The Humble Family’s Daughter Has A Spatial Pocket!
Chapter 722 - 650, Upholding the System_1

Chapter 722: Chapter 650, Upholding the System_1

Grandma Gu was buried seven days after her spirit was laid to rest, laid to rest in the ancestral tomb of the Gu family, all as she had arranged long ago with Gu Jian.

After Grandma Gu’s burial, Old Madam Yan was ready to return to Ningmen Prefecture with Yan Zhigao, Madam Li, and Yan Wenxiu.

With Sister Gu gone, it was inappropriate for her to stay any longer at Taohua Temple.

Daohua and Xiao Yeyang, however, stayed behind, partly to mourn and partly because they couldn’t put their minds at ease about Gu Jian.

"Father, Mother, should I stay too? It’s not right to leave Big Sister here alone."

On the road to the ferry crossing, Yan Wenxiu, kept in the dark, looked back with unease at Daohua and Xiao Yeyang walking side by side.

Yan Zhigao glanced at Madam Li, who then looked towards Old Madam Yan.

Old Madam Yan shook her head, "Master Gu is a bit eccentric in temperament, and at this time, he definitely wouldn’t want to see outsiders. Wenxiu, go back with us."

Yan Wenxiu didn’t expect his grandmother to respond like that. He couldn’t believe she didn’t understand his concern, for it was not good for Big Sister’s reputation to stay alone with Yeyang.

Seeing that his eldest son wanted to say more, Yan Zhigao interrupted firmly, "That’s enough, listen to your grandmother."

Yan Wenxiu furrowed his brows, more questions arising in his mind.

His father had put aside his public duties to stay here, joining his mother and grandmother, tirelessly holding vigil for seven days for Grandma Gu.

This was something he could not understand.

True, Master Gu was his elder sister’s master, and Grandma Gu could be considered a relative, but it would have been enough for their family to mourn her passing without needing to hold a vigil personally.

Now, even though they were well aware that letting Big Sister stay with Yeyang could harm her reputation, his grandmother, father, and mother had done nothing to intervene.

This was highly unusual.

Soon, the group reached the ferry crossing.

Madam Li held onto Daohua, "Take good care of your master, and send word to us at home if there’s any trouble."

Daohua nodded, "Mother, I understand."

Madam Li then gave Xiao Yeyang a look, still hesitant, as she was still coming to terms with the fact of his being her son-in-law.

Xiao Yeyang saw this and took the initiative to ask, "Auntie, do you have any instructions for Yeyang?" his attitude extremely respectful.

Madam Li: "...Take good care of Daohua."

Xiao Yeyang smiled and nodded, "Rest assured, Auntie, I will." Then he looked to Yan Zhigao and asked with a smile, "Uncle, do you have any instructions?"

Yan Zhigao also struggled momentarily to adjust to the role reversal, remembering he was now Xiao Yeyang’s father-in-law, and thus he shook his head with an attempt at a stern face.

Yan Wenxiu stood aside quietly watching, feeling that everyone was acting rather peculiar.

After Old Madam Yan gave a few instructions to Daohua, everyone boarded the ship to depart.

Watching the boat sail into the distance, Xiao Yeyang and Daohua turned and walked back to Taohua Temple.

...

On the boat, Yan Wenxiu looked at the tightly closed cabin door, was tempted to knock and enter, but after hesitating, he gave up the idea.

His grandmother and parents kept the matters from him, presumably because they didn’t want him to know, so it wasn’t right for him to force the issue.

Thinking this, he made his way to the deck.

In the room, Madam Yan handed the dragon-shaped jade pendant given by Gu Jian to Madam Li, "You keep the token."

Madam Li took the jade pendant and looked uncertainly at Madam Yan and Yan Zhigao, "Is our daughter’s marriage to the Little Prince settled just like that?"

Looking at the jade pendant, Yan Zhigao felt a complex mix of emotions. His eldest daughter’s luck... he really couldn’t help but exclaim, "This is just too good." To think that a casual rescue would lead to saving the Emperor’s mother herself.

"We’ve already paid our respects to the... in front of the elderly Madam, so it’s naturally settled," he said, gesturing to Madam Li to put away the jade pendant securely.

Madam Li felt the jade pendant burning in her hand, her feelings just as complex. On one hand, she was glad her daughter had found a good home, and the Little Prince was practically someone she had watched grow up—his character and looks were beyond reproach, and he was also on good terms with Wen Kai and Wentao. Surely, for the sake of their years of friendship with the Yan Family, he would treat her daughter well.

But on the other hand, she worried. The Little Prince’s stature was clear; marrying into the Imperial Family was indeed a high match, and becoming an Imperial bride was no easy task. If her daughter were mistreated in the future, they would be powerless to intervene.

Madam Yan then said, "It’s best if only we know about Sister Gu and Master Gu’s identity, let’s not tell anyone else. As for Taohua and Yeyang’s marriage, after all, it must be recognized by the Imperial Family before it can be considered proper and legitimate."

Yan Zhigao and Madam Li nodded solemnly in agreement.

Upon returning to the Yan Residence on the same day, Madam Li instructed the butler to remove all the bright and festive items from the house and informed the gatekeeper to decline any invitations to banquets sent their way.

If they were unaware of Granny Gu’s status, it would be one thing, but knowing it meant that their family had to observe mourning.

According to the legal code, when the Empress Dowager or a Royal Consort passes away, officials are to observe three months of mourning.

After settling things in the house, Madam Li took a moment to sip her tea. Thinking that her daughter had already paid respects with Xiao Yeyang, her heart was filled with mixed emotions, unsure whether to be happy or sad.

She had given birth to two sons and a daughter, yet she never expected that she wouldn’t be able to have a say in any of their marriages.

...

Meanwhile, in Beijing, in the Imperial Palace.

After the Emperor learned of Granny Gu’s passing, he shut himself in the Qianqing Palace and did not hold court for three consecutive days.

Suddenly, the court was rife with rumors about the Emperor being injured and unhealed, or gravely ill.

A few aged Princes who had their own fiefs became active in their thoughts and started making connections with Ministers.

Eunuch An watched the Princes who came to inquire about the news with trepidation, and felt cold sweat on their behalf.

On the fourth day, the Emperor held court.

Seeing that the Emperor’s complexion was truly poor, the officials and the few Princes who had been assigned duties couldn’t help but shift their expressions slightly.

The Emperor noted the expressions of the people below, and his eyes grew colder and colder.

During the subsequent court meeting, the Emperor scolded several officials, and only then did some of his pent-up frustration abate.

However, after court, when the Emperor saw the Imperial Consorts going in groups to Cining Palace to pay their respects, his anger flared up again.

His birth mother had passed away, and only the Yan Family had come to mourn and keep vigil, while Empress Dowager Jiang was receiving the Imperial Consorts’ greetings and inquiries every month. At that moment, the Emperor’s hatred for the Jiang Family reached its peak.

Especially when he considered that despite being the Emperor, he was unable to openly observe mourning for his mother, which made him exceedingly irate.

In the time that followed, both the Ministers and the Imperial Consorts noticed that the Emperor’s temper was becoming increasingly volatile. Any official’s family that held a celebration or any Imperial Consort who dressed in bright clothes would be severely reprimanded.

The fifth Prince, who had been set to marry in February on the twentieth, had his wedding outright canceled by the Emperor, followed by a few officials being demoted and some Imperial Consorts being downgraded.

Although the officials and the Imperial Consorts were somewhat baffled by these developments, they all astutely began to restrain their behavior.

After all, the Emperor’s preferences were everyone’s liking.

In late February, the eighth Prince fled to the Northern Frontier, colluded with the Tartars, and inside out, managed to capture three border cities. This news shook the entire capital when it reached Beijing.

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