"If rewards were to be given based on merits, Your Highness and your elder brothers have won battles year after year. There's nothing more to bestow. You don't care about such things, but if the Emperor only rewards the soldiers under your command and not you, won't people start to suspect that the Emperor's favor towards you has faded? But if he does reward you, you're already a prince. What else can he give? He can only reward your elder brothers. However, if they gain too much power, our princely mansion will become overly powerful."
Lu Hongxi pondered for a moment before nodding. "You're right. In the past, I only thought that I had reached the pinnacle of officialdom and there was no need for more rewards. I never considered that if the Emperor didn't reward me, those civil officials would have something to say. Haha, Ning'er has truly grown up and become sensible. You know how to share your parents' worries. Well then, if the rewards are bestowed upon you, there'll be no more concerns."
Lu Wanning looked even more worried and continued, "But Father, if the Emperor truly wants to reward us, he could give us gold, silver, and jewels, or offer me more benefits. Today, when I proposed that having a meal with me be counted as a reward, he agreed but didn't promise anything else. It shows that he's not willing to reward our mansion anymore."
Lu Hongxi ruffled Lu Wanning's hair. "What are you thinking about all day long, you little girl? How can we, as his subjects, speculate on what the Emperor will reward? Instead of wasting your time thinking about all these things, why don't you go and check if your New Year clothes are ready? Don't go out looking as dirty as you did today in the next couple of days."
Seeing that Lu Hongxi didn't seem to care at all, Lu Wanning got even more anxious. "Father, I'm talking to you about something serious."
Lu Hongxi burst into laughter and stood up. "Silly girl, don't you think I know what I'm doing? I'm loyal, devoted, and respectful to the Emperor. I don't care about such trivial matters. Ning'er, the most important thing about being loyal to the Emperor is not to deceive him. Well, your mother has something to attend to. I'll go there first. You go back and rest early."
Watching Lu Hongxi walk out, Lu Wanning slumped onto the table helplessly. After a while, she sat up straight, frowning in thought. Lu Hongxi was actually a pure and loyal subject, dedicated to the Emperor and the Great Zhou. But others didn't know that. Just because the princess was the elder sister of the queen, in others' eyes, the Lu family was tied to the crown prince.
This couldn't go on. She must find a way to break this tie.
The Emperor had several sons, but only Prince Yu had moved out of the palace and established his own mansion. Prince Yu was the third son. The second prince had died prematurely. Although the fourth prince was already fifteen years old and had a mansion outside the palace, he hadn't been granted a title or a fief yet. Moreover, this fourth prince was the leader of the dandies in the capital. He spent his days playing with cats and dogs, doing nothing productive. He hung out with other dandies all day long and was unlikely to achieve anything. The other princes were still too young to be considered.
Thinking about it, Prince Yu seemed to be the most suitable candidate.
Lu Wanning thought that it seemed she had no choice but to curry favor with Prince Yu. She must find a way to get closer to him. First, she needed to know his interests and hobbies so that she could please him and gain his favor.
Women? Prince Yu didn't seem to be interested in them. Men? No. Although many nobles had such preferences, it was generally not accepted. Even if Prince Yu really liked men, if others found out, it would be a stain on his reputation.
She had to find another way. Prince Yu seemed to be a man of leisure with a wide range of interests. There were many valuable items in the storeroom of her mansion over the years. She could search them out and give them to him slowly.
When Lu Wanning asked Jiyue to take her to the storeroom, she was completely stunned. Wasn't this supposed to be a small storeroom? Who had a small storeroom that was nearly two hundred square meters? Everything was neatly organized and classified. There was a special register indicating where each item was placed.
The old woman guarding the storeroom had a strict and proper appearance. She looked at Lu Wanning respectfully. "Your Highness, six people clean and organize the storeroom every day. If there are any insects, ants, or other damages, the items will be cleaned out and recorded. Apart from you, Your Highness, I'll thoroughly inspect everyone who enters or leaves the storeroom. I won't let anyone take even a tiny bit out."
Lu Wanning nodded.
The old woman continued, "All the items are counted every day. There won't be any mistakes."
Lu Wanning whispered to Jiyue, "This old woman is quite capable. Where did she come from?"
Jiyue replied, "Don't you remember, Your Highness? When you lost a hairpin at the age of eight and cried for a long time, the Empress Dowager sent Granny Gu, a storeroom maid from the Palace Manufacturing Bureau, to guard your storeroom."
A storeroom maid from the Palace Manufacturing Bureau?
It was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut! It was simply a waste of talent.
Lu Wanning sighed inwardly. It seemed that the original owner was indeed arrogant and extremely favored.
"Then, how much monthly salary does she get?"
Jiyue replied, "Although she's just the storeroom maid of the princess, her monthly silver is only one rank lower than that of the chief maid of the princess. It's the same as mine, six taels of silver per month."
Lu Wanning wasn't quite sure whether six taels of silver was a lot or not.
Granny Gu had already walked in and continued to introduce things to Lu Wanning. "This is the area for books. Regularly, I'll have people take them out to air. This is the area for ornaments. If you want to give gifts in the future, Your Highness, I'll have people look for them here. This is the area for jewelry. The items you didn't like much before have all been put away. Regularly, they'll be sent to the princess and melted down..."
Lu Wanning was dazzled. She felt that she couldn't find any good items today. But if she just randomly selected something, she was afraid of making the same mistake as last time when she accidentally gave away something that belonged to an acquaintance. So she just waved her hand. "Alright, alright. It's Chinese New Year's Eve today. I won't look anymore. Let's go back and sleep."
Anyway, she wouldn't be free to go out until after the eighth day of the first lunar month. Only then could she see Prince Yu again. There was no hurry. She could take her time to look.
After thinking for a while, Lu Wanning asked Jiyue, "By the way, where's Granny Cao? I seem to haven't seen her for a long time."
Granny Cao was Lu Wanning's chief maid, but she hadn't seen her since she transmigrated here.
Jiyue said, "You're really forgetful, Your Highness. Granny Cao's son is seriously ill, and her daughter-in-law has just given birth. You felt sorry for her and let her go back to the He family to take care of them."
"The He family?" Lu Wanning only then remembered that in the original owner's memory, it was indeed the case. Granny Cao was a servant born into the He family. She wasn't brought over by the princess when she got married. Instead, the He family sent her over after Lu Wanning was born. Lu Wanning's maternal grandmother had passed away early. Granny Cao was either sent by the former wife of the heir apparent, He Nanfeng's mother, or by the current duchess.
No matter who sent her, usually, servants were sent in groups. Who would only send one person?
Jiyue smiled again. "Do you miss Granny Cao, Your Highness? How about sending someone to the He family to urge her to come back in a few days?"
Lu Wanning shook her head. "How much is Granny Cao's monthly silver?"
Jiyue replied, "Eight taels."
Lu Wanning said, "Let Granny Gu come and serve me. Let her manage both the yard and the storeroom. As for her monthly silver, since she's in charge of everything, she shouldn't just get eight taels. I'll talk to Mother tomorrow and give her ten taels of monthly silver."
Jiyue hesitated. "Your Highness, is this appropriate? What if Granny Cao comes back?"