Soon, the Marquis's carriage also started moving.
Jiayin hugged her godfather's arm for a long time without saying a word, and the Marquis didn't ask anything either.
The moment the palace servants went to invite the plump girl, he found out. It was precisely because he was worried that the plump girl would be heartbroken that he abandoned all his duties to come and pick her up.
It seems the chubby girl has been wronged.
After an unknown amount of time, Jiayin spoke up, "Godfather, if you and Father lead troops on a northern expedition in the future, you must make two preparations. You cannot entrust matters of life and death to one person. If something happens to that person, you will be in danger."
She looked at the Marquis, her big eyes full of seriousness and solemnity, "Father, even if this person is my uncle, it won't work. He is not worthy of my trust, do you understand?"
The Marquis nodded and replied in a low voice, "Don't worry, I understand. His Majesty is kind and compassionate, which is a good thing."
"But this also makes him indecisive and easily swayed by others. That's why I always make sure to arrange the provisions and pay before each expedition."
Jiayin hugged her godfather's arm again and said dejectedly, "I know that the Third Princess is the Emperor's own daughter. I am just a peasant girl. If it weren't for my godfather, the Emperor wouldn't even know who I am."
"But... he clearly said that he would only take the money and not manage the shop, but now he goes back on his word. Does that mean he can go back on his word to a child?"
"The shop I painstakingly built up, he just gave it away so easily..."
The Marquis felt sorry for her and, unusually, disregarded any need to avoid suspicion. He held the chubby girl in his arms, gently patted her back, and whispered words of comfort.
"Don't be sad. The emperor may favor his own daughter, but your godfather will also favor you."
"Moreover, the Emperor has several children, but your godfather only has one daughter, you. Come with your godfather back to the Marquis's mansion, I'll show you something good."
Jiayin felt a warmth in her heart, hugged her godfather tightly, then sat up straight and changed the subject.
She's not a real child after all; she can be unhappy for a while and then let it go. She can't possibly make her godfather worry about something as trivial as this.
Ultimately, the emperor was just a powerful figure she wanted to curry favor with.
She could treat the Emperor as an elder, or even a friend, but she would never naively believe that the Emperor would treat her like his own daughter.
From now on, I'll give back whatever I receive.
The emperor, hidden deep within the palace, had no idea what he had lost because of a single breach of promise...
The carriage clattered along and soon arrived at the Marquis's residence. The Marquis led the plump maid through the gate, and all the servants bowed their heads and bowed respectfully as they passed by.
Upon hearing the news, the head steward rushed forward and, seeing that both his master and mistress seemed rather unhappy, his heart skipped a beat.
He quickly smiled and said, "My lord, where did you pick up the princess? Two fat sheep have just been sent from the estate. Why don't you roast a leg of lamb in the garden, and you can keep the princess company while you enjoy the snow and have a fresh meal?"
The Marquis shook his head and instructed, "Pack the lamb legs. We'll take them with us when we return to Broken Gold Beach."
The head butler's face fell; he had thought his masters would be eating at home.
Jiayin thought for a moment and then smiled and coaxed him, "Uncle Butler, it's almost the twelfth lunar month. I'll be coming every other day from now on. Uncle Butler, please teach me how to exchange gifts with each other."
“I have planted a lot of fruit trees that were transplanted from the south in my glass greenhouse. They can all be added to the gift list this year.”
Sure enough, the head butler immediately beamed with joy upon hearing this.
“That’s wonderful. This old servant will have someone prepare the princess’s room and heat it up right away. It would be best if the princess could come every day, not just every other day.”
As they were talking, the Marquis led Jiayin to the storeroom in the inner courtyard.
The head butler deftly pulled the key from his waist, opened the door, and then stood guard at the entrance.
Jiayin followed her godfather inside, looking around curiously, before her eyes widened in surprise.
Because this warehouse is only the size of two rooms, but it is packed full, and as far as the eye can see, it is full of good stuff!
The pieces of rosewood and golden nanmu wood were piled up neatly.
Porcelain vases of various sizes, screens with bases of various materials, boxes of calligraphy and paintings, brocade, large pieces of jade, and carved ornaments...
In short, if you can imagine it, you can find it here.
Jiayin has been in charge of the Marquis's residence for some time now, but these things don't seem to be on the storeroom's records at all.
The Marquis led her to a row of wooden shelves, on which were displayed many brocade boxes.
The Marquis opened one and handed it to Jiayin. Jiayin's eyes turned red from the glare, because the box was full of rubies.
The big ones are like dates, and the small ones are like peanuts.
Each bead is pure and intensely red; it is definitely not an ordinary product.
But that wasn't all. The Marquis opened another box, inside which was a pair of jade bracelets, their color a clear, vibrant green, the finest of the finest, far superior to any bracelet Jiayin had ever seen.
She couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Godfather, whose treasure trove have you robbed?"
The Marquis chuckled, slipped the bracelet onto her wrist, and seeing that it was a bit too big, took it off and put it back.
As he searched through the other boxes, he said with a smile, "You guessed right, they did indeed rob a treasure vault, but it didn't belong to anyone, it was the barbarians!"
"When each family moved from Kyoto to the new capital, many of their valuables were left behind and were found by the barbarians. Some people left later and were killed and robbed of their belongings. These things accumulated over time."
"During our northern expedition, we captured two cities occupied by barbarians, and these things became our spoils of war."
"To avoid attracting attention, these items were transported back two months late. Those marked had to be processed, and the gold and silver had to be melted down into ingots. It wasn't until a few days ago that everything was finally arranged."
"This warehouse is all for you. You can take the key and find a time when you feel safe to store it somewhere you can keep it safe."
“When you get married in the future, this will be the dowry your godfather has prepared for you.”
After saying this, the Marquis finally found a small mutton-fat jade bracelet in a box, put it on his daughter's wrist again, and was finally satisfied.
As soon as he looked up, he realized that the chubby girl was already in tears.
"What's wrong? What's wrong? Don't cry, your godfather will give you some when he goes to war again..."
"Godfather!" Jiayin hugged her godfather tightly and burst into tears. "Godfather, why are you so good to me? I didn't save the world in my past life, so how come I have such a good godfather like you in this life!"
"Waaah, I'm too scared to sleep, I'm afraid I'll wake up and find it was all a dream!"
"Godfather, Fu Niu'er will definitely treat you well in the future and take care of you in your old age. If Godfather lives to be a hundred years old, I will be filial to Godfather until I am a hundred years old!"
The Marquis laughed upon hearing this, and squatted down to wipe away the fat girl's tears. "What nonsense are you talking about? Your godfather only has you as his daughter. If you don't support me in my old age, I have no one else to rely on."
"Besides, every father in the world prepares a dowry for his daughter; it's only right and proper!"
"Your father also got a share, and he probably brought it home by now. He'll definitely leave some for you as part of your dowry!"
Jiayin wiped away her tears, her heart filled with warmth and joy.
At that moment, she completely forgot about the emperor not keeping his word and the third princess trying to steal the credit.
With so many people who love her, she's too busy cherishing them to have time to be sad or angry over two unrelated people!
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