Chapter 26 Personally escorted back home
The princess gently pressed the handkerchief against her chest. "All that remains of Ling'er's beloved things are these scattered memories. I cannot let them go wrong again. Miss Su was born into a merchant family, so she has not received the attention she deserves in the Marquis of Changping's mansion. I personally arranged this today to add some glory to her and let her know that someone cares about her talent and hard work."
The maid suddenly realized and responded, "I understand, Princess."
Song Yuling was her closest confidant in her girlhood, and also the regent's enlightenment mentor in his life journey, a female scholar with outstanding talent.
Song Yuling had an almost crazy love for Mrs. Su's embroidery skills, especially those lifelike golden osmanthus patterns.
An ordinary golden osmanthus embroidery pattern might only take one day to complete, but in order to express her gratitude to Song Yuling for her kindness, Mrs. Su spent a lot of effort to research an unprecedented embroidery method, and finally created a unique osmanthus painting.
The pattern is extremely delicate, and every stitch and every thread contains deep emotion and the pinnacle of art.
After receiving this gift, Song Yulin regarded it as a treasure and always carried it with her.
However, as time passed, Mrs. Su passed away and the embroidered handkerchief became a thing of the past.
Song Yuling was grief-stricken for a long time, and she could not forget it until the last moment of her life. She asked someone to carefully cut out the embroidery pattern and sew it on the clothes she prepared for the Regent. It was an adult-sized piece of clothing, as the Regent was still young at the time, only six years old.
The Prince Regent was aware of his deep affection, and in order to commemorate his mentor, every year on his mentor's death anniversary, he would wear the clothing that carried his endless longing and mourn in silence.
Coincidentally, on that day, Su Wanyu met him unexpectedly.
As for Su Wanyu, she initially only heard from her father that the eldest princess had a special preference for her mother's embroidery, especially those with golden osmanthus patterns, so she visited her regularly every year.
She never expected that this simple admiration would touch the eldest princess' heart.
When Su Wanyu left the Princess's Mansion, the carriage specially prepared for her attracted envious glances from passers-by along the way.
How can ordinary people easily enjoy such glory?
In front of the gate of Marquis Changping's mansion, the servants saw the noble carriage slowly stop and couldn't help but widen their eyes with disbelief on their faces.
The princess's car was simply out of reach for them.
At this time, in the Marquis of Changping's mansion, Old Madam Zheng had just woken up from her afternoon nap. She lazily picked up the newly added white jade teacup, took a sip, and listened to the attendant's report with an indifferent expression: "Old Madam, the Second Young Madam has returned."
Upon hearing the news, Old Madam Zheng did not show much surprise, but said calmly: "It's good that she's back. I don't think she will be taken seriously in the Princess's Mansion. She should be more restrained these days."
However, the servant's next words made her expression suddenly change: "Madam, the second young lady came back in the eldest princess's carriage."
"What!" The teacup in Mrs. Zheng's hand shook violently, fell to the ground and broke into two pieces. "You said, she took the princess's carriage?"
The servant nodded tremblingly, "Yes, old lady, not only that, but the eldest princess's personal maid will escort her personally."
Old Mrs. Zheng stood there in a daze, with countless questions churning in her mind.
How could a merchant's daughter receive such high praise and care from the royal family simply for her exquisite needlework skills?
This extraordinary favor made her feel shocked and confused.
Without giving it much thought, she hurriedly stood up and rushed to the gate of the mansion with two maids, wanting to confirm the authenticity of all this with her own eyes.
And after her, Guo also followed quickly.
Mrs. Guo's behavior was not as anxious as that of Mrs. Zheng. She just raised her eyes slightly and looked into the distance for a moment.
Then, she slowly turned to the maid behind her and ordered, "Go and tell the kitchen to prepare a delicious dinner. Tonight, I want to invite the Second Young Master and the Second Young Mistress to have dinner with us."
Outside the door, Su Wanyu and the maid beside the eldest princess were saying goodbye with laughter.
All of this was seen by Old Mrs. Zheng. Her face instantly turned gloomy, and then she broke out into a violent coughing fit.
The anger that was suppressed last night because of Zheng Chengyan's incident has not yet subsided, and it was aroused again by Su Wanyu today.
Seeing this, Zhou's mother hurried forward to half-support her, "Don't worry, old lady, her glorious days won't last for a few more days."
Old Mrs. Zheng glared at Su Wanyu fiercely, and squeezed Mother Zhou's hand with her clenched fist so hard that it hurt.
At the same time, Su Wanyu seemed to have sensed something. The moment she stepped into the mansion, her steps were slightly hesitant. She glanced coldly at Old Lady Zheng out of the corner of her eye, then she regained her composure and strode towards her residence in Jiaoyang Courtyard.
Old Mrs. Zheng watched her leave, her chest heaving violently, unable to calm down.
On the other side, Su Wanyu returned to Jiaoyang Courtyard with her maids Yunyi and Siqi. As soon as their toes touched the threshold, Guo's maid came forward with a smile and conveyed an invitation to the dinner, inviting them to Yueyi Hall.
Yueyi Hall is located in the southeast corner of the Zheng Mansion, separated only by a wall from the courtyard where Zheng Chengyan lives.
Time was running out and Su Wanyu had no time to change her clothes. She was led by her maid onto the path leading to Guo's residence.
Along the way, the fragrance of flowers was mixed with the coolness of autumn.
After arriving, Su Wanyu performed the formalities, knelt down in front of Guo, and greeted her softly, "I wish you good health, mother."
Guo approached slowly, with light steps, and gently took her hand, "Child, you always have to take the initiative before I come to see me. I really miss you."
In her past life memories, Guo and Su Wanyu were, on the surface, a model of harmonious mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship. Guo treated her even better than her own daughter. Her intimacy and doting seemed impeccable to outsiders.
But the truth is hidden beneath this perfect mask. Guo's acting skills are even better than those of the famous actors in the troupe. Although he appears to be amiable on the surface, he is actually very scheming and vicious behind the scenes.
Su Wanyu just laughed it off as to the drama: "I have been busy with trivial matters at home recently, which delayed my visit to my mother."
Hearing this, Guo sighed deeply, "Alas, this matter is closely related to the Jiang family. That young lady from the Jiang family is actually my distant relative. I don't know why Yan Er insisted on taking her as his second wife. I tried to persuade him many times, but he seemed to be possessed by a demon and no one could persuade him."
When the words got emotional, Guo's eyes turned red, and a few tears rolled down. She hurriedly covered her face with a handkerchief, "You should understand that in this Changping Marquis Mansion, although I am the wife, I have to follow the old lady's wishes. She insisted that the Jiang family's wife enter the mansion as a concubine, and I can't do anything to change her."
Su Wanyu's lips curled up slightly, "Mother, don't blame yourself. Now that things have come to this, I have no complaints in my heart."
A trace of relief flashed in Guo's eyes, as if she saw an opportunity to turn things around, and she quickly pulled her to sit down, "I heard that you and Yan'er haven't sat together for a long time, so I'll take this opportunity today to call him over as well. You two should reconcile and don't be disturbed by external things."