Chapter 493

Chapter 493

There was no way Madam Xiao would not drink this cup of tea offered to her by her daughter-in-law, especially after she watched the young couple who were a perfect match, walking towards her hand in hand. She could not hide the smile reflected in the corners of her eyes, bending into a crescent as she smiled.

For a moment, she felt that she could die in peace with a smile on her face.

Qin Jiu kowtowed three times to Madam Xiao in a polite manner and served her tea with a smile. "Mother, drink tea."

Madam Xiao smiled even more cheerfully and changed her mind, thinking she must still help her son and daughter-in-law with her grandchildren!

She hurriedly asked Qin Jiu to get up and take out a box of jewelry that she had prepared long ago. This was a gift from her mother-in-law to her daughter-in-law.

The three of them did not have time to chat for long, as Madam Xiao quickly had someone serve breakfast, since after breakfast, Qin Jiu and Gu Zezhi had to go to the palace. This time, they went to the palace not only to show gratitude, but also to acknowledge their relatives. After all, they could not keep Empress Dowager Liu and those royal relatives waiting for too long.

Qin Jiu originally expected for them to leave early so they could return early but when she arrived at Shouning Palace, she realized that there were so many royal relatives waiting for them and the usually deserted Shouning palace was now bustling.

Thus, the process of acknowledging relatives took longer. Qin Jiu had always had a little problem recognizing faces, and now with so many of them, her mind had completely turned into mush. Anyway, whenever Prince Li and his consort, Princess Li, accompanied her in acknowledging the other royal relatives, and curtsied to them she would receive a bunch of greeting gifts from them.

Because Gu Zezhi's seniority was so high, Qin Jiu was called "royal aunt" or "grand aunt" countless times. She often had the illusion that she had already developed white hair early, without knowing what it was.

When she came out of the palace, it was already time for lunch.

Seeing that Qin Jiu was starving, Madam Xiao quickly had someone serve the meal while the three of them sat together. Afterward, the servants of the Chen mansion came to kowtow to their mistress, but since Qin Jiu was not good at memorizing people's faces, she only remembered a few stewards.

Madam Xiao did not keep them long and was immediately dismissed. "Zezhi, take Xiao Jiu for a stroll around the mansion."

"You have to go to your wife's home early in the morning and greet the Qin family, so rest early today."

Gu Zezhi responded with a smile, pulling Qin Jiu out of Madam Xiao's courtyard. The two of them strolled around the mansion casually.

Qin Jiu was quite familiar with this mansion, she had already seen every version of the blueprint and how it was repaired, Gu Zezhi also brought her to visit several times before.

However, she has not been here for three or four months, and there have been some new changes in the mansion.

For example, the newly transplanted camellia flowers bloomed, looking colorful and bright like spring.

Or, at the end of a cobblestone path, there was an octagonal pavilion.

The small flower hall of the lake has been rearranged, and a winding water corridor has been added to connect it to a water pavilion not far away.

Qin Jiu had not slept well for two nights in a row, so as they were walking, she could not help but cover her mouth and yawn.

"Tired?"

His voice full of concern came to her ears; he stopped, lowered his head slightly, and spoke, his breath brushing into her ear as if whispering.

***