The next day, just as dawn broke, several peddlers left the courtyard and quickly disappeared into the morning mist.
After a while, several men dressed as merchants also filed out.
...
On the day Su Hui returned to her parents' home, the Prince and Su Huai-ren, the father-in-law and son-in-law, were talking in the living room.
Madam Su was holding her daughter's hand in the inner courtyard, her eyes brimming with tears of emotion.
Looking at her daughter, whose face was rosy and who was dressed in fine clothes, she saw that there were eight maids serving her.
Madam Su was very pleased to see her daughter, who had the air of a matriarch.
"Hui'er, does the Prince treat you well?" Madam Su knew it was a pointless question, but she couldn't help but ask anyway.
“Mother, I was right. The prince is not arrogant like other noble sons. He treats me very well.”
Su Hui glanced at the mountain of homecoming gifts piled on the table.
"My mother is wise and kind, and she has even given me the key to the main storeroom of the Prince's mansion."
Madam Su was stunned. "This...this means you're in charge now?"
“Hui’er, take these gifts back with you. The Empress Dowager has put you in charge of the household affairs, so you must set an example and do things in a way that earns people’s respect. Your father and I do not need your help.”
It turned out that her mother had misunderstood her, thinking that she had shown favoritism towards her own family.
Su Hui squeezed her mother's hand, her eyes filled with openness.
“Mother, this homecoming gift was prepared by the steward at the Empress Dowager’s instruction. I know the importance of this.”
If she were to prepare the homecoming gifts herself, she certainly wouldn't have prepared such lavish gifts.
Inside, there were ten bolts of fine silk and brocade, countless medicinal herbs and bird's nests, and the wine, sugar, and pastries were all carefully prepared by the steward of the Prince's mansion.
For ordinary people returning home, the rice, flour, and meat are still plentiful.
With just the mutton and pork, the Su family won't need to buy any New Year's goods this year.
With the maids outside, only the mother and daughter were inside, so Su Hui didn't need to think twice before speaking.
“Mother, the Prince guessed that you were going to talk about this. He said that you and Father will be going to the capital after the New Year, and you can use these things there.”
Madam Su glanced down at her dress; it was made of medium-grade fabric, and a noblewoman in the capital wouldn't dress like that.
She gave an awkward smile. "When Mother first returned to the capital, she lost contact with people she hadn't spoken to for many years. So Mother didn't try to make connections or worry about dressing respectably."
Su Hui took out a stack of silver notes from her sleeve and stuffed them into Madam Su's hand. "Mother, take this. This is the money the Prince made from selling his paintings. He told me to give it to you two as a token of his respect."
Madam Su wanted to return the silver notes, so Su Hui simply got up, walked to the dressing table, opened the drawer, and put the silver notes inside.
Mrs. Su was about to refuse again, but Su Hui pressed her mother back into the chair.
“Mother, you’ve just returned to the capital and there are many things that need to be spent. My eldest brother and younger brother are very grateful for Sister Yue’er’s help. We can’t keep relying on Sister Yue’er for help, can we?”
When Jiang Shuyue was mentioned, Madam Su was speechless.
Memories of the past flooded my mind; Yue'er had already helped them enough.
Unbeknownst to them, one spring, summer, autumn, and winter after another had passed. They were not relatives but were closer than relatives, helping and caring for each other.
Madam Su gritted her teeth and said, "Hui'er, thank the Prince for your mother. I appreciate his filial piety. Your father will go to the yamen tomorrow to change the name of the house back. After the New Year, we will pack up and set off."
The night Su Huai-ren and his wife received the imperial decree reinstating their official positions, they discussed it and decided that the courtyard should be returned to Lin Miao-shou.
The courtyard would become deserted if no one lived there for a long time, so they let Xu Dong and his family of three live there and help take care of it.
After the property deed is returned to Lin Miaoshou, it is up to her to decide whether to keep it or sell it.
Seeing that her mother no longer refused, Su Hui breathed a sigh of relief.
"Mother, please take good care of yourselves when you return to the capital. We will visit you in the capital every year."
The mother and daughter chatted intimately for a while before it was noon.
After Su Hui and her husband attended the homecoming banquet, they returned to the Prince's Mansion.
...
The streets were bustling with people, the shops were filled with a dazzling array of goods, and the cries of vendors rose and fell.
In the clothing and jewelry shops, young ladies and wives were coming and going.
There were many more peddlers on the streets than usual, and the festive atmosphere in Beijing was visibly stronger.
Perhaps it's because the Lunar New Year is approaching, everyone is in a good mood, and even the number of patients at the clinic has decreased significantly.
Amidst the bustling crowd, Gao Mu and Cang Yun stood guard on either side of Jiang Shuyue and Qiu Ju.
Jiang Shuyue and Qiu Ju were protected in the middle by the two, and passersby could not even touch the hem of their clothes.
Seeing the large group of people ahead, Qiuju took Jiang Shuyue's hand and walked towards another street.
"Miss, there are too many people ahead. Let's avoid being bumped into. Let's take another route to the main street."
Qiu Ju's idea coincided with Jiang Shuyue's. As they walked out of the crowd, they immediately felt that the air was much fresher.
Having a rare free time today, Jiang Shuyue decided to go out for a walk and soak up the festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year.
Crossing a street and heading east through a narrow alley leads to the Su residence.
Walking on the street with far fewer pedestrians, Jiang Shuyue paused slightly and looked at the pastry shop on the side of the street.
Cangyun was the first to notice that the young lady was hesitating. He asked, "This pastry shop is newly opened, and it has just as many varieties as the one on the main street. Would you like to try some, young lady?"
"Let's buy a little of everything and head to the Su residence."
The academy is on holiday, and Sui Sui is either in the palace or at the Su residence.
Jiang Shuyue was reluctant to part with her son. He needed to play and study, and at his age, it was more appropriate for him to interact with his peers.
Keeping a child confined at home is not good for his development.
Qiuju took out her money pouch and tossed it to Cangyun, who went to buy pastries. The three of them stood there waiting.
Suddenly, a familiar carriage slowly drove past them.
Qiu Ju stared wide-eyed, shaking Jiang Shuyue's sleeve in disbelief.
“Miss, do you think that carriage is from the palace? It looks so familiar to me.”
Jiang Shuyue looked up and saw that the carriage had already gone far away.
In that brief glance, she clearly saw the pattern on the curtain on the side of the carriage.
Without a doubt, it was the carriage the emperor used to pick her up when she went to the imperial palace.
Jiang Shuyue withdrew her gaze, gave a soft "hmm," and remained silent.
"Miss, look, the carriage has stopped at the entrance of the alley ahead."
As Qiuju spoke, she pointed with her finger. Gao Mu quickly pulled Qiuju's hand away, knowing that pointing at the Emperor was a grave disrespect.
Jiang Shuyue looked in the direction Qiu Ju pointed and saw two palace maids getting off the carriage.
Just when everyone thought the emperor would step down from the carriage next.
A beautiful figure appeared at the entrance of the alley, surrounded by two maids.
The two palace maids quickly bowed and respectfully ushered the person into the carriage.
"Miss, who was that girl again? She's the one who dined with the princess at the restaurant. We've met her before."
Jiang Shuyue said calmly, "It's Miss Lin, the Emperor's childhood sweetheart."
Jiang Shuyue herself didn't realize that her tone carried a hint of melancholy.
At this moment, Cangyun returned carrying a large box of pastries.
The carriage in front headed toward another street and disappeared around the corner in the blink of an eye.
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