Princess Consort Liu was over forty years old, but her skin was exceptionally well-maintained.
It was supple, smooth, firm, and elastic.
Her hair was pulled back, adorned with a hairpin inlaid with rubies and carved into a phoenix.
She wore a plum-red pomegranate skirt, which made her radiate with dazzling beauty.
Her eyes were gentle, possessing the unique grace of women from Jiangnan, yet within her almond-shaped eyes lay an unspoken sharpness. She inquired,
"Have more fearless families sent their daughters here?"
"Replying to Princess Consort, it's not that families have proactively sent their daughters. It's that *that* person has taken a fancy to someone and intends to propose."
"Hmph, the esteemed Prince Xiang's manor, the Prince's rank, which family wouldn't want to marry their daughter in.
This is merely a tactic of feigning reluctance.
Anyone can see it, only that mother and son are as foolish as pigs, unable to discern the truth of the matter." Princess Consort Liu spoke with a mix of mockery and cold laughter.
She wanted to see if this woman would truly be afflicted by Liang Jingtin's accursed fate of wife-killing.
Meanwhile, her servants informed her of how Liang Jingtin had disciplined her own granddaughter, Princess Qionghua, for the sake of that outsider yesterday.
"Hmph, the scoundrel, how dare he bully my Qionghua.
Guards, investigate this Shen family! Find out who they are!" Princess Consort Liu glared towards the main courtyard, her anger unquenched.
She had married the Prince Xiang first.
But because her background was not as good as their Meng family from Liaodong, she was relegated to the position of a secondary consort.
And that woman, lacking talent and virtue, with a boorish demeanor, had always managed to step on her, to keep her suppressed.
Every time she recalled this, she could barely sleep at night.
Especially since that woman was extremely jealous.
And the Prince favored her, so as not to anger her.
Now, he even visited her Willow Courtyard less frequently.
When her son was young, he would come to keep her company, to chat, eat, and drink tea.
Now that her son had grown and moved to the front courtyard.
He visited even less.
She wouldn't see him for ten days or half a month.
And when he did come, he would only sit for a moment, exchange a few words, and not even stay the night.
She stroked her face.
Her skin was still tender and dewy.
Alas, there was no one to appreciate it.
Nor was there Prince Xiang, who, as in the past, would snuggle beneath the brocade covers, his smooth palms tracing her form.
As he traced, he would praise her body as a work of art...
"Crack..." The oppressive emotions were too difficult to bear, and a set of Ru ware white porcelain was swept to the floor.
Listening to the sharp, grating sound of shattering porcelain, Princess Consort Liu clutched her chest and let out a sigh of satisfaction, coldly commanding, "Guards, have the steward bring another set."
On the other side, after Su Xiaoqi and the others boarded the carriage, they had a conversation.
Su Xiaoqi spoke first, "Mingzhu, did you notice anything?"
Shen Mingzhu looked perplexed, "Uh..." Should she have noticed something?
But she hadn't noticed anything at all.
However, meeting her elder sister-in-law's sharp gaze, she couldn't help but rack her brain for a response:
"I found that, I found that Princess Consort Xiang and the Crown Prince of Prince Xiang's manor are quite easy to get along with!"
Upon hearing this, Su Xiaoqi slapped her forehead.
"Uh, it's over."
Shen Mingzhu's impression of the mother and son was actually so good.
What could she say?
What else could she say?
She couldn't help but look at Shen Yun and nudge him with her elbow.
Shen Yun understood and said, "Mingzhu, stay away from the Crown Prince of Prince Xiang's manor in the future."
Shen Mingzhu nodded. She said that the Crown Prince of Prince Xiang's manor was a man, and she was a woman, so they inherently had no overlap.
This time, she was thanking him for helping her.
She didn't expect to see him again.
Hearing Shen Mingzhu say this, Su Xiaoqi was slightly relieved.
As long as Shen Mingzhu didn't like him, that was fine.
Then, no matter how much Liang Jingtin liked Mingzhu, it would be unrequited love, and she wouldn't have to worry too much.
She thought of Chen Jia'an, who had said he was coming to the capital but hadn't arrived yet.
She felt it was time to send him a letter to hurry him along.
Otherwise, Liang Jingtin would get there first.
After sending Mingzhu back to Madam Zhao's place.
The couple briefly discussed their trip.
Madam Zhao listened and nodded, saying that with the couple there, she was at ease.
Before Su Xiaoqi could finish writing her letter, Zhang Yu reported:
"Madam, an adult just sent word that Young Master Chen Jia'an is escorting Miss Zhao and a group of people to the capital."
Su Xiaoqi's heart leaped, and she became happy.
The "group of people" Zhang Yu referred to were the beggars she had settled in the backyard of the supermarket in Mianzhou City.
When she had written to ask Zhao Xiaozhu to come over, she had also asked them, telling them that whoever was willing to come could come.
Those who were unwilling could stay in Mianzhou City.
At that time, many people had replied saying they wanted to stay there for a while longer to learn more skills before coming.
Only a few older individuals expressed their willingness to come and help.
This was because the supermarket, Chen Jinyi, and Liuyuan were all doing very well, and they needed more hands.
But now, everyone had come.
While Su Xiaoqi was happy, she was also a little puzzled.
Who was responsible for this?
When she and Shen Yun headed towards Shilipo, they saw a long line of grand carriages on the road.
The person leading the procession was riding a tall horse, dressed in black, with a long saber at his waist, exuding a heroic and handsome aura.
It was Su Ze, who had disappeared after the incident during the Lantern Festival.
When he first came from the Western regions, he had been deceived by the Duke of Huangguo's heir and the Crown Prince.
Fortunately, he had come to his senses just before the battle, switched allegiance to the Emperor, and made significant contributions to protecting the Emperor, earning remarkable merit.
He had been enfeoffed as a General of the Valiant Cavalry, a third-rank official.
That's right, he was quite capable.
Directly from a banished soldier, without any connections or backing, he had risen to the rank of a third-rank official solely on his own merits.
After being appointed, he often sought out Su Xiaoqi.
Shen Yun strictly guarded against him.
Until one day, he came to find Su Xiaoqi and said he was leaving the capital for a trip.
Su Xiaoqi initially thought he was returning to the Western regions for duty and didn't ask much.
She gave him some local specialties from her spatial dimension, reminded him to take care of himself, and let him go.
She never expected that the place he went to was Mianzhou City.
Alas, thinking about it, it made sense.
When he used to live at the City God Temple, his feelings for them were no less than Su Xiaoqi's.
Now that he had prospered and stabilized, he naturally thought of bringing them over.
Su Xiaoqi's thoughts became clear as the people arrived before her.
Su Ze saw Su Xiaoqi from afar.
She was also riding a horse.
However, she wasn't riding alone.
She was held in Shen Yun's arms.
The two of them were leaning on each other, one in front of the other, showing great affection.
Su Ze's heart ached, his lips trembled slightly. He closed his eyes before managing to suppress some of those damnable emotions.
He had thought a lot during his time away.
After arriving in Mianzhou City, he had also chatted extensively with his former younger brothers and sisters.
He discovered that after he left, although they had gone through a period of hardship,
Su Xiaoqi had quickly settled them down after marrying Shen Yun.
Not only did she provide them with good housing, but she also hired people specifically to cook for them.
She even hired various teachers to impart skills to them.
These were all choices they could make freely: if they wanted to study literature, they could read; if they wanted to practice martial arts, they could train; if they wanted to learn crafts, they could follow the craft masters.
They lived lives he had never imagined, lives that were unattainable luxuries for any one of them in the past.
And all of this was brought about by Su Xiaoqi.
Perhaps some things he should let go of; clinging to them was of no use.