Chapter 285

After that incident, she appeared calm on the surface, but in reality, she was still wary of Tao Tao.

Perhaps it's true that my daughter has grown up and her personality is different from when she was little, but deep down she still treats her mother very well.

If Xia Chaolu hadn't been won over by Tao Tao's gentle words before, then Tao Tao's actions had completely removed her from the shadows of the past.

This made her heart unconsciously begin to drift towards Tao Tao.

"Mom, don't you like it? It's okay."

The girl seemed somewhat disappointed, but she managed to suppress her emotions, tilted her head back, and smiled, though it sounded somewhat forced.

She stared at Tao Tao coldly for a while, as if scrutinizing her.

When she realized that she was still the same as before, she reached out and took the bracelet from her, and said with a smile, "Tao'er, Mother likes it very much, it's very beautiful, you can put it on Mother."

Tao Tao's eyes lit up slightly, and she happily put it on her.

Hearing the sound from outside the door, Leng Qiao was stunned for a moment, then belatedly lifted her sleeve, revealing a hint of fair skin.

The two chatted in the room for half the night. Xia Chaolu hadn't left the capital for more than ten years, and she was quite excited to go out this time, although she eventually returned to the capital.

But it was a good way to get out and relax, and breathe in some fresh air.

She was still very happy.

The two didn't end their conversation until Tao Tao was so sleepy she couldn't stay awake any longer.

She tiptoed out, slowly closed the door, and turned to find Leng Qiao leaning against the door with her eyes closed, looking somewhat tired.

She walked up to her and called softly, "Leng Qiao? Leng Qiao, go back to sleep."

She seemed to be extremely tired, as she only responded after being called twice.

Leng Qiao opened her hazy eyes, her expression different from usual. Realizing her dereliction of duty, she quickly stood up and apologized.

"You're human, it's normal to doze off occasionally. Don't be so tense, it's not like you're in the Privy Council where you're expected to work your life away."

"Go back and rest. You don't need to get up so early tomorrow. Let's talk after you've had a good night's sleep."

"Thank you, Miss."

The next day.

When Tao Tao woke up, it was already afternoon.

The eldest princess came by during this time, but upon learning that she was still resting, she returned home, leaving Xiao Tao with the instruction to find her at the eldest princess's residence before leaving herself.

While eating, she thought about Murong Yan and how she should bring it up with Duan Gan.

Actually, if you think about it carefully, she didn't need to say anything, because Duan Gan couldn't possibly be unaware of the situation at the border.

He was the Grand Councilor, in charge of all the military forces in the land. Even if the Turks attacked, he would have a way to deal with it.

Anyway, she had a strange kind of trust in him.

As for the eldest princess, according to what Duan Gan said last night, he wanted to make Consort Liu's son the emperor, but Qi Roufu has a grudge against Consort Liu. Could it be that she came to see me at this time because of this?

Duan Gan must have her reasons for doing this. If she meets with the Princess, the Princess will definitely ask her how to deal with Consort Li.

Won't this disrupt his plans?

After thinking it over, she decided not to go.

She called the housekeeper and instructed him, "Just tell him I'm not feeling well and can't go. We'll visit another day."

The butler nodded and then withdrew.

Not long after he left, Murong Jia Hui arrived.

She beamed with joy as soon as she entered, calling out softly, "Little sister, you're back."

Tao Tao looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Murong Jia Hui had already walked over, affectionately reaching out to hold her hands, her face flushed, as if something happy had happened.

I heard from Murong Huai Shi that Murong Yan is now on the verge of death. What good thing has happened at the Prince's Mansion?

She asked casually, "Has the Princess Consort arranged a marriage for you?"

Murong Jia Hui was taken aback and stared at her in surprise, as if asking how she knew.

She then nodded slightly, a little shyly, "Yes, that's right."

Tao Tao gave a dismissive "Oh," and said, "Sit down, I'm going to water the flowers."

She got up, picked up the flowerpot next to her, and opened it to look inside. The water was clear, indicating that the water was changed daily.

I went to tend to the potted plants.

Murong Jia Hui watched her busy pruning and watering, puzzled, and couldn't help but say, "Why don't you leave these things to the servants? Sister is a county princess, why do you need to do them yourself?"

Without looking up, she replied, "It's something I do to pass the time in my spare time."

She said it was just to pass the time, but judging from how attentive she was, she clearly valued it quite a bit.

Just then, Zhu Xia and the other maids had packed Xia Chaolu's things and were preparing to return to the Tao family.

Xia Chaolu was not used to living in the Prince's Mansion. She would not have stayed here if she could not afford to offend Duan Gan.

So after Tao Tao returned, she immediately wanted to go back to the place she was familiar with.

When Murong Jia Hui saw Xia Zhaolu, she subconsciously glanced at Tao Tao, stood up, and with a gentle smile, obediently called out, "Aunt Tao."

Xia Chaolu nodded and smiled, then said to Tao Tao, "Tao'er, Mother is going back now, you don't need to see me off."

After saying that, he turned and left with his men.

Tao Tao stood at the courtyard gate until she could no longer see her figure before returning to the courtyard.

She was tending to the flowers and plants when Murong Jia Hui saw this and became interested. She walked over to her side, watched how she did it, and then followed suit.

When is the wedding scheduled?

Upon hearing the voice, Murong Jia Hui turned to look at her and said, "I am the eldest son of the Cai family, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, on the sixth day of next month."

"That will be soon. Is the Princess Consort already preparing your dowry?"

She nodded, "My mother treats me very well and does everything herself."

"That's good." As soon as she finished speaking, Tao Tao turned to Rong'er and said, "Go and fetch those bolts of shimmering brocade and kesi from my room."

“Princess, that was a gift from the Emperor… Yes.”

When Rong'er saw her furrowed brows, she quickly bowed and agreed, then hurried back to her room to retrieve the treasured fabric.

When Murong Jia Hui heard about the imperial gift, she looked at Tao Tao in surprise. Before she could speak, she saw the cloth in Rong'er's hand and gasped.

The shimmering brocade is smooth and delicate to the touch, with a shimmering, iridescent sheen, and there's also the kesi fabric with its exquisite and eye-catching patterns.

These are all examples of how every inch of fabric is worth its weight in gold.

Tao Tao just gave her something that even the Princess Consort didn't have?

She couldn't help but show a mixture of shock and excitement.

"Little sister, are you... are you really going to give this to me?"

"Aren't you getting married? Use this fabric to make some nice clothes for you. Don't be picky."

"H-How could that be? I really like these. Thank you, little sister."

She was overjoyed, feeling that she had never been to the capital before, and that it was all thanks to her persistent pleas for her mother to bring her along, otherwise she would not have found such a good marriage and met Xiao Tao.

"If you like it, then your maid can take it away later."

She had a lot of these fabrics; Duan Gan had given her many sets of dresses, so the fabrics were no longer needed.

Because of their different status, Rong'er and the others cannot use these imperial gifts, and even if they were not bestowed by the emperor, they cannot wear them.

Being too flamboyant will attract trouble.