It was truly unfair!
Moreover, the incident just now was clearly Yun Duoduo’s fault, yet Mother could blame Yan’er for it—utterly unreasonable!
The confrontation between mother and son was filled with tension, frightening Bai Yanling.
She stood there helplessly, tears streaming down her face.
She had no idea about the deeper reasons behind the conflict between mother and son, thinking it was all because of her.
On the very first day of Jingcha, her husband had clashed with his mother over her—how would outsiders view her?!
What reputation would she have left in the future?!
Bai Yanling tightly grasped Yun Feiyang’s sleeve, pleading, “Cousin, please stop! I beg you! It’s all my fault!”
Yun Feiyang lowered his gaze, seeing his tearful wife beside him, and suddenly felt disheartened. He pressed his lips together and ultimately said nothing more.
Bai Yanling then knelt before the Marchioness, hurriedly expressing gratitude for her mother-in-law’s guidance.
She completed the Jingcha ritual, fulfilling the etiquette.
As she rose, her eyes caught sight of Yun Duoduo nestled in the Marchioness’s arms, and she gritted her teeth in frustration.
The most detestable one was this little girl!
She was the root cause of all this!
How could such a young girl harbor such malicious intentions?!
Making her lose face so publicly in front of everyone.
The Marchioness was equally disappointed.
Yanling had always seemed well-mannered before, graceful and tactful in her conduct. How had she changed so much after entering the household?
Last night, she had explicitly instructed that Feiyang was injured and they should not consummate the marriage. Why hadn’t Yanling listened and insisted on seducing him?!
Was she that desperate? Could she not have waited?
And even if they were to consummate the marriage, Yanling knew full well that on the wedding night, there would inevitably be people causing mischief and listening under the eaves. Why hadn’t she restrained herself?!
Did she have to cry out so loudly?
And letting Duoduo, a young girl, overhear it, corrupting the innocent child for no reason!
She had truly disgraced both the Bai and Yun Families!
The more the Marchioness thought about it, the angrier she became. Although she could see Bai Yanling was on the verge of collapse, she did not allow her to rest. Instead, she made her stand by the side to observe etiquette and serve everyone during breakfast.
Yun Duoduo ate quickly, finishing her meal in a few bites before hopping off the table to leave.
“I have a dance lesson with Siniang Yu today. I can’t be late.”
Some time ago, Princess Qinghe had announced that she was seeking a companion for her daughter, Princess Luoluo.
As soon as the news spread, families in the capital with eligible daughters became eager to participate.
Princess Qinghe was the emperor’s only legitimate daughter, cherished since childhood. In her early years, she had gone to Khitan for a political marriage, establishing immense merit for the friendship between the two nations and becoming a celebrated figure in Da Ye’s history.
Later, when the Khitan Khan passed away, according to local customs, Princess Qinghe was supposed to marry the next Khan.
But the emperor disagreed and went to great lengths to bring the princess back, arranging another marriage for her.
The extent of imperial favor was evident.
After marrying the imperial son-in-law, Princess Qinghe gave birth to a daughter, whom she cherished like a precious jewel—the current young Princess Luoluo, now five years old.
With her contributions to the political marriage, Princess Qinghe would be respected no matter which prince succeeded the throne.
It could be said that aligning with the princess was far more secure than aligning with the princes.
It was the kind of situation where, with just a window opened, one could command the wind and rain.
Once Princess Qinghe announced her intention to select a companion for her daughter, the official families in the capital became as excited as if they had been injected with adrenaline, even more fervent than when the emperor selected concubines, all eagerly inquiring about the selection criteria.
It is said that the little princess is very fond of dancing, and the primary requirement for being selected as a study companion is to know how to dance.
For a time, wealthy families in the capital were all hiring dance instructors to teach their daughters.
The value of dance instructors soared like a rocket.
Among them, the most widely acknowledged best dancer is Siniang Yu from Changlefang.
The ladies of various households, carrying heavy gold, personally went to Siniang Yu's door, begging her to teach their daughters to dance.
The Marquess's wife acted quickly and secured a spot for her daughter, Yun Duoduo.
Yun Duoduo also greatly enjoyed attending Siniang Yu's classes, going to the training room every day without fail.
For a while, everyone in the dining hall was discussing, all envious that the Marquess's wife had given birth to such a good daughter.
"Duoduo really brings honor to the Madam! She is not afraid of hardship or fatigue, and she will surely have great achievements in the future."
"I heard that Siniang Yu has publicly said that her most satisfied student is our Duoduo!"
"Exactly! Duoduo's selection is basically guaranteed."
The Marquess's wife basked in the envious gazes of the Yun Family relatives, her eyes softening even more as she looked at her youngest daughter, almost dripping with tenderness.
She repeatedly instructed the wet nurse and maids to be careful in serving the young lady.
Sweat must be wiped off immediately to avoid catching a cold, and so on, she nagged on with many instructions.
After Yun Duoduo left, Hua Momo placed a bowl of pigeon soup in front of Yun Feiyang with a half-smile.
"This was specially ordered by the Madam to be stewed for Shiziye. Drink it to nourish your body."
Yun Feiyang stared at the thick layer of goji berries in the stewing pot, stunned.
A surge of anger shot straight to the top of his head.
He knew his mother had a strong desire for control, wanting everything to go according to her wishes, but he never expected her to completely disregard his dignity, embarrassing him in front of everyone in the Yun Family.
His pale face instantly flushed bright red.
Looking up at the Marquess's wife, he said with difficulty, "Mother, your son is in good health and does not need tonics."
The Marquess's wife's face darkened as she sneered, "You are my own child. As your mother, how could I not know whether you are healthy or not?!"
"Drink it! You need nourishment!"
Yun Feiyang stubbornly stared at his mother, refusing to drink.
Ask any man, who would be willing to publicly admit to having "kidney deficiency"?!
The atmosphere in the dining hall became somewhat awkward for a moment. The others exchanged glances, none daring to speak.
Bai Yanling couldn't understand what was going on between her cousin and her aunt. Weren't they fine during the meal? Why were they arguing again?
Over a bowl of soup, was it really necessary?!
Bai Yanling gritted her teeth.
Thinking that so many people were watching, she should display her virtuous and gentle character to earn everyone's praise.
So she picked up the bowl of stewed soup and slowly knelt before Yun Feiyang.
Holding the soup high, she imitated Liang Hong and Meng Guang's gesture of raising the tray to eyebrow level.
She urged Yun Feiyang, "Husband, you should not disappoint your mother-in-law's good intentions. Please drink it."
Yun Feiyang suddenly laughed.
His laughter was uglier than crying. He said "good" twice, snatched the soup from Bai Yanling's hands, brought it to his lips, and drank it all in one gulp.
The hall fell into silence. No one was eating anymore; they were all watching this scene with great interest.
Bai Yanling's kneeling and urging her husband to be filial to his mother-in-law had thoroughly established the reputation of "virtuous and gentle" that she desired.
Only, this reputation was rather hard to judge.
The Marquess's wife was satisfied and told Bai Yanling to get up and return to the table to eat.
Bai Yanling curtsied in thanks to her aunt, took the bowl handed to her by the maid, and silently shoveled rice into her mouth.
Even though she didn't feel she had done anything wrong, she felt extremely guilty and didn't dare to look at Yun Feiyang.
Though she had done nothing all morning, she felt utterly exhausted, barely able to hold her chopsticks steady.
It wasn't until a young eunuch arrived to deliver the emperor's Kouyu, summoning the Yun Family to the palace for Miansheng, that Bai Yanling was finally freed from the invisible, suffocating pressure.
She was drenched in sweat, as if she had just recovered from a serious illness.
Her maid stepped forward with concern, supporting Bai Yanling.
She whispered, "I fear your health won't hold up. Perhaps we should not go to the palace?"
Bai Yanling gritted her teeth.
She knew today's summons was surely due to Lou Buqi's disruption of the wedding yesterday, and Ju Yue would definitely be summoned as well.
If Ju Yue was going, how could she not go?!
She could lose to anyone but Ju Yue!
Bai Yanling rejected her maid's suggestion: "No! The emperor has summoned us. To refuse would be to defy his decree—it cannot be done."