A Mei was right to say that An Sheng, as the Imperial Envoy, would naturally have more than enough matters to attend to, both openly and in secret, once he arrived in Lindong.
As soon as An Sheng left, A Mei enjoyed a comfortable sleep, and upon waking, she ordered a bath and preparations to dress.
“Madam, shall I have the servants prepare a meal?” Hehua asked cautiously after finishing A Mei's hair and makeup.
A Mei blinked, pondering briefly, then suddenly looked up at Hehua and asked, “Hehua, I heard from my husband that you used to serve in the late Empress Dowager's palace and were later bestowed upon my husband by her?”
Hehua's heart jolted. Fear flashed across her face, and she immediately knelt down, hastily explaining, “In reply to Madam, when the late Emperor was alive, this servant did indeed serve in the Empress's palace, but I was only a lowly cleaning maid, and was later given to Lord An. I am humble and low-born, and I would never dare to disobey whatever arrangement my masters made. But Madam, rest assured, I have always kept to my duties, devoting myself entirely to serving Madam, and have never once harbored any improper thoughts.”
“Oh dear, why are you kneeling? Get up!” A Mei was caught between laughter and exasperation at Hehua's terrified expression. She rose and helped Hehua to her feet. “What are you thinking? My husband already told me everything about you. I know you are also a poor soul who had no choice in the matter. Asking that question had no other meaning. Besides, you've served me for such a long time, and I have a good sense of your character.”
The moment Madam said these words, Hehua's eyes suddenly reddened. In that man-eating palace, she had always been cautious and wary, treading as if on thin ice. She had originally assumed that being bestowed upon Lord An would be jumping into yet another fire pit. Her closest sister in the palace had been tortured to death by a eunuch steward, and she had been terrified out of her wits. Yet unexpectedly, Lord An had assigned her to serve Madam. Madam was kind-hearted, and her mind was wholly on Lord An. She treated the serving maids with a distant coolness, but never scolded, beat, or punished them. And now, to hear such words from her, Hehua's tears of gratitude kept swirling in her eyes, seemingly about to spill over.
A Mei saw this scene, and for a moment, her heart was filled with mixed emotions. She let out a sigh and got back to business: “I asked you because there is another matter I need you to handle.”
Hehua immediately said solemnly, “Madam, whatever you command, this servant will carry out, even through fire and water.”
A Mei gave a slight smile and crooked her finger at Hehua. “Come closer.”
Hehua bent down and leaned in toward A Mei, turning sideways with her ear pricked up. A Mei curled the corner of her lips and whispered into Hehua's ear…
When she finished, Hehua nodded gravely.
A Mei asked again, “What about Wu Da? Go and fetch him.”
Hehua thought for a moment and replied, “Before this servant came, I saw Steward Wu in the courtyard discussing changes to the study's layout with the estate's steward. By now, he should be over at the study. This servant will go and summon Steward Wu.”
A Mei nodded and said, “Mm, go ahead. Also, tell Wu Da what I just told you, and say it's my order.”
“Yes, Madam. This servant takes her leave.”
At the noontime meal, in the grand main hall, with the Imperial Envoy not present, only the Imperial Envoy's Wife took the seat of honor.
The carefully selected servants and maids worked in orderly fashion, each tending to their duties. A Mei kept a straight face, adapting remarkably well. She naturally accepted the servants' attendance with an aloof, reserved, and dignified demeanor, her expression giving nothing away.
Everyone attended her with great care. No sooner had the dishes been laid out than they saw the Imperial Envoy's Wife staring at the dining table, her brows knit tightly, not even touching her chopsticks.
The steward hurried over, smiling ingratiatingly with extreme caution: “If I may ask, does this meal suit Madam's taste? Madam has just arrived, and seeing that you might not be accustomed to the local climate, we took the liberty of ordering the cooks to prepare a few northern dishes in addition to the local cuisine. Madam…”
Before he could finish his sentence, his gaze met the icy glare shot at him by the Imperial Envoy's Wife. That gaze was cold, mixed with irritation and disgust, with not an iota of concealment. The steward instinctively fell silent, at a loss and frightened, unsure what had displeased the Imperial Envoy's Wife, and dared not say another word.
At that moment, everyone saw the beautiful maidservant beside the Imperial Envoy's Wife raise her chin, snort lightly, and say with haughty arrogance, “Before serving our Madam, you should have asked around about who she is, the way she is most exacting and particular when it comes to food. When our Madam dines on ordinary days, even the snacks before the meal, the hot dishes and cold dishes, number at least sixty-eight dishes in total. Now, they say Lindong is a wealthy region — is this how you treat your guests here, like beggars being sent off?”
After these words, the steward's face turned anxious and flustered, sweat pouring down like rain. Inwardly, he wailed, thinking, “This Imperial Envoy's Wife is impossible to please!”
With a pained look, he stammered, “Forgive me, Madam. This one will go down and arrange everything anew immediately.”
Just then, Hehua pulled from her sleeve a sheet of paper densely covered with black characters: “Our Madam is not trying to make things difficult for you. Just follow what is listed here. These are the dishes our Madam is used to on a daily basis. Also, our Madam has delicate skin — all the bedclothes and blankets in her bedchamber must be replaced with ones of Song brocade or Cloud brocade fabric. As for the rest, our Madam is kind-hearted and will not demand more.”
Everyone: …
The steward's face turned an interesting shade of purple-green. The moment he stepped out the door, his fawning expression vanished, replaced by a furious glare, and he spat viciously. Then, to the servant boy beside him, he said, “This Imperial Envoy's Wife truly is impossible to please! Go quickly, report this matter to Old Zou, and hear what he says!”
“Yes, sir!”
Within an hour, word that the Imperial Envoy's Wife was hard to please had reached the ears of Prince Anchang and Princess Anchang.
Princess Anchang stared darkly at the densely written sheet for a long while, her face growing uglier with each passing moment, until finally she could not help but sneer, “Hmph, to say nothing of her being merely the wife of a Commissioner of the Inner Factory — even the Empress in the palace does not reach such a level of extravagance these days.”
Princess Anchang was not wrong. Emperor Chengde advocated frugality, and the imperial consorts, competing for favor, vied to be ever more thrifty and economical, saving wherever possible. Even the Empress, to set an example, had repeatedly reduced her national-mother daily allowances. So indeed, they could not compare to the wife of the Commissioner of the Inner Factory.
Prince Anchang's expression was also grim.
Old Zou frowned and said, “This should be the truth. As far as this old minister knows, Commander An's reputation for doting on his wife and being henpecked has long spread throughout the capital. It is said that Madam An is habitually extravagant — even for just one meal, more than a dozen kinds of snacks are required. Commander An, to please his wife, would every few days go to the imperial kitchen to search out delicacies and pastries. Moreover, Emperor Chengde even specially bestowed several dozen kinds of high-grade imperial pastries, allotted in very small amounts, for Lord An to bring back to his residence.”
“According to reports from our people in the capital, Madam An has always been like this in the capital. Whenever she attended a banquet hosted by someone, the host would make sure to treat her to excellent food and drink, and would never dare offend her. With that in mind, this old minister believes that, to avoid any trouble, it is best we accommodate this Madam An as much as possible.”
Prince Anchang: …
Princess Anchang: …
