Chapter 137 | Table of Contents
Chapter 137:
Upon returning to the Prince of Ying's residence, Chu Wan did not go directly to her own courtyard, but instead followed Wushuang to Yuanxiang Hall. [Qiushu.cc has almost every book you want to read; it's much more stable and updates faster than other novel websites, and it's all text with no ads.]
She wanted to discuss with Wushuang again to see if there was any way to get along better with her mother and sister.
A young maidservant served tea and snacks, and the two sat down on rosewood chairs under the window in the east side room. Just as they were about to speak, an old woman hurriedly walked in.
"Aunt Jiang, what's wrong?" Wushuang asked.
Jiang Mama was one of Yang's dowry maids, handpicked by Yang as exceptionally capable. Earlier, after Wushuang replaced Qiao Mama and others, she assigned Jiang Mama to manage clothing and accessories. She was meticulous and reliable, and several months passed in the blink of an eye, without ever having to report any unresolved problems to Wushuang.
Madam Jiang frowned, glancing at Chu Wan, and her expression became even more troubled. She stammered, "Your Highness, it was the eldest princess who was making a scene in the needlework room and wanted to punish all the embroiderers."
"Even though she is a princess, she still needs a reason to punish her servants, right?" Wushuang pressed.
Madam Jiang said, "This morning, the sewing room went to take the eldest princess's measurements and make winter clothes as instructed by the princess. However, the eldest princess disliked the patterns the embroiderers brought and went to the sewing room herself after lunch to choose. Somehow, she saw that they had made half-finished clothes for the youngest princess and started making a fuss. She accused the embroiderers of favoritism, saying that they made more clothes for the youngest princess than for her. The embroiderers explained that the youngest princess and the princess had made separate clothes for them, but she still wouldn't let it go."
Chu Wan asked curiously, "Doesn't Sister have enough clothes? Then why don't you give her the winter clothes from my ration? I don't need any more clothes anyway. But the one that Shuangshuang and I made together must be kept; I won't give it to anyone else."
Looking at Chu Wan's innocent and kind face, Jiang's mother smiled wryly and said, "Little Princess, what the eldest princess saw is the one you mentioned."
"Ah, I see..." Chu Wan was at a loss, looking at Wu Shuang with a worried expression.
Wushuang had already understood what was going on after hearing Jiang's mother explain why Chu Pei was making a fuss.
Because tailoring takes time, wealthy families in the capital would usually start making new clothes for the next season one or two months in advance.
The Prince of Ying's mansion had a small population, so there was no need to plan too far in advance. However, after Chu Yao left home, she had a lot of free time, so she discussed winter clothing designs with Chu Wan. They suddenly had a brilliant idea to make similar outfits for the two of them, so they could wear them together when visiting relatives during the New Year. It would be novel and interesting, and it would also let all the noble ladies and young ladies know how close they were.
It was just a little girl's playful and mischievous thought, nothing to be taken seriously. (80)
But if you're going to wear it to show off, it has to be eye-catching.
One was a princess and the other a county princess. The fabrics in their allowances were already exquisite and precious enough, but since they were allowances, they were not considered rare items.
Wushuang then remembered the twenty bolts of Hangzhou silk in her dowry.
Whether it was the mansion of princes and nobles or the mansions of officials and gentry, the dowry prepared when a daughter married would always fall within the range of gold and silver chests, estates and shops, rare treasures and antiques, calligraphy and paintings, bronzes and stones, cloth and jewelry.
Since it was a dowry, even everyday items like fabrics couldn't be ordinary. The silks from the Suzhou and Hangzhou area were renowned for their vibrant colors and supple texture. When nobles from the capital married off their daughters, they invariably sent people to the area to find the finest silks to include in the dowry.
Yang entrusted this task to her father, Yang Xi.
Who is Yang Xina?
Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang.
What others couldn't accomplish even with their legs worn out, he could easily find ten different colors of silk for Wushuang with just a few words, which were said to be no less exquisite than tribute satin. Since it was for her dowry, it would be inauspicious for each color to be alone, so he sent two of each color, making them a pair.
That's not all.
Yang Xi then said that even with fine fabric, without skilled embroiderers, fine clothes cannot be made. So he sent two highly skilled embroiderers to be part of his granddaughter's dowry.
Wu Shuang was never stingy with money, so he opened the storeroom and took Chu Wan to choose some items.
As a newlywed, she naturally wanted to dress festively for the first major festival of her life. So she chose a light red peony-patterned dress and gave it to the two embroiderers to make winter clothes, along with the lotus-patterned dress that Chu Wan had chosen.
The two garments that Jiang's mother mentioned that made Chu Pei angry were probably the reason for the incident, and the embroiderers who should be punished were likely the two women who accompanied Wu Shuang in her dowry.
Wushuang didn't think about Chupei when she did these things.
But can we blame her?
Chu Pei traveled with the old princess, and for ten months of the year, no one in the Ying Prince's mansion knew where she and her mother were. The monthly allowance was only given to the old maids left to look after the two courtyards.
So, even if Wushuang had thought about it, where would she find Chupei to select materials and take measurements?
Chu Pei's current dissatisfaction is like a child who plays outside until dark and then blames her family for not leaving her lunch—it's completely unreasonable.
Besides, Wushuang wasn't going to use her dowry to support her sister-in-law. Chu Wan even opened her small storeroom and, together with Wushuang, selected the Moonflower Brocade that the Empress Dowager had bestowed upon them years ago to make spring clothes. It was just that it was still early, so they hadn't yet handed it over to the embroiderers.
However, regardless of whether one is right or wrong, if one does not explain and persuade, the family will only remain in turmoil.
Wushuang then went to the needlework room herself.
Chu Pei seemed to have been waiting for Wushuang. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she immediately slammed down the teacup in her hand and snapped, "Didn't you say you were going to fight? Why aren't you fighting yet? What are you waiting for? You don't even listen to me?"
Wushuang felt like Mu Guiying, the heroine who stopped enemy soldiers on stage. Knowing that she was just acting, she still had to control her gestures and movements perfectly as she rushed over. She drew out her words, "Peipei, don't be angry. You can't blame them. The extra piece was originally intended for each of us three sisters-in-law, but you weren't home before and couldn't take our measurements together. I've been so busy these past few days that I forgot to tell you."
"Are you serious?" Chu Pei asked, still somewhat doubtful.
Of course, it wasn't that she was lacking in clothes; it was just that over the years, she had been the only one by the old princess's side. Whether it was the servants or the old princess herself, everyone's attention was always focused on her. Accustomed to being the center of attention, suddenly finding her sister-in-law and younger sister making new clothes together, leaving her aside, naturally made her feel resentful, even if she didn't particularly like those two women.
"Why would I lie to you?" Wushuang said, pulling Chupei along. "Come on, let's go to my place and pick out some materials."
Chu Pei finally chose a piece of Hangzhou silk with a lake-green color and a dark blue orchid pattern, and left satisfied.
When the matter reached the ears of the old princess, she nodded almost imperceptibly and said, "She is quite sensible and knows how to behave."
These words of praise, of course, did not reach Wushuang's ears, as she was busy planning how to properly arrange the trivial matters related to Chupei's marriage.
Fortunately, with Yang's guidance, things didn't go wrong again.
Perhaps because Chu Pei's marriage was going very smoothly, the old princess had nothing to worry about, so she thought of finding a husband for her youngest daughter.
To everyone's surprise, Chu Wan, who seemed obedient, docile, and indecisive, was very picky about the people the old princess had chosen.