Chapter 121 - 121: The Only One Without Wei Qingwan’s Share_i
In addition to gold, there were also numerous rewards of cloth, porcelain, tea, pearls, and spices…
All of these are commonly used items of royal reward.
As a favoured prince, these things were ordinary to Chu Lan.
But for ordinary people, these items could not be bought even with an abundance of wealth.
Take this tea, for example, it was likely a tribute from different regions, and this porcelain was probably made in an official kiln.
It was a pity that these things could not be sold for money.
The only thing Wei Ruo could use as money was this one hundred taels of gold.
Wei Ruo looked at these items with a slightly furrowed brow.
“Miss, what’s wrong?” Xiumei asked.
“I need to pick some items that I won’t use but still look presentable to give to the others in the family. I must do what needs to be done to avoid them finding any fault with me.” said Wei Ruo.
What Chu Lan gifted her this time was different from what the Xie Family gave her previously. Gifts from others needed to be returned eventually, so there was a justification for not sharing them with others.
But this time, having received so many royal rewards, it would be inappropriate not to share some with the family.
Xiumei thought for a moment and said, “Miss, I just noticed that some of the cloth is meant for men and we can’t use it.”
“Sort them out.”
“Alright!”
Xiumei separated the material. About half or eight pieces were meant for men.
“Out of these eight, keep four for the second brother and give the other four to father and elder brother. Remember, only mention two for the second brother when asked.” said Wei Ruo.
Xiumei: “Okay.”
Wei Ruo: “Are there not three boxes of pearls?”
Xiumei: “Yes, three boxes, and the pearls are quite large.”
Wei Ruo: “Take out a box and send it to Cangyun Garden.”
Although unwilling, she knew that she needed to maintain decorum or it would give her trouble later on.
“Also, take out a few pieces of the tea pot and porcelain to give to my grandparents in the Capital City. We will send them when we have something to deliver to the Capital City.”
Although she has not met her grandparents yet, they have sent gifts twice already. She naturally wanted to reciprocate their kindness now that she had received the rewards.
Moreover, the gifts for them should be more valuable than those for the other people in the family, so Wei Ruo picked a few more items.
With this, she had arranged gifts for her parents, elder brother, and grandparents. Only Wei Qingwan and Wei Yilin were left.
“No need to prepare for Wei Qingwan. She just offended me and everyone in the Government City knows about it. She’s at fault and is still being punished. I can openly withhold her gift under the guise of her punishment.” That was something Wei Ruo already prepared for.
Thankfully, Wei Qingwan was herself at fault, creating such a fuss in the Government City, providing Wei Ruo an excuse to “punish” her publicly. “As for Wei Yilin, he also made a mistake, but I have already penalized him, so it wouldn’t be proper to overdo it. I see there’s a whip listed, I will give it to him to practice.” said Wei Ruo.
Of course, the whip gifted by Chu Lan was undoubtedly a luxurious item. It was completely appropriate and dignified to gift it to Wei Yilin who was currently learning martial arts.
However, Wei Yilin, who was only seven years old, would likely tire his arm for a long time swinging that whip.
Xiumei followed Wei Ruo’s orders by selecting these items and keeping them aside.
“Also, pick out some more items to send to my nurse and her family. Whatever can be given, should be given to them.”
Wei Ruo looked at the items in front of her and considered which ones could be given to the Xu Family.
The cloth wouldn’t work because ordinary families couldn’t wear the fabric gifted by Chu Lan. Likewise, the porcelain figurines were also unsuitable, not fit for commoners.
There was also a dagger studded with jewels that Wei Ruo really wanted to give to Xu Zhengyong, but the decoration was too obvious. If Xu Zhengyong were to receive it, who knows what trouble would ensue if others found out.
Upon closer inspection, the items that could be safely given to her nurse’s family were very limited.
“Give the remaining two boxes of pearls to my nurse, split the tea leaves and give half of them to Uncle Xu, he enjoys drinking tea. The tea, despite being expensive, can still be bought in the market, it won’t cause any trouble even if people came to know about it.”
“Also, take some of my silver and find a blacksmith. Order a good quality dagger and a few pieces of armory.”
If the directly gifted items were unsuitable, then she would pay for them separately. She owed that much to her nurse and her family.
“Alright, I’ll arrange for it once I’m done packing!” Xiumei answered enthusiastically.
Then Wei Ruo and Xiumei packed up the gifted items together, separated those that needed to be given away and those that needed to be stored, arranging everything neatly.
Afterwards, they organized a pile of less valuable items from the storage rooms to make some space.
Most of the collected items were from the first batch of gifts sent by the uncle from the Capital City when Wei Ruo first came to the Military Prefecture, which were not very valuable brasswares.
For the five boxes of sorted items, Wei Ruo called some servants to carry them to the main storage room of the Prefecture.
Following this, Wei Ruo took the gifts meant for the family to Cangyun Garden.
“Mother, I intend to give these items to the family members.” said Wei Ruo.
Speaking, Wei Ruo handed over a box of pearls to Madam Yun, “This box of pearls is for mother.”
When the box was opened, the pearls were large and round, their lustrous shine indicating high quality. Even if one had the money, it would be difficult to buy such quality pearls.
“Ruoruo, you’re so thoughtful.” Madam Yun closed the box, expressing satisfaction and delight.
“I selected several bales of cloth, two for father, elder brother, and second brother each, for them to make new clothes. I also picked a few pieces of porcelain and a set of purple sand tea pots, which may be sent to grandparents in the Capital City when there’s a suitable opportunity.” Wei Ruo added.
Madam Yun nodded, highly satisfied with Wei Ruo’s arrangements.
Then Wei Ruo took out a whip: “I’m not versed in the use of whips, but since it was a gift from the Seventh Prince, it must be a valuable one. It should be just right for my younger brother who is learning martial arts.”
“You’ve thought this through very carefully.” Madam Yun approved.
After waiting for a while, when Wei Ruo didn’t speak, Madam Yun asked, “What about Qingwan?”
Wei Ruo answered, “Mother, have you forgotten what just happened? Miss
Qingwan made a mistake and is currently being punished. If she is to be punished, she must show that she is being punished. How can she be punished and rewarded at the same time?”
Despite being unable to resist, Madam Yun spoke in favour of Wei Qingwan, “Your sister already knows her mistake and has also received the appropriate punishment. As the elder sister, you should be more forgiving. You and your sister will need to support each other in the future, you shouldn’t let such a small matter ruin the bond between you.”
“Knowing the mistakes confirms that the punishment is effective. Then, shouldn’t we stop midway? If the mistake was made first, the realization and correction of the mistake are things she should naturally do. These are ways of making amends, not meritorious acts. How can rewards be given simply because she has realized her mistake?” Wei Ruo counter-questioned..