these two silver ingots stubbornly stretched the pouch into the shape of ingots. If she were to hang this pouch on her person, wouldn’t every passerby stare? The pickpockets would be overjoyed.

Seeing the princess consort frown, Qiuchan felt anxious but helpless. The princess consort had a total of four hundred and fifty taels of gold, two thousand one hundred and twenty taels of silver, and one thousand taels in silver notes. The gold and silver ingots, each weighing ten taels, were piled up like a small mountain, and the silver notes were all in denominations of one hundred taels. She could only take out two such ingots.

Qiuchan’s anxiety stemmed from the fate of Huamei, who had been dealt with by the prince. Even though she herself had always been dutiful, she feared that her status as a maid from Yikun Palace might implicate her.

After a moment of thought, Yao Huang said, “Take fifty taels and go to Chief Steward Guo. Have him take you to the accounts office to exchange it for forty-eight taels of loose silver and two strings of copper coins.”

Exchanging a larger amount at once, fifty taels should be enough to cover her expenses for a long time.

Qiuchan then went back and fetched three more silver ingots, presenting them to the princess consort for inspection.

Yao Huang smiled. “No need to be so cautious. I trust you.”

What she didn’t trust was the idea that any maid would be bold enough to steal money from the princess consort’s room!

By the time Qiuchan returned, Yao Huang was already dressed. She wore a white ruqun and a light green long skirt, both made of plain but finely stitched cloth. The collar of the ruqun was tightly fastened, and the waist of the skirt was cinched high, revealing only a sliver of skin below her collarbone. Even if Madam Fang from the Palace of Gathered Elegance were to inspect her, she wouldn’t be able to find fault with Yao Huang’s attire.

Following the princess consort’s instructions, Bailing had styled her hair into a simple and neat bun, adorned with a white jade hairpin and a pink silk flower. From the top of her head to her neck, Yao Huang wore no other jewelry. She looked like a newlywed from a modest family, except that this bride had skin as smooth as mutton fat, glowing radiantly even in the cheapest fabrics, standing out in any crowd.

The group of master and servants all turned their attention to Qiuchan’s hands.

Qiuchan was holding two money pouches. In her left hand was a dull gray pouch containing two strings of copper coins, weighing about six pounds in total. In her right hand was a pouch holding the original purse with five silver ingots she had taken out earlier, along with forty-eight taels of loose silver, adding up to another six or seven pounds.

“The accounts office said that the princess consort receives a monthly allowance of fifty taels. In our mansion, allowances are distributed on the twenty-ninth day of each month, but they’ve given you yours in advance.”

“The accounts office also said that from now on, if the princess consort needs silver, you can just send us to fetch it directly. There’s no need to exchange it.”

Yao Huang: “…”

She had long known that wealthy families provided monthly allowances for their daughters-in-law. She had assumed that the five hundred taels of annual stipend she received from the imperial court was her allowance. After all, the court’s money was essentially Emperor Yongchang’s, and as her father-in-law and the head of the family, it was only natural for him to provide allowances for his wives, children, and daughters-in-law. She hadn’t expected that she would also receive a separate allowance in her own household with the prince!

Fifty taels a month meant six hundred taels a year. The prince was giving her more than her father-in-law did!

Truthfully, Yao Huang wasn’t keen on dipping into the mansion’s public funds, which essentially belonged to Prince Hui. She was afraid that if they ever had a fight, the prince might use this money against her. However, the princess consort’s stipend and allowance were rightfully hers. During the day, she went out of her way to keep the prince company, and at night, she worked hard to serve him. Spending the money she had earned herself was only fair.

Yao Huang said, “Alright, from now on, don’t touch my gold and silver reserves. If there’s a need, use the allowance first.”

Ah Ji helped Qiuchan put away the silver. When Yao Huang finally stepped out of Ming’an Hall, her purse contained twenty taels of loose silver, while Ah Ji’s purse held two hundred copper coins, weighing about a pound in total.

Ah Ji couldn’t help but smile and leaned closer to the princess consort. “I’ve never carried this many copper coins in my life!”

Before the princess consort’s marriage, she had received a hundred copper coins a month as pocket money. If she ran out, she could always sweet-talk her mother into giving her more. Ah Ji, who did less work, received twenty copper coins a month after the age of ten. Her older sister, Qiaoniang, received fifty, and their mother earned a hundred. However, the three of them lived and ate at the Yao household, and any illnesses were treated with medicine paid for by the Yao’s. Given that the Yao family wasn’t particularly wealthy, such wages were already quite generous.

Yao Huang said, “In a couple of days, you’ll start receiving your allowance too. As a senior maid in the prince’s mansion, you’ll get one tael a month.”

Ah Ji’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the princess consort. “It’s all thanks to you, Princess Consort! Otherwise, I’d never have such good fortune!”

The prince’s mansion provided senior maids with silk clothing for all four seasons, which was even better than what the princess consort had worn before her marriage.

Yao Huang teased her, “The more you earn, the more responsibilities you’ll have. You’d better learn all the rules well. Otherwise, if you ever offend some noble person and they insist on punishing you according to protocol, even I won’t be able to save you.”

Ah Ji nodded repeatedly.

The mistress and maid arrived at the main gate of the prince’s mansion in high spirits.

Zhang Yue and another guard named Wang Dong were already waiting there, along with a plain-looking wooden carriage with green cloth curtains hanging inside the windows.

Just as Ah Ji was about to help Yao Huang into the carriage, Yao Huang suddenly remembered something and asked Zhang Yue, “Have you two had lunch yet?”

Zhang Yue instinctively replied, “Yes,” while Wang Dong, who had been halfway through shaking his head, quickly changed his gesture to a nod upon hearing this.

Yao Huang smiled and climbed into the carriage with Ah Ji.

The capital had four bustling main streets, and today Yao Huang was heading to the liveliest one—South Street. By the time the carriage stopped, the sun was almost directly overhead. Various street food stalls were doing brisk business, and the sounds of sizzling stir-fries frequently drifted out from the restaurants and taverns, filling the air with the aroma of cooking oil and food.

Yao Huang walked up to a steamed bun stall and had Ah Ji pay for five meat-filled buns. She gave two each to Zhang Yue and Wang Dong, and one to Ah Ji, who also hadn’t eaten lunch yet.

The freshly steamed buns were piping hot, and Zhang Yue’s heart warmed as well. Back when he was guarding the Yao household, Mrs. Luo often gave them easy-to-carry snacks. He hadn’t expected the princess consort to remember them even while she was out enjoying herself.

Wang Dong, while keeping an eye on the people around the princess consort, tilted his head and whispered to Zhang Yue, “Our princess consort is really kind.” Even kinder than Head Steward Guo.

Zhang Yue, with his stern expression, shot Wang Dong a look to remind him that some things were better left unsaid. As guards, it was best not to talk too much about the princess consort.

Up ahead, Yao Huang stopped at a skewered meat stall and bought twenty skewers of roasted lamb in one go. After placing the order, she had Ah Ji ask Zhang Yue and Wang Dong what flavors they preferred. There were three options: cumin, savory, and spicy.

Ah Ji ran over and then back. “Zhang Yue says they’re full and don’t want any.”

Yao Huang ordered ten savory skewers for them and split ten spicy ones with Ah Ji. At ten copper coins per skewer, this was a rare treat for both Yao Huang and Ah Ji.

After eating the spicy skewers, their mouths were on fire, so Yao Huang bought two bamboo tubes of plum soup, one for herself and one for Ah Ji. This time, she didn’t offer any to the guards.

The warm sunlight made Ah Ji close her eyes contentedly. Life was so good, just like a dream.

With all four of them having filled their stomachs, Yao Huang began browsing the shops. She remembered that at the end of last year, her mother had taken a liking to several pieces of jewelry, ranging from four or five taels to seven or eight taels. However, her mother had only admired them from afar, unable to bring herself to buy any of them.

Yao Huang wouldn’t give her mother extravagant gifts worth dozens or hundreds of taels, as her mother disliked such displays of wealth. However, jewelry priced at seven or eight taels wasn’t entirely out of reach for her mother—it just depended on whether her mother was willing to indulge herself.

Yao Huang selected a hairpin and a pair of earrings, spending a little over ten taels. She planned to save them for her next visit home, along with the cosmetics and perfumes she had received from the palace.

In addition to picking out gifts for her mother, Yao Huang also browsed for a few pieces of jewelry for herself, all priced around twenty to thirty taels. She decided to come back tomorrow with a larger ingot to make the purchases. After all, Consort Du had gifted her a hundred taels, which was just a small fraction of her dowry. Spending it would help round out the numbers.

After nearly two hours of shopping, both mistress and maid felt a slight ache in their feet. Yao Huang chose a restaurant where they could listen to storytelling. She had the two guards eat in the main hall on the first floor, while she and Ah Ji went into a private room. After ordering, Yao Huang paid for both tables. Since Ah Ji, Zhang Yue, and Wang Dong were all serving her, it was only right that she, as their mistress, covered their meals.

Ah Ji’s appetite was much better than Prince Hui’s, and with such a companion, Yao Huang enjoyed her meal thoroughly. The two of them finished all three dishes.

By the time they left the restaurant, it was dusk.

Remembering Prince Hui’s instruction not to stay out too late, Yao Huang decided it was time to head back.

Wang Dong said, “Madam, please wait a moment. I’ll go fetch the carriage.”

Yao Huang replied, “No need. Let’s walk back. The breeze feels so nice, and it’ll help with digestion.”

As they passed the skewered meat stall again, the line had grown even longer. Yao Huang thought for a moment and then joined the queue with Ah Ji.

Ah Ji clutched her stomach and reluctantly admitted, “I’m so full. I really can’t eat any more.”

Yao Huang laughed. “Don’t worry, these aren’t for you. I’m buying some for the prince.”

Every time her mother took her out shopping, she always brought back a small gift for her father—a piece of cloth for socks, a meat pie, or a small bottle of wine. Even though the amount spent on her father was just a fraction of what they spent on themselves, her father would always grin from ear to ear upon receiving the gift. Seeing this over the years, Yao Huang had gradually come to understand.

Her father didn’t care about the value of the gift; what mattered was that her mother was thinking of him. If even a rough man like her father felt this way, then she certainly couldn’t neglect the prince.