Chapter 261 Mother and Daughter Are Not Close

March 23rd, the fifth year of Qiyuan, it was a bright and sunny day.

The emperor and his female relatives traveled to Suzhou, accompanied by the empress dowager. All matters in the harem were temporarily handed over to Concubine Yun.

Passing through six cities and seventeen towns, you can travel through the mountains and rivers and enjoy the happiness of the people.

After traveling for sixteen days, we entered Suzhou on the eighth day of April.

Along the way, there are inevitably many mountain roads, which are bumpy and difficult to travel.

The Queen Mother could not stand the fatigue of traveling and was not feeling well, so the Queen asked to ride in the same carriage with the Queen Mother so that she could take care of her.

But although the Queen got on the Queen Mother's sedan chair, she was always absent-minded, and her worry for Princess Jing and Princess was written all over her face.

This made the Queen Mother a little unhappy, so she found an excuse to drive the Queen away and asked Song Zhao to come and keep her company.

Jinghe had been raised by the Empress Dowager since she was born, and the Empress was not allowed to see her very often. It was understandable that the Empress was focusing all her attention on her own daughter during the trip.

But Song Zhao is different.

She can see Chengyu every day, and she can tell what she needs to do in what occasion.

The youngest son was also suffering from motion sickness, but Song Zhao was not distracted at all when taking care of the empress dowager. She served tea and water, massaged her shoulders and legs, and took care of the empress dowager meticulously. The image of a good daughter-in-law came to life.

Whenever the Queen Mother felt dizzy, Song Zhao would promptly take out menthol oil for her to smell, and would chat with her to distract her attention, making her very happy.

The Queen Mother also asked her, "I heard that Chengyu couldn't stand the fatigue and cried a lot. How about you go and comfort him?"

Although Song Zhao was concerned, she also had a clear mind. "There are three wet nurses taking care of me in the same car. They are more experienced than me. If I were to go there, I would be in a mess.

As a woman, raising children and serving relatives is something that cannot be neglected. I have been with Yuer for most of the ten days on the road. In the remaining days, please allow me to serve you and show my filial piety."

Because Song Zhao's birth mother and the Queen Mother were sworn sisters, the Queen Mother was the closest to Song Zhao among all the concubines.

This girl speaks sweetly and does things thoughtfully. How could the Queen Mother not like her?

Instead, he treated her as half a daughter, and the more he looked at her, the happier he became.

When the convoy entered Suzhou, the wind and sand outside the carriage gradually died down, so Song Zhao opened the window to let in fresh air, hoping that the empress dowager would feel more comfortable.

As she walked, she looked at the many shops outside the city, all of which had flags hanging in front of their doors.

There was a word "Wei" written on it in yellow on a red background. The flag fluttered in the wind, which was very eye-catching.

Concubine Hui's name was "Wei Linlan". The "Wei" on the flag should be her mother's family, the Wei family.

The Wei family is the richest family in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas. It is not surprising that they have so many businesses and industries. However, the bright red and yellow colors on the flag are the colors of the royal family. The fact that the Wei family used it so openly made Song Zhao a little puzzled.

The Queen Mother said, "These were all promised by the late Emperor. Half of the profits of these shops that fly the flag of the Imperial Family must be turned over to the court, so the late Emperor gave the Wei family such a big honor."

After walking for another quarter of an hour, the team stopped when they saw the Suzhou city gate.

Everyone got off the carriage and went to the city. Outside the city gate, they saw the prefect and local officials lined up in two teams, all welcoming the royal family.

When Song Zhao got closer, he saw Xiao Jingheng chatting and laughing with a middle-aged couple.

"It's been a long time since we last met. How is everything going with Wei Qing's family?"

"Thanks to God, everything is fine."

The person who replied was Huipin's biological father Wei Ying.

The woman standing next to him, dressed elegantly and with extraordinary demeanor, was probably Huipin's biological mother, Shao.

As the few of them chatted, Huipin completely lost her manners.

Without being summoned, she rushed out from the crowd and cried out to Wei Ying and Shao Shi:

"Mom and Dad! Your daughter misses you so much!"

Next is the family reunion and the beautiful reminiscence scene.

Shao happily stroked Huipin's hair, tears glistening in her eyes.

"Empress Hui has grown into a big girl now. Good, everything is fine."

Perhaps she missed Concubine Hui so much that she burst into tears before she could say a few words.

But Song Zhao thought that her crying didn't seem to be tears of joy, but rather a little sadness?

Without giving Song Zhao time to think too much, Wei Ying said that everything in the city had been arranged, and he would lead everyone back to their residence to rest, and then hold a banquet in the evening to welcome Xiao Jingheng.

After entering the city, since everyone was in casual clothes, the people didn't know where they came from. They just thought they were some high-ranking officials and didn't pay much attention to them.

During this time, Xiao Jingheng saw many people heading east, so he casually asked a passerby,

"Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"Mr. Tan has opened a temple!" The man replied hastily and disappeared in a flash.

Xiao Jingheng asked with some doubt: "Tanxianren?"

The prefect replied, "Your Majesty, Immortal Tan is a famous fortune teller in Jiangzhou. He never charges money for his divinations, but only does it based on his liking and personality. However, his divinations are very accurate."

Xiao Jingheng didn't really believe in these folk superstitions. He just laughed it off and said no more.

Song Zhao followed the team all the way to the edge of Taihu Lake, and then took a ferry to the island in the middle of the lake.

After reaching the island and passing through the bamboo forest, you will see a different world inside.

The entire island in the middle of the lake is almost entirely occupied by the Wei family's villas.

Every brick and tile is made of glazed tiles. The courtyard is spacious and exquisitely furnished. The houses are overwhelmed and dazzling to look at, and it is extremely luxurious.

Song Zhao followed behind Concubine Chen. Even though she was used to extravagance, she couldn't help but sigh when she saw this scene.

"This Huipin is really a reincarnationist. A few days ago, she said that her family's villa can accommodate more than a hundred people. I thought she was just bragging. But now I see that she was just being modest."

Song Zhao also smiled, "Half of the money the Wei family earns every year is given to the court. They are still so rich and powerful. I think the saying of being the richest in a region is not anything more than this."

The servants led the masters to their respective rooms.

After settling down and taking a short rest, it was getting late and it was time for dinner.

There is a Qionghua Terrace in the middle of the island in the middle of the lake. The steps and floor tiles are all inlaid with green jade. It is even more magnificent than the Tonghua Terrace in the palace.

Everyone was marveling at the wealth of the Wei family while enjoying the delicious food.

When traveling, you are no longer trapped in a red wall and green tile house. The scenery in front of you is different and your mood is much better.

During the banquet, everyone was toasting each other, talking and laughing. Huipin also received permission from Xiao Jingheng to sit with Shao Shi so that they could strengthen their mother-daughter relationship.

No one else paid much attention to Huipin, except Song Zhao, who thought she was weird and always stole glances at the seat where she was sitting without leaving any trace.

She saw Huipin constantly picking up food and serving meals to Shao, and the mother and daughter were talking and laughing, looking very intimate.

Suddenly, Cheng Yu, who was sitting next to Song Zhao in the arms of his wet nurse, mischievously dropped a cloth tiger in his hand to the ground.

Song Zhao was afraid that he would cry, so when he bent down to pick it up, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of a detail.

At the banquet today, Huipin sat on the left side of Shao, and her maid stood on the right side of Shao.

But when Song Zhao looked under the table, he saw that Shao's legs were indeed tilted to the right, and Yu Huipin was some distance away, but she was close to her maid.

This behavior is very abnormal.

The two people appear to be very affectionate on the surface, but why are they so distant in their physical interactions?

Could it be that the only daughter whom he hadn't seen for five years, after meeting again after a long separation, was not as close to him as a maid?

This made Song Zhao think more.

After all, Shaw didn't care about her, his only daughter.

Or is there something else behind this matter?