inspire-indiana Chapter 9 Advice to Madam Wang
Chapter 9 Advice to Madam Wang
Waking up, Ying Wuyou pondered: "What food should I prepare and send over today?" After much thought, given the limited ingredients, she remembered jujube cake. Jujube cake is very popular in the north; families usually make some for children as a snack during festivals. After instructing Cui'er to prepare the ingredients, Ying Wuyou strolled in the courtyard. Just then, she heard footsteps outside. Before she even reached the door, she saw two maids. Ying Wuyou recognized them as maids from her mother's household. The maid bowed and said, "Princess, several ladies have come to visit today and invite you to come and have a chat."
Ying Wuyou nodded and said, "I understand. You go back first, I'll change my clothes and then go over." After saying that, she watched the maid leave the door, then turned around and changed her clothes. She put on a relatively formal outfit and walked towards Madam Wang's courtyard.
Lady Wang was weak-willed and didn't usually associate well with the other concubines in the harem. These people must have come today because they heard she had received a reward from the Prince of Qin and were here to inquire about the situation. Ying Wuyou was well aware of this. Since her transmigration, she hadn't seen these concubines. There was no Empress in the harem, so there were no daily greetings, and these concubines rarely interacted with each other.
Ying Wuyou knew that these people could only sow discord and say a few sarcastic words, but they couldn't accomplish anything. Besides, the King of Qin didn't care much about any of his concubines. These concubines were basically like his own mothers. They could only see the King of Qin a few times a year. If they were lucky, they would have children after a few visits and have something to look forward to for the rest of their lives. If they were unlucky, they would just be looking at the flowers in the palace and waiting for the person they would never see.
Ying Wuyou arrived at Madam Wang's courtyard in no time. She stepped forward and bowed to her mother and the other ladies: "Thirteen greets Mother, may Mother be well. Greetings to all the ladies, may all the ladies be well." Her bow was neat and efficient, and her voice was clear and bright. The ladies exchanged glances, all showing a hint of surprise.
At this moment, Madam Zhao, the mother of the chubby little boy Ying Gaoya who had crushed Ying Wuyou to death, said to Ying Wuyou, "Thirteen looks like he's grown quite a bit taller recently. Come here and let me see him. He's getting more and more beautiful!" As she spoke, she stretched out her hand.
Ying Wuyou obediently walked over and said to Madam Zhao, "Thank you for the compliment, Madam Zhao. You are getting younger and younger." Upon hearing this, the other ladies were even more surprised. Madam Zhao said to Madam Wang, "Sister Wang, how did you raise your child? This thirteenth seems much more clever than before! Please share your experience with us!"
Madam Wang chuckled twice, "Sister Zhao, what are you saying? How could I possibly teach a child? It's all because this child is so well-behaved. I'm truly a terrible mother." She looked like she was about to cry. At this moment, Madam Liu quickly said, "Sister Wang, what are you saying? We've all seen how much effort Sister Wang has put into raising Thirteen. Plus, Thirteen is so clever and well-behaved, unlike my Fifteen, who's so disobedient. Sigh."
As they were talking, one of the ladies, Lady Li, asked Ying Wuyou, "I heard you received a reward from the King yesterday?" The other ladies also looked at Ying Wuyou, who nodded and said, "Yesterday I made a new dish and, thinking that my father was busy reviewing memorials, I sent it to him. My father saw that I was filial and gave me a reward. As you ladies know, my mother and I usually don't receive any rewards, and we live a rather peaceful life. I guess my father gave me two bolts of cloth to make new clothes because my clothes were old."
Hearing Ying Wuyou's words, the ladies secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After all, Lady Wang was indeed weak, and her monthly allowance, which was usually paid on a regular basis, was often withheld. Moreover, the fabric for these clothes was only what was left over from those who had chosen them; if there were no leftovers, then she wouldn't get a single piece of cloth. Seeing the gray clothes Ying Wuyou was wearing, it was normal for the King to reward her with two batches of fabric.
Having figured this out, the ladies were relieved. This proved that Thirteen hadn't received any special attention from the King, and their own children were still more favored than Ying Wuyou. Having understood this, the ladies began chatting happily, praising each other's children, and before they knew it, it was noon. Only then did the ladies take their leave.
Watching the women leave, Ying Wuyou said to Madam Wang, "I'll send over a batch of cloth this afternoon, Mother, please make a couple of outfits for me too!"
Lady Wang pulled Ying Wuyou and started crying again, "It's all my fault, I'm useless! My son still has to worry about my clothes, I'm so useless!" Seeing Lady Wang wiping away her tears, Ying Wuyou couldn't help but say, "Stop crying. You need to learn to refuse. If I win Father's favor in the future, it's fine if these ladies come to chat with you every few days, but if they ask you to do something, you must not agree. What problem can crying solve? Think about it carefully, I'm leaving." After saying that, Ying Wuyou turned and left.
Watching Ying Wuyou's retreating figure, Madam Wang wanted to cry again, but remembering Ying Wuyou's words, she dared not cry. She felt a tightness in her chest. At this moment, her head maid, Dongmei, said to Madam Wang, "Madam, the princess is right. Please don't cry anymore; you'll ruin your health. I think the princess may have truly won the king's favor, and she might have great fortune in the future. We absolutely cannot hold the princess back." Hearing Dongmei's words, Madam Wang stopped crying. "You're right, I can't hold Thirteenth Prince back." After saying this, she told Cuizhu to fetch water to wash up.
Dongmei breathed a long sigh of relief when she saw that Madam Wang had stopped crying. She was Madam Wang's dowry maid, having served her since childhood. Madam Wang had always been a crybaby, and she remained so as an adult. Over the years, because of Madam Wang's weakness, the mother and daughter had lived worse lives than ordinary people. It was only Dongmei's strong and assertive personality that had protected them. But she was, after all, just a maid. Now, things were different. Who would have thought that the princess's personality would change after recovering from her illness, becoming neither servile nor arrogant, and knowing how to conduct herself appropriately? Dongmei was overjoyed by the princess's transformation. Now, Dongmei's greatest wish was to stay by Madam Wang's side and prevent her from doing anything foolish that would implicate the princess.
Ying Wuyou returned to her courtyard to prepare jujube cake. Cui'er brought out lunch. Looking at the sun outside, Ying Wuyou estimated it was almost eleven o'clock. People in the Qin Dynasty ate two meals a day, the first around 10 or 11 am and the second around 5 pm. Ying Wuyou had no experience making jujube cake and would have to try again slowly; she was afraid today's cake wouldn't turn out well. After eating a few bites, Ying Wuyou first asked Cui'er to soak the jujubes. The jujubes for the cake had to be soft enough, otherwise eating too many would upset her stomach.