Six days later.
Jinling, the Lin Residence.
"Thousand-Household Commander Jia has arrived."
Several servants welcomed him respectfully.
"Huan'er!"
Concubine Zhao hurried over from afar, bustling with energy, with two women in plain cloth skirts and simple hairpins beside her.
"Oh? Huan'er has been promoted again!"
Concubine Zhao beamed. At the sight of the Python Pattern on her son's official robe, her smile bloomed like a flower, and pride brimmed in her eyes.
She then told her son about her trip to Jiangnan. She had arrived ten days earlier, and apart from sightseeing, she had been receiving flattery and gifts from the noblewomen of aristocratic families. At first, she had felt ill at ease, afraid she was unfit for such grand company. To her surprise, the ladies had willingly lowered their airs, letting her fully savor what it meant for a mother to rise through her son's prestige.
"My heart feels so content." Concubine Zhao looked delighted as she finally introduced the two women beside her.
"It's all thanks to them escorting us here and looking after us in every way."
Jia Huan nodded and took out two martial arts manuals, handing them to the stewards from the Misty Rain Tower.
"There's no need. The Misty Rain Tower gave you its word, young master." Both women declined.
Jia Huan said solemnly,
"Bringing my mother here was a private matter. Take them."
The two women exchanged a glance and could only accept the manuals. They carefully leafed through them, then found their excitement impossible to conceal.
Thousand-Household Commander Jia was far too generous!
"I'll have to trouble you again in the future, and I'll be sure to reward you handsomely." With that, Jia Huan followed Concubine Zhao into the Garden.
"Well, well, isn't this the darling of the Jianghu?"
He had just