A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace

Chapter 569 Second Lady

After an unknown amount of time, Lady Yao finally burst into loud tears."Oh, Dear Heaven!"

"This is terrible!"

"Nobody stop me, I’m going to die!"

"What’s the point in me living? I don’t want to live anymore, I don’t!"

"Xia Jingfeng, you spout malicious slander, you disparage your own mother, you... you will be punished by the heavens!"

Lady Yao was blustering and shouting, looking from one person to another. While throwing a tantrum, she was also surreptitiously gauging everyone’s reactions.

Xia Jingfeng was not afraid at all and let out a cold laugh.

"Punished by the heavens?"

"I, Xia Jingfeng, have always behaved with integrity and stood upright, open and aboveboard! I’m afraid of nothing!"

"If a bolt of heavenly lightning were to strike, it would strike you first, rest assured!"

Xia Jingfeng laughed, feeling utterly relaxed. His elder sister had told him in a letter that respectability should be reserved for respectable people; to deal with the shameless, one had to be even more shameless than them.

Now, after a round of harsh beatings and scolding, he indeed felt a great sense of relief; it was much better than keeping it all bottled up. If Lady Yao wanted to court death, then let her die. What were dignity and reputation worth, anyway?

Moreover, blind filial piety didn’t necessarily lead to a good reputation. When he became an official and truly accomplished things for the common people, that would be true dignity! That kind of reputation would be genuine!

Xia Jingfeng had come to a very profound understanding! His eyes were sharp, his expression serene, and his demeanor calm and unflappable, as if he feared neither heaven nor earth and was ready to risk everything.

Upon seeing this, Lady Yao... chickened out. This young man was not someone to be trifled with; after all, Consort Xian Pin in the palace was his biological elder sister. If she truly angered him, could she... withstand the retaliation?

Lady Yao hesitated. For a moment, her heart was a maelstrom of frustration, anger, grievance, and fear. These emotions warred within her, tugging and tearing, causing an agonizing, burning pain.

Lady Yao didn’t care about anything else at that point and just sat on the ground, wailing loudly.

"Oh, Dear Heaven, take me!"

"I’m hopeless! What’s the point in living anymore!"

"Please take me, I truly don’t want to live anymore!"

Xia Jingfeng sneered coldly.

"If you don’t want to live, then go ahead and die. Right, go back to your own home to die; don’t dirty my older brothers’ courtyard!"

After saying this, he turned to Rat.

"Let’s go!"

Rat hurriedly responded. Brother, you’re formidable! It seems the men of the Xia Family are all tough; no weaklings, every one a true man! Thinking this, he scurried off to close the gate.

"Wait!"

A voice stopped him.

Everyone’s gaze instantly turned to the source of the voice: Old Master Xia.

Old Master Xia’s belly was still as large, but the expression on his face was somewhat complicated. His lips quivered several times, but no sound emerged.

Lady Yao, on the other hand, was quite pleased. Is the Old Master finally going to stand up for me?

Xia Jingfeng felt quite speechless but was already mentally prepared. After all, his father had always been a mere figurehead in his life; only his elder sister had ever truly cared for him. It didn’t matter if his father showed favoritism elsewhere.

Unexpectedly, after a moment, Old Master Xia suddenly spoke, his voice trembling, filled with remorse, "Jingfeng... Father... I’m sorry!"

Earlier, when Jingfeng had slapped Lady Yao, Old Master Xia had felt deeply uncomfortable upon hearing the reasons.

He knew he was partial. He did favor the youngest son born to Lady Yao, and he didn’t pay much attention to the children born of concubines. But even the most vicious tiger does not eat its own cubs! His heart wasn’t cruel! He still hoped for the best for all his children. It was just that sometimes his judgment was muddled. But even in his muddled state, he would never intentionally harm his own son! So... when Xia Jingfeng revealed all the heinous deeds Lady Yao had committed, he was utterly shocked. He had truly believed Lady Yao was a good person. He had genuinely thought his second son was frail and sickly! He had truly believed the boy couldn’t study! He had never expected...

SMACK!

Lady Yao received another slap across the face, personally delivered by Old Master Xia.

Lady Yao’s heart completely crumbled.

"Old Master!" she cried, heart-wrenchingly.

Old Master Xia sneered coldly, "You poisonous woman, do you still have the face to cry?!"

Lady Yao immediately didn’t dare to cry anymore and could only swallow her tears. In these times, a woman without her husband’s favor counted for nothing! What did it matter if I was the legitimate wife? What did it matter if I had sons and daughters? If the Old Master no longer liked me, he could divorce me at any time and marry someone younger and prettier. Then, the Young Master would still be the Young Master, and the Young Miss still the Young Miss, but the Madam... I would no longer be the Madam! A concubine? A mere chamber maid? Even that might be my fate! The Xia Family isn’t the Royal Family; divorcing a wife doesn’t require the approval of the entire world. He could divorce me with a single word! With these thoughts, Lady Yao was completely panicked.

"Old Master... I... I..." she stammered. "I am wronged!"

Old Master Xia looked on with disbelief.

"Wronged? At this juncture, you show no remorse and still claim to be wronged?!"

"Hmph!"

With a cold expression, Old Master Xia flicked his sleeves and departed. He paid no more heed to his son or Lady Yao. He simply hoisted his portly, middle-aged belly, called for the coachman, and returned to the Xia Residence with his attendants.

Lady Yao was left all alone. She couldn’t leave, nor could she stay!

BANG! Rat slammed the door shut and went back inside with Xia Jingfeng.

And so, Lady Yao was locked out, stranded in a place completely unfamiliar to her. After looking around in despair, her body gave way, and she collapsed to the ground.

"Old Master!!!"

Lady Yao cried her heart out!

But who could hear her?

The next day, Old Master Xia dispatched someone to ride posthaste to Jiangnan to fetch Maternal Aunt Wen. Lady Yao had committed such heinous deeds. Not only could his two sons not forgive her, but even he himself could not easily forgive her.

Next month, when Xia Tingfeng was to be married, Lady Yao definitely could not attend. Maternal Aunt Wen was his birth mother and was the most qualified to be there. Old Master Xia made his plans, very pleased with his decision. Next month, when Xia Tingfeng is to be married, Lady Yao definitely cannot attend. Maternal Aunt Wen is his birth mother and is the most qualified to be there. Let her go! That would be excellent!

There was just one thing that pricked his conscience. Xia Ruqing and Xia Jingfeng, that brother and sister... after all these years, I still feel a pang of guilt towards them! They are my legitimate son and daughter, born of my first wife, far more rightly positioned than those born of Lady Yao. Alas... it was my own fault for trusting Lady Yao too much. Why didn’t I pay more attention! But then he reconsidered. As a man, it’s understandable that I might not notice all the affairs of the back courtyard. This thought eased his guilt somewhat. From now on, they won’t have to suffer any more grievances.

「At the beginning of the winter month.」

Maternal Aunt Wen, with the Second Miss Xia Caiying, traveled hundreds of miles from Jiangnan all the way to the Capital City.

Two days later, Old Master Xia officially named Maternal Aunt Wen as a secondary wife. The servants in the Xia Residence accordingly began to address her as ’Second Lady!’

On that very same day, Lady Yao took to her bed, consumed by anger. Xia Tingfeng listened to the servant’s report and felt quite satisfied. "Aunt will be the Second Lady now, and I can request a title for her."

Maternal Aunt Wen had endured hardships for most of her life, and at last, her perseverance had paid off.

The rank of Second Lady was akin to that of a secondary wife in a high-status household. Although children born to her were not considered of direct legitimate descent from the principal wife, they could still inherit the family business. She could also manage the household finances and domestic affairs, and her children would be regarded as semi-legitimate. In the future, they could all marry into good families!