On the day they received the imperial edict, both the Yanbei Prince and Xiao Jingxi were rarely at the manor without going out. Ren Yaoqi and Xiao Jinglin had gotten used to accompanying the Princess Consort for meals at Jiuyang Hall during this period, so at noon on this day, the whole family rarely sat at the same table again.
Unusually, the atmosphere at the table was somewhat oppressive. Because Ren Yaoqi and Xiao Jinglin weren’t speaking, the Yanbei Prince had worn a toothache-like expression since his appearance, and also didn’t speak much. The most normal ones were the Princess Consort and Xiao Jingxi, who occasionally exchanged a few insignificant remarks – these two were indeed worthy of being mother and son.
Only after finishing this meal with its abnormal atmosphere did the Yanbei Prince finally couldn’t help but explode, slapping the table: “Hey, hey, hey! What’s wrong with you all? You all see that I’ve been schemed against this time, right? Don’t you feel guilty giving me cold faces one by one?”
Ren Yaoqi looked up at the Yanbei Prince, feeling that his outburst had a somewhat fierce-on-the-outside-but-weak-on-the-inside quality, and if you listened carefully, it carried some grievance. Then the whole family turned their gazes to the Princess Consort.
The Princess Consort said unhurriedly: “What do you mean by this, Your Highness?”
The Yanbei Prince’s punch was like hitting cotton, and he instantly deflated.
After a long silence, the Yanbei Prince rallied his spirits again and looked meaningfully at the silent Xiao Jingxi: “Son! Your father is old – it’s time for you to show filial piety. That Liao Kingdom princess… why don’t you take care of her for your father?”
Ren Yaoqi: “…”
Xiao Jingxi remained expressionless: “Father, this is improper.”
“How is it improper? You haven’t studied the Classic of Filial Piety properly!” The Yanbei Prince frowned and couldn’t help slapping the table again, putting on even more airs.
Xiao Jingxi glanced at the Yanbei Prince: “The Classic of Filial Piety contains no examples of showing filial piety by entering an elder’s rear courtyard.”
Everyone: “…” Which family’s son shows filial piety by taking over his father’s concubines?
Seeing the Yanbei Prince fall silent, Xiao Jingxi smiled toothily: “Besides… my health isn’t good – isn’t that what you’ve always said, Father?”
The Yanbei Prince’s face remained expressionless, but his heart was roaring: Damn! This kid still holds grudges! He’s been waiting for me here!
The Yanbei Prince was inexplicably grief-stricken and couldn’t find words to refute for a moment. The stuffiness in his heart was beyond description, but in the end, he could only compromise and plead: “Then you have to think of a way to help your father out, right? You can’t just stand aside as if it has nothing to do with you.”
Hearing this, Xiao Jingxi actually seriously thought about it, then suggested to the Yanbei Prince thoughtfully: “Your son feels that this matter…”
The Yanbei Prince listened attentively.
“…needs long-term consideration.” Xiao Jingxi finished his sentence.
The Yanbei Prince: “…” The person is about to arrive, and you’re still talking about long-term consideration! Son, are you really not taking the opportunity to get revenge on your old man?
The person who read the Emperor’s edict arrived before that Liao Kingdom princess entered Yunyang City. The Liao princess was still waiting in a villa outside the city for the Yanbei Prince’s Manor to come receive her according to protocol – the Yanbei Prince was truly in dire straits.
When Ren Yaoqi, Xiao Jingxi, and Xiao Jinglin came out from Jiuyang Hall, she finally couldn’t help but hesitantly ask: “That Liao Kingdom princess, Father he…”
Xiao Jingxi knew what Ren Yaoqi wanted to ask and gave her a reassuring look: “Don’t worry, Father and Mother can handle it.”
Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but look toward Xiao Jinglin.
Xiao Jinglin rarely agreed with Xiao Jingxi’s words, nodding expressionlessly: “Don’t worry. Father was just acting coquettishly earlier – you’ll get used to it.”
Ren Yaoqi: “…” How was she supposed to get used to such things?
No matter how the Yanbei Prince acted coquettishly or threw tantrums, the Yanbei Prince’s Manor couldn’t leave a princess sent for political marriage by a defeated nation outside the city to fend for herself – that would really lack grace. So on the second day after receiving the imperial edict, the Yanbei Prince and Princess Consort sent a ceremonial procession to escort the Liao princess into the city.
On the day the Liao princess entered the manor, Ren Yaoqi also dressed formally and went to Qingzheng Hall with the people of the Yanbei Prince’s Manor.
The Yanbei Prince and Princess Consort sat in the main seats at the head, while the Old Princess Consort and Noble Consort Yun sat on either side of the upper positions, slightly lower than the Prince and Princess Consort’s positions. Ren Yaoqi, Xiao Jingxi, and Xiao Jinglin sat on the left side, while the second branch of the Xiao family sat opposite them.
Both the Prince and Princess Consort wore serious expressions. Noble Consort Yun sat in her position with eyes closed, resting. The Old Princess Consort seemed to be in quite good spirits – though she didn’t say anything cutting, she turned to chat with the Second Madam.
Only when someone outside announced that the Liao princess had arrived did everyone turn their gazes toward the entrance of Qingzheng Hall.
They saw a seventeen or eighteen-year-old woman dressed in bright red Liao Kingdom attire walking in under the guidance of several nannies from the Yanbei Prince’s Manor. Liao people were generally tall and robust, and although this Liao princess was a woman, she appeared taller than ordinary Great Zhou women, with a larger frame as well. The pearls adorning her white warm hat almost covered half her face, but her facial contours and features could be vaguely seen. Compared to the Great Zhou women, this princess had thick eyebrows and large eyes, with a somewhat square face shape. Although her appearance didn’t quite match Great Zhou aesthetic standards, she wasn’t unattractive either.
The Liao princess walked to the center, bowed slightly toward the Prince and Princess Consort at the head, and performed a Liao Kingdom greeting, saying in somewhat stiff Chinese: “Yelu Sage pays respects to Your Highness and Your Highness.”
The Princess Consort smiled and nodded, asked a few polite questions, then had someone guide this Liao princess to take a seat.
Yelu Sage frowned, looked around at everyone with some uncertainty, and said: “Is the ceremony already over?”
Everyone was stunned. Yelu Sage looked at the Prince and Princess Consort at the head and asked: “Don’t you Han people have many complicated rituals for marriage?”
At these words, the hall fell quiet.
The Old Princess Consort couldn’t help but laugh, glancing at the Princess Consort and saying: “This vassal princess not only speaks Chinese but also knows about etiquette – that’s quite rare.”
Yelu Sage kept looking at the Yanbei Prince and Princess Consort, as if waiting for them to answer.
The Yanbei Prince said expressionlessly: “Your Chinese is quite good, but you haven’t mastered the etiquette. Han people do have many rituals for marriage, but Han men can only marry one wife.”
Yelu Sage frowned deeply: “But your Emperor previously married my sister…”
The Yanbei Prince interrupted: “The Emperor is the Emperor. This Prince is just a prince and cannot override law and propriety. Moreover, the Emperor didn’t marry a consort – he took a consort. Marrying and taking are different. The court’s edict has already granted you the title of secondary consort, so this Prince doesn’t need to perform any ceremony.” Although the Yanbei Prince still maintained his expressionless demeanor, his voice already carried some impatience.
Although Yelu Sage could speak Chinese, she hadn’t mastered it to the degree of being able to parse words carefully. So after hearing the Yanbei Prince’s words, she opened and closed her mouth, ultimately swallowing her words. She even smiled at the Yanbei Prince and submissively lowered her head: “Your concubine understands. Thank you for Your Highness’s instruction. Your concubine will work hard to learn Han etiquette in the future.”
Although her self-address as “your concubine” wasn’t wrong, everyone felt somewhat awkward hearing it.
Due to various considerations, neither the Old Princess Consort nor the second branch of the Xiao family caused any trouble at this time. Xiao Jingyue had previously stirred up trouble at Ren Yaoqi and Xiao Jingxi’s wedding and suffered several inexplicable setbacks afterward – this time, he had learned his lesson. Yelu Sage was a Liao princess with a somewhat sensitive identity; if someone pinned charges of treason on them, they would be finished.
Yelu Sage was arranged to live in Lengxiang Courtyard. Although Lengxiang Courtyard couldn’t compare to the grand scale of the main halls in the Yanbei Prince’s Manor, it wasn’t remote either. It was adjacent to Xiao Jinglin’s Xihe Hall and not far from the Prince and Princess Consort’s Jiuyang Hall.
The Yanbei Prince didn’t stay long in Qingzheng Hall – after sitting for a while, he went to the outer courtyard.
Ren Yaoqi didn’t know if it was her imagination, but she felt that the Liao princess’s gaze had lingered on the Yanbei Prince. Could these two have known each other before?
Carrying this question, when Yelu Sage was sent to Lengxiang Courtyard by people dispatched by the Princess Consort and Ren Yaoqi came out together with Xiao Jinglin, she couldn’t help but quietly ask this question.
Xiao Jinglin said in an ordinary tone: “Whether she and Father know each other, I don’t know. But I have seen Yelu Sage twice before. Liao people are different from us, Han people – many of their women are also skilled in riding and archery. I once saw this Liao princess on the battlefield. Although we never crossed weapons, she definitely knows martial arts.” Xiao Jinglin looked at Ren Yaoqi and seriously warned: “Don’t have contact with her normally; otherwise, if she harbors ill intentions, you’ll be in danger.”
Ren Yaoqi nodded. Regarding this Liao princess, she would naturally avoid her when possible – there was no need for any relationship anyway.
In the evening, the Prince didn’t return to the manor for dinner. The Princess Consort still arranged several banquet tables for Yelu Sage, considering it a welcome for her entry into the manor. From beginning to end, the Princess Consort showed no dissatisfaction with Yelu Sage’s entry into the manor. The Princess Consort had always been a rational person – she understood that Yelu Sage’s entry into the manor wasn’t simply taking a concubine, but a struggle between various power factions. It had nothing to do with personal feelings, and Yelu Sage’s title of secondary consort was just a title.
Obviously, the Yanbei Prince thought the same way, so when he returned in the evening, he still rested at Jiuyang Hall rather than Lengxiang Courtyard. No one in the Yanbei Prince’s Manor felt this was improper – even the Old Princess Consort didn’t meddle in this matter.
But the next day, Yelu Sage came to Jiuyang Hall early in the morning and, in front of everyone, puzzledly asked the Yanbei Prince: “Why didn’t Your Highness come to rest in your concubine’s courtyard last night?”
Everyone having breakfast at Jiuyang Hall silently turned to look at the Yanbei Prince.
The Yanbei Prince’s eye twitched, feeling that only one phrase could express his current mood: Damn!
In the end, it was the Princess Consort who calmly resolved the situation for the Yanbei Prince, saying to Yelu Sage: “Princess, you haven’t had breakfast yet, have you? Sit down and eat with us.”
Yelu Sage nodded, accepted the Princess Consort’s kindness, and sat in the chair that the Princess Consort had someone bring for her, right next to Xiao Jinglin. After thanking the Princess Consort, Yelu Sage also said seriously: “Sister, don’t call me Princess anymore. According to Han customs, the Princess Consort should call me a younger sister.”
The Princess Consort: “…”