Chapter 356 Meeting Gift
Zhuozhuo was a polite and outgoing child. Coupled with the kind and friendly attitude of Mr. and Mrs. Jiang, she felt that they were very good people. She kept calling them Grandpa Jiang and Grandma Jiang, which made the couple laugh heartily.
Madam Jiang was in good spirits. She had her maid fetch the gift she had prepared in advance for Zhuozhuo and personally placed it around the little guy's neck.
"I heard you like sparkly things. Do you still like this seven-colored gemstone necklace?"
Seeing so many dazzling colored gemstones on the same object for the first time, Zhuozhuo's big, dark eyes widened, and she nodded her little head repeatedly, saying, "I love it! I love it so much!"
Sheng An was very surprised, not expecting that Madam Jiang even knew about her own daughter's little quirks.
Seeing this, Master Jiang snorted, "After this child was born, that brat Jin Nian boasted about it eight hundred times in his letters. In his last letter before the new year, he even told me to prepare a gift for our first meeting and not to mistreat his precious daughter."
Sheng An almost laughed; she was used to the way the teacher and student got along.
However, the seven-colored gemstone necklace was too valuable, and she was embarrassed to accept it. She reached out to take it off and return it, saying, "Master's wife, she is just a child and doesn't need such a nice thing."
Madam Jiang stopped her movements, and said in a gentle but unyielding voice:
"It's just a little gadget. If the child likes it, let her wear it. If you're worried it's too flashy, put it away for now and let her wear it when she's a little older."
Having said all that, it would be pointless for Sheng An to refuse any longer, so he could only remind his daughter, who was still admiring the baby, "Quickly thank Grandpa Jiang and Grandma Jiang."
His burning gaze left the seven-colored gemstone necklace, and he leaned forward to hug Jiang's wife's neck, planting a kiss on her cheek: "Thank you, Grandma Jiang~"
Having said that, she glanced at Master Jiang, whose face was full of expectation, and then sat up straight and thanked him from afar: "Thank you, Grandpa Jiang, I like Grandpa Jiang so much~"
Her mother taught her that she shouldn't kiss or hug an old man like her grandfather, nor should she let an old man like her grandfather kiss or hug her.
She's a good girl, she should listen to her mother!
Master Jiang was somewhat disappointed at being treated differently, but he wasn't upset about it. He smiled and praised the cute and sweet-talking little guy in front of him: "Good boy, Grandpa has received your thanks."
Seeing that the generous Grandpa Jiang wasn't angry, Zhuozhuo smiled happily, her eyes crinkling. She leaned against Mrs. Jiang's chest, wiggling her little feet and admiring the new treasure around her neck.
With this seven-colored gemstone collar, her beloved pair of glass dogs will fall out of favor.
With the little one around, the atmosphere in the house was very relaxed.
Sheng An inquired about the health of the two elders and mentioned Xu Jinnian and Tan Zhenlin's situation, but did not mention what he had seen and heard in Beijing over the past two years, so as not to say anything that would upset Jiang Shiniang, whose condition was not very stable.
Zhuozhuo was still a child and wasn't interested in the conversations between the adults. After a while, she turned and wanted to go outside to play.
Jiang's wife probably guessed that Sheng An had something to say to Master Jiang alone, so she took Zhuozhuo to the courtyard.
Before Sheng An could speak, Master Jiang said, "Do you want to ask about the situation in the capital?"
Sheng An was not surprised and said truthfully, "The situation in the capital is dangerous right now, and I am very worried about my husband."
Master Jiang nodded slightly: "That boy is full of tricks. He won't rush in when it comes to matters of life and death. You can stay in Qingzhou and take good care of the child."
Sheng An's eye twitched, unsure whether the words were a compliment or an insult.
"Hahaha--"
Master Jiang was amused by Sheng An's reaction, but then his expression returned to seriousness: "Don't worry, he'll be fine. I'll send someone to tell you when good news comes from the capital."
Sheng An felt much more at ease and stood up gratefully, saying, "Thank you, Master."
Master Jiang stroked his beard and smiled, "Your master's wife likes children, especially a cute and clever child like Zhuozhuo. In the future, bring her over to your master's wife to see more often when you have nothing to do."
Sheng An felt a pang of sadness, but he didn't show it on his face: "As long as my master's wife doesn't mind Zhuozhuo's noise, I will often bring her over to keep her company."
She used to live in the Jiang family mansion in the capital, and she often heard Uncle Zhong speak of Master Jiang and his wife's child who died young, with a nostalgic and sad tone.
That child is also intelligent and gifted; if he had grown up safely, he would surely have achieved great things today.
Having obtained the information he wanted, Sheng An did not rush back to the village. He and Zhuo Zhuo stayed to accompany Jiang Shi Niang and had lunch there before leaving.
All the way, Zhuozhuo kept admiring her precious collar and kept telling Sheng'an that she liked Grandpa Jiang and Grandma Jiang.
Sheng An hugged the little one and earnestly instructed her, "Next time we come to play, you should spend more time talking to Grandma Jiang."
Zhuozhuo understood and nodded her little head vigorously: "Okay~"
Seeing that the little guy responded so readily, Sheng An was not surprised.
Whoever gives her a precious gift is the best person in the world, and she showers them with sweet words without restraint, as if she's afraid of smothering them with affection.
But everyone seems to love this kind of thing.
Perhaps they believe that children are pure of heart, won't lie, and only speak the truth.
Anyway, I don't think this girl is trying to fool more shiny babies.
For the next few days, Sheng An would bring Zhuo Zhuo to the Jiang residence, along with the food she had made herself.
Having not tasted her cooking for over two years, Mr. and Mrs. Jiang were overjoyed to finally eat it, and their appetites improved considerably.
Sheng An simply bought a batch of dried mushrooms and cooked a lot of mushroom and meat sauce, which was then sent to the Jiang residence.
Before they knew it, it was March, and the situation in the capital was becoming increasingly tense.
The nomadic army on the border lingered, burning, looting, and committing all sorts of atrocities, causing the people to lose their homes and become displaced.
Seeing that the border army had suffered several defeats, the news spread back to the capital and the court was in turmoil. Many people secretly plotted against the emperor and even wrote a memorial to Emperor Jinghe requesting that he establish an heir apparent.
Emperor Jinghe abandoned his previous image as a benevolent ruler and acted swiftly to expose those who caused trouble. Those who caused trouble were dismissed from their posts, while those who caused trouble were exiled and their property confiscated. For a time, the court was filled with a sense of unease.
Some astute individuals noticed that those who were dismissed from their posts or exiled under this pretext had intricate connections with the princess's residence.
These people secretly speculated about the emperor's intentions and were shocked to realize that Emperor Jinghe was going to take action against Princess Pingyuan.
If they choose the wrong side, they might be the ones whose homes are raided and who are exiled next time.
Princess Pingyuan, who thought she was the mastermind behind everything, finally realized that her scheme had been exposed. Forced into a corner, she decisively gave the following order:
"Quickly, make them proceed according to plan, without fail!"
After issuing the order, Princess Pingyuan's face remained grim. She slammed her hand heavily on the table: "You ungrateful wretch! You actually plotted against me so early on, how wonderful!"
Mother, this is the ruler of Wei whom you chose, and now he wants to kill me!
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