The thousand taels of gold given by the Emperor might have sounded like a small amount. But when everyone opened the red camphor boxes, golden ingots, gleaming like tiny golden pigs, spilled into Du Jingyi’s sight. Butler He and Aunt Dou, who had seen much of the world, couldn’t help but swallow hard at this “warehouse scene.” The maids, Yingying and Lizhu, were even more stunned.
The Du family was wealthy, and their young lady was known to be rich. They had known this since they were young. But that wealth was mostly in ledgers, in fine furniture, and in favors owed. This was the first time they had seen so much gold laid out so plainly before them. The sight of ten thousand taels of gold was indeed impactful. Even Du Jingyi was silent for a brief moment before she spoke.
“His Majesty treats the General very well. We must be even more devoted to the General.”
Her words sounded almost like a lighthearted remark. But who would have thought that the two young maids beside her immediately began to make serious promises? “Even if I have to climb mountains of swords and descend into seas of fire, I will never betray the General or the Young Madam!” They then secretly whispered in their hearts, “And I won’t betray these ten thousand taels of gold either.” Their determined expressions made Du Jingyi, Butler He, and Aunt Dou laugh.
Everyone was quite happy and stood in the warehouse, admiring the gold for a long time. Then Du Jingyi told Butler He and Aunt Dou, “Let’s start the construction tomorrow. The sooner it’s finished, the sooner we can move into this mansion.”
“Yes, Young Madam!” they responded.
Following that, Du Jingyi turned to Aunt Dou. “I remember you showed me some lucky dates last time. It seems the 26th of next month isn’t enough time. How about we set it for the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month? In two or three months, will that be enough time for you to get this place ready?”
“Young Madam, don’t worry, one or two months is plenty. We just need to move our belongings from Dongyuan, and then we’ll be ready.”
“Okay, if that’s the case, let’s make the arrangements. We will move here on the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month. We can cook Laba porridge in the house a few days later. If we have a lively New Year, it will be a good omen for the coming year!”
Du Jingyi’s words were full of hope for the future. Not just for her, but for everyone present.
After taking care of matters at the General’s Mansion, Du Jingyi took everyone back to the Duke’s Mansion. She hadn’t felt it when they left, but now, after seeing the grandeur of the General’s Mansion, Du Jingyi suddenly found her own Dongyuan, which she had initially thought was quite nice, unappealing. Luckily, it was only a matter of two or three months. As they began to slowly move things, the days no longer felt long.
After having dinner alone, Du Jingyi felt a bit tired. She asked Yingying to bring a wooden bucket so she could soak her feet in the side room. This afternoon, she had walked much more than she usually did. Her skin was delicate, so the soles of her feet were a little red and swollen. Fortunately, her shoes were handmade by Lu Jue, otherwise, they probably would have chafed her skin. Putting her delicate feet into the warm water, it stung a little at first, but gradually it became more comfortable.
Du Jingyi sighed with emotion. “It’s been a truly tiring day today.”
Yingtao, the maid waiting by her side, heard her and laughed in agreement. “Young Madam, you’ve worked so hard today. You have to deal with the affairs of the Fifth Branch now, and the General’s Mansion too. You must be exhausted. I’ll massage your feet later to make sure you have a good night’s sleep and no pain tomorrow.”
“Forget it, you’ve been with me all day today, so you should wash up early and rest. From tomorrow onwards, you’ll tidy up what needs to be tidied in the yard and slowly move things over, little by little.” Du Jingyi instructed, and Yingtao nodded, immediately answering, “Understood, Young Madam, I will take care of it.”
“I need to make sure to look closely at the two golden pines at the door and find an experienced gardener to care for them. I don’t want all those famous plants that were moved there to die.”
“I understand,” Yingtao replied.
Du Jingyi was wealthy; that was an undeniable fact. But at the same time, she wasn’t wasteful. And these flowers, plants, and trees had been with her for three years. Who could say that plants and trees should be treated without care? She simply couldn’t bear to lose them. While soaking her feet, she continued to give instructions.
The mistress and servant were talking in the side room when suddenly Lizhu rushed in from outside. She looked as if she had heard some huge news, and deliberately lowered her voice as she spoke to Du Jingyi. “Young Madam, the General and the eldest madam had a quarrel.”
Not only did Du Jingyi not believe what she said, but Yingtao was also very surprised and immediately retorted, “How is that possible? Maybe you misunderstood.”
Lizhu frowned, looking like she was being wrongly accused. Then she explained, “It happened this morning, while the Young Madam was sleeping.”
“Ah?” After hearing Lizhu’s explanation, Yingtao believed it this time and immediately said, “When the General came back today, he specifically came over to see the Young Madam. But the Young Madam was sleeping, so he didn’t disturb her. Instead, he asked Luo Yuan to find Butler He and Aunt Dou to talk about something in the study. I thought the General just wanted to explain something to them. Is it possible he went to argue with the eldest madam?”
They themselves found it hard to believe. After all, the General’s sister-in-law, Madam Liu, had shown him great respect since his return these past few days. Why would she suddenly start a quarrel?
Du Jingyi wiped the water from her feet with a handkerchief and then put on her soft satin shoes made of Shu brocade. She glanced at Yingtao and asked seriously, “But what did you say?”
Yingtao cried out that she was wronged and recounted the entire conversation she had had with the General that morning. At the end, she also made sure to mention Shang Ji coming back to deliver medicine last night. Du Jingyi was a little surprised to hear this, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. After thinking it over, she told Lizhu, “For the next two days, you should inquire more about what’s happening in Fuqiu Courtyard. If my sister-in-law does anything, come and report it immediately, understood?”
“Don’t worry, Young Madam, I know this,” Lizhu replied.
After giving instructions to Lizhu, Du Jingyi turned to Yingtao again. “Go and talk to Butler He. If the General comes back, tell him I have something to discuss.”
“Good,” Yingtao said.
The two maids didn’t waste any time and hurried out of Xitang Courtyard. Du Jingyi moved her somewhat heavy legs and feet back to the main room, rested on the kang, and gently rubbed her legs and feet. Her hands didn’t stop, and many thoughts raced through her mind. Thinking about it, she felt that the quarrel between her husband and his sister-in-law was probably about her, or about his nephew Shang Zhiping. If it was for Ping’er, she could still be more open-minded. But if it was for her, for the matter of taking charge of this backyard, that was a bit tricky.