Bai Si Furen, the fourth madam, was the one who spoke playfully. Among the sisters-in-law, her background was the best; the status of Princess Wenyi was one that even noble figures in the palace had to regard with respect.
However, she never relied on her status to bully others. She was gentle and amiable, possessing an excellent disposition, which was why everyone in the Bai family both respected and liked her.
There was just one thing: every time she saw Feng Jinlin, she would tease him a few words. Perhaps it was due to her own difficulties with childbirth, but seeing such a clever child before her, she paid him extra attention.
The family entered the courtyard amidst laughter and banter. Shen Shi, who was still outside, glanced at Feng Jinlin askance and snorted heavily through her nose.
Another fair-weather friend, completely ignoring her as if she were air.
She was very displeased with Feng Jinlin's demeanor, but it was not appropriate to make a scene at this moment. She reached up to adjust a crimson gold hairpin dangling from her head and strutted inside with a smug air.
Seated in the main hall was an elderly woman with a head full of silver hair and a kind face, the protagonist of this birthday celebration, Old Madam Bai.
She wore a dark blue brocade vest adorned with five blessings, her silver hair tied up with a few simple jade hairpins. Her features were regular, and her temperament was serene. It was unusual for a general's family to have such a daughter, but she was indeed a perfect match for the steady and dignified Prime Minister Bai.
"Grandmother, Little Two pays her respects. May you remain forever young and blessed with longevity."
With that, she knelt on the ground, kowtowing three times before finally rising. Her face was full of smiles, making Old Madam Bai beam with delight.
"Grandmother is already sixty, how can she still be forever young? You mischievous monkey, you only know how to coax your grandmother."
Feng Jinlin plastered a smile on his face and leaned closer. Old Madam Bai playfully hit him, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
Meanwhile, Bai Sihan, standing nearby, gazed at his retreating back, lost in thought, feeling a sense of déjà vu.
Bai Sihan was also deliberately dressed up today, wearing a pleated skirt with embroidered butterflies, making her face as rosy as a peach and her skin as white as snow.
She was already a strikingly beautiful woman, and with those captivating, fox-like eyes, she was incredibly alluring. A single glance at anyone could make their bones melt.
Seeing Feng Jinlin look in her direction, she immediately perked up and offered him a shy smile, about to say something when she saw his gaze shift away without the slightest pause.
Hateful!
When she was in Qiongzhou, how many young lords had fallen at her feet? How could this second cousin Feng remain so unmoved?
Feng Jinyao, reliving her life, was first startled to see so many familiar faces from the Bai family, and then memories of her past life flooded her mind.
When the Feng family fell into misfortune, the entire Bai mansion provided them with their utmost support, only to be reprimanded by an imperial decree from the Emperor.
Her eldest uncle, after openly pleading for the Feng family in court, was successively demoted. Her fourth uncle wrote a memorial of grievances in the Yunqi Academy and distributed it among the populace. The Emperor was furious. If not for the pleas of Prince Kang and Princess Wenyi, he would have surely lost his life long ago.
Her grandmother, eldest aunt, and fourth aunt, all wearing their noblewoman's attire, repeatedly entered the palace to seek an audience with the Empress Dowager and the Empress, begging for leniency for the Feng family. However, after kneeling for three consecutive days, the palace gates remained closed. This also caused Old Madam Bai to fall seriously ill upon her return, requiring constant medication and leaving her in a much weaker state than before.
A wave of emotion washed over her, her heart aching with a bittersweet sorrow. She wanted to say something but didn't know how to express it, how to repay the Bai family for their kindness.
Thus, she solemnly performed a grand bow to Old Madam Bai and the elders.
"Grandmother, today is your sixtieth birthday. Your granddaughter has specially written a calligraphy scroll of a hundred blessings, wishing you a happy birthday every year and a long life."
After saying this, she respectfully kowtowed to Old Madam Bai.
Old Madam Bai looked at Feng Jinyao kneeling before her, a sigh escaping her.
Although Feng Er resembled Madam Feng the most, she was, after all, a man. Seeing Feng Jinyao was like seeing her daughter from many years ago, when she was still enjoying her company. Many memories resurfaced.
"Good child, get up quickly."
Her loving gaze made Feng Jinyao's eyes well up. Her eldest aunt, being the most quick-witted, immediately stepped forward with a silk handkerchief.
"This child, she's always been a sentimental one. Today is a joyous occasion, you mustn't cry, understand?"
"Eldest aunt is right. It was presumptuous of A Yao."
Old Madam Bai beckoned her over, pulled her to sit beside her, and handed her the gilded hand warmer she was holding.
"How is your mother? Has the imperial physician's medicine helped?"
Her mother's illness, the perpetrator of the poisoning not yet discovered, Feng Jinyao had no intention of revealing it prematurely. Thus, she made an excuse to deflect.
"She's a bit better. However, due to the cold winter, there are occasional relapses. Mother specifically instructed us to come early to see if we could help. She said that once the sun is warmer, she will invite Grandmother and the aunts to visit for tea. We have some newly acquired Jingming tea, your favorite, Grandmother."
"Your mother, she always worries about these things, which is why her condition relapses. You should all persuade her more. The eldest daughter-in-law has been in Dongdu for several years now. It's not good for her to be confined to her courtyard all the time. Later, have your mother take her out more often. She also needs to shoulder some of the household responsibilities."
"Yes, granddaughter will tell mother later."
Old Madam Bai gently stroked Feng Jinyao's dark hair by her temples, her affection evident.
However, a girl of about seventeen sitting below was displeased. She pouted and said, "Grandmother is biased. Now that A Yao is here, you can't see your own granddaughter anymore."
Princess Wenyi chuckled behind her sleeve, "Shameless! Grandmother has always kept the best for you. Now you're even jealous of your own cousin."
A young woman, wearing a goose-yellow vest embroidered with precious flowers and a moon-white ru yi skirt, stepped forward. She pushed Feng Er aside and nestled affectionately beside Old Madam Bai, saying in a spoiled tone,
"Sister A Yao, you can have half of Grandmother's affection today. Tomorrow, Grandmother will still be mine."
Hahaha, everyone was amused by her quick wit.
The speaker was none other than the daughter of Princess Wenyi and Bai Silang, Bai Siruo.
Relying on the Emperor's favor towards her mother, she had received the title of county princess several years ago. She was bright-eyed, with a radiant smile, and dignified.
Although she was a county princess at a young age, and even had a county princess's mansion granted to her outside, she was very upright and honorable. She never relied on her power to bully others. Other than that, Feng Jinyao did not have a deep impression of her.
In her past life, their acquaintance was superficial. Her thoughts were led astray by Miss Wen and her group. Regarding this cheerful, generous, and innocent cousin, she only knew that after marriage, she had a strained relationship with her husband and often returned home in anger, causing the entire city of Dongdu to gossip and many to mock her.
Her husband was the legitimate second grandson of Prince Kang's mansion, which also strained the relationship between Prince Kang's mansion and the Bai family.
She thought that if she had the opportunity in this life, she could help her, to avoid this ill-fated marriage, and also as repayment to her fourth uncle and aunt. After all, they only had this one daughter, and they surely wished for her to live happily.
With this plan in mind, Feng Jinyao deliberately stepped forward and engaged her in playful banter.