Zhang Qing, on his end, was punished to till the soil of Canglan Court.
He had originally planned to handle this quietly without causing much disturbance, so he had arrived at Canglan Court early.
Having received a great favor from Master Lian yesterday, which allowed him to stay in the palace, he was very grateful.
However, until the soil was fully tilled and satisfied Master Lian, he could not return to serve in the Star Palace.
Thus, he had come to Canglan Court, found Xiao Linzi, and got a spade for tilling. He had Xiao Linzi point out which areas needed tilling before he began his work.
Xiao Linzi scratched his head, thought for a while, puffed with pain as he walked, and led him around the entire area. Eventually, he said that perhaps all the areas they had seen needed to be tilled. He had only been there a few days and wasn’t very clear on it.
Zhang Qing was utterly speechless. Xiao Linzi had taken him around the entirety of Canglan Court—even looking towards the Main Hall hesitantly.
This kid, talking without a bristle, unreliable in handling matters!
Zhang Qing knocked him on the head, stormed off with a swish of his sleeves, and thought it better to find Feng Ji, who seemed sharper.
Upon finding Xiao Jizi, Xiao Jizi also scratched his head, called over Xiao Qing, and the two of them murmured and discussed for a while but couldn’t decide.
They had no choice but to tell Zhang Qing that it was always the master who decided which areas to plant. They would strike wherever the master pointed, unclear about which areas the master wanted to till.
However, they had just harvested the Sunflower Tree area, which should be tilled, and since the master had not yet awoken, perhaps Steward Zhang could till the soil while waiting?
Zhang Qing was at a loss, wondering why tilling soil had to be so difficult, requiring the disturbance of everyone. He had hoped to save some face, alas...
He had initially thought to finish tilling and then report to Master Lian. Now, it seemed impossible without asking first, alas...
Zhang Qing felt troubled again, wondering whether to ask for instructions first or start tilling. He had experience with waiting for Lian Hua to wake up, and it could be a while.
But every extra delay meant returning to Star Palace later. He had hoped to finish this task today so he could serve in Star Palace tomorrow.
So, he eventually followed Xiao Jizi’s advice and started tilling the land around the Sunflower Tree first.
Usually, Zhang Qing did not think Canglan Court was very large, but now that he needed to till the soil, he realized it was indeed too vast. Thinking he could finish in one day was naive, a complete fantasy.
He had only started tilling a few times before he was sweating profusely and suffering from both a sore back and aching waist. He had to rest after a few digs, finally realizing that tilling was not a task for the average person.
Having been the Imperial Chief Steward for many years, he had not done such heavy labor for a long time, and little eunuchs took care of him after duties.
Usually, he just moved his lips and took on tasks that required more thinking than physical effort. Even while serving His Majesty, the tasks were relatively light. Now, suddenly having to do physical labor, he found himself somewhat unaccustomed.
Lian Hua, on the other hand, woke up earlier than usual, washed up, and delightedly enjoyed her breakfast and a bowl of Cow’s Milk.
Upon hearing from Xiao Linzi and Xiao Qing that Steward Zhang was tilling the soil, she wiped her mouth with her sleeve and eagerly got up to give some guidance.
She thought considerately that this was her area of expertise! How could she not offer guidance and allow Steward Zhang to potentially make mistakes, which was unacceptable.
Just then, Nanny Qi and Xiao Jizi had returned from the storeroom, and Lian Hua promptly invited Nanny Qi to watch Zhang Qing till the soil.
Soon, everyone from Canglan Court was neatly gathered at the site where Zhang Qing was tilling the soil.
Zhang Qing’s face reddened slightly. What was Master Lian thinking, making such a grand show of this...
This was his punishment for tilling the soil, not a glorious occasion, and Master Lian had brought everyone to watch, truly embarrassing him.
Being watched by so many people, his remaining sense of shame began to torment him greatly, making him feel extremely embarrassed.
In his heart, he lamented bitterly that his old face was beyond saving now!
He had long instructed the young eunuchs from the Star Palace not to appear before him, but since these were Master Lian’s people, including Nanny Qi, he couldn’t just send them away.
Look at how eager Master Lian was, "Steward Zhang, if there’s anything you don’t know, just ask me. I’m pretty good at turning soil, right, Xiao Qing?"
She turned to her palace maid for confirmation, and her maid was extremely supportive, nodding like pounding garlic.
Zhang Qing forced a stiff smile, thanked Master Lian for her kindness, and thought to himself that Master Lian meant well, not just hanging around out of boredom, but truly wanting to help him.
However, Master Lian underestimated him. Who didn’t know how to turn soil? It was a brute force job that hardly required any brainpower, and he had done it dozens of times already; he didn’t need any teaching.
Thinking this, as if to prove himself, Zhang Qing straightened up and gathered his energy, thrusting his shovel into the ground. Just as he was about to turn the soil, Lian Hua began shouting that something was wrong:
"Steward Zhang, the way you’re holding the shovel is all wrong—it will wear you out. Why don’t you use your foot? Oh dear, let me show you."
Lian Hua was very anxious watching from the side. How could Steward Zhang be so clumsy? The shovel had two handles meant for stepping on to leverage one’s body weight, burying the shovel into the ground, and then prying it up—much less effort that way.
Instead, he was using all arm strength, which would just wear him out.
As she was about to step in, Nanny Qi stopped her, not allowing her to go down, which frustrated her tremendously: "Xiao Qing, you show Steward Zhang how to do it."
Zhang Qing had no choice but to cluelessly follow the demonstration of a young girl.
Lian Hua then relaxed, much more pleased with the view. Indeed, her supervising had a significantly visible effect.
From that point, things got much easier. Lian Hua, Xiao Qing, and Xiao Jizi began eagerly giving Zhang Qing instructions on how to turn the soil, almost competing to impart everything they knew to him.
Poor Zhang Qing suffered; everyone taught him slightly differently, leaving him unsure whose method to follow.
He had been the Imperial Chief Steward for many years and had always been the one giving instructions, never like today, being bossed around by three youngsters.
Nanny Qi found the scene somewhat amusing but refrained from speaking, letting these young ones instruct Zhang Qing.
She thought to herself how lively her young lady was, making anywhere as lively as she went. With her young lady around, there was never a dull moment.
Previously living in Yixiang Palace, which was always somber with everyone speaking in hushed tones, she would never have witnessed such a scene.
Under their guidance, Zhang Qing embarked on his clumsy journey of soil turning.
Master Lian, ever generous and warm-hearted, spared no effort in instructing him, alternating between scolding and praising, making his soil turning quite an ordeal.
Listen to what Master Lian said:
"That’s right, just like that, Steward Zhang. You truly deserve to be the Imperial Chief Steward, learning so quickly."
"No, no, Steward Zhang, why is your furrow crooked? Oh dear, quickly get back on track."
"Good job! This shovel work was well done!"
"Eh, why isn’t the shovel going in? The ground is a bit dry, you need to push harder, Steward Zhang, really put your back into it~"
With a "clang," the shovel broke.