Pei Yuqing suddenly ca to his senses, realizing what he had been thinking, and clenched his hand tightly, his fingernails digging into his palm as he barely managed to stabilize his emotions. "Is it ready? Then let’s go."
"..." Xie Wanqing looked at the man’s ears, which were burning with heat, and closed her mouth in confusion.
......
When the two of them left the house, it was still early, so they decided to familiarize themselves with the mansion and did not take a sedan chair.
The weather at the end of September was a bit chilly, and Xie Wanqing tightened the cloak around her shoulders.
The autumn wind rustled, blowing down the withered yellow leaves. The two of them walked side by side, neither speaking.
Pei Yuqing’s gaze fell on their overlapping shadows, and his heart stirred slightly. He couldn’t help but lift his hand to hold hers.
They passed through a long eaved corridor and two drooping flower-decorated arch gates, finally arriving at the Qixiang Courtyard, where Princess Duan Yang resided.
Two young maidservants stood outside the door. When they saw the two approaching, they hurriedly greeted them with a bow and lifted the curtains to welco them inside.
The interior seed already bustling. Just as Xie Wanqing was about to step in, she heard a woman say, "At this hour, the two newlyweds haven’t arrived yet. This new bride tea really makes people wait anxiously."
Xie Wanqing was slightly stunned, feeling the grip on her hand tighten as the man beside her led her in.
The previously lively room suddenly quieted down, and everyone’s eyes turned towards them.
Pei Yuqing acted as if he didn’t see them, reaching out to untie the cloak’s ribbon below the neck of the girl beside him, then handed it to Erqing behind him with complete naturalness.
Xie Wanqing hadn’t expected him to behave like this in front of so many elders, her face gradually turning red.
The girl in a red dress, with a graceful figure and wide-open eyes, stared straight at her husband.
Even the most vibrant peony in the flower field couldn’t match her in the slightest.
In the midst of an eerie silence, Pei Yuqing led her forward to bow to his parents seated at the head.
Princess Duan Yang’s face broke into a smile, teasing, "You’re quite considerate to your wife."
A servant brought a tea tray forward.
Xie Wanqing knelt down on the cushion that the maid had placed, and the person next to her also knelt down.
She hesitated, unconsciously recalling whether Lu Ziyuan had knelt down with her when she offered tea to the Lu family ladies in her dream.
While her mind was busy recalling, her hands didn’t stop. She received the tea cup with both hands, first offering it to Duke Pei, and then to Princess Duan Yang.
With her hands crossed, she respectfully kowtowed, addressing them as father and mother, and said, "This daughter-in-law greets you both."
Pei Shurui, Duke Pei, who was able to marry the imperial eldest princess in the past, must have been extraordinarily handso and talented in his youth. Now, nearing fifty, he still exuded impressive poise.
His eyes were bright and wise. He took the tea cup, sipped it, and stroked his beard with a smile.
Beside him, Princess Duan Yang also drank the daughter-in-law tea with a smile. "Get up and speak," she said warmly.
Her tone was gentle, without any of the imposing manner of an Imperial Princess. She looked like a very kind elder, which imdiately eased Xie Wanqing’s nervousness as Pei Yuqing helped her to her feet.
Having waited for more than ten years, the long-awaited daughter-in-law tea was finally here. Even though the incident last night had caused a scandal throughout the capital, and the report this morning from her trusted maid revealed no red stain on the handkerchief, nothing could dampen Princess Duan Yang’s good mood.
Seeing the girl’s quiet and graceful deanor, her elegance, her beautiful looks, and admirable bearing, she understood why her eldest son, who had vowed never to marry, had suddenly opened his heart and put his all into winning her over.
It was no wonder that the Heir of Wuyuan Marquis caused such a scene for this girl, disregarding his reputation.
With these thoughts, she gently asked, "Is your maiden na Wanwan?"
Xie Wanqing nodded in affirmation.
Seeing her unease, Princess Duan Yang smiled, took her hand, and reassured her, "There’s no need to be so reserved. I’m not an evil mother-in-law who likes to tornt. Since you’ve joined the family, I only hope that you two will love and support each other for a long ti."
Xie Wanqing’s heart ward as she replied, "I understand, mother."
Her quiet and obedient deanor was truly likable. Princess Duan Yang took a brocade box from the maid behind her and handed it to her as a eting gift, and with a smile said, "We’ll talk more later. Let your husband introduce you to everyone first. All the family’s relatives are here today."
Husband...
Xie Wanqing blushed slightly, bowing and acknowledging.
The population of the Duke Mansion was sowhat more complex than that of the Marquis Xuanping Mansion, but compared to other noble families in the capital, it was still relatively small.
The Old Duke Pei had two legitimate and three concubine-born sons, and Pei Shurui was the second legitimate son. His older legitimate brother passed away early, leaving only a daughter, so the title fell to him.
No one expected that when the old Duke requested the title for his second son, the eldest daughter-in-law would be diagnosed as pregnant.
Later, a posthumous child was born.
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