Chapter 29

The Duke Ying Lady and Gao Ran were having a conversation. She said, “it’s been hard for you to leave the house. Why don’t you go talk to your Yiniang◇ since you still have time.”

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Gao Ran secretly sneered at the Duke Ying Lady. The Duke Ying Lady spoke as if she empathized with her, but in actuality, she was just lacking. Gao Ran didn’t reveal any emotions on her face, and softly excused herself.

When Han Shi heard that her daughter had come home, she came out early to wait in her small courtyard. The moment she saw Gao Ran enter, she promptly wiped her tears and pulled Gao Ran into the room. Han Shi didn’t think to ask about her daughter’s situation at her in-law’s house, and instead asked, “Your Father-in-law is marrying a new wife?”

Sure enough, there was no one in or outside the capital, in the boudoir or the marketplace, who didn’t know about this matter.

Gao Ran nodded, “Yes, it’s the girl that Prince Yan brought back last time.”

Han Shi stared blankly when she heard this, and suddenly clapped her hands, bluntly saying, “in that case, if she has a son, wouldn’t Shizi’s position as the heir become unstable?”

Her daughter, who’d just married, was about to welcome a new mother-in-law. As a mother, Han Shi’s initial concern wasn’t how her daughter was doing in her in-law’s family, nor was it the new mother-in-law’s character, but Gu Cheng Yao’s position as Shizi. In other words, Gao Ran’s position as Shizi Fei.

But Gao Ran didn’t seem uncomfortable with this. She nodded in agreement, “That’s right, I’m also trying to prevent it. But Shizi is already a grown up. Even if she wants to, it’s too late to interfere with his upbringing or scheme against him.”

“That’s true.” Han Shi felt relieved when she considered it, “Shizi is already seventeen and is reasonable. He’s no longer a teenager who’d let his stepmother torment him. But you need to be careful. That woman is around the same age as you and your husband. It’s uncertain how much Prince Yan will dote on this little wife that he’s going to marry in the future. Should she give birth to a son later on, you’ll be in trouble. Shizi won’t be able to inherit the title for the moment. When the time comes, she’ll use pillow talk to influence Prince Yan, and it’ll be hard to say whether or not he’ll decide to pass the title to his youngest son.”

Gao Ran held Han Shi’s hand, “Yiniang, I know. I’ve already raised this issue with Shizi. I’ll guard myself against her moving forward.”

Actually, Chinese clan ceremonial rites were especially strict regarding the heir inheriting the title. Nowadays, the cabinet advocated for ruling the country ethically and ruling the countryside with filial piety. Obviously, the inheritance of the royal family had to be strictly in accordance with “ethics.” It was out of the question for the emperor to change the crown prince from his eldest son to his beloved second son. Could the remaining Princes, generals and ministers accept this exception? Not to mention, Gu Cheng Yao was the eldest di son who was at the peak of etiquette. Unless he met an untimely death without having a son or committed murder or arson, it would be too difficult for the second son to remove him and take his place.

What a pity that Gao Ran and Han Shi thought nothing of the clan laws and had no faith in the Imperial Court Clan or the law. They sincerely went over how to win over men and how to dominate the back courtyard so that Prince Yan would pass on the title to Gu Cheng Yao.

Gao Ran and Han Shi had been talking for a while when Han Shi patted Gao Ran’s hand and said meaningfully, “These tricks are only the cherry on top. What really matters is that you quickly give birth to a son. Your position will become stable once you have a son, and your husband’s family will think highly of you.”

It was reasonable for a new bride to feel shy when hearing such words, but Gao Ran felt indifferent towards this and merely nodded, “I understand.”

Although Gao Ran’s body was that of a sixteen year old girl, she was actually over thirty. How could she be uncomfortable with this subject?

Seeing how Gao Ran seemed to have a card up her sleeve, Han Shi finally felt relieved. From a young age, Gao Ran had never given Han Shi a reason to worry about her. She sighed, “Once you give birth to a son and establish a stable position in your husband’s home, your brother will have a much better future with  a sister like you to assist  him.”

To put it bluntly, Han Shi asked so many questions and was so concerned about whether Gao Ran could preserve her position as Shizi Fei, was admittedly because she was thinking of her daughter, but it was mostly for her son. If he had an elder sister who gave birth to the di grandson of the Prince Yan Residence, Han shi’s son could reap maximum benefits, be it in the Duke Ying Residence, in school, and even when he became an official in the future.

Gao Ran knew that Han Shi valued her son and didn’t prioritize her daughter, and although she loved Gao Ran, she would always put her son first. This didn’t bother Gao Ran, neither did she blame Han Shi for being partial to him. Although she was a transmigrator, this was in ancient times. Gao Ran didn’t think it was a problem.

When Lin Wei Xi was a teenager, because her family valued her male cousins more, she used to constantly study hard, and did better than those cousins. But Gao Ran was the opposite. She gladly accepted that her younger brother was better than herself, so her younger brother ended up receiving better treatment than her. It was unknown how their environment while growing up and their nature shaped them, but the two had completely different personalities, so the ups and downs in their life  were therefore very different.

Everyone is the main character of their story.

Gu Hui Yan entrusted all authority over the wedding to Princess Royal Shou Kang. Seeing him completely place his trust in her, Shou Kang gladly welcomed it and withdrew the funds from her maiden family, and paid attention to all the etiquette that needed attention. Normally when the groom was older, in order not to delay having a son, the bride would usually cut short the wedding preparations and enter the household ahead of schedule. Furthermore, Prince Yan’s situation stood out amidst the older grooms. But he didn’t hasten the wedding, so Shou Kang followed her heart and kept Lin Wei Xi for an entire half a year, extending the time frame and unhurriedly held the wedding.

From midsummer to early winter, Lin Wei Xi remained in the Princess Residence. The North wind whistled and hundreds of trees slumped over. In the blink of an eye, it was already the eleventh month.

Lin Wei Xi was woken up first thing in the early morning, female officials long since crowding outside her room. After hearing her wake up, they lined up in two rows and entered one after another, holding trays in their hands. Wan Xing and Wan Yue wore brand new clothes, but they looked tense, like they were preparing for battle.

The Princess Shou Kang Residence was holding a wedding with Prince Yan as the groom. Oh, how amazing. From the emperor’s relatives to the powers behind the imperial court, every famous household in the capital had long since prepared generous gifts, and the Lady of each family was also ready for action. On the day the Prince Yan Consort would marry out of her household, those who were on friendly terms with her came to her boudoir to send off the bride, while those who weren’t joined Princess Royal Shou Kang and entertained her. Those who were a bit more thick-skinned arrived early for the Prince Yan Residence’s banquet.

Because of Princess Royal Shou Kang’s and Prince Yan’s imperial family background, Lin Wei Xi’s room was packed full of all kinds of Princess Consorts and first and second rank Princesses. The rest of the Ladies and young ladies worked in the palace as palace officials all year round, and had face in front of the Empress Dowager because they were favoured. The Fortune Lady, who was invited by Princess Royal Shou Kang herself, took the thread and recited auspicious words while removing the fine hairs on Lin Wei Xi’s face with practised hands. Slight pain pinpricked across her face as the hairs were plucked out by the thread. She silently endured it, letting the Fortune Lady hold this rite of passage that symbolized her transition from a young girl to a woman.

Lin Wei Xi’s skin was fair, but after the fine hairs were threaded, her cheeks glowed like freshly peeled eggs, exquisite and full of life, like it could break just from blowing at it. The Fortune Lady looked at Lin Wei Xi and couldn’t help but sigh, “I’ve combed the hair of many brides, and this is my first time seeing a woman as beautiful as Miss Lin. Be it her appearance or her skin, even when she’s right in front of me, I can’t find anything unsatisfactory.”

Lin Wei Xi merely smiled softly at this. Auspicious words had to be said on the wedding day, and her facial features would be exaggerated even more so by the people around her. She’d married once before so she knew what was happening. The Fortune Lady saw that Lin Wei Xi didn’t believe her and she repeatedly wrung her wrists. Her words were indeed flowery the moment she started to speak, coaxing amazement and happiness out of the bride’s family, but this time her words came from her heart.

As time passed, more and more people gathered in Lin Wei Xi’s room. Everyone’s laughter sounded like beads, filled to the brim with joy. It was livelier than her wedding during her previous life.

She was astonished for a moment before coming to a realization. Although she was a Duke Residence’s di daughter in her previous life, there was no lack of Dukes in the capital. If not for the fact that her husband was Prince Yan’s only son, her wedding wouldn’t have been so extravagant. However, no matter how grand the wedding from her previous life was, Gao Xi and Gu Cheng Yao were both juniors. There was an insurmountable disparity between the older and younger generation. The youth of the third generation could join in on the fun, but the second generation and even the first generation wouldn’t come. But this time was different. This was Prince Yan’s wedding, with Princess Royal Shou Kang handling the wedding reception. Prince Yan had power and influence while Princess Royal Shou Kang held the highest seat of seniority. So it was completely understandable that the whole capital was abuzz with the news.

Amidst the laughter and auspicious words from the crowd, Lin Wei Xi’s rich bridal makeup was painted on her face. The women were joking around when firecrackers suddenly sounded from outside. Everyone looked out and smiled immediately, “I reckon that’s the bridal procession. What a rare sight to see Prince Yan welcome the bride himself. We can’t let him enter so easily!”

During the first three days of the wedding, there was no distinction between seniority, and there weren’t many opportunities to tease Prince Yan. But even so, the gatekeepers did nothing more than laugh and tease him verbally, not daring to actually do anything to him. Furthermore, the groom’s attendants were all high ranking officials and part of the elite troops, clad in armour as they followed Prince Yan to fetch the bride. This group of sergeants uniformly walked to the door and stood there, their red clothing unable to hide their sternness and formidability. Being stared at by so many people, the gatekeepers’ legs went weak, so how could they dare to tease Prince Yan?

That’s why Gu Hui Yan’s troops reached the main hall so quickly. When word was passed on to the women that he’d arrived, the colour drained from all of their faces and they cried out “why is he so fast?” as they scrambled to find Lin Wei Xi’s veil and the apple. Because the apple was small, no one knew who had kept it, and they couldn’t find it when it was time to leave. A lot of trouble was created in order to find this fruit that symbolized auspiciousness and peace.

Lin Wei Xi was clearly someone who’d gone through a wedding before, but because of this incident with the apple, she also became flustered. She felt like a marionette as she was led away. Gradually, the atmosphere outside turned solemn and the air seemed to change. Her heart suddenly beat fiercely. But even though her field of vision was coloured in red, she knew that Prince Yan was in front of her.

Lin Wei Xi was extremely aware that she was approaching Gu Hui Yan with every step that she took. Her legs stiffened and she almost thought that she would trip over herself. At that moment, she rejoiced at the fact that her face was covered with red silk and no one could see her expression. Otherwise she’d show her ugly side.

Fortunately, every bride would feel nervous when they got married, and the people who noticed how stiff Lin Wei Xi was merely laughed as they teased. The matron of honour◇ supported her as she bid farewell to her parent in the main hall. Since both her parents had passed away, she knelt down and kowtowed to their black memorial tablets, emotions and tears suddenly bubbled up endlessly. At that moment, reality finally came crashing down on her. She really wanted to say goodbye to her parents and become a wife. Thereafter, she’d spend the rest of her life with another person. They’d go through honour and disgrace together, be intimate and dependent on one another. He’d also replace her parents as the person closest to her.

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And that person was Gu Hui Yan. Lin Wei Xi had never thought that she’d end up marrying him and felt it presumptuous to even think about it. Be it from the perspective of Princess Royal Shou Kang or the Shizi Fei, Prince Yan was her elder through and through.

But Gu Hui Yan was standing next to her now, accompanying her in kowtowing to her parents. His aura had always been distinct. As he stood next to Lin Wei Xi, in that moment, his aura was enough to intimidate everyone to the depths of their hearts even if he didn’t say a word. She couldn’t see a thing, but she could clearly feel each and every movement of the person beside her, down to his breathing.

From then on, they’d be husband and wife, and she would serve and obey her husband. Lin Wei Xi quietly called for her mother in her heart. Her surname was Lin now, and she was no longer qualified to pay her respects to Wei Shi. But she still wanted her mother to know that she’d gotten married. May Wei Shi’s spirit rest in peace in Heaven. This time, everything would be different.

The newly-weds decked out in traditional Chinese clothes bid farewell to the memorial tablet instead of her parents. Seeing this made many tear up. The matron of honour then told Gu Hui Yan to bring his people to Princess Royal Shou Kang and greet her. Shou Kang recognized Lin Wei Xi as her adoptive granddaughter. It was common knowledge that she didn’t have a son, but since she wished to acknowledge Lin Wei Xi as her granddaughter, who could do anything about it? Shou Kang was Gu Hui Yan’s aunt and Lin Wei Xi’s adoptive grandmother at the same time . As Lin Wei Xi’s elder, she received the newly-wed’s salute, as it should be.

Princess Royal Shou Kang changed into clothes befitting a Princess Royal and sat at the highest seat. Seeing the two of them in the hall, she couldn’t help but tear up.

Gu Hui Yan rarely wore warm coloured clothing, so the bright red clothes dissipated the coldness and sombreness that surrounded him. Instead, it highlighted his handsome brow. A first-rank Prince’s wedding clothes also had its own style. The dragon, along with the sun and moon, coiled around his shoulders and cuffs, instantly distinguishing him from an adolescent boy. With his majestic presence and high cheekbones, everyone was assaulted by an invisible force.

Gu Hui Yan maintained his dignity and amiability in just the right balance so that no one would be intimidated, but wouldn’t allow people to be rash. It’s just that the event that day was his own wedding, so he deliberately relaxed his aura. After all, it’d be too rude to scare the bride’s family on such a blessed occasion. After Gu Hui Yan specifically exercised restraint, Lin Wei Xi’s presence became more obvious. Although no one could see the bride’s face, she had a slender figure and her bearing was dignified. When she walked, the tassels on the veil didn’t sway. The two of them stood side by side in front of the hall, praised by everyone as a match made in heaven and extremely well suited for each other.

On the big day, Princess Royal Shou Kang held back her tears and solemnly instructed the two newly-weds. Although Gao Xi’s wedding had been honourable and dignified, she hadn’t married out of the Princess Residence. Princess Shou Kang didn’t expect that one day, her years of regret would be resolved.

After the elders instructed the newly-weds, the ceremony in the bride’s maiden house was concluded. The etiquette official sang out “it’s the auspicious time”, and the entire courtyard swarmed towards the gate like a red cloud.

Lin Wei Xi sat on the marriage sedan with the help of the matron of honour. With a shout, the sedan lifted into the air. She couldn’t help but grip the apple in the palm of her hand. One year later, she was returning to the Prince Yan Residence under a different identity.

From then on, she’d have nothing to do with her ex-husband. She was the Prince Yan Consort and Gu Cheng Yao’s mother.