Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, Zhou Luo reached marriageable age. Jiang Xile was a year older than Zhou Luo and was of marriageable age, waiting for Zhou Luo to reach that age so they could get married.

"Grandmother, my mother hasn't been home for several days. My father and I miss her. Would you please bring Tangtang to the palace?" A cute little girl pouted her rosy lips and said to Madam Liu.

"My sweet Tangtang, your Emperor uncle is getting married, and your mother will be in the palace to help with the preparations. Once the Empress enters the palace, your mother can focus on spending time with you." Madam Liu held her soft little granddaughter with eyes full of affection.

"Really? The Empress has entered the palace, so my mother can come back to be with Tangtang?" the little girl asked with bright, sparkling eyes.

"Of course it's true. When has your grandmother ever lied to you? Not only your mother, but your father can also spend more time with you then," Madam Liu gently comforted the little girl.

"That's great, that's great! Now Dad and Mom can play with Tangtang properly."

"Grandmother...Grandmother...Look, this is a fish I just caught, it's still alive. I'll have someone take it to the kitchen right away so we can prepare it and make fish soup."

As Mrs. Liu was coaxing her granddaughter, a boy of about six or seven years old ran in. He was Changyun's eldest son, nicknamed Baoge. His clothes, which he had worn that morning, were now covered in water plants and mud, clearly indicating that he had been playing by the river again.

"You naughty boy, you went fishing by the river again. What if you fell in and got swept away by the current?"

Liu pulled Bao Ge to her side and used a handkerchief to wipe the mud off his body.

"Grandma, don't worry, I've already learned to swim, so I'm not afraid even if I fall into the water," Bao Ge said nonchalantly.

"Oh, little sister's here too? How about we have some fresh fish that your brother caught for lunch?" Only then did Bao Ge notice the candy on his grandmother's leg.

"Okay, Tangtang likes to eat fish."

"Come on, I'll take you out to play. I have some clay figurines that I bought on the street, they look just like you. I told you I'd bring them to you next time I go." As she spoke, she reached out to take Tangtang's little hand.

"Luyun, fetch some water so Bao Ge can wash his hands." Madam Liu stopped her grandson's outstretched dirty hand and said to Luyun, who was serving her.

"Yes, this servant will go right away." Dressed as a married woman, Lüyun smiled at the two young mistresses and went to fetch water herself. Last year, Lady Liu arranged for her to be betrothed to Gao Shuanzhu. Gao Shuanzhu often served the Marquis and was one of the earliest servants to arrive at the Zhang family. He was highly trusted by the Marquis, and many people in the mansion liked him. Lüyun really didn't expect that the lady would betroth her to him.

She was so excited about the marriage that she couldn't sleep for over ten days. After the wedding, Gao Shuanzhu treated her with great care, and they lived a very happy and fulfilling life.

Green Cloud brought water and helped Bao Ge wash his hands and face before Liu Shi let the two siblings play by themselves. She only instructed the servants around her to keep a close eye on them and not let them play in any dangerous places.

Watching the brother and sister walk away hand in hand, Liu sighed with regret. A few days ago, she told her daughter that she wanted to arrange a marriage between Tangtang and Baoge, but her daughter firmly opposed it. She even went to her father and insisted that he add a clause to the clan rules stipulating that people related by blood within three generations could not marry.

She couldn't understand her daughter's actions. After arriving in the capital, she discovered that there were far more marriage alliances among the powerful and wealthy families there than in their own village. Marriages between cousins ​​were common, and she couldn't understand why her daughter was so vehemently opposed. If Tangtang married Bao Ge, with her watching over her, she would surely ensure Tangtang didn't suffer at all—wasn't that better than marrying into another family? But her daughter said that children born from such marriages would suffer from strange illnesses. She didn't understand these things, but she still chose to believe her daughter.

That evening, Xia Yu returned exhausted from the palace. Seeing the dark circles under her eyes, Shen Jingheng felt a pang of heartache.

"With the Ministry of Rites around, and the Empress Dowager and several imperial concubines keeping an eye on things in the palace, you can rest a little and nothing will go wrong."

"Ouch, my neck hurts, can you rub it for me?" Xia Yu said to Shen Jingheng, twisting her neck.

“Recently, the Empress Dowager and several imperial concubines have become obsessed with playing mahjong. They practically eat their meals at the mahjong table every day. How can they have time to keep an eye on the Emperor’s wedding?” Xia Yu sighed comfortably as Shen Jingheng gently pinched her.

Hearing Xia Yu's words, Shen Jingheng felt utterly speechless. Xia Yu had personally taught the Empress Dowager and several imperial concubines how to play mahjong, so wasn't he digging his own grave?

"Hmm? Why aren't you saying anything?" After a long silence, if it weren't for the hands still rubbing her shoulders, she would have thought the person behind her had fallen asleep.

"After the Emperor's wedding, it will be time for him to assume full power. I'll take a long leave then, and we'll take Tangtang out for a trip," Shen Jingheng suddenly said.

"Are you telling the truth?" Xia Yu turned her head excitedly, her eyes sparkling brighter than the stars in the sky.

"Really, I've been too busy these past few years and haven't had a chance to spend much time with you and the children. We should take a break after the Emperor's wedding," Shen Jingheng said softly, pulling Xia Yu into his arms.

"Is it because those regents are unwilling to relinquish power?" Xia Yu asked.

"Yes, that's part of the reason. But the late emperor decreed that after the emperor's wedding, the empress dowager should return power to the emperor. The empress dowager herself is not good at these things, and she simply listens to the Jiang family. Jiang Pingda was relatively well-behaved a few years ago, seeing that the emperor treated his family with great courtesy, but in the last two years he has become somewhat arrogant again."

"If we go out at this time, will His Majesty be able to handle it alone?" Xia Yu asked with some concern.

"Don't worry, His Majesty and I have already made plans. His Majesty will handle this matter personally, which will also set an example for others."

"Okay, you can arrange it. No, I can't keep my eyes open anymore, I'm going to sleep. I have to go to the palace tomorrow, there are still some things to take care of."

"Let me wipe your face with a hot towel before you go to sleep," Shen Jingheng said hastily as he saw her lie down on the bed, seemingly about to fall asleep.

There was no response. Shen Jingheng peeked over and saw that the person had fallen asleep.

After helping Xia Yu lie down, I pulled a thin blanket over her before carefully going to the bathroom to wash up.

Xia Yu slept soundly through the night until dawn. After having breakfast with Shen Jingheng at the mansion, she went to the palace.

"Your Highness, these are the Emperor and Empress's wedding attire. Please take a look," a palace maid from the Imperial Clothing Bureau said to Xia Yu, holding up the completed wedding dresses.

Four palace maids opened the two wedding gowns and showed them to Xia Yu.

"Hmm, the embroidery is quite good, very exquisite. The Empress's phoenix robe has been sent to the Jiang residence for Miss Jiang to try on. You may go with her and see if there are any alterations needed."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Your Highness, the palace for the wedding has been prepared. Please come and take a look and see if there is anything that needs to be adjusted?" Having just dismissed the people from the Clothing Bureau, a palace servant from the Imperial Household Department quickly stepped forward to report.

"Let's go. Let's go now. We can talk about anything else that needs to be answered on the way." With that, Xia Yu lifted her foot and walked out of the hall, followed by a line of people waiting to give their answers.