Chapter 429: with translation of chapter title

Sui Sui wore her usual neat riding outfit; it was inconvenient to do a kneeling salute, so she energetically clasped her fists: "Mingxi greets Mother Consort, greets all sisters-in-law."

Princess Consort of Qi hurried forward two steps, grabbed Sui Sui's hand and helped her up.

Lù Yǐnxiāo bowed from behind, and the Princess Consort of Qi nodded politely.

Lù Yǐnxiāo hasn't returned to Jing for a while; this time he brought Sui Sui back, then he must return to his residence.

The Princess Consort of Qi understood in her heart, but she still smiled and urged him to stay.

Hearing Lù Yǐnxiāo say he would leave shortly, the Princess Consort of Qi didn't urge him to stay any longer.

Ten years passed in a flash.

The Princess Consort of Qi is no longer as young as she once was; fine lines have appeared at the corners of her eyes, yet she also exudes a bit more of a loving, gentle aura, making her seem altogether more peaceful.

Each of the sisters-in-law has her own traits; the eldest sister-in-law, Lady Wen, when she first came to Jing Cheng, her skin wasn't great, her face was reddish, and many people secretly made fun of her.

After two years of nurturing, she became fair-skinned and beautiful, with bright eyes, a cheerful and capable demeanor, handling matters decisively and maturely; many looked on with envy, regretting having judged her by appearance before.

In the second year of her marriage, Lady Wen gave birth to a pair of dragon-and-phoenix twins, thereby securing her position as the heir's consort.

Although she never conceived again in the years that followed, the imperial physicians said it was merely the deficit from bearing those twins years ago, and making it up would be fine.

The two children grew up well, lively and lovable, so Lady Wen felt much more at ease.

Later, the eldest brother took on two concubines, each bearing a son; they held the status of concubines, and because their backgrounds were humble and Lady Wen managed the household well, they remained obedient, and the rear courtyard stayed peaceful.

The second sister-in-law, Lady Lin, is a gentle and amiable woman; over the years, Sui Sui has never seen her lose her temper with anyone.

Moreover, she speaks softly and slowly, so others feel embarrassed to argue with her or say nonsense.

Because the second brother went to the Southwest Battlefield after coming of age, the couple, married for many years, have only one daughter.

The third sister-in-law, Lady Chi, is the youngest daughter of the Chi family of the Censorate; Sui Sui used to play with her, and she is a lovely sister.

She has just become pregnant this year; counting the days, she is likely about four to five months along, and because her clothing is loose, it's not noticeable from the outside.

Sunshi, a relative of the Marquess of An'yuan's wife from her natal family, is a gentle-tempered maiden whose disposition matches that of Feng Xuanjie.

After they married, they had a son who has just turned one year old; he doesn't much resemble his parents, being a very cute little chubby ball, all soft and squishy, great fun.

However, the biological mother of the fourth brother, Feng Xuanjie, Lady Wen the concubine, had poor health in earlier years and passed away last year.

When she passed away, seeing her son marry and have a child, she finally closed her eyes in peace.

One could barely say she had no regrets.

Fifth sister-in-law…

Okay, Sui Sui currently has no fifth sister-in-law.

The fifth brother, Feng Xuanbo, has had a rather tumultuous marital situation.

He had become engaged to three women in succession, all of whom either died of illness or met with accidents before the wedding.

Thus, the capital quietly whispers that Feng Xuanbo is a wife-killer.

Ren Ce Fei got angry and argued a few times, but now she can't be bothered to make a fuss.

Because the fifth brother gave up first.

He realized he wasn't suited for marriage, and whenever his marriage was mentioned, many in the capital were on high alert, fearing he would doom the woman involved.

Feng Xuanbo simply went off to travel the mountains and rivers, writing miscellaneous notes, becoming a wandering knight-errant.

As for getting married?

Hmph!

He still hasn't tied the knot!

The last correspondence between Sui Sui and the fifth brother was still three months ago.

Lately there's been no word from him; in a moment I can ask Mother Consort whether the fifth brother has written to the residence.

The sixth sister-in-law is Sui Sui's familiar companion, Lian Ruoyi.

It's not accurate to call her the sixth sister-in-law now, because she and Feng Xuanrui are merely engaged, not yet married.

However, an auspicious date has already been chosen: next June.

Over these years, Sui Sui has kept in touch with her old companions Sun Ronglin and Lian Ruoyi.

Soon after Sun Ronglin's parents reunited, they conceived; over several years they gave birth to two sisters and a brother, and the Sun family's offspring suddenly flourished.

Lady Sun believes it's thanks to Sui Sui's blessings, so these years, on Sui Sui's birthday each year, they send someone over with gifts.

Under the gentle gaze of Mother Consort, amidst the sisters-in-law's cheerful laughter, Sui Sui bade farewell to Lù Yǐnxiāo and returned to the residence.

Prince Qi has been busy lately.

The various cold- and drought-resistant strains that Sui Sui previously researched were being tested in Shanglin Garden; now the harvest season has arrived, so he must personally go to oversee it, otherwise he won't feel at ease.

However, he always returns to the residence early each evening.

Because he wasn't sure which day Sui Sui would return, Prince Qi also went to Shanglin Garden today with peace of mind.

The tea was drunk, the grain gathered, the quantities tallied, and people relaxed as well.

Then he heard the news: his dear one has returned!

Prince Qi immediately couldn't stay seated; he hastily bade farewell to several officials, jumped onto his carriage, and rushed back.

Sui Sui was chatting with the sisters-in-law about frontier anecdotes when she heard the footsteps of Father King returning.

Over ten years, Prince Qi's body has been kept in decent shape, but he indeed suffered damage to his foundation in his youth, so he ages somewhat faster.

His temples have grown white, he looks a bit aged, but his voice is loud and full of vigor.

As soon as he returned, before even seeing anyone, he heard a loud voice: "Our dear one has returned! Quick, quick, quick—let Father King take a look, have you lost weight? Has that Lad from the Lu family bullied you? Don't be afraid, just say it; Father King will deal with him for you!"

Hearing the voice, Sui Sui pressed her lips, gave a light smile, comforted the sisters-in-law a bit, then rose and went out to meet him.

They hadn't seen each other for nearly a year.

Seeing Father King again, Sui Sui felt he seemed to have aged a bit more.

His eyes are not as bright as before, and when he walks, his legs seem a bit off.

His knees were never good even in his youth, and then he was tossed about by Madame Che for a spell; after a few years of nursing, his body barely counted as healed, but the leg trouble never really got better.

Sui Sui asked the system, and the system said this only alleviates symptoms; actually curing it is really hard.

Over these years, Sui Sui has been experimenting with various plasters and the like, but they only help Prince Qi ease the discomfort, so that on cloudy, rainy days he doesn't feel as awful.

Upon seeing Father King, Sui Sui couldn't hold back, and her eyes instantly turned red.

Prince Qi glanced at her and instantly felt heartache: "Oh dear, my good child, don't cry—if you cry like this, Father King's heart will break!"

Over these years, the Qi Wang Fu gained an eighth son, and also a few little grandsons and granddaughters.

But no matter how many later arrivals there are, even if they are all true blood‑related kin of Prince Qi, he still treats his dear one just as before, doting on her.

Perhaps it's because he invested too much at the start; emotional entanglements are hard to truly withdraw from, and there's no need to do so.

Or maybe it's just some kind of fate in the dark.

Prince Qi thought, in this life he has only this one daughter—if he doesn't dote on her, who would he dote on?