Resplendent – Chapter 497

Chapter 497 – Buying an Estate?

The two girls had originally been the Duchess’s most capable senior maids, but because the Duchess felt sorry for her daughter and feared she wouldn’t adapt well after returning to the residence, she assigned the two to serve her. 

Young Miss Chu had a kind heart and never treated the servants harshly. Even if someone made a mistake unintentionally, she would simply give a gentle warning and let it pass.

Yet, Lianchen and Meijing always felt that the young miss kept a certain distance from them. She wasn’t as close to them as she was to Hua Hao and Yue Yuan. 

She disliked crowds; usually, only Hua Hao and Yue Yuan served her in her room. As for the two senior maids, their chances of entering the young miss’s quarters were few and far between.

Even Tang Xiaoxiao, a second-class maid, came and went more often than they did. Did the young miss think their service was unsatisfactory? Would they be sent back to Rong’an Garden? The two pretty young maids felt uneasy and nervous.

Gu Ye gnawed on a roasted duck leg, then ate half a bowl of rice together with some Dongpo pork. She merely picked at the other dishes with her chopsticks. 

Noticing how restrained Lianchen and Meijing seemed, she drank two sips of soup and said, “I’m full. Make sure you finish all the food—no wasting. If there’s not enough, tell the kitchen to bring more. I’m going to take a nap for a while!”

The young miss had a habit of napping at noon; everyone who served in Mingzhu Pavilion knew that. 

Using service chopsticks, Hua Hao placed a piece of Dongpo pork into Meijing’s bowl and said with a smile, “Sister Meijing, eat more. There’s plenty of food. It’d be a shame to waste such good dishes.”

Tang Xiaoxiao used a thin pancake to wrap some duck meat, added a bit of sweet bean sauce, rolled it up, and stuffed it into her mouth, eating with great enjoyment. 

Yue Yuan pinched her now noticeably rounder cheeks and said with a laugh, “Eat a little less. If you turn into a chubby girl, let’s see if the young miss will still allow you to serve by her side.”

Tang Xiaoxiao picked up a perfectly balanced piece of Dongpo pork with her chopsticks, a conflicted expression appearing on her face. “Sister Yue Yuan, am I getting fat? The food in the residence is too good—I can’t help it… Should I eat less from now on?”

Hua Hao shot Yue Yuan a glare, then said to Tang Xiaoxiao, “Don’t listen to her. A little plumpness looks good on young girls! Just don’t overindulge too much. Hurry and eat. After the meal, I’ll teach you how to identify herbs!”

Tang Xiaoxiao nodded and continued eating obediently. Suddenly, she looked up and said, “Miss isn’t fat, and she looks beautiful too!”

“If Miss were a little chubbier, she’d look even prettier!” Yue Yuan said with a smile. Then, a slow sigh escaped her. “I just don’t know when her anger will fade.”

Tang Xiaoxiao blinked in confusion. “Is Miss angry? Who made her angry?”

“If you don’t understand, then don’t interrupt!” Yue Yuan pinched Tang Xiaoxiao’s cheeks again. “Be extra alert these next few days. Don’t accidentally make mistakes and drag us down with you.”

Liangchen looked at the three of them with envy. “You all get along so well… Yue Yuan, tell me. Does Miss not like us very much? She rarely lets us serve close to her.”

“That’s not true. She just isn’t used to having too many people around her,” Yue Yuan said with a smile. “As long as we each do our own work well and stay loyal to our master, she sees everything clearly in her heart! Oh, right—if you want to stay by Miss’s side, knowing some pharmacology is very useful. Sister Liangchen, Sister Meijing, when you have free time, you can follow Hua Hao and start learning to recognize herbs.”

Liangchen and Meijing nodded in deep agreement. During the recent Great Pharmacists Convention, their young lady had easily obtained the qualification of a sixth-level pharmacist. Even the little apprentice she took in had, after a few pointers from her, advanced from level three to level six.

When their Miss attended assessments, Hua Hao and Yue Yuan could always be of help, while they could only stand aside anxiously, unable to contribute. 

Yue Yuan was right. If they wanted their Miss to look at them differently, they first needed to build up their own skills. From then on, the two of them worked hard at learning herbs from Hua Hao.

The rain continued all the way into the second half of the night before it gradually stopped. Because the weather had turned rainy, the pharmacist assessment was suspended for two days, giving Gu Ye a total of seven days of rest!

Chu Mushan knew his younger sister was in low spirits and worried she would feel stifled staying at home, so he suggested taking her out to the outskirts for horseback riding. 

Thinking that after the convention she would have to start planning the construction and relocation of the pharmaceutical factory, Gu Ye considered his proposal and decided this was a good chance to scout the outskirts for a suitable location to build it.

She changed into a cherry-red riding outfit, led out her beloved horse, Xueyun, and mounted it with practiced ease. Accompanied by her fourth, fifth, and sixth brothers, as well as Gu Ming, she headed out of the imperial city and toward the west.

After the fresh rain, the wind swayed the fallen leaves scattered across the ground, turning it into a golden carpet. On both sides of the official road, the vegetation gradually took on autumn hues, and the crops in the fields were slowly ripening.

Breathing the moist air as the cool wind brushed her face, Gu Ye felt the gloom in her heart quietly dissipate. 

Gu Ming glanced behind them, then quietly rode up beside his sister and whispered, “Sister, Brother Ling followed us too.”

Gu Ye turned her head for a look. Ling Juechen had changed into snow-white robe; his jade-like features were so handsome that one couldn’t help but stare. She wrinkled her nose and snorted, “Ignore him. If he wants to follow, let him follow!”

Ling Juechen had received news early in the morning that the little girl was going out of the city, so he changed into a white robe—her favorite color—and dressed himself as handsomely as possible. The little girl was a typical ‘visual creature,’ so he hoped that his looks might ease the irritation in her heart.

The Fourth Prince, however, found his unusual attire incredibly amusing. He even teased him, saying he looked like a peacock spreading its dazzling feathers to win a young lady’s favor.

If Ling Juechen hadn’t stopped him with all his might, that troublemaking Fourth Prince would have followed them as well. 

Why hadn’t he realized before just how annoying the Fourth Prince could be?

They headed westward, traveling more than ten li, when a small mountain suddenly appeared before them. A spring flowed down from the mountain, gathering into a small river at the foot before winding off into the distance.

Gu Ye thought the place was excellent: there was a mountain where some common northern medicinal herbs could be planted; there was water, which would make things convenient for the future medicine factory; it was close to the official road, making transport of herbs and medicine easy… Besides, the large, open land at the base of the mountain seemed perfect for building the factory. However, the land clearly belonged to someone. She didn’t know whether the owner would be willing to sell.

Gu Ye pointed to the area she had taken a liking to and asked, “Sixth Brother, whose estate is this?”

Chu Mushan looked in the direction she pointed, thought for a moment, and said, “That area should be the estate that Princess Consort Rong brought as part of her dowry.”

“So it’s an estate belonging to the imperial clan? They probably wouldn’t sell it, right?” Gu Ye muttered to herself in mild disappointment.

Chu Musong replied, “Not necessarily. The scenery here is average, and the soil isn’t very fertile. It’s not considered a good estate… Besides, Princess Consort Rong’s most beloved youngest son, Prince Tai, caused trouble when he was young and ended up with a lingering illness that requires a great deal of money to treat. As long as the price is right, buying it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“It belongs to Sister Fei’s mother-in-law!” A glimmer of hope rose in Gu Ye’s heart. 

If she helped Prince Tai cure his chronic ailment, then buying his mother’s estate should be possible.