Chapter 316: I think you

When they set out, Qiao Mai's family prepared six hundred‑year ginseng roots and six hundred‑year lingzhi.

The storage held many varieties, even thousand‑year ones; how can a person eating five grains not fall ill? Ginseng and lingzhi are top‑quality medicinal herbs, unavailable at ordinary apothecaries; keeping them is a good life‑saving thing, and when money is needed urgently they can be exchanged for silver; this gift is also considered valuable.

When these people got home and saw it, each one was shocked with their mouths agape.

They hurriedly capped the ginseng, placed it in a cabinet and locked it; this is a fine thing, even the rich might not be able to buy it.

It must be said, this gift reached their hearts.

She stayed in Tianshui Town until she was twenty‑five, then returned to Jingcheng. This time she came back without a gift, because the original staff of Qiao Ji Puzi and the kitchen maid had basically all gone to Jingcheng.

So it's not too late to prepare the New Year goods after returning; it's just that once home, she realized the New Year goods didn't need to be rushed.

Lord Zhen Guo and the General's residence are already no longer related to the Qiao Family; only the one in the palace needs to be prepared.

The Old Emperor is eagerly waiting; he is on the bride's side, so the groom's side should proactively give him a gift, and whether this emperor returns the favor depends on his mood; he is not an ordinary in‑law, he is the ruler of a nation, the lord of the world.

At night the two snuggled together, chatting about family matters.

In an instant the two started to play‑fight, and before long the lamp in the room went out.

She directly stored the horse in the space, raising it there, which is a hundred‑to‑thousand times better than keeping it outside.

When the two were idle chatting together, they mentioned the Qiao Family and even wiped tears together.

"The palace has so many women; he keeps his, we don't care. Don't use our family's stuff to fill those women's mouths."

Because Mu Shi and Xiao Shi used their dowries to offset the support money they owed Qiao Mai, the two brothers gave all the money they had to them.

When the imperial edict was presented to Qiao Mai, he immediately said she hasn't returned home yet and bowed to thank the favor on her behalf.

At this moment Jiang Yunpeng also felt uneasy, having become accustomed to the Qiao Family's food, clothing, shelter, and especially seeing the two brothers ride the Ferghana Horses that Qiao Mai gave, drawing envious glances from colleagues; it made their hearts feel particularly uneasy.

Qiao Mai heard they had returned two Ferghana Horses and sneered.

"If it were me, I'd also let them go; who would dare take someone whose heart is with Han while his body is in Cao's camp?"

"If that's really the case, bestowing upon Lord Yuan a princely title of a different surname is truly deserved; this is indeed a great merit."

"Tell me, do the two brothers who left the Qiao Family regret it?"

The edict‑issuing lord, having received an extremely generous red envelope, said nothing and left cheerfully.

The affairs of the Qiao Family are discussed daily in Jingcheng; the brothers' departure from the Qiao Family has been talked about for months, but was just suppressed by the news of Yuan Jiaqi being ennobled as a king.

Lord Zhen Guo and the Commander of the Western Pass stood nearby watching, not knowing how to approach and speak.

When they saw Yuan Jiaqi, they immediately bowed respectfully and said, "Prince!"

"It has already been formulated, and we are forging steel swords, steel spears, and other weapons."

"That's not it; the Ministry of Works has already refined something called steel. The Emperor had kept it hidden before, and now they are working day and night forging weapons. I heard iron weapons are extremely fragile before steel—one touch and they break."

"Thank you."

"I tell you, this Lord Yuan got some terrible luck, yet he has such an important formula."

The second point is that he thinks Lady Qiao is his daughter's mother‑in‑law, yet she still has no title, which makes it hard for his daughter to hold her head up in public; moreover, the Stainless Steel was given by her, and perhaps there will be other formulas later, so he must keep good relations. He always feels she is not ordinary; otherwise she wouldn't have set conditions for him, directly bestowing upon Qiao Mai the title of First‑rank Life‑bestowing Lady.

"That's his business; if the offering is insufficient, he'll open his mouth to demand more. He was shy before, but now with this connection, he'll definitely open his mouth like a lion."

Heh, the fellow, on the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, Yuan Jiaqi had just left his post and entered the household, and together with his son and daughter received three imperial edicts.

Yun Sheng was too ashamed to ride, so he directly had the horse sent back to the Qiao residence, but Yunpeng couldn't bear to part with that horse.

"I heard it was Lady Qiao who told them to leave."

"That's a lot; even he alone couldn't finish it."

"Sure enough, they could have enjoyed a good life, but they insisted on leaving like a white‑eyed wolf."

"As a husband, I am only close to your woman's charms."

The son‑in‑law's actions left them with a dull look; before, meeting Yuan Jiaqi was very cordial, now meeting is extremely awkward.

However, just after it was suppressed, someone again thought of the two brothers.

This also somewhat mended the pain in their hearts; they were truly reluctant to leave the Qiao Family. Initially they chose the two brothers because of the Qiao Family; now, does this count as a lose‑lose situation?

Fortunately, the dowry also included Zhuangzi and the shop's harvest; otherwise life would truly be hard, like night and day compared to when they were with the Qiao Family.

"Indeed, Lady Qiao was truly wonderful to the two brothers; just for their marriages, each spent nearly five hundred thousand taels. Who would not be angry when, once they became successful, they wanted to return to their ancestral roots?"

Having such in‑laws is great—not only wealthy but also capable of producing top‑grade cuisine, so she tilted her head and asked Yu Bao.

"Congratulations to you."

Sure enough, even if the person is absent, as long as the money is in place, who can say anything? The lady was right—if you can clank silver, you must not be stingy.

"Still has some conscience."

But after seeing Yun Sheng send it back, he felt reluctant yet embarrassed to ride it again, so he also sent someone to return it to the Qiao family.

"Hmm, early indeed."

This year, the Qiao Family is likely to become their hottest topic.

Everyone sees that he is still the same as usual, with no airs at all; they are truly impressed from the heart. No wonder the Emperor chose him—his character, cultivation, and overall demeanor are unmatched by others.

Having grown accustomed to the Qiao family's cuisine, which they no longer have this year, they sent someone to Qiao Ji Puzi to buy, only then realizing how expensive the food they usually ate was.

The day after the imperial edict was transmitted, when the whole court of civil and military officials attended the audience, chaos erupted again.

Yuan Jiaqi doesn't get a holiday until the twenty‑eighth, and at home he can't accompany his wife; this time Qiao Mai returned early, and he was especially delighted.

"Hmph, what nonsense formula, it's all the Emperor's tricks. When the princess marries down, he wants to raise the in‑laws' ranks; otherwise why would even Lady Yuan and his son be promoted together?"

The third point: as the prince consort of the princess, he was only a sixth‑rank official, which is absurd; he instantly promoted Yuan Haichuan to a third‑rank position, leaping three grades.

"I think you're fit to become a monk; they avoid women."

"I'm having Shopkeeper Niu prepare it: two baskets of intestines, two baskets of deboned chicken feet, two baskets of luncheon meat, two baskets of assorted fruits, ten vats of wine, ten catties of fine tea leaves. Is that okay?"

Qiao Mai laughed, "There are three thousand beauties in the harem, but he only likes those few."

The next day, the Old Emperor received the New Year tribute, just in time for the Morning Court. This year the weather was favorable, there were no battles, the nation was at peace, and the Ming Emperor's realm grew ever more prosperous; he felt quite pleased.

"Then let the lady sample her husband's smooth talk?"

The Emperor's mood improved even more, recalling his promise to the Qiao Family, so he reached for a fruit he liked, returned to the Dragon Book desk, and while eating, lifted his brush to write an imperial edict.

"Smooth‑tongued!"

In one breath he wrote three edicts; the first granted Yuan Jiaqi the title of Prince for his meritorious contribution of presenting a prescription to the court.

He felt uneasy inside, cursing Jiang Yunpeng in his heart.

"I just don't want to enter the palace; seeing a crowd of women gives me a headache."

"Madam, what New Year's gift shall we give the Emperor?"

Seeing the thing he has been yearning for made the heart even happier.

"How is the steel from the Ministry of Works?"

Plop!

"Good morning to you, good morning."

"Not exactly; those are someone's own parents, who could forget? It's just an uppermost grave, filling with soil, that's all. You're making it sound too severe."

"The gratitude for being raised is greater than that for being born; you don't understand this?"

"If they aren't born, where does the raising come from?"

"If Madam Qiao doesn't rescue them, they'd have turned into a lump of earth long ago; how could they even be buried?"

(End of chapter)