Chapter 1122: Reclaiming the Shop
By February, officials from various departments began to head to the Capital City in batches, all traveling with the Holy Empress Dowager. The number of people was overwhelming, making the local reception along the way strained and difficult.
On February 24, preparations were complete everywhere. The Holy Empress Dowager, Empress, along with the concubines of the rear palace, and the remaining hundred officials started their journey to the Capital City.
For this journey, the Holy Empress didn’t create too much pomp and circumstance, with only five thousand Imperial Guards accompanying.
The people of the Duke Mansion were mixed into the convoy as well. During the day, Jiang Youzhi accompanied the Holy Empress to handle political affairs, while Yun Jiao chatted and laughed with Yang Ying, making the days pass quickly.
When they arrived at the Capital City, it was the season of spring warmth and blooming flowers.
Zhengyang Gate of the Capital City opened wide, citizens of the Capital City knelt along the way, shouting long live.
The Holy Empress sat in the imperial carriage, slowly waving to the surrounding citizens.
Most of the citizens kneeling on the ground were sobbing profusely.
They had waited for this day for over a decade!
The citizens who stayed in Dingjing were actually the most miserable.
They were treated as lower-class people by the Jin Country, forced to do the dirtiest and most exhausting work. If they encountered people from Jin Country on the street, they could only avoid them from afar, otherwise, if they collided, people from Jin Country could freely abuse Great Chu citizens.
This was a great humiliation to the Great Chu people, who valued poetry, books, and etiquette.
Such humiliation, once washed away, how could one not sob profusely?
The Holy Empress watched the crying citizens, feeling distressed inside.
The convoy moved slowly, Yun Jiao’s carriage was mixed in the convoy, entering the city, heading quickly towards the Duke Mansion.
At this time they were still in the outer city, lifting the curtain occasionally revealed ruins.
Yang Ying and Yun Jiao sat in a carriage, pointing at a residence by the roadside, said: "That’s my home!"
Yun Jiao quickly ordered the carriage to stop, "Let’s go down and have a look, perhaps your family members have returned."
Yang Ying saw the house gate tightly closed, hesitated a bit, and still lifted the curtain to get off the carriage.
Yang Ying’s servant Amber went up to knock on the door, but there was no response for a long time.
Yang Ying got back on the carriage in disappointment, and the carriage headed towards the Duke Mansion.
The Duke Mansion still seemed the same.
Except that the plaque outside the main gate was gone.
Previously, when Housekeeper Wang came over, it was still hanging with Xiao Mansion’s plaque, Housekeeper Wang immediately ordered someone to take the plaque down, chopping it into pieces to burn.
Housekeeper Wang couldn’t decide how to make a new plaque, so it remained empty.
Yun Jiao first assigned the courtyards upon arriving home, without needing to say, the main courtyard had to be the Duke’s.
She herself lived in her old courtyard.
After more than a decade, the rosewood furniture in the courtyard was still there, as if everything was still like yesterday.
Yun Jiao looked at the rosewood bed, feeling somewhat uneasy, and had someone replace it.
After settling in at home, Yun Jiao took some people to the former Renxin Hall.
This shop was in the Inner City and was preserved quite well, but now it had been turned into a satin shop.
Yun Jiao led people inside, the satin shop owner saw this lady with a noble demeanor and many followers, immediately greeted her with a smile, "Madam, are you looking to buy satin to make spring clothes?"
"Coincidentally, we just received a batch of goods, all the finest satin, perfect for someone like Madam."
Yun Jiao heard it, though the owner tried hard to learn Dingjing dialect, it still clearly carried the accent from Huining, so he should be from Jin Country.
She said indifferently, "I am not buying satin."
"I’m here to tell you, this shop is mine, within three days, you are to clear out everything from the shop, and three days later, I will come to reclaim it."
The satin shop owner was stunned, "How could it be yours? I bought it ten years ago for thousands of Silver!"