Granny Shen had been with the Old Madam since she was very young. Back then, the Old Madam often went to the palace, and Granny Shen naturally met the former Crown Prince who was always praised. At that time, the former Crown Prince was the most desired man to marry among the famous ladies of the capital. This was not only because the former Crown Prince was the Crown Prince appointed by the late Emperor early on, but more importantly, because the former Crown Prince was gentle and mild-mannered. Although he had been in the position of Crown Prince for more than ten years, the things he did were very popular. It was because of this that he was feared by the late Emperor.
Granny Shen looked up at the glass lampshade on the kang table. Time seemed to flow backward in an instant. Granny Shen remembered that the old lady had gone to a banquet held in the palace to find a husband for her eldest son, who was now the Marquis of Yongning. The banquet was held in the Imperial Garden, and lanterns were decorated everywhere in the garden for the occasion. It was there that Granny Shen first met the former Crown Prince, and saw that handsome young man who remained in her memory after just one meeting.
After the old lady finished speaking, she hadn't heard Granny Shen speak for a long time. Looking up, she saw that Granny Shen seemed lost in thought, as if she was thinking about something. The old lady knew that when people get old, their memories can become confused. Granny Shen was a few years younger than her, and sometimes she would forget what she was supposed to do.
Granny Shen quickly came to her senses. Seeing the Old Madam looking at her, she smiled apologetically and said to the Old Madam, "It must be like her mother."
The old lady immediately understood the meaning of this seemingly nonsensical remark. So many years had passed, and Xu Shao was now the eldest daughter of the Yongning Marquis's family.
Perhaps due to her advanced age, she often thought about the past. The old lady rarely said to Granny Shen, "Actually, she looks somewhat like her father, but more like her mother. It's just a pity that she didn't inherit her father's kind and benevolent nature."
After leaving the old lady's room, Granny Shen went to the backyard through the moon gate. The moon was exceptionally bright that day. Granny Shen looked at the silvery moonlight covering the ground, looked up at the bright moon hanging in the sky like a silver plate, and gently shook her head. The person is gone, and the past cannot be retrieved.
The old lady sent someone to buy a boatload of grain, which was then placed at the Tongzhou dock. When Chen Zhaoci arrived at the Tongzhou dock with his men, he discovered that a steward from the mansion had been waiting for them there for quite some time.
After packing his luggage, Chen Zhaoci couldn't wait to leave. The guards given by the Marquis of Yongning were waiting outside the city, while the people given by the Old Madam were arranged to wait at the dock in Tongzhou. After boarding the ship in Tongzhou, they would travel south along the canal. When they reached the junction of the canal and the Miao River, they would travel upstream along the Miao River. The shipping on the canal was controlled by the Cao Gang. Even when they reached the Miao River, they would travel upstream along the Miao River. The Ma family of the Cao Gang had a lot of influence on this waterway, so they could rest assured about their safety.
The entire journey was by water, with several large ships traveling in front and behind. Even if some bandits wanted to cause trouble, not only had the Ma family already sent people to make arrangements along the way, but the guards on the ships would also have to think twice.
Traveling by water was a bit slow, but it was a smooth journey. Chen Zhaoci and Granny Lu were in the cabin, one preparing medicinal herbs and the other doing needlework with an embroidery hoop.
Chen Zhaoci asked the old woman with some curiosity, "Old woman, I've seen you doing needlework the whole way here. What are you doing?"
Granny Lu picked it up and showed it to Chen Zhaoci. It was a plain piece of silk embroidered with a pattern of twin flowers, which turned out to be a girl's undergarment.
Chen Zhaoci knew this was for Xu Zhi. Chen Zhaoci's own needlework was simply not presentable. Not only was Chen Zhaoci unable to do it, but the original owner of this body was also someone who was impatient with needlework. She had been accompanied by medical books and herbs since childhood and had never learned needlework.
When Xu Zhi arrived at Lu Mama's house, she wore the little clothes that Lu Mama had made for her. Later, when Xu Zhi grew up, she needed to wear a bellyband, so Lu Mama started making bellybands for her again. Xu Zhi was quite good at needlework, but Lu Mama still liked to make two pieces for her whenever she had time.
Granny Lu did two more stitches, put down the needle and thread, and said to Chen Zhaoci, "Third Madam, there is something I need to discuss with you on this trip to Miaozhou."
Chen Zhaoci didn't even look up. She was pounding a medicinal herb in a mortar with a pestle in her hand. She casually asked, "What important matter brings you all this way, Granny?"
Granny Lu couldn't hold back any longer. She stood up, took the pestle from Chen Zhaoci's hand, and said with some helplessness, "My dear Third Madam, do you even know how old our Ninth Miss is?"
Without even thinking, Chen Zhaoci said, "I'll be sixteen by the twelfth lunar month. If you add the traditional Chinese age reckoning, I'll be eighteen."
Granny Lu nodded and said, "That's right, our young lady is already eighteen. Have you thought about her consummating her marriage?"
Chen Zhaoci then realized what was happening and said in surprise, "Xiao Jiu is not even sixteen years old yet. Isn't it a bit too early to talk about this? She's still young and her body hasn't fully developed yet. If she gets pregnant, childbirth will be a major hurdle. I can't bear to do that."
Granny Lu nodded knowingly and said, "I knew you would say that, Third Madam, but does the young master think the same way? Our young lady has been married for three years now. When she was young, it was reasonable for us not to let them consummate their marriage. But she is clearly over fifteen years old. If they don't consummate their marriage soon, what will the young master think? Our young lady will be living with the young master from now on. If the young couple has a rift because of this, it will affect their relationship in the future."
Chen Zhaoci then took this issue seriously. In this era, girls could get married and have children after reaching the age of marriage. Chen Zhaoci naturally did not advocate or even opposed early marriage and childbirth. However, this situation had been going on for a very long time and was a matter of common custom. Even if Chen Zhaoci opposed it, who would agree with her proposal?
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