Who understands? He traveled through time with a high-spec spatial ability.

As dusk painted the palace walls red, Lady Lin emerged from the side gate, clutching a heavy load of rewards.

"Mother!" Qiao Jingjing ran over carrying a lantern. "Why did you take so long? I was so worried..."

The words stopped abruptly. His finger gently brushed the corner of her eye, picking up a trace of lingering moisture.

"Mother is happy." Madam Lin tightened the bundle in her arms. "Her Majesty the Empress said that on the wedding day, according to the custom of our hometown, she will personally put red socks on you."

The evening breeze brushed against the mother and daughter's clasped hands, and the faint sound of a pipa drifted from within the palace walls. Suddenly, Lin felt that this nine-tiered palace was nothing more than another home she was slowly getting to know, not as terrifying as she thought.

That night, Qiao Jingjing nestled in Lin's bed, curled up beside her just like when she was a child. Lin gently patted her back and whispered, "Jingjing, Her Majesty the Empress treats you so well, I'm truly... both happy and reluctant to let you go."

Qiao Jingjing nuzzled her shoulder: "Mother, it's not like I'm marrying someone far away. The Prince's Mansion is just one street away from here. If you miss me, you can come anytime."

Madam Lin sighed, "I know. But... you've always been so opinionated since you were little, and now you're going to be a princess. I'm afraid you'll suffer."

Qiao Jingjing laughed: "With Tantai Zhou around, who would dare to make me suffer?"

Mrs. Lin pinched her cheek: "You..."

The moonlight outside the window was like water, and the mother and daughter snuggled together, as if they had returned to the small courtyard in Daba Village.

The following day, Qiao Jingjing went to the palace to express her gratitude.

The Empress took her hand and said gently, "Jingjing, I know you are a girl with your own mind. Although there are many rules in the royal family, you don't need to be too restrained. Zhou'er is cold-hearted, but that's only towards outsiders. He is sincere towards you. If he dares to bully you in the future, I will be the first to not forgive him."

Qiao Jingjing felt a surge of warmth in her heart and solemnly bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will treat him well."

The Empress smiled and took off a jade bracelet from her wrist, placing it on Qiao Jingjing's hand: "This was given to me by my mother when I got married. Now I pass it on to you, wishing you and Zhou'er a long and happy life together."

As Qiao Jingjing touched the warm, smooth jade bracelet, she suddenly felt as if she had gained another "mother".

Upon returning from the palace, Qiao Jingjing suddenly realized that she hadn't seen Tantai Zhou for the past two days. Judging from his usual behavior, he should have appeared and asked about the situation when his two mothers met, so why didn't he react at all?

Just then, she felt a warmth in her cuff; the communication stone lit up. She immediately flashed into her spatial dimension.

"Hey."

"Hi, Miss, it's been a long time! How are you? Is everything alright?"

Qiao Jingjing wanted to laugh when she heard his loud and boisterous manner. "Speak, what is it?"

"I have some good news to tell you."

"What a coincidence, I also have some good news to tell you."

Lu Yuan laughed and said, "Then you go first."

Qiao Jingjing smiled and said, "I'm getting married."

Lu Yuan whistled, "Wow, this is fantastic news! What! You're getting married! When?"

"The first day of the sixth lunar month."

Someone snapped, "You're so unfair, Miss. Suddenly you're a married woman. Humph!"

Then my news probably isn't much of a deal, but I still have to tell you, the Chamber of Commerce is very successful; they can't even keep up with demand.

His words were all about "Praise me, praise me!"

Qiao Jingjing was naturally generous with her praise, "Well done! I'll give you a big gift when you get married. If the Chamber of Commerce is short-staffed, we can consider setting up another branch and recruiting more people. We can also recruit Yanmin people, but the core positions and technical staff must be from Daliang and people you can trust."

"I know what's important. Also, I'm thinking it might be time for my mother to start preparing for the marriage proposal. What do you think?"

Guo Pinting is indeed a good girl; Madam Feng should like her.

"If you've made up your mind, write a letter to your mother or talk to them in person. I believe your aunt will be very happy with this good news."

Lu Yuan thought for a moment, "Okay, I'll think about it. You can help me then, use your space to teleport me back to Nanling. After I tell you I'm leaving home, teleport me back. Ah, having this skill is so great, just thinking about it makes me happy."

Qiao Jingjing was too lazy to listen to his rambling. "Contact me if you need anything. Bye."

……

Early in the morning, Qiao Jingjing was pruning the newly transplanted roses in the yard, pondering about Tantai Zhou, when she heard a commotion outside.

Qingxing rushed over: "Princess, someone from the palace has come. They say that Her Majesty the Empress has bestowed something upon us."

Qiao Jingjing put down the scissors, wiped her hands, and strode towards the front hall. There stood an elderly female official holding a brocade box, smiling, followed by many eunuchs and palace maids.

"Princess, Her Majesty said that your wedding is imminent, and she specially ordered the Imperial Clothing Bureau to make a few small items to add to your dowry." The palace maids behind her respectfully handed over the brocade box.

"This was specially instructed by Her Majesty to be personally delivered to the County Princess. It was embroidered by Her Majesty herself." As she spoke, the female official handed the brocade box to Qiao Jingjing.

Qiao Jingjing took the box, lifted the lid, and found a handkerchief embroidered with twin lotus flowers inside. The stitches were fine, and the lotus petals were adorned with a few lustrous pearls, making it both luxurious and elegant.

"This..." Qiao Jingjing lightly touched the embroidery thread with her fingertips, somewhat surprised, "Your Majesty embroidered this yourself?"

The lady-in-waiting smiled and said, "Your Majesty said that in common customs, when a daughter gets married, her mother always embroiders some personal items for her. Now that she is your mother-in-law, she also wants to do her part."

Qiao Jingjing felt a warmth in her heart and solemnly put the handkerchief away: "Please thank Your Majesty for me."

These things were clearly prepared long ago, but she wasn't allowed to bring them back from the palace yesterday. Instead, they were delivered in a grand manner in the morning when there were many people on the streets. This was to support her, establish her authority, and consolidate her position.

She knew all the painstaking efforts he had put in.

But that wasn't the end of it. When the palace heard that the Empress had given extra dowry, Consort De, Consort Shu, Consort Wen, and others also pledged their loyalty to the Empress and sent their trusted confidants to give extra dowry. All sorts of precious items were delivered to the Qiao residence in a steady stream.