Chapter 53

Gao Chen obeyed his elders and stepped forward to kowtow to Lin Wei Xi. Kowtowing was considered very formal etiquette afforded only to elders and high-ranking seniors. If this were her previous life, although Lin Wei Xi had been the eldest sister, she was of the same generation as Gao Chen and wouldn’t receive a kowtow. But now, Lin Wei Xi settled into her seat and watched him steadily knock his head against the ground three times.

Her gaze was fixed on Gao Chen’s movements and the depths of her eyes seemed to hold a dark whirlpool. After he kowtowed, for a long time, he didn’t hear anyone tell him to get up. He was puzzled and stayed bowed, not daring to get up. The Second Gao Madam had been smiling, but was rather bewildered and uncertain when she saw this. This ought to be the first time the Prince Yan Consort was meeting Gao Chen, right? He wasn’t dressed inappropriately, so why did she look at him like that?

After a momentary stiffness, Wan Yue whispered to Lin Wei Xi from behind, “Princess Consort?”

She returned to her senses. She lowered her eyes, glanced indifferently at the boy who almost seemed to have his whole body glued to the ground, and said neutrally, “you may rise.”

Lin Wei Xi’s tone wasn’t accusatory, but it also didn’t carry any fondness. For this visit today, Gao Chen’s mother and wet nurse had asked him to perform well. It would be best if he made a good impression on the Prince Yan Consort.

Han Shi’s daughter was Lin Wei Xi’s daughter-in-law and her son might have to rely on Prince Yan to obtain an official post and even the title of Prince in the future. She naturally didn’t dare offend Lin Wei Xi, and was even eager to curry favour with this young new consort who was rumoured to be very favoured by Prince Yan. Han Shi’s original plan was quite good. A noble little boy like Gao Chen was well raised, with fair and soft skin, and a beautiful appearance. What Lady didn’t like him after seeing him? Furthermore, Lin Wei Xi hadn’t had a child yet, and would most likely be affected by this kind of cheerful boy. So Han Shi thought that as long as Gao Chen didn’t do anything indecent or annoy anyone, Lin Wei Xi had no reason to dislike him.

Before Gao Chen left, his mother had given him some ardent advice. And on the way here, he’d been instructed again by his grandmother and aunt. He knew that the Lady he’d meet today wasn’t an ordinary lady, so he’d been very careful the entire time. After seeing Lin Wei Xi, Gao Chen was thoroughly shocked. This was the Lady he had to cautiously curry favour with? She was actually very young and clearly looked to be around his sister’s age.

But no matter what thoughts were running through his head, Gao Chen didn’t dare to show it. Instead, he acted as he usually did when trying to please his grandmother and father. Kowtowing, paying his respect and his movements were natural yet child-like and cute. It was a guarantee that anyone who saw would smile as they praised him. This was how he usually won rewards from the Ladies who visited the Duke Residence. But today, he’d knocked his head against the floor for a good while without hearing anything from the Princess Consort, who sat at the seat of honour. Gao Chen didn’t dare raise his head and could only remain in his original position with his hands and face firmly glued to the ground. Amidst the delicate fragrance floating in the room, the beautiful, radiant and young Princess Consort sat tall while he considerately knelt on the ground. It was at this moment Gao Chen suddenly felt humbled.

An unknown period of time passed. It probably wasn’t that long, but to Gao Chen, it felt like a lifetime. Lin Wei Xi’s pleasant voice that flowed like precious water sounded, the end of her sentence carelessly lilting, “you may rise.”

Only then did Gao Chen dare to carefully get up. In only a short span of time, he began to respect and fear the brilliant Princess Consort in front of him. He didn’t even dare to look directly at her. He realized once again that he was only a concubine-born son. Comparing himself to such a noble Lady was like comparing the clouds in the sky to the mud on the ground, and it was a shameful comparison.

Before he left, Han Shi had specifically told Gao Chen to respect and please the Princess Consort no matter what his grandmother said. Her reason was easy to understand. How could their Duke Residence compare to Prince Yan? Gao Xi had such a noble status, but her marriage to Gu Cheng Yao was considered marrying up. Although Gao Ran had replaced her, they were both of the younger generation. Now that the Duke Residence wanted to see Gao Ran’s mother-in-law, the honourable Prince Yan Consort, how could Han Shi and the Duke Ying Shizi dare to disrespect her. But at the end of the day, their visit this time was to give Gao Ran support. She had to bring out her maiden family. So before going out, everyone in the Duke Ying Residence had reached an agreement. The Duke Ying Lady would play the bad cop, the Second Gao Madam would play the good cop, and Gao Chen, the child, would mediate. In the face of the child’s innocence, the Prince Yan Consort should be easier to talk to.

Even though those of the Duke Ying Residence had thoroughly thought things through before leaving, they never expected that Lin Wei Xi wouldn’t buy Gao Chen’s act at all when they arrived at the Prince Yan Residence. The senior Duke Ying Lady and her second daughter-in-law looked at each other to see surprise and embarrassment in each other’s eyes.

They no longer had a buffer to mediate them. The senior Duke Ying Lady, who was supposed to play the bad cop, lacked confidence as she spoke. She did her best to steel herself and brought up the fact that she was a senior, “Prince Yan Consort, the Duke Ying Residence’s juniors are naughty. Please don’t laugh.”

Lin Wei Xi smiled when she heard that. Sure enough, they were going to do it again. She leaned back, an elbow inclined on the armrest, the other leisurely lifting the lid of the teacup. She said indifferently, “the Duke Ying Residence is a crouching tiger, hidden dragon◇. Senior Lady, you’re too modest. I still haven’t asked the reason why you personally gathered your daughter-in-law and grandson to the Prince Yan Residence?”

◇

Lin Wei Xi acted leisurely without paying them mind, but they were ready for a confrontation. They hadn’t even fought yet but already seemed to be at a disadvantage. The senior Duke Ying Lady frowned, dissatisfied with Lin Wei Xi’s careless attitude. Wasn’t she looking down on them too much?

“This old lady pushed this old body to visit in person. Of course I have a reason for this visit. I’d just like to know where our family’s useless third miss is? Her grandmother and aunt are here. As a junior, why has she not come out to greet us?”

“Oh, the senior Lady is asking about Shizi Fei.” Lin Wei Xi continued to lazily lean on the armchair and said casually, “Shizi Fei is still copying books in the Buddhist sanctum. It was something that happened at the end of last month and it’s already been more than twenty days. Shizi Fei can’t come out to meet the senior Lady because she still hasn’t finished copying. Speaking of, it’s also my fault as her mother-in-law. I couldn’t properly teach her earlier. She can’t even copy a few copies of the Classics of Filial Piety. Senior Lady, if you miss the Shizi Fei, you might as well wait for her. Once she finishes copying, I could have her quickly come over?”

Duke Ying madam choked. When a woman married her husband, the responsibility of teaching her was transferred from her mother to her mother-in-law. The mother-in-law naturally had the authority to discipline her daughter-in-law, and sometimes her biological mother didn’t even have a say in it. Lin Wei Xi was justified in disciplining Gao Ran. She’d even said that Gao Ran’s practise was bad and couldn’t properly copy the Classics of Filial Piety. The senior Duke Ying Lady and the others from the maiden family were very ashamed. Using filial piety as a shield really pushed them into a corner. The daughter they’d married out hadn’t been taught properly and was rejected by her in-laws for being incompetent and even unfilial. Even her maiden family felt ashamed.

The senior Duke Ying Lady was also a mother-in-law herself. She couldn’t be said to be kind to her daughter-in-law, but when it came to her granddaughter, she was very unhappy.

Not long ago, the Duke Ying Residence had received a message from Gao Ran. Gao Ran had entrusted someone to send the message that she was disliked by her mother-in-law and was locked in the cold Buddhist sanctum, copying books during the New Year. The day she’d be let out was in the distant and unforeseeable future. Seeing that she wasn’t around, some of the more courageous servants in Shizi’s courtyard were already thinking about climbing into his bed.

The Duke Ying Residence counted heavily on the fact that Shizi favoured Gao Ran the most. Although Gao Ran was a shu daughter, as long as she benefited the Duke Residence, it didn’t matter whether she was the di or shu daughter. The entire Duke Ying Residence could see Gu Cheng Yao’s dedication to Gao Ran, but it was better to be safe than sorry. How was it a good thing if there were truly women who were taking advantage of the fact that Gao Ran was absent to climb into Shizi’s bed and steal his affection? Once Gao Ran lost favour, the marriage connecting the two residences would return to how it was when Gao Xi was alive, which was an extremely precarious situation. Gao Ran’s status wasn’t as high as Gao Xi’s. Without the added relationship of Princess Royal Shou Kang, the relationship between the Duke Ying Residence and the Prince Yan Residence would just weaken.

Everyone in the Duke Ying Residence looked forward to Gao Ran giving birth to a son as soon as possible, so that they could jump onto the giant ship that was Gu Hui Yan for a good long while. After hearing that Gao Ran was being treated harshly by her mother-in-law, and was in danger of losing favour, the senior Duke Ying Lady immediately panicked. She disregarded her dignity and status, immediately preparing a carriage and personally paid a visit to demand an explanation for Gao Ran.

The senior Duke Ying Lady signalled to the others. The second Gao Madam understood and had a maid bring Gao Chen outside. When there were no more children in the room, the senior Lady could speak more frankly, “Princess Consort, although our third miss was naughty and mischievous before she married, she wasn’t one who couldn’t see the seriousness of a situation, and would never do anything unfilial. Princess Consort said that she wasn’t filial and had her copy the Classics of Filial Piety in the Buddhist sanctum as punishment. What’s the reason for this?”

Lin Wei Xi chuckled and sat up in her seat, her eyes bright and frost hidden in the depths of her gaze, “I was wondering why the senior Lady visited without even sending a greeting card. So it’s because you want to inquire about the reason for the punishment. Alright then. Although this is our Prince Yan Residence’s domestic affair, since the girls from your Duke Residence can’t be punished, I have no choice but to air our family’s dirty laundry. Your residence’s third lady was punished because she talked back to Prince Yan in front of everyone and accused him of being unfair. I know I’m her stepmother-in-law and will invite suspicion no matter what I do. But Shizi Fei had talked back to Prince Yan in front of a crowd. Senior Lady, do you think she ought to be punished or not? I understand that she is a woman and has probably never even been scratched in her life. That’s why she was exempted from physical punishment and only had to copy books in the Buddhist sanctum to reflect on her mistakes behind closed doors as well as meditate. It’s been twenty days, but I never thought that Shizi Fei would barely copy half the number of the Classics of Filial Piety and wait for her maiden family to seek justice for her.”

The senior Duke Ying Lady and the second Gao Madam were so shocked that they stood up when they heard that Gao Ran had been punished for offending Prince Yan. After listening to the whole story, they became more alarmed and frightened. A wave of anger rose amidst their terror. Gao Ran dared to talk back to Prince Yan, who was an elder? And she even dared to call Prince Yan’s fairness into question? Oh God, he was Prince Yan. Even the emperor didn’t dare to say such things to him, so how could she dare to do that!

Lin Wei Xi looked at her grandmother and second aunt from her previous life, their faces ugly and twisted with remorse and anger. She laughed bitterly to herself and made to stand up, “Since the Duke Residence’s misses can’t be punished, I’ll call for Shizi Fei. I’m young and it’s difficult to convince everyone. Today, I learned that if a daughter-in-law talks back to her parents-in-law, her maiden family can be dragged over and aggressively question the punishment. Since the senior Lady and Madam Gao won’t allow me to punish Shizi Fei, then say so earlier. Even after I disciplined her out of good intentions, the senior Lady still visited and insulted me, saying that I am a wicked mother-in-law who treats her daughter-in-law harshly.”

“Ah, Princess Consort!” Everyone immediately stepped forward to stop her. The senior Duke Ying Lady couldn’t move due to her seniority, but the second Gao Madam had no qualms. She strode forward and grabbed Lin Wei Xi’s arm. Lin Wei Xi made to pull her arm away but was firmly held in place by the second Gao Madam, “Princess Consort, it’s our fault for hurrying over after hearing only a few words from the servants without realizing it was actually that spoiled girl who made a mistake. Princess Consort, you are the third miss’s mother-in-law. She was disciplined by her mother before she married. After marrying, isn’t the Princess Consort the one she’ll depend on to teach her! Our senior Lady spoke out of anxiety earlier, but she didn’t mean to blame you. Those of us from her maiden family won’t have any objections on how you discipline her.”

Lin Wei Xi smiled. Although the second Gao Madam held onto her arm, the expression on her face contained cold mockery, “I don’t dare. I’m around the same age as Shizi Fei and never lived in the capital before I suddenly became Shizi Fei’s mother-in-law. If I were her maiden family, I’d also be dissatisfied. I can understand the senior Lady and the second Madam, so I’ll call for Shizi Fei immediately. I’ll follow the senior Lady and the Duke Residence’s guidance on how to discipline her in the future. I won’t be in charge of her anymore.”

“Aiya, what are you talking about Princess Consort?” The second Gao Madam didn’t want to be embarrassed. She quickly bent over and gave up the dignity she’d held on to for more than thirty years to a young girl who was around the same age as her daughter, praising her, “Princess Consort, it was our fault earlier. We wrongly blamed you. Although you’re young, the Empress Dowager praised the way you do things. Was there a single festival gift sent out by the Prince Yan Residence this month that wasn’t personally chosen by the Princess Consort. There isn’t a single household in the capital that doesn’t praise you. We’ve never disrespected the Princess Consort for your youth, let alone look down on you because you are new to the capital. The Princess Consort naturally has her reasons for doing things and you’d never punish the third miss for no reason. Our Duke Residence is greatly at ease to leave our third miss in your care.”

Lin Wei Xi was being pulled by a bunch of people so she could only stop and stop acting like she was leaving. However, her expression was still cold. She asked, “If that’s the case, whatever I assign to Shizi Fei in the future… “

The second Gao Madam sincerely pledged, “do not hesitate to punish her. Our Duke Ying Residence will not object. We were deceived by the slaves this time and misunderstood the Princess Consort. This kind of mistake won’t happen again in the future.”

The second Gao Madam said such words in front of everyone. In the future, she certainly wouldn’t have any face to pick at matters between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. As long as Lin Wei Xi didn’t act like an evil mother-in-law and make Gao Ran do things like use freezing water to wash clothes in winter, or count beans by the kitchen fire, the Duke Ying Residence would no longer have the confidence to back Gao Ran up.

Gao Ran had specially invited her maiden family over to protest, but she would never have expected this kind of outcome.