As the heat of the fourth month gradually intensified, the view from the window was a sea of lush green shade. Several gardenia bushes in the courtyard had burst into bloom, and the warm breeze carried their fragrance indoors, filling the room with a rich, sweet aroma.
Baoying had never imagined that summer could be so pleasant.
The Zhaoming Hall was a grand, spacious compound—no matter how fiercely the sun blazed outside, the heat could not reach her chambers. Two ice chests sat beside her footrest, chilling seasonal fruits like watermelon, bayberries, cherries, and loquats—both refreshing and satisfying her cravings.
Baoying curled up in her armchair, studying the medicinal recipe that Zhenniang had given her, and decided she would personally make a ginseng-and-antler pigeon egg custard, along with a stewed angelica black-bone chicken soup.
Zhenniang was an excellent cook, and Baoying had grown up watching and learning from her—cooking held no challenge for her. And as for such yin-nourishing, yang-replenishing medicinal dishes, her mother had said that men valued their pride, and such things could not be entrusted to another's hands.
The ingredients for the medicinal dish were easy to find—the kitchen had everything on hand. But the herbs required more effort. Common ones like eucommia bark, angelica, and epimedium could simply be sent for with Xiaolian to purchase, but precious ingredients like wild ginseng and deer antler—Baoying was reluctant to spend that kind of silver.
However, this didn't stump her either. The wool comes from the sheep's back, after all—the prince's household was so wealthy, they surely wouldn't lack such herbs.
She went to ask Nanny Sun directly.
Nanny Sun eyed her with suspicion. "What does the Princess Consort need these for?"
Baoying fidgeted shyly. "Just give them to me, Nanny."
Nanny Sun had a fairly good idea of what was going on. A girl from a humble family who married into the prince's household, asking for precious herbs the moment she opened her mouth—what else could it be but to subsidize her natal family?
But she didn't call it out. She led Baoying to the storeroom, opened the medicine vault, and weighed out three taels of deer antler and two wild ginseng roots.
When Baoying saw that the ginseng was thicker than her thumb, she couldn't help but exclaim, "This must be very expensive, right?"
Nanny Sun glanced at the plump, round ginseng root dismissively. "This isn't worth much. Every month when the Imperial Medical Academy receives new herbs, they always pick out the finest ginseng and antler to send over. The prince's household doesn't use them—they're given away as gifts each month."
A thought stirred in Baoying's mind. Her mother was in poor health and needed ginseng to replenish her qi every month. The ginseng bought from the pharmacy wasn't even as thick as her pinky finger, yet cost a fortune.
The prince's household had such fine ginseng, and since it was being given away every month anyway, sending a share to her family wouldn't be too much to ask.
But Baoying had been well-raised—her parents had taught her never to take things without asking. So she made a point of sending someone to the front courtyard to check whether Zong Duo was in residence.
Only when she heard at the hour of you that Zong Duo had returned did she hurry eagerly to the Mingxing Hall.
After the eunuch went in to announce her, she was not led to the main hall where business was conducted, but to the eastern side hall instead.
Baoying looked up and saw a plaque above bearing the elegant, forceful calligraphy of "Yunhui Hall"—this must be his usual study.
Stepping inside, she was greeted by the fresh, rich scent of ambergris. The room was bright and spotless. On the east side were four cloud-patterned gauze windows, and beside the windows stood several red sandalwood bookshelves lined with neatly arranged volumes.
Her father had a study like this too—though much smaller and more humble, and the books on his shelves were mostly cheap street novels. When Shi Dalu was away from home, that little study was her playground.
She was lost in her thoughts when she suddenly heard a light cough: "What is it?"
Baoying snapped back to attention and saw Zong Duo seated behind the desk, his bright gaze fixed on her.
She hurried to his side, beaming an eager, sweet smile. "Your Highness! I heard from Nanny Sun that the prince's household doesn't use its ginseng and gives it away as gifts. So—could you send two roots to my family as well?"
All this over that?
Zong Duo lowered his gaze and continued reading the document in his hands, saying casually, "For such a trivial matter, just tell Nanny Sun. No need to ask me."
Baoying thanked him joyfully and left Yunhui Hall to find Nanny Sun.
"His Highness said that from now on, when sending ginseng out, two roots should also be sent to my family."
Nanny Sun corrected her: "The Princess Consort has married His Highness—from now on, the prince's household is your home. The Shi family is your natal family."
"Oh." Baoying was unconcerned, but still looked at her with pleading eyes. "But don't forget, Nanny."
She was still just a child, with every thought written plainly on her face. Nanny Sun found it rather amusing and said, "If the Princess Consort is worried, I'll open the storeroom right now, pick out the ginseng, wrap it up, and send it over."
Baoying followed Nanny Sun back into the storeroom. This time she looked around curiously and spotted, on a nearby shelf, an array of strange and exotic stones scattered about.
Baoying's eyes lit up involuntarily.
Her father had three great passions in life—drinking, playing chess, and admiring curios.
Why "admiring"? Because Shi Dalu couldn't bear to spend the silver. Those oddly shaped stones cost dozens of taels at the least—not something ordinary folk could afford. So when she was little and they went out, Shi Dalu would always take her hand and lead her into curio shops to look and touch, but never buy. His silver was saved for his wife and daughter.
Baoying swallowed hard. "Nanny, are these stones given away too?"
Nanny Sun said, "These are all gifts from others. If there's some social engagement in the future, and some official happens to collect stones, we'll take one from the storeroom and send it out. That's how these things circulate."
Baoying gleaned a bit of insight from this.
Ginseng was a consumable, but stones were not—they held collectible value. So if she wanted to get a couple of pieces for her father to enjoy, she'd still need to ask the owner of these stones.
Baoying went and came back.
Zong Duo didn't even lift his head this time. "What is it now?"
Baoying hesitated. "I noticed quite a few stones in the storeroom… My father likes them very much too, but he can't afford to buy them. Could we send him a couple?"
Zong Duo pressed his temple. "Didn't I say you don't need to ask me about these things? Just decide on your own."
Baoying caught a hint of impatience in his tone and protested, "You only mentioned medicines, not stones. I think those stones are more valuable—what if you're reluctant to part with them?"
Zong Duo felt like he was playing the lute to a cow when talking to her.
Everyone around him was sharp—one glance and they knew what to do. He'd never met anyone who still couldn't understand after he'd spelled things out so plainly.
He forced himself to be patient and spelled it out for her in the simplest terms: "You are the mistress of this household. Anything in the storeroom, just let Nanny Sun know and take what you need. Also, try not to come to the front courtyard—my advisors come and go, and I'd hate for you to be jostled."
Baoying felt a wave of sweetness at his concern for her.
She'd never been a mistress before. At home, she had to consult her parents on every matter, big or small. The word "mistress" was still so new to her—she needed time to get used to it.
As for being jostled, she wasn't afraid at all. Shi Dalu often brought his colleagues home for drinks, and she knew all those uncles well. She didn't see what harm could come of it.
Baoying automatically skipped over the second half of his words and left Yinhui Hall in high spirits.
The moment she was gone, a figure emerged from behind the screen, smiling with a hint of teasing. "Sister-in-law is quite a character."
Zong Duo made no comment, saying flatly, "Where were we?"
The man was none other than Zong Duo's cousin, Xu Pei, the legitimate grandson of Grand Secretary Xu. He had been Zong Duo's study companion since childhood and now served as a reviser in the Hanlin Academy—one of Zong Duo's most capable right hands.
When it came to serious matters, Xu Pei set aside his jesting and said gravely, "News from Gao Yan—the Emperor has already made his decision regarding the appointment of the Salt Inspector."
Gao Yan was the Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial, the Emperor's confidential secretary. His information was hard to come by, but once obtained, it was almost always reliable.
"How so?" Zong Duo asked immediately.
Though no one else was around, Xu Pei still lowered his voice. "I hear His Majesty plans to use this appointment as the prize for the dragon boat race. By the end of the month, word should start leaking out."
Zong Duo furrowed his brow in silence.
The approach sounded somewhat absurd, yet it was entirely in keeping with the Emperor's character.
The Emperor was past forty but still had a strong fondness for amusement. He had once tried to grant a merchant the title of "Cuju Marquis" for his exceptional football skills, and only abandoned the idea when all the officials staged a walkout. Compared to that, using the Salt Inspector post as a race prize was hardly surprising.
The Salt Inspector was an imperial envoy, serving a two-year term, sent south on behalf of the Son of Heaven to oversee salt taxes. Though nominally a supervisory role for the court, one could hardly avoid filling one's pockets on such a trip.
Silver meant power. This envoy post was one Zong Duo was determined to secure.
He instructed Xu Pei, "Invite Mr. Mu and the others over. We need to discuss the Dragon Boat Festival thoroughly."
Baoying hummed a little tune as she returned to Zhaoming Hall, thinking what a productive day it had been. Her parents would be overjoyed to see the gifts she'd sent home.
Just then, Xiaolian returned from purchasing herbs outside.
Baoying carefully inventoried everything, then took the large bundle of deer antler and wild ginseng that Nanny Sun had given her and led Xiaolian toward the kitchen.
The kitchen was managed by a woman called Sister-in-law Zhou, who, upon seeing the princess arrive, hurriedly invited her to sit in the side room, fanning her and offering tea. "If Your Highness wants anything to eat, you need only send someone to ask. How could we trouble you to come in person?"
Sister-in-law Zhou was about the same age as her mother, and seeing her bow and scrape like this made Baoying feel a bit uncomfortable.
She waved her hand. "Sister-in-law, no need for such formality. I've come to simmer some soup for His Highness. Is there a spare stove in the kitchen?"
Sister-in-law Zhou quickly broke into a smile. "Yes, yes. There's a small kitchen in the east wing, used exclusively for the prince's late-night snacks. If Your Highness goes there, I'll send two kitchen maids to assist you."
With that, she pursed her lips, and someone immediately understood and went to scrub the east wing's small kitchen clean. When Baoying walked in, she found the windows bright and the stoves spotless, not a speck of dust anywhere.
She asked Sister-in-law Zhou for all the ingredients on her recipe, took a purple clay pot, and placed the deboned black-boned chicken inside. She added mountain spring water to cover the meat, then put in angelica root, astragalus, ginseng, and other herbs, and set it over the fire to simmer slowly.
She also took a silver kettle, cooked green japonica rice with deer antler and ginseng slices into a thick congee, and ladled out a cup of chicken broth, adding three or four pigeon eggs to steep gently.
Both dishes required slow simmering over low heat to infuse the medicinal properties into the broth.
Baoying had started preparing the medicinal congee for her husband with the sincerest of intentions, but after sitting by the stove for barely half a quarter-hour, she found herself breaking into a sweat.
Unable to bear the heat, she called for Xiaolian: "Keep an eye on the heat for me. Once the rice grains have bloomed open, come and fetch me."
Xiaolian nodded eagerly.
The moment her mistress left, she dutifully stationed herself by the stove, fanning the flames.
When she looked up, she noticed that the paper packet on the counter still held a generous amount of deer antler and ginseng slices, while all the other purchased herbs had already gone into the earthenware pot and the small stewing vessel.
Xiaolian knew well her young lady's careless nature, and simply assumed she had forgotten to add these two ingredients. Without a second thought, she dumped the remaining deer antler and ginseng slices into the pot.
Once the rice in the congee had bloomed open, Xiaolian hurried off to fetch Baoying.
Baoying stirred the pot with a ladle, and the fragrant aroma of the pigeon egg custard wafted up. By then, the black-boned chicken soup was also ready—rich and savory, with the meat so tender it fell clean off the bone. Baoying took a taste, and it was absolutely delicious.
Satisfied, she ladled the chicken soup and pigeon egg custard into porcelain cups, then packed them into a cloisonné food box. Turning around, she let out a surprised "Huh?"—"Where are the deer antler and ginseng I left on the counter?"
Xiaolian proudly reported her deed: "I saw you'd forgotten to add them, miss, so I put them all into the soup."
"You silly girl!" Baoying said urgently. "The recipe says deer antler is warming in nature—two qian is plenty. You dumped the whole lot in. Now I'll have to go ask Nanny Sun for more next time!"
Only then did Xiaolian realize she had done harm with good intentions, and murmured timidly, "What do we do now?"
Baoying let out a sigh. "What's done is done. We'll just leave it as is."
For once, Xiaolian had a flash of insight: "But with all that extra medicine in there, will the young master be affected in any way?"
Baoying thought for a moment, then said, "There's an old saying: the more, the better. This is a tonic, not poison—it shouldn't cause any real harm."
Xiaolian nodded in deep agreement.
By the time Baoying stepped out with her food box, the sky had already darkened, and a few amber lanterns had been lit beneath the eaves, casting a soft glow over the white stone slabs underfoot.
As she turned a corner, she nearly collided with an inner-court attendant emerging from the main kitchen, carrying a food box. Seeing Baoying, he quickly stopped to pay his respects.
Baoying glanced at the box in his hands and asked, "You haven't had your dinner this late?"
The attendant replied hastily, "To answer Your Highness, His Lordship has summoned several officials to the Yunhui Hall for discussion, and they haven't eaten yet! These are provisions prepared for them."
Upon hearing he was headed to the Yunhui Hall, Baoying handed her own food box over as well. "What a coincidence—this is exactly what I prepared for His Lordship. Would you deliver it for me?"
She earnestly instructed the attendant to make sure her food box was delivered precisely to Zong Duo's table, and that no one else should mistakenly eat from it.