Jade Orchid in the Palm (Part 2)

  This was to let her not have to bother with people like He Lan. Yunzhu smiled and nodded, personally pouring two bowls of soup from a small pot brought over by Yi Ya and others, handing them to Li Rongbao and Gualjia Shi, saying: "This is what my daughter just made, chrysanthemum pig liver soup, nourishing the liver and blood, nourishing the face and brightening the eyes."

  "Where did the chrysanthemum come from? Won't it be taken from the Zhuang Sheng Wang Fu?" Li Rongbao drank it all in one gulp. Since autumn, he had been drinking the soup cooked by his daughter every day, and his qi and blood were getting better and better. When attending court, many old ministers who were weak and frail couldn't help but glance at him.

  Guaerjia knew that they and the guests who were about to leave had been given a lot of fresh chrysanthemums by Zhuang's wife, but she didn't expect her daughter to turn them into soup in the blink of an eye.

  "This is the prize for my daughter today, we'll make a soup with them, so Ama and brother and sisters can all drink it, sharing my joy and also good for our health, better than just putting them in a vase to wither away."

  "You didn't say anything." Guwalgiya scolded her with a smile, then turned to ask Cai Nian, "Is dinner ready?"

  Cai's aunt nodded and replied: "It's almost ready."

  "Let's go, your brothers won't be coming to the main house for dinner tonight." Guwalgiya said to Yunzhu.

  Ma Si and Ma Wu had few descendants, only Li Rongbao's line was prosperous. For the sake of the family, both men treated their nephews and nieces as their own children, often taking them in to teach and having meals together was a common occurrence.

  "What about Chun?" Yunzhu frowned and asked, "Is he having a meal with Fourth Brother again outside?"

  Elder brother Fu Guangcheng and second brother Fu Qing have both been married for four or five years. Elder brother's eldest son, Mingliang, is two years old. Eldest sister-in-law, Shi Mu Lu, is currently pregnant with her second child. Second sister-in-law, Ma Jia, gave birth to her eldest son, Mingren, in May. Third brother, Fu Ning, and third sister-in-law, Xi Lin Jue Luo, have been married for two years but have not yet had any children. Fourth brother, Fu Wen, got married to fourth sister-in-law, Niu Hu Lu, just this August. They all have their own courtyards and kitchens with servants in the mansion, except during festivals when they rarely come to the main courtyard to dine together.

  Once they became relatives, they had to learn to take charge of the household. Gua Erjia was not a person who tightly grasped power and didn't let go. She allowed each new daughter-in-law to manage their own courtyard and allocated some houses, farms, and shops from the family's common property to them - each son who got married had this, which was equivalent to the family allocating property to them. As long as Li Rongbao was still alive, everything they ate, wore, and lived with came from the family's common property.

  Yunzhu was very impressed by the various tactics Guan Jia used to manage the household. In her early years, when Guan Jia had no children, she took the initiative to take in concubines and raise them as her own, making it clear that whoever gave birth to a son would be promoted in status. She also brought up all the illegitimate children born to the concubines and raised them herself, earning a reputation for being virtuous and kind. Moreover, she skillfully used the principle of checks and balances to maintain control. As a result, no one knew who would ultimately inherit the family business until the very end. Regardless of whether they had any intentions or not, all the concubines and illegitimate children had to obey her. Over time, Guan Jia's image as the mistress of the house became deeply ingrained in people's minds. Even if she failed to give birth to a legitimate son in the end, the illegitimate children she raised would not mistreat her.

  In the family business, Madame Gualga is open and transparent about whether it's profitable or not, why, and she'll discuss it with her children, teaching them business methods and tactics. Sometimes when buying property, she'll even ask for their opinions... When they get married, everyone can see how much each person gets, without any bias or favoritism.

  What's more important is that the Fuca family was one of the most renowned military families in Manchu, and they attached great importance to the education of their children. Boys understood early on that the family was their foundation, but achieving success depended on themselves.

  "The emperor intends to let the fourth prince start taking charge, and Chunhe can also learn more by following him." Li Rongbao said casually. Among so many sons, he liked the youngest son Chunhe the most, and it was unknown whether it was due to his daughter's upbringing from a young age. Fu Heng not only excelled in Manchu and Han literature, but was also skilled in martial arts and archery, more importantly, he had exceptional problem-solving skills, as evident from how he gained the fourth prince's trust after becoming his study companion.

  She's a bit worried, "It's good to be diligent and capable, but I'm afraid of being too greedy." The most important thing is that taking on too much will lead to resentment. As a subordinate, it's enough to excel in one aspect, being too perfect... whether the outcome is good or not is another matter, but having a short life like Zhuge Liang is predictable. Has Chunhe been doing too well recently?

  It's not just the women in the harem who fear excessive honor and wealth, officials are also the same, when they reach their peak, they will decline. The Fuca family was too prosperous during the Qianlong era, but when Jiaqing came to power, he couldn't bear it anymore, and only by desperately suppressing the Fuca family would the Fuca family, which had been prosperous for a hundred years, begin to decline.

  So, it's absolutely impossible to give an opportunity for a slave to take the master's position. Otherwise, once they succeed, the worst ones will be their former masters whom they used to serve.

  Is Chunhe being too greedy? Li Rongbao smiled upon hearing the implication in his daughter's words, "He's still young, he'll understand slowly."

  No matter how intelligent and capable a person is, they must go through a process of experience to gradually become calm. However, with such a transparent daughter by his side, he didn't worry at all. It's just that this daughter, whom he had pampered for over a decade, was really going to marry into the royal family? Thinking of the imperial palace, Li Rongbao felt a little heavy-hearted.

  "Eat a bit more." He handed his daughter a piece of chicken leg, watching as she reluctantly put it in her mouth and nibbled on it. Li Rongbao's eyes narrowed, thinking that if only he could fatten her up quickly, it would be better for the emperor to worry less.

  Unfortunately, the good emperor of his own family seems to be very clear. The other day, the emperor left himself talking and suddenly mentioned his daughter, which made him feel a sudden surge in his heart. Later, he found his second brother to discuss privately and felt that the emperor might have this plan, but it was not certain after all. There are still many eight-banner noble women who can be worthy of being the crown prince's wife...

  "Ama, you guys have some more." Yúnzhū gave each of them a spoonful of corn and lotus seeds, this dish was one she often made in modern times, rich in nutrients, after crossing over to ancient times she had the cook make it, and everyone at home loved eating it.

  "Good."

  At this time, a warm family unknowingly read the two chrysanthemum poems left by Yunzhu after the dispersal of the noble ladies. The Zhuang Sheng Wang also saw these two poems and, after admiring them, splashed cold water on his own Fu Jin: "This rich lady's daughter is indeed elegant and refined, but unfortunately, from this 'Chrysanthemum Inquiry', it can be seen that her temperament is too high-minded, I'm afraid she's not suitable for the imperial family."

  The Empress Dowager had similar concerns as the Prince, but she was more inclined to believe Yunzhu. She retorted, "She must have had a reason for writing this..." and proceeded to describe the provocative behavior of Helan and his companions at the time. Finally, she said, "Poetry and music are spiritual, and one can indeed see a person's talent from them, but it is not possible to determine a person's character based on these alone, as they are greatly influenced by the environment and the author's personal emotions, aren't they?"

  It's not that there aren't any romantic and unfeeling poets who write deeply emotional poems, such as Yuan Zongdao. The Princess of Zhuang's wife subtly curled her lip, recalling the poem about chrysanthemums left behind by the Princess of Guo today, "This flower blooms to its fullest with no other flowers"? That's what it means to be a solitary and self-satisfied beauty.

  Zhuang Qīn Wáng shook his head, "You just need to present what you know, the rest will be handled by my brother and sister-in-law."

  "It is." Princess Zhuang nodded, she liked Yunzhu, this liking was not affected by other factors. Besides, being a royal daughter-in-law was good? Thinking of her own deceased child, her eyes dimmed slightly.

  In September 10th of the fourth year of Yongzheng, Yunzhu's lifelong guardian and imperial bodyguard, Third Class Imperial Bodyguard Mar Wu, passed away in his sleep.

  After receiving the letter, Li Rongbao's eyes turned black. The four brothers, his elder brother and third brother were all martially established, and their bodies looked stronger than his second brother and himself. Unexpectedly, they left earlier than him and his second brother... Two days ago, he still generously let him drink wine, saying that his daughter had managed to make him lose some of his temper...

  "How could this be?" It's too sudden!

  Ma Wu's wife, Amuru, said with red eyes: "Last night he was in a good mood and drank a bit more, I told him to be careful, but didn't expect that early this morning he couldn't wake up no matter how loudly I called..."

  It's probably the character that determines one's fate, not letting Third Uncle drink is more painful than taking his life, this can also be considered a happy departure, leaving in satisfaction and sleep, without any reluctance or illness.

  It's not just Yunzhu who thinks so, but also the people of Fucha's family are open-minded and quickly set about arranging the funeral.

  The Emperor also granted a posthumous title of Earl, and bestowed upon Ma Wu the third-class Adaha Ha Fan, funeral rites, and the posthumous name Qin Ke.

  The birthday of the wife of Zhen Guo Gong (Yun Yu) was destined to be spent in gloom. Of course, Fu Cha Shi didn't think of making a big deal either. Yun Zhu waited until after the funeral rites were over before personally sending over the birthday gifts, and as soon as she arrived, she was asked to stay for a short while.

  Yunzhu saw that her face was really not good, and when she asked her brother-in-law to take care of herself, she also felt that his mood was a bit low. For the time being, it was not easy to ask questions, so she had to arrange a diet plan for them every day to nourish their bodies in private.