Feng Fei Yu, despite some flaws in her personality, was a woman of her word. Although she didn't quite grasp the depth of Jia Yi's feelings for him, she still wished Jia Yi happiness. Now that they were married, Feng Fei Yu was certainly going to treat Jia Yi well. If it weren't for the Marquis's wife interfering, they would surely have lived a very blissful life.
However, with the Marquis's wife's involvement, she wasn't sure where their relationship would lead.
Just as she was thinking of Jia Yi, Jia Yi herself arrived.
Since Feng Fei Yu had been summoned back to the mansion to attend to the Marquis's wife who was supposedly ill, Jia Yi felt she had no other business there. After meeting the Marquis's wife, she came to find Lin Yan for some company.
"I heard Auntie is ill. How is she? Is it serious?" Lin Yan placed a cup of tea in front of Princess Jia Yi.
"It should be nothing serious. I saw her complexion was quite good, and I haven't heard of the Marquis's wife having any old ailments," Jia Yi said dismissively.
"Your Highness should also show some filial piety. Auntie, while ill, would surely want to see you and your cousin getting along harmoniously." Lin Yan didn't state it directly but offered a gentle suggestion.
Those who came from the palace were not fools, so Lin Yan only needed to hint at it for Princess Jia Yi to understand her meaning.
"You think so?" Princess Jia Yi mused thoughtfully.
"I think the imperial physicians from the palace are certainly more skilled than the doctors in the city. If Your Highness were to summon the Chief Imperial Physician to treat Auntie, then Cousin and Uncle would both be deeply moved by Your Highness's filial piety."
As for what the Chief Imperial Physician would say upon his arrival, that would depend on what Princess Jia Yi wanted to hear. Furthermore, the Chief Imperial Physician would certainly report back to His Majesty the Emperor upon his return.
Besides, not just anyone could request the presence of the Chief Imperial Physician; his visit was a form of honor. Even the Marquis's wife couldn't fault Jia Yi for her actions.
"Yan Yan, you're right. I should have the Chief Imperial Physician come and examine the Marquis's wife." Jia Yi considered it and found it to be true.
"Then I won't chat with you any longer. I'll go into the palace now to find a doctor for my mother-in-law, so that no one can say I'm not filial to my mother-in-law just because I'm a princess."
"That's exactly what you should do!" Lin Yan said.
After Jia Yi left in a flurry, Gu Yu brought out some pastries.
"Miss, didn't the Princess just arrive? Why did she leave so quickly?"
"The Princess has something more important to attend to, that's why she left."
Never mind that the Princess went to the palace to bring the Chief Imperial Physician to the Marquis's mansion; the anxious look on her face alone led many to believe that the Marquis of Huaiyin's wife was on her deathbed.
At the imperial court, the Emperor even inquired about the health of the Marquis of Huaiyin's wife.
This left the Marquis of Huaiyin, who knew the inside story, unsure how to react. He could only thank His Majesty for his concern and mention that the Chief Imperial Physician's medical skills were excellent and his wife was already much better.
However, he still felt deeply uneasy. After all, his wife's actions had now reached the Emperor's ears. He had no idea what else his wife was capable of.
The Marquis's wife's plan to feign illness failed not long after it was initiated. She looked at the Princess's mocking gaze and wanted to reprimand her, but given the Princess's status, she could only restrain herself.
Forcing herself to suppress her anger caused a blockage in the Marquis's wife's chest. She clutched her aching chest, desperately wanting to call for a doctor, but her son stood beside her with an expression that clearly said, "Stop pretending."
The Marquis's wife felt her head begin to ache as well, especially when she saw Princess Jia Yi, while feigning concern, looking at her with an expression that said, "Let's see how long you can keep this up."
She felt her vision go dark, and then she lost consciousness.
When Lin Yan heard about this from Princess Jia Yi, she couldn't help but smile.
"She actually made herself sick in the end, but no one believed her. I couldn't stand it, so I sent someone to fetch the imperial physician," Jia Yi said, laughing as she spoke.
"After this, she probably won't try such a method again."
Lin Yan believed the Marquis's wife wouldn't resort to such tactics again. After all, she was someone who valued her reputation immensely. With this experience, she should have learned her lesson.
"My mother is planning to summon my mother-in-law to the palace again for a chat, to inquire about her health," Jia Yi said, a hint of schadenfreude in her smile.
"My mother-in-law has always bullied others with her status. Now she can taste what it's like to be suppressed by others."
Lin Yan didn't say anything, just smiled along with her.
Lin Yi's colleagues did indeed want to inquire about Lin Yi's grand-aunt, but it was soon clarified by others, and they dared not approach Lin Yi directly about the matter.
Therefore, as Xu Ling and Lin Yi began the betrothal rites, Lin Yan showed no signs of activity.
However, Lin Yan herself didn't seem to be in any hurry. She spent her days drinking tea, enjoying outings, and gathering with a few friends for banquets, living a very leisurely life.
Tang Le Yi, due to her constant association with the Marquis's wife, had incurred the strong displeasure of Princess Jia Yi. She always felt that these young ladies from the Duke's mansions were giving her scatterbrained mother-in-law bad ideas.
Thus, at a few banquets, she had made things difficult for Tang Le Yi, watching her shed tears as she looked at the Marquis of Huaiyin's wife, and then observing the displeased expression on Tang Le Yi's future mother-in-law's face. Jia Yi felt that this woman was utterly brainless.
Her own future mother-in-law didn't try to build a good relationship with her, but instead tried to curry favor with someone of lower status than her mother and future mother-in-law. She truly couldn't distinguish right from wrong.
Now that she had offended her future mother-in-law, how could she have a good life after marriage? Or perhaps she didn't even want to marry that person?
With these thoughts, Jia Yi ordered someone to investigate this young lady from the Duke's mansion to see what secrets she was hiding!
Tang Xin Yi, on the other hand, was diligently embroidering her dowry in her room. Her hands used to be clumsy, and even now, she could only embroider simple patterns.
However, she felt no displeasure about it and was quite pleased with herself. After all, there weren't many people who could embroider well in the future.
With her skill level, she could surpass many people. As for this wedding dress! She hadn't embroidered much of it herself; the large embroidered areas were done by embroiderers. She only embroidered some smaller parts.
Tang Xin Yi's seemingly resigned attitude pleased Tang Le Yi greatly, as she hadn't sought trouble with her for a long time.
Tang Xin Yi felt her acting skills were improving, and at least Tang Le Yi hadn't seen through her facade.
As future brides who were both engaged, Tang Le Yi and Tang Xin Yi were completely different. This led the Duchess to reprimand Tang Le Yi many times, but she always managed to fool her.
However, when the Imperial Consort approached the Duchess, she finally realized that she had been too lenient with her daughter.
But by then, Tang Le Yi had already offended her future mother-in-law. Although it wouldn't lead to the annulment of the engagement, the future daughter-in-law was still greatly disliked.
Originally, Tang Le Yi's future husband didn't particularly like her; he merely felt that the two families had comparable backgrounds and could support each other through marriage.
He never expected that this嫡小姐 (legitimate daughter) from the Duke's mansion, who had always had a good reputation, would be this way. Furthermore, her expressed concern for Feng Fei Yu made that somewhat arrogant young man feel as if something was stuck in his throat.