20demayo Chapter 147 Grandma
Chapter 147 Grandma
Nianyao was completely caught off guard.
Luo An said: "Didn't you say last time that he wanted to marry Princess Dongyang? You'll believe it once he marries Duan Yi's daughter."
Now she believed it. Nianyao could understand the hardships and deceit of the world. But she couldn't accept being deceived by a naive and treacherous young woman hidden away in her chambers.
The rapid sound of hooves grew louder as the procession drew nearer, and with a whoosh, the group of people and horses came to a halt in front of the mansion. An Qile leaped off his horse and tossed the reins to his entourage.
An Qile glanced at them and was somewhat surprised to see Xue Yunting and Duan Mingzhu.
Even though Nianyao was unwilling, she had no choice but to step forward and introduce them: "Uncle, these two are Xue Yunting and Duan Mingzhu..."
Despite the busyness, An Qile remained calm: "It is said that the young general is brilliant and surpasses his predecessors. Seeing him today, I can confirm that the rumors are true."
Xue Yunting stood still, saying politely, "Uncle, you flatter me."
Duan Mingzhu was very polite and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Uncle."
Duan Mingyao had clear, pure eyes and was gentle and polite. An Qile returned the greeting, saying, "You're too kind, Madam."
Meng Dong rushed out, disregarding etiquette, and pulled An Qile, waving to them, "Qile, Mother is dying. Come here, all of you..."
Liu Yiyi's eyes were half-open and devoid of any expression; her mouth was open and she was breathing slowly and laboriously.
An Qile knelt before the bed and held Liu Yiyi's hand: "Mother, I'm back."
Liu Yiyi's eyes slowly rolled: "Le'er..."
An Qile said, "Mother, it's me!"
Liu Yiyi frowned as she recognized the four people behind An Qile, then suddenly smiled: "Pan'er... Yao'er... are here too..."
An Qile turned around and looked at Nianyao and Xue Yunting: "Mother, who are they...?"
An Qile suddenly didn't know how to explain Liu Yiyi's state; any explanation would be futile.
Liu Yiyi slightly raised her hand: "You... come here..."
Xue Yunting and Nian Yao took two steps forward, hesitated for a moment, and then knelt down at the same time.
Nianyao said, "Grandma..."
Tears slowly welled up in Liu Yiyi's eyes as she murmured to herself, "You...you're all so grown up now...when I left...Yao'er was only...one year old...do you...still...hate me...?"
Looking at Liu Yiyi's gray hair, aged face, and tears in her eyes, Nianyao felt a pang of sorrow. So many years had passed without mentioning her, yet she had never forgotten her; she held these memories deep within her heart.
Nianyao said, "I don't hate it."
Xue Yunting said, "I hate it."
The two spoke in unison, Nianyao reaching out to grab Xue Yunting by the back of the neck and threatening in a low voice: "Say it again."
Perhaps it was Xue Yunting's penetrating voice, or perhaps it was Liu Yiyi's guilt, but she said with difficulty, "I...know...I'm sorry...to you...I'm going down...to apologize to...your...father..."
Liu Yiyi reached out her hand to Xue Yunting. Nianyao tightened her grip on the back of Xue Yunting's neck slightly. Xue Yunting gritted his teeth and held Liu Yiyi's hand.
Liu Yiyi's brows slowly relaxed, and suddenly she tilted her head and closed her eyes.
An Qile cried out hoarsely, "Mother..."
Amidst the room's cries, Xue Yunting stood up and pulled Duan Mingzhu outside.
Nianyao remained kneeling, a clear thought surfacing in her mind: this was her maternal grandmother, and her maternal grandmother had passed away.
Nianyao recalled going to the market town to see the lanterns with her father when she was little. At that time, she didn't understand why other families had a large entourage of people around them, including grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, and cousins, while she only had her father.
It turns out that she also had relatives, but she didn't know it, and no one told her, or even deliberately kept it from her.
She had only met her maternal grandmother twice, once when she was alive and once when she was dead. The two of them never even had a proper conversation, let alone hugged.
Grandma never recognized her; she only knew her mother. Through her, she saw her mother. Such a close person, yet so distant.
Suddenly, Nianyao was overcome with grief and could not stop crying. Amidst the sobs filling the room, her tears fell in strings.
Luo An knelt behind her, placing his hand on her shoulder, offering her silent support.
Nianyao's eyes were red from crying, and she was still wiping her eyes when Luo An brought her out.
Duan Mingzhu stood under the elm tree and saw them as if they were her saviors, running over to them: "Sister, brother-in-law."
Nianyao lowered her hand, looked around, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Where's Yunting? Where did he go?"
Duan Mingzhu said, "He had something to do and left. He told me to go with my sister."
Nianyao opened her mouth to curse, but seeing Duan Mingzhu, she swallowed her words back: "Then you come back with us first."
Xue Yunting went to the Duke of Liang's residence. The Duke of Liang's residence was formerly called the Princess's Residence, and it was renamed after Liang Dianzhe was enfeoffed as a Duke.
Xue Yunting got straight to the point: "Your Excellency, Lord Duke, I am Xue Yunting, the eldest son of Xue Longpan, the General Who Guards the Nation of Nanyue. I have come here on behalf of Qin Chuan, the Marquis of Yiling of Nanyue, to propose marriage to Princess Qingcheng."
Seeing that Xue Yunting was young but possessed a dignified air, Liang Dianzhe put aside his contempt: "Marquis of Yiling?"
Xue Yunting said, "Qin Chuan's mother, Qin Shi, was the cousin of Qin Feng, the former emperor of Nan Yue. Back then, Qin Shi persuaded Master Jing to devote all his wealth to Nan Yue, and Qin Feng made great contributions to the restoration of Nan Yue."
Now that Qin Fengjun and Qin Shi have both passed away, the King of Nanyue, in gratitude for the contributions of the Qin siblings to Nanyue, has bestowed upon Qin Shi's son, Qin Feng, the title of Marquis of Yiling and granted him a marquisate.
Xue Yunting handed the imperial edict to Liang Dianzhe: "Your Highness, please take a look."
Qin Chuan is from a military family. His ancestors were kind to the Southern Yue. He is intelligent and prudent, a valuable asset to the country, and is therefore specially granted the title of Marquis of Yiling.
Princess Minghui asked, "After they get married, will they settle down in Qinzhou?"
Xue Yunting handed Princess Minghui a letter: "Of course. Your Highness, this is the betrothal gift list from Marquis Qin. Please take a look."
Princess Minghui opened the letter, unfolded the papers inside, and saw a long list:
A pair of white dragon pearls
A pair of jade bracelets
One hundred taels of gold
One thousand taels of silver
Two gold and silver tea canisters
Two silver basins
One hundred bolts of Yun brocade
One thousand bolts of silk.
……
Princess Minghui didn't finish reading: "This... is too much..."
Xue Yunting smiled: "It is only natural that the princess is of noble birth. These betrothal gifts are already on their way and should arrive in Bianjing in about ten days."
Duke Liang and Princess Minghui exclaimed in unison, "So fast?"
Xue Yunting said, "I didn't know that the young master is already over three years old. This matter cannot be delayed any longer; of course, the sooner the better."
Ming Huichang looked Xue Yunting up and down: "Is the young general married?"
Xue Yunting said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I am already married. If you two have no objections, I would like to trouble the Duke to bring Qin Chuan out of the prison. The groom needs to rest in advance so as not to be lacking in energy and spirit during the wedding procession and disgrace the Duke's mansion."
Liang Dianzhe led Qin Jiu out of prison and walked up to Xue Yunting: "Lord Qin, I don't know how much we've grown up. We'll let bygones be bygones, whoever was right or wrong in the past. I'll trouble you to keep your promise. I'll be waiting for your arrival at my residence. I also hope that Young General Xue will do me the honor of coming."