The Fourth Prince’s residence had been renovated on a grand scale. The front courtyard served as the Fourth Prince’s office, the main courtyard was reserved for the future Prince’s Consort, and the eastern and western courtyards would only be occupied once the Fourth Prince received his enfeoffment as Prince.
The rear courtyard was divided into six separate yards, with the two at the center being the finest ones the Fourth Prince had mentioned earlier.
Sure enough, the young eunuch leading the way guided Rongyu and her party into the eastern one, where a plaque hung above the entrance: Rongmuzhai.
In the yard stood a sizable peach blossom tree—something Rongyu had talked about wanting day and night. There was also a small resting pavilion, and even the rattan chair and stone table she had loved at the Prince’s Establishment had been replicated to the exact same proportions.
Rongmuzhai comprised three main rooms, with a half-room annex on each side; to the south of the main rooms stood the eastern and western side chambers—truly the top-tier configuration in the rear courtyard.
The three main rooms were divided into a main hall, a bedchamber, and a study. The annex rooms were for the personal attendants, the western side chamber would temporarily serve as storage, and the eastern side chamber was reserved for future children.
After directing the servants to arrange everything in place, Rongyu took the opportunity to meet the household staff in the yard before the Fourth Prince arrived.
The attendant allocation for a Shuren included two personal maids, one general maid, and one errand eunuch.
The personal maids were naturally Muyun and Muxi, who had always been by her side. The errand eunuch was the one who had led the way earlier, and the general maid was a young girl who looked only twelve or thirteen, plain-featured and rather simple and reticent.
“These are Muyun and Muxi—they handle matters close to me. What are your two names?” Rongyu asked the pair kneeling on the ground.
“This servant is Qing’er. Greetings to the Shuren.” The general maid answered first. In the inner quarters, maids held higher status than eunuchs, especially when everyone was newly arrived, so the lead eunuch tactfully yielded his place.
Rongyu nodded and signaled Muxi to distribute rewards.
The reward silver was wrapped in embroidered pouches. Muyun was quite skilled at needlework and would embroider in her spare time, having prepared quite a number of them.
As for silver, Rongyu was not lacking—her mother also came from a distinguished family, so her household had always been well-off. Just this time, upon entering the palace, she had been given a considerable amount of private savings, not to mention Bakdun’s overt and covert subsidies, along with the deeds to two estates held in secret.
By regulation, a Shuren was not entitled to a dowry, let alone estates, but no one would dare use that to bring Rongyu bad luck.
“This servant is Cheng Mu, sent by the Zhanshi Mansion to attend to the Shuren. Greetings to the Shuren, and greetings to the two elder sisters.” The lead eunuch was clearly more polished, remembering to greet Muyun and Muxi even while paying his respects.
Rongyu understood the moment she heard his words—this was also someone arranged by her family.
When Rongyu had been an unmarried young lady, everyone in her courtyard had been named with the character “Mu.” The only difference was in their positions. This young eunuch had stated his name and emphasized the Zhanshi Mansion upon arrival, which clearly meant he was someone Bakdun had prepared for her.
“I don’t have many rules here. As long as you don’t do anything you shouldn’t, I’ll ensure you live well. Of the two annex rooms in this yard, the larger one goes to Muyun and Muxi, the smaller one to Qing’er for your rest, and Cheng Mu may rest in the western side chamber. If anything comes up, come find me directly.”
“We thank the mistress.” The two knelt again to express their gratitude.
“Alright, go attend to your own duties.”
Only when the room was left with just the three mistress-and-servant members did Muyun finally ask, “Mistress, that Cheng Mu—?”
“He’s one of us, you can rest assured. But the two of you should still keep an eye out when you have the chance, and see what kind of person Qing’er really is.” Taking a sip of tea, she continued, “Let Qing’er handle the sweeping and cleaning of the yard. As for my personal garments in the bedchamber, I’ll still need to trouble the two of you.”
“This servant understands.”
“Also, Muxi, take some silver to the main kitchen shortly and make yourself familiar with the people there.”
Muxi was puzzled: “Shuren, wouldn’t it be inappropriate to curry favor with the kitchen so soon after we’ve just arrived?”
Over the past two months, Rongyu had come to trust her completely, so she did not hide her thoughts: “Who said this is currying favor? We’ve just arrived—it’s perfectly normal to give the kitchen some gratuity. I enjoy studying food, and it’s simply for building good relations. Even if His Highness finds out, he won’t say anything to me.”
After a moment’s thought, she added, “Besides, the rear courtyard is empty right now. If I did nothing at all, that would truly be foolish.”
The mistress and her servants said no more and each went about their own tasks.
Rongyu was not idle either. Today was the housewarming day, and she was the only one in the rear courtyard, so the Fourth Prince would certainly come to her quarters. With still an hour until the hour of You, she decided to ponder what to eat for the evening meal.
The peach blossoms were still in season, though only at their tail end, so she might as well enjoy them one last time while they lasted.
The main dishes would be peach blossom soup and peach blossom dumplings. For the soup, she would add glutinous rice and milk, simmering it slowly, and finally remember to garnish it with edible peach petals. The dumplings would be pink, with the wrapper made from dough kneaded with juice squeezed from peach petals, and the filling inside also mixed with chopped petals. The petals themselves had little flavor, so it was really just for the sake of appearance.
A light snack isn’t a proper meal, after all—eating too much is hard to digest. A plate of peach blossom pastries, along with the previously brewed peach blossom wine and peach blossom rice wine, should be just about enough.
The one doing the actual cooking was, naturally, the head chef of the main kitchen; Rongyu only had to give directions. Fortunately, she was the only one in the rear courtyard now, and the main kitchen was happy to indulge her whims—after all, the Fourth Prince hadn’t said anything, had he?
None of the dishes she ordered were complicated, and the small kitchen even sent over a cold shredded chicken dish. Cleverly knowing that Rongyu wanted a peach blossom banquet, they had garnished it with fresh peach blossom petals to enhance its beauty.
By the time the Fourth Prince arrived, the peach blossom dumplings had just been brought to the table. The moment he saw them, he laughed: “You really are fixated on peach blossoms. What’s this one now?”
“My lord, come quickly, try this miniature peach blossom banquet.” Rongyu was quite at ease when alone with the Fourth Prince. She rose and gave a slight bow before stepping forward to pull him to a seat at the stone table. “My lord, would you dine with me in this pavilion today?”
“The peach blossoms are all gone, and the view in the courtyard isn’t as nice anymore. Only you would have the interest.” Though he complained, the Fourth Prince obediently sat down, and before Li Xiang behind him could move, Rongyu placed a small peach blossom dumpling on the little plate in front of him.
The peach blossom dumplings, made under Rongyu’s guidance, were wrapped smaller than ordinary dumplings—just the right size for one bite. The peach blossoms had no discernible scent raw, but after heating, they released a faint, delicate fragrance. With one bite, the texture was excellent.
Rongyu picked up two dumplings for the Fourth Prince. Seeing that he didn’t say anything was wrong, she stopped fussing and began eating herself.
The Fourth Prince had long grown accustomed to Rongyu’s habit of putting in a little effort and then leaving things be, and he was happy to indulge her. After all, there were only the two of them at the table, and the dishes were few—he could just reach for what he wanted.
“My lord, do try this peach blossom brew. This one I brewed with my own hands.” The peach blossom rice wine retained its original rice color, with a mild flavor and a distinctive aroma of wine when brought to the nose.
The Fourth Prince took the cup, took a sip, and ignored Li Xiang’s hesitant look behind him: “Tastes good.”
That was high praise indeed. Rongyu’s smile grew even brighter. The two of them had eaten their fill, and rather than returning to the side chambers, they stayed in the pavilion to savor the peach blossom brew.
Li Xiang and Muyun had already tactfully moved away. Rongyu wasn’t shy—she nestled against the Fourth Prince’s arm and chatted idly: “My lord, I really love this courtyard.”
“You still like it even though the peach blossoms are nearly gone?”
“When the peach blossoms fall, won’t there be peaches? I asked around—this is a fruit peach tree. Once it bears fruit, we can have the kitchen make a real peach blossom banquet.”
It wasn’t just that, though. The courtyard was large, even better than the one in the Fucha estate when she was unmarried. The walls had space for planting things—whether flowers or anything else, it could make the courtyard more beautiful.
Barring any surprises, she would likely be living here for a decade or more, so she definitely wanted to make it comfortable and pleasant.
“So you’ve been eyeing the peaches all along, and sent people to butter up the main kitchen first thing.”
The Fourth Prince seemed to ask casually, but Rongyu didn’t dare answer carelessly. This lord wasn’t easy to fool—if she had any thoughts, it was best not to hide them from him. As long as it wasn’t anything major, she should answer honestly.
“My lord, you underestimate me. I sent someone to deliver silver, and it wasn’t just for a few peaches. In the future, I want apricots, plums, and all sorts of novel fruits and vegetables too.”
“All you ever think about is eating. Besides your two proper meals and the light snack, you also have afternoon tea and who knows how many servings of pastries. How is it that you eat so much and still don’t gain weight?”
The Fourth Prince naturally wouldn’t quibble over such a small matter with Rongyu—just as Rongyu had said to Muxi, it wasn’t anything major, was it? Rather than fuss over such trifles, it was better to enjoy time with his Meiren.
“My lord, don’t tease me. This is my only indulgence.” Rongyu wasn’t annoyed. It was true that she ate a lot, but she was still growing, and her figure hadn’t fully developed yet—it was perfectly normal to eat more.
When she was still at home, her mother often said that a woman’s figure wasn’t fully developed until around seventeen or eighteen, and any pursuit of slimming should wait until later.
Thinking of her mother reminded Rongyu that she should mention Cheng Mu to the Fourth Prince.
She didn’t believe the Fourth Prince didn’t know that Cheng Mu was someone Bakdun had prepared for her—after all, Bakdun had done it openly and aboveboard. It might seem like a small matter to the Fourth Prince now, but if any conflict arose in the future, it could become a major hidden danger.
“My lord, I truly do love this courtyard. The Prince’s Establishment was so small before—I always felt stifled and cramped. Now, looking at this courtyard, I feel so at ease. In the future, I’ll plant more flowering plants that bear fruit—beautiful to look at and delicious to eat. And later, when we have children, this courtyard can hold more toys, and we can keep them here to play.”
The Fourth Prince reached out and gathered Rongyu into his arms, settling her on his lap. One hand circled her waist, the other stroked her hair, as he quietly listened to the soft, vibrant voice by his ear.
“My father is also delighted that we’ve moved to such a fine place, and he even sent Cheng Mu over for me. But I’m not sure if this breaches any rules? I’m a bit worried about my father, so I still need to inform you, my lord.”
The Fourth Prince was genuinely surprised. Bakdun oversaw the Imperial Tea and Cuisine Bureau; attending to servants should have been the duty of another Junior Supervisor of the Zhanshi Mansion. It was somewhat beyond his jurisdiction.
But it wasn’t really a serious matter—just sending a loyal person to his own wife. He simply hadn’t expected Rongyu to tell him about it right away.
Moreover, the one currently overseeing the Zhanshi Mansion was Gao Qi, the father of the other Shuren, Lady Gao. Extending this convenience now was also somewhat a gesture of goodwill on behalf of his daughter.
The Fourth Prince liked people who kept nothing from him, and Rongyu happened to be exactly that.
When she first entered the palace in March, she had also spoken plainly to him about the origins of the two maidservants by her side. Now she had truthfully mentioned Cheng Mu as well—it was clear she truly regarded him as someone she could rely on.
With this thought, his hand stroking Rongyu’s hair grew even gentler as he said, “You’re willing to tell me about this, and you’re not afraid I’ll punish your father for it.”
Hearing that the Fourth Prince wasn’t angry, and knowing this matter had pleased him, she simply leaned against his chest and nuzzled him. “This was also my father’s intention. Besides, you’re not an outsider, my lord—what is there that I can’t tell you?”
“Hahaha, right, I’m not an outsider.” The Fourth Prince suddenly stood up, startling Rongyu. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her toward the bedchamber.
“My lord, people are watching.” Though Muyun and Li Xiang stood at a distance, they couldn’t just pretend they didn’t exist.
“Then I’ll walk faster, and we can talk properly indoors.”
As for what they’d talk about—at his age, full of vigor, having just tasted the pleasures of the flesh, and with such a beautiful woman in his arms, no man could resist.
Water was called for several times that night, making Muxi, who waited outside, blush.
Li Xiang, standing nearby, was also somewhat embarrassed. My lord, please don’t be late for tomorrow’s morning court.