In a good mood, she didn't argue with He Wenyan and took the initiative to start a conversation: "What brings you here today, Prince Consort? Is it related to Sister Caiqiong? If there's anything you need help with, as your sister-in-law, I'll do my best to help. Just tell me, Prince Consort."
While waiting for the eldest princess, He Wenyan had already sorted out what he wanted to say and immediately said, "Sister Caiqiong did not come to ask for help. Prince Ying sent fresh autumn crabs to the Marquis of Runan's residence. Sister Caiqiong saw that the ingredients were very good and personally cooked orange-stuffed crabs and sent them over. It's a pity that you came back too late and were afraid that they were not fresh and would make you sick, so they have already been thrown away."
He paused for a moment, fearing the princess might misunderstand, and then added, "If you want some, I'll have her send some over another day."
The eldest princess, being of royal lineage, had seen all sorts of fine things, so she naturally wouldn't fuss over a crab or two. She simply said, "It's kind of her to be so thoughtful. But, Prince Consort, did you come all this way just to tell me this?"
He Wenyan shook his head: "Of course not. I did it for Ayao. Today, while chatting with Sister Caiqiong, I heard that their family has hired a cook to teach the young ladies. I was thinking of letting Ayao learn as well, which might be beneficial after she gets married in the future."
The eldest princess was naturally furious when He Yao's marriage was mentioned.
She had met Gesang; his appearance was decent, and he was skilled in riding and archery, making him a good candidate for a son-in-law. Unfortunately, marrying him meant going far to the northern frontier, thousands of miles from home. The eldest princess only had one daughter, He Yao, so naturally she was reluctant to part with him.
The eldest princess was unaware of the intricacies of the marriage; she only knew that He Yao had been caught by Emperor Deqing in Gesang's tent, and thus was betrothed to him.
She was full of resentment, resenting both He Yao and her father.
She resented He Yao because she thought her daughter had taken a liking to Gesang but hadn't told her, and that her daughter's audacity and recklessness had led to an unmanageable mess.
She resented her father because she felt he had mistreated his granddaughter. He was the emperor, and everyone in the world had to obey his orders. No matter how big the trouble He Yao caused, could he not cover it up? Why did he have to issue an imperial decree to grant the marriage, making the matter irreversible?
However, no matter how strange the situation was, it couldn't be blamed on He Wenyan, since he hadn't even participated in the Northern Tour.
"Does my daughter need to cook and please others?" The eldest princess suppressed her anger, and her tone was inevitably harsh.
He Wenyan did not want to cause any more trouble, nor did he argue with her. He simply said, "If she were under our watchful eyes, we would naturally not have to worry about anything. But since she has made her wish to go, if anything happens, even if we send a message by fast horse, it will take ten days to half a month. Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. Everything still depends on her own efforts."
The reasoning was indeed correct, and the eldest princess had nothing to refute. She calmly said, "However, she doesn't get along well with the young ladies of the Jun family. Why don't we invite a gentleman to the manor?"
He Wenyan had something to hide and didn't want Lu Zhenniang to come to the princess's residence and act under the eldest princess's nose.
"It would be easy to invite the teacher to the manor, but I want her to learn how to get along with people she doesn't usually get along with. Otherwise, if she goes to the northern frontier in the future..."
He was only halfway through his sentence when the eldest princess raised her hand to interrupt him: "Can we please not mention the Northern Frontier?" Every time she thought about her only daughter being married off to the Northern Frontier, her heart ached as if it were being cut by a knife, and she couldn't bear it when others kept nagging about it in her ear.
He Wenyan indeed stopped mentioning it and changed his tune, saying, "If you're worried that she might not be able to adapt if she goes alone, you can ask Xiangxiang to come along. She's gentle and easy to get along with. If Ayao has any disputes with the Jun family's daughter, she can help mediate."
“Then let it be as you say,” said the eldest princess.
It was rare to see the prince consort so attentive to his daughter, so the eldest princess couldn't bear to refuse his good intentions. In any case, what he said made sense. He Yao had always been too spoiled and willful, and it was time for her to learn how to calm down and get along with others. Otherwise, she would suffer after being married off to a distant place.
Chapter Index 111 | 6.110
Chapter 110:
After the eldest princess and Consort Yu took turns intervening, the Yu family, who were arrogant and disdainful of the Marquis of Runan's mansion, finally agreed to let Yu Xiangxiang learn cooking skills at the Jun family.
He Wenyan then requested to personally accompany He Yao and Yu Xiangxiang to the Jun family. Although the eldest princess felt that his enthusiasm for this matter was somewhat unusual, it was ultimately her daughter's affair, and it was understandable for a father to be concerned.
They had been married for over ten years. No matter how many arguments they had or how bad their relationship was, the eldest princess, like any ordinary woman, always hoped that one day they could live in harmony and have a loving marriage. So, when faced with such a situation, she naturally tended to think the best of it.
After the three arrived at the Marquis of Runan's residence, the steward sent someone to lead the two girls to the kitchen while planning to lead He Wenyan to the study in the front courtyard.
To everyone's surprise, He Wenyan waved his hand and refused the suggestion: "I want to go and see their class. Well, although my younger sister has recommended it many times, I still need to see that gentleman's skills in person before I can feel at ease."
The steward was genuinely surprised. Everyone says that a gentleman stays away from the kitchen, and he never expected that the dignified prince consort would lower himself to go into the kitchen. However, since it concerned Princess Yun Jing, and the steward was also a father, he was willing to crawl on the ground for his daughter, let alone go into the kitchen. Thinking about it this way, it seemed reasonable and no longer strange.
Although cooking classes were arranged from a young age, the elders of the Jun family simply couldn't bear to keep their delicate girls locked in a hot, smoky kitchen all day.
Therefore, the place where Lu Zhenniang taught was specially renovated, with a stove and utensils fully equipped, but it was not allowed to be used for cooking normally; it was only permitted to be used when the girls were having class. That wasn't all; after each day's class, there were also maids and servants who would come in to clean, water, ventilate, and burn incense.
Upon entering, if you didn't see the rows of stoves, you might think you had entered the fragrant boudoir of a young lady.
Even so, after stepping through the door, He Yao still raised her chin slightly, glanced sideways, and said arrogantly, "What a weird smell! It stinks!"
Her voice was strong and clear, and everyone, including Yu Xiangxiang who was by her side, as well as Lu Zhenniang, Wushuang, and Wuhui who were waiting in the room, could hear her clearly, making the atmosphere extremely awkward for a moment.
Wu Hui still remembered how He Yao forced her to frame Wu Shuang during the Northern Tour. With both old and new grudges combined, she angrily took a step forward to argue with He Yao, but Wu Shuang forcibly grabbed the hem of her short coat and pulled her back.
Wushuang had no idea what the Princess's residence had gotten into. The imperial relatives were wealthy and powerful; if they wanted He Yao to learn cooking, they could have easily found anyone. Why did they have to go through He Caiqiong to get her to learn from the Marquis of Runan? She didn't believe there wasn't some ulterior motive.
The fact that the Grand Prince Consort personally oversaw the battle further confirmed this point. Even someone as capable as He Yao wasn't enough, so they had to bring in their elders to cheer them on.
Before fully understanding He Yao's intentions, Wu Shuang didn't want to act rashly and unwittingly step into a trap based on a deliberately distorted piece of gossip. [Fast updates, clean website layout, few ads]
As the two sisters whispered to each other, Yu Xiangxiang had already walked over to Lu Zhenniang's side with a rattan basket.
“Mr. Lu, these are persimmons grown on my family’s estate. Yao and I picked out the reddest and biggest ones to offer you as a treat.”
Whether the Yu family looks up to the Jun family is another matter, but social etiquette must still be observed. When visiting someone's home, one should bring a small gift, let alone when becoming an apprentice.
Being overly polite is never a bad thing. Lu Zhenniang smiled as she accepted the basket, thanked her, and casually praised Yu Xiangxiang for being sensible.
He Yao had been forced to come by her parents, and now she felt even more unhappy. She deliberately snorted loudly, rolled her eyes, and stood by the stove, far away from the Wushuang sisters, as if no one else was there.
Yu Xiangxiang glared at her with exasperation, but with so many people around, she couldn't say anything. She simply lowered her head and took out two handkerchiefs from her purse, handing one to Wushuang and the other to Wuhui.
"These two handkerchiefs were embroidered by Ayao and me, and we are giving them to you as a gift. From today onwards, we are classmates, so we should all get along well. Ayao is the junior, so please forgive her if there is anything she has done poorly."
In fact, both the persimmons and the handkerchief were Yu Xiangxiang's personal gifts; He Yao was not involved.
However, what she said was what she truly thought. As fellow students learning the same skills, they naturally needed to get along harmoniously. Otherwise, spending all their time arguing and bickering would prevent them from truly learning anything, and would be a complete waste of time. Therefore, seeing that He Yao offended someone as soon as she entered, Yu Xiangxiang, as her cousin, had no choice but to step in and smooth things over.
Amidst the turmoil that raged among the girls, He Wenyan, who was seen as the "overseer," remained completely oblivious.
From the moment he stepped into the classroom, he focused all his attention on Lu Zhenniang, trying to find similarities between her and his wife.
Tan Xiaoping was not yet eighteen when she died; she was a beautiful, plump, and lovely young girl. Lu Zhenniang, however, was rather thin. Her dark-colored, diagonally-fastened long jacket and horse-face skirt were noticeably too large, further emphasizing her slender figure. As for her face, everything below her eyes was covered by a dark veil, making it impossible to see anything. And those eyes…