Rebirth and Marriage: I am the Mistress of the Palace

Shen Wantang laughed. Normally, Du Juan would rarely scold Xiao Qingyuan in such a disrespectful way. She must have been so angry today that she mocked Xiao Qingyuan for being brainless.

"Alright, it's not a big deal, just a few clothes. The prince has already asked, so we can't refuse him."

Shen Wantang said calmly, "I have donated tens of thousands of taels of silver and a lot of food and cloth to the refugees outside. Naturally, my own maids can't stand the cold. Qinxin, go to the clothing store to get four new winter clothes and send them to Huayi. Remember, you have to get good materials and the colors that Huayi likes. Don't mess around."

Qin stamped her feet anxiously, "Princess, you really gave Huayi a gift! When the weather just started to get cold, winter clothes were distributed to the whole mansion. We, the maids, each received four sets. In ordinary families, even the eldest daughters of the family don't get such treatment!"

"Now, you want to give her four more sets. Aren't you afraid that Huayi's appetite will be spoiled and she will become arrogant? Be careful not to fatten her up, or she will bite you back later!"

"You are too kind-hearted. Tell me that when the prince came to ask for clothes just now, you should have refused him outright. Otherwise, he would ask for clothes and medicine today, but I don't know what he would ask for tomorrow!"

Shen Wantang listened to the maid's earnest voice and looked outside.

The winter wind was bleak, blowing off all the leaves on the tall sycamore tree in the yard, leaving only bare branches swaying.

This reminded her of her previous life.

One winter, her clothing shop was in a very bad state and shipments became very slow. At this time, several shopkeepers that she had carefully trained all resigned.

The shops, which were already in a bad state, were made even worse by the situation and almost went bankrupt that winter.

Later, she found out that several of her shopkeepers had secretly hooked up with other masters because they paid her ten taels of silver more than her every month.

She felt both angry and ridiculous. Ten taels of silver almost caused all her shops to close down.

But from then on, no matter whether she hired a shopkeeper or a waiter, as long as they were really capable, she was willing to pay them a price that no one in the industry could afford.

Even if the shopkeeper secretly tried to make a small profit for himself, as long as it did not affect the overall business direction of the shop, she would turn a blind eye - if the water is too clear, there will be no fish.

Shen Wantang's eyes became distant, and his voice was especially gentle: "Huayi is my maid, and I was the one who sent her to the prince. I need her to do things, so I can't be stingy. As long as I give enough, it will be difficult for others to bribe her."

"It's true that a person's appetite can be nurtured, but what if I raise her to adulthood and no one else can?"

Qin Xin hesitated: "This... the appetite is too big, will it devour the master?"

Shen Wantang smiled and said, "That's another way. If she's not afraid of breaking all her teeth, go ahead and bite her."

Qin Xin was still angry: "Anyway, the prince went all the way for her, there must be something fishy going on here! I am afraid that you will underestimate Hua Yi and be suppressed by her again."

Shen Wantang remained calm: "When she came last night, her clothes were indeed thin. I can understand why the prince felt sorry for her."

Qin Xin gritted her teeth and said, "She must be wearing so little on purpose. It's not like we didn't give her winter clothes, but she insisted on wearing thin clothes. Firstly, she wanted to look slim and graceful, and secondly, she must have done it to win the prince's affection!"

Shen Wantang neither nodded nor denied it.

Maybe Hua Yi did it on purpose, but this intention was not necessarily directed at her as the Crown Prince's Consort.

At least, Huayi is still not fully grown yet, and she would not dare to go against her as the Crown Prince's Consort.

Trust the people you employ, and don't employ people if you don't trust them. Shen Wantang chose Huayi not only because of her special abilities, but more importantly, she knew that Huayi was a smart person who knew how to restrain her edge and knew what she wanted.

She didn't believe that Huayi would instigate Xiao Qingyuan to provoke her just because of a few pieces of clothing. Huayi was not that stupid.

Xiao Qingyuan came today to ask for clothes and ointment for her, but Huayi was probably unaware of this.

Shen Wantang waved her hand at Qin Xin and said, "No need to say more. Go to the clothing store to get some clothes now. The sizes of you are similar, so it won't be difficult for the clothing store to get four sets of ready-made clothes."

"Go ahead. After you get the clothes, send them directly to Xingheyuan. Oh, and bring two more maids with you. Make a bigger noise so that everyone knows that the prince asked for clothes for Huayi, and I gave them to her without hesitation."

Qin Xin was originally very angry, but after hearing Shen Wantang's instructions, she couldn't help but be stunned.

She realized belatedly that the Crown Prince's wife's promise to give Huayi clothes seemed to have some other meaning behind it, otherwise there would be no need to give it away with such fanfare.

She didn't know what the Crown Princess was up to, but she was loyal. She would do whatever the Crown Princess told her to do, even if she was reluctant, she would carry it out meticulously.

After she left, Du Juan also realized that Shen Wantang had other intentions. She hurriedly asked, "Princess, do I need to tell my subordinates to make medicine? Do I need to send it to Huayi?"

This time, Shen Wantang shook his head and said, "There's no need to send the medicine. I gave you enough last night. It's enough for Huayi to use until next year."

It's not that she doesn't have any medicine left. She has all the emergency medicines prepared, so it's impossible for her to give them all to Huayi.

But when Xiao Qingyuan asked for it, she evaded the question. She only agreed to give him clothes, but not medicine.

Du Juan was a little confused: "Princess, didn't you send clothes to Huayi with great fanfare? Why didn't you send medicine? Is there any difference between the two?"

Shen Wantang stretched out his finger and nodded her head with a smile: "Stupid, there is naturally no difference between the two, but I can't just give everything to the prince when he asks for it, right? Wouldn't that make me lose face?"

"Oh, it is a bit embarrassing, but if you want to save face, you can also refuse the prince and not give him anything. In this way, people in the mansion will know that you are the one who has the final say!"

"You're still stupid. If I reject all of them, wouldn't the prince be very embarrassed? I can't just take care of myself and ignore him."

Du Juan didn't think much of Xiao Qingyuan now. She said angrily, "Why do you care about him? He has never cared about you since I married you. I think you don't have to give him any face. He doesn't know what's good for him anyway."

Shen Wantang sighed softly: "If I were a princess, I would naturally not have to care about anyone's face, but I am not, so I naturally have to do things in a comprehensive manner. After all, the surname of this Ning Wang Mansion is Xiao, not Shen, so we still have to give the prince face."

It's not easy to be the mistress of Prince Ning's Mansion. How can she do everything as she pleases?