Chapter 305 - 304: A New Year
Xie Yunxuan returned to the capital and had a great impression of Lan Ci. Whether in court or privately, he protected his prospective brother-in-law.
If anyone dared to stir up trouble, Xie Yunxuan would back him up.
As a result, even Young General Wei had no chance to deal with Lan Ci.
He could only endure for the time being and wait for an opportunity to take action.
As for the Zhao family, Zhao Yuqing became the Young Madam of the Wei family, and due to that rumor, her situation in the Wei family was much better than expected.
Except for not being favored by Young General Wei, no one else in the mansion made things difficult for her.
Mr. Zhao’s favored concubine didn’t take Zhao Yuqing seriously, so she dared to act against Mrs. Zhao.
Unexpectedly, things in the world are unpredictable, and Zhao Yuqing’s situation suddenly improved.
Every time she returned to her maiden home, the entire Zhao family was on edge, fearing she’d settle old scores.
Fortunately, Zhao Yuqing did nothing, merely occasionally flaunting her presence at the mansion.
But even that was frightening enough.
Especially since Mr. Zhao suddenly fell out of favor with the Wei party in court, and was even suppressed.
They couldn’t help but suspect if Zhao Yuqing had caused trouble in the Wei family, implicating the Zhao family.
But her behavior wasn’t like someone who had caused trouble.
For a time, Mr. Zhao couldn’t figure out what his daughter intended to do.
He could only act cautiously, afraid of making a mistake that would ruin the family fortunes.
...
The waiting days before marriage quickly passed.
As the year-end approached, Xie Yunling got married.
Although Ji Mingzhu and Xie Yunzhen weren’t present, they sent wedding gifts to Xie Yunling from the border.
They were jade pieces from beyond the border.
The style was luxurious and the craftsmanship exquisite.
Each piece came in pairs, clearly showing the couple had prepared meticulously, leaving nothing to chance.
When Ji Mingzhu went to Yangzhou to see her, she sent a grand gift to Xie Yunling, saying it was to add to her trousseau.
When she returned to the capital, she didn’t take the gifts back.
Now as Xie Yunling got married, Mrs. Guan didn’t embezzle those gifts and gave them all to her daughter.
In addition, she prepared a generous dowry for her.
A total of one hundred and twenty carriages.
Even if she didn’t do anything, Xie Yunling would live well for the rest of her life.
The personnel in the Duke Mansion were simple, and once Xie Yunling left, the mansion suddenly became quieter.
Previously, Princess An He disliked Xie Yunling for being unmanageable and always arguing with her over Ji Mingzhu.
Now that she’s married, she found it difficult to adapt.
It was also at this time that Princess An He began to miss her grandchildren far away at the border even more.
Ah Zhen and Ji Mingzhu couldn’t return to the capital freely, but the children had their freedom.
If they were in the mansion, who knows how lively it would be.
Princess An He counted the days each day.
Wondering if the little ones are starting to lift their heads?
Or starting to roll over?
Children grow quickly, and in a few months, they’ll start to babble.
Around one year old, they’ll begin to learn to walk.
In the blink of an eye, they’ll be all grown up.
Thinking about how she still hasn’t held her grandchildren, Princess An He felt uneasy.
But she was also aware that asking Ah Zhen to send the children back was something he wouldn’t do willingly.
Besides, the situation in the capital was complicated.
If something went wrong and the children were abducted, Ah Zhen’s situation would be difficult.
Asking the children to return to the capital was merely a thought for Princess An He.
If she had to act on it, she wouldn’t have the confidence.
Not seeing the children, Princess An He wanted to send them some things.
Food, utensils, and some medicinal herbs were prepared.
Even though they might lack nothing, this was her gesture as a grandmother.
If she didn’t show concern for the children, the siblings wouldn’t be close to her in the future!
Upon hearing that Liu Xu was going to the border to find Ji Mingzhu, Princess An He, for the first time, put aside her pride and invited her to the mansion.
Anyone with some knowledge knew that Xie Yunzhen was Princess An He’s soft spot.
Receiving the invitation, Liu Xu guessed Princess An He’s intention.
Pitiable are the hearts of parents worldwide; she presumably wanted her to take some things to the border.
Sure enough, just as she entered the Duke Mansion’s reception hall, she saw a table full of various gift boxes.
To prevent damage, everything was wrapped very securely.
With the naked eye, it was hard to tell what was inside.
She greeted Princess An He with a bow, "Your Highness, did you call me here today for something important?"
Princess An He never minced words, "These things are for Zimu and Zishan. Please take them to Ji Mingzhu for me, and remind her to take good care of the little treasures. Don’t neglect them for irredeemable businesses; if the kids aren’t well cared for, I won’t let them off easily when they return to the capital!"
Liu Xu twitched her lips. If she hadn’t experienced Princess An He’s way of doing things, she would’ve doubted her ears, thinking she misheard!
Not to mention Princess An He’s attitude.
If she really relayed the message verbatim to Mrs. Ji.
Either their mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship would break.
Or she herself, as an outsider, would be misunderstood by Mrs. Ji.
Such tactless things were something she wouldn’t do.
Besides, she planned to do business with Mrs. Ji!
Once again, she bowed, "I promise to fulfill Your Highness’s request."
Princess An He was satisfied, "If you need more manpower, I can lend you some."
Liu Xu had her own arrangements and first thanked Princess An He for her kindness.
She then said, "I’m taking a lot of goods for business this time and have already arranged for a team of guards to escort them."
Princess An He nodded, "Make sure to deliver everything to Ji Mingzhu."
Ensure she knows who sent the things.
Otherwise, if Ji Mingzhu doesn’t speak well of her in front of the children, and in the future, Zimu and Zishan don’t bond with her, that wouldn’t be good.
No matter what Princess An He said, Liu Xu agreed to everything.
After staying for an hour, she used the excuse of pressing matters waiting for her and left the Duke Mansion.
There was too much to carry alone.
Princess An He had someone deliver them to Liu Xu’s residence so she could take them when leaving the capital.
Far away at the border, Ji Mingzhu had received Liu Xu’s letter.
She was coming to the border.
To welcome Liu Xu, arrangements for the guest courtyard were made early.
Not far from Li Xiyu’s courtyard, it was an excellent location, perfect for leisurely strolls through the garden.
This was their first New Year at the border, and the mansion was festooned with rabbit lanterns, looking splendid.
Xie Yunzhen even wanted to hang lanterns of Ji Mingzhu’s zodiac, but she protested that her zodiac lantern wouldn’t be cute.
He didn’t insist.
Fortunately, Xie Yunzhen had a backup plan and personally carved a Qingluan jade pendant for Ji Mingzhu.
Gentle and harmonious, it matched her temperament perfectly.
Jade nourishes people, and Xie Yunzhen hoped that in the new year, Mingzhu would also be joyful and safe.
Although their relatives were all in the capital, with two children and Xi Yu in the mansion, it didn’t feel lonely.
They had the New Year’s Eve dinner together.
To make the children feel involved, Xie Yunzhen moved the cradle into the dining room.
Seeing his wife and children with him, Xi Yu felt a pang of envy.
He declared, "Next year, I must go back to my hometown to find a match!"