The servants of a third-rank official's household were naturally more than just this number, but in Madam Fang's eyes, Gu Yanchen was merely a concubine's son, so why should he enjoy such good treatment?
Hmph, it was obvious she wanted to suppress her son again.
She put down her teacup: "Nianfu, given Yanchen's status, such servants are naturally necessary. But the key issue is the waste. The manor has a kitchen and a sewing room. If you and your husband want to eat or wear anything, just ask the manor, won't that suffice?"
"Your daughter-in-law has looked, the kitchen and sewing room are too far away. Since Mother has already allocated the adjacent courtyard to us, why not build a small kitchen? The flavors of Yangzhou differ greatly from the capital, and besides, my husband is accustomed to the cooking of a few kitchen maids. If they change suddenly, he might not be able to adapt, and what if it delays his duties? As for the embroiderers, if they really cannot be accommodated, they can live on Hulu Street."
Madam Fang's heart ached.
The thought of Gu Yanchen's comfortable life these past two years made her restless.
But she couldn't directly refuse Lu Nianfu's smiling face, especially after just receiving her gifts. She couldn't estimate the price of the rare edition for her husband, but that set of jewelry was exquisitely designed, and the jade was of good quality, costing at least over a thousand taels of silver.
She gritted her teeth: "Building a small kitchen is very troublesome, and the expenses and rations for this small kitchen are difficult to account for..."
Lu Nianfu waved her hand generously: "It's alright, the expenses for the small kitchen do not need to be accounted for publicly; we will pay for it ourselves."
Madam Fang's full mouth of words suddenly got stuck in her throat.
Lu Nianfu had no intention of using the communal funds to run the kitchen; she only wanted her own life to be comfortable. Otherwise, given Madam Fang's disposition, she would surely cause trouble with the food in the future. Naturally, she had to get this matter settled while Madam Fang was still indebted to her for the gifts.
Phew, her gifts couldn't be given in vain.
Madam Fang said: "You young people, spending money carelessly is not acceptable, and besides, Yanchen's salary must be submitted to the public accounts."
Lu Nianfu said: "Naturally, but food and clothing are major life matters and cannot be taken lightly. Mother, please rest assured, the income from my rouge shop is good, and it is entirely sufficient to supply a small kitchen."
Madam Fang's smile became as stiff as it could be. She had been married to the Guangling Marquis's manor for so many years, managing the household affairs and holding great power, yet she had never dared to spend so arbitrarily.
Of course, it was good that Lu Nianfu did not expect the communal funds for her food and clothing, but... hearing her talk about money so casually was somehow infuriating.
Lu Nianfu seemed completely oblivious to Madam Fang's anger, and cheerfully said: "Then Mother, if there are no other issues, we will settle it this way. Please trouble yourself to inform the steward. I will have Wang Shoucheng find some skilled bricklayers later. As for the procurement for the small kitchen, it will not go through the public accounts; my people will handle it properly."
What else could Madam Fang say? She could only nod her head in frustration and then ask her: "Who is Wang Shoucheng?"
"Our manor's steward."
Money made things happen. The next day, Wang Shoucheng brought bricklayers into the Marquis's manor and transported bricks and sand. As the Shanglan Courtyard bustled with construction, in the Qiulan Courtyard, Madam Fang touched the set of jewelry she was now reluctant to buy, but her heart couldn't be happy.
She felt that she had lost this round no matter how she thought about it, but she couldn't understand where she had lost.
The Spring Festival in the capital was extremely lively, with crowds of people on the streets, not dispersing until late at night.
A fast horse sped through the bustling crowd, heading straight for the palace gate.
It was an urgent dispatch from Yangzhou, traveling eight hundred li.
Situ Jue impeached Feng Yunxian, the prefect of Yangzhou, for privately deploying troops, disrupting military discipline, and attempting to seize power. He had already thrown the man into prison, but Feng Yunxian, fearing death, actually escaped from custody.
Apart from the regular days off, the officials of Da Yin also had a ten-day long holiday for the New Year.
However, when an urgent matter arose for the imperial court, the morning court naturally had to be convened earlier. With an imperial decree, the New Year's morning court was moved forward to the seventh day. Lu Nianfu woke up groggily to find Gu Yanchen already dressed in his official robes. She looked at the dark sky outside the window: "So early?"
"Morning court is like this. After winter passes, it will be almost dawn by the Mao hour."
"At most, it will be twilight, won't it?"
"It's fine, Xiao Wuzi will drive the carriage. You go back to sleep. If you can't get up, take leave from Mother and pay your respects tomorrow."