Chapter 121:
Although they knew their daughter would eventually marry the Prince of Ying, ... well, she wasn't married yet, so how did things escalate to the point of physical intimacy?
Qiqiao, quick-witted, carried the carved lacquer tray back behind the screen and coughed loudly: "Miss, the red date and longan porridge is ready. Would you like some now? Should I bring it in?"
"Let go! Let go!" Qiqiao was only separated by a screen, and Wushuang dared not make a sound, so she mouthed the words.
Chu Yao was willing to give her face, and finally obeyed her request to let go of her fair and soft feet, and sat properly on the drum stool by the bed.
Wushuang then instructed Qiqiao, "Bring it here, drink it while it's hot, don't let it cool down."
When Qiqiao came in, she pretended not to know anything, keeping her eyes down and her mind focused on the stewing pot on the tray.
Chu Yao and Wu Shuang also acted very seriously, as if they had just been sitting and talking to each other without overstepping any boundaries.
Qiqiao presented the tray to Wushuang, but Chuyao preemptively picked up the stew pot, scooped up a spoonful, and fed it to Wushuang.
After finishing a bowl of porridge, Wushuang's cheeks turned bright red. It was hard to tell whether it was from the heat of the porridge or from the embarrassment of showing affection in front of others.
Since Wushuang was unwell, Chu Yao, as her fiancé, naturally had a responsibility to take good care of her.
From that day on, Wushuang hardly ever got out of bed. Whatever she wanted to eat, drink, or play, Chu Yao would personally serve it to her as soon as she opened her mouth.
Being served by a prince in person—a treatment even the emperor didn't receive—was more than Wushuang could ever be satisfied with.
Unfortunately, no matter how far the journey, there will eventually be a time to arrive.
Seven days later, the treasure ship docked in Tianjin, and the group transferred to carriages and horses, heading west back to Shangjing.
When Wushuang returned home, she naturally received a lot of care and attention from her grandmother, parents, uncles, aunts, and sisters.
The next morning, Junshu specially invited the Qi siblings to the main hall of the courtyard and instructed Wushuang to thank them in public for their righteous help.
"The reason you siblings haven't been able to reunite all these years is because I wanted Qi Zhu to stay in the Princess's residence as an inside agent so that she could learn about Princess Yun Jing's schemes in time. Now that she has been sent to the royal temple, she can no longer cause any trouble, so you should naturally reunite. I have purchased a two-courtyard house in the four alleys in the east of the city, which I intend to give to you as a token of my gratitude. Qi Zhu works in the Imperial Guard, with a generous salary and a promising future, which is enough for the two of you to live on. Qi Lan no longer needs to do her job in our residence."
Jun Shu has always been clear about his gratitude and grievances, and he had long planned how to repay the Qi siblings.
Unexpectedly, Qi Lan disagreed: "My brother's success is all due to his own hard work. As his older sister... I'm ashamed to say I haven't been able to help him at all. Now, I can't just stay at home and let him support me. My lord, I have hands and feet and can support myself. Please allow me to continue working in the manor." [qiushu.cc updates quickly, has a clean website, few ads, and no pop-ups. I love this kind of website, definitely deserves a good review.] My brother should save the money he earns. He will need to get married and have children in the future, and there will be many places where he will need money.
Qi Zhu said, “In the past, I was young and incompetent and could not protect my sister. Now that I have a proper job, how can I let my sister suffer again? Lord Marquis, you said that we have been kind to the Third Miss, but if it weren’t for you, my brother and I don’t know if we would ever be able to reunite. So we cannot accept that house. We only ask that if my sister can stay in the Marquis’s mansion, you should arrange a more leisurely job for her and not have her doing menial tasks in the laundry room.”
In the end, everyone present laughed.
They are siblings after all, and they genuinely care for each other from the bottom of their hearts.
"I think these two children are quite remarkable." The old lady was kind-hearted and felt particularly sympathetic for the plight of Qi Lan and her brother. "They have suffered so much since they were young, yet they have never been greedy. They even turned away the money that was offered to them. Just tell me what you want, and I, this old woman, will grant it on behalf of Shu'er. As for Qi Lan's job, I, this old woman, need someone to keep me company and chat with. Young Qi Zhu, do you think this job is hard?"
To be able to get a job just by talking is truly the easiest thing in the world. Qi Zhu naturally replied, "It's no trouble at all. Thank you for your kindness to my sister, Madam."
The old lady smiled and said, "Then it's settled. After today's gathering, Qi Lan will move to Fuyou Residence."
Jun Shu continued, "I think you should still accept that house. Qi Zhu, you used to go back to the Princess's Mansion when you weren't on duty in the palace. Now you can't go back to the Princess's Mansion, but you still need a place to stay in the capital."
“That’s right,” Wushuang said. “Anyway, Father has already bought that house. It’s just sitting there empty and a waste. You should move in. That way, Qilan can come and stay with you occasionally, and you’ll have a new home. Isn’t that great?”
Qi Zhu hadn't had much contact with the Jun family, but he had suffered a lot in the Grand Princess's mansion during his childhood, so he was very good at reading people. He could tell that they were sincerely grateful and that it was not fake, so he stopped refusing and cupped his hands, saying, "Then I will accept it without being polite."
After settling the Qi siblings, Jun Shu had just returned to his study to handle some official business when the old steward came to report: "My lord, His Highness Prince Ying has arrived with a cartload of lavish gifts, saying he has important matters to discuss with you and your wife."
Important matters?
You must be wondering. We just traveled together from Tianjin to Beijing yesterday, talking non-stop. What important matter could there possibly be?
Could something have happened again?
As the saying goes, "Once bitten by a snake, twice shy," Jun Shu's two precious daughters had been plotted against so many times, each time in grave danger, that it was impossible for him not to have any ulterior motives.
However, when Jun Shu saw the Lingguang Guards following behind Chu Yao carrying in a pair of geese and two live deer, he immediately understood.
A goose was used for betrothal gifts, and a deer was used as a parting gift.
His Highness the Prince of Ying has come to propose marriage.
Chu Yao, commander of the Lingguang Guard, was known for his unpredictable and unconventional methods. As the future emperor, Jun Shu had always greatly approved of his future son-in-law's style. After all, bearing the heavy responsibility of overseeing all officials and nobles for the current emperor, if he were to follow the established rules and regulations in everything he did, he would have been thoroughly figured out by a group of cunning and treacherous officials, leaving no opportunity to punish them.
However, when it comes to their own daughter, it's a completely different story.
"Cough cough!" Jun Shu coughed heavily twice, stirred the tea leaves floating in the gaiwan with the lid, and asked feigning ignorance, "Your Highness, what brings you here today?"
“My lord, there’s no need for formalities between us. I’ll get straight to the point,” Chu Yao said crisply. “I’ve come today to have a detailed discussion with you and your wife about how we hope to marry Wushuang within the year.”
"Cough cough cough..." Jun Shu coughed again, this time not pretending, but genuinely choked by the tea.
It's one thing to guess in your heart, but it's another to hear Chu Yao say it clearly. He couldn't bear the stimulation.
Yang, who had rushed from the inner courtyard to the study, walked around the gift boxes that filled the yard and entered the room. In her haste, she forgot about etiquette and spoke before Jun Shu could, "Your Highness, we are all very grateful for your kindness to Shuangshuang. However, Shuangshuang is still a child. I'm afraid she will not be able to shoulder the heavy responsibility of being the mistress of the Prince's mansion if she marries into the family like this."
Chu Yao was not discouraged by his future mother-in-law's tactful refusal. He persisted, saying, "That's alright. My mother has been traveling for many years, and my younger sister is still young. The internal affairs of my manor have always been managed by my mother's dowry maid, Qiao Mama. When Wushuang marries into the manor, she doesn't need to take over all the internal affairs immediately. Qiao Mama can teach her step by step. It's always faster for her to get started with the affairs of the manor than to be taught at her parents' home. Of course, if Shuangshuang doesn't like to manage things, that's fine too. Let Qiao Mama continue to manage things, and we can also choose a suitable maid or old woman from Shuangshuang's dowry to train her."
He had said everything he wanted to say, and the Jun Shu couple looked at each other in dismay: it seemed he wouldn't stop until he got their daughter back.
Jun Shu silently finished his cup of tea, and finally slowly said, "Your Highness has always doted on Shuangshuang, which is her good fortune. However, if she gets married, she should still take on the responsibilities of a wife and not be spoiled and lazy."
Spending all day eating, drinking, and having fun is certainly the most comfortable thing, but if one cannot shoulder the responsibilities of a mistress, one will naturally lack the dignity of a mistress. If one relies on others for everything, power will slip away, and in the end, one will inevitably be bullied. Moreover, there are currently few people in the Prince of Ying's mansion. Chu Yao and Chu Wan are both easy to get along with and talk to, but who knows when the old princess and Princess Yuhua Chu Pei will return to the mansion, and what the situation will be like then? No one can say for sure right now.
Jun Shu, do you know that after the old King of Ying passed away, the old Queen Consort of Ying refused to let Chu Yao inherit the title until Chu Wan was born, a girl, and she had no choice but to change her mind? He is an outsider and it is inconvenient for him to comment on the inside story, but it is nothing more than two things: the old Queen Consort disliked Chu Yao emotionally for some reason, or the old Queen Consort rationally disliked Chu Yao for some reason.
Regardless of which one it is, it will naturally be more difficult for Wushuang to get along with her mother-in-law than for her husband to get along with his mother who is also loved by her.