Chapter 274: Peaches from Heaven—How Much Favoritism?
Midsummer in June is the hottest time in Beijing. The servants of wealthy families water the grounds several times a day using well water, and ice basins are used in the study rooms to cool the air. Even the fruits and vegetables purchased are several times more than usual. That day, Zhu Di bestowed fresh fruits and vegetables on the military commanders. Zhang You, who was now serving at the Left Military Command, was among those fortunate enough to receive them, so in the afternoon, a junior official delivered two baskets of peaches to Zhang’s residence. Although the gatekeepers usually shared gifts among those who brought them, they dared not take anything from imperial gifts. Together, they carefully brought the items inside through the decorated gate, reporting that they were an imperial gift.
Lady Gu had recovered by more than half, and her appetite was good. But due to her age, she still dared not use ice even in the heat, and she could only wash fruits and vegetables in well water before eating them. At that moment, Bai Fang prepared a plate of melons and brought it over. Hearing from the maid who had just returned that the emperor had sent peaches, she joked, “The old lady said yesterday that peaches from the south were delicious. Now they’ve been sent right away—clearly, wishes do come true!”
“What do you mean wishes come true? It’s all thanks to your second master! The maid who just came said that aside from dukes and marquises, only military officers above the third rank in the Five Military Commands received two baskets each. Everyone else got nothing—most of the gifts went to the children of meritorious officials. After all, these peaches were transported from the south, and it’s very difficult to send them by land or water. Who knows how much was lost along the way?”
Lady Gu laughed at her own words and then instructed the maid, “Have the peaches brought in. Invite the first and second wives here. Since these are imperial gifts, everyone should get a chance to try them.”
Soon, the two baskets of peaches were delivered to the main house in the north courtyard. Bai Fang and a few maids carefully selected the peaches and placed them on red lacquered trays. There were only twenty peaches in total, four of which were already slightly rotten. All the peaches were the size of a bowl, with bright skins that looked very appealing. Seeing Lady Gu seem sorry about the rotten peaches, Bai Fang quickly said, “We can just remove the rotten flesh; the rest is still edible. Madam, why not give these less perfect ones to us in the household to try? That way, everyone can enjoy the emperor’s grace.”
“These are imperial peaches. Bai Fang, you really know how to pick the best ones!”
As they spoke, the curtain outside had already been lifted high, and Dongfang Shi stepped in over the threshold, followed by the timid Zhang Yi. With the marriage approaching and the bride coming from a prominent family, she was afraid of losing face, so these days she had kept the concubine by her side to train and discipline her, putting in such effort for the first time in her life. Having just heard Bai Fang’s words outside, she immediately remembered that it was this girl who had been sent by the Gu family last time to deliver something, ruining her attempt to establish authority. Hence, her tone was somewhat rude.
After entering, Dongfang Shi didn’t even glance at Bai Fang and smiled as she greeted Gu Shi. Seeing that Feng Shi hadn’t arrived yet, she naturally didn’t miss the chance to flatter her. Standing to Gu Shi’s left, she said with a smile, “I heard these are special tributes from the Jiangnan region this year. Only ten carts were sent to the palace. If not for my husband’s position in the military governor’s office, it would be impossible to obtain them even with money. Besides, imperial gifts—even if they spoil—shouldn’t be given to servants, as it might be seen as disrespectful.”
Although she had just praised Zhang You, Dongfang Shi added these words unnecessarily, which made Gu Shi somewhat displeased. Bai Fang didn’t care much about a few peaches; she just wanted to please Gu Shi. Hearing Dongfang Shi keep mentioning servants and disrespect, she became furious but could only force a smile.
“A few peaches—what’s so disrespectful about that?”
At that moment, Feng Shi entered with Zhang Jiu. After greeting them, seeing Dongfang Shi’s displeased expression, she smiled coldly and pushed Zhang Jiu to sit beside Gu Shi before saying calmly, “When I came back from outside just now, I heard a few housewives say that the eunuch who delivered the peaches didn’t allow the family to go out and thank him. This shows that the emperor truly understands the hardships of military officials and wouldn’t prevent everyone from sharing in the favors. I first went to the Duke of Yingguo’s residence, where the palace also bestowed four baskets of peaches. Although the Duchess likes them, she doesn’t dare eat too much and only kept two baskets, leaving the other two for me to bring back.”
Since she had just been visiting guests, Feng Shi still hadn’t changed out of her coat, its bright red and gold colors dazzling the eyes. Dongfang Shi’s initial arrogance was immediately dampened by half. Although she was now a second-rank lady, she rarely visited the Duke of Yingguo’s residence. The reason was simple: the Duchess always treated her coldly and distantly, leaving her at a loss for words. So, when Feng Shi brought up the Duchess now, Dongfang Shi could only endure her displeasure.
Feng Shi smiled as she stepped outside and gave an order. The housekeeper’s wife immediately brought over two more baskets of peaches, also twenty in total. This time, every peach was intact—none were rotten, not even slightly damaged, clearly having been carefully selected.
With so many more peaches and the eldest daughter-in-law’s words, Gu Shi naturally understood what to do. She immediately instructed Bai Fang to take out the four peaches that were half-rotten and have them shared among the maids.
After giving these orders, she said to Feng Shi, “Although peaches are of a mild nature, they are still better suited for those with a cold constitution. Brother Jiu always has a hot constitution; last time I even saw blisters at the corners of his mouth. It’s better for him to eat fewer peaches. Take one basket back and only allow him to eat two. The rest can be shared as a novelty.”
Seeing Dong Fang Shi standing there clutching her handkerchief, she knew full well that the second daughter-in-law was feeling upset again. She used to think Dong Fang Shi was smart and obedient, but now she seemed troublesome. After trying to discipline her a few times with no effect, she grew tired of nagging and said, “You take one basket back too. Brother Chao and the other brothers generally don’t like these, but Brother Chao’s wife might like them. Also, give two to the one in the second branch who’s suffering from morning sickness.”
Gu Shi no longer even wanted to mention Fang Shuixin’s name. After assigning peaches to the eldest and second branches, seeing Bai Fang and the maids enter smiling, she snapped irritably, “Why are you all in such a hurry? It looks like you’ve never seen anything good before! Pick three and take them to the western courtyard for Ling Xi and the others. I’ll keep two here, and the rest can be packed into one basket and sent to the Du family. After all, that Mrs. Du is Brother Yue’s mother-in-law. With Master Du away, I, as the grandmother, must take care of things.”
Seeing Dong Fang Shi’s even more miserable smile than crying, Bai Fang felt immense satisfaction. She quickly bowed in agreement and, along with the three maids, rearranged the peaches in the basket. As Feng Shi and Dong Fang Shi chatted for a while before leaving with their items, she prepared another three-layered food box. After placing three peaches at the bottom, she observed Gu Shi’s expression and added a few snacks that had been brought for her at noon but hadn’t been touched—rose pastries, almond cakes, crystal cakes, and melon seed pastries.
“You girl, you’re only thinking about Lingxi!” Lady Gu naturally noticed Bai Fang’s “little tricks” and scolded her, though she was also really worried about the West Courtyard. “Be careful. Once Brother Yue leaves, someone there will surely neglect them. A few days ago, your Second Mistress mentioned giving them their monthly allowance later. Go inside and search in my chest to find that packet of silver from last time and give it to them. Also, bring along the unfinished sewing projects so the three of them can help work on them together.”
Bai Fang and Lingxi had been good friends before, so she was happy to hear this instruction and quickly went to get the items herself. After coming out, she told a maid to carry the food box, then left the North Courtyard and headed for the West Courtyard. Happy, she even felt as if her steps were floating as she walked. As soon as she entered the West Courtyard gate, she started shouting, “Lingxi, Qiuhen, Hupo, come out quickly! See what nice things I’ve brought for you!”
No sooner had she spoken than the bamboo curtain of the main house was lifted, and Qiuhen poked her head out. Seeing it was Bai Fang, she rushed out of the house and down the steps. Glancing at the food box carried by the maid behind her, she couldn’t help but laugh. “Since Master left, no one pays attention to us. Bai Fang, you still remember us! These past few days, we’ve only had vegetarian food, at most with a bowl of stewed eggs—my taste buds are so dull! What nice things are in this box?”
Qiuhen was quick-witted and immediately lifted the first layer, only to see two kinds of delicate pastries, which made her smile happily. Bai Fang had a similar temperament, so she snapped the lid back on in annoyance and pulled her inside. Not seeing Lingxi and Hupo there, she quickly asked where they were. Learning that they had gone to get a new quilt, she curled her lips.
“The Second Mistress used to be fair in managing the household, but now that her status has risen, she’s become even more stingy with money. Today, she even scolded me over a few peaches. Luckily, the First Mistress spoke up in my defense. By the way, the four kinds of pastries in the box were sent by the Old Lady. The three peaches below were bestowed by the palace. The Old Lady said to let you three have them to try something new.”
As she spoke, she set down the bundle and took out a pair of warm headbands and ear warmers, along with various threads and embroidery patterns. Then she explained, “The Old Lady has been preparing things for winter lately, as well as embroidery and clothes to give to the future master or daughter of the Duke of Britain. There’s so much sewing to do that we need your help.”
“The three of us are so bored we could die. It would be great to have something to do,” Qiu Hen agreed immediately. Seeing there was more in the bundle, she snapped, “If you have something, just take it out. Why hide it?”
“That’s twenty taels of silver sent by the old lady out of concern for the three of you!” Bai Fang finally revealed the truth. Noticing Qiu Hen’s confusion, she added with envy, “The old lady was afraid the third young master leaving would leave you without money, so she specifically instructed me to bring this. Ever since we moved to Beijing, although our income has increased, expenses have also risen. July brings the Crown Prince’s Birthday Festival, and it’s said the second madam has invested all her resources from the estate to prepare for it!”
On the day when the emperor bestowed peaches on military officials and everyone was planning for the Crown Prince’s Birthday Festival in July, an order from Zhu Di suddenly reached the palace—no gifts were required for the festival. This was the third year in a row that gifts were waived. Though this order saved civil and military officials as well as meritorious families a significant amount of money, people couldn’t help but wonder.
Traditionally, the Crown Prince’s Birthday Festival featured a grand banquet in the Wenhua Hall. Now that most officials had moved to Beijing, could it be that in addition to waiving gifts, the festival might also be canceled?