Chapter 9

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Everyone in Chang’an City said that the spring hunt was just a few days away.

But Qiao Jinniang counted with her fingers and found that there was still half a month left!

Qiao Jinniang didn’t want to wait for half a month.

But how could she enter the Imperial Palace with her current status?

Without being summoned, she could not enter the Imperial Palace at all, nor could she enter the East Palace.

The spring hunt was her only chance. No matter how much she missed Tuan’er, she had to wait until the spring hunt to have a chance to see the little imperial grandson.

…

The next day, Jinniang went to the Duchess’ courtyard.

Just when she was about to enter the room, she saw Qiao Ruoshui crying on the Duchess’ lap.

The Duchess looked quite distressed. “Ruoshui, I never said I don’t want you. I just want you to be nicer to your sister.”

“The Duke Mansion owes her a lot after all.”

Qiao Ruoshui said with tears, “So you want to ruin my reputation for her, Mother?

“I am your daughter too. Just because you owe her does not mean I have to suffer!

“I don’t owe her anything. She should be grateful that the Duke Mansion provides her with food and clothing.

“Does the Duke Mansion have to make her the crown princess to make it up to her? She is just here to collect debts!”

At that moment, Qiao Jinniang entered the room and said, “Mother, you don’t have to feel like you owe me.

“And Sister, I’m not here to collect debts.

“Although the members of the Qiao family had bullied me, that’s just because the status of women in Lin’an is not as high as here.

“I can still live well even if I leave the Duke Mansion. After all, I own a whole street in Lin’an.

“Even if the Myriad Taste can’t be opened again, I still have a lot of properties, so I don’t need to depend on the Duke Mansion.

“I still stay in the Duke Mansion because after my foster parents were gone, I have been missing them very much, so God pitied me and bestowed upon me with another pair of parents who treat me very well. Therefore, I wish to stay with you all.

“But if Mother feels like you owe to me, or mistreats Sister just to make up for me, causing her to feel that I am here to collect debts, I can leave.”

Qiao Jinniang said gently.

The two of them were both the Duchess’ daughters, but Qiao Ruoshui was brought up by her after all.

She held a deeper affection for Qiao Ruoshui.

If the Duchess just felt that she owed Qiao Jinniang, and what she was doing for her was out of guilt instead of love, then the guilt would be exhausted one day.

At that time, she would feel guilty towards Qiao Ruoshui even more.

What Qiao Jinniang asked for had always been a sincere heart. She preferred the Duchess to be partial to Qiao Ruoshui rather than this kind of “compensation”.

The Duchess was a wise person. She immediately understood what Qiao Jinniang meant and said in distress,

“Jinniang, I don’t only feel like I owe you but I also love you, the kind of love a mother has for her daughter.

“As soon as I saw you, I knew you were my daughter. My girl, don’t say you want to leave again.”

Qiao Jinniang hugged the Duchess and said, “Mother, I know you love me.”

Qiao Ruoshui was very angry. She wanted to make her mother feel guilty for her, so that she would grant her anything she demanded.

But with a few words, Qiao Jinniang ruined her plan.

This vulgar woman from the countryside was really scheming!

At this time, Qiao Ruoyi came in and greeted. “Mother, Sisters.”

The Duchess wiped the tears from her eyes and said, “Ruoyi.”

“Mother, my concubine mother has gotten seriously ill. The doctor said that she needs millennium ginseng slices. Just five slices will be enough…”

Qiao Ruoshui sneered. “Is she that important? Even Grandmother only has a hundred-year ginseng. And you want millennium ginseng slices? Only in your dreams!”

The Duchess said with a sigh, “Ruoyi, it’s not that I don’t want to save Concubine Wang.

“However, even in the entire Chang’an, it’s highly unlikely to find two millennium ginseng roots.

“There may be some in the Imperial Palace, but if the Duchess Dowager needs it, I can ask the royal family for it… However, if it is going to be used on Concubine Wang, it would be disrespectful to the royal family…”

Qiao Ruoyi’s eyes were red as she said, “I see. Thank you, Mother..”

Immediately after, the Duchess ordered her maid to fetch some hundred-year ginseng slices.

“I’ve got some hundred-year ginseng slices here. Hope it will help…”

Qiao Ruoyi said in a small voice, “The doctor said that hundred-year ginseng slices are already useless…”

Qiao Jinniang said, “Ruoyi, wait a minute. Nuomi, go get my millennium ginseng. When I was in Lin’an, I happened to buy a single millennium ginseng root from an oriental merchant. Ruoyi, take and use it first.”

Qiao Ruoshui’s eyes widened. “Are you crazy? Why don’t you instead present the millennium ginseng to Mother, rather than waste it on a little concubine?!”

Qiao Jinniang said, “I only know that ginseng is a medicine, and medicine is used to save lives. Even if it’s a beggar on the road, I’ll save him, let alone Ruoyi’s biological mother!”

Qiao Ruoyi’s eyes were full of gratitude.

After Qiao Ruoyi took the ginseng slices and left, Qiao Ruoshui left in a huff too.

The Duchess asked Qiao Jinniang, “Jinniang, I never asked you how much money you have.

“According to Mammy An, you could hardly keep your restaurant in Lin’an, but the gifts you gave to your sisters and brothers and today’s ginseng are all very expensive…”

Qiao Jinniang didn’t hide it from the Duchess. “I only had the Myriad Taste that my foster parents left me to start with.

“After they died, the jerk took over the restaurant, and he was very good at managing it, so we made a lot more money and bought two more shops.

“Then we began to do business with oriental merchants and made a fortune. After that, we opened a jewelry shop.

“As we made more and more money, we bought a whole street in Lin’an last year to collect rentals.

“I’m afraid that the members of the Qiao family and the local government covet my wealth, so I keep these businesses a secret, so not many people know that I own these shops.

“In total, I have an income of about 30,000 taels of silver every month.”

The Duchess gasped in shock. The monthly income of the entire Duke Mansion was only about 30,000 taels.

And Duke Anyuan’s Mansion was already one of the richest families in Chang’an.

She never knew that Qiao Jinniang was so rich.

“Those shops were previously managed by that jerk.”

Although Jinniang hated him, she had to admit that his talent for making money was excellent.

The Duchess thought so too, but no matter how good he was at making money, a man who dumped his wife and took their son away from his wife was still a jerk!

The spring hunt was just around the corner, and the Duchess was busy directing the maids and servants to pack.

Only then did Qiao Jinniang know that the spring hunt would be in the paddock of the North Mountain Palace, and most aristocratic families had manors around there. The spring hunt would last three days and the womenfolk would stay there for five or six days.

…

East Palace.

The Crown Prince finally got the little boy in his arms to sleep. He placed him on a small bed and sighed.

He walked out and ask his guard, “Still no news about Jinniang?”

“We’ve searched the entire Lin’an but failed to find her. Please punish us, Master.”

The Crown Prince waved his hand. “Forget it, it has been so many days…”

He looked at the bright moon in the sky. It was the full moon again. It had been almost four months since he left Lin’an.

He should hate that woman for making him marry into her family, but occasionally he would think of her smiling face. She had a pair of nice almond eyes, which looked so beautiful and gentle when she smiled.

The Myriad Taste was so important to her, so why did she leave abruptly?

…

The spring hunt that everyone was looking forward to had finally come. One carriage after another left Chang’an. It was so lively on the street.

When the carriage of the Duke Anyuan’s Mansion left, Qiao Ruoshui pouted. “Mother, why do we have to humor Qiao Jinniang to go to the North Mountain first? If we leave half a day later, we can see the Crown Prince riding a horse!”

Qiao Jinniang asked curiously, “Will the Crown Prince ride to the paddock?”

Qiao Ruoshui stared at Qiao Jinniang and said, “I’m telling you, don’t you even think of being the crown princess, you slave-raised lowly woman.

“Although you’re technically my sister, you grew up in a vulgar place and are not worthy of the Crown Prince!”

The Duchess scolded. “Ruoshui, get out!”

“Mom!”

The Duchess said with a straight face, “I have been too tolerant with you, resulting in you insulting your sister over and over again! You’re not joining in the spring hunt this year!”

Qiao Ruoshui was flustered. The Crown Prince was coming to the spring hunt, so how could she be absent?

“Mammy, take Qiao Ruoshui home,” the Duchess shook her fan and said angrily.

Qiao Jinniang didn’t try to persuade the Duchess. Qiao Ruoshui’s words were indeed getting more and more outrageous.

Qiao Jinniang was not kind enough to intercede on behalf of Qiao Ruoshui who repeatedly insulted her.