Chapter 88: The Princess Consort

In the evening, the Emperor joined the family for dinner. As he watched the two children, he grew increasingly fond of them, and his mood lifted.

The family was in high spirits, and the Emperor spoke, “Changfeng, this child has suffered. There hasn’t even been a proper wedding ceremony for you! Don’t worry, we’ll arrange a grand celebration to welcome you and your children back to the mansion! We’ll also offer a sacrifice to the ancestors and present the jade butterfly.”

The Empress also chimed in, “Yes! Once the Imperial Astronomer is appointed, we’ll choose an auspicious day.”

Tian Mi obediently replied, “Thank you, Father Emperor and Mother Empress!”

Bai Mucheng, seeing Tian Mi’s obedient and sweet demeanor, couldn’t help but smile. This was his wife—so gentle, so much more docile than when she was with him.

As night fell, Bai Mucheng finally accompanied Tian Mi and the children back to the mansion.

Inside the carriage, he held little Tian Lin and said, “Little one, I’m your father! You should call me Father!”

He could finally hear them call him “Father.”

At the Duke’s mansion, this was the first time Bai Mucheng entered through the main gate. He and Tian Mi went to meet her maternal grandmother.

When they arrived, Tian Mi’s second uncle’s family, her younger uncle, Xu Yunfei, and Feiyan were all there, and everyone was curious about what had happened to bring Mi’er and the children to the palace. Bai Mucheng and Tian Mi performed a formal bow and said, “Grandmother, my name is Bai Mucheng, and I am Mi’er’s husband. We were married last year.”

Her grandmother had already suspected something, but everyone was stunned. The widow they had heard about was suddenly married to the Duke of Ding? This was truly unexpected!

Especially Xu Feiyan—oh no, our widow group has lost its only widow!

The grandmother glared fiercely at Tian Mi, “I knew the children resembled him, but you wouldn’t admit it.” Tian Mi lowered her head, saying nothing.

She hurried to help him up, saying, “Good child, get up quickly. This girl has always been simple-minded, and she doesn’t understand. I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”

Tian Mi stood up with her.

The grandmother didn’t bring up the past. Back when Tian Mi weighed over 200 pounds, it was clear there had been no good intentions involved. The last time Bai Mucheng had stormed into the mansion in Qinghe County wasn’t for any good reason either—it had likely been a misstep.

Bai Mucheng spoke, “Mi’er has suffered more for bearing children. Father and Mother Emperor have mentioned that once the day is chosen, we’ll have a grand ceremony to welcome Mi’er and the children back to the mansion. During this time, they’ll stay in the Duke’s mansion, and I’ll assign guards to ensure its safety.”

The grandmother nodded repeatedly.

“Alright, you two take care of the arrangements.”

At that moment, everyone in the palace had already heard the news: Duke Ding had married and had children. Concubine Li Gui and the second prince had also received word. Previously, they had tried to gain some influence, but it hadn’t worked. They had only thought about the Crown Prince and the Duke of Ding—small families like theirs weren’t worth their attention.

Now that the Duke of Ding had a wife and children, the only thing left for them was the position of side consort!

They thought they still had hope.

The second prince’s wife was also the daughter of a long-established family in the border regions. She had long been of little consequence.

Her position was soon to be relinquished.

A silent exchange of glances between mother and son sealed someone’s fate.

The Emperor had favored Concubine Li Gui for many years, and when he was still Prince Jin, he had once caused the Princess Jin to suffer for many years just to be with her.

This had planted seeds of undesirable thoughts in their minds.

News of the palace spread quickly, and even outside, the gossip reached every household.

The Jia family was the first to hear.

They couldn’t believe it. Last year, although Bai Mucheng wasn’t yet the Duke of Ding, he was still a royal, and yet he had married so casually as a commoner?

How could the royal family accept such a union?

It could have been accepted as a concubine, but to be acknowledged as the legitimate wife? Were they out of their minds?

Jia Yuntang spoke coldly, “Jin Wenwen said a great master prophesied that the Duke of Ding has a special fate. That’s why the people he brought in were part of that fate!”

This commoner woman really had great luck!

What a stumbling block! How wonderful it would be if she were out of the picture!

Jia Taishi said, “Tell the Chen family to stop that letter! Don’t stir up trouble!”

If she were an insignificant widow, they could spread rumors to damage her reputation, but now she was the Duke’s wife. That would be suicide! If they were to strike, it had to be decisive—there could be no second chances.

And Jia family couldn’t be the ones to strike!

Jia Yuntang’s eyes flashed with a dark gleam. Jin Wenwen had intended to use her as a pawn; now it was her turn to wield the weapon. Once things started, there was no going back.

Bai Mucheng visited Tian Mi in her courtyard, where she proudly showed him the written version of “Ruan Xi Return from Her Marriage.”

“Look,” she said, “I’ve prepared a return gift for the Jia family! I’ll have it narrated by storytellers, and then we’ll bring in a theater troupe. I’ll also find a few singers to perform! This grand gesture should keep them occupied for a while.”

Bai Mucheng, observing her confrontational approach, knew it was no small feat. He took the papers from her, reading them with increasing appreciation. This was a strategic move, leaving the Jia family with no escape.

What stood out was how the piece refrained from mentioning Jia Taishi directly, replacing his name with “Zeng Taishi”—cruel and ruthless! It made it seem as though everything had shifted to focus on him instead.

Particularly striking was the part where the Jia family proposed a marriage to Ruan Xi, and she responded, “But Ruan Xi already has a wife!”

“Ah, what a pity,” said Zeng Taishi casually, “If only she didn’t, you could have been my grandson-in-law.”

Ruan Xi’s expression was one of knowing recognition, her eyes glinting with anger.

This version, once it spread, would bring chaos. With the Ministry of Justice now taking up Ruan Donglai’s case, the man was effectively finished—his reputation would be tarnished for good.

Bai Mucheng chuckled after reading it, saying, “Leave the rest to me.”

Tian Mi, too, intended for him to arrange the performance and the theatrical troupe.

The singers would be something she needed to arrange, since she couldn’t write musical scores herself.

“Alright, make a copy for me,” she said. “I have other things to do.”

Printing it would also bring in some revenue for her small bookstore.

Bai Mucheng agreed.

“I’ll return to make arrangements, and also bring the guards with me later. I’ll come back to see you later.”

It was already late, so he would visit again.

Bai Mucheng stood up, holding her close and saying, “Let the servants take the little ones to rest.”

The two children were adorable, but they were also quite a handful. Last night, he had managed to make it home only in the dead of night—otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to sleep a wink.

Tian Mi rolled her eyes at him.

Bai Mucheng smiled, saying, “I wanted to speak to you without disturbing them. The situation in the capital is complex, and there are many things to watch out for.”

Tian Mi knew that once word of her status as the Duke’s wife spread throughout the capital, it would attract a lot of attention.

She nodded, agreeing to the plan.

Bai Mucheng was in high spirits as he returned to make arrangements, a smile that couldn’t be contained on his face—now that he had the “fatso” in his grasp, it was time to show him what he could do!

After Bai Mucheng left, her grandmother and the rest of the family arrived.

Her grandmother was both angry and pleased, saying, “You little girl, such a big thing, and you didn’t even tell us. You made us worry!”

Her second aunt said, “Mother, don’t be upset. At least it’s a good thing. This isn’t something bad—could you have told us earlier?”

Tian Mi could only shrug. “It just got settled now! Before, we didn’t know how the palace would react.”

Who could have imagined the royal family being so easygoing? It felt almost like a dream.

Tian Mi smiled and said, “Grandmother, second uncle, second aunt, younger uncle, Yunfei, Feiyan, cousin, cousin, this was all unexpected. I didn’t even know his true identity!”

Her grandmother shot a skeptical look at her, saying, “You didn’t even know his identity, yet you had children. You could have at least concealed it a bit!”

“Alright, alright! The important thing is that he’s easy to talk to, and you better make the most of it. Having two children in a stable home is the most important thing.”

Tian Mi nodded and agreed.

Everyone finally left, and Huang Yuanying couldn’t believe that this girl was now the Duke’s wife. It was a good thing his sister had stepped in first, or the Duke might have taken him out by now.

Thinking back to their time in Qinghe County, he always felt that the Duke’s gaze was unusually cold—he never knew why. This “girl” almost ended up getting him killed.