Chapter 348: The Family Has Arrived

Chapter 348: The Family Has Arrived

The two of them were seated on the carriage seats, driving the carriages towards them.

Qin Xiaoyao’s face lit up with joy, and she hurried forward to greet them.

Qin Dazhuang and Qin Dahu also quickly jumped down from the carriages and walked towards Qin Xiaoyao.

"Little sister, I finally get to see you!" Qin Dahu rushed forward, gripping Qin Xiaoyao’s hand tightly.

"Big brother, dad! You’ve had a long journey." Qin Xiaoyao replied with a smile.

Her gaze shifted to the two carriages, and upon seeing Liu and the others peeking out, her smile grew even wider.

"Didn't the second brother come?" she asked immediately.

"He didn't."

"Your eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law are both traveling with the children, so we needed to leave a man at home to watch over things."

"Also, your younger sister asked your second brother to stay and help. She said it would give her more peace of mind."

Qin Xiaoyao's heart stirred.

She noticed that Wang Xiaomei was indeed not with Liu's group.

"We’ve brought your mother-in-law and the rest of the family this time. Once we confirm you're alright, we'll head back," Qin Dazhuang interjected.

He truly hadn't expected that after his daughter left Lingquan Town, she would accomplish so many great things.

Now, she was the first in the family to rise through the ranks of the military and had been ennobled as a marquis.

It’s incredible—while the men in their family hadn’t achieved much, their daughter had brought such immense honor to the Qin name!

"Why go back?"

"Your daughter has been ennobled as a marquis. She commands tens of thousands of troops."

"In the past, we didn’t have the means to pursue a career in government."

"Now, if your elder and second brothers are willing, they can join the army and work under me."

"In the future, Xiaohu and Datou can join the army when they grow up. Our family’s fortunes could finally turn around."

She was now the first in their family to rise through the ranks of the military. If managed well, her descendants could continue her legacy, completely changing the family’s fate.

And this was exactly what she had planned.

"That sounds—" Qin Dazhuang was somewhat tempted.

Qin Dahu turned to their father, his excitement even more palpable than Qin Dazhuang’s.

"Can the elder and second brothers really join the army?" Qin Dazhuang asked soon after.

"Of course," Qin Xiaoyao replied with a smile.

In the past, she had prevented her elder and second brothers from joining the army because, at that time, if they went, they would have been sent to the front lines as cannon fodder.

But now, things were different. With her watching over them, the risk to her brothers would be minimal.

With Mother Liu here, our advancement will be much faster.

"Youngest sister—" Qin Dahu couldn't hold back any longer and called out to Qin Xiaoyao.

Qin Xiaoyao gave a faint smile.

"Alright, let's not mention this for now."

"You've had a long journey. Let's head back to the marquis's residence first. We'll talk about the rest later." Noticing that Mother Liu had also stepped down from the carriage, Qin Xiaoyao added.

"Yes," the father and son agreed.

Qin Xiaoyao then walked over to Mother Liu.

"Mother—" she called out.

"Sister-in-law," Song Ye and Song Yun greeted her at the same time.

Qin Xiaoyao nodded and helped support Mother Liu.

"Mother, I'll take you all into the city first. Once we're back at the residence, we can rest and talk."

"Alright!" Mother Liu swallowed the words she had been about to say and responded.

She took a distant look at the city tower before returning to the carriage.

Soon after, Qin Dazhuang and Qin Dahu also got back into the carriage.

They followed Qin Xiaoyao and the young princess in their carriages toward the city gate.

The group didn't queue but took the official road instead.

Qin Xiaoyao simply showed her official pass, and the guards saluted and let them through.

After entering the city, the carriages continued forward.

Inside the carriage, Song Ye and Song Yun lifted the curtains and admired the prosperity of the capital.

They pointed and marveled, full of excitement.

The capital truly lived up to its name, far surpassing a place like Lingquan Town. It wasn't just Lingquan Town; even Zhao County seemed like countryside compared to the capital.

Mother Liu also peeked through the curtain gaps and saw the outside scene.

Her expression wasn't as excited as the children's, but rather complex.

The carriages traveled several streets before finally reaching the marquis's residence.

The butler had already gathered the servants to wait.

As soon as they arrived, the butler directed the servants to assist with the luggage.

Qin Xiaoyao personally helped Mother Liu down from the carriage, and then led everyone inside.

Qin Dazhuang, his son, and the two Song siblings were all taken aback by the sheer grandeur of the marquis's residence.

It was only then that they truly believed Qin Xiaoyao had become a marquis.

Qin Xiaoyao quickly called the butler over and instructed him to assign courtyards to Mother Liu and the others, and to show them to their resting quarters.

"Mother, you've had a long and tiring journey. Please follow the steward to rest for now, and we can catch up properly over lunch," Qin Xiaoyao said, looking towards Lady Liu.

"Alright. Go attend to your matters first," Lady Liu replied, showing signs of fatigue.

Her health had always been poor, and this long journey was indeed a bit much for her to handle.

Seeing this, Qin Xiaoyao instructed the steward again, asking him to fetch a doctor.

Only after the steward and the servants had led Lady Liu and the others away did Qin Xiaoyao breathe a sigh of relief.

Xiangyang, who had been unable to get a word in, quickly came over.

"Master, with so many people suddenly arriving at the estate, should we buy some more servants?"

"Should we go to the employment agency when we have time?" Your family members were all travel-weary, and I didn’t get a chance to greet them earlier.

It would be nice to do something for them now, as a way to show filial piety to the master.

Qin Xiaoyao thought for a moment.

Seeing Xiangyang's eager expression, she nodded.

"Leave this matter to you. Go to Wangjiao Street and find Mr. Lu. Ask him to help select a few capable ones for each courtyard. You can advance the money for now, and I'll reimburse you later," she said without hesitation.

"Master, you’re making it sound like we’re strangers. I’m actually better off than you!"

"Consider these servants as a welcome gift for the elders!" Xiangyang said, patting her chest.

Qin Xiaoyao was amused.

"Alright. Go quickly and return in time for lunch."

"Got it!" Xiangyang replied and dashed off.

Qin Xiaoyao watched the young girl skip away, then shook her head with a smile before heading back to her courtyard.

Today, she had taken leave from the military camp, but there were still some official documents to review.

By now, the documents must have arrived.

Entering the study in her courtyard, she saw that the documents had indeed arrived.

Sitting down, Qin Xiaoyao began to review them.

She quickly reviewed and approved the documents, finishing her work.

Once she finished, she instructed the estate’s messenger to send the documents back to the camp.

By now, it was nearing noon.

Qin Xiaoyao left her courtyard and headed towards the courtyard where Lady Liu and the others were.

As she approached, she heard Yun'er and Ye'er chatting with Lady Liu.

The two young ones were keeping Lady Liu company and talking about the stories of Qin Xiaoyao's heroic deeds that had been circulating.

Lady Liu was giggling and occasionally praising Qin Xiaoyao.

After listening for a moment, Qin Xiaoyao stepped into the courtyard.

"Haha, it’s not as dramatic as Yun'er and Ye'er make it sound. If 100,000 troops had really surrounded me, even two of me wouldn’t have escaped the Liao camp!" Qin Xiaoyao said with a laugh as she walked in.