Jinyi Spring

Chapter 207 Top grade

At the end of the You hour (5-7 PM), the sky was as dark as ink, and light snow began to fall again.

The Crown Prince said, "Tonight, my third brother and I will be keeping watch here. You should all go back and rest." He then looked at Shui Chuchen with concern, "My sister is getting thinner and thinner. Please rest well so that Mother can rest assured over there."

Shui Chuchen said emotionally, "Your Majesty, please take care of yourself as well."

Then everyone got up and went out.

Shui Chuchen and the Third Princess traveled together, with several palace servants carrying lanterns to light their way and two eunuchs holding umbrellas for them.

"Big sister," the third princess wanted to get closer to Feng Chuchen.

Shui Chuchen was not talkative to begin with, and since they weren't familiar with each other, she only hummed in response.

The third princess then asked, "May I go to the East Courtyard to talk to my eldest sister from now on?"

"it is good."

The two remained silent all the way to the princess's residence.

Just as Shui Chuchen was about to step into the East Courtyard, a figure darted out from the Central Courtyard.

"The water is just beginning to flow!"

A shrill voice shattered the tranquility of the princess's quarters.

Shui Chuchen paused, looked up, and saw a girl of about sixteen or seventeen years old rushing towards her.

It's obvious without even thinking that it's the Second Princess, Shui Raofu.

She wore a lake-blue jacquard jacket, with a few strands of hair loose at her temples, and her eyes were red, like a fighting rooster with its feathers standing on end.

"You bitch!"

The second princess rushed forward, her finger almost poking Shui Chuchen's nose, "Your mother was eaten by wolves, why blame it on my mother?"

Before he finished speaking, the hand rose up and slapped Shui Chuchen across the face.

Before the eunuchs could react, Shui Chuchen had already grabbed her wrist and twisted it behind her back.

"Ah—it hurts!" the second princess screamed, half of her body tilting to one side.

Shui Chuchen shoved her forward and said coldly, "Xue has wreaked havoc in the palace and framed the Empress and the Princess. She deserves to die. Instead of hiding in your room and reflecting on her sins, you dare to come out and hit someone?"

She brushed off non-existent dust from her hands, her gaze sharp as a knife. "If you lay a hand on me again, see how I deal with you."

The second princess was caught by the palace maids behind her, preventing her from falling.

Once she regained her footing, her face contorted with rage, and she shrieked, "You country bumpkin! Your mother went out in the middle of the night by herself; she deserved to be eaten by wolves..."

"Snapped!"

Before she could finish speaking, a crisp slap landed on her face. Shui Chuchen's hand was quick and accurate, making the Second Princess's head tilt to the side, and five red marks immediately appeared on her fair cheek.

"His mouth stinks worse than the stones in a latrine."

Shui Chuchen's voice was as cold as ice, her face as still as water, "You really need to be taught a lesson. I'll teach you a good lesson on behalf of your father."

The words "this palace" were spoken with great emphasis.

She raised her hand again, and two palace maids quickly stepped in front of the Second Princess, pleading, "Princess Yong'an, please calm down! The Second Princess didn't mean it; please be magnanimous—"

"You wretch! How dare you hit me!" The second princess cried and screamed, covering her face. "My father and mother haven't laid a finger on me! Who do you think you are!"

As she spoke, she tried to rush out again, but was held back tightly by two palace maids.

Peony had already rushed in front of Shui Chuchen, spreading her arms like a little hen protecting her chicks. She glared at the Second Princess, as if to say, "If you want to hit my princess, you'll have to step over me first."

"Peony, let's go." Shui Chuchen didn't look at the Second Princess again, turned around and walked into the courtyard. The shouts and curses behind her gradually faded away. She didn't turn her head, but simply shook the hand that had hit her. She had used too much force just now, and her palm was a little numb.

The inner courtyard was brightly lit, and the corridor was filled with boxes, some stacked together neatly.

Granny Li curtsied and said with a smile, "Your Highness, this is a gift from His Majesty."

Shui Chuchen wasn't truly sad; seeing so many gifts, she actually found herself quite interested.

The two eunuchs quickly opened the lids of the boxes one by one.

The first thing you see is gold. Gold ingots, each weighing five taels and cast by the imperial workshops, are neatly stacked, their bright yellow color dazzling to the eye. Next to them are two boxes of small gold ingots, each weighing five qian, one tael, or two taels, specifically for giving as gifts.

Ten thousand taels of gold were packed into about twenty boxes.

Beside them were twenty boxes each, containing brocade, silk gauze, brocade satin, and brocade gauze of various colors and patterns, all tributes from the Jiangnan Textile Bureau. They were packed separately, with yellow labels affixed to the boxes indicating the product name and quantity.

Beyond that were two rows of long tables, upon which were displayed ornaments made of red gold, white jade, coral, and agate. Some were as tall as pagodas and cranes, while others were as big as fists, depicting melons, fruits, and auspicious beasts—each piece exquisitely crafted.

Next to it stood two sandalwood screens inlaid with double-sided embroidery, depicting flowers, birds, landscapes, and scenery, all vividly embroidered.

There are a total of twenty pairs of ornaments.

There were also twenty pairs of jewelry. Hairpins, hair ornaments, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces, all made of gold, jade, and pearls, were stored in several brocade boxes on the table, gleaming with precious stones.

There was also a pair of rosewood dressing boxes, which were divided into many small compartments, containing gold combs, silver combs, jade hairpins, tortoiseshell combs, as well as rouge, face powder, and dressing table utensils, all of which were prepared by the imperial household according to regulations.

The mirrors were actually made of glass; one was a table mirror, and the other was a target mirror.

Shui Chuchen looked around and secretly clicked her tongue in amazement—her scumbag father had really gone all out this time. By this estimate, these things must be worth no less than 150,000 taels of silver.

She didn't show it on her face, only nodded slightly, "Keep the account books safe and move the things into the storeroom." She then instructed Tang Jian, "I have two hundred taels of silver notes. Tomorrow, take them to the Guangchu Department's treasury and exchange them for various small silver ingots to reward people in the future."

They all reward people with gold, but she couldn't bear to part with it.

Tang Jian bowed in agreement, and then led the eunuchs to carry the boxes to the backyard storeroom.

These gifts were her private property, which she could take to the princess's residence when she got married and would belong to her children and grandchildren in the future, without having to return them to the Imperial Household Department. Although she didn't care much about these gold and silver items, having more personal possessions was always a good thing.

Granny Li chuckled softly, "Your Highness, Eunuch He is truly thoughtful. The ornaments, jewelry, and cosmetics he sent are all of the finest quality. When he brought them over, I secretly decided to reward him with fifty taels of silver on Your Highness's behalf."

She paused, her voice barely concealing her pride, "The princess's monthly allowance for the twelfth lunar month has also arrived. As the legitimate princess born to the Empress, your allowance is thirty taels of silver per month."

"In addition, there will be three pieces of jewelry, three pairs of palace flowers, and a set of rouge and face powder. There will also be extra rewards for festivals and birthdays. The sewing bureau has also sent someone to ask for the princess's measurements, and they are rushing to make the clothes in the next day or the day after."

He lowered his voice, "The concubine princess receives twenty taels of silver per month, and her jewelry and palace flowers are reduced by one item. Because there was no legitimate princess before, and the second princess is the daughter of a Noble Consort, and her birth mother has the highest rank, she receives a special allowance of twenty-five taels. That's still five taels less than you."

Shui Chuchen understood: even in the Emperor's private treasury, items were categorized into medium-grade, high-grade, and top-grade. And everything sent to her was top-grade.

He Quan was shrewd and had already seen that the Emperor's compensation to her was genuine. Of course, there was also the consideration of his elder brother, the Crown Prince.

She accepted He Quan's kindness and nodded, saying, "The old lady has done a good job; Eunuch He should be respected. Give another ten taels of silver to the palace servants here as a reward."

He then instructed Peony to retrieve four gold ingots each from the box to reward Eunuch Tang and Granny Li, and two chrysanthemums.

The crowd knelt down to express their gratitude, overjoyed.

When no one was around, Peony quietly told Shui Chuchen, "I received two taels of silver as my monthly allowance, two sets of clothes and shoes, and four palace flowers. Sister Caiju said that only eighth-rank female officials receive this allowance. In the future, there will be jewelry and bonuses every quarter and at the end of the year."

He looked incredibly smug.

Shui Chuchen nodded and whispered, "Be wary of everyone when you first arrive. Pay special attention to Tang Jian, Granny Li, and Caiju."

"This servant understands." (End of Chapter)