The Princess and Her Rough-Rider Khan
Chapter 137 The princess also has Khan in her heart (second update)

Chapter 137: 137 The princess also has Khan in her heart (second update)

Li Xianyun, in order to prevent the palace Chiefs from dominating unilaterally, leading to bullying, corruption, and dereliction of duty, decided to assign a deputy position in each palace.

With both the Chief and the deputy mutually overseeing and checking each other, management would become more standardized and transparent.

The deputies would be chosen from among the palace servants or maids with relatively good reputations.

Li Xianyun also stipulated that every seven days, the Chiefs were to report to her at the Khan Palace about the situation within their respective palaces. Those who managed well would be rewarded, while those with chaotic management would be punished, with reprimands for minor issues and demotion for major ones.

Chiefs with ill intentions, stirring up trouble, would at minimum be expelled from the palace, or in severe cases, handed over to the guard for disposal according to regulations.

After the responsibilities of each Chief were made clear, Li Xianyun said, "With everyone fulfilling their duties, only then can the harem be orderly. During this time, I shall occasionally send Zhuo Ma or Youlan to visit the various palaces, and I will also inspect them from time to time. Should any issues be discovered, they must be promptly rectified. Compliance with orders is a must for all Palace Attendants."

"Yes."

"Dismiss."

The Chiefs kneeled and bowed their arms in salute, saying, "Your humble servant shall take leave."

After leaving the Khan Palace, Rong Ge said to a familiar Chief, "They say a new official sets fires upon taking office, and the Princess’s fire is burning fiercely indeed."

The Chief glanced at her indifferently, not uttering a word to her, but turned to the two Chiefs walking side by side ahead and said, "Wait for me, let’s walk together."

She then quickened her pace to catch up with the two Chiefs ahead.

Rong Ge watched the person coldly and muttered, "Fair-weather friends shift with the wind. When the Grand Imperial Consort was in favor, they couldn’t flatter me enough; now, they avoid me like the plague, utterly detestable."

She thought to herself: One day, they will come crying to beg me.

After all the Chiefs had left, Li Xianyun called over the Chief of the kitchen.

Li Xianyun looked at the kitchen Chief and said, "I have been quite busy these past few days and there’s something I haven’t had the chance to mention to you."

Seeing Li Xianyun’s serious demeanor, the kitchen Chief respectfully said, "Please speak, Princess, your humble servant listens attentively."

Li Xianyun said, "These past few days, the kitchen has made a lot of pastries to sell, which has been very laborious. Tell the kitchen maids that they are not laboring in vain. When we calculate the Ice Porridge Shop’s profit at the end of the month, each will receive a share of silver tael based on the profit made."

The kitchen Chief looked at Li Xianyun in surprise.

As servants, whatever tasks their masters give them are expected, and they also receive a monthly salary in the palace.

The kitchen Chief, being a straightforward person, voiced his thoughts.

"Princess, these are all duties we should fulfill. You need not give us silver taels," said the kitchen Chief.

Li Xianyun’s lips curved upwards, "You have worked hard and you should be rewarded for it. This is what you deserve; just relay my words to the kitchen maids as I have said."

Even servants must be rewarded and punished appropriately.

An absence of rewards means a lack of affection and sincere dedication.

Only rewards without punishment would lead to spoiled and arrogant behavior.

Only with both rewards and punishment did the Palace Attendants work with enthusiasm, achieving twice the result with half the effort.

The kitchen Chief bowed in salute, saying, "Yes! Your humble servant, on behalf of the kitchen maids, thanks you. We will definitely do our best."

Li Xianyun nodded with a smile.

Suddenly, a mighty clap of thunder tore across the sky.

Li Xianyun looked up at the doorway.

Outside, thunder rumbled ominously, a rainstorm clearly imminent.

Li Xianyun, observing the weather outside, couldn’t help but feel relieved; it was fortunate she had listened to Yelu Yan and stayed in the palace. Had she gone out, the journey would surely have been muddy and treacherous.

She was also menstruating and couldn’t get chilled; getting caught in the rain would have been very uncomfortable.

Li Xianyun thought of that tall and impressive man, then turned her head to Zhuo Ma and said, "Zhuo Ma, does the Hall of Diligent Governance have umbrellas?"

Zhuo Ma was about to say there were, but after thinking of something, abruptly corrected herself and said, "It seems there are none."

"Then have the Palace Servants deliver an umbrella to the Khan, and take his coat as well, to prevent him from catching cold," Li Xianyun said.

Zhuo Ma was delighted and smiled, "This servant will send someone right away."

The consort has the Khan in her heart, so why is she unwilling to admit it? It’s really frustrating to watch.

The sky outside was overcast, and both heaven and earth were tinged with yellow – this kind of weather was especially suited for snuggling up indoors, either sleeping or doing chores.

Li Xianyun taught the maids embroidery, while at the same time having the Palace Servants study carpentry in her own room.

Once they were trained, they would be very useful in the future.

She had planned every step for the future.

Li Xianyun certainly knew that plans alone were not enough, one also needed to be down-to-earth and work on things one by one, without aiming too high beyond one’s reach.

What Li Xianyun needed to do now was open the Ice Porridge Shop in the West Market, and also make use of the Drying Room to produce dried fruit to sell.

Other activities, whether it be embroidery or carpentry, were all preparations for future plans.

One who has no foresight will surely have immediate worries, so she liked to think ahead.

The sky first drizzled, then abruptly turned into a downpour.

Li Xianyun, who was doing her embroidery, looked at the rain curtain outside and couldn’t help sighing, "The rain in Khitan is truly heavy and urgent."

A maid, unsure of how to proceed while embroidering a bird’s claw, looked up at Li Xianyun and said, "Consort, how should this be embroidered? It feels very awkward to stitch."

Li Xianyun took it over, holding the needle and said, "You can stitch like this; it will look much nicer."

With a few quick moves, she finished embroidering a bird’s claw.

The maid smiled and nodded her head, saying, "Thank you, Consort."

Li Xianyun carefully examined the embroidery hoops in the hands of the maids; they had learned quickly, and in just a few days, their work already looked quite professional.

All these maids serving in the palace came from hard backgrounds, possessing a tenacity that was indispensable for doing a good job.

The maid took back her embroidery hoop, threading and stitching, but it still didn’t look right.

Seeing this, Li Xianyun said with a smile, "You must not hurry, take it slowly, move your stitch this way, and then try going back."

As she spoke, she gestured with her hands, teaching very seriously and patiently, without showing the slightest impatience.

The maid took a deep breath and slowly stitched, and indeed her work improved significantly over her previous attempt.

Li Xianyun smiled and said, "Now you are stitching quite well, aren’t you? Good things take time."

The maid said heartily, "Thank you, Consort."

When Yelu Yan entered from outside, he saw a harmonious scene in the main building.

He immediately spotted that captivating figure amongst the crowd.

She was speaking with a smile to a maid, serene and gentle, her presence alone was enough to lift one’s spirits.

Hearing the commotion, a maid turned her head to look.

There stood Yelu Yan at the entrance, already being divested of his cloak by one Palace Servant, while another shook a paper umbrella drenched with water under the eaves.

The maid hastily knelt down and greeted him with a bowed arm, saying, "Greetings to the Khan."