Chapter 70

Chapter 70

Although Jiang Chun had long been prepared for the trip to the Imperial City, as soon as summer began, she and Song Shiying had washed and remade the cotton-padded coats, trousers, and quilts for the four members of the household. The essential items that needed to be packed were also organized in advance.

However, just the everyday belongings and the bulky large pieces that couldn’t be packed ahead of time were enough to keep them busy for several days.

Jiang Chun was going to live in the Song family's residence, so these items would obviously not be needed. However, Jiang He would need to manage his own life independently after arriving in the Imperial City, and buying everything anew would be expensive and less convenient than using familiar items.

Besides packing, several urgent matters needed addressing.

The first issue was what to do with the family house and land.

After discussing it with Jiang Chun, Jiang He decided to let his younger cousin Jiang Wan farm the three acres of land for free. In return, Jiang Wan would help with cleaning and repairing the house a few times each year to prevent it from becoming dilapidated.

Jiang Wan was naturally delighted. The three acres of land belonging to his older cousin were prime fields, located near the Western River, with ample water and fertile soil. The annual yield was about 30% more than what his own mid-quality fields produced.

It was just a small task to help maintain the house. Even without the land, would he, as a younger cousin, neglect it?

Li Shi, having heard about the situation, came to cause a commotion, demanding that Jiang He leave the house and land to her precious grandson Jiang Tong. Otherwise, she threatened, she would follow them to the Imperial City and demand that Jiang He support her in her old age.

This amused Jiang Chun. "Grandma, you’re really too trusting. If you follow us to the Imperial City, hehe, what if I leave you behind along the way?

You’ll be in a strange place, calling out to heaven and earth, with no one to help you. What will you do then?"

Li Shi stomped her feet in anger. "Chunniang, how can you, my own granddaughter, do something so heartless? Aren’t you afraid of being struck by lightning?"

Jiang Chun laughed dismissively. "I’m not afraid. If the heavens were to strike someone, it would be you, a malicious person who even deceives her own son, before me.

The house and land were acquired by my father after he was separated from you. Even if you were to argue your case to the heavens, you won’t be in the right. I suggest you calm down."

To avoid trouble, Jiang He and Jiang Chun did not reveal Song Shiyan's identity to outsiders. They said that a relative’s life had improved somewhat and that a security escort had been hired to bring them to the Imperial City for a better life.

Of course, Jiang He did not hide this from Jiang Zhaonian, the head of the Jiang clan, or from Jiang Wan, the future clan head.

Jiang Zhaonian and Jiang Wan were visibly shocked. Jiang Wan was so startled he jumped up, and even the usually steady and composed Jiang Zhaonian couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.

After calming down, knowing Li Shi’s character, Jiang Zhaonian praised Jiang He. "You’re right to keep this from the villagers. Especially your mother, she would definitely cause trouble."

This is why Li Shi only schemed for the house and land and didn’t insist on following the family to the Imperial City.

With the issue of the house and land settled, they notified their relatives one by one.

The first place to visit was Uncle Zheng’s family.

Upon hearing the detailed account from his brother-in-law Jiang He, Zheng Yi was so shocked he almost fainted, struggling to breathe.

He clutched his chest and gasped for air.

His nephew-in-law had previously hinted that their family might regain their former glory, which was why he had hired tutors for his two sons and used his connections to get them into prestigious establishments to learn the trade.

But his nephew-in-law had not revealed just how illustrious his family background was—they were actually the family of the Crown Prince's in-laws.

Zheng Yi, the brother-in-law of the Crown Prince’s wife’s family, would become an imperial uncle by marriage when the Crown Prince ascended the throne.

His nephew-in-law was understanding and tactful. Without waiting for him to ask, he proactively said to his niece, "My lady, when you arrive in the Imperial City, it will be unfamiliar territory. How can you manage without someone trustworthy by your side?"

"I observe that the two cousins from Uncle's family are literate, able to keep accounts, and know how to manage shops. Why not have them come with us to the capital to assist you?"

"Ah?" Jiang Chun was surprised.

Assist me? I don’t have any shops, nor do I have any land. If the two cousins go with me to the capital, won’t they just be idle?

They might as well stay in Hongye Town and help Uncle with his pig-slaughtering and meat-selling business.

After all, Uncle has deep roots in Hongye Town and even Hongye County. Many restaurants in town and the county are his regular customers, making his business quite extensive.

Song Shian immediately saw what was on her mind and chuckled softly. "I have eight shops and two estates left to me by my grandfather that need my wife to manage."

Jiang Chun's eyes widened in surprise.

Goodness, she had assumed that someone from a large family like the Songs, which hadn’t yet divided the family property, would at most have some personal savings. But Song Shian actually had shops and estates left by his grandfather. This is the privilege of the eldest grandson?

His younger brother, the original male lead Song Shirui, didn’t have any. Otherwise, the female lead Zhong Wenjin wouldn’t have had to work hard in the Pinduoduo Mall system to save money for shops and estates.

Jiang Chun immediately said to Zheng Yi, "Uncle, you must let Brother Peng and Brother Kun help me. Otherwise, with so many shops and estates, I can’t manage them all by myself."

She even played the victim card, saying, "Without someone reliable to help me, I’ll definitely be cheated, and not only will I be humiliated, but you'll also lose face."

Song Shian twitched his lips.

A woman who actually had the nerve to say something so crude—she really isn’t shy.

But he didn’t dare to say a word.

Before Zheng Yi could respond, his eldest son Zheng Peng spoke up, "I am the eldest son of the family and have a wife and children. It is my duty to stay and serve my parents. My younger brother is more capable and clever; let him go with Cousin."

Zheng Kun, hearing this, became anxious and quickly said, "Big brother, our parents love me the most. I should stay and serve them. You should go with Cousin and take care of things for her."

Zheng Peng looked at him askance. "Listen to what you’re saying. Dragging your whole family along—am I going to help Cousin or cause her trouble?"

Zheng Kun wasn’t happy. "Brother, with Sister-in-law taking care of your child, it won’t hinder your ability to help Cousin."

Zheng Peng gave him another look. "Your sister-in-law’s family is in Hongye County, and her mother’s health is poor. If we go to the capital, how will she be able to visit her family?"

The two brothers continued to debate in this friendly but insistent manner.

After listening for a while and observing his eldest son’s expression, Zheng Yi saw that he genuinely wanted to stay. So, he waved his hand to stop the argument and made the final decision, "Peng will stay to inherit the family business, and Kun will go with Chunniang to the capital."

Since it was Uncle’s decision, Jiang Chun had no objections. She smiled at Zheng Kun and said, "Brother Kun, you should hurry and pack your things these next few days. We’ll set off in a few days."

She then turned to Aunt Qiu, who was secretly wiping away tears, and said, "Aunt, don’t be sad. Once Brother Kun has settled in the capital, I’ll find a way to send someone to escort you to the capital for a visit.

As for Brother Kun’s marriage, it’s only right that Uncle and Aunt make the final decision yourselves, isn’t that so?"

Qiu wiped her tears with a handkerchief and smiled. "That’s the capital, after all. What would we country folks know? Chunniang, you can just find a suitable match for him."

Jiang Chun gave her a sideways glance and teased, "Even if it weren’t for Brother Kun’s sake, wouldn’t you want to visit the capital? It’s in the capital, under the emperor’s watch; our little place can’t compare."

Zheng Yi chuckled. "Of course we’ll go. Seeing such a prosperous place as the capital will be worth it even if we drop dead right after."

He even joked, "If your aunt doesn’t want to go, we’ll go, and she can stay home to watch the house."

Qiu glared at him, unable to contain her anger, and elbowed him in the arm.

This caused everyone to burst into laughter.

*

After leaving the Zheng family, Jiang Chun and Song Shian paid a visit to the Wang family.

In addition to informing them of the time for the wedding banquet and inviting them to a feast at their home in a few days, they also discreetly returned the valuables that Wang Yiner had entrusted to them.

For the past year, Wang Yiner had been practicing walking with a pair of crutches every day, and now she could walk normally without them.

However, she could only walk for a maximum of seven or eight minutes before her waist and legs grew weak, and she had to rest for forty-five minutes before continuing.

Moreover, she could only walk for a total of around thirty to forty-five minutes each day. If she walked longer than that, she would be unable to get out of bed the next day.

In Jiang Chun’s eyes, being able to achieve such progress was extremely precious.

Without the medicine that sustained her from Dr. Cao and Wang Yiner's persistent exercise, she might have ended up paralyzed on the heated brick bed.

But Wang Yiner was not content with this. She said with ambition and determination, "I will continue to work hard. Maybe when Sister returns to our hometown, you'll see me running and jumping."

Jiang Chun gave her a thumbs up and said, "With your perseverance, you will surely get what you wish for."

Before leaving, Jiang Chun took Wang Yiner and Jiang Liu aside and hinted, both directly and indirectly, "My husband has quite an impressive background, and our family has risen again. You two will likely benefit from him and may make a good marriage, possibly even becoming officials' wives.

But where there's good meat, flies gather. You need to keep your eyes open and choose carefully, so you don't let your eyes be blinded and choose the wrong person."

She then turned her gaze to Jiang Liu and advised, "Liu'er, remember to listen to your cousin Yin's advice. Don’t worry about what your grandmother or your parents say. They only care about immediate benefits and don’t care whether you'll live well in the future."

Pausing, she added with a smile, "You can also ask my uncle for his address and write to me in the capital."

Jiang Liu nodded seriously, "I understand, Sister. I'll ask Yin when I can't make up my mind."

It turned out her sister had asked her to find a way to delay marriage proposals, waiting for her brother-in-law's family to rise again so she could benefit and marry well.

Jiang Liu wiped her tears with her sleeve, deeply moved. Her sister was so good to her; she had to find a good match and then support her sister with her husband’s money.

Wang Yiner couldn’t help but marvel, "Wow, Sister, your husband is quite the hidden gem. Doesn’t that mean you've become a phoenix?"

Jiang Chun said with pride, "Pretty much. I can't help it; I was just born with good luck."

Wang Yiner was genuinely happy for her cousin and didn’t tease her as usual. She blessed her with a string of auspicious words and added with a smile, "Sister, don't worry. I'll carefully choose a good match for Liu'er. If I can't decide, I can ask Granny Liu from the Liu family for information.

You know, the second daughter of the Liu family married into a family in the capital, and she might deal with you. For her granddaughter’s sake, Granny Liu would definitely be happy to help inquire a little."

Jiang Chun gave Wang Yiner another thumbs up, "Impressive that you thought of that."

Thinking for a moment, she gently advised, "You should also help yourself find someone.

You risk your life giving birth, so don't choose an unmarried young man. Look for a widower who already has an heir. You might find a suitable match that way."

Wang Yiner understood her good intentions and smiled, nodding, "I understand, Sister. I'll consider it if I find someone suitable."

Jiang Chun patted her shoulder with satisfaction.

After leaving the Wang family, the two visited Granny Liu's home.

Upon hearing that the Jiang family was moving to the capital for a better life, Granny Liu was completely puzzled and muttered to herself, "Why are they leaving all of a sudden?"

Her family still owed the Jiang family a favor. If they moved to the capital, how could she repay the favor?

Pan Xing nudged her mother's arm and said with a smile to Jiang Chun, "This is good news. I've heard guests from the capital at the brothel say that the capital is the most prosperous place under heaven. It's amazing that you have the opportunity to seek a living there."

After coming to her senses, Lady Liu also hurriedly said, "Your maternal cousin is right; this is a great opportunity!"

Obviously, going to a prosperous place like the Imperial City was more important than the small amount of goodwill their family had.

Jiang Chun and Song Shian spent about two quarters of an hour at Lady Liu's house before taking their leave.

Before leaving, Jiang Chun went to the west wing room to load a set of tables, chairs, and stools, along with several large iron hooks that had been stored at the Liu family's home, onto a mule cart and brought them back. The furniture was secondary, but these large iron hooks had to be taken to the capital. If her father wanted to continue his pig slaughtering and meat selling business, getting a new set of hooks would cost a significant amount of money.

Despite hurrying as much as she could, it took four days to pack and visit relatives, plus another day for hosting a farewell banquet.

*

It was not until the ninth day of the eighth month that they officially set off.

They traveled by waterway, boarding a boat at the Hongye County dock and heading north along the Grand Canal, disembarking at Tongzhou before switching to a carriage to enter the Imperial City.

If all went smoothly, they would arrive in the capital by the fourteenth, just in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

However, they encountered heavy rain en route, making it too dangerous to continue, so the passenger boat had to dock at a nearby port.

The rain lasted for three days.

By the time they finally reached the capital, it was already the seventeenth day of the eighth month.

Since buying a residence would take time, Jiang He and Zheng Kun stayed at the Song family's home initially and planned to move out once a house was purchased.

Zheng Kun followed Jiang Chun’s arrangements without much to say.

Jiang He also had no major objections; his daughter was visiting her in-laws for a short stay. They were merely treating it as a visit and not planning to live there permanently.

As they leisurely waited in line at the city gate to enter, the Song family in Guihua Lane was in a flurry of chaos.

After arriving in Tongzhou yesterday, the guards had sent letters to both Crown Prince Li Junxing and the Song family. Lady Dong intended to send someone to meet them, but all the old servants had been sold off. The servants at home were all newly bought back from the slave market and couldn’t be trusted.

She had no choice but to send a message to her natal family’s sister-in-law, borrowing a capable steward from her brother’s estate. The steward led a dozen male servants to Tongzhou to meet the arrivals.

Inside the second gate of the Song residence, Lady Dong, Third Madam Qiu Shi, and Fourth Miss Song Shiyue had been waiting for over half an hour.

These were the only three members of the Song family who had been brought back by the Crown Prince. The others were either still on the road or still being searched for.

While cracking sunflower seeds, Third Madam Qiu casually asked Lady Dong, "Sister-in-law, why is Yin Jie traveling with An Ge?"

Lady Dong replied coolly, "I returned later than you and am not skilled in divination. How would I know?"

Qiu Shi clicked her tongue, "I know you’re upset, Eldest Sister-in-law. An Ge married without your consent, but what could we do? Our family fell on hard times and became official slaves. If a good family’s daughter is willing to marry into our family, it’s an honor. In my opinion, not only should you not mistreat our eldest daughter-in-law, but you should also treat her well, or you’ll earn the reputation of being ungrateful."

Lady Dong glared at her troublemaking Third Sister-in-law and said coldly, "Isn’t that obvious? Mind your own business and eat your seeds!"

Qiu Shi pouted and was about to retort when Fourth Miss Song Shiyue grabbed her mother’s arm, "Mother, I want some seeds too. Give me some."

"Here," Qiu Shi said, stuffing some seeds into her hand. But before she could continue, Song Shiyue pulled her mother's arm again, "Mother, my hand hurts. Can you peel some for me?"

Qiu Shi replied irritably, "Have a maid peel them. I’ve just spent two years working as a cook at a rural gentleman’s house and nearly died from exhaustion. Do you expect me to serve you, my lady?"

Song Shiyue whined, "Mother, I haven’t seen you for two years. Please, just indulge me this once."

"You little rascal, alright..." Qiu Shi couldn't resist her only daughter and resigned herself to peeling the seeds.

Song Shiyue breathed a sigh of relief.

Although her mother had been sold to a local gentry family as a cook, that family had always been benevolent and lenient with their servants. Her mother hadn't really suffered much these past two years.

Otherwise, how could she still be as sharp-tongued as ever, always poking at the eldest daughter-in-law's most vulnerable spots?

But truth be told, she was indeed curious about this never-before-seen elder brother's wife. What kind of woman could make her brother, who seemed like a celestial being, willing to marry her?

Meanwhile, Jiang Chun's carriage finally entered the city.

Jiang Chun hadn't been nervous at first, but as the carriage slowly moved forward on the wide stone road, the sound of the horse hooves tapping on the stones—"clip-clop, clip-clop"—began to make her feel a little tense.

She turned to Song Shian and asked, "Will your mother look down on me because of my lowly birth?"

Song Shian pursed his lips and, without mincing words, replied frankly, "The high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital city value social standing. Your birth is indeed somewhat lowly. Facing such a daughter-in-law, my mother definitely won't be satisfied."

Before Jiang Chun could get angry, he added with a faint smile, "But it's fine. I am a live-in son-in-law of the Jiang family. If anyone is to be looked down upon, it will be me by my father, not you by my mother."

Jiang Chun's lips curved upward, and she couldn't suppress her happiness.

She snorted coquettishly, "Hmph, you're not good at anything else, but you're really skilled at making people happy."

Song Shian pulled her into his arms and whispered in her ear, "Hmm? Not good at anything else? What am I not good at?"

Jiang Chun punched his chest lightly and said, "The ugly daughter-in-law must face her in-laws. Act properly."

Song Shian chuckled, "What's ugly about you? In my heart, you are the most beautiful woman under heaven, unmatched by anyone."

After a pause, he added gently, "Don't be too nervous. If I'm not mistaken, only three people have returned home so far: Mother, Third Aunt, and Fourth Cousin Song Shiyue."

Jiang Chun felt slightly relieved. She had thought she would have to face a large crowd from the Song family, but it was only three people. That was manageable.

However, her relief came too soon.

As she stepped down from the carriage at the second gate of the Song family estate, she glanced inside and immediately recognized Madam Zhuang, the eldest wife of the Song family.

Madam Zhuang bore a five- to six-point resemblance to Song Shian, but while Song Shian had the distinctive phoenix eyes of the Song family, Madam Zhuang had apricot eyes.

Her face was of the popular oval shape, the most admired at the time.

So, compared to Song Shian's cold beauty, Madam Zhuang was bright and dignified, perfectly matching Jiang Chun's imagination of a noble lady in the capital city.

Song Shian took Jiang Chun's hand and respectfully gestured to Jiang He, "Father, this way please."

"Cousin," he added, inviting Zheng Kun to follow.

As they entered the second gate, Song Shian knelt in front of Madam Zhuang with Jiang Chun, bowing three times solemnly and choking up as he said, "Your son and daughter-in-law, Jiang Chun, pay our respects to Mother."

Jiang Chun also bowed three times and said, "Daughter-in-law greets Mother."

Following local customs, she had no qualms about kneeling to her elders.

Before Madam Zhuang could make a sound, Song Shian helped Jiang Chun to her feet and began introducing the family, "Mother, this is my father-in-law and Cousin Zheng Kun from my wife's side."

Then, he introduced the Song family members to Jiang He and Zheng Kun, "This is my mother, née Zhuang; this is my third aunt, née Qiu; and this is my third aunt's daughter, my fourth cousin Song Shiyue."

Jiang He, using the etiquette he had learned from Song Shian on their journey, bowed to Madam Zhuang and Third Madam Song with a smile and said, "Jiang He offers his greetings to Mother-in-law and Third Madam Song."

Song Shiyue hurriedly stepped forward to curtsy and greet them. "Paying respects to Uncle Jiang, Cousin Zheng."

Observing that her younger cousin had taken the initiative, Shiyin also hastened forward to greet Madame Zhuang and Madame Qiu. "Respectfully greeting Elder Aunt and Third Aunt."

For a moment, the scene became very lively.

Madame Zhuang, with a stern face, turned to Shiyue. "Shiyue, please escort Young Master Jiang and Young Master Zheng to the guest room to rest."

She then looked at Shi'an and said, "Shi'an, follow me."

Shi'an gently squeezed Young Master Jiang's hand and said with a light laugh, "My lady, please wait a moment; I'll be back soon."