Quick Wear: Reversing Life

Chapter 503: The eldest daughter-in-law of a wealthy family (25)

The food of this era was not so abundant, but very unique.

The main meat is lamb, and the staple food is various kinds of bread or noodles. Chicken, duck, and goose are not considered meat. The most common vegetable is radish, and fish is usually eaten as sashimi...

Although the ingredients are limited by the times, there are many spices, including common onions, ginger, garlic, peppercorns, pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, tangerine peel, and even fermented black beans and bean paste.

During the meal, Fu Huaiying and Lu Xuyuan talked a lot about restaurant management.

Lu Xuyuan talked eloquently about business matters, and Fu Huaiying, although an outsider, listened very carefully.

After finishing his meal, Fu Yizhi returned to the Marquis' Mansion. When he walked through the side door, he saw Zhao Su again in the familiar corridor.

Zhao Su was waiting for her here on purpose.

"The scientific expedition is coming soon, so it's better to stay out of the house." Zhao Su put his hands behind his back, and the climbing plants on the porch covered most of his face.

"Your Majesty is right." Fu Yiyi replied softly, bowed and left quickly.

Looking at the other person's back as he left, Zhao Su felt more and more powerless about getting along with Fu after he came back.

Fu's behavior in the past few days made him increasingly puzzled.

The Marquis' Mansion is not in deficit, so why would it spend so much time on running the shop during this period of time?

Are you short of money?

...

On the evening before the appointment at the Princess's Mansion, the owner of the Golden Fan Pavilion finally sent someone to deliver the brocade box.

The next day at 9:00 a.m., Hongxiu followed Fu Huaiying to the Princess's Mansion, holding the brocade box.

The Princess's Mansion is located in Chongrenfang, not far from the Dingbei Marquis' Mansion.

The carriage stopped steadily in front of the door. When Fu Huaiying got off the carriage, he saw the luxury outside the Princess's Mansion at the first sight.

The gold-nailed, vermilion-lacquered jade steps and the gilded plaques demonstrate the majesty of the royal family.

A bronze lion was guarding the door, and a maid in a lake green brocade skirt was waiting beside it.

"Greetings, Madam Dingbei." The maid stepped forward and saluted. "His Highness is already waiting at the mansion, and has specially sent this servant to meet you."

The Princess's Mansion is very large. After passing through three levels of security, a spacious avenue over three meters wide leads directly to the main hall, Fengyi Hall.

Twelve pairs of gilded bronze cranes stood on both sides of the road, each holding a glazed palace lantern in its beak.

"His Highness is waiting in the Peony Garden. Madam, please follow me."

The maid led the way in front, and the golden bells hanging on the belt around her waist made crisp sounds with every step.

Fu Huaiying followed the maid around the main hall and walked towards the back garden, which allowed her to see the scale of the main hall clearly.

It looks like it is nine rooms wide and five rooms deep, and it was built strictly according to the prince's regulations.

If this is true, then it exceeds the standards that a princess should have.

But I heard that this Princess Mansion was built by the Emperor for his sister, which is enough to show how much the Emperor loves Zhao Hui.

Hongxiu behind Fu Huaiying didn't dare to look around, and could only catch a glimpse of the lush exotic flowers and plants blooming on the roadside from the corner of her eye.

The maid took Fu Huaiying all the way to the back garden, stepped onto a white marble arch bridge and crossed the artificially dug curved pond, which was full of pink lotus flowers.

It is the flowering season now, and crystal dew is rolling on the layers of petals.

Even Hongxiu was stunned by the sight and for a moment even forgot about etiquette and rules, with only the emerald green and pink scenery in her eyes.

"The peony garden is just ahead."

Hongxiu thought the lotus pond was beautiful enough, but she didn't expect the peony garden to be a paradise on earth.

The precious peonies are more beautiful than the fairy flowers in the paradise. Rare treasures that are rarely seen outside bloom here like ordinary varieties.

Walking deep into the flowers, a vast expanse of water suddenly appears.

"This is the 'Small Taiye Pond,' modeled after the Taiye Pond in the Daming Palace," the maid explained. "When Your Highness was young, she loved to escape the summer heat by the Taiye Pond in the palace. So, His Majesty ordered craftsmen to build a small Taiye Pond outside the palace for the Princess to rest and cool off."

The water in the pond is drawn from fresh water outside the city, and it is crystal clear. There is also a group of fat koi in the pond.

In the center of the pond stood an octagonal pavilion, its eaves adorned with gilded dragons, which, in the sunlight, resembled a real dragon playing in the water. Silver wind chimes hung from the eaves, creating a crisp chime in the breeze.

The pillars of the pavilion are painted vermilion, and gauze curtains as light as cicada wings are hung around it. When they flutter in the wind, the figures of people inside can be vaguely seen.

"That's the Qingliang Pavilion. The eldest princess is there."

The maid led Fu Huaiying forward.

"The wife of Marquis Dingbei is here?"

Fu Huaiying stepped forward and saluted: "Greetings to Her Royal Highness the Princess."

"No gift."

There was a chaise longue made of rosewood inlaid with mother-of-pearl in the Qingliang Pavilion, and the eldest princess leaned on the couch to take a nap.

Zhao Hui was wearing a light and transparent shark silk gauze dress with a gold thread peony bodice underneath, her white jade-like skin faintly visible underneath.

At this moment, her posture was lazy, but not charming, and she still had an unparalleled majesty.

Opposite her sat two elegantly dressed women. The maid introduced them: "These two are Princess Chang and Princess Jiaci."

A room full of royal relatives.

Princess Jiaci was the daughter of Prince Changping and was about the same age as Princess Chang.

Zhao Hui curled his lips and chuckled, "This is the wife of the Marquis of Dingbei whom I mentioned to you all."

Fu Huaiying was wearing a green double-breasted, chest-length skirt, which made her look particularly bright and beautiful among the flowers.

She smiled slightly and said, "Greetings to Princess Chang and Princess Jiaci."

"It's my first time meeting her, and she's much younger than I imagined." Princess Chang said, "She's truly a rare beauty."

The original owner rarely followed Marquis Dingbei to attend banquets, so not many people had seen her.

Among these four people, Fu Huaiying is the youngest.

"So you are the 'remarkable woman' His Highness mentioned." Princess Jiaci looked at Fu Huaiying with great interest. "The eldest princess was just praising your wife's extraordinary talent and knowledge to us."

"I just quoted the words of the predecessors, and I don't deserve your praise."

Fu Huaiying took the brocade box from Hongxiu and handed it to the maid.

"This is just a small token of my appreciation. I hope the princess will accept it."

The maid walked to Zhao Hui, opened the brocade box, and revealed a folding fan.

fan?

Zhao Hui raised his eyebrows and reached in to take it out.

"This fan is called the Sandalwood Fan."

Princess Jiaci was closest to Zhao Hui. She asked, "Isn't this the folding fan men often use?"

Zhao Hui unfolded the fan and found that it was carved with hollow carvings to depict a blooming peony.

"This fan is made of sandalwood, and the hollow carvings on it are all handmade. It took nearly a month to complete."

As early as after Fu Huaiying returned to Hexiangyuan after inspecting the Golden Fan Pavilion, he drew many fan patterns, including sandalwood fans.

The craftsmanship of sandalwood fans is complicated, so Fu Huaiying specially sought help from the system to sort out the complete production process and sent it to the owner of the Golden Fan Pavilion.

The one in Zhao Hui's hand was the only one that was made in a hurry.

It was originally intended to be auctioned at a high price during the Dragon Boat Festival, but Fu Huaiying later felt that giving it to the eldest princess might bring her a more direct "celebrity effect".

The owner of the Golden Fan Pavilion hired many skilled carpenters and consumed a lot of wood before he managed to make it in the evening of the previous day.