Chapter 44: Attending the Banquet - Rebirth of the Noble Daughter

 Chapter 44: Attending the Banquet

 

A single sentence completely shattered her prospects.

Compared to being beaten, a mistress who lost favor in the backyard had nowhere to stand.

Linlang wanted to say something else, but she was coldly stopped by Feng Jinxu.

"Say one more word, and you can go to the farm yourself."

Covering her mouth, tears streamed down her face. This time, she had brought this upon herself.

The outcome of the punishment reached Madam Feng's ears, and she gained a few more points of admiration for her daughter-in-law.

For a mistress, using a combination of kindness and authority was the most basic principle. One could not overly criticize servants and make them resentful, but one could not tolerate boldness and recklessness from them either.

But when dealing with a favored concubine and her son, the best approach was to let the head of the household handle the punishment themselves. Otherwise, being too lenient or too harsh would tie one's hands.

Madam Wen was indeed formidable!

"How did I not notice her abilities before?"

These words were spoken to Bai Mama. Now, there were only the two of them in the room, with Bai Mama's trusted aides outside, so they spoke with less restraint.

"Madam was often unwell before, so she naturally had less understanding."

Madam Feng nodded, finding the explanation reasonable.

"It seems that Ah Yao was right. She's just as capable as I was back then."

Although Madam Feng didn't have to worry about favored concubines, managing a large family still brought many troublesome matters to her door.

Somehow, she felt that Madam Wen's sudden change was related to her daughter and Yunhe. Now, their relationship with their aunt was much closer than before, and even the relationship between Xue Yun and Madam Wen had eased somewhat.

Perhaps she had a hand in this.

"Bai Mama, have you noticed any changes in Ah Yao recently?"

She couldn't pinpoint exactly what was different but she just felt that the whole person was changed. Bai Mama was tucking her in with a lamb's wool blanket and replied with satisfaction.

"Yes, she has changed. Look at how much more she cares about the family now. In the past, when you asked her to manage the household, she often declined. It seems that Miss San is also maturing. Madam, you should prepare earlier and find suitable families for her to see."

Bai Mama reminded her.

Indeed, the daughter who used to nestle in her arms and demand sweets was now of marriageable age. Madam Feng felt both sighs of emotion and happiness in her heart.

After chatting with Bai Mama for a while, Madam Feng felt tired again.

As night fell, the lively atmosphere of the Feng family returned to tranquility.

Early on the third day, there was a bustle outside the gates of the Duke Wei's residence.

Many peddlers who wanted to take advantage of the hustle and bustle to make some extra money got up early and prepared their stalls nearby.

Unexpectedly, before the stalls were set up, soldiers from the Duke Wei's mansion came to drive them away.

Not only did they look fierce, but their weapons also gleamed with a cold light.

"Hurry up, hurry up! We have important guests today. You street peddlers, like dogs, wherever there are people, you crawl there."

The words were spoken without courtesy, and many commoners dared not speak up and could only leave dejectedly.

"A while ago, when the Old Lady Bai celebrated her birthday, she not only allowed us to set up stalls in front of the mansion but also sent us some money for fruit. I didn't expect the Duke of Wei to be so ruthless. He must be a bad official!"

Some people, with impatient tempers, whispered to their wives in private, scaring the woman pale, who quickly covered her husband's mouth.

"You want to die? How dare you speak like that. Hurry up, let's go somewhere else. If we offend the nobles, not only can we not set up stalls but we might also lose our lives."

After saying that, she dragged her husband away hastily.

Before long, the front of the Duke Wei's mansion quieted down. There was a soldier guarding the entrance every three steps, making the entire street impassable.

A young soldier who had just arrived looked puzzled and asked his leader, "Brother, who is the distinguished guest coming today? Why did Lord Prefect send so many of us to guard here?"

"You're such a fool. It must be someone important from the palace. Duke Wei's daughter is the most favored consort in the court right now. Can ordinary people come and go as they please? Open your eyes wide, be polite, and don't offend anyone."

"All right, thank you for the reminder, brother."

The young soldier nodded vigorously, thinking to himself that the Eastern Capital, where the nobles gathered was indeed filled with powerful figures he couldn't afford to offend.

"Later, go and get a few pots of good wine for the brothers. It's so cold today, drinking a few sips when changing shifts will help ward off the cold. Oh, and get a couple of ducks from the Shen family too. Last time, we didn't even have a chance to taste them properly before you wolves devoured them all! This time, I want to have my fill first

."

With that, he took out some silver coins from his bag and handed them to the young soldier, who happily stuffed the money into his pocket.

Feng Jinyao got off the carriage according to the time she had pinched, bringing Yunxu with her, along with some winter plum blossoms.

Just promoted from the second-class female officer, she was efficient and reliable, and her demeanor was calm.

The carriage headed northward, and after about an hour, it arrived at Qing'an Street where the Duke Wei's mansion was located.

The Duke Wei's mansion, with its golden plaque shimmering, had all three doors wide open, revealing its grandeur even before entering the mansion.

The Feng family's residence was only two streets away from the Duke of Wei's mansion, so the Bai sisters were late but still managed to arrive before Feng Jinyao.

As Feng Jinyao got off the carriage, Bai Siruo and Bai Sihan were already standing at the gate of the mansion, about to enter.

"Cousin."

Bai Siruo turned her head and saw Feng Jinyao walking towards them, draped in a large white rabbit fur cloak.

With a jade hairpin and a beautiful face, she looked elegant, although not as naturally beautiful as her sister. Yet, she seemed more refined and casual.

Looking at Bai Siruo, who was dressed simply, Feng Jinyao was also dressed simply.

With a sky-blue jacket and skirt, paired with a pair of pearl earrings and a hairpin adorned with pearls, she was not as glamorous as usual but had an extra touch of elegance, making her appear much more gentle and modest.

They exchanged a glance and both saw each other's 'intentions,' smiling at each other.

On the side, Bai Sihan frowned. When she first saw Bai Siruo, she found it strange. Clearly, they were going to a banquet, but she was dressed so casually. Did she not want to go and deliberately dress like this to slight the Wei family?

Unexpectedly, Feng Jinyao was dressed similarly. Bai Sihan was puzzled. Were the two deliberately dressing so simply?

Why?

"Cousin, why are you dressed so simply today? Could it be that there is some discord with the Wei family, so you are showing them disrespect by dressing so plainly?"

They were still at the gate of the mansion, yet she was already trying to sow discord. She was indeed a good daughter of the Shen family, who all had wicked hearts, eager to climb up on others' corpses.

Hearing her words, Feng Jinyao didn't get angry. Instead, she smiled and said, "Cousin, you're overthinking it. I don't like dressing up usually, and I can't compare to my sister's natural beauty, so I'd rather not show my face. On the other hand, you're dressed so elegantly, and you look quite extraordinary. From a distance, I thought you were a fairy descending to earth."