On the day of the party, the plum blossoms in the front courtyard of the Fourth Princess’s residence bloomed profusely, their fragrance spreading like a rolling mist.
Muxue specifically chose a green-based changyi with gold-traced plum blossom patterns to match the occasion.
The flower hall for receiving guests had been prepared early. The dimian was laid out, and the tables and chairs were covered with xiubu. Rong’er was leading several maids, checking if the tea sets were properly arranged.
Muxue sat in the main room, waiting for the guests to arrive. The curtains were rolled up against the doorframe, and a slight cold breeze carried the scent of plum blossoms onto her face.
I wonder if plum blossoms can be planted if a princess’s residence is built in Mobei, she thought.
As soon as Dorji turned out from the corridor on the left, his eyes caught such a scene.
Amidst the bustling crowd, the Fourth Princess sat alone, watching the flowers.
Though clearly in the midst of the excitement, she was like a plum blossom encased in ice—strange and unique.
He stopped and watched silently for a moment before walking over.
After exchanging greetings, he said, "Thank you for the snacks you sent, Princess. They were very delicious."
"As long as you like them," Muxue smiled politely. "I’ll have to trouble you to look after the guests in the front courtyard later. Mama Kang will remind you which relatives are which."
Since they had invited several families, it wasn't a simple family dinner. According to current custom, the male and female guests would dine separately: the male guests in the front courtyard of the West Courtyard, and the female guests in the East Courtyard. Muxue would welcome the guests outside, exchange a few pleasantries, and then return to the East Courtyard to sit with the mingfu. The consort would inevitably have to look after things in the West Courtyard.
Dorji nodded in agreement. "Rest assured, I understand."
Just then, Mama Zhao came to report, "The family from the Gorolo Clan has arrived."
Muxue rose and took the consort with her to the yimen to welcome the guests.
The Gorolo Clan was her maternal family. Her grandfather, Guoluoluo Sanguanbao, currently held the position of zuoling in the Shengjing Imperial Household Department. His son, Daobao—Muxue’s uncle—was currently serving in the capital. This time, he had brought his wife and children to the banquet.
Seeing her uncle Daobao leading his family to perform the ceremonial bows and kowtow to his niece, Muxue twisted her handkerchief, feeling entirely uneasy.
As soon as the bows were finished, she immediately said, "Quickly, help them up."
It was also the first time Daobao had observed his niece so closely. His eyes held both a smile and a sense of melancholy.
It had been twenty years since his two older sisters entered the palace. Since then, the siblings had never met again, and Noble Lady Guo Buyinzhu had already passed away.
He had hoped to find some shadow of Buyinzhu in the Fourth Princess. However, now that they were face to face, he realized he could no longer remember her exact appearance. He tried hard to recall, but only a hazy shadow remained—vaguely from many years ago on the grasslands of Shengjing, where Buyinzhu had led him to ride horses under a sky so high and distant it seemed endless.
Though they were blood relatives, they had not spent time together for many years, and they were separated by the rituals between ruler and subject. Daobao and Muxue only exchanged a few pleasantries, asking after each other’s well-being, inquiring about Sanguanbao’s health in Shengjing, and asking if Consort Yi in the palace was well.
After their exchange, new guests arrived. Thus, while arranging for the Gorolo family to go inside and sit, they also greeted the newcomers.
The musical troupe they had hired began to play. The blowing, plucking, and singing made for a very lively atmosphere.
By the time all the guests who had accepted the invitations finally arrived and the banquet was about to begin, Muxue’s face was stiff from smiling.
In the Imperial Kitchen, everyone was working like mad!
This was the first time they were formally hosting a banquet in the Fourth Princess’s residence. The few people previously in the kitchen were certainly not enough, so they had borrowed extra kitchen help from the Imperial Household Department.
Nanny Wu feared the outsiders wouldn't know the proper procedures and might disrupt the arrangements, so she simply pulled up a chair and sat in the open space outside the kitchen to oversee everything.
"Faster, faster! Don't mess up the serving order!"
Muxue had personally set the menu for today’s banquet. More than half of it consisted of traditional banquet styles that couldn't go wrong, similar to what she used to eat in the palace: things like steamed mutton, sliced white meat, oven-roasted duck, and the like. Palace cuisine at this time was still dominated by steaming and boiling—solid meat dishes without as many fancy varieties as there would be later.
In addition, there were two new dishes: twice-cooked pork and chicken claypot. Both were dishes Muxue had the kitchen experiment with after she opened her own residence. Feeling the taste and appearance were good, she had included them—mainly for her own enjoyment.
However, some among the guests liked them very much, such as Gua’erjia Shi, the difujin of Beile Haishan, the son of Prince Gong.
Gua’erjia Shi was twenty years old—young and fond of new things. She particularly enjoyed this spread. In the few years since she had married into Prince Gong's Mansion, every New Year or festival, the palace would bestow jirou—which was just plain pork boiled in water with only a little salt. But because it was used for sacrifices, everyone had to look happy and eat every bit of it.
But at the Fourth Princess’s residence, the white meat was actually served with very tasty dipping sauces. When dipped and eaten, there was finally some flavor in her mouth. There was also the twice-cooked pork, which she had never seen before, but it looked like it was also pork—sliced into small pieces, fried then stir-fried. It was incredibly fragrant!
Gua’erjia Shi intended to ask about the specific recipe so she could have her own cooks try making it when she returned. She quietly approached the Fourth Princess while the others were watching the opera.
Muxue had originally seen everyone go to watch the opera and had hidden in a corner, wanting a moment of peace. Unexpectedly, a lady proactively came over to pay her respects, so she had to exchange polite pleasantries again.
"I apologize for the poor hospitality…"
"Not at all, today's dishes were especially delicious!" Gua’erjia Shi said with a smile. "Especially that twice-cooked pork; the flavor was truly wonderful. This servant is bold enough to ask for the recipe."
"That’s easy." Muxue turned and instructed Rong’er, "Tell the kitchen to write down a recipe and give it to this fujin."
Seeing that the Fourth Princess was such a straightforward person, Gua’erjia Shi’s smile became even more sincere.
"The Princess is truly clever. Such a dish doesn't cost much, yet it tastes so good."
"As for the cost, it's indeed alright, but it doesn't matter. It’s just a small amount of money."
"Small amounts add up to quite a lot. The Princess has just opened her residence and may not be entirely clear, but there are many, many areas where money is needed in a household."
The expenses of Prince Gong’s Mansion, if scaled down slightly, would probably be the expected expenses of a Princess’s residence, right? Hearing this, Muxue was willing to listen to her experience and asked, "I am indeed not very clear. Roughly what are they?"
Gua’erjia Shi enthusiastically detailed what she knew.
The biggest expenses were weddings and funerals; any grand affair could cost thousands of taels of silver. These were still far off for Muxue, so she didn't feel much impact.
However, the personnel costs and the silver for festival rewards mentioned later were directly relevant to her.
Although the officials, nannies and matrons, and eunuchs within the Princess’s residence received their liyin from the Imperial Household Department, those amounts were fixed and might not increase for many years. Other festival silver and extra rewards had to be covered by the Princess herself. Moreover, the dozen or so people sent to the residence from the palace would certainly not be enough in the future; she would have to hire additional servants herself.
It was roughly like the relationship between a corporate group and a branch office. The group sends employees for the branch to use and pays their monthly basic salary, but bonuses and any salary increases are the branch’s own responsibility. Furthermore, the group is only responsible for the basic salaries of the initial permanent staff; any additional people hired by the branch are not on the permanent payroll, so the branch must pay for them itself.
When people work under you, laboring diligently and conscientiously, it would be unacceptable not to give them reward silver during festivals, wouldn't it? Tailoring new clothes once a year isn't excessive, right? And all other food, clothing, and daily expenses must be paid by the Princess’s residence. This personnel expense alone would easily amount to nearly a thousand taels a year.
Muxue pursed her lips. A thousand taels—that was as much as her entire annual stipend.
If she added in food costs and various miscellaneous expenses, wouldn't it be disastrous?
In an instant, she began to worry about her future financial situation.