Transmigration: A Farm Girl’s Brocade
Chapter 683 - 335: Coming of Age - Part 2

Chapter 683: Chapter 335: Coming of Age - Part 2

Qian Manjiang also nodded with a smile, "I heard that Old Lady Liang hasn’t left the estate for many years, and now she actually wants to come to serve as the guest of honor for Yixiu. We really appreciate her kindness."

On the day of Qian Yixiu’s birthday, not only did Zhu Sujin, the entire Qian Manxia family, Old Master Pan’s family, and several younger members of the Pan family come, but Liang Jinzhao and Liang Jinyu, Mr. and Mrs. Song Huaijin, the Fu Minglan sisters, and Huang Lingling’s siblings also attended.

So many guests took Qian Yixiu and Qian Manjiang by surprise, and they quickly ordered another table of food from the restaurant.

With so many male guests arriving, it was not good to be casual. The men all ate in the outer courtyard, while the women went to Xiangxue Courtyard for their meal. Liang Jinzhao let Liang Jinyu convey a message to Qian Yixiu, saying that when she reaches the age of hairpinning, Old Lady Liang is willing to come and be the guest of honor.

Liang Jinyu also wanted to serve as the laudator for Qian Yixiu, but Fu Minglan and Huang Lingling objected, arguing that how could the Liang Family get all the good roles. After some discussion, it was decided that Fu Minglan would serve as the official, while Huang Lingling would be the laudator.

Qian Manxia tsk-tsked with a smile, "With the highly respected Old Lady Liang serving as your guest of honor, and the Crown Princess Consort and the Consort of the Crown Prince serving as your official and laudator, Yixiu’s fortune is truly abundant."

In the end, everyone agreed that the twelfth day would be an auspicious date, and they decided to hold the hairpinning ceremony on that day.

The next day, Old Master Pan couldn’t wait and didn’t want to put on airs waiting for his daughter to come visit him. Not knowing how many days it might be before she would come, so he came early in the morning to Xiyue Pavilion to see his daughter.

Just like before, Pan Yue remained emotionally detached, mostly leaving Qian Yixiu and Mingming, and Jingjing to chatter and joke around with Old Master Pan. Being able to joke with his granddaughters while watching his daughter, Old Master Pan was naturally content.

After having lunch at the Qian family’s, Old Master Pan still wanted to linger and not leave, but an eunuch from Cining Palace came to fetch Pan Yue, so he had to return home alone.

The Grand Empress Dowager had aged a lot, her hair speckled with white, and her movements not as nimble as when they saw her the previous year, needing someone’s assistance to barely manage a few steps. The death of her son was a tremendous blow to her. Primarily, it was the tragic fate facing the Fifth Prince’s family that distressed her greatly. The Old Queen Grandma was kind and wisely never interfered with court politics. But when it came to her sons or grandsons in trouble, she always stepped in to protect her children. When Prince Ning was forced to leave the Capital City, it was she who came forward to save the two older girls.

Upon holding Pan Yue’s hand, the Grand Empress Dowager burst into tears, saying, "You are pregnant again, that’s wonderful. I never thought you would be the most blessed one. It seems that being born into the Royal Family is not necessarily a good thing. Being cast out into the world of commoners, perhaps a misfortune could turn into a blessing. Ah, we all come from the same root, why is the rush to harm each other so urgent..."

Qian Yixiu listened as she rambled about various things, as if the Fifth Prince and his wife were still alive, but their two sons and two daughters had already lost three to illness. The Grand Empress Dowager, unable to bear it, had pleaded with Emperor Qianwu who had promised to take care of them, but nothing changed afterwards. She knew that Emperor Qianwu had no intention of sparing Lao Wu’s family easily. He wanted Lao Wu to witness the deaths of his loved ones one by one before letting him die...

She also mentioned that the Golden Crow Snake with two heads that Qian Yixiu sent her was stewed into a soup right after it arrived. Perhaps it was because she had eaten that rare creature that she was able to hold on until now.

Qian Yixiu also heard from Old Master Pan and Uncle Liang that both their families stewed and ate their Golden Crow Snakes that evening as well. If they had waited till the next day, knowing the previous Emperor had passed away, they could not have enjoyed the delicacy, and the good stuff would have gone to waste.

Of course, Pan Yue and Qian Yixiu comforted the elderly lady, picking out some pleasant things to say.

While they were talking, Zhu Sujin arrived. Nowadays, no matter how busy his studies were, he would visit the Cining Palace every other day to pay his respects and chat with the Grand Empress Dowager. He was paying respect on his own behalf, as well as on behalf of his father.

Because the Grand Empress Dowager often talked about the Fifth Prince’s situation, which Emperor Qianwu found tiresome, he visited her less often. He came once every three to five days, and even then he could not stay long, claiming he was busy and needed to return to handle court affairs.

After more than an hour, the Grand Empress Dowager’s energy began to wane, and it was only then that they got up to take their leave. As they left, the old lady held Pan Yue’s hand, asking her to bring her children to visit her more often if they had no important matters. She also took the Crown Prince’s hand, praising him as a filial child, like the late Emperor, often coming to her side to keep her company with conversation.

Zhu Sujin went with Pan Yue and others to the Qian family’s home.

Old woman Qian, Qian Sangui, and Lady Wu were extremely happy to see Zhu Sujin, and quickly instructed the kitchen to make his favorite treats.

Zhu Sujin laughed and said, "Right now, I particularly miss the chives and minced pork noodles with gravy that I used to eat in the countryside. Ask the Royal Kitchen to make it, but they just can’t make it as delicious as Madam Qian does."