Chapter 306 Chief Adornment

Chapter 306: The Jewelry Officer

The New Year's Day banquet was on the first day of the New Year, and officials of the third rank and above were required to bring their family members into the palace. Entering the palace was no simple matter—Meng Wan and Chang Jinhua had to learn all the etiquette and rules. Meng Wan was in good shape—he was young, quick-witted, and had previously learned some court etiquette from Li Feifei at Songyun College. Chang Jinhua, however, was overwhelmed.

"Wan'er, can I just say I'm sick? I truly don't want to go to any imperial palace." Chang Jinhua's tone carried a hint of near-breakdown.

Meng Wan wanted to laugh but felt it would be improper, so he suppressed it and advised earnestly, "Mother, claiming illness is permissible, but I fear that if it ever leaks out and the palace nobles learn we lied, it wouldn't look good."

Neither he nor Song Tingzhou liked to leave loose ends on such small matters—better to handle things properly in the moment than to regret small oversights later.

The matter of finding a palace attendant now had to be moved up the schedule. Though they wouldn't face the emperor directly, they would still meet the empress and imperial consorts. If their etiquette was lacking, while they might not be punished given Song Tingzhou's position, being rebuked or mocked was certainly possible.

Meng Wan had no connections of his own and had been planning to ask Song Tingzhou to inquire at the Kou Family, but unexpectedly, someone came to their aid.

"Master, the Marquis's residence has sent someone." Gui Cheng rushed over to report. He was now in charge of guarding the gate.

"The Marquis Residence? The Zhongyi Marquis Residence?" The couple only knew a few people, and aside from Qin Jiao's family, no one else would help them without reason.

Meng Wan's mind worked quickly, and he immediately instructed, "Invite them in quickly, and be courteous."

The person was brought into the main courtyard's reception room. He was a middle-aged man of about forty, wearing a thick cotton-padded jacket, carrying a dark bundle, of short stature and slightly plump. He had a peanut-sized brown mole on his forehead. His features were actually quite regular, but that mole was rather unsightly.

"Your servant Jin Que, paying respects to the master." Jin Que performed a formal bow to Meng Wan without a trace of smile, his face tightly composed—much like the early Chang Jinhua, except Chang Jinhua's was a cold face while Jin Que's was rigid.

Meng Wan sized up his character in a single glance before smiling and helping him up. "Nanny Jin, no need for such formality. Were you sent by the old Marquis Qin?"

Meng Wan gestured for Jin Que to sit in the chair below him. His sitting posture was equally rigid, eyes slightly lowered, without curious glances around.

Jin Que produced a letter from his robe. "To answer the master, this is a letter the Marquis instructed me to deliver to you and Lord Song."

Meng Wan didn't miss the brief hesitation in Jin Que's movements when he asked his question—it indicated his origins weren't directly tied to the Marquis of Zhongyi. He wasn't sent by the Marquis Residence, yet he could come under their name. That left only one person.

"How is the Crown Princess doing these days?" Meng Wan asked with a harmless smile.

Nanny Jin straightened up and met his gaze. "The master need not test me. I am not the Crown Princess's agent, though I have seen her a few times in the palace. This time, it was the palace's five-year release of aging attendants, and indeed the Crown Princess helped arrange for my release."

Palace maids over twenty-five could leave the palace if not retained by the nobles. Nanny Jin, at his age, would have spent his whole life in the palace if not for the Crown Princess's intervention.

Meng Wan had a mind full of schemes, but Nanny Jin was truly a straightforward person who had seen storms and spoke without mincing words.

"Sir misunderstands—I wasn't testing you... Never mind, let me see the letter first." Meng Wan had already grasped the Crown Princess's intentions. First, she was wary that with the Crown Prince absent from court, openly sending someone to Meng Wan might invite speculation from those with ulterior motives. Second, she feared Meng Wan might misunderstand and think Jin Que was her spy.

Jin Que held the envelope in his hand, expression unchanged. "Forgive me, master, but the Marquis said it was to be given to both you and Lord Song. It should be opened together when Lord Song returns."

"Ah?"

Meng Wan laughed helplessly. "Very well. Now that you've arrived at our household, let me first tell you about the Song family's circumstances."

Jin Que understood—this was the new master establishing authority. "That's only proper. Please speak, master."

"Our first-class pages receive three taels of silver monthly. Our steward Huang Ye receives five taels. How about I set yours at four taels and five mace?" The servants' wages couldn't exceed Huang Ye's, or how would he manage the household afterward?

Currently, only Gui Cheng and Gui Qian in the front courtyard, and Bie Zhi in Chu Ci's courtyard, received first-class wages.

Zhifan and Zhimao received second-class page wages of one tael and five mace per month. Wei Ying and Yunque in Chang Jinhua's courtyard, and Zhu Sha, Zhu Yan, Gui Fang, and Gui Yuan in A Yan's courtyard, all received second-class wages of one tael and five mace monthly. Songshan and Song Qiao, who were being prepared to eventually replace Zhu Sha and Zhu Yan for A Yan, had also been raised to second-class. The rest were third-class servants earning eight hundred copper coins monthly.

Jin Que's status differed from ordinary servants—he was a free person invited to the Song household. His wages couldn't be too low, or aside from whether he'd even accept, it would show disrespect to the Marquis Residence and the Crown Princess.

Jin Que was quite surprised that Meng Wan's first topic was wages. Even a marquis's first-class page only earned three taels monthly, and in ordinary official households, one tael was already the ceiling. He'd heard that even the Minister of Revenue's first-class page only earned eight hundred coins.

Did the Song family truly have wealth, or were they putting on airs?

Since entering the residence, he'd noticed the household didn't seem to have many servants.

Jin Que rose from his seat and bowed slightly. "Thank you for your generosity, master." He had been a sixth-rank Jewelry Officer in the Palace Wardrobe Bureau, holding an official rank, with a monthly salary of twelve taels of silver. He'd saved quite a bit over the years and hadn't planned to stay at the Song residence permanently.

"Huang Ye, take Nanny Jin to his quarters to rest." Meng Wan had nothing more to say. As long as he was proper and didn't cause trouble relying on his seniority, that was enough.

Huang Ye acknowledged and led Jin Que toward the back courtyard. "Nanny Jin, our household has few servants. The master and lord don't like too many attendants. You'll be staying near the old lady's quarters."

Zhu Yan and Zhu Sha in Chang Jinhua's courtyard had moved to A Yan's western courtyard, freeing up a ready-made room with a bed, wardrobe, tables, and chairs—though there was one extra bed.

Huang Ye called two young servants to move the extra bed out, then went to the storage room in the rear building to fetch bedding, a brazier, stools, a wooden basin, and other daily necessities.

"Nanny Jin, settle in for now. If you need anything, just find me—I live in the eastern row of rooms, the one right next to the kitchen." Huang Ye said politely.

Jin Que had initially found it interesting that the Song family had a young man as steward. As a man himself, he didn't look down on men—quite the opposite, there were many capable men in the palace. Knowing that leaving the palace might mean becoming someone's concubine, the palace attendants worked even harder than the maids. Four of the six bureau heads were men.

But actually having a young man manage the household, and one so young at that—the Song family was likely the first. Now hearing him speak and act so thoroughly, Jin Que's rigid expression softened somewhat. "Steward Huang is too kind. This is already more than adequate."

Huang Ye didn't leave yet, briefly explaining the household situation. "There are only five proper masters in the household. You've already met the master. Our lord is Magistrate Song of the Shuntian Prefecture—he's out visiting friends today and hasn't returned. The eldest young master is the lord and master's adopted son, living in the eastern courtyard, which must not be entered without permission. The second young master is still young and mischievous, living in the western courtyard with the son of the master's friend. The old lady lives in the rear main courtyard, and beside her small courtyard lives the physician the master hired—he should also be treated with respect..."

Jin Que set his luggage on the table, committing Huang Ye's words to memory, when he noticed the composed young steward smile at someone in the courtyard—a relaxed, easy smile.

A middle-aged woman walked in from the courtyard, wearing a brown cotton jacket and an apron, standing awkwardly at the door. "Ye Geer, is this the etiquette teacher who's come?"

Jin Gu's face felt warm. She'd been sent by Chang Jinhua to take a look, and fortunately her son was there—otherwise she'd have been too embarrassed to ask.

Jin Que gave a slight nod. "I'm just an ordinary palace attendant, hardly worthy of being called a teacher."

Huang Ye introduced her, "Nanny Jin, this is my mother. Rest for a while—at noon, my mother will prepare a table for you. In the afternoon, you'll begin teaching the old lady court etiquette."

With that, he took his leave and led Jin Gu out of the room. The composed, capable Steward Huang in front of others was just an ordinary, doting young man in front of his mother.

That afternoon, Chang Jinhua began her lessons with a grim expression, while Meng Wan and Song Tingzhou read the letter in their room.

"For someone so rigid to rise from ordinary palace attendant to sixth-rank Jewelry Officer in a place like the palace that devours people without spitting out bones—he must have other exceptional qualities." Meng Wan remarked with a teasing tone after reading the letter.

Because the Marquis of Zhongyi had instructed that the letter be given to both of them, Jin Que had indeed waited until Song Tingzhou returned home before handing it over. Whether he'd been burned by such matters in the palace before, Meng Wan couldn't say, but the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

With so many spies and informants in the capital, the Marquis of Zhongyi's letter said little—just briefly introduced Nanny Jin's background, saying his history was clean and they could use him with confidence.

Song Tingzhou sipped his tea. "The Crown Princess must have vetted carefully. Someone from the Palace Wardrobe Bureau can indeed advise on the clothing and accessories for the New Year's Day banquet."

Male officials could simply wear their official robes into the palace, but Meng Wan and Chang Jinhua had no noble titles and needed to wear other regulation-appropriate attire. Jin Que could guide them on that.

In the days before the New Year, Chang Jinhua and Meng Wan did nothing but study court etiquette at home. Not only that—A Xun and Chi Yu had to learn as well. While officials' family members couldn't bring servants into the inner palace, Meng Wan was still uneasy. Even if A Xun and Chi Yu had to wait outside the palace gates, he would bring them along just in case.

This New Year should have been a time of joy over Song Tingzhou's promotion, but only the two children, A Yan and Tong'er, were excited about buying firecrackers and fireworks. All the adults were worried.

In previous years, Chang Jinhua personally prepared the New Year's Eve dinner. This year, she had no heart for it, so Meng Wan took over, cooking with Jin Gu and two kitchen helpers.

That night, the family gathered in Chang Jinhua's main room for the New Year's Eve vigil. Tables were covered with fruits and snacks, the only pity being that fresh lychees weren't available—instead, plates held canned lychees in syrup.

The "bang bang" of firecrackers and fireworks in the courtyard rang out one after another, echoing from all directions, children's cheers ringing through the streets.

Chang Jinhua, fearing that with so many people outside, A Yan and Tong'er might be kidnapped, kept the two children in the courtyard to play. Having grown up together, they kept each other company.

Meng Wan had the food cleared from the heated bed and laid out a blanket, calling people to play leaf cards with him. Chu Ci and Chang Jinhua sat on either side of him, with A Xun as the banker across from Meng Wan.

When it's just family playing, everyone grabbed a handful of copper coins, just for the fun of it, with no real stakes.

Meng Wan was quick-witted, sometimes even counting cards. Chu Ci was also quite skilled at the game. Chang Jinhua and A Xun seemed to just be there to fill out the table, losing money left and right.

Chang Jinhua was already nervous about entering the palace the next day, and the more she played, the more her mind wandered. She finally got up from the table and said, "Dalang, you take my spot. I'll go fry up some peanuts for y'all."

Song Tingzhou's memory was even more impressive, as if he had some kind of cheat code. Now it was A Xun's turn to look worried, and Chu Ci started secretly feeding him good cards, going easy on him whenever he was dealing.

"It's still early. There's singing and dancing by the Jade River tonight—why don't you two go check it out?" Meng Wan suggested.

"Hmm?" A Xun hesitated, looking at Chu Ci. "Should we go?"

Chu Ci was already on his feet the second A Xun looked his way, with A Xun's fluffy cloak in hand, waiting for him to put on his shoes.

Song Tingzhou, sitting by the edge of the kang, pulled a pouch from his chest and tossed it to Chu Ci. "Buy whatever you want—don't hold back on our account."

Chu Ci was long accustomed to his two fathers slipping him money from time to time. He could never even use up his monthly allowance of ten taels, and he'd filled one money box after another.

After the two left, no one else remained in the room. Meng Wan leaned bonelessly against Song Tingzhou and suddenly sighed, "After the New Year, I'll be twenty-nine. Time really flies—the years pass in the blink of an eye." Having spent so much time around cultured people, he occasionally came out with elegant phrases himself.

Song Tingzhou's fingers brushed the skin at his temple, his gaze thick with tender love, like a warm spring. "My Wan'er today is just like when we first met in Sanquan Village."

Meng Wan's lips curved upward. "A Xian gets it from you—always just staring at pretty faces."

Song Tingzhou refused to accept that accusation. "It wasn't because of your looks that I wanted to marry you back then."

Meng Wan's eyes were now full of laughter. "I know—your A Wan is just that great, you love everything about me, inside and out."

Song Tingzhou laughed along with him. He was usually reserved, and it was rare for him to laugh so freely like this.

Chang Jinhua came in carrying half a basket of fried peanuts. She got one foot in the door, then immediately tried to back out. "You two are something else—what if the kids walk in and see this?" Though her tone was disapproving, she didn't seem surprised, clearly used to it by now.

But Jin Que followed right behind her. Before she could see anything, she quickly lowered her head. "Madam, I'm afraid this goes against propriety and could invite gossip."

Meng Wan sat up straight. Unlike Song Tingzhou, whose expression had suddenly turned cold, his smile remained unchanged, as if he didn't care much. "Nanny Jin, in the Song family, the head of the household makes the rules. Propriety is built on absolute authority. The emperor's power rules over everyone under heaven, but it doesn't reach into a family's private affairs. In the Song household, I do whatever I want."

Jin Que had never heard such an outrageous way of thinking. She instinctively glanced at Song Tingzhou, only to find him staring back at her coldly.

Jin Que's shoulders gave the faintest tremble. "This servant understands."