"A gentleman's word is his bond." The Prince of Pingyang's tone was firm.
"Thank you, Father!"
Duoduo was thrilled. She jumped up and bowed to the Prince of Pingyang.
"All right, let's continue with the lesson. I just told you how to pluck the strings with a twisting motion..."
The Prince of Pingyang ignored the Princess Consort beside them and continued teaching Duoduo.
Duoduo also listened attentively.
The adult and the child, one taught earnestly, while the other listened intently.
They left the Princess Consort of Pingyang entirely on the sidelines.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang listened for a while, and remembering she still had matters to attend to, quietly walked out.
After they had walked a distance away from the study, Lianxin could not help but voice her doubts.
"Your Highness, in the past, the Prince would not even allow you to touch that zither."
"Yet now, the Prince has actually given it to the young Princess?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang glanced at Lianxin.
Had this not been her personal maid, she would have thought Lianxin was deliberately trying to sow discord.
"Do not presumptuously guess the Prince's thoughts, lest you invite trouble."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang warned Lianxin.
Lianxin's expression changed. "Yes, this servant knows her mistake."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang took a few steps. "Speaking of this matter, it was my failure."
"Since Duoduo wanted to learn the zither, I should have thought of having a good one custom-made for her earlier."
"Otherwise, the Prince wouldn't have had to bring out 'Luqi' just because the child had no zither to practice on."
"By the way, go check on Duoduo later and see if there is anything else that needs attention or if she is lacking anything."
"We mustn't let her fall short of anything and make the Prince worry again, for that would be my fault."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang reflected on her mistake.
As the one in charge of the household, all matters of the estate, big or small, were her responsibility.
Regarding Duoduo learning the zither, she had been inconsiderate.
The Prince of Pingyang was helping her make up for it.
"Your Highness, you worry about so many things every day and your health is poor. This is not your fault."
Lianxin felt a deep ache for her mistress.
"All right, I know your good intentions. If you truly care, you and Baihe should help me keep a closer eye on Duoduo's affairs."
"Remember, you must treat Duoduo as your true little mistress."
Hearing the Princess Consort of Pingyang say this, Lianxin immediately knelt down.
"Your Highness, we servants know our mistake."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang stopped walking and reached out a hand to Lianxin.
"Get up. I know you didn't mean any harm."
"Just remember from now on, you must truly treat Duoduo as your mistress."
"Yes, this servant will remember."
Lianxin stood up and carefully supported the Princess Consort of Pingyang.
The two walked back to the room, where Baihe hurried over to help support her.
"No need to be so nervous. It was only a short walk."
Baihe pursed her lips into a smile. "Your Highness's health has improved significantly lately. You walked such a long distance and don't even feel tired."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang picked up a teacup from the side, gently blew away the tea leaves floating on top, and took a small sip.
"Baihe is right. Taking a walk today actually made me feel quite refreshed."
"Especially looking at the flowers in the garden and smelling the air by the pond. Ah, it truly gladdens the heart and clears the mind."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang set down her teacup with a radiant smile.
Lianxin was also very happy.
"Your Highness, should we call Doctor Zhao over to check your pulse?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang paused for a moment.
"Never mind. Perhaps it's just because I've been eating and sleeping well recently, so I feel much more comfortable."
Lianxin nodded.
"Ever since Your Highness started dining with the Prince, you've been eating a bit more than usual."
"Yes, Your Highness is even sleeping better, almost always sleeping soundly until dawn!" Baihe chimed in.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang's face flushed.
"Enough, you two little rascals. One word after another, what are you trying to imply?"
"It's just that I ate a little more, and you two won't stop chattering about it. Careful, or I'll punish you!"
Lianxin and Baihe exchanged a smiling glance.
"Please quell your anger, Your Highness. We servants overstepped."
The two curtsied, bowing to the Princess Consort of Pingyang to apologize.
"All right, get up. By the way, bring me the account books to look over."
Lianxin got up to fetch the ledgers.
Before long, she returned carrying several thick account books.
"Your Highness, are you really not going to tell the Prince? Are you going to try and figure out a way yourself again?"
Lianxin placed the ledgers on the table with a pained expression.
Baihe hurriedly shifted the teacup to the side.
"Isn't it just that the banquet exceeded the budget a little? Let's see if we can reallocate funds from elsewhere."
"Let's not bother the Prince with such trivial matters."
"Your Highness, that is several thousand taels of silver! You aren't thinking of dipping into your dowry again, are you?"
"You have already used enough of your dowry to subsidize the estate's expenses." Lianxin felt deeply distressed for her.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang's original dowry of over a hundred chests had very little left now.
If she continued to subsidize the estate like this, her entire dowry would eventually be depleted.
"Exactly, Your Highness. This servant also feels that you should discuss this with the Prince."
"There are so many people to feed in the estate; they can't possibly all rely on your dowry subsidies, right?"
Baihe also agreed with Lianxin's advice.
"Enough. If you two have the energy to flap your lips, you might as well help me think of a way to plug this financial hole."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang knew that both maids meant well for her.
However, she did not want to bring this matter to the Prince.
The Prince of Pingyang held no official post; his only monthly income was the stipend provided by the palace.
But that silver was simply not enough to cover the estate's expenses.
Even if she told the Prince of Pingyang, he likely wouldn't have a solution, and it would only add to his worries.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang had checked the ledgers a couple of days ago and found that the Prince of Pingyang had just withdrawn ten thousand taels from the steward.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang knew that the Prince of Pingyang had been making frequent moves recently, so there were certainly many places where he needed silver.
Since the Prince of Pingyang had entrusted the inner courtyard's affairs to her, she would find a way to resolve them herself.
She began to carefully examine the account books.
"The harvest from this farming estate hasn't been good these past few years. How about we sell it?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang pointed to a line of text in the ledger.
Lianxin leaned in to take a look.
"It is quite strange. The harvests from this estate used to be very good."
"But in recent years, it has been getting worse year by year."
"We haven't heard of any natural disasters or pest plagues, so why has the yield suddenly decreased so much?"
Lianxin couldn't help but mutter.
"Since it isn't making money, and we still have to spend money to support so many people there, we might as well sell it for some silver."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang made up her mind.
"I remember that estate has several dozen acres, plus a mountain. Altogether, it must be around a hundred acres, right?"
"If we sell it, we should be able to scrape together a few thousand taels of silver."
"Lianxin, go find the steward and ask him to look for a broker."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang closed the ledger and rubbed her eyes with her hands.
Baihe hurriedly stepped forward to massage the Princess Consort of Pingyang's temples.
Lianxin went into the inner room and retrieved the land deed for that estate.
"Your Highness, this estate is the largest one left in your dowry. Are you really going to sell it?"
