My Promotion Story Through Time Travel

Chapter 250 Visiting Relatives (2)

A horse-drawn carriage slowly approached.

"Greetings, Consort Hui!"

The crowd shouted loudly and knelt down to pay their respects.

The carriage slowly approached. Lin Ziping secretly looked up. There were four women dressed in palace attire beside the carriage, and two older nannies behind it. The carriage was driven by two eunuchs, one old and one young.

The carriage stopped, and a woman in palace attire approached the curtain on the right.

A moment later, the woman in palace attire approached and said, "Please rise, everyone, as Your Highness Consort Hui has instructed."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

After a series of thank-yous, everyone stood up in an orderly fashion.

Thirty eunuchs and palace maids stood in formation behind the two matrons, as if they had rehearsed beforehand.

Before long, Lin Ziping and his six companions were left looking at each other, at a loss for what to do.

At this moment, the woman in palace attire who delivered the message asked, "Which one of you is Lin Ziping, Lord Lin?"

Lin Ziping stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Hello, sister, I am Lin Ziping."

The woman in palace attire nodded slightly and said, "My lady asked me to convey her thanks. I am grateful for Lord Lin's help during this visit home. Please excuse me for not having to lead the way for the carriage."

"It's my duty, why bother?" Lin Ziping said. "Then what about my brothers?"

"Naturally, I will accompany you, sir." The woman in palace attire stepped aside and gestured for her to proceed.

Lin Ziping said no more and beckoned Wu Xudong, Xiao Chen and the other four to walk to the carriage and stand in twos in a row.

"Her Majesty has returned home—"

Someone in the group shouted from the back, and the tightly closed west gate slowly opened.

"They're gone—"

With another shout, the procession continued forward, with Lin Ziping at the very front, taking the lead in crossing the west gate.

Four guards from the Tengxiang Guard were waiting at the gate outside the west gate.

Consort Hui's carriage passed through the West Gate, and the procession paused briefly again.

Guards presented Lin Ziping and the others with swords and arm guards, which they quickly put on.

At this moment, four Tengxiang guards also mounted their horses and drove them to the sides of the carriage.

The sound of wheels rolling came from behind.

The group continued its journey.

It took about an hour to walk. In the past, Lin Ziping would see pedestrians after walking for half an hour from the small gate on the east side, but today he hadn't seen any after an hour.

The weather was kind to us; it didn't snow, but a cold wind blew in, seeping in through the gaps in my collar and chilling me to the bone.

Lin Ziping looked at the long street ahead, calculating the distance between the Fang family and the palace.

After walking for about an hour, a commotion arose ahead, and servants even peeked out from both sides of the street.

When Lin Ziping saw him, the servant was not alarmed. He bowed respectfully and ran forward.

The further you go, the more servants you encounter.

The surrounding area gradually became lively, with people standing on both sides of the street, and sachets occasionally falling and hitting Lin Ziping on the head.

"Brother Ziping, we're almost at the Fang family's place," Xiao Chen whispered from the side.

"Okay," Lin Ziping responded, reminding everyone, "Cheer up."

The sachet fell to the ground, and the carriage slowly rolled over it.

Finally, on the large archway ahead, a single character was hung high – Fang (方).

People stood under the archway, eagerly watching in Lin Ziping's direction.

Lin Ziping and the others who were walking in front slowed down and retreated to the back of Consort Hui's carriage.

It was only then that they discovered that several carriages were following behind the thirty eunuchs and palace maids, completely covered up, and it was unknown what they carried.

Consort Hui's carriage slowly came to a stop.

People beneath the archway knelt down and shouted, "Greetings, Your Highness the Imperial Concubine!"

The palace-dressed woman who had just delivered the message at the west gate lifted the carriage curtain, and the younger eunuch knelt down on the ground.

A soft hand emerged from the carriage, followed by a figure in green stepping on the eunuch on the ground and gracefully descending from the carriage.

Looking into the distance, Lin Ziping saw Fang Qingmiao.

She slowly stretched out her hand and said, "Rise."

"Thank you, Your Highness." The voices of gratitude rang out in unison.

After a rustling sound, the kneeling people stood up.

Fang Qingmiao walked up to an older woman with gray hair at the front of the crowd and said, "It's freezing cold, so I'm sorry to trouble everyone to come and greet me. Fourth Aunt, you're not feeling well, why aren't you staying inside?"

The woman smiled and said, "The Empress's return home is a momentous occasion; how can we all sit idly by?"

"Qingmiao is a member of the Fang family no matter where she goes. What's the big deal about coming back to her own home?" Fang Qingmiao said reproachfully. "Fourth Aunt, how is Grandfather?"

"The master is doing well!" the woman said. "He was so happy to hear you were coming back that he ate an extra bowl of rice."

"Really? Take me to see him quickly." Fang Qingmiao took the woman's hand. "It's cold outside, so Auntie and I will ride in the same carriage."

“How can this be… how can this be…” the woman repeatedly declined, “It’s unreasonable… it’s unreasonable…”

"We're all one family..."

Before Fang Qingmiao could finish speaking, she was interrupted by a woman in palace attire: "Your Majesty, do not miss the auspicious time."

"This..." Fang Qingmiao frowned, looking somewhat troubled.

"Your Majesty... I... I'll just sit on the edge of the carriage." The woman withdrew her hand and gave a slight curtsy, saying, "Please don't keep the master of the house waiting."

"Then I'm afraid I'll have to trouble Fourth Aunt," Fang Qingmiao said. "Secretary Shi must lay out a cushion for Fourth Aunt."

"Yes," the woman in palace attire replied.

Fang Qingmiao stepped on the eunuch's back and, supported by Shishu's hand, gracefully returned to the carriage.

The procession moved forward slowly again.

Lin Ziping followed behind the carriage, catching all the sighs and whispers of the people around him.

"This Aunt Fang is really lucky. Her daughter has entered the palace and now she can ride in the same carriage as the Imperial Concubine."

"If you ask me, Her Majesty is still kind and benevolent. Last time, when His Majesty accompanied Her Majesty on her visit home, he got drunk and mistook Aunt Fang's daughter for the Imperial Concubine..."

"Don't talk nonsense..."

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

Lin Ziping looked over and saw that the person speaking was mixed in with the crowd, making it difficult to distinguish the truth from the falsehood.

However, the Fang family's residence is truly large; one can see the two large, gilded characters "Fang Family" on the plaque from afar.

But as the saying goes, "Looking at the mountain makes one's horse run itself to death," and it took several long uphill climbs to finally reach the signboard.

The gate under the plaque opened, and Lin Ziping peered inside, only to find a staircase paved with white jade.

Lin Ziping was dumbfounded. Could it be that the Fang family lived on the mountaintop?

Fang Qingmiao dismounted from the carriage and boarded a sedan chair instead.

The four men of Tengxiang Guard also dismounted.

The servants led them and a team of thirty eunuchs and palace maids away from one side.

Only Lin Ziping and six others remained at the scene, along with the eunuchs, nannies, and several women in palace attire who had come with Fang Qingmiao.

Lin Ziping also wanted to leave, but he was stopped by Shishu as soon as he took a step: "Your Excellency is accompanying the Imperial Concubine on her way home on behalf of His Majesty and the Empress. How can you leave without seeing my master?"

this--

That makes sense. Since we're already here, we should definitely pay our respects to the host.

Lin Ziping said, "Her Imperial Concubine has just returned home today. I imagine the Fang family head is busy with other matters. I was planning to trouble you another day, but I would be honored to accept. But what about these gentlemen?"

The attendant said, "Since you have come, please join us, gentlemen. This way, Lord Lin, please."

Lin Ziping nodded and followed Shi Shu into the Fang family home through the side door.