The news of Su Xingze’s grand wedding with Xie Lin quickly spread, and two months later, Qin Luan also received the news.
She was stunned for a moment, thinking that Xie Lin was also about to have his grand wedding.
Five years had passed in a blink of an eye; she had devoted herself to the female studies and was now a scholar of the Fifth Rank. It took her five years to rise from the Ninth Grade to the Fifth Rank; her promotion wasn’t considered slow, especially since she started from a very low position.
She hadn’t thought of Xie Lin for a long time, and recalling the past, she suddenly realized she was now twenty-two years old.
In Nanchu, her age was not the eldest among the unmarried daughters; Nangong Ya was older by half a year and was still unwed as well.
If she was asked about regrets, she had none, but she felt somewhat melancholy for the bygone days that would never return.
Seeing Qin Luan deep in thought, Qin Ruo sighed, "Sister, do you have any regrets?"
After all, Xie Lin was indeed a notable person.
Qin Luan shook her head, "No regrets."
She composed herself, looked at Qin Ruo, and said firmly, "Big brother, the path I chose for myself, I never regret."
Qin Ruo nodded slightly.
This sister of his was very decisive. From the moment the Qin family fell, she knew to use him to secure a future for herself. Currently among the female officials, she was the most dedicated and had risen the fastest in ranks. As long as the path was her own choosing, he, as her brother, would not interfere.
Su Rong’s pregnancy was indeed difficult, and on the day of the childbirth, the weather was exceptionally clear.
Zhou Gu, although he now had a daughter and had experienced this once, still showed no improvement, standing pale-faced outside the delivery room, his entire body tensed up.
Chu An was also very anxious, tugging at Zhou Gu’s sleeve, "Father, why aren’t you going inside to accompany Mother?"
Zhou Gu, staring intently at the door, shook his head, "Your mother won’t allow it."
Chu An clutched Zhou Gu’s sleeve tighter, "Father, Mother and the little brother will be safe, right?"
"They will be, they definitely will be safe," Zhou Gu nodded affirmatively.
The Lady of the Duke originally wanted the wet nurse to take Chu An downstairs, but she adamantly refused, insisting on staying with her father to watch over her mother and brother. The Lady of the Duke could only relent to her wishes.
This time, everyone waited for a day, Zhou Gu finally couldn’t take it anymore and rushed into the delivery room to accompany Su Rong in childbirth. It was only then that the little boy sluggishly emerged from his mother’s womb.
Su Rong didn’t even have a chance to speak and was so exhausted that she passed out.
At the same time as Zhou Gu breathed a sigh of relief, looking at the young son that the Grand Lady brought to him, he was so frustrated he felt like hitting someone. "This little thing, why is he so troublesome? Xiaoqi had trouble during his pregnancy, and even the day of childbirth, he’s still troublesome."
However, the Grand Lady was delighted, "Xiaoqi’s because the first pregnancy went too smoothly. It’s common for women to endure hardships during the ten months of pregnancy. It’s only been one day; there are those who endure a day and night of labor. You just haven’t seen it before. Don’t get mad at my grandson."
Zhou Gu fell silent, with the mother-in-law protecting the baby, what could he do to a tiny thing who could only cry and couldn’t even open his eyes? Any frustrations had to be swallowed.
Chu An moved closer, first checking on her mother, then gently touched her face before turning to look at her brother in her grandmother’s arms, curious, "Grandmother, is this my brother?"
"Yes, your brother." The Grand Lady smiled, showing him to her, "Look, isn’t he pretty?"
Chu An frowned slightly, her face showing her wish to speak the truth but also reflecting the expression of a mother who had struggled through childbirth, which made the Grand Lady laugh.
The Grand Lady laughed, "When you were born, you looked just the same. You became better-looking after the full moon celebration."
Upon hearing this, Chu An immediately relaxed. She didn’t want an ugly little brother.
The Lady of the Duke came over and patted Chu An’s head, "No wonder you’re family. When your parents first saw you, they had the same expression you have now."
Chu An quickly repressed her disdain and said insincerely, "My little brother is handsome."
The Eldest Princess Shengan came over, "Oh, look at my cute great-grandson."
The Grand Lady laughed and handed the baby to the Eldest Princess Shengan, "An’s eyebrows and eyes resemble Xiaoqi, and now this one resembles Zhou Gu."
The Eldest Princess Shengan nodded repeatedly, "Yes, he looks like young Gu. I remember clearly, he looked almost exactly like this when he was born."
The women relatives carried the baby outside to show the men, and everyone surrounded the newborn, filled with immense joy. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦
The Nanchu King was especially excited, thinking he should visit Zhenmin’s grave to offer incense prayers and tell her that Xiaoqi now had a son and a daughter, and he had seen it all for her.
Zhou Gu, with experience from before and along with Su Rong, had already thought of a name: Zhou Ping.
Good winds rely on strength, lifting me to the heavens.
Leaning on the railing to listen to the wind and rain, lying down without sole dominion.
Zhou Ping’s full-moon feast was just as lively. After the celebration, Su Rong named Chu An as Princess, and this time the Nanchu King had no objections, especially since Chu An said such tiring tasks should be done by her as the eldest sister, unable to bear seeing her beautiful newborn brother endure the same daily hardships as their parents.
And her pretty little brother, blowing spit bubbles, laughed joyfully at Chu An.
In the blink of an eye, six months passed, and Su Xingze’s great wedding took place. Being far in Nanchu, Su Rong sent ten huge carts of wedding gifts and also sent a message saying that as the seventh sister, she congratulates her big brother on his wedding, wishing him and his wife a hundred years of good harmony.
Although she had completed her confinement and restored her health, being the King of Nanchu and about to engage in battle with Dawei, she of course could not personally attend his wedding.
Along with Su Rong’s gifts, the Grand Lady also sent the key to her private treasury, giving it to Su Xingze, saying it was her wedding gift to her daughter-in-law, all her dowry and private savings were given to her new daughter-in-law.
Upon receiving the gifts, Su Xingze smiled and touched his forehead, feeling as if he had returned to when Su Rong was still a little girl, disliked by others. Back then, when her monthly allowance was not enough, she always approached him with a pleasing little face, asking him for money. His monthly stipend wasn’t much either, only able to sell paintings and try various methods to earn silver, giving her fifty taels each month. Even so, she still took any chance to bully her sisters and scrape whatever little allowance they had.
His mother tightly controlled the money, after all, the Governor’s Mansion housed a large family and indeed was not wealthy.
He hadn’t imagined that now, his mother would be so extremely generous, giving everything, even her own dowry and private treasury, straight to Liu Yu.
He turned and handed the key to Liu Yu along with Su Rong’s wedding gifts, "Here, these are from my mother and sister."
Although Liu Yu was from an Imperial merchant family, wealthy and prosperous, a merchant’s family, even with some treasures, couldn’t compare to what was accumulated in the Imperial Treasure House over generations. Looking at the list of many rare treasures, she was dumbstruck for a while before sighing and hugging Su Xingze’s waist, "I feel so blessed. How did I get so lucky to marry you?"
Su Xingze laughed, "Wasn’t it your own choice?"
Liu Yu giggled, "Yes, it was."
When she was thirteen, she chose her own husband, vowing back then to catch the moon in the heavens, not stopping until she succeeded.
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