Chapter 67
After the Queen and the eldest princess entered the Yanqing Palace, they sat in the inner hall to receive the wives of officials who came to pay their respects today. Except for the Fourth Wife and the First Wife who served the eldest princess, the Third Wife and the Second Wife were waiting with their wives at the banquet table in the side hall.
The ladies sat together in groups of three or four and chatted without much restraint.
There was no way Qiao Zhiyun would be absent from the Queen’s birthday banquet.
But her appearance caused quite a stir.
It turned out that the Governor's wife was a stunning beauty. Naturally, some people felt that she looked familiar, but no one connected her with Xie Yunchu. After all, ugliness comes in all kinds of forms, while beauty looks the same in all the same ways.
At that time, Xiao Youran was sitting next to Xie Yunchu, looking at Qiao Zhiyun opposite him, and tugged at Xie Yunchu's sleeve with some worry.
"How about I go for a walk with you?"
Xie Yunchu said calmly, "I haven't done anything shameful, and I haven't wronged anyone, so why should I avoid her?"
After she said that, Xiao Youran felt relieved, "When can I be as calm and composed as you?" She was just impatient and couldn't keep her cool.
As soon as Qiao Zhiyun arrived, she spotted Xie Yunchu. She didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble for her daughter, so she kept a low profile and sat among the older ladies. However, her status meant she was destined to be unable to keep a low profile, not to mention that she was arranging a marriage for Jiang Cairu recently, so she had to socialize a lot.
Jiang had an outstanding son, who was naturally a popular figure in the social circle. Both of them were beauties in the circle of noble ladies, and they happened to be invited to sit together. One had a noble husband, and the other had a promising son, so neither of them was inferior to the other.
However, when Qiao Zhiyun and Jiang met, they were both stunned when they saw each other.
Qiao Zhiyun was once known as the most beautiful woman in Jinling, and Jiang was also the most beautiful woman in Yangzhou. The two cities were across the river from each other and had frequent trade exchanges. It was inevitable that they were compared. Jiang was young and hot-tempered and could not tolerate anyone, while Qiao Zhiyun was more proud. The two often confronted each other. Later, Jiang moved north with his family and gradually forgot about Qiao Zhiyun.
It was only a few years ago when she ran into her childhood friend that she learned that Qiao Zhiyun had married and moved to the capital, but divorced and returned to Jinling a few years later. Today, looking at Qiao Zhiyun's face that looked very similar to Xie Yunchu, there was nothing Jiang didn't understand.
No wonder she disliked Xie Yunchu in the beginning. She always felt a little uncomfortable with Xie Yunchu. It turned out that the root cause was Qiao Zhiyun.
At this moment, she actually felt a little sympathy for her daughter-in-law. It must be a very unpleasant feeling to be abandoned by one's own mother.
Naturally, Qiao Zhiyun recognized Jiang at a glance, and when she heard her call her "my Shuhuai" repeatedly, she realized that Jiang was her daughter's mother-in-law, and she couldn't help but sigh, "The world is too small."
There were some screens on both sides of the main hall, separating them into two, which was equivalent to a small tea room. Qiao Zhiyun retreated to the small tea room first, and Jiang followed closely. The two sat on a high table between them.
"How dare you show up? If I were you, I would pretend to be sick and stay at home." Jiang's opening words were filled with cold sarcasm.
Qiao Zhiyun looked indifferent, looking at her like a clown, "I am an upright person, why can't I show my face? I can show my face if I want to, and I don't want to go out if I don't want to."
Jiang sneered and glanced at Xie Yunchu in the distance, "Aren't you afraid of causing trouble for your daughter?"
Qiao Zhiyun's lips slightly flattened. She didn't respond to the conversation and asked, "What do you mean by being sour? Are you gloating over someone else's misfortune?"
"No, I just feel sorry for my daughter-in-law. How can there be such a cruel mother like you in the world? Qiao Zhiyun, you are still as cruel as you were back then." Jiang snorted.
Qiao Zhiyun's expression was still cold. "How good can you be? Apart from mistreating my daughter-in-law, relying on your status to bully others, and looking down on others, what else can you be capable of?"
Qiao Zhiyun had asked Mrs. Xiao about Xie Yunchu's situation and knew that she had a complicated mother-in-law, but she didn't expect that person to be Jiang.
Jiang immediately became angry when she heard this.
"What qualifications do you have to criticize me? If you don't care about her, who can you expect to care about her? Oh, weren't you so arrogant in front of me back then? Have you ever thought that one day your daughter would become my daughter-in-law? What do you call this? This is karma." Jiang said with relief.
Qiao Zhiyun was really angry. She narrowed her eyes slowly and looked at Jiang with cold and disgusted eyes. "I warn you, if you dare to bully Yun Chu, I will tell you about your ugly deeds in Yangzhou."
Upon hearing this, the smug look on Jiang's face disappeared without a trace.
When she was young, she had done some stupid things. When she saw a handsome student, she threw a handkerchief at him. As a result, he severely reprimanded her and threw the handkerchief back to her. Qiao Zhiyun happened to see this happening.
"How dare you!" She was so angry that she grabbed her handkerchief and stared at Qiao Zhiyun with half anger and half fear. "Shu Huai is also your son-in-law. Isn't it ruining his reputation by doing this? Harming him is like harming Yun Chu. What good will it do you?"
Qiao Zhiyun looked at her like a fool, and calmly took a sip of the teacup, "Considering others and putting yourself at the expense of others? I have never done such a thing. Remember when you accidentally fell into the water and were rescued, and your family lied that you were a maid to cover it up? Jiang Huarong, I advise you to be more gentle with Yun Chu in the future. If she suffers any injustice in front of you, you will not be a human being."
Jiang almost couldn't breathe, "You...you are so hateful..." Just as hateful as before.
Jiang's lips trembled and she was so angry that tears welled up in her eyes.
Qiao Zhiyun looked at her pitiful appearance and reminded her nonchalantly, "Don't cry. Today is the Queen's birthday banquet. Do you want to be kicked out of the palace? This would be embarrassing for Shu Huai."
Jiang stopped crying all of a sudden, raised her face and swallowed back her tears. She quickly tidied her appearance and left the tea room dejectedly like a defeated peacock.
Qiao Zhiyun looked at her back and curled her lips slightly. She still hadn't improved after all these years and was still as stupid as she was back then.
Soon the banquet began. Men and women sat at separate seats, the female family members in the west hall of Yanqing Palace, and the officials and young masters in the east hall. After lunch, Qiao Zhiyun said goodbye to the queen and went outside the east hall to wait for her youngest son and Jiang Cheng. Young masters came out one after another.
Qiao Zhiyun couldn't help but glance around the crowd, and she would always take a few more glances at people of similar age.
I don’t know whether he came or not.
As he was hesitating, he saw from afar a father and son striding out of the threshold of Yanqing Palace.
The man was tall and thin with a long neck, as straight and stubborn as an unbreakable green bamboo. Qiao Zhiyun's eyes quickly passed over him and looked at the young man beside him.
He was about sixteen years old, tall and thin, with black eyes like ink and brows like a sword sheath. I don't know what his father said, but he looked very unhappy, with the corners of his lips turned to the side, his face full of disdain and stubbornness.
Qiao Zhiyun's vision gradually blurred.
Just at this moment, Jiang Cheng also stepped out with his youngest son. He spotted Qiao Zhiyun at a glance and smiled cheerfully, "Madam, you've been waiting for a long time."
When Xie Hui heard Jiang Cheng call him "Madam", he couldn't help but look back and met Qiao Zhiyun's eyes. His face turned stiff for a moment, and he immediately turned his head away, pulling his son and quickening his pace to walk out.
Xie Yunyou found that Xie Hui was like a mouse seeing a cat, and couldn't help but look at the woman curiously. His eyes were fixed on her and couldn't move away.
Xie Hui noticed his son's movement, grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the corner gate.
"Your mother is still waiting at Donghua Gate, hurry up and leave."
Xie Yunyou didn't turn his head until Xie Hui dragged him out of the hall in front of Yanqing Palace. He glared at Xie Hui coldly, "Why are you afraid of her? Are you afraid that she will eat you? Father, is there anyone in this world that you are afraid of?"
Xie Hui's face turned black and red. He didn't like Qiao. Sometimes he would even dream of her scolding him in the coldest tone.
Although Mrs. Qiao looked gentle, she was actually arrogant and overbearing, which Xie Hui could not tolerate.
When the father and son went out of Donghua Gate, they saw Madam Xiao and Madam Ming waiting for them.
When Mrs. Xiao saw Xie Hui coming, she waved to Mrs. Ming and left first.
Xie Hui and his son followed Madam Ming into the carriage.
Mrs. Ming felt something was wrong when she saw the faces of Xie Hui and Xie Yunyou. Xie Hui closed his eyes and leaned against the wall of the car without saying a word, while Xie Yunyou stared at him as if he was watching a good show. Mrs. Ming looked at this one, then at that one.
"What's going on?"
Madam Ming and Xie Hui both learned about Qiao Zhiyun's affairs from Madam Xiao, but Xie Yunyou was the only one kept secret from them.
Xie Yunyou said sinisterly, "Who knows what bad things father did to scare him like this just by seeing someone?"
Mrs. Ming understood what was going on after hearing this. She didn't take it seriously and said, "So you saw your mother..."
"She is not my mother!" Xie Yunyou's tone suddenly became cold and fierce, interrupting Mrs. Ming's words like a knife.
Mrs. Ming did not blame him for being rude, but sighed with heartache, "Silly child..."
She stroked Xie Yunyou's head.
Xie Yunyou turned his face away and sat for a while. Suddenly, he shouted to stop the car and jumped out of the car window without saying a word. Mrs. Ming was startled and quickly lifted the car curtain to ask,
"where did you go?"
"I'm going to see how she acts as a mother to others!"
The young man jumped on his horse and disappeared around the corner like an arrow.
Mrs. Ming was extremely worried and quickly ordered the driver, "Turn the horse around and follow."
Xie Hui's face darkened when he heard this, "Let him be."
Madam Ming turned her head and glared at him, "He has been motherless since he was a child, and he is full of anger. Who knows what might happen if he goes there now."
Xie Hui said with red eyes, "What can he do? Go to the Jiangnan Governor's Mansion and make trouble? He is not so stupid."
Mrs. Ming said with tears in her eyes, "But at least go and take a look, at least let him know that there is a way home..."
Xie Hui's eyes were sore and he didn't say anything for a long time.
The weather suddenly turned cloudy in the afternoon and some clouds gathered in the sky.
Along the way, Xie Yunyou asked about the location of the Jiangnan Governor's Mansion, and then went straight to the Jiang Mansion in Shiyongfang.
After waiting for less than a quarter of an hour, a large carriage stopped in front of the gate.
Immediately, a maid came forward, put down a stool and lifted the curtain. A beautiful woman bent down and got out of the carriage, and then an eight-year-old boy came out behind her.
The young boy inherited his mother's beauty. He was handsome at a young age, with a pair of particularly lively eyes. He jumped out of the carriage with a smile, and naturally walked forward to hold Qiao Zhiyun, and must have called her mother. The woman turned her head and smiled gently, and even leaned down to stroke his eyebrows. It must have been her who made a promise. The young boy ran inside happily.
Qiao Zhiyun also raised her eyes at this time, and the rain was falling lightly.
In the hazy rain and fog, a slender young man in a dark blue robe stood at the entrance of the alley opposite.
The mottled moss behind him was dark green, making his face look particularly white.
Qiao Zhiyun couldn't help but take a few steps forward, stood in front of the vast courtyard, and stared at him in a daze.
Xie Yunyou also came forward and looked at Qiao Zhiyun through the rain.
Qiao Zhiyun looked at her completely unfamiliar son, and an extreme sadness surged in her heart, "Yunyou..."
Xie Yunyou, on the other hand, looked her up and down with a smile on his face. "Just now I realized that Madam looked familiar, and I couldn't help but follow her on horseback. Only then did I realize that Madam looked exactly like the person in my dream."
Qiao Zhiyun felt a dull pain in her heart when she heard this. She stood there reservedly, moving her lips but not daring to make a sound.
Xie Yunyou saw her eyes filled with tears and her expression was extremely cold.
"I don't blame you for leaving, but you shouldn't have given birth to me."
"You could even abandon me and throw me into a pile of dead bodies, or even throw me into a charity. Why did you leave me behind to implicate my sister? Do you know how difficult it is for a girl under four to raise a baby brother?"
He pointed at the boy who was walking away, "You also raised a child with your own hands, so you must understand the hardships involved. My sister's life must be thousands of times harder than yours."
Xie Yunyou's words pierced her heart like a knife. Qiao Zhiyun couldn't help but burst into tears. She was speechless in front of her son.
The rain grew heavier, wetting their clothes and hair.
Mrs. Ming, who was far away, saw this and ran over with an umbrella in hand.
"Yunyou..."
At this moment, Xie Yunyou suddenly raised his sleeve, and a dagger popped out from under his sleeve. He pushed the scabbard open with his thumb and slashed upwards. The jade crown broke into two pieces with a bang, and his black hair flew all over his thin back.
The young man said in a sonorous voice, "I came here to give you something."
The blade slashed forward again, and a tuft of long black hair fell into Xie Yunyou's palm. He smiled, like a ghost laughing wildly in the rain. "It is said that the body and hair are inherited from parents. Madam Jiang, today Yunyou will return this thing to you."
Xie Yunyou presented the lock of black hair with both hands. Qiao Zhiyun stood there like a clay sculpture, all the traces of tears frozen on her face. She looked at her son with a pale face.
Seeing that she didn't move, Xie Yunyou threw the lock of hair in front of her, then strode away without looking back.
Upon seeing this, Mrs. Ming threw away her oil-paper umbrella without saying a word and stepped forward to help Xie Yunyou tie his hair.
Xie Yunyou looked at the other gentle and quiet mother and called out to her, "Mom, let's go back."
The cry of "Mother..." caught Mrs. Ming off guard.
She opened her mouth in a daze for a moment, a slight blush quietly creeping up on her beautiful cheeks. She felt a little helpless. Seeing Xie Yunyou's flamboyant smile, she held back her sobs, nodded, and said, "Good boy, let's go back." She picked up the broken jade crown, and led Xie Yunyou to the carriage.
The rain is getting heavier.
Qiao Zhiyun stood in the rain for a long time, looking at the scattered hair on the ground and the blurry figure in the distance.
The Wang family had dinner in Changchun Palace before leaving the palace. On the way out, Ke Jie'er fell asleep. Fortunately, Wang Shuhuai was there and held her in his arms all the way. The rain had stopped, but the road was still wet, so in order to prevent Xie Yunchu from slipping, Wang Shuqin and Wang Yining supported her on both sides.
The maids and wet nurses in the mansion were waiting outside the Donghua Gate. When they saw Wang Shuhuai coming out with the child in his arms, the wet nurse immediately took the child and sat in the carriage at the back. Wang Shuhuai helped Xie Yunchu get on the carriage, and then they sat down together.
"Yunchu, I will go to Jinling again in a few days." Wang Shuhuai spoke to her with his gentle expression as usual. Thinking that Xie Yunchu was tired, he gave the soft couch to her and sat on the brocade stool below. While speaking, he looked Xie Yunchu straight in the eye.
Xie Yunchu felt a little uncomfortable when she heard the name "Yunchu". She also sensed some changes in him. In the past, her husband looked gentle on the outside, but deep down he always had a sense of superiority and alienation. Now that sense of alienation disappeared, and warmth emanated naturally from his eyes.
Xie Yunchu also replied calmly, "How long will you be gone? I can prepare clothes for you."
Wang Shuhuai put his hands on his knees and said calmly, "It will take about a few months, and I will be back when the baby is born." While speaking, he glanced at Xie Yunchu's lower abdomen, but his robe was loose and he could not see anything.
Xie Yunchu didn't know how to respond when she heard that, and her brows drooped.
The carriage fell silent.
Xie Yunchu was playing with the newly made ring, and Wang Shuhuai was looking at her. He had not yet thought of a good way to please her, so he just wanted to do something within his ability.
"I heard that the princess gave you two farms, one in Tongzhou and one in Jiangnan. As for the silk farm, I will help you take care of all these matters when I go to Jiangnan this time."
Xie Yunchu looked at him in a daze.
Wang Shuhuai met her scrutinizing gaze and said as a matter of course, "Will these industries belong to our children in the future? I should do my part." He was afraid that Xie Yunchu would refuse.
Xie Yunchu thought about it and felt that what he said made sense. "It would be best if Second Master could help. I don't have any reliable people. Who are you going to take with you?"
"Minglan, he's efficient and reliable."
Xie Yunchu also thought Ming Lan was good, "but he is my wife's man."
Wang Shuhuai looked over with a sharp gaze, "Are you sure he's your wife's man?"
Xie Yunchu choked up. He had to admit that if Wang Shuhuai really cared, there would be nothing he couldn't handle. How could Jiang, with her muddled mind, be a match for Wang Shuhuai? Wang Shuhuai could probably just give Nanny Ming and Steward Ming and his wife a look, let alone just a finger.
If he had paid a little attention to the rear house in his previous life, she wouldn't have had to live such a hard life.
"Since Second Master has taken on this responsibility, I will just collect the money from now on."
"Okay." He said in a slightly relaxed tone.
Xie Yunchu thought of the prosperous commerce in Jiangnan again, and couldn't help asking Wang Shuhuai, "Second Master, have you ever thought about setting up some business in Jiangnan?"
Wang Shuhuai shook his head, "I don't have that skill..."
Wang Shuhuai was a third-rank court official. He was so busy with his duties that he had no time to do anything else.
He was a capable minister who saved the world. He focused on the political situation and the country, and did not care about these external things.
Two days later, Wang Shuhuai found two purple dendrobiums. He found Doctor Fan from the Imperial Medical Bureau and asked him to make some pills for Xie Yunchu to nourish his body. Doctor Fan also added some nutritional and fetal-protecting medicines and gave them to Xie Yunchu.
Xie Yunchu didn't know that Wang Shuhuai had contributed to this, and Wang Shuhuai had no intention of telling her.
On the day of his departure, Wang Shuhuai came to the backyard to look after the children. Xie Yunchu was busy settling accounts and treated him as usual. After lunch, Wang Shuhuai took a boat to leave Beijing in the afternoon.
On the second day after Wang Shuhuai left, the palace arranged a marriage for Wang Shuyi.
It turned out that the Queen fell in love with Wang Shuyi at the birthday banquet that day, and wanted to marry Wang Shuhuai, the upstart, to her mother's family.
On one side is the Duke's Mansion, the first of the dynasty, and on the other side is the Xunyang Marquis Mansion, the family of the Queen's mother. They can barely be considered evenly matched.
Wang Shuqin and Wang Shuya were worried about her. When the sisters gathered together to talk privately, they asked her,
"What are you and Liu Zhuo going to do?"
"Oh, yes, you should be called Shen Zhuo now."
Wang Shuyi was very open-minded. "What can I do? Although he treats me very well and I like him a little, this liking is not enough for me to abandon my family background for him."
When it comes to marriage, Wang Shuyi has always had her own ideas.
"He sent me a letter not long ago, saying that he was going back to his hometown in Mingzhou to take the imperial examination. He doesn't know when he will pass the exam. Should I wait for him? Even if I wait for him, do you know if he will change his mind? I can't afford to take the risk. I think the Xunyang Marquis Mansion is not bad. At least it is a noble family. We are of the same sentiment and decent family background. I should have one of the two. I choose the latter."
Ever since Wang Shuyi suffered a loss at the hands of Xiao Huaijin, she no longer easily gives her feelings to others.
Wang Shuqin agreed, "We are relieved if you think this way."
Wang Shuya answered from the side, "I heard that Lord Liu doesn't plan to remarry, and he wants to live with his daughter Liu Xiang."
"What a great new noble family." All three of them sighed.
Wang Shuqin had originally been at odds with Chenxiang...that is, Liu Xiang. Whenever Linglong embroidery came out with a new style, Liu Xiang would snatch it from her. Later, when she learned that Linglong embroidery was her sister-in-law's property, Wang Shuqin gave in to Liu Xiang in every way. The two of them became friends after a fight and can now be considered half sisters.
On the first day of April, the wife of Marquis Xunyang came in person with a matchmaker to propose marriage. They exchanged engagement letters in the morning, and discussed the betrothal gifts and dowry in the afternoon.
The wife of Xunyang Marquis was a powerful person. She tried to test Jiang with her words.
"The second wife has only one daughter, so she must be spoiled by her."
This was simply a hint to Jiang to give more dowry.
Jiang looked at her with raised eyebrows. The wife of Marquis Xunyang was wealthy, and her eyebrows showed three parts of calculation and four parts of cunning. Jiang did not like such a relative.
"Of course I dote on her, but no matter how much I dote on her, our Wang family also has family rules that cannot be crossed."
When Mrs. Xunyang Hou heard this, her smile faded slightly.
She has only one son, and all the title and property in the family belong to him. She doesn't want to suffer any loss, so naturally she hopes that the other party will give her more dowry.
But Jiang already had three sons, all of whom were married and had children, and she was worried that Jiang would not have much money to leave for her daughter.
Since the marriage was arranged by His Majesty, no one is inferior to anyone else, so they might as well speak frankly.
The wife of Xunyang Hou winked at the matchmaker, and the matchmaker smiled and said,
"We have chosen a date and will come to propose on May 12th. What do you think, Madam?"
"Since it is the day predicted by the Imperial Observatory, it must be a good day."
The matchmaker continued, "It's like this. Since we have been through the official matchmaking, we have to follow the rules. When the Yang family sends the betrothal gift list, we also have to look at the dowry list. I wonder if the second wife has any idea about it?"
Jiang said calmly, "How much dowry we give depends on how much betrothal gifts the other party gives."
The wife of Xunyang Marquis personally came forward and asked, "May I ask, Second Madam, should these betrothal gifts be included in the dowry and taken back together, or should some be kept?"
Jiang felt that the wife of the Marquis of Xunyang was looking down on others because she was the empress's sister-in-law. Although the second house was not the eldest princess's biological daughter, it was not weaker than the Marquis of Xunyang's house.
"We only hope that our daughter will live a good life. How can we learn from those short-sighted people to deduct the betrothal gift? We will take whatever betrothal gift you give us."
When the wife of Marquis Xunyang heard this, she was satisfied. She took out the dowry list and handed it to the matchmaker. The matchmaker took it and showed it to Jiang. Jiang took a glance at it and suddenly felt a headache.
The third wife glanced at the sleeve of the wife of Marquis Xunyang and guessed that she had prepared two gift lists. If she took them back, it would naturally be a generous betrothal gift. If she didn't, it would be a small betrothal gift. She had made careful calculations. This relative was not easy to deal with. She didn't know whether the second sister-in-law could handle it.
Generally speaking, the dowry has to match the betrothal gift. The betrothal gift given by the wife of Marquis Xunyang is quite good. If Jiang was asked to prepare the dowry according to it, she would really have to cut flesh.
Madam Hou saw through Jiang's true colors at a glance and put down her teacup. "Let's leave the betrothal gift list here with Madam first, and we'll come back to propose when the auspicious time comes."
After saying that, he was about to leave.
"Wait!" Jiang couldn't bear to see the Marquis's wife being so strong, so she naturally planned to warn her. She held the betrothal gift list and said, "I heard that there is a young master born out of wedlock in the mansion. He has been training at the border with the Marquis since he was a child and has outstanding martial arts. I wonder if this title can really fall on our brother?"
The wife of Xunyang Marquis smiled and said, "The Queen has already said that the title belongs to our Jun brother."
Then Jiang asked, "Madam, have you asked the Marquis about the betrothal gift list?"
The face of the wife of the Marquis of Xunyang froze. Although she had only one son, she had many illegitimate children. The wife of the Marquis took this opportunity to prepare a large betrothal gift for her son in an attempt to accumulate all the properties in the name of her son. After all, the betrothal gifts could be returned in the end, so why not do it?
When Jiang asked this, the wife of Xunyang Marquis felt nervous and her tone softened.
"Madam, I only have one son, and in the future, I will only have one daughter-in-law, Yi'er. Everything will be theirs. How about this, Madam, it's ok to reduce your dowry by 20%."
Jiang took the order.
She was not afraid of preparing a dowry for her daughter, but she was afraid that the dowry would be swallowed up by the marquis' wife and son-in-law after entering the mansion. Her daughter was naive and might not be a match for them.
When she was a mother-in-law, she looked down on others, and now it was her turn to be picked on. Although the marquis's wife had spoken frankly, she still didn't know whether the betrothal gifts could be delivered on May 12. She was so worried that she couldn't sleep that night.
Wang Shuhuai told Xie Yunchu that he would wait until Xie Yunchu gave birth before coming back, but in fact he was away for a month and then found an excuse to return to Beijing.
It happened to be the day and night when the Yulin Guard and the Huben Guard changed shifts, and Wang Shuhuai met Gao Zhan at the city gate.
Gao Zhan took him to rest under the battlements without saying anything. Seeing that he looked exhausted, he immediately offered him a sip of wine.
"This is the plum wine brewed by your aunt herself. Try it."
Wang Shuhuai's eyes changed several times when he heard this, and he looked at Gao Zhan in surprise.
"When did you enter the Princess's Mansion?"
It's only been a month, and Gao Zhan has gotten his aunt's permission to enter and leave the princess's mansion?
Gao Zhande told him proudly, "Just three days ago, your aunt finally opened the door and let me in to sit for a while. This wine was brought out before she left. I usually don't want to drink it, so I'm sharing it with you now that you're here."
Wang Shuhuai was envious, "How did you do it?"
Gao Zhanshen said mysteriously, "Shame on you!"
"Ever since your aunt returned to the Princess's Mansion, I have been standing guard at the door every time I get off work. I either bring snacks for the child or buy her the lotus leaf wrapped chicken that she loved to eat when she was young. After all, I am the deputy commander of the Yulin Guards. What's a big deal about hanging around in front of her door all day? She couldn't stand it anymore and allowed me to go in and have a cup of tea."
Upon hearing this, Wang Shuhuai looked thoughtful.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
