Transmigration: A Farm Girl’s Brocade
Chapter 354 - 209 Prince Ning_1

Chapter 354: Chapter 209 Prince Ning_1

The next day, Qian Yixiu took out the gifts she had received at the Liang Mansion the day before to examine them again. The hair ornaments presented by the three grandmas were lovely, but as they had taken them directly off their heads, they were not suitable for her to wear now.

However, the hairpin featuring the Jade Rabbit Bearing Immortal Grass, given by the Old Queen Grandma, was just right for a little girl. The rabbit, carved from Hetian jade, looked naive and lovable, perched on a golden pin, both pretty and cute.

By now, Qian Yixiu already owned quite an array of jewelry, but this hairpin was currently the most valuable and her favorite. She tried it on and admired it in the mirror for a long time before finally placing it into her jewelry box.

The Jinxiu Embroidery Workshop owed its smooth business operations to the protection of the Liang Mansion, as no one dared cause any trouble. The Liang family patriarch also helped sell the embroidery screen for a good price; without them, it’s likely that the hundred taels of silver would have been forcibly bought by Uncle Ye.

She owed the Liang Mansion a great favor and needed to think of a way to repay it, striving to hold even tighter to those influential legs. Given their power and influence, she also had to think of a clever way to reciprocate.

Additionally, it was time to prepare for her return home. She had already accomplished all she set out to do in the Capital City, even obtaining an unexpected "surprise." Now that she had money, she wanted to buy lots of gifts for her family, especially for her dear mother. After all, she earned all the money, and besides, she could no longer be considered a widow. She would purchase more jewelry and some modest clothing.

After the meal, Qian Yixiu, accompanied by Zi Zhu and Bai Zhu and led by a youngster named Wong Xiaoer, went out shopping along the streets.

While they were strolling, suddenly a commotion erupted ahead, and pedestrians on the street quickly sidestepped. Qian Yixiu and her companions hastily moved to the side as well, seeing several horses and two carriages speed by.

They exited through the southern gate, spurring their horses toward Nan County at full speed. Nan County was close to the Southern Suburb of the Capital City, not densely populated by locals but rather bustling due to outsiders. The main reason was its convenient transportation as it lay adjacent to the Capital City on one side and next to the docks of the Xiangjing Canal on the other.

They stopped in front of a grand estate in the county, and several individuals emerged from the carriages. The person in the lead looked to be in his forties, pale and beardless, dressed in a camel-colored robe and donning a blue hat, holding a feather duster in his hand.

The gatekeeper, seeing him, promptly bowed and said, "This servant greets Eunuch Xia."

Eunuch Xia replied, "I am here by the order of Consort Guifei to visit Prince Ning."

He then stepped inside.

If not for the eunuch’s visit to this place, people might have mistaken the property for a wealthy merchant’s private residence.

Inside the estate, green trees cast shade, exquisite flowers competed in brilliance, and an artificial lake shimmered, with pavilions and towers adorned with carved beams and painted rafters. It exuded splendor and grandeur, with only servants seen going in and out, the master of the house having not been spotted by anyone for more than two years.

The estate was guarded by the Imperial Army, all the protectors here were disguised members of it.

That’s because the residents of this compound were Prince Ning and his family. Prince Ning, Princess Ning, and their eleven-year-old third daughter, Zhu Yi. Zhu Yi had not been granted the title of Commandery Princess before Prince Ning was sent to the Northland for his crimes. Though she was the daughter of a prince, she was still referred to as the third young lady. Ning’s eldest and second daughters had been titled as Commandery Princesses before his downfall and had since married.

Prince Ning Zhu Xiangsheng, thirty-five years old, was the eldest son of Emperor Qianwen, Zhu Zhiguan.

His mother was an ordinary palace maid. At the age of fourteen, after drinking, the then-Prince Zhu Zhiguan slept with her, resulting in the birth of Zhu Xiangsheng. Zhu Xiangsheng’s birth was followed by his mother’s death due to complications.

After ascending the throne, Emperor Qianwen did nothing to give his eldest son any dignity or posthumously honor his mother with any titles or status.

Zhu Xiangsheng grew up under the care of a wet nurse, living in a hall called Woming, not far from the Cold Palace. He was the most neglected son of the Emperor and was ostracized by his brothers.

Though virtually invisible, he did not indulge in self-pity. His state of mind was good, his demeanor modest, his studies diligent, his actions discreet, and he was brotherly, even to those siblings who bullied him.

At the age of fifteen, Zhu Xiangsheng made a decision that surprised both the Emperor and everyone else: he volunteered to join the military to gain experience.

To educate princes, the Great Qian Kingdom had a policy that from the age of fifteen, princes would spend four out of every ten days learning at the Six Ministries as a practical complement to their theoretical studies. Which ministries they attended and what they studied were up to the princes themselves to decide.

Some princes were indeed keen on military leadership, but they went to the Ministry of War or the Headquarters of the Five Armies. A prince like Zhu Xiangsheng going directly to the lowest tier of the army barracks, however, was unprecedented.