Transmigration: A Farm Girl’s Brocade
Chapter 688 - 337: Choosing Sides_1

Chapter 688: Chapter 337: Choosing Sides_1

Before Monkey Brother left, Pearl Kid also made a fuss about wanting to go. Yixiu of the Qian family didn’t agree; listening to the Old Monk’s advice, if anything happened to him, she would be in big trouble. Besides, Pearl Kid was so adorable that she couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to him.

Pearl Kid cried his eyes out, and Yixiu had no choice but to promise him that she would find an excuse in the future to sneak into the clam shell, and they could venture into the deep mountains together. In fact, Yixiu was particularly looking forward to such a day, but it was impossible to realize now, as she couldn’t find an excuse to leave.

Only after speaking did she realize that Pearl Kid’s tears were making a sound as they hit the ground. She knelt down to look and saw they were actually pearls. She picked them up for a closer look, and though these white pearls were only the size of soybeans, they were round, plump, and crystal clear, truly beautiful. They were far prettier than the East Pearl, the South Pearl, and even more lustrous than the pearls from Cave Sky Pool. Of course, in terms of value, they still couldn’t compare to the big pearls from Cave Sky Pool. She greedily picked up the few pearls from the ground, counted them—eight in total. These eight pearls were worth at least over a thousand silver. Crying one bout brought him so much money, more profitable than a glass factory.

As she was rejoicing, Pearl Kid choked up and said, "Mom, do you love tears more than you love me?"

Yixiu hurriedly picked him up and kissed him twice, saying, "How could that be, Mom loves you the most." She looked down at Sister Squirrel nibbling at her trouser leg, picked her up, and added, "And you, Mom loves you too."

Monkey Brother stood aside with a curled lip. The older Monkey Brother got, the manlier he became, and he extremely disliked seeing Yixiu’s affectionate displays with Pearl Kid, Sister Squirrel, Huanhuan, and Xixi. Too much hugging and kissing, it was truly nauseating.

Yixiu understood Monkey Brother all too well and saw what he was thinking. She said, "Don’t look down on us. Have you forgotten about you and Monkey Sister, you and her always smacking lips? Even more sickening. Oh, right, you’ve been married for so long, why haven’t you given me a monkey nephew yet?"

When Yixiu exposed this shortcoming, Monkey Brother got angry, his face turned red, and his eyes bulged.

Seeing that he was truly angry, Yixiu didn’t dare to continue. She quickly sent Pearl Kid and Sister Squirrel back into the Clam Shell House and opened the door to shoo Monkey Brother out.

On the way, she cautioned him not to go too deep, because White Wolf and Dashan would be there too. Monkey Brother was unhappy she brought up the very thing he disliked, and not only did he ignore her, but he also rolled his eyes at her all the way.

Yixiu found it amusing inside, but she didn’t show it on her face, walking all the way to the entrance of Meixiang Garden to send off the House of Animals, watching as they darted off to the west in a puff of smoke.

It was still early, the sun was rising in the east, and the morning breeze was gentle. A new day had begun.

Lately, Yixiu had been hoping each new day would come quickly, for a new day represented new hope. The gloom over Capital City weighed on her, making it hard to breathe. It wasn’t just her feeling it; the majority of Capital City’s citizens felt the same way.

Yixiu returned to Plum Court where she and Grandfather Sangui lived. Grandfather Sangui resided in the main room while she stayed in the east wing. Her mother stayed in Taxue Courtyard with Mingming and Jingjing.

Her mother had come to Plum Court already, while Mingming and Jingjing were still sleeping. Her mother had finished breakfast with Grandfather Sangui, who, having nothing particular to do, was happily returning to his old craft, weaving mats in the outer courtyard corridor; Yixiu, supporting her mother, and a few servants went out again for a walk.

Every day, for half an hour in the early morning and half an hour in the evening, they would go out for walks. At that time, it was cool and the sunlight was not too intense.

Walking along the small path in front of Plum Court to the east for a bit led to the Chrysanthemum Courtyard of the Crown Prince Mansion. Continuing along the Lotus Pond to the north, then to the west, they would reach Lan Courtyard of the Liang Family, then to the south to Peach Court of the Qian family, and heading east would bring them back to Plum Court. This circuit would take exactly half an hour.

Chrysanthemum Courtyard was uninhabited; only White Wolf, Dashan, and some servants stayed there. Old Duke Liang used to come to live in Lan Courtyard often, but due to the special circumstances in Capital City, he hadn’t come. So, out of these big courtyards, only Plum Court had a few family heads residing.

People were already busy in the Lotus Pond. Seeing her and her mother, they would bow and greet them, "Good morning, Mrs. Qian, Miss."

Pan Yue would smile gently, and Yixiu would greet them back with a smile, "Good morning to you too."

When they passed by Lan Courtyard, they saw the gates wide open. The servant guarding the gate recognized Qian Yixiu and her mother, smiling and bowing as he said, "Our Princely Heir has arrived."

Qian Yixiu knew that Liang Jinzhao had gone to send off the Cui family’s coffin; could it be that he had already returned?

While they were speaking, Liang Jinzhao, who was in the courtyard, heard their voices and hurried out, smiling and bowing to Pan Yue. He said, "I came back last night, thinking I wouldn’t be able to enter the city, so I spent the night here. I had planned to visit Grandpa Qian and Auntie at Meixiang Garden, but it just so happens you were coming."

He then invited them to sit in Lan Courtyard.

Pan Yue said, "Yixiu, if you want to go, then go. Mingming and Jingjing should be waking up soon, and I need to go back to see them first."

Qian Yixiu nodded, and Madam Song came forward to help Pan Yue head south.

Pan Yue had walked a few steps before turning back to say, "Come to Meixiang Garden for lunch, General Liang."

Liang Jinzhao bowed deeply in thanks.

Qian Yixiu smiled. Ever since her mother recovered from her illness, she had also come to understand some social niceties.

After watching Pan Yue, with her belly protruding, slowly walk away, Liang Jinzhao led Qian Yixiu toward the back of the courtyard.

The courtyard was named Lan Courtyard because of the many orchids it housed. Although Old Duke Liang was a military officer, he had a taste for elegance, particularly fond of orchids. There were many rare orchids here, including the top-grade Jun Zi Lan Flower that Qian Yixiu had sold to them years ago.

The backyards of these large courtyards universally featured a man-made lake, all planted with No.1 golden lotus seeds. Apart from the lake, there were various characteristic flowers, from which the courtyards derived their names.

They walked in silence for a while before Liang Jinzhao finally said with difficulty, "Alas, wealth and prestige are fleeting. My maternal family has lasted for several centuries, through four dynasties without decline, but this time, they’ve almost completely perished. Just for one master, over two hundred lives were lost, the youngest child barely over a year old... all gone..." His voice choked up, and he whispered, "Thank you, and thanks to the Crown Prince for allowing the Cui family to retain a line of descent."

Qian Yixiu also sighed and said, "Yes, it’s truly frightening. I don’t even want to return to Capital City now; it feels as though the wind is tainted with the scent of blood. Everyone desires wealth and to make a name for themselves, but one misstep can trap the entire family. Those women and children were so innocent. Rather than this, it would be better not to speculate or take sides and to live a simple and stable life."

As she said these words, she had always felt that Father Jiang was a typical opportunist, who had simply been lucky and sided with the right person. If the Fifth Prince had been victorious, their family’s fate would surely have been the same as the Cuis. Of course, that was assuming she knew the outcome; otherwise, she would have fought tooth and nail to stop Father Jiang.

Liang Jinzhao stopped and said to Qian Yixiu, "Yixiu, rest assured, I will definitely see the situation clearly and not place you or our child in jeopardy."

Qian Yixiu’s face turned slightly red, and she looked downward without speaking.

Liang Jinzhao continued, "In fact, apart from Old Duke Liang, who followed Emperor Qiangao to conquer this land, the heads of the Liang family have never taken sides. My great-grandfather and grandfather never liked to do so, feeling that stability was far better than risky gains. A family head must be stable and have an understanding of the big picture so that the whole family can live securely. But this time, I took a side because I understood the former Prince Ning, and I heeded my master’s hints, so I took a side. Rest assured, for the safety of our family, I won’t take sides again or place our family in danger."

In a soft voice, Qian Yixiu said, "But you had a relationship with me, and you still took a side."

Liang Jinzhao suddenly understood and laughed, "That’s true. By marrying you, I joined the Crown Prince’s side. This is a side I’m happy to take. Not only because I am pleased with you but also because the Crown Prince is benevolent and will be an enlightened ruler."

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