Your Majesty, Please Stop!

Chapter 180: The Big Day at the Jiang Residence

Xin Zhuo took the invitation and casually flipped through it. The painting was exquisite, not abstract in style, and the clothing and expressions were vividly portrayed.

His memory was always good, and after reading it once, he remembered most of the details.

At the top of the family hierarchy was his grandmother, the Old Lady. Below her were some complicated relationships: the widowed princess aunt, the four sister-in-laws, the sixteen widowed nieces who came from noble families, the twenty-one cousins, and one male cousin.

There might also be an Uncle Venerable and another male relative, but they were not introduced.

A family of widows?

Widowed?

What's going on?

But these things were not important at the moment. What was important was that his heart inexplicably started beating faster, and he felt a bit nervous.

Yes! After all these years of being a bandit, killing people everywhere, fighting with martial artists, and annihilating the three major forces, he, the newly appointed Prince Jiang, who still had some cunning and ruthlessness, was actually nervous to meet his own family.

The female steward, Li Yun, said in a soft voice, "Prince, it's best for you to take a look. Everyone in the residence is waiting, and they might all come to pay their respects later!"

"Understood!" Xin Zhuo nodded, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and looked through the invitation again.

He was still confused by the words like "widowed" and "solitary" intentionally mentioned to tease him.

Why were there so many widows? It was a very horrifying thing.

It even made him feel a chill down his spine!

He should have asked earlier what happened to the dozens of male servants in the family, or why they were gone.

"Prince?" Steward Li Yun took out a set of brocade clothes. "Please change into the new robe."

Three maidservants next to her stood up nervously and excitedly. "We will serve the prince in changing clothes!"

"No need! Just like this!" Xin Zhuo looked at his clothes, which were a bit dirty. "I don't come from a good background anyway. It would be suspicious if I dressed too formally. It's better to be more casual."

Steward Li Yun and the three maidservants looked at each other, unable to understand the logic behind the prince's words.

Li Yun was about to speak when the maid, Chan Yi, opened her eyes and said, "Prince, you should still change. There are too many people in the house, including many palace concubines, officials from the imperial court, and distinguished guests. With so many people around, we can't let them look down on you!"

Xin Zhuo fell silent for a moment, stood up, and took off his clothes.

This frightened Steward Li Yun and the three maidservants. There were too many rules in noble families. If the Old Lady found out that the prince was dressing himself, they might be kicked out of the residence. They quickly said, "Prince, please let us serve you in changing clothes!"

Xin Zhuo had no choice but to give up and cursed inwardly. Damn feudal society! If things continued like this, even with his strong willpower, he would fall within half a month.

After a while, he was already refreshed, wearing a brocade robe and a nobleman's topknot. His face was lightly powdered, his lips were red, and his teeth were white. He was originally handsome, but now he looked even more attractive, causing the maidservants to blush and stare at him incessantly.

"Prince, you truly inherited all the good qualities of the former Prince County and the Grand Princess. The Old Lady will surely be delighted when she sees you!" Steward Li Yun smiled, her eyes misting over inexplicably.

Xin Zhuo's thoughts were no longer on chatting with them. His legs were shaking uncontrollably. "Um... How much longer until we arrive?"

Chan Yi chuckled softly, "We've already arrived!"

Sure enough!

Suddenly, there was a clamor outside, and firecrackers were continuously exploding.

The carriage suddenly stopped!

Xin Zhuo, who was as bold as ever, panicked for a moment. "Wait, what was my name again?"

"Pfft..." The maidservants couldn't help but laugh, and Steward Li Yun wiped the corners of her eyes, smiling, "Prince, your name is Jiang Yuqing. Don't remember it wrong!"

As she spoke, she lifted the curtain of the carriage and got off with the three maidservants.

Chan Yi smiled and cupped her fists in a salute. "My mission is complete. I will leave first. I will always remember the appointment between me, General Sheng, and the prince!"

Xin Zhuo was puzzled. "What appointment?"

"The prince doesn't know martial arts!" Chan Yi's figure flickered and disappeared.

"Wait, let's chat a bit more..."

Xin Zhuo raised his hand, feeling a bit nervous. How should I present myself to the people outside? Should I be domineering? Submissive? Honest and sincere? A bit villainous? Arrogant? Loser-like? Or calm and dignified?

"Please, Prince, get off the carriage!"

A gentle voice came from outside. It wasn't Li Yun.

"Thump thump..."

...

At this moment, outside the grand gate of the magnificent Jiang Mansion, there were thousands of people standing, including hundreds of powerful martial experts as guards and over a thousand maids and servants.

The streets not far away were also crowded with onlookers, making it impossible to pass through.

On both sides of the gate were hundreds of high-ranking officials, nobles, aristocrats, young ladies, and ladies.

Today, the legitimate eldest grandson of the Jiang family was returning to his roots, which was definitely a sensational event in the court!

Even people from the palace had come!

Two imperial consorts, one noble consort, two concubines, and three eunuchs!

With such a grand scene, no one could resist!

Firecrackers in the distance continued to sound, and thick smoke filled the air.

In the center of the crowd stood an old lady surrounded by dozens of noble ladies. Beside her were the imperial consorts and noble consorts, as well as princesses and a young man in a respectful and obedient manner. His eyes were rolling around, as if he was plotting something.

It turned out that not only Xin Zhuo was nervous, but everyone present was also nervous.

The most nervous one was the old lady. At this moment, her body trembled, her lips quivered slightly, and she subconsciously adjusted her appearance. "Does this outfit of mine look alright?"

As the saying goes, "The youngest son and eldest grandson are the lifeblood of the old lady," even for prestigious families, they couldn't avoid this tradition.

The former emperor's noble consort, who had a good relationship with her, chuckled, "Old lady, you look spirited today. I'm afraid the crown prince will be intimidated when he sees you!"

"Intimidated? That won't do! Intimidation is not allowed!" The old lady forced a smile. "My grandson has been wandering outside for over ten years, enduring countless hardships. If he is afraid as soon as he sees his grandmother, how can we get along in the future? It's not possible!"

The noble consort chuckled, "Alright, I misspoke."

The old lady was still uneasy and asked, "What do you think... Does my grandson resemble his father more or his mother more?"

A widowed princess laughed, "Haven't you seen his portrait? He's in the carriage. You'll see him soon!"

"That's right! That's right!"

The old lady took a step forward and subconsciously glanced at the respectful and obedient young man beside her. She scolded, "Just don't be like this troublesome great-grandson!"

Jiang Yuguai became even more respectful and obedient, rubbing his nose. "Grandmother, you... are you biased? When my older brother comes back, you won't look at me the same way. You used to dote on me a lot."

"I can't be bothered with you!"

The old lady scolded again before looking towards the carriage, puzzled. "Why... hasn't he come down yet?"

"Perhaps he's shy..."

Just as a noble lady next to her finished speaking, she suddenly exclaimed, "He's coming down! He's coming down!"

Everyone immediately stared intently in that direction.

Sure enough, the crown prince, Jiang Yuguai, came down.

Wearing a silk robe with a jade belt, he had a tall figure, straight back, long black hair reaching his waist. He carried himself with dignity, his lips painted red, his eyes shining like lacquer, and his face as beautiful as jade.

In short, he was so stunning that even the most picky person couldn't find any faults.

What a handsome young man!

This completely satisfied the expectations of everyone present!

However, there was a hint of seriousness on the crown prince's face. What did it mean?

"He looks more like the former Duke of County and even more like the eldest princess!"

A noble lady next to her said in a dazed voice, her eyes already red.

Even some old servants who had served the mansion for many years turned their heads and secretly shed tears.

The old lady's body trembled even more violently. "He's my grandson, he's my grandson..."

At this moment, Xin Zhuo hurriedly walked a few steps forward and bowed to the old lady, his voice loud and clear. "Grandson Jiang Yuqing pays respects to Grandmother!"

He thought to himself, "My character should be fine, right? I think I'm pretty good, so winning without trying should be no problem, right?"

But the old lady was momentarily stunned, as if she saw her son who had returned triumphantly from conquering the Western Regions many years ago but had already passed away: "Son Jiang Wen, pay respects to Mother!"

The two figures gradually merged in front of her eyes.

Unable to control her tears any longer, she hugged Xin Zhuo and cried out, "My grandson!"

Is this a bit long-winded?

(End of this chapter)