As she said this, Jiang Jiuniang looked into her eyes and spoke slowly, word by word, enough for the little one to understand what she meant.
The little one seemed to understand but not quite, just staring wide-eyed at her older sister who was holding her. Her sister was so pretty; she really wanted to touch her sister's face…
Thinking this, she actually reached out to touch it, saying with delight, "Sister, you're so beautiful!"
Seeing that she gave an irrelevant answer, Jiang Jiuniang was not angry and continued to steer the conversation back to her: "You are also very beautiful, so you look good in any dress."
The little one then remembered that he was talking to his sister about the dress, and became even more embarrassed. He nodded seriously and said, "I understand, sister. From now on, I will wear the dresses I like."
Jiang Jiuniang was very pleased. She helped her put on her dress, and the two went out hand in hand.
At home, Jiang Luo is usually the youngest child, and almost everyone dotes on her. But today is different. Xiang Xiang and Peng Ke are both younger than her and have to call her auntie. The little girl immediately put on airs as an elder and took out all her toys for the two younger children to play with.
Just then, Jiang Ruoya and Mingze brought over the dishes. Mingze had just returned from outside and went to the kitchen to help, without even changing his clothes.
"Why didn't Bai Chuan and Gou'er come with you?"
Mingze looked around and, confirming that he hadn't seen his son-in-law and grandson, couldn't help but ask.
"Bai Chuan went to the palace early this morning and we don't know when he will be back. Gou'er went to the Imperial Academy to report for duty. The teachers are going to test his studies. He probably won't be back for a few days."
Mingze nodded: "They are indeed quite busy. Is this Qin Jian's son?"
As he spoke, he reached out and ruffled Peng Ke's hair.
"Yes, Ke'er, say hello to Grandpa Ming."
Mingze was in his forties, but he didn't look old at all. Peng Ke was a little puzzled and asked, "Can't I call him uncle?"
"No, because he is your aunt's father, so you can only call him grandfather."
The generational hierarchy is a bit messed up, especially since the two younger ones call Jiang Luo "auntie," which is quite a funny sight.
Hello, Grandpa.
Peng Ke now listens to Jiang Jiu Niang very much, and doesn't even argue back, obediently greeting her.
Mingze responded and had someone bring the prepared gifts to them. Xiangxiang didn't know how to open them yet, so Peng Ke opened them for her.
The three children ate very well, sitting in their own seats and eating the food in their bowls. They only needed the maid to help them pick up food occasionally, and otherwise they didn't say a word.
The three adults ate and talked, and the topic naturally turned to the islanders.
"You're saying your sudden return this time was caused by the islanders?"
Mingze became interested. He knew that the Emperor Emeritus and Consort Liu had gone out together, but he didn't know that the two had gotten into trouble this time.
"Yes, we suspect that the Japanese are colluding with the people in the court, so we came back to investigate. We can let minor squabbles in the court go, but this involves the Japanese, so we can't forgive it."
Jiang Jiuniang gritted her teeth, feeling her appetite drop just thinking about that country.
"Father, do you have any related information?"
Jiang Jiuniang looked at Mingze with bright eyes. If she could get information from Mingze, she could save a lot of energy to do other things.
"I'll have to ask about that. I haven't been paying much attention to things in the building lately. It'll probably take three to five days. I'll send someone to deliver the message to you then."
Since having his daughter, he has stopped managing the affairs of Qianfan Pavilion. He delegates his power to his subordinates, since he has businesses under his name. They can train talent or gather intelligence as needed. Everyone is busy with their own things and rarely bothers him.
"OK!"
Jiang Jiuniang was very happy; it was indeed convenient to have her own connections.
"Although I haven't been involved much, I know that the island nation seems to have always been restless. They have scarce resources there, so they will definitely set their sights on us. If the four countries unite against us, that's fine; the small island nation is nothing to worry about. But if someone helps them and joins forces with the island nation, that's the most troublesome thing."
"We are bound to have a tough battle to fight with the island nation!"
As Mingze shared his guess, Jiang Jiuniang knew he was right, as this was something she had been worried about lately.
Nantai and Xiteng are definitely on Beiyan's side. After all, the three countries are now trading with each other and have gained a lot of benefits. It's a win-win situation. Only a fool would betray Beiyan and cooperate with the island nation.
But Dongting is different. They had just fought with Beiyan and hate Beiyan to the core. There is a high probability that they will cooperate with the island nation.
"Hopefully we're overthinking it."
Jiang Jiuniang sighed and changed the subject.
That night, Jiang Jiuniang slept here with her child. She also went to deliver a message to Peng Yuan, informing her that Peng Ke was staying at her parents' house. Peng Yuan was relieved to hear this. Instead of calling for help, she packed up all of Peng Ke's usual items and sent them to him, just in case her son suddenly changed his mind and wanted to go home.
Lu Baichuan knew in the morning that his wife was going back to her parents' home today. After leaving the palace, he went to the Imperial Academy to pick up Gou'er and went directly to his parents-in-law's house. When they arrived, Jiang Jiuniang was talking with Jiang Ruoya. She didn't say anything when she saw the father and son. She just asked the maid to heat up the food and bring it to them.
After dinner, Lu Baichuan went to see Mingze alone, and it was obvious that he was there to inquire about the situation.
Jiang Ruoya said, "Baichuan is so busy, why don't you stay at home for a few more days? My daughter and I haven't gone out together in a long time. Now that the children are older, let's go shopping together tomorrow and buy them some things."
"Sure, I don't have anything to do right now, so going out for a stroll is a good idea."
In a few days, she plans to hold a banquet at home for her children to go on blind dates. After being away from home for two years, she doesn't know what kind of fashion is popular in the capital now. It's a good opportunity to go out and find out so she won't be flustered when the time comes.
Lu Baichuan stayed here that night as well. After putting the child to sleep, Lu Baichuan said, "Wife, I will be very busy in the coming days, so please take good care of the child."
"I understand, but what are you busy with? Have you made any progress on the Japanese spy?"
“No,” Lu Baichuan shook his head. “There’s someone robbing tombs over there in Daqingshan. I think it’s a good lead, and I’m going to go check it out myself.”
"Another tomb raiding?"
Jiang Jiuniang's eyes widened. The tomb raiders had all been dealt with before, and that happened in Mingcheng. How come it happened in the capital as well?
Jiang Jiuniang felt something was wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She just suspected that there was always a pair of eyes watching them, which made her very uncomfortable.
"Yes, we only discovered it today. I suspect it was a deliberate attempt to lure us there. I'll go check it out with Qin Jian tomorrow."
This was something they had planned beforehand. Jiang Jiuniang didn't say anything, but gave him a lot of good things and said, "Be careful, I'll wait for you to come back."
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