Although Princess Hongnong said this, Qinggu still enthusiastically left behind all the people and things she had brought.

To ensure she could use them with confidence, Qinggu even handed their indenture contracts to Ren Hui.

Ren Hui brought the box to Princess Hongnong and said in a low voice, “This servant asked about them. These are all servants the Zhao family bought in the past two months. They’ve been trained for a while, but they were originally servants from various households. The Grand General was going to grant them freedom and land, but some didn’t know how to farm and were unwilling to learn, so after receiving their release papers, they went to the labor market and sold themselves again.”

These people had originally been prepared by Madam Wang for Zhao Erlang.

She had it all planned out—once Zhao Hanzhang got married and the New Year passed, she would arrange a match for Zhao Erlang.

After the siblings were both married, it wouldn’t be proper for the two families to continue living together.

Zhao Erlang’s new estate was under construction, so she thought she’d build the estate while training servants for him.

A useful servant also needed one or two years of training, perhaps even longer, so she was starting preparations now.

She hadn’t expected that before Zhao Erlang could use them, she’d have to give them to Princess Hongnong.

Though it pained her, when Madam Wang thought about the recipient being a princess and also Sanniang’s mother-in-law, she felt better. She had at least trained these people for a while, and when they went to the Fu estate, they would all be people for her Sanniang.

Princess Hongnong looked through the indenture contracts and handed them to Ren Hui. “Go train them. Pay back to the Zhao family according to the silver amounts on the contracts. Also, inquire about Luoyang’s labor market. Go buy some old servants and hereditary slaves. After training them, keep them close for service.”

She didn’t quite trust people from outside.

Ren Hui acknowledged the order.

Princess Hongnong added, “Submit a petition to the palace. I request an audience with His Majesty.”

“Yes,” Ren Hui paused, then asked, “What about the things the Zhao family sent?”

Princess Hongnong sighed. “Use what we can use.”

As it happened, everything the Zhao family sent was usable.

Qinggu not only had people transport beds but also sent craftsmen. After cleaning the rooms, they moved the beds in, and the craftsmen immediately assembled them. There were also complete couches that could be used once carried in and set up.

Ren Hui opened a chest and saw the exquisite canopy inside. Her eyes gleamed as she immediately brought it to Princess Hongnong. “Your Highness, look—this canopy was sent together with two bolts of cloth.”

Not just the canopy, but also scented handkerchiefs and wooden basins. Ren Hui also found a box of incense. This was no longer just gift-giving—it was more like moving house.

Such thoughtfulness and attentiveness left Princess Hongnong stunned for quite a while before she said, “To raise a daughter like Zhao Hanzhang, Madam Wang is indeed not to be underestimated.”

Meanwhile, Madam Wang was looking at the list with distress.

As soon as Qinggu returned, she pressed for details. “How did you bring so many things over? Many of those were items I prepared for Sanniang’s dowry.”

Qinggu smiled to comfort her. “You weren’t planning to list these items on the dowry inventory anyway. Sooner or later they’ll be sent over. Better to send them early than late.”

Madam Wang said, “That’s not the same. When sent as dowry, those become Sanniang’s possessions. Sending them now is a gift—how could we take them back for Sanniang to use?”

“My dear madam, you don’t know the situation at that estate. Right now, Sanniang and the young master mostly stay here. After they marry, they’ll also move to the new estate. The Fu estate is barely furnished, but they’ll still need to return occasionally to stay a few days. Most of what you prepared won’t be needed at the new estate,” Qinggu said. “And Sanniang wants to be frugal—these items can’t be listed anyway. Better to send them over to furnish that place.”

“Marriage is about joining two families in harmony. If the Fu family prospers, Sanniang also gains face. If the Fu family is impoverished, would Sanniang and the young master look good? “

When deciding to marry, Zhao Hanzhang had chosen a large vacant estate near the palace, close to the palace gates, in the Imperial City.

This grand estate had once belonged to Prince Donghai, Sima Yue. After Zhao Hanzhang entered Luoyang, such masterless estates were confiscated as state property. Since it was state property, she had authority over it.

So she gave it to herself.

She had already decided the wedding would be held in this estate. In two months, the estate had been fully renovated, and the major items were basically prepared. During this period, they were just adding some smaller items. Madam Wang knew about this, but the newly returned Princess Hongnong and Fu Xuan definitely didn’t.

Only then did Madam Wang stop talking.

Qinggu supported her as she sat down and continued persuading, “The princess and her party just returned from Shu and don’t know the details, but we know the truth. The young master gave all his money to fill the gaps for Sanniang and Erlang. He has little money himself, let alone enough to support a household.”

Madam Wang felt somewhat guilty. She knew that Fu Tinghan had given his entire fortune to Sanniang and Erlang. Moreover, all these years Fu Tinghan had worked for Sanniang with almost no income. Any income he had, he turned around and gave back to Sanniang.

So much so that for renovating the new house, Zhao Hanzhang and Zhao Hu had to borrow money.

Originally, Madam Wang wanted to lend—no, to cover it for her—but Zhao Hanzhang immediately refused. “Mother, to support troops and wage war, I’ve already used the money Grandfather left for Erlang. If I use your dowry too, what would that look like?”

Madam Wang’s dowry was her bottom line, something that absolutely couldn’t be touched. Of course, for daily food, clothing, and gifts, if Mother wanted to give them, Zhao Hanzhang would still shamelessly accept.

But renovations were different. The prince’s estate hadn’t been occupied for years, and with people occasionally sneaking in to pilfer things, the repairs would cost quite a bit of silver.

Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan were both very confident in their ability to repay debts, so they confidently borrowed money from Zhao Hu.

Although Zhao Hu didn’t quite understand, he still lent it. He could refuse other matters, but marriage was a lifelong event after all. He reluctantly overlooked their recent unpleasantness.

Not only did he lend money, he also allowed Zhao Hanzhang to borrow a team from his construction crew.

Looking at Fu Tinghan, who had no parents managing things, and then at Madam Wang, who only handled minor details, Zhao Hu felt that without him, Zhao Hanzhang’s little household would fall apart.

Returning to the topic, the reason Madam Wang felt guilty was that according to the principle “when parents are present, there is no private property,” Fu Tinghan not only had private property but had subsidized outsiders with it all, yet didn’t have money to support his birth parents. If this got out, it would reflect badly on both Fu Tinghan and Zhao Hanzhang.

She immediately changed her attitude, nodding repeatedly. “You’re right. We should send things. Look again at what else they need over there and prepare more to send?”

Qinggu smiled. “This servant is keeping watch. Tomorrow I’ll have people send over some rice, flour, vegetables, and meat. They just returned to Luoyang and probably don’t even know where the markets are.”

Madam Wang agreed. Thinking about how Princess Hongnong and Fu Xuan were now living alone in the estate across the way, she put herself in their shoes and felt somewhat angry. “Sanniang really… such an important matter, yet when Tinghan’s parents return, she still calls him over to discuss state affairs. Couldn’t she give him a day off?”