A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace

Chapter 454: Not So Favored Anymore, Huh

It seems I am no longer as favored as I once was.Lady Yao locked herself in her room.

The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. Now, she dared not bully Lady Wen; her son was the Great Commander, holding a high official rank. She also dared not bully that detestable Xia Jingfeng; Consort Xian Pin was his elder sister, after all. Not only could she not bully them, but she also had to coax and flatter them. Unable to provoke this one, and having to respect that one, how did she end up as the lowest of them all? Even a concubine was now more proud than her? What kind of life was this she was living?

The more Lady Yao dwelled on it, the more heartbroken she became, until she finally had the Wetnurse Nanny hurriedly summon her son and daughter.

She held each one in her arms.

"Wei Feng, Ruyi..."

Xia Weifeng, not understanding, felt a bit uncomfortable and quickly struggled free.

Xia Ruyi, on the other hand, was quite sensible and asked, "Mother, what’s wrong?"

Lady Yao couldn’t speak recklessly. Gently stroking her children’s heads, she said with deep earnestness, "You two must study hard and bring honor to your mother!"

Xia Weifeng, thoroughly spoiled, didn’t listen at all.

Xia Ruyi was also a bit puzzled. "Mother, are you hoping your daughter will become the top scholar?"

Lady Yao, flustered, waved her hand dismissively. "Top scholar? If you can marry well, your mother will be content!"

Xia Ruyi’s eyes held pride and a fierce, resolute determination. "Don’t worry, Mother. Whatever Elder Sister has, your daughter will surely have in the future!"

Her son was so thoughtless. In the end, Lady Yao found comfort in her daughter.

She hugged Xia Ruyi tightly. "My good daughter, you must bring honor to your mother. Otherwise, when they all become arrogant, we—mother and children—will be the ones who are bullied!"

Xia Ruyi nodded fiercely, her eyes gleaming with a cold light. "Rest assured, Mother!"

The expression on her face was entirely at odds with her age.

「」

The matter of entering the palace was thus concluded for the time being.

At the end of the fourth month, the Xia Family formally went to the Ni Family to discuss the marriage.

In ancient times, matrimonial alliances were said to involve Six Rites. The process typically included steps such as: inquiring about the bride’s name, confirming good fortune for the match, presenting betrothal gifts, requesting the wedding date, and the groom personally welcoming the bride.

However, these gradually evolved into simpler common customs such as proposing marriage, discussing the arrangements, formalizing the engagement, and holding the wedding ceremony.

Because it was a marriage bestowed by the Emperor, the proposal step was skipped, proceeding directly to the discussion of arrangements.

This involved exchanging birth details between the families and matching their horoscopes. Then, they would discuss the date for the formal engagement and the agreed-upon betrothal gifts.

To discuss this matter, both families had to meet face to face; it was something neither set of parents could avoid.

So, early this morning, Old Master Xia and Lady Yao, impeccably dressed, set off in a carriage.

Following behind their carriage was a cart laden with several boxes, all containing introductory gifts for the prospective in-laws. These gifts had all been prepared in advance. Otherwise, given Lady Yao’s extravagance, she certainly couldn’t have produced them at this moment.

The carriage wound its way through streets and alleys for a full Shi Chen before arriving at the entrance of the Ni Family residence.

The Ni family’s Butler had been waiting outside since early that morning. Upon seeing the guests arrive, he called for them to be welcomed while simultaneously sending word inside.

As Old Master Xia and Lady Yao alighted from the carriage, they saw General Ni and Lady Ni personally coming out to greet them. As this concerned their daughter’s future marital family, the Ni family regarded the visit with great importance.

"Ah, this must be General Ni! I have long admired you..."

"Lord Xia... It is an honor to meet you!"

Both were veterans of official circles. Though one was a Civil Official and the other a Military General, they typically held little regard for one another. But at this moment, with their families about to become in-laws, the usual pettiness was set aside.

At least Old Master Ni wasn’t fussy; he was quite open-minded. Xia Tingfeng was indeed a fine young man, worthy of his cherished pearl of a daughter. Even if Xia Tingfeng’s family wasn’t of high standing, since the Emperor had decreed the marriage, he couldn’t object. Now that the two families were to be linked by marriage, there was no need to fuss about whether one was marrying above or below their station. Cordiality was all that mattered.

Old Master Xia, however... did not see it that way.

Deep down, he still had some reservations. A daughter from a martial family? Could she be... somewhat coarse and unrefined, lacking proper upbringing? Of course, these were merely his concerns, and he dared not voice them. After all, the Emperor had already decreed the marriage. It was too late for any objections; things just had to be this way.

Old Master Xia suppressed his inner criticisms and also became amiable.

The two families sat in the reception hall, sipping tea. With polite efficiency, they quickly settled the details of the engagement and the wedding date.

And then... the business was concluded.

The atmosphere sank into awkwardness. What followed was... a distinct lack of topics for conversation!

One was a civil official, the other a military general. Neither found the other particularly agreeable, and they had no common ground for discussion.

As for Lady Ni and Lady Yao, that was another matter entirely. One was the prospective mother-in-law (the bride’s mother), the other the prospective stepmother-in-law (the groom’s stepmother). If their exchanged glances didn’t actually set off sparks in the air, it was already a sign of restraint.

Lady Ni found Lady Yao particularly disagreeable.

It was bad enough that Lady Yao wasn’t the groom’s birth mother, making her a stepmother-in-law, but she was also a second wife, a mere replacement. A replacement wife, fine, but look at her attire! Such a flamboyant array of colors—what on earth was all that? Her head was adorned with so many gaudy gemstones and jade pieces of every imaginable color; wasn’t it all terribly ostentatious and distracting? She had clearly never read many books and was utterly ignorant of propriety... Probably... just a simple countrywoman.

Lady Yao also found Lady Ni quite disagreeable.

Hmph, putting on airs like some grand lady from a prestigious family, but she doesn’t look like much. Dressed so plainly, yet still carrying herself with such pretension; it must be exhausting for her. The Master himself said that military families are all brutish and uncultured; we are the ones from a refined, scholarly, and noble background. So, what was there for her to be so proud of?

The two women sat appearing cordial, but in their minds, they had already clashed for three hundred rounds.

The men, too, had little to say to each other.

The four of them stared awkwardly at one another, the atmosphere exceedingly uncomfortable.

Thankfully, it was soon time for the meal. Servants brought in the dishes one after another. The group rose to dine, which finally broke the awkward silence.

After the midday meal, Old Master Xia had no desire to linger. After exchanging courteous pleasantries for a while, he took his leave. The Ni family, also feeling the discomfort, didn’t insist on them staying and courteously saw them out.

That concluded the marriage discussions. The engagement was set for May, and the wedding would likely be towards the end of the year.

「」

After sending off the Xia Family, Lady Ni busied herself, ordering the servants to bring in the gifts from the Xia Family.

She thought that, since these were gifts for their first formal meeting, they surely wouldn’t be too shabby. At the very least, there should be eighty to a hundred items, big and small.

She instructed servants to fetch the ledger to record the gifts, while others began to open the trunks.

However, when the trunks were opened one by one, Lady Ni was stupefied...

What... what was all this?!

There were ten or twenty bolts of fabric, all of them old patterns from years ago; not a single piece looked fresh or vibrant. There were pearl necklaces and agate gemstones too, but they were all jumbled together, and their quality was extremely poor. The rest—potted landscapes, decorative ornaments, antiques, and curios—looked like a pile of junk.

Lady Ni was no stranger to antiques, but antiques weren’t supposed to be this dilapidated and shabby!

As each item was taken out, she herself felt embarrassed looking at them.

Enraged, Lady Ni slammed the ledger down and ordered the trunks closed. "All of you, leave! There’s no need to record any of this!"

The matrons and maids dared not say another word, quickly closing the trunks and departing.