The Transmigrated Life of a Salty Fish Family

Chapter 885 Washing Three
"Since Father and the Crown Prince are not in the residence, we will follow the old practice and reduce the amount further," the Crown Princess said softly.

Yan Yu nodded and said, "I understand. Then we'll hold a big event and only send invitations to a few families in Yongning City and those who frequently visit the Prince's Mansion. But we're sure some people will come after hearing about it, so we'll be prepared."

"According to tradition, our Prince's Mansion is to provide porridge for three days, and this cannot be reduced. Right now, we don't have that much grain in the accounts. Princess Consort, do you think we should take advantage of this year's bumper harvest to replenish the granaries?"

The Crown Princess hesitated for a moment, "Isn't there a fiefdom..."

"Of course there is, but the grain collection is handled by the government officials, so it has to go through them first. The grain hasn't been collected yet, and it would be too late to send it after it's been calculated."

"Besides," Yan Yu shrugged, "Ever since the Prince came to Guanzhou, it's been going in with one hand and out with the other. As for the Princess Consort, we really can't count on her for the fiefdom."

The Crown Princess suddenly realized that she had heard about these things before, but she hadn't realized it just now.

"Granny Cui, give my little seal to Xiao Er."

Granny Cui immediately responded.

The Crown Princess smiled and said to her, "I'm afraid there isn't much money left in the Prince's account. You can use my private account instead."

"This isn't a good idea," Yan Yu murmured, her face flushed. "There's still room if we squeeze it out at the accounting office."

"It's alright, we're family, why talk about 'you' and 'me'?" The Crown Princess was very magnanimous.

Yan Yu grinned foolishly.

"Then I'll take advantage of the harvest season to buy more grain and fill our granaries to the brim. Our little Bao was born into such good fortune, catching a bumper harvest right after the harvest. It's the happiest time for every family. Our little Bao is so lucky!"

Yan Yu could utter eloquent words without hesitation.

The Crown Princess Consort loved to hear that.

The maids and servants in the room also praised it enthusiastically.

The room was filled with joy.

The Crown Princess smiled, her eyes crinkling like crescent moons, and repeatedly expressed her appreciation.

……

The Prince's Palace at night.

Bright lights.

Yan Yu didn't spare the Crown Princess any expense.

Red lanterns hung in every corner of the Prince's Mansion.

Not only were the buildings decorated with red and colorful decorations, but the main road inside the palace was also lined with fresh flowers.

It's not a rare or expensive variety; some were even dug up from the wild. But it's in full bloom right now, so it's incredibly beautiful.

Yan Yugang returned from outside the mansion.

I walked around, carefully observing every corner.

With his hands behind his back, he had the air of a leader on an inspection tour.

In fact, the way General Yan is addressed has gradually changed over the past two days, becoming Steward Yan...

"Young Steward Yan, Young Steward Yan, I've finally met you!" The man wiped the invisible sweat from his forehead, as if he had rushed over from afar. In reality, Yan Yu could see clearly that he was squatting at the entrance of her godfather's courtyard, waiting for her.

"Chef Zhong, what's up?"

"Manager Yan just got back and didn't know. We had more guests this afternoon, so we don't have enough tables. If we need to add more tables, I'll have to ask for your permission," Chef Zhong said with a smile.

"Which one?" Yan Yu mentally reviewed the list.

“It’s the Zhao family of Changping,” Chef Zhong replied softly.

Yan Yu responded with an "oh".

Has Lord Zhao arrived?

Chef Zhong cautiously replied, "I haven't seen it."

Yan Yu then understood.

"This is a distinguished guest. Prepare the best seats available, and add two more tables for the female guests."

Chef Zhong received confirmation and left satisfied.

Yan Yu turned into the courtyard and walked quickly toward the house with the lights on.

Her godfather's courtyard was her home in the Prince's mansion. When her godfather wasn't around, she was the one who called the shots in that courtyard.

The Crown Princess didn't need to worry about making arrangements; the mother and her children were quite comfortable living here.

"Mom! I'm starving!!!"

The chubby boy entered the room and immediately shouted that he was hungry. He then scanned the kang table to see what dishes were on it. When he saw that it was a copper pot that was bubbling and heating up, he exclaimed "Wow!" and pounced on it like a swallow returning to its nest.

"Pickled cabbage hot pot! Waaaaah, Mom understands me best!"

"Keep your voice down, your sister's asleep." Li Xuemei asked softly, "Why are you only getting back now? It's already dark."

"Since I was at Lord Pang's residence, I chatted with Madam Pang for a while and inquired about who this Ma Xuefu from the capital was," Yan Yu said while washing her hands and face.

“What’s the use of asking now? Your uncle has already entered the examination hall.” Li Xuemei said, “It’s just that everything is happening at the same time. The Prince’s Mansion is holding a baby’s third-day celebration, and the Princess Consort trusts you and is letting you handle everything. We haven’t been able to take care of your uncle’s side, and we don’t know how he is doing or whether he has brought everything.”

"With Uncle Kang here, the Kang family has prepared for these things before and has experience. Besides, the village knows we can't be in two places at once, so several village elders have inquired about many things from those officials and even sent uncles and elders from the village to guard us. I'm not worried about the preparations for entering the examination hall, but I'm a little worried about this Lord Ma."

Li Xuemei raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's Lord Ma's opinion?"

Yan Yu held the copper pot in one hand and used tongs to add charcoal to the fire with the other.

"I've heard that this Lord Ma has a rigorous writing style and is a very old-fashioned scholar. He's very methodical. In the imperial examinations, the later the exams go, the more the examiners' subjective opinions influence the candidates. To put it simply, the articles that he favors, appreciates, or excels at are more likely to lead to success."

"The person reveals the writing, and the writing reveals the person."

Yan Yu started pouring ribs, mutton, meatballs, and other ingredients into the pot.

Amidst the rising steam, the chubby-faced boy said with a straight face, "My uncle's pen is sharp as a knife, and I'm afraid that his sharpness is too much, which might displease Lord Ma."

Yan Yu picked up a piece of pickled cucumber with her chopsticks, first to appease her eager stomach, and then quickly prepared her own sauce.

He then changed the subject: "However, my worries are unnecessary. With my uncle's knowledge, passing the imperial examination is a piece of cake. It's just a matter of whether he ranks high or low. Hehehe, even if he comes in last, so what? My uncle doesn't care about these things, and I guess the prince doesn't care either. The prince appreciates my uncle's talent, not in the essays he writes for the exam."

Yan Yu spoke with absolute confidence.

The pride in his eyes was almost overflowing.

Li Xuemei laughed out loud, "You should have said that to your uncle's face, then you could have gotten a few coins as a reward."

"Mom is right, I'll save them all up and tell Uncle all at once when he comes out of the exam hall, hahaha!"

The meat in the pot is ready.

Yan Yu started.

Li Xuemei watched as her daughter devoured the food in a whirlwind.

When I came to my senses, the pot was almost empty of meat.

She continued to add meat into the pot.

"Mom, make more noodles," Yan Yu said, her mouth bulging.

Li Xuemei got what she wanted.

The noodles and pickled cabbage tumbled and intertwined together, which Yan Yu scooped up with a spoon, coated with some sauce, and oh my, it was delicious!

As she ate, she said, "After the baby's third-day celebration tomorrow, we will bid farewell to the Crown Princess, and after my uncle releases the results, the whole family will head to the capital together!"

Li Xuemei helped her pick up some meat and vegetables, saying, "I've thought about it, and Qiu Xiang should stay at the Prince's residence for now. She can look after the Princess Consort and the children."

Yan Yu nodded repeatedly: "Stay! I've heard that the Crown Princess will be giving out more rewards tomorrow. Good heavens! We just received a batch of rewards after she gave birth, and now she's giving out more! My little treasury is almost overflowing!"

"If you can't fit it all in, Mother will help you put it away," Li Xuemei said with a smile.

"No, no, no!" Yan Yu waved her little hands quickly. "Mom, didn't we agree that I would hand over my salary and keep the rest of my income for spending money? We're going to the capital! It's the capital! This little bit of money won't be enough to buy anything there. Mom, please be lenient and don't think about my little bit!"

Thumping!
Yan Yu suddenly turned her head.

Then she saw a small head pop into the window and call out to her.

"Nine Heavens!"

Yan Yu put down her chopsticks in delight and opened the window even wider.

Jiuxiao crouched down and crouched down, hooking the small basket as he crawled inside.

　Stop right there! Stop right there! Stop right there! ~(*^▽^*)~
　　(End of this chapter)