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She knew her son had taken a liking to that female doctor and thought that for the sake of her grandson, she could accept her son taking her into the Prince Residence as a concubine.

But she never anticipated such a debacle.

With this thought, she felt relieved that the woman did not marry into Prince Jin Residence. A person like Xiaoran should not fall for a woman; he should be like the Emperor who uses women for his purposes, only then can he ascend to the Emperor’s throne.

The Empress wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, and reached out to help the collapsed King Jin from the ground.

To achieve her goals, she could endure anything.

She agreed that King Jin was in the wrong, but she did not think that the Emperor’s punishment was right either.

You could have him reflect on his actions within his own estate, but you sent him to Zongrenfu to learn discipline? What kind of idea is that?

But thankfully, the Emperor was not yet ready to completely break ties, for he had arranged for her to supervise.

...

The New Year was upon them, and to avoid any mishaps, Gu Youyou decided not to go anywhere this year. She prepared New Year gifts and sent them to relatives—that would be enough.

She wanted to stay at home for her childbirth in peace; her belly was eight months along, and with heavy snow outside, there could be a risk of premature birth.

The Lin Family, her maternal grandmother, sent back a reciprocal gift on the second day of the new year, indicating that they would visit her at the Crown Prince Residence after the busy holiday period.

By the third day of the new year, someone from the Gu Family had come.

Huang Xiangwen brought Sanya with her, while Dabao and Erbao, being busy, did not come.

Erya and Shunzi’s family lived in Beijing and would usually come to visit when they were not busy. Knowing that Huang Xiangwen would come from Jinxiu City today, they also came over.

Sitting together once again, they reminisced about how years ago Gu Youyou and the Gu Family had been at odds with each other, as if separated by a whole century.

If grandfather were still alive, he would surely be very comforted.

Huang Xiangwen presented some gifts, seeming a bit embarrassed.

"These are some small tokens from your second aunt, and this package is from Shunzi’s mother. We know you lack nothing, so it’s just a little thought; don’t look down on it."

Gu Youyou smiled faintly as she received the two packages: "They are all gifts from my elders, of course, I like them—why would I look down on them? Second aunt, have you adjusted to living in Jinxiu City?"

Huang Xiangwen replied: "I’ve gotten used to it, but now that it’s New Year’s, we cannot go back to the village to pay our respects with incense.

I came today to tell you that we plan to return to Lotus Village after the snow melts to see what the village is like now and to offer incense for your grandparents and second uncle. "

Gu Youyou nodded and asked Xiang Chun to bring out some silver, saying: "It’s not easy for me to leave Beijing now, so I can’t go with you.

Take this silver for the trip and burn more paper money.

Before you leave, send someone to let me know, and I’ll arrange for the residence’s coachman to take you there. "

Huang Xiangwen repeatedly declined, saying: "No, no, we have our own silver; your help to our family has been ample, we can’t take your silver as well."

Gu Youyou insisted: "This is my sentiment towards my grandparents and second uncle."

The amount of silver that Gu Youyou offered was not excessive, and seeing this, Huang Xiangwen could only accept it.

After lunch, Gu Youyou sat with them and chatted. After experiencing many changes over the years, Huang Xiangwen became much more reflective, and spoke a lot more.

She kept talking about past events, current happenings, and future matters.