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As a noble royal Princess, even after getting married, she still had to serve tea.
Everyone in the Marquis residence seemed to anticipate that she wouldn’t rise early, so they all moved at a leisurely pace.
The four members of Danhuai Courtyard took their time finishing breakfast before setting off.
Only Xie Huaian woke up very early, but Princess Zhenyang made him wait and wait, which made him quite impatient.
He had no choice but to call the old women to hurry her along.
However, the old women attending Princess Zhenyang were just as arrogant and overbearing as their mistress, showing no respect for Xie Huaian at all.
“The Princess is in a bad mood this morning; we can’t urge her. Just wait for the princess until she wakes up,” one of the old women said, showing no urgency whatsoever, indicating that they didn’t regard the Pingyang Marquis residence at all.
“……” Xie Huaian was infuriated, knowing that if the Princess neglected the elders of the Marquis family, he would be the one to face the consequences later.
He quickly sent someone to notify the various courtyards that the Princess had not yet gotten up, so there was no need for everyone to rush.
As for himself, in a fit of anger, he left the courtyard to see Du Jinyun.
By the time Princess Zhenyang woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. She felt somewhat guilty and asked the old woman, “Why didn’t you wake me?”
The old woman silently thought it was unfair; it was clearly the Princess who had said last night that she was tired from the day and wanted to get enough sleep, instructing everyone not to wake her.
But she dared not shift the blame and humbly said, “It was my oversight; please punish me, Your Highness.”
Princess Zhenyang knew perfectly well it was her own orders; she waved her hand and said, “Send someone to check and apologize for me. Just say that I was unwell and got up late, and I’ll be there shortly.”
“Yes.” The old woman responded and hurried off.
Indeed, the Princess didn’t have to live her life according to the Marquis residence’s whims, but as the daughter-in-law of the Marquis family, going too far wouldn’t be good.
The old woman pondered as she made her way, thinking of how to phrase the apology on behalf of the Princess. However, when she arrived at the hall, she found that there wasn’t a single soul present.
She was taken aback for a moment and pulled a cleaning maid aside to ask, “Is the Princess serving tea here?”
Could it be that the message was passed incorrectly?
“Yes, it’s here,” the maid replied.
“Then where is everyone? Isn’t today the day for serving tea?” The old woman thought, could it be that the people of the Marquis residence were displeased with the wait and had already left?
The maid, with her round face beaming with a festive smile, said cheerfully, “It’s still early; the masters haven’t arrived yet.”
What?
The old woman instinctively looked up at the sky; the sun was already high above. How could it still be considered early?!
This Marquis residence was far too lacking in rules.
If it weren’t for the Princess waking up late, wouldn’t they have been waiting in vain?
“The masters instructed that the Princess was tired from yesterday and wouldn’t get up this early, so we shouldn’t have to wait here for too long to avoid wasting time,” the maid explained.
Upon hearing this, the old woman’s face turned from green to red in an instant.
She didn’t even have the energy to criticize the Marquis residence anymore and turned back to the courtyard.
“How did it go?” Princess Zhenyang asked while getting ready.
The old woman replied, “Your Highness, it seems the Marquis residence anticipated that you wouldn’t get up early, and in the tea-serving hall… there’s no one waiting at all.”
No one waiting?
Princess Zhenyang was in the midst of drawing her eyebrows when she heard this; her head turned, and the tail of her brow was suddenly drawn unevenly.
The maid immediately knelt in panic, saying, “Your Highness, please don’t be angry; I didn’t mean it.”
“Tsk.” Princess Zhenyang shot a displeased glare at the maid and then asked the old woman, “Where are the people from the Marquis residence?”
The old woman replied, “The maid said they haven’t arrived yet.”
“What time is it…” Princess Zhenyang began to scold but swallowed her words halfway, feeling extremely irritated. “Go notify the various courtyards that I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
She could afford to neglect others, but when she realized others were neglecting her, she became displeased.
“Yes.”
Upon receiving the notification, the masters of the various courtyards in the Marquis residence slowly began to prepare.
Fifteen minutes later, everyone was seated properly in the hall, waiting for the newlyweds to come and serve tea.
Originally, the Princess wanted to delay further to give the Marquis residence a taste of their own medicine, as a form of revenge for their negligence towards her.
But after thinking it over, she decided against it.
Her own schemes had not yet succeeded, and offending the elders of the Marquis residence would bring her no benefits.
What she should do was to win over the elders of the Marquis residence, ensuring that everyone leaned in her favor, ideally isolating Xu Qingyi, the Eldest Young Master’s wife, completely.
Princess Zhenyang, dressed magnificently, set out alongside Xie Huaian.
Xu Qingyi and her children also arrived.
Recently, Xu Qingyi’s position in the Marquis residence had become increasingly prominent; everyone treated her with more respect, and the aunts from the other courtyards were more than happy to engage in conversation with her to build rapport.
Initially, they approached her with the mindset of social niceties, but later found that Xu Qingyi was easy to get along with—steady yet gentle. Socializing among relatives became much more relaxed and enjoyable.
“Qingyi, what’s the name of that type of chair you made for the Eldest Young Master? My mother also has trouble with her legs; if it’s convenient, could you make another one? Second Aunt will pay you,” Second Madam Zou said with a smile.
“Second Aunt is too polite; it’s all done by our own carpenter. We can make as many as you need; there’s no need for you to pay,” Xu Qingyi replied with a smile.
“Even if it’s the carpenter’s work, it’s thanks to your clever ideas,” the Old Madam interjected. She also had a chair that her granddaughter-in-law had made for her, which she had been using for several days now.
Every day, she had someone push her out for a walk, and she praised it endlessly.
Then she turned to Second Madam Zou and said, “Second Daughter-in-law, if you pay, it feels too distant; the Marquis residence isn’t that stingy.”
“Mother-in-law is right,” Second Madam Zou replied with a smile. “Then I won’t hold back; thank you, Qingyi.”
“Why is Second Aunt still thanking me?” Xu Qingyi feigned displeasure.
The whole room burst into laughter.
Seeing that Second Sister-in-law had requested one, Third Madam Yang also wanted one.
Every family had elderly members; a wheelchair was a convenient item that everyone could make use of.
Only Madam Qin remained uninterested; her thoughts were entirely on the Princess’s daughter-in-law, thinking to herself, what was so special about a wheelchair?
Her daughter-in-law was the eldest daughter of Prince Su.
Once Prince Su ascended to the throne, she would be the mother-in-law of a true Princess—an undeniable member of the royal family.
When Princess Zhenyang arrived at the hall, this was the scene she encountered: nearly all the ladies were chatting and laughing with Xu Qingyi.
“The Princess and Second Young Master have arrived,” a maid announced.
Everyone in the Marquis residence returned to their places, adjusting their hairstyles and clothing, and then, as if on cue, turned to look at Princess Zhenyang. She truly embodied the elegance of a royal woman, exuding a majestic presence.
It couldn’t help but remind people of Princess Xining; it seemed that royal women all had this grand and imposing style.
However, in comparison, whether in appearance or demeanor, it appeared that Princess Xining surpassed her.
As for Princess Zhenyang, while she was indeed commanding, her demeanor seemed somewhat lacking in grace and dignity.
“I apologize; the Princess and I have kept everyone waiting,” Xie Huaian immediately said, feeling that he had truly been dragged down by Princess Zhenyang this time.
“Sorry, it’s all my fault,” Princess Zhenyang replied sarcastically, “Thanks to everyone’s foresight; otherwise, my blunder would have been even greater.”
“There’s no need for the Princess to be so polite; we are all family from now on,” Madam Qin quickly said with a smile, trying to smooth things over.
She understood that, aside from Xu Qingyi and her children, not many in the residence genuinely welcomed the Princess’s arrival.
It seemed that the task of playing the peacemaker would fall to her.
“Yes, we only arrived a short while ago,” Since the marriage had already taken place, the Old Madam didn’t want things to become too strained, so she also spoke gently.
“There’s no need for formalities among family,” the Marquis said, sharing the same sentiment. The marriage was done, and he only hoped that Princess Zhenyang would behave herself from now on.
Then, the Marquis said calmly, “It’s getting late; let’s begin the tea ceremony.”
“Yes,” Xie Huaian responded.
“Yes…” Princess Zhenyang replied indifferently, her gaze sweeping over Xu Qingyi’s face.
She saw that Xu Qingyi was unfazed, with a faint smile still playing on her lips.
She then looked at Xie Yunzhi’s three adopted sons, who were all sitting around Xu Qingyi.
The four of them displayed the same composure.
It seemed that the appearance of the Princess had not affected their moods in the slightest.