Chapter 411

Chapter 411

“Can I not come back?!” Madam Xiao shook her head disapprovingly.

Qin Jiu blinkingly locked eyes with Gu Zezhi who was outside the carriage.

A line of carriages and horses quickly returned to the Xiao Mansion, and Gu Zezhi personally assisted Madam Xiao and Qin Jiu out of the carriage.

He originally wanted to persuade Madam Xiao to rest early after arriving at their residence, but Madam Xiao was worried. Pointing at the dozen or so carriages she brought back, she ordered the accompanying servants. “Be careful when you move those porcelains, don’t drop them, this will be used as a bridal gift!”

Wang momo hurriedly said. “Don’t worry madam, this servant will watch them! And make sure they handle it gently so it won’t break or fall.”

Gu Zezhi suddenly understood. It turned out that his mother returned from Jiangnan in such a hurry because of his marriage.

His lips curled slightly and a faint smile appeared on his face, revealing a rare hint of shyness and impatience.

Qin Jiu likewise understood, and this made her eyes shine brightly like flowing water while her ears felt hot.

The autumn breeze slowly blew up the purple ribbon of Gu Zezhi’s hair, gently caressing Qin Jiu’s cheek. The girl’s pure white skin exuded a charming pink color.

The clouds stayed still but the wind rose, scattering the petals all over the ground.

After Madam Xiao spent her time in Jiangnan, her spirit improved significantly, as if she had completely recovered from the divorce.

Not only did Gu Zezhi and Qin Jiu think so, but Empress Wei also did. The following day, Madam Xiao handed over the paizi* to enter the palace. Madam Xiao brought tea leaves back from Jiangnan as a gift to the empress.

(*a signed card to enter the emperor’s palace)

Empress Wei had also been to Lingyin Temple, so she asked about the presiding master, and as the two of them were talking, a palace maid came in and curtsied, “Empress, County Princess Duan Rou and Miss Tang are seeking an audience.”

Empress Wei didn’t even raise her gaze and just faintly said, “This empress has a guest, so I won’t be seeing them.”

The palace maid took the order, but not a moment after she went out; she returned and said tremblingly. “Empress, the county princess said that wangfei once took good care of Miss Tang at the border, so she came here to pay respect to the wangfei.”

Empress Wei’s eyes flashed; this pair of sisters were overly thoughtful. Usually, these kinds of people say one sentence and hide three sentences; in short, they often have several layers of meaning in their sentences.

She turned her head to look at Madam Xiao, who calmly locked eyes with Empress Wei, and the two of them smiled at each other.

“Let them come in.” Empress Wei said.

A moment later, County Princess Duan Rou and Miss Tang came in behind the palace maid. One was dressed in purple, while the other was dressed in green; the former looked noble, while the latter looked graceful, each with its unique characteristics.

The two cousins bowed to Empress Wei before bowing and greeting Madam Xiao.

“Thanking the madam for taking care of me five years ago in the western frontier,” Miss Tang smiled warmly and gently, “My grandmother was from the Ren family in Jiangnan. Five years ago, I went to the western border and wasn’t aware, but when I went back to talk to my mother, I realized that my grandmother was an old acquaintance with the madam. My grandmother’s maiden name was ‘Xuan’, I don’t know if the madam still remembers her?”

“Ren Xuan!” Madam Xiao couldn’t help but be moved and asked, “Your maternal grandmother was from Lin’an and the second child in her family?”

Ren Xuan was Madam Xiao’s good friend, who was two years older than her and married to the Yang family in Sichuan back then. However, they have not seen each other for over thirty years since the other party got married, so she also did not know that Ren Xuan had a daughter who had married the Tang family.

Miss Tang nodded in response, “When I went to Sichuan the year before last, my grandmother also mentioned you, madam, she also showed me a picture of the West Lake in March that the madam painted it has a profound artistic conception which made me sigh in admiration.”

Madam Xiao seemed to recall some past events, and her expressions became softer.

***