Mu Yi'an thought about how she would be swaying on the boat and then bumping along the road, and her back and buttocks started to ache.
The family of six traveled light.
They didn't bring too much with them; the items that needed to be transported to the capital were carried by Steward Li and his guards, along with the hired escort agency.
When Mu Yi'an went to the capital, he didn't bring many valuables, but he did bring back quite a few local specialties from his hometown.
It's only the first month of the lunar calendar, and we've already prepared plenty of wine, canned fruit, and all sorts of seafood.
Steward Li and his men first followed the escort agency, traveling by water first and then by land.
However, they were on a cargo ship, not a passenger ship.
Not to mention the long and tiring journey, Mu Yi'an could already imagine it.
But the children were incredibly excited and overjoyed.
Shao Rong, in particular, was not tired at all; he kept talking the whole way.
An eleven-year-old child is still quite childish, and although he chatters on and on, he's not too annoying.
Chuyue is fifteen years old now, considered a grown woman.
When she's out and about, she knows to be mindful of certain things, and her every move exudes a refined elegance, quite different from how she behaves at home.
Looking at Chuyue like this, Mu Yi'an wondered if she had succeeded in educating her.
Unfortunately, this era is really not friendly to women. She cannot teach her to be unconventional and out of step with the times.
Shao Ke was very quiet, holding a law book and reading it intently. Except for occasionally stretching his limbs, he remained quietly engrossed in his book.
Just when Mu Yi'an felt she was about to collapse, the ship docked.
They did not set off immediately, but rested at the post station for a while, as the journey ahead was not far.
After sleeping soundly in bed for two days, Master Zhao and his companions hired a horse-drawn carriage and continued their journey.
When Mu Yi'an saw the city gates of the capital, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. They had arrived.
Li Li was already waiting at the city gate. When he saw Master Zhao sitting on the carriage shaft, he knew that the master and mistress had arrived.
The family arrived safely at the three-courtyard house in the city.
The two-courtyard house where Shao Ming lived was too small, and it would be inconvenient for them to stay there until after Shao Ming's wedding.
Washing up and eating are things I won't go into detail about.
The first to arrive was Gu Zheng. He had people guarding the city gate, and he knew as soon as the Jiang family entered the city.
He arrived at the door, keeping track of the time.
"Uncle Jiang, Aunt Jiang, is Chuyue alright?"
As soon as Gu Zheng entered, he greeted Jiang Shuyun and Mu Yi'an, then looked at Chu Yue with a smile.
"I hope Brother Gu Zheng is well!"
Chu Yue also sensed that Gu Zheng treated her differently. At fifteen years old, she understood everything she should.
"Okay, once you've rested, I'll take you to explore every street and alley in the capital. And Aunt Jiang, I'll take you there too."
Gu Zheng quickly tried to make amends; he was thick-skinned and not embarrassed at all.
After Shao Ming was dismissed from his post, he rushed back.
"Father, Mother, your child is back."
"Shao Ming has grown taller, that's good, he looks like an adult now."
Mu Yi'an saw her eldest son kneeling on the ground as soon as he came in and quickly pulled him up.
"Big brother, you've really grown taller again."
Shao Yun came over and gestured. He used to be the same height as his brother, but now he was a little shorter.
"Big brother, congratulations!"
Shao Rong smiled broadly; his brother was getting married.
"You brat, you're teasing me."
Shao Ming vigorously rubbed Shao Rong's head, saying that the price of growing up is separation.
That night, the family had a rare opportunity to sit together and eat and drink, and of course, there was Gu Zheng, who didn't consider himself an outsider.
After resting well, Mu Yi'an delivered a visiting card to Madam Gu. She was busy thanking Madam Gu.
Madam Gu quickly replied, arranged a time to meet, and also sent an invitation to Madam Zheng. Even an ugly daughter-in-law has to meet her in-laws!
Their situation is special; otherwise, the six traditional wedding rites wouldn't have been completed before the prospective mother-in-law and daughter-in-law met for the first time.
On the appointed day, Mu Yi'an arrived with her four children and local specialties from her hometown.
Gu Zheng greeted them at the entrance and escorted them into the inner courtyard.
The two sides met, exchanged greetings, and were introduced to each other.
"Madam Jiang, your children are so well-educated; they are all good children."
Madam Gu was especially delighted to see the poised and elegant Chuyue.
This child is handsome, not in a seductive way, but with a vibrant spirit.
Her every move was unlike that of a young lady from a humble family; she was no different from the legitimate daughter of a prominent clan.
Although Madam Gu only had a short time with Chu Yue, she was able to glean a lot from her observations.
"Madam, Madam Zheng has arrived."
"Please come in quickly!"
Just as Madam Gu finished speaking, Madam Zheng entered with her daughter-in-law and daughter.
"No need for you to invite me in."
Madam Zheng had a loud and clear voice and was full of energy.
Because her daughter's marriage was arranged, and quite well at that—not some scoundrel—half of her years of resentment had been released. Only after Jin Yu gave birth to a son or daughter could her heart, as a mother, truly find peace.
"Yun Wan, this is Mrs. Jiang."
"Mrs. Jiang, this is Mrs. Zheng, and her daughter-in-law and daughter Jinyu."
Hello, Aunt Jiang!
Zheng Jinyu quickly came over to bow; this was Jiang Bianzhuan's mother, her future mother-in-law.
"Good, beautiful and intelligent, a good child."
Yi'an handed the prepared gift to his future daughter-in-law, which was a pair of jade pendants.
The Emperor's gifts at that time consisted of exactly five pairs, one pair for each child.
"This must be a child from the Jiang family. He's full of energy, which is great. He looks very robust."
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