20demayo Chapter 479: Promoted to Princess An Ning, granted 4 mansions and 1 house
Chapter 479: Promoted to Princess An Ning, granted 4 mansions and 1 house
Soon the housekeeper was dragged away and beaten with eighty sticks.
Xiao Shunzi and Chuntao were trembling with fear. Gu Sinian smiled faintly and said, "Look up, Xiao Shunzi, Chuntao, right? You took a hundred taels of silver. Is this silver hot to the touch?"
Both of them were terrified. This matter was done very secretly, and they were just helping to pass on some information, but they didn't expect Gu Sinian to know it.
Gu Sinian took a sip of tea and said:
"I know exactly which palace you are from, and if you dare to do anything that is detrimental to me.
None of you, including your family, can escape.
"Work hard for me. You are Eunuch Sun's apprentice, right? You will be my chief steward from now on."
Zhang Quande quickly knelt down and said, "I am willing to die for you!"
Gu Sinian nodded and said, "Okay, I like people who are loyal and dedicated. Fifteen, reward."
Fifteen directly took out fifty taels of silver and muttered in a low voice: "Gu Sinian, you don't really think of me as your personal eunuch, do you?"
Gu Sinian glanced him up and down and said, "You want to be a eunuch? That's not allowed either."
"What nonsense are you talking about? I still want to get married!"
Gu Sinian raised the corner of his mouth and said, "Alright, stop talking nonsense."
Gu Sinian was almost done, and Lin Wanwan soon received the imperial edict.
Eunuch Sun delivered the imperial edict early in the morning and said:
"The Emperor, in compliance with the Will of Heaven, proclaims: I have heard that you are of a kind heart and a virtuous character.
Lin Wanwan was born into a famous family. She was intelligent, dignified, graceful, and well-mannered.
Today, she is specially promoted to Princess An Ning and granted a four-story mansion located on the east side of Zhuque Street.
He was given one hundred acres of fertile land, one hundred pieces of silk, one thousand taels of pure gold, and ten boxes of pearls and jade, and the Ministry of Rites was ordered to choose an auspicious day for the enthronement ceremony.
I hope you will strictly follow my instructions and diligently cultivate virtue, so as to demonstrate the court's sincere intention to honor the virtuous. I decree this!"
After announcing the decree, Eunuch Sun smiled and said, "Wanwan! You are now the little princess. With this imperial decree, your life in Bianjing will be much easier."
Mrs. Bai smiled and said, "This little guy is so lovable."
"Isn't she lovable? His Majesty said she was just like Tuanzi, so lovable that he even allowed her to come to the palace frequently.
Oh, by the way, let me take you to see the house!
"I think this quadrangle is quite nice. When Your Majesty was choosing, I fell in love with it at first sight." Eunuch Sun said with a smile.
Mrs. Bai smiled and said, "If it weren't for your help, how could we find such a grand house?"
Eunuch Sun laughed heartily and said, "That's nothing! Your Majesty is so busy with all sorts of affairs that he doesn't have the time to deal with such trivial matters. Naturally, we will handle them."
Madam Bai nodded and agreed, "Of course not! Everyone in Bianjing knows that Eunuch Sun is a very capable person!"
Lin Wanwan, wearing a moon-white silk dress, ran up to Eunuch Sun and said, "Grandpa Sun, I love this yard so much!"
Eunuch Sun leaned over, touched her head affectionately and said, "From now on, this will be Wanwan's home! You must live well here, and tell Grandpa Sun if you need anything."
Lin Wanwan nodded heavily and responded crisply, "Yes, Grandpa Sun is the best!"
Eunuch Sun stood up and looked towards the vermilion gate of the courtyard, his voice full of pride:
"I picked this yard especially for Wanwan.
How could those three-story courtyard houses be worthy of Wanwan? Only this four-story place is spacious and grand enough! "
The vermilion lacquered door creaked open, and the moment Lin Wanwan stepped over the threshold, the chirping of cicadas suddenly became distant.
Facing us is a hollow blue brick screen wall, carved with patterns of pine and crane longevity, which hides most of the scenery in the inner courtyard, and only a few bamboo shadows can be seen through the gaps in the carvings.
Madam Bai touched the winding branches on the screen wall with her fingertips and exclaimed in amazement, "This screen wall is made of Suzhou gold bricks, and they are polished smoother than a mirror."
After walking around the screen wall, the view suddenly opens up.
In the center of the bluestone-paved patio, there is a white marble carved fish tank filled with clear water, with a few red carps wagging their tails leisurely.
Eunuch Sun brushed past the gilded cloud patterns on the corridor pillars and said with a smile, "This courtyard looks ordinary, but it's actually hidden. When it's locked at night, not even a mouse can get in."
Passing through the hanging flower gate, the main house of the second courtyard suddenly appears.
The carved rosewood lattice door was half-open, revealing the golden nanmu step-out bed in the room. The bed frame was inlaid with Hetian jade pieces and carved with a pattern of twin lotus flowers.
Eunuch Sun pushed open the door, and the scent of agarwood mixed with sandalwood hit him in the face:
"Look at this antique display case. It contains enameled vases that the old eunuch of the previous dynasty spent ten years collecting.
And this rosewood Eight Immortals Table, the burl wood pattern on the top is so rare!"
When you walk to the third entrance, you will find an exquisite garden.
Taihu stones are stacked into mountains, with streams of running water winding through the rockery, and the bottom of the stream is covered with colorful pebbles.
Madam Bai leaned over and gently touched the Taihu stone by the pool. "This 'wrinkled, leaky, and thin' quality is probably hard to find even in the palace."
Eunuch Sun raised his hand and knocked against the stone wall, making a crisp sound. "Back then, the old master specially transported it from Jiangnan for three months before it arrived in Bianjing."
The four courtyards in the deepest part are particularly secretive. When you push open the moon-shaped door, you will find a two-story embroidered building.
The red pine wood floors in the building were polished to a shine, and a Hunan embroidery screen with a picture of hundreds of children and grandchildren hung on the wall.
Eunuch Sun pointed to the secret compartment in the corner:
"See? There's a secret room underneath. That's where the old eunuch hid his life savings.
Now I have had it renovated, so you can store your valuables there without worry.
This house is exquisite in every detail. The colorful paintings on the beams alone took half a year to create by an old craftsman from Huizhou.
Stay here every night from now on. Even if the princess from the palace comes, she will be jealous!"
To be honest, Lin Wanwan likes this house very much.
Eunuch Sun looked at them and said:
"Suzaku Street is quite lively here, and many dignitaries live here. You can walk around here if you have time.
I will return to the palace first and report to His Majesty."
After Madam Bai sent Eunuch Sun away, she came back and said:
"This house is really nice, and it will belong to Wanwan alone from now on.
This place is also close to our Jinxiu Cloth Shop, so we can go and see how the shop is doing."
Jinxiu Cloth Shop's business was booming. Every morning at dawn, the shop was packed with young ladies who came to pick out clothes and fabrics.
Why is it so popular? Just take a look at the store!
On one side are shelves full of ready-made clothes, including Song Dynasty trousers, jackets, and skirts, all of which are the most fashionable in Bianjing City.
Walking into Jinxiu Cloth Shop, you will see all kinds of fabrics neatly stacked on the shelves, from the soft Jiangnan brocade to the delicate Shu silk, each piece exuding superior texture.
The shop assistant picked up a piece of lake blue satin and said to the customer with a smile:
"Feel this material; it's soft and smooth, woven densely and smoothly.
We buy this directly from the country of origin, without any middlemen taking a cut!"
Looking at the prices, the same quality of plain satin is priced at half a tael of silver per foot at Jinxiu Cloth Shop, while the No. 1 Cloth Shop in the capital charges three taels of silver.
Not only that, Jinxiu Cloth Shop also provides free embroidery services, and the embroiderers' craftsmanship is unparalleled.
The flowers, birds, fish and insects they embroidered are lifelike, with fine and even stitches.
For the same amount of money, customers can buy high-quality fabrics and exquisite embroidery at Jinxiu Cloth Shop, with a price-performance ratio far exceeding that of the top cloth shop in Beijing.