GBP Chapter 188 Getting Close
Chapter 188 Getting Close
Zisu slept soundly through the night without any dreams.
The next morning, Zisu was woken up by Hongcha: "Your Highness, it's time to get up and serve tea to the Dowager Consort!"
Zisu was fast asleep, but she had no choice but to get dressed and get up. Even if she didn't respect Consort Qin, she had to put on an act. After all, Consort Qin was the birth mother of Prince Duan, and she had to give him some face. Besides, no matter how unreliable Consort Qin was, she still loved and cared for her son, Prince Duan.
Therefore, she had no choice but to cultivate a good relationship with Consort Qin to avoid upsetting Prince Duan. This is the essence of the saying "love me, love my dog." Putting herself in his shoes, if Prince Duan were disrespectful or indifferent to her parents, or even had a poor relationship with them, she would undoubtedly be very unhappy and dissatisfied.
So, no matter how much she didn't want to talk to Consort Qin, Zisu still mustered all her energy, washed up and dressed, and prepared to go with Prince Duan to serve tea and meet her mother-in-law.
Although she held Consort Qin in low regard, Zisu was still quite nervous at this moment. She worried that the two would clash as soon as they met, which would be troublesome. She wouldn't provoke Consort Qin, nor would she intentionally disrespect her, but what if Consort Qin's words and actions went too far?
Zisu couldn't help but feel a bit of a headache.
You see, she's not someone who can easily take being wronged. If she were to clash with Consort Qin and offend Prince Duan, that would be terrible! Whether she'll be happy and content in the Prince's residence from now on will depend on Prince Duan's attitude towards her and on the relationship between them.
The attitude of Consort Qin towards her, and the nature of their relationship, also determined, to some extent, Prince Duan's attitude towards her.
Just then, Prince Duan came over from the study: "Wife, let's go and serve tea to Mother! After that, we can come back for breakfast!"
Zisu was surprised: "What, aren't you having breakfast with your mother?"
There are only three masters in the house, and they even eat breakfast separately?
Prince Duan: "My mother gets up very early every day* and eats breakfast very early. She's probably already finished eating by now!" Before, when he lived in the manor, he would practice martial arts for an hour every morning. By the time he finished practicing, his mother would have already eaten breakfast.
Zisu nodded in surprise: "Oh, I see!"
This Consort Qin is so utterly clueless about social etiquette. Back in Wuliping, Prince Duan also got up early every day to practice martial arts, but he always finished very early and returned just as the sun was rising. Eating breakfast at that time was hardly appropriate.
Lifestyle habits can be formed. For example, you might have a habit of eating breakfast right after bed, and then you'd feel hungry at that time every day. However, if you grit your teeth and stick to it for a few days, delaying your breakfast time by a quarter or two, once you get used to it, you won't feel hungry when you eat breakfast together anymore.
Just like people who are trying to lose weight, if they are used to eating three bowls of rice to feel full, then they will have to eat three bowls. People who are trying to lose weight can gradually reduce their rice intake, from three bowls of rice to two bowls of rice. Once they get used to it, they will feel full after eating two bowls of rice.
In reality, it all boils down to a matter of habit.
Consort Qin shows no leniency towards her son, no wonder their relationship is so distant, no wonder she eats breakfast alone every day. Sigh, Zisu couldn't even be bothered to say anything to her; she found her rather ridiculous. She'd missed her chance to be close to her son.
As Zisu was pondering this, Prince Duan suddenly added, "Mother often eats alone at noon and in the evening, so we can have our meals prepared in the small kitchen of Rongrui Hall!"
Upon hearing this, Zisu's eyes widened in surprise: "What? There are only so many masters in the family, and they have to eat separately?"
Prince Duan nodded helplessly: "That's right! Mother is used to eating alone, so let's not disturb her and disrupt her routine!"
Wow! That's fantastic! This is exactly what I've been hoping for!
Zisu was overjoyed, but she didn't show it. She simply nodded and said, "Yes, I understand! From now on, I'll cook in the small kitchen and won't bother Mother! Anyway, Hongye, Lvye, and Lanye are all excellent cooks. They can prepare the meals on weekdays, so we won't need to find a cook!"
Prince Duan nodded: "These three, you trained them all?"
Zisu: "Yes, I taught her myself." All for today, so that after getting married, she would have a reason to cook and drink in the small kitchen.
Prince Duan: "That's good. You taught her, so her cooking must be delicious." He really liked Zisu's cooking, but he couldn't bear to let her cook often. It was fine if she cooked once or twice occasionally.
As they were talking, the two arrived at Rongfutang.
Sure enough, Consort Qin had already eaten breakfast and was sitting in the hall drinking tea.
Zisu and Prince Duan knelt on the mat in front of her.
A maidservant prepared tea and brought it over. Zisu took a cup of tea and respectfully handed it to Consort Qin: "Mother, please have some tea!"
The Dowager Consort Qin didn't make things difficult for her. She quickly accepted the drink, took a small sip, and glanced at the maid beside her. The maid immediately brought over a tray with a complete set of red gold headdress jewelry. It looked quite valuable.
Consort Qin: "Alright, get up! From now on, you must live a good life and hurry up and give me a grandson. I'm looking forward to holding my grandson!"
Zisu blushed slightly and obediently replied, "Yes, Mother!"
"Child? We won't consummate the marriage for another year, so just you wait!"
Consort Qin said, "Alright, that's all for today. You must be hungry. Go and have some breakfast!"
Zisu said respectfully, "Thank you, Mother. We'll be going now!"
Consort Qin waved her hand amiably: "Go on, don't go hungry!"
As they walked out of Rongfu Hall, Zisu asked curiously, "Ziqian, wasn't Mother usually quite amiable? Why was her reputation not so good before?"
Ziqian was the courtesy name of Prince Duan.
Prince Duan shook his head helplessly: "I don't know either, but my mother's reputation was indeed not very good in the past. However, now that she has a good daughter-in-law like you, perhaps she will change in the future!" He couldn't lie through his teeth; his mother's behavior of going to the General's Mansion and asking Zisu to be a concubine was bad enough.
Zisu: "Yes, don't worry, I will try my best to get along with Mother. However, I also want to make it clear beforehand that if Mother goes too far and I fight back, you can't just assume I'm wrong without knowing the facts! I'm not asking you to side with me, but I hope you can treat people fairly and not wrongly accuse innocent people!"
Prince Duan: "I understand. I will not leave you without investigating, nor will I deny you a chance to explain. Whatever happens, I will try my best to be fair and just! I also hope that you can be a little more lenient with my mother for my sake. After all, she is getting old, and she has suffered enough from my father's neglect throughout her life!"
Zisu: "I know that as a daughter-in-law, it's only right to be accommodating to my mother-in-law! As long as she doesn't go too far, I won't argue with her or cause a scene! I will try my best to get along with her peacefully and won't make things difficult for you!"
Upon hearing this, Prince Duan stretched out his long arm and pulled her into his embrace: "My wife, you are so good to me! From now on, I will love you well and cherish you, and I will never cause trouble or let you down!"
Zisu: "Okay, I'll be watching!"
The Emperor granted Prince Duan a five-day leave for his wedding.
It is now March, a season of lush greenery and soaring birds.
Zisu said excitedly, "Husband, there is a treasure in my dowry, a treasure that is priceless. Wait a moment, I will go to the storeroom to find it and show it to you!"
Before the wedding, Prince Duan had prepared a large storeroom specifically for Zisu to store her dowry. This large storeroom was located in Rongrui Hall, right next to Prince Duan's own private storeroom.
This way, it's easier for the guards to take care of it on a daily basis; otherwise, some manpower would have to be diverted to look after it. After all, no matter whose storehouse it is, the things inside are extremely valuable. Losing even one item would be heartbreaking.
"Oh, what kind of treasure is it?" Prince Duan asked curiously.
Zisu said mysteriously, "Guess for yourself first, I'll go to the storeroom to find it right now!" After saying that, she left like a gust of wind.
Prince Duan couldn't help but shake his head, secretly finding it amusing.
What kind of treasures could he not have seen before? When he was little, whenever he went to the palace, his uncle would always open his treasury and let him choose treasures. To be honest, he had seen countless treasures; he had no idea what treasure Zisu was talking about.
He was very curious.
Before long, Zisu returned, followed by her personal maid, Hongcha, carrying a small and exquisite basket. The basket was so delicate and beautiful that it immediately caught his eye.
What beautiful treasures could be hidden in such a pretty basket? He couldn't help but feel even more excited.
Zisu walked over quickly, and Hongcha followed closely behind.
Zisu waved her hand, and the red tea was taken away. She moved a small stool, sat down in front of the basket, and lifted the lid, revealing a series of golden items to Prince Duan.
"What is this? Is this the treasure you were talking about?" Prince Duan became even more curious.
Zisu: "Yes, this is the treasure I was talking about. It's a crop with an extremely high yield, higher than all the crops in Xiliang Kingdom. I bought it from a merchant from the Western Regions; it's called corn, or maize!"
"Crops? Novel crops from the West? And with high yields?" Prince Duan's interest was piqued. He picked up a corn cob and examined it closely, his eyes sparkling.
Zisu: "Yes, I plan to promote it in the Western Liang Kingdom. However, there are only these sixteen varieties of corn available right now. I plan to test-plant them in the Royal Palace first, and then promote them in Wuliping next year. The year after that, I will promote them nationwide!"
Prince Duan: "You want to grow crops in the palace?" This royal son, who had been pampered since childhood, felt somewhat unable to accept it.
Zisu nodded: "Yes, that's right. I don't feel comfortable planting something so precious outside. You know, if it gets stolen or damaged, I'll never be able to get it again! Last time, I bought it from a merchant from the Western Regions quite by chance. And I paid an extremely high price for it!"
"Hmm, that's good, that's fine! In that case, I'll reserve two acres of land for you in the west courtyard!" Prince Duan expressed his full understanding, offering unconditional support and accommodation to his young mistress, and trying his best to meet her requests.
Zisu: "Actually, one acre is enough, since there are only so many seeds. But it would be good if you set aside two acres, so I can also grow some vegetables and fruits!"
Oh my, growing vegetables in the royal palace? This is unprecedented in the history of the Western Liang Kingdom! Oh well, as long as she likes it! He would agree to let her grow vegetables in Rongrui Hall, let alone in the West Courtyard.
He would unconditionally support whatever Zisu wanted to do! This would make her feel that marrying him meant freedom, not constant constraints. He couldn't just marry her and then try to control her. That wouldn't be right; that wasn't a sign of true love.
Zisu: "Now that the peach and plum blossoms are in bloom, it's the perfect time to plant. Tomorrow, I'll take people to cultivate the cornfield!"
Prince Duan: "Mention it to your mother first, so she won't get angry later. She might even have someone pull up your corn, that would be terrible!"