Feng Xi Yang bit her lip, remaining silent. Xia Jingshi casually returned the gift list to her. Noticing her expression, he softened his voice, “Actually, when this Prince asked you to prepare wedding gifts, it wasn’t just about these items. But don’t worry too much. I can see you’ve put in a lot of effort. The beginning is always the hardest, and this is already quite good. Just proceed with this list.” Seeing that Xi Yang showed no intention of leaving, Xia Jingshi stood up from behind the desk and walked out. “This Prince has some matters to attend to. Please make yourself at home.” As soon as he finished speaking, he had disappeared beyond the door.

Her gaze fell on the five-character dragon-patterned wax paper spread out on the table. When she had entered earlier, a court attendant was grinding ink for him he had been preparing to write something…

“Is the Princess Consort looking for a book to read?” The court attendant interrupted her thoughts. “The study is over there.”

Feng Xi Yang shook her head, about to speak when a strange voice called from outside, “Your Highness should rest now, Your Highness should rest now.” It was that Han Gao bird.

The Han Gao seemed unaware of Xia Jingshi’s departure and continued calling tirelessly in the corridor. Xi Yang stared at it for a while, then suddenly turned to ask the court attendant in the study, “This Han Gao, who gave it to His Highness?”

The attendant was slightly startled, then respectfully answered, “In response to the Princess Consort, this servant does not know.”

Hearing this, Feng Xi Yang just smiled and casually walked out of the study. Even after walking far away, she couldn’t suppress the waves of irritation in her heart. She couldn’t help but look back once more—perhaps she was being oversensitive, but Han Gao’s manner of speaking was strikingly similar to Fu Yixiao’s.

The most glorious day in a woman’s life is her wedding day.

Xue Ying’s mother, Xue Ningsu, was a typical well-bred lady. On the day of the wedding, she woke up early, meticulously offered incense and prayers, and then personally helped Xue Ying put on her bright red wedding dress.

Xiu Mu also took the rare step of being serious, following the pre-determined steps, using a comb dipped in fragrant wine to carefully comb Xue Ying’s long hair. “One stroke for luck to the end, two strokes for harmony till old age, three strokes for many children and grandchildren, four strokes for wealth and prosperity…” As she spoke, she suddenly began to shed tears, sobbing, “From today on, a young miss will no longer be part of our family… Xiu Mu really can’t bear to part.”

Xue Ying, with slightly reddened eyes, scolded, “What do you mean not part of the family? It’s just marriage, not being thrown out by the father… If I had known earlier that calling you Xiu Mu would make you grow more foolish, I would have named you Monkey Spirit back then.”

Xiu Mu wiped her tears, complaining pitifully, “If young miss wants to change Xiu Mu’s name, Xiu Mu would naturally be happy, but, the young miss next door name their maids Wan’er or Shan’er, at worst Fang’er, why does young miss name us Xiu Mu or Hua Diao, and even Mao Xie…”

Xue Ying’s face darkened, and about to speak, when she saw her mother Xue Ningsu, who was applying eyebrow pigment, frowning. She quickly closed her mouth obediently, tilting her face to let her mother apply makeup, secretly wishing she had eyes on the back of her head so she could glare fiercely at Xiu Mu.

Indeed, other families’ maids were all named after fragrances, flowers, or grasses, but Xue Ying found these too common. So when naming her maids, she had spent a great deal of time thinking, repeatedly revising and rewriting, vowing to give them names unparalleled in heaven or on earth.

Xue Ying’s explanation for Xiu Mu’s name was: “A withered tree meeting spring.” Why? Because Xiu Mu’s original name was Chun Ni (Xiu Mu: >__<), so she changed just one character, and thus Xiu Mu got her name. Among all the maid names, she was most satisfied with Xiu Mu’s.

But only today did she realize that all her efforts had been in vain. Xiu Mu wasn’t at all grateful for the name she had wracked her brains to come up with but rather despised it…

“Press your lips,” Xue Ningsu handed her a piece of rouge. Xue Ying obediently pressed it against her lips following her mother’s hand.

“What Xiu Mu said is right,” (Xue Ying: !!, Xiu Mu: ^^) Putting down the rouge, Xue Ningsu lovingly smoothed Xue Ying’s forehead hair and spoke gently, “After marriage, you’ll take your husband’s surname. You’ll no longer be a daughter of the Ling family. Originally, I was against marrying into an official family, but your father said Ning Fei is a reliable boy, and the Ning family is also a good family that manages their household well, so I finally set my mind at ease. Once a daughter marries, she changes from a piece of her mother’s heart to a blade of grass in her mother-in-law’s eyes. In the future, you can’t be too willful. Don’t always follow your inclinations, understand?” Before she finished speaking, Xue Ningsu’s voice was already trembling, her eyes welling up with tears.

Xue Ying nestled coquettishly into her embrace, “Xue Ying is so obedient, mother-in-law will surely love Xue Ying as much as you do, mother. Don’t worry too much.” Xue Ningsu smiled through her tears, but couldn’t help poking Xue Ying’s forehead with her finger, “You and your glib tongue…” Xue Ying had meant to cheer her up, so she exaggeratedly leaned back following her mother’s finger, but lost her balance and, amidst Xiu Mu’s screams, fell straight to the ground.

“Topsy-turvy” was the phrase Xiu Mu would always use when recalling the young miss’s wedding day years later.

Ever since Ning Fei told Xue Ying that Feng Xi Yang had fallen ill and was bedridden due to the change in environment, Xue Ying had been praying to the heavens. She hoped that Feng Xi Yang would remain sick, at least too sick to attend the wedding banquet, because she didn’t want Feng Xi Yang to appear at an occasion where Yixiao should have been present. But it seemed the heavens hadn’t heard her small request. So now, she had to pay formal respects to Feng Xi Yang, who was attending her wedding as the Princess Consort and presenting wedding gifts… But she was unwilling, so she only gave a slight bow. Xia Jingshi merely said lightly, “We’re all family here, no need for such formalities.”

Before the ceremonial official could announce the start of the wedding, a city guard rushed in from outside, announcing loudly, “Envoys from Su Sha have arrived, saying they’ve come specifically to attend the wedding…” Feng Xi Yang, who had already been seated, stood up abruptly, exclaiming joyfully, “Has Su Sha sent people? Who has come?”

The hall fell silent, with pairs of eyes, some hostile, some accusing, coldly looking at her.

Xi Yang sensed the awkwardness and sat back down embarrassedly, apologizing softly to Xia Jingshi, “I’m sorry, I…” Xia Jingshi simply grunted in response, cutting her off, “It’s fine—let them enter the city!”