Zhao Shu was taken to Biyun Courtyard to embrace summer. Jiang Yangshi waited there anxiously. When she saw Zhao Shu arrive, she forced a smile, but it was a forced one.
"Ah Jun, you're here! Look, these pearl flowers are a rare sight these days." She kept telling herself that Zhao Shu was just a child, and that as long as she was appeased, everything would be fine. After all, a girl is more worthy of happiness than receiving hair ornaments or dressing up.
Zhao Shu walked over and glanced at the beaded flowers in the box. They were indeed quite pretty, but they weren't the kind of trendy items that had been popular in recent years. If she wasn't mistaken, they must have been a style from many years ago. If Zhao Shu were still the same Zhao Shu, she might have actually taken a second look at them because she had never seen them before.
She only glanced at it briefly, and Jiang Yang sighed inwardly, becoming even more anxious.
“Aunt, these pearl hairpins are nice, but they are not suitable for A-Jun. Please leave them for my cousin,” Zhao Shu said sincerely.
Regardless of Jiang Yue's situation, the other members of the Jiang family are still her relatives.
Jiang Yang was moved and wanted to hug Zhao Shu, but she restrained herself. After what happened with Jiang Yue, she had something on her mind.
"Ah Jun, your... your aunt's illness is quite serious, did it scare you?" Jiang Yangshi knew that even if Prince Yong came again, it couldn't possibly be related to Jiang Yue. As long as Prince Yong didn't agree, Jiang Yue wouldn't even be able to become a maid in the Prince's mansion.
And the result has already been found.
The Marquis's mansion is no longer what it used to be; it's now just an empty shell. If it could reconcile with the Prince's mansion, it would be entirely beneficial to the Marquis's mansion.
Zhao Shu shook her head. Her aunt, Jiang Yangshi, was a smart woman.
"Good child, it's good that you weren't scared. Let's go have dinner, it's getting late." She suddenly couldn't continue speaking. The words Zhao Shuqian had prepared seemed utterly pale and powerless at this moment.
Biyun Courtyard is not the main courtyard, but it is the closest to the main courtyard. It is said that Jiang Ying lived in this courtyard back then.
The Marquis's mansion is now small, and no one lives in Biyun Courtyard. Jiang Yangshi plans to hold a meal here, and she really had a lot of effort put into cleaning it.
Biyun Courtyard is lush and verdant, with flowers in full bloom. Despite being uninhabited for a long time, it shows no signs of decay. It is likely that the tranquil environment and the abundance of flowers meant that the people of the mansion often came here to admire them, thus preventing it from falling into disrepair.
The Hou family had few members; those who could sit at the table for meals were Jiang Suiji, the Jiang Zuo couple, and the Jiang Jiaoling siblings. Jiang Yue did not appear at Biyun Courtyard.
When she met Prince Yong, he was talking to Jiang Huaixiang, who was a year and a half older than Jiang Jiaoling and looked more than a head taller than Zhao Shu.
Seeing Zhao Shu approach, he quickly stood up and greeted her, "My cousin is here."
Prince Yong's complexion was not unusual, and his eyes were clear, a stark contrast to his appearance when he was playing with crickets in the palace.
"Father, Cousin," Zhao Shu curtsied and asked, "What are you talking about?"
Jiang Huai scratched the back of his head. "My uncle asked me what my hobbies are."
"What are you saying? It's time to eat." Jiang Yangshi, who was a step behind Zhao Shu, came over and said with a smile.
"Let's have dinner." Prince Yong glanced at the time; it was already late. He had wanted to call Zhao Shu to dinner for a while, but she was playing chess with her father-in-law, so he had been waiting until now.
Since there were few people in the Marquis's residence, there were no separate tables, and there was no need to be particular about avoiding suspicion. Prince Yong took the initiative to let Jiang Huiji sit in the main seat, and he and Jiang Zuo sat on either side of Jiang Huiji. Zhao Shu was arranged to sit next to Jiang Yangshi, probably for the convenience of taking care of her.
The food was served, several of which were signature dishes from Yipinju. Only some of the home-style dishes were prepared by the Hou family's cook. Zhao Shu kept her eyes straight ahead, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jiang Jiaoling and her brother swallow hard. The Hou family had fallen so low.
It's not surprising that the white jade chessboard was eventually pawned; the person who asked Gu Chongxuan for help probably wasn't from the Marquis of Yiguang's mansion.
No one spoke while eating or sleeping; everyone remained silent. Occasionally, Jiang Yangshi would speak, merely urging others to eat.
After such an incident at the Marquis of Yiguang's residence, Prince Yong and Zhao Shu did not linger. After eating, they did not rest and returned to the residence under the scorching sun.
After returning to the Prince's residence, Zhao Shu and Prince Yong each went to take a nap, without discussing Jiang Yue.
After taking a bath, Zhao Shu took a nap and woke up at Shenshi (3-5 PM).
As I turned over, I saw that Green Ivy had already prepared water for washing up and was waiting by the window.
"What time is it?" Zhao Shu, who had just had a good sleep, felt refreshed and thought about cooking some refreshing food for Prince Yong.
Green Ivy handed the wrung-out face towel to Zhao Shu.
Taking a deep breath, Zhao Shu carefully wiped her face with a handkerchief. Having grown accustomed to modern life, returning to ancient times was quite a change. Life in the royal palace was luxurious enough, but even the face towel was made of pure cotton. She preferred using a towel, but unfortunately, there wasn't one.
"It's Shenshi (3-5 PM)," Green Ivy replied.
Zhao Shu looked up at her; she looked listless, though she was forcing herself to stay awake.
"Go and call Xiao Guozi and Xiao Zhuzi to serve you. You can go and rest."
When Green Ivy heard Zhao Shu tell her to leave, she was so frightened that she knelt down on the ground with a thud. "Princess, this servant knows her mistake."
Zhao Shu laughed in exasperation, "Do you know what you did wrong? I told you to go and rest, so go and rest properly. You look so listless. Come back to serve me when you're refreshed."
Green Luo, who had been holding her breath, finally relaxed and, still feeling a bit shaken, combed Zhao Shu's hair and dressed her. Only after everything was settled did she go downstairs to call two eunuchs to come and serve her.
Xiao Guozi and Xiao Zhuzi were chosen to serve Zhao Shu. The two had secretly inquired about Zhao Shu from other eunuchs and maids. They heard that the eunuch who used to serve Princess Jun had been beaten to death by her. After arriving at the Prince's Mansion, the two were always worried.
Zhao Shu never asked them to serve her, but just left them to their own devices. Occasionally, someone would come and give them a nudge, which made the two of them even more uneasy.
When Green Ivy came to summon them, the two were both surprised, not expecting that the first ones to be summoned to serve were not the palace maids, but them.
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