The Royal’s Little Lady

Until she took a nap, Gu Sui’er continued smiling while stroking the little tadpole across her belly.

It was unknown whether she was thinking too much about today’s situation but even after falling asleep in the afternoon for her daily nap, she had a vague dream in which she saw Xiao Heng gently stroking her belly.

She woke up in a daze. Naturally, there was no Xiao Heng beside her. There was only Nanny An present, who was walking around on tiptoe and tidying up the things in the room.

“Young Mistress, why don’t you rest for a while more? You only slept for half a shichen.1shichen[时辰] — It is one of the 12 two-hour periods of the day.

“Nanny An, what time is it now?

“No more.”

Since she had already woken up, she couldn’t fall asleep anymore. She prepared to get up right away.

Nanny An hurriedly came over to help, and started chattering away: “Mistress, since you are awake, come and see what third Master ordered to send you. It is said that these things are the rewards that was bestowed from the Imperial Palace. They are all good things, you can pick the ones that you’d like to keep. If you see anything that is not suitable for you, you can take them out and gift them to the others in the residence as a token of good will.”

After all, Nanny An was well-versed in the ways of the world. She knew very well that the Young Mistress she was currently serving had no foundation. In this mansion, she had to rely on the love of the Old Madam and the Madam. But if she wanted to have a good relationship with the Young Misses and her two elder sisters-in-law, Gu Sui’er would still have to express it with her actions.

Gu Sui’er usually didn’t have an income, so she couldn’t do this in normal times. Now that she has these things, isn’t it just right to use it well?

“I will listen to what Nanny An said.”

Gu Sui’er didn’t understand this, so naturally all of the arrangements depended on Nanny An.

Immediately, Nanny An took her to the side room. As soon as she entered, Gu Sui’er was really taken aback.

She had thought that what the Emperor sent was nothing more than a tray or a box at most, but she didn’t expect him to send so much. The whole place was filled with gifts.

“Look, these are the edible bird’s nests. I have already counted these. They are enough to eat till the Young Mistress completes her confinement. In the future, we don’t have to wait for the Madam to send us the edible bird’s nests! And this edible bird’s nests from the Imperial Palace are all tributes. They are of the best quality that the other people outside can’t buy with any amount of silver.”

“There are also eggs that are laid by black-feathered Silkie Chickens.2Silkie Chicken[乌骨鸡] — Silkie Chicken is a breed of chicken named for its typically fluffy feathers, which is said to be like silk and satin. This chicken is believed to have originated from China and has been used by Chinese people for medical purposes since many century ago. Although they have different colors of feather-coat including black, silkie chickens have black meat. It is said that this kind of Silkie Chickens grow up eating herbs in the mountains, so the eggs they lay are very nutritious. I have already given three eggs to the kitchen. Tonight, the cook will make some steamed egg custard for the Young Mistress to eat.”

“And these materials are from the south. They are all good things, the fabric is soft and smooth, so the Young Mistress can make some undergarments out of it.”

Nanny An introduced these things to Gu Sui’er one by one, almost splattering her saliva due to her happy and excited speeches.

Gu Sui’er was surprised by both the gift and Nanny An. She looked across the room only to be surprised again. At the end, she didn’t know what to say.

“Did… Did sending these gifts empty the Imperial Palace?”

This room was full of various stuffs, from food to drinks, from necessities of daily use to clothing. Practically, everything that was needed was available here!

There was even a red sandalwood box. To one’s surprise, there were some precious head ornaments made of gold, no… of both gold and jade. Each one of them were expensive and beautiful.

Gu Sui’er held her belly and sat there looking at this and that. She felt that she had been dazzled.

“These things… We can use it all?” She couldn’t believe it.

Although she didn’t have much knowledge, Gu Sui’er had been in the Marquis’ Mansion these days, so she could understand the situation a little bit. The things in this room were worth a lot of money.

It could even be said that if a small box was taken out from all this, it would be enough for her family back in the village to spend for an entire year.

“Of course, without any doubt. The Emperor specially rewarded the Young Mistress. The third Master also ordered to put them in the side room and use it as the Young Mistress likes.”

What Nanny An didn’t say was that third Master never cared about any of the rewards he got. They were either handed over to the Madam or sent over to store in the warehouse.

As the third Master had no wife or children, everything he presented or sent over were collectively used by all the people of the residence.

But it was different now. He had Young Mistress, although her identity was that of a mere Concubine. Fortunately, third Master did not have any other Concubines or even a main wife. Young Mistress was naturally favored because of it.

No, third Master specially ordered someone to put it directly in the sideroom for the Young Mistress to use.

Gu Sui’er touched the soft cloth, and then looked at the various foods. It felt like she had harvested full storehouse of grains in autumn, giving birth to an unspeakable satisfaction in her heart.

She and Nanny An commanded the little maids to come over and organize the gifts by their categories. In the end, besides leaving many different kinds of food for herself, she also specially set aside a portion for the Old Madam and the other womenfolk in the family.

There was also the fabric that Nanny An said to be a tribute from the south. Although Gu Sui’er didn’t understand its value, the color of the fabric was as beautiful as the clouds in the sky. She felt that it must be a good thing. It would be enough for her to make some new clothes for the little tadpole in her belly. However, she also wanted to give some of it to everyone in the Mansion, but the fabric was only a few feet long. Obviously, it wont be enough for others. What should she do?

Gu Sui’er simply asked Nanny An to cut out some of the fabric. She wanted to make something for atleast one of the member in each branch of the family.

For example, the son of the eldest Young Master’s main wife was already three years old, so she made a robe for him. The daughter of the second Young Master’s main wife just became one year old, so she embroidered a pair of shoes for her. As for the Old Madam and the Madam, she decided to give a pair of pillows and a beautiful massage hammer.

Gu Sui’er was a good embroidress herself. Last time, she had shown the tiger-head shoes that she had embroidered for her little tadpole to the Old Madam. The females present there all praised her for her good craftsmanship.

She didn’t know about the craftsmanship of the embroideresses working in the residence, but at least she shouldn’t be that bad, right?

After setting up the things, when Gu Sui’er took a look at the time, it was already time for her to pay her respects to the Old Madam. She asked Nanny An to arrange the Silkie Chicken eggs and the various types of rare supplements separately, and called for the little maids to carry it to the Old Madam’s Courtyard.

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1shichen[时辰] — It is one of the 12 two-hour periods of the day.2Silkie Chicken[乌骨鸡] — Silkie Chicken is a breed of chicken named for its typically fluffy feathers, which is said to be like silk and satin. This chicken is believed to have originated from China and has been used by Chinese people for medical purposes since many century ago. Although they have different colors of feather-coat including black, silkie chickens have black meat.