CHAPTER 640: [634] QING CHUAN CHENG WANGFEI 3 (1 UPDATE)

"Wuya Xiyuan, currently ill, was not permitted to attend the royal court, but she had no wish to sit idly by, nor had the doctor instructed her to remain bedridden. After lunch at noon, she cited digestion as a reason and asked Su He and Su Mei to accompany her for a stroll around Prince Manor.

The estate was a gift from Emperor Yong Zheng, comprising only three sections; this was why Emperor Qianlong, upon his ascension, decided to build a new residence for his Uncle, feeling that this three-sectioned courtyard was somewhat beneath a Prince’s dignity, especially since it lacked a garden or park.

Although there were only three sections, each was larger than the traditional courtyards of later generations.

The front section included the reversed house and gatehouse, where the servants lived; the middle section contained the kitchen, study, and guest rooms; and the backyard, which made up the third section, was divided into east and west courtyards, beyond which there was a back room for keeping horses. Despite the lack of gardens, the various parts of the property added together provided ample space for Xiyuan to grow more than a few acres worth of crops.

Nevertheless, it was a Prince Mansion, and though it could not compare with the likes of He Shen or Prince Bao, it was beyond the reach of ordinary nobility.

After her walk, Xiyuan felt so exhausted that it was clear she lacked exercise, as she became breathless after just a short stroll.

But the effort was not in vain since she spotted many areas within the mansion that could be put to good use. The corners of walls were suitable for planting loofah, pumpkin, winter melon, and green beans, while green vegetables could grow in small flower beds and sweet potatoes and potatoes in larger ones. What use were flowers just for show? She didn’t find them attractive at all and considered growing vegetables a more practical choice. However, the Prince Manor was not hers to command, so she needed to discuss it with Prince Cheng first.

Later, she returned to her courtyard and summoned Su He and Su Mei to inventory her dowry.

Her maternal aunt had given her a dowry of one thousand taels of silver and some jewelry, which totaled about two thousand taels. To be honest, having this amount of money was quite substantial.

Her family had provided a dowry of two thousand taels, two shops, and a manor. As for the dowry items brought over, they were actually the betrothal gifts given by Yun Mi, which, along with the silver, jewelry, antiques, and silk fabrics, amounted to about ten thousand taels.

Compared to ordinary families, this was certainly generous, but honestly, for a marriage into a Prince Mansion, this sum could only be considered average.

In this light, it seemed Xiyuan was not as favored as one might think, at least not to the extent of bringing back all her betrothal gifts.

That evening, already undressed with her hair down and ready for bed in her undergarments, a servant from the front courtyard came to inform her that Prince Cheng had returned to the manor.

Xiyuan halted for a moment, thinking to herself that even if he had returned, it was unlikely he would visit her. However, her maid insisted on dressing her up again.

She even said, "What if Prince Cheng comes over? It would be improper for him to see you like this."

Xiyuan found it amusing at the time, "What propriety? I’m sick, and not particularly good-looking; why bother getting so dolled up? I won’t. Just like this, if he comes, he’ll see me as is." To be spouses for life, it was better for him to see her at her worst sooner rather than later.

Although a woman’s appearance differs drastically with and without makeup, and Xiyuan’s skin was not especially good, she believed that ugly women could still turn their fortunes around. If one’s looks are unimpressive, other qualities can shine instead. It is confident and diligent women who stand their ground.

"But Princess Consort, how can you think like this? What if Prince Cheng is put off by your appearance and never visits our West Garden again? Even though Prince Cheng currently has several concubines and one official concubine, it doesn’t mean there won’t be other Princess Consorts in the future. You must always stay vigilant," her maid warned."

Finally, despite her protests being in vain, Wuya Xiyuan was forcefully seated in front of the dressing mirror by her two maids and preened.

After about half an hour, that man who had not shown his face for a long time actually arrived.

When he stepped into the West Garden, servants inside and out knelt on the ground. Xiyuan too performed a greeting, "I, your humble concubine, greets Prince, may you have boundless fortune."

"Rise!" His voice was indeed gentle, yet he did not come over to give her a helping hand, which showed he still didn’t care enough!

After Xiyuan was helped up by Su He, she then looked up at her future husband, Kangxi’s twenty-fourth son, Yin Bi, who was now her husband, Prince Cheng Yun Mi.

The seventeen-year-old youth still had some greenness about him, though he had a dignified appearance. While not particularly handsome or striking, he still had quite a pleasing appearance with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, a very perfect figure, probably about 1.8 meters tall, whereas Xiyuan didn’t even reach 1.6 meters. Standing together, they had at least a 25 centimeter difference in height. Though the height difference was quite endearing, she wasn’t cute enough to justify using that word, so it seemed somewhat inappropriate.

"Has Prince dined yet?" After pouring a cup of tea for Yun Mi, Xiyuan stood respectfully to the side. The world was still dominated by men; she had to be cautious.

This was the first time Yun Mi attentively observed his Princess Consort. She was not tall, and her appearance was lacking, the only commendable feature being her sufficiently fair skin. Apart from that, her eyes were small, her face not round, compared to the Princess Bao Mrs. Fucha he had seen today at Yuanming Garden – besides her family background, there really wasn’t anything impressive about his own Princess Consort.

Yun Mi was not particularly enthusiastic about this marriage, but since it was arranged by his elder brother and the bride was given by Consort De’s nephew Hai Wang’s younger daughter, who was a concubine but the only two daughters he had, and seemed to be quite doted upon, it could be considered a decent marriage. But he didn’t expect the girl to look so much like Hai Wang – so much that she was... unattractive!

Thinking of the charming and alluring face of Mrs. Fucha, then looking at this featureless face, Yun Mi immediately lost interest.

"I have dined, how is Princess Consort feeling?"

"Thank you, Prince, for your concern. I am well now, but the Imperial Physician said I need a few days of acupuncture to disperse the blood stasis."

"Hmm, that’s good. Alright, then you rest. I have matters to attend to and will not wait."

Prince Cheng didn’t even drink the tea and was about to leave, and Xiyuan could see at a glance that she was being snubbed. However, she didn’t feel upset.

"Prince, your humble concubine has a matter to consult with you about."

Prince Cheng paused, then turned around, "What is it?"

"I noticed that many flower beds and gardens in our mansion are overgrown with weeds, and the flowers are half-dead. I would like to utilize these flower beds and plant something else, but I wish to know your opinion on this matter?"

Prince Cheng’s brows momentarily knitted: "You need to ask me about such a trivial matter? In the future, you can decide on your own. If you require any expenses, you can manage them from the accounting room. Tomorrow, I will arrange for the housekeeper to hand over the household provisioning to you, can you handle that?"