Xia You was right. People would figure out that the only reason Jinxuan was cooking in the wedding feast was that Princess Liu Li wanted revenge from Chunyu’s rebuttal.
“What did Chunyu say?” Yu De asked.
“He said that if Jinxuan would be the one cooking, then he’d be the one serving the dishes. Chunfeng even yelled at me earlier. He was so angry that he said he’d rather be a monk than marry Princess Liu Li. The mansion is in chaos because of this,” Xia You told her. “Yu De, you have to help me. Can you get the Old Ancestress to refute this?”
Yu De shook her head and said, “I don’t want to tell the Old Ancestress about this. She loves Jinxuan and if she finds out about this, she’d wage a war with the Empress Dowager. Don’t worry, I’ll go talk to the Empress Dowager myself.”
At this time, Xia Chunfeng and Little Jing were drinking in Heavenly Residence.
“What are you doing? Did you just call me out here to drink?” Little Jing demanded as he slammed his glass down.
Xia Chunfeng said, “I am drowning my sorrows.”
“Why? Because of your impending wedding?” Little Jing guessed.
“What do you think about me fleeing out of Jin Ling?” Xia Chunfeng asked.
Little Jing almost spat his wine out in shock. “What? You can’t do that! What about your family? Have you thought about what the Empress Dowager will do to your family if you bail out of this marriage?”
Xia Chunfeng sighed, shaking his head sadly. “My life has become pathetic.”
Helian Jing snorted. You want to talk about pathetic? I am in love with a girl who’s married to someone else. How much more pathetic can you get?
“It doesn’t matter. You have responsibilities that you need to fulfill. Besides, Liu Li isn’t that bad. She might be spoiled and bad-tempered, but she’s a good person deep down,” Helian Jing said.
Xia Chunfeng scowled. “A good person? I don’t think so.”
“Why would you say that?”
“She asked Second Sister-in-law to cook our wedding feast.”
“What?!” Little Jing exclaimed. “That’s too much! What did Yaoyao say?”
“Second Sister-in-law agreed but Mother, Second Brother, and I are protesting against it.”
Little Jing sighed with relief. If Brother Chunyu had agreed to Yaoyao cooking, Little Jing would have protested this matter to the Empress Dowager himself.
“My life has become boring. Now that Li Yao is gone, the taste of the food here has changed. Oh, do you remember the times when you, Qixuan, Li Yao, and I would just eat and drink together? Why did we stop doing that?” Xia Chunfeng complained, already a little bit tipsy.
Of course, Helian Jing remembered. That was the time that he was hopelessly in love with Yaoyao and thought that he might have a chance with her. He remembered their trip from Ji Nan to Jin Ling, planning the Old Ancestress’ birthday feast together, and even that time when they tried to set Susu and Qixuan up. That was a really happy time for him. Unfortunately, it was all over now.
Remembering all those memories was just bringing up old feelings and hurt again, so Little Jing decided to take a page out of Chunfeng’s book and just drink it all away.
Early next morning, Yu De went to the palace.
“Why did you come this early?” the Empress Dowager asked lazily.
“I haven’t seen you in a while, Empress Dowager! I missed you,” Yu De said. “Liu Li’s wedding is also coming up. What can I do to help?”
The Empress Dowagers’ eyes narrowed in suspicion. “No, everything’s settled now. Liu Li would have the grand wedding she deserves.”
Yu De smiled patiently. “I heard that Jinxuan’s organizing the wedding feast. That’s great! I’m sure she’ll do a great job of this.”
The Empress Dowager sneered and said, “She will not only organize it, but she will also be cooking the food!”
Yu De feigned surprise. “Did she offer to cook?”
“Offer? No, I ordered her to.”
“Empress Dowager, I’m afraid that’s inappropriate.”
The Empress Dowager merely laughed. “What’s wrong?”
Yu De reasoned, “Everyone knows that Chunyu refused to marry Liu Li because of Jinxuan. What do you think they’ll think when they find out that Jinxuan was ordered to cook for the banquet? They would think that it’s Liu Li’s doing because she wanted revenge.”
The Empress Dowager’s smile faded off as she considered Yu De’s words.
Yu De continued, “This wouldn’t be good for Liu Li’s reputation. Jinxuan is now the Second Young Mistress of the Jing An Marquis mansion, even if she offered to cook, you shouldn’t let her. Besides, you know that Chunyu would do anything to protect her. Do you think he’d just stand idly by if you belittle his wife like this?
“I know that you love Liu Li and you want to avenge her, but this is wrong. Liu Li is marrying into the Xia family soon. What would they think of this affront? How do you think they’ll feel if you start the union this way? What would the outsiders say when they learn about this? More importantly, what will Chunfeng think? He’s to be her husband and if you continue with this, his impression and attitude toward Liu Li will forever be tarnished.”
“Did the Xia family sent you to negotiate on their behalf?” the Empress Dowager said after a long moment of silence.
“Of course not, Empress Dowager,” Yu De denied with a slight laugh. “I haven’t seen anyone from the Xia family in days.”
The Empress Dowager nodded, deep in thought. “You have valid points. I admit that I didn’t consider the consequences of my order.”
She was determined to take the blame for this. No one could know that this was Liu Li’s proposal, especially the people of the Jing An Marquis mansion.
“Please go and tell them to disregard my order,” the Empress Dowager said.
Yu De secretly let out a sigh of relief. They were lucky that the Empress Dowager changed her mind, otherwise, this would’ve resulted in a whole new bout of chaos.
“Of course. I will head over there immediately. I also heard that they are expanding the mansion in preparation for Liu Li’s arrival. I will go inspect it and report back to you Empress Dowager,” Yu De said with a happy smile.
Today, Zhong Xiang has successfully made five cakes. Ye Jiayao was very proud of him. She left three cakes for him to decorate while she iced and frosted the remaining two. She sent one to Zhao Qixuan’s house for his mother. Mrs. Yong An was a foodie and Ye Jiayao knew that she would enjoy the cake.
She delivered the other cake to the Helian mansion. When she arrived, only the Old Ancestress was present. Ye Jiayao chatted with her for a while before heading back home.
When she got home, the servants informed her that the Elder Princess Yu De was there and was touring the expanded courtyard with Lady Xia You.
Ye Jiayao rushed to them to pay her respects.
“Oh, there you are Jinxuan! Come and take a look. Tell us if there’s anything that can be improved,” Yu De said.
Ye Jiayao knew that the reconstruction of this yard was personally planned by Xia You. Saying anything bad about it would just be plain stupid. “The layout is great and the environment is exquisitely and peacefully elegant. I like it.”
Yu De smiled and offered, “If you like it, maybe this should be yours in the future.”
Ye Jiayao knew that the Elder Princess said what she said without any consideration or actual thought so she carefully replied, “I can live anywhere as long as the family is happy. Chunyu and I are happy with our yard right now, Elder Princess, so I’m okay with that.”
Xia You smiled, satisfied with Ye Jinxuan’s answer. She was starting to see just how kind and smart her new daughter-in-law is.
“Yu De, what do you think needs to be improved?” Xia You asked.
Yu De thought about it for a moment and then shrugged. “I don’t have any idea at the moment.”
“Mother, why don’t set up a flower stand in the corner, plant the wisteria and put on a pair of swings?” Ye Jiayao suggested.
Yu De chimed in, “Oh, that’s a good idea! Liu Li still has the heart of a child and she loves swings. She has a pair in the palace, and she loves to swing in her free time.”
Ye Jiayao saw those swings in the palace before that’s why she suggested it in the first place.
Xia You looked at Ye Jiayao for a few seconds before saying to Granny Sun, “Tell Housekeeper Zhong to set up a flower stand here and put on a swing.”
