Prince Yong was a prince, Zhao Shu was a first-rank princess, and Marquis Jiang Zuo of Yiguang brought his entire family to the gate to greet them.
After getting off the carriage, before the Jiang family could even greet the father and son, she preemptively said, "A-Jun greets her maternal grandfather, uncle and aunt, aunt, cousins."
Prince Yong was a step slower. After Zhao Shu finished her greeting, he realized what was happening and bowed to Jiang Suiji from a distance, saying, "Your son-in-law greets your father-in-law."
Although the daughter of the Marquis of Yiguang married a prince, she did not benefit from it. In the past, Zhao Shu did not care about her maternal family.
This was the first time that someone had come to the Marquis of Yiguang's residence with such solemnity and meticulous etiquette.
Everyone in the Jiang family felt flattered and overwhelmed.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Jiang Huiji looked at Zhao Shu and couldn't help but shed tears.
Lady Jiang Yang, the wife of the Marquis of Yiguang, reacted quickly. She pulled Jiang Zuo, who was stunned, and curtsied, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness and Princess. Please don't stand outside. Let's talk inside."
"Yes, yes, brother-in-law, come inside and talk." It had been a long time since he had called him "brother-in-law," and now, saying it brought tears to his eyes. Jiang Zuo thought of his unfortunate second sister, and a sorrowful expression involuntarily showed on his face.
Zhao Shu glanced at her aunt Jiang Yue, who was standing quietly to the side. Jiang Yue actually looked a lot like her mother. If she didn't know that the person in front of her was her mother's older sister, she would definitely mistake her for her own mother.
Jiang Yue's appearance was so similar to the portrait of the deceased princess kept in the mansion.
She wasn't the only one who thought it resembled him; even Prince Yong was dazed upon seeing it, almost losing his mind.
Seeing Prince Yong's appearance, Jiang Zuo felt much more at ease and hurriedly led Prince Yong through the door with Jiang Sui.
Upon entering the Yiguang Marquis's Mansion, one can see that the mansion has not been repaired for a long time, with many areas already unpainted and giving it a dilapidated feel.
In my memory, the Marquis of Yiguang's mansion wasn't so impoverished. Although my uncle didn't hold an official position, the household had a small population and low expenses, and they still had several shops from my maternal grandmother's dowry as a source of income.
Why did they fall into such a state of decline in just a few years?
Prince Yong followed Jiang Suiji and Jiang Zuo to the front courtyard to talk, while Zhao Shu naturally followed Jiang Yangshi to the back courtyard to talk.
“In the blink of an eye, the princess has grown so much. She used to be such a short little child.” Jiang Yangshi gestured.
"It's been a long time since I've visited my maternal grandfather, uncle, and aunt. It's my fault. I'll definitely come to visit my aunt more often in the future." Zhao Shu didn't know the truth; she really hadn't visited her relatives for a long time.
Jiang Yangshi's face stiffened. She carefully observed Zhao Shu's expression and was moved by her sincerity. "If Aunt dares to dislike our A-Jun, won't your uncle be furious? You are your uncle's only niece."
A few words were enough to make the previously awkward relationship much closer.
Jiang Yangshi pulled Jiang Jiaoling beside her and said, "This is your cousin. She can't speak much. Ah Jun, don't find her boring."
"My cousin is as beautiful as a fairy who stepped out of a painting. Ah Jun doesn't mind that my cousin is boring, as long as my cousin doesn't mind that Ah Jun is noisy."
The group arrived at Yunshu Courtyard of the Marquis of Yiguang's residence. Jiang Yangshi brought out the snacks and tea that she had hastily prepared the day before. "These are new snacks from Yipinju, perfect for summer. Please try them, Ah Jun."
Zhao Shu knew about Yipinju. Yipinju's pastries were the best in the capital, and even the chefs in the imperial kitchen would occasionally go there to learn from them.
A small dish of pastries is quite expensive. Judging from the clothes worn by everyone in the Marquis's mansion, their food, clothing and daily necessities must be very tight. They probably don't often eat the food from Yipinju. Moreover, they may have pawned something in order to buy food from Yipinju to entertain the father and daughter.
When the snacks were taken out, Jiang Jiaoling swallowed hard, but she tried her best to hide it and pretend that she didn't want to eat them.
Jiang Yangshi glanced at her daughter and sighed almost imperceptibly.
Zhao Shu handed the snacks to Jiang Jiaoling, saying, "Cousin, have some snacks. Auntie, have some too. Auntie, have some too. A-Jun can't eat that much by herself."
There were only five or six snacks on the plate. Zhao Shu ate one and gave the rest to Jiang Jiaoling.
Seeing that Zhao Shu only ate one, Jiang Jiaoling didn't dare to eat more. Jiang Yangshi also only ate one. As for Jiang Yue, she sat quietly to the side, not eating anything. A plate of pastries sat alone and awkwardly on the table.
"What books does Ah Jun usually read? What patterns does she draw?" Jiang Jiaoling asked at Jiang Yangshi's prompting.
These are all the things girls can talk about.
"I don't care what kind of books I read. I can go into Father's study anytime and read everything. As for the patterns, they are all common in the capital. By the way, cousin, what kind of patterns do you usually draw? I brought some satin with me this time, cousin, you can try it out."
Jiang Yangshi looked at Zhao Shu with mixed feelings. She had also seen the cartload of things earlier. It was said that the Prince Yong's Mansion had come specifically to slap the face of the impoverished Marquis Yiguang's Mansion, but that didn't seem like it. Why would they need to be so meticulous about slapping someone in the face?
It would be a lie to say I wasn't moved. The Marquis's family had suffered enough scorn from others over the years. The Marquis's official position was ruined by someone, and the father-in-law was also framed and had to give up his title to become a teacher. The younger sister from the Prince's Mansion died young, and the eldest sister still has no one to propose marriage to, and her maternal family has also fallen on hard times.
All of this was making it almost unbearable for her.
Jiang Jiaoling is twelve years old now, but she is already very sensible. The things Zhao Shu gave her were too good, and she felt unworthy to accept them, and her heart was uneasy about accepting them.
Glancing at Jiang Yangshi, Zhao Shu didn't give her time to hesitate, "Cousin, the handkerchief in your hand is really beautiful. Please teach me how you do it."
"Don't be impatient, Ah Jun, I'll tell you." Jiang Jiaoling was so preoccupied with Zhao Shu that she didn't have time to look at her mother's expression. She instructed the maid to bring the flower shed and embroidery frame, and the two of them huddled together to study the embroidery.
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