Hearing her husband's words, she began to let her imagination run wild. Mei Zhenguo knew his wife had misinterpreted and couldn't help but find it amusing. Looking at his wife's worried face, he couldn't resist smiling. "This has the approval of Concubine Qin. You can rest assured. There won't be any problems. Concubine Qin is now highly favored and has regained her former glory."
More than a decade ago, Concubine Qin was the most favored concubine in the palace. No one would have thought that she could regain such great favor. It showed her extraordinary charm.
"That's great news," Xia Ruolan said, feeling somewhat relieved. With the chief steward personally sent by Concubine Qin from the palace, there surely wouldn't be any issues.
"Why would the palace send a chief steward?"
"I don't know either. I only know that the mansion of our son - in - law will be built according to the specifications of a prince's residence. It will surely be top - notch," Mei Zhenguo said. Hearing this, Xia Ruolan's face relaxed a bit more.
"Jiangnan is Concubine Qin's hometown. Our son - in - law should thrive there. What are you still worried about?"
"I'm just reluctant to part with them. You heartless old man," Xia Ruolan threw Mei Zhenguo's pillow away, turned around, and lay down without saying another word.
Mei Zhenguo could only pick up his pillow with a bitter smile and obediently go to the study.
It seemed he hadn't said anything wrong today. Why was his wife angry again?
"Alright, put this here!" A man in the attire of a chief steward with a deep voice was directing everyone in the courtyard. Under his supervision, a new mansion was taking shape.
"Chief steward, we're running short of Taihu stones!" A palace servant gasped as he reported. "Then go and buy some quickly. His Majesty has said that it should be built according to the specifications of a prince's residence. We can't cut corners," the chief steward replied.
"Chief steward, local officials are here to pay their respects. Do you want to receive them?"
"Bah! I'm just a castrated old eunuch. Do they want to arrange a blind date for me or marry me off? Tell them to get lost. Don't let just anyone into the prince's mansion."
"Yes, chief steward. The people from the Duke's Mansion are here. Do you want to see them?"
"The Duke's Mansion? See them! See them! See them!" The chief steward said "see" three times in a row, and then his face broke into a beaming smile. The people from the Duke's Mansion were Concubine Qin's relatives. Now that Concubine Qin was in the emperor's good graces, who wouldn't give them some face?
"Chief steward, when will Prince Rui arrive?"
The one who came was the old duke, who was actually Dugu Qing's grandfather.
"Oh, my dear Duke! Why have you come in person? Prince Rui and the princess will be here soon. They're still on the way," the chief steward said with a wrinkled - faced smile.
The old duke's beard twitched. "I received a letter from Concubine Qin saying they would arrive in a few days. I've come here several times. Why haven't they arrived yet?"
"Your Grace, you don't understand. Concubine Qin was so eager that she sent you an urgent letter. In fact, the prince and the princess haven't even left the capital yet."
"I see," the old duke said with a smile on his face. It had been so many years. Qing'er was just a baby in swaddling clothes back then. Now, he might not even recognize his grandson if they stood face to face. Concubine Qin had said that her grandson had white hair at a young age, which made him easy to recognize. His daughter - in - law was also a wonderful woman.
The old duke was sure to like them.
Concubine Qin just wanted the Mu family to take care of Qing'er and Mei Qingxue. She never expected that neither of them was an ordinary person.
"I just want to see what Prince Rui looks like now and that Mei family's daughter with a delicate mind. Concubine Qin praised that girl as a wonderful person. Anyone praised by Qin'er must be extraordinary," the old duke said.
"Your Grace, it's because of the concubine's love. Our princess is really interesting!" The chief steward praised Mei Qingxue without any hesitation. The old duke glanced at him, but the man didn't seem to care.
"In that case, I'll take my leave!"
"Take care, Your Grace. As soon as the prince and the princess arrive, I'll inform you immediately," the chief steward said as he got up to see the old duke off. The old duke secretly sized up this strange chief steward again.
Concubine Qin had kept him in suspense in her letter, saying that a chief steward would be sent from the palace but not revealing his name. This man looked familiar. The old duke hadn't been to the capital for more than a decade, but his eyesight was still good. He took another look.
Suddenly, his face showed surprise. "It's you..." His face looked strange again. "Why is it you?"
The man said with a smile, "I just like it. What's wrong? Do you have any objections, Your Grace?"
"No, no!" The old duke looked extremely strange. This man could even talk to the emperor. How could he come to be the chief steward of a small prince's mansion?
"Then you can go back. There are so many things to do in the mansion. I won't keep you," he was still in a hurry to meet the construction deadline.
Those two should be arriving soon. If the mansion wasn't completed earlier, they would have to stay in the post - station. That shabby post - station was no good! Steward Tang sat under a tree with a pot of tea beside him.
Would those two be shocked if they saw him? He had asked the emperor for a cook who was good at making court pastries when he came here.
That glutton would surely be overjoyed.
Steward Tang's eyes narrowed with joy.
He never expected that the emperor would actually agree to let him go to Jiangnan. He could retire here and watch over the sixth prince and the sixth princess. Oh, now they were the Prince and Princess of Rui. Why was he so forgetful?
Steward Tang's eyes were a bit blurry. Tonight was the last night of the construction. Tomorrow, they would arrive.
Surely... Steward Tang's face broke into a big smile again.
Since they entered Jiangnan safely, Mei Qingxue's disappointment was clearly written on her face. Originally, she wanted to dress up Dugu Qing and raid a bandit's den. But God didn't give her this chance. The country was peaceful and prosperous, and there were no bandits on the road. It was a good thing, but Mei Qingxue was disappointed that she didn't get to experience the scenery of a mountain stronghold.
"We're about to enter Linzhou City. Let's not show off our grandeur," Mei Qingxue said. She didn't want to cause a stir in the whole city. She had already enjoyed enough glory and didn't need to flaunt it.
"As you wish," Dugu Qing said lovingly as he pinched her nose and pulled her closer. "Report to the chief steward. The prince and the princess have entered the city."
"Go and welcome them quickly," Steward Tang urged. Only after the welcome ceremony was arranged at the gate did Steward Tang see the simple carriage. He quickly put on a smiling face. "The chief steward of the Prince Rui's Mansion pays his respects to the prince and the princess."
This voice... It sounded familiar! The two people in the carriage looked at each other in surprise.
"It's Steward Tang!"
Mei Qingxue jumped out of the carriage and saw the old man standing outside with a smile on his face. "Why... Why is it you...?" Mei Qingxue was so surprised that she couldn't speak.
"Steward Tang," Dugu Qing slowly got out of the carriage. Steward Tang quickly bowed. "This old servant doesn't deserve such respect. Now this old servant is just the chief steward of your mansion, not Steward Tang anymore."
"Steward Tang!"
"Here!" Steward Tang beamed with joy. Seeing Mei Qingxue always made him happy. "Go into the mansion and take a look. If it's not satisfactory, I'll have them fix it."
Steward Tang hurriedly invited the two of them in to see their new mansion. He was actually looking forward to their comments.
He had never felt this way when he was in the palace. Now, just because of this courtyard, his heart, after living for decades, was like a child waiting for praise.
"It's so beautiful!" Mei Qingxue was stunned as soon as she entered. Even the Suzhou gardens she had seen in her previous lives were no match for this.
"Really?" Steward Tang's old face broke into a big smile.
"Really! I feel like all the most beautiful scenery in Jiangnan is in this courtyard. It's wonderful," Mei Qingxue said.
"Steward Tang, you've really put in a lot of effort," Dugu Qing said in a more calm tone. This courtyard could be said to be luxurious but not vulgar. It was beautiful and elegant. No one would have thought that Steward Tang had such a delicate mind.
Seeing that both of them liked it, Steward Tang's smile grew even wider. "Your Highness, the old duke received a letter from Concubine Qin and has come to visit several times. How about you take the princess to visit him tomorrow?" That was his grandfather, who had come to visit him time and time again. Dugu Qing had indescribable feelings in his heart.
"Please prepare some gifts, Steward Tang. I'll take Qingxue to visit him in person tomorrow," Dugu Qing said. It had been so many years. His grandfather was the person his mother had always missed. His grandfather might not even remember what he looked like. He only knew that his mother resembled her father. It was said that his grandfather was very popular in his youth. He had a prominent family background and was very handsome. His mother had inherited his good looks.
"Yes, this old servant will prepare the gifts right away," Steward Tang said with a smile on his face. Being the chief steward here was really a pleasant job. Mei Qingxue would surely be surprised when she saw the identical Qingxue Pavilion. He had memorized the layout with just one look. Anyway, the garden was big. He let them wander around while he arranged the dinner. After a long and tiring journey, they must be hungry.
"Why is it Steward Tang?" Mei Qingxue whispered to Dugu Qing. She was extremely surprised to see Steward Tang here. She had thought that he was the one who treated her the best, but his rank was too high to be a chief steward, so she had ruled him out. She never expected that it was really him...
"You should know," Dugu Qing said.
"Me? I don't know," Mei Qingxue shook her head. Steward Tang had been visiting the prince's mansion frequently recently, but what did it have to do with his decision to leave the emperor's side and become the chief steward of their mansion?
Although Dugu Qing was the Prince of Rui and was in the wealthy Jiangnan region, he didn't have much power.
"Steward Tang has no descendants," Mei Qingxue immediately thought of those powerful eunuchs in TV shows who liked to adopt god - sons.
"But..."
"Let it be. Steward Tang watched me grow up. He took good care of my mother in the past," Dugu Qing knew something about what had happened back then. He knew that Steward Tang was a good man. If he liked the prince's mansion, Dugu Qing would let him spend his old age here, just to repay him for the care he had given over the years.
Mei Qingxue naturally didn't mind. It was just an extra person to feed. Steward Tang treated her differently, and she wasn't stupid. All she could do was be kind to the old man.