Consort Fang hailed from the Duke of Loyalty and Valor's estate, being the legitimate daughter of the Duke. Her elder sister was the Empress, so naturally, she had high standards.
Her son was a prince. Had it not been for that infernal curse, he would have been betrothed to a princess, a county princess, or a daughter of a noble family.
It was understandable that she looked down on Wang Qingyao.
However, the Old Dowager Consort doted on Wang Qingyao. The Old Dowager Consort herself was not of noble birth and did not care about her granddaughter-in-law's family background; she only cared if her grandson liked her. Seeing them so sweet and exchanging glances even without speaking, she was overjoyed.
"...I manage the affairs of the Prince's manor. The household is simple, and there isn't much to do. You've just married in, so you don't need to rush into things. The most important thing is for you to give me a great-grandchild first."
They had only gotten married yesterday, and today the Old Dowager Consort was already urging them to have children.
Wang Qingyao had some understanding of her mindset. Everyone believed that Xiao Yun would not live long, so it was best for her to get pregnant immediately, have two children in one year and three in two, and produce as many offspring as possible.
In ancient times, there were "three unfilial acts," and having no heir was the greatest.
Wang Qingyao understood this very well.
This was the most important task she had on hand.
She nodded in agreement, "Grandmother is right. That's what I've been thinking too."
The Old Dowager Consort was taken aback, then burst into laughter.
All the maids in the room secretly looked at Wang Qingyao, thinking how unabashed the new Princess Consort was! After saying that, she even cast a proud glance at the Prince. The Prince pretended to be talking to the Second Young Master, but the corners of his mouth were practically flying to the sky.
Seeing the harmonious relationship between Xiao Yun and his wife, the Old Dowager Consort's thoughts turned to Xiao Mo.
She glanced at Xiao Mo's face, and he knew what she was thinking.
"Grandmother, I have some matters to attend to outside. I'll take my leave now." He slipped away quickly, as if afraid that if he were a moment late, the Old Dowager Consort would find him a wife.
Wang Qingyao and Xiao Yun both laughed, and the Old Dowager Consort said helplessly, "If only he could be a bit more like the Second Prince."
The Second Prince was always thinking about romance, while Xiao Mo avoided women like the plague – two extremes.
Wang Qingyao and Xiao Yun did not stay with the Old Dowager Consort for too long. On the second day of their wedding, the groom was supposed to accompany the bride back to her maiden home for a formal visit.
This was commonly known as "returning to the maternal home."
Wang Qingyao had always thought that the return visit was on the third day. It turned out that in the Great Sheng Dynasty, as long as the gifts could be prepared quickly, the return visit could be made on the second day.
If the gifts could not be prepared, a return visit between three to seven days was also acceptable.
The Xiao family was the wealthiest in the Great Sheng Dynasty, so the gifts were naturally prepared long ago.
Before the Prince's manor's carriage even reached the Wang family's gate, a servant ran in to report, "Prince Ding'an and Princess Consort have arrived."
Wang Da, Old Madam Wang, Wang Zijin, Bai Junya, Wang Qingzhen, and Wang Qingzhu were all waiting in the main hall.
Looking at them, the Wang family's population seemed rather sparse, with only Wang Zijin as a male heir.
Wang Qingyao was now a legitimate Princess Consort. Old Madam Wang, who bullied the weak and feared the strong, had not taken Wang Qingyao's title of County Princess seriously before. Now, in front of Xiao Yun, she refused to even accept the customary family禮 (li - etiquette/gift).
Wang Qingyao merely curtsied and asked Yin Zhu and Zhi Zi to bring in the gifts and distribute them.
Xiao Yun stayed to chat for a while, then Wang Da and Wang Zijin invited him to the study for tea.
This was the custom in ancient times: men had their own domain, and women had theirs.
Xiao Yun was reluctant to leave his wife, but thinking that women also had private conversations to have, he followed them.
Old Madam Wang sat at the head, while the younger generation engaged in polite conversation.
Wang Qingzhen observed Wang Qingyao several times. Seeing her wearing a bright red robe with wide sleeves over a bright red silk skirt, embroidered with patterns in gold thread, a phoenix tail hairpin adorning her head, and laden with pearls and jade, she couldn't help but show envy.
The Old Madam's questions were nothing more than "Does the Prince treat you well?" "Does the Dowager Consort like you?" "Does the Old Dowager Consort dote on you?" In truth, it was only the second day of their marriage, and it was too early to tell if they were well-matched.
Wang Qingyao just nodded.
The Old Madam then asked, "Why didn't Mama Hua return with you?"
Wang Qingyao answered smoothly, "There are several new maids in the courtyard, and there's a lot of work."
The Old Madam was pleased to hear this, thinking that Wang Qingyao was still obedient and had not forgotten her as her grandmother after getting married.
The Old Madam's smile became more affectionate, "...Serve your mother-in-law and your paternal grandmother-in-law well. If you have any trouble, just send Mama Hua back to tell me."
She said it as if it were true. Wang Qingyao naturally did not take it seriously, but she still put on a show of being touched, which made the Old Madam even more pleased.
After a while, the Old Madam felt tired and returned to Rongtang Courtyard to rest.
Once she left, the atmosphere finally livened up.
Wang Qingzhen lowered her voice and said with schadenfreude, "Second Sister, do you know? Eldest Sister was sent to the countryside by Father before dawn today."
Wang Qingyao was startled and looked at Bai Junya, who nodded slightly and sighed.
Wang Zijin's biological mother and sister had been sent away, and he was feeling down. Bai Junya also felt sad for him.
Yesterday, when the servants had dragged away the "assassin," she hadn't recognized her as Wang Qinglin. It was only later, when Wang Qinglin woke up and revealed her identity, that she knew.
She was also shocked. Not only had Wang Qinglin's face been disfigured, but she had also tried to stab Wang Qingyao with a knife. What kind of hatred could drive someone to do such a thing?
No wonder Wang Qinglin had been under house arrest for so long.
Although she had heard rumors before, she hadn't realized it had reached such a point.
Recalling the past, Wang Qinglin had always been a proud peacock in front of her sisters, radiant and beautiful. Now that she had met such an end, it was truly a cause for endless sighing.
"Yesterday was truly perilous. Fortunately, Second Sister is blessed by Bodhisattva. When the Imperial Astrologer Feng Fu previously predicted Second Sister's noble destiny, people didn't believe it. Now, it's all coming true, isn't it? Second Sister is so fortunate!" Wang Qingzhen's words were sweet, and her compliments flowed endlessly.
Wang Qingzhu could only nod in agreement.
"Eldest Brother's and Second Cousin's wedding dates have also been moved up," Wang Qingzhen added.
Bai Junya's face flushed slightly, and joy flickered in her eyes.
The Wang family currently had no legitimate lady in charge. Wang Da and the Tian family discussed it, and decided to move up the wedding date.
It was originally scheduled for April next year, but it had now been moved to the end of this year.
Concubine Ying didn't care. She was just a concubine; no matter how esteemed she was, she couldn't socialize with other families.
As long as Madam Bai was still alive, Wang Da would not be able to take another wife, and she would be the head of Wang Da's inner court. That was enough for her.
She instructed Wang Qingzhen and Bai Junya to maintain a good relationship. After they got married, their brother and sister-in-law would be their support. They shouldn't be like those petty sisters-in-law who always caused trouble for their sisters-in-law.
Wang Qingzhen was living comfortably now and listened to her mother about everything.