Amidst busy times, the wedding of her elder brother arrived.
Years ago, she and her master travelled all the way from their hometown Qingzhou to the Capital City, only to save the life of Ritual Master Yan.
Now, his daughter has become her sister-in-law. One has to admit, the workings of fate are truly wondrous.
The night before the wedding, Jiang Yujiang came knocking on her door, saying he was too nervous to fall asleep, afraid it would affect his condition the next day, and asked if she had any remedies to help him relax.
Jiang Yuqing gleefully gave him a Serenity Pellet. After taking it, he immediately said he was going back to sleep.
She was reminded of her tribesman back home in Qingzhou, Hua Zi.
On his wedding eve, his snores shook the skies as he slept extremely soundly. Compared to him, her dearest elder brother was simply too adorable.
The next day, the main gate of Duke Jiang’s Residence opened wide to welcome guests. The eldest son of Duke Jiang took the daughter of the Imperial Tutor's family as his wife. A match made in heaven with a talented gentleman and beautiful lady.
The wedding ceremony was held at dusk. After paying respects at the altar, the bride was brought into the bridal chamber.
Jiang Yujiang still needed to go outside to make toasts.
Taking the chance while no one was looking, Jiang Yuqing slipped him a Sobering Pellet. Jiang Yujiang gave her a grateful fist salute.
Jiang Yuqing waved him off, keeping her merit a secret.
Afraid her sister-in-law might be hungry, Jiang Yuqing secretly snuck into the kitchen, hoping to prepare some food for her. There she bumped into her paternal aunt carrying a tray of shredded chicken noodles.
Upon hearing she was here to get food for the new bride, her aunt immediately laughed and handed the tray to her, "Bring this to your sister-in-law and tell her to fill her stomach first."
"Will deliver it for sure!" Jiang Yuqing jested as she happily carried the tray towards the bridal chamber.
Inside, the bride was sitting quietly with her attendants under a red canopy embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in the water, awaiting that sweet moment.
Suddenly, the chamber doors knocked. The attendants exchanged glances. "Who is it?"
Jiang Yuqing’s clear voice rang out, "Sister-in-law, it's me, your younger sister-in-law Jiang Yuqing. I've brought you some food!" Hearing this, all the ladies in the room rejoiced.
The attendants hurriedly opened the door. Indeed, an extremely beautiful young lady was standing there with a tray.
The two attendants quickly curtsied, "My lady!"
She smiled gently, "No need to stand on ceremony." As she handed over the tray, "My paternal aunt was worried my sister-in-law might be starving so she personally prepared these shredded chicken noodles. I volunteered to deliver it for her so you can fill your stomach first.
I'm also here to inform my sister-in-law that elder brother is currently toasting outside, I'm afraid it might be awhile more before he returns."
Upon hearing this, the bride immediately stood and gave her gratitude, "Thank you little sister, please relay my thanks to Auntie as well!"
Still smiling, Jiang Yuqing replied, "We’re all one family, no need to stand on ceremony! Sister-in-law please go ahead, I shan’t disturb you further." With that, she curtsied and left the bridal chamber.
Half an hour later, the drunken groom was supported back to the bridal chamber. The matchmaker followed them in and carried out the lifting of the veil ceremony and ceremony of the newlyweds drinking from the same cup.
After that, a lock of hair was snipped from each of them and bound together with red thread, then placed under the newlyweds’ pillow.
As the saying goes: tyeing their hair marks their married life; affectionate with no doubts.
The others wanted to play wedding pranks but were thwarted by Jiang Yuchuan’s honeyed words and sent away.
Jiang Yuqing secretly gave her dear elder brother a thumbs up. As expected of a top scholar, his smooth talking was formidable.
When the bridal chamber contained only the newlyweds, Jiang Yujiang immediately sobered up and attentively served his wife food, bathing, changing.
Holding his bride in his arms, Jiang Yujiang scrutinised every inch of her exquisite beauty, murmuring intoxicatedly "You’re so beautiful! Deyin, I've finally made you my wife."
Yan Deyin shyly leaned into her husband's embrace, softly calling him "husband".
Unable to resist any further, Jiang Yujiang planted a kiss on her forehead, “It’s late, shall we retire...”
In the candle-lit chamber filled with flowers of love, the silken canopy swayed as tender moans drifted.
They paid formal respects to the elders after the wedding.
The new sister-in-law prepared gifts for everyone, nothing too extravagant yet each showed her thoughtfulness.
Jiang Yuqing received an exquisitely embroidered pouch with kittens playing with butterflies.
She had clearly done her research and knew of her habit of running around outside with a little sling pouch.
Even for Doctor Qiu she prepared a gift.
To Yan Deyin, he was not merely her husband’s little aunt’s teacher, but her own father’s life saviour. Naturally she could not neglect him.
The new bride was graceful and refined, bright and magnanimous. In modern terms, she had a “peace and prosperity face”, very much adored by the elders.
She also got along swimmingly with little sister-in-law Jiang Yuqing.
On the third day after the ceremony, when Yan’s mother saw her glowing daughter with smiles filling her face, and the affectionate and doting way her son-in-law gazed at her daughter, she knew her daughter was very happy with her in-laws.
During their private conversation, she asked her daughter about her new marriage. Her daughter glowed as she told her how her husband doted on her, the elders appreciated her, even the prestigious little sister-in-law Jiang Yuqing cared for her.
Yan’s overjoyed mother exclaimed, “The Jiang Family are honourable people. My daughter, you’ve struck gold!
Come to think of it, we really must thank that concubine and illegitimate eldest son, otherwise how could you have met such an outstanding husband.”
Laughing, she continued, “There’s a saying isn’t there: Fortunate people don’t enter unfortunate families! That family didn’t deserve my daughter!”
Yan Deyin completely agreed.
Three days after returning from the in-laws, Jiang Yujiang and wife set off towards the south.
He was posted to Fuzhou county magistrate. As his start date was soon, they had to hurry there.
His parents and Jiang Wenkang’s family also travelled with them towards Qingzhou for company.
Jiang Wenkang had official agriculture duties he could not neglect for too long.
The old folks were also unused to city life in the capital.
Old Jiang said he couldn’t bear to leave his land and old ox that accompanied him for decades.
Old Lady Hu said, “Those madams here talk in riddles I can’t figure out even if I twist myself eighteen times over. I’m just an old country woman unable to handle them.
Might as well return home and find my old hag friends.
We chatter however we like, spit flying won’t bother us one bit. If we get annoyed, a round in the mud won’t have anyone scowling!”
Jiang Wenyuan had no choice but to fully prepare supplies for their journey home.
As usual, Jiang Yuqing packed all types of medication to give them, in case of anything.
After they left, the formerly bustling Duke Jiang’s Residence quietened down again.
With Jiang Yujiang posted away and Jiang Yuchuan assigned to the Imperial Academy as editor, only Jiang Wenyuan and his two youngest children remained.
Having an influential Cabinet Minister father, Jiang Yuchuan was guaranteed a smooth career path if he kept his nose clean.
With a champion scholar for a son and top scholar for a grandson, it was the talk of Da Xia’s court.
In mid June, Yang Changyu relayed that the peach tree holes have all been dug according to her requirements.
Jiang Yuqing immediately rented a temporary storeroom near the city gates and moved all the peach tree saplings she had grown in her spirit space the past two days out. She then hired carriages to transport them to Tai An Farm.
As the weather was hot, the veterans were afraid the saplings would be scorched. So they submerged the sapling roots fully into the stream to keep them alive. After that, they put their backs into planting the trees.
Jiang Yuqing told them to pace themselves but they ignored her.
Afraid they might suffer heat stroke, she ordered people to buy bags of green beans and slabs of brown sugar for them to simmer soup to drink every day.
In just three days, all the peach tree saplings were planted.
To ensure survival rate, Jiang Yuqing pasted on invisibility talismans at night and secretly returned to the farm.
She watered all the fruit trees with spiritual spring water and fed them some wood aura to ascertain all of them had taken root and would survive before leaving.
After that, the veterans toiled bitterly for over two months to plant 500 acres of pear trees and 800 acres of grape vines before September.
As they were short on manpower midway, Jiang Yuqing borrowed 30 more veterans from Old General Qin, utterly delighting him.
With the fruit trees planted, the next phase was to plant alfalfa. After the crop fully grew, they could start mass rearing cows and sheep.
On the eighth day of the ninth lunar month was Double Ninth Festival, also known as the emperor’s fiftieth birthday. A grand celebration! Many neighbouring countries came to offer their congratulations.
From the first day of the ninth month, envoys started trickling into the state guesthouse.
The eastern countries of Liju and Wo, northern Xian, northwest Xiongnu, west Tubo, southwest East Woman tribes and southern borderlands tribes etc.
The attire of each country is unique, some simple and crude, others colorful and glamorous, each with its own characteristics.
