Yan Wan is reborn as a legitimate wife: Curing Ruyi's Douyi syndrome

Let's return to the female official who was betrothed.

Although Jia Zheng was sober for a moment when he asked for the imperial decree to grant him a marriage, he put everything else out of his mind.

When Grandmother Jia invited Lin Jiang to the Jia family mansion but was refused, she learned that the Lin family had also petitioned the emperor for a marriage decree.

Grandmother Jia: "It's been a long time since I've seen Jiang'er. Liu Ying, send someone to the Lin residence to invite Jiang'er over. Let's have a meal together, grandmother and granddaughter, and enjoy each other's company."

Liu Ying: "Yes, old lady."

Soon after, the servants set out a feast, and Madam Wang and Madam Xing stood on either side to prepare the meal for Grandmother Jia.

Liu Ying returned with a mournful face and replied, "Grandma, Miss Lin, Miss Lin is busy and said she will come to visit you another day."

Grandmother Jia asked in confusion, "What has Jiang'er been busy with lately? Have you asked her?"

Liu Ying was almost in tears when she replied, "Grandma, His Majesty has bestowed a marriage upon Miss Lin, and Lord Lin and Miss Lin are currently preparing the betrothal gifts."

With a clatter, the teacup in Grandmother Jia's hand fell to the ground. Just as she was about to look up and ask Liu Ying, she caught sight of Lady Wang, who was secretly pleased with herself, and became even angrier.

Grandmother Jia knew what Lady Wang was thinking, and suppressed her anger, saying, "That's right. Their family has only had one son for three generations. Now that the Lin family has received the Emperor's bestowal of a marriage, they can be considered to have a successor. My son will no longer have to worry in the afterlife."

After speaking, Grandmother Jia glanced at Madam Wang, and sure enough, Madam Wang's expression changed.

Grandmother Jia was furious. She was angry because Lady Wang was such a fool and so short-sighted. If it weren't for Lady Wang's interference, she would have already brought them together. Now, things have turned out badly, and all her efforts have been wasted!

As expected, Madam Wang couldn't hold back and said anxiously, "Old Madam, Lin'er has been raised by you for so many years, and now that she's been betrothed, she didn't even tell you. It's truly a waste of all the years of effort you've put in."

Grandmother Jia despised Lady Wang's petty and narrow-minded manner. In order to compete with her, she did not hesitate to decline Lin Jiang and instead supported Xue Qiong, the daughter of a merchant. She looked down on Xue Qiong but coveted the family fortune...

Lady Wang's scheme to sow discord was so obvious that Grandmother Jia was no fool. She sneered, "Jiang'er isn't the kind of person who's black-hearted and rotten-bellied, only thinking about petty gains every day. Once she's done with her work, she'll naturally come and complain to me."

Lady Wang knew that Grandmother Jia was making a veiled attack, so she awkwardly shut her mouth. Inwardly, however, she was extremely pleased, thinking that the Lin family had backed down.

How could Grandmother Jia not see what Lady Wang was thinking?

Grandmother Jia said coldly, "Since there aren't many things to do in the manor right now, and Feng'er is pregnant and shouldn't be overworked, Second Son's wife, you and First Son's wife can go and pick her up."

Madam Wang was startled and was about to refuse.

Madam Xing replied happily, "Yes, madam."

As the saying goes, experience is the best teacher. Since taking over the management of the household, Lady Wang has been required to pay her respects to the family morning and evening. Although Grandmother Jia doesn't say anything to Lady Wang on the surface, her daily nagging still reveals Grandmother Jia's displeasure.

Jia Ying is older than Lin Jiang, and the Jia family is also preparing for Jia Ying's marriage. Jia Ying's fiancé is Chen Xing, the son of the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief. The wedding date was set early, and after the imperial decree was issued, the betrothal gifts were sent. The wedding will take place next month.

Jia Ying was the eldest daughter of the eldest branch of the family, and it was only right that the eldest branch should arrange her marriage. However, Madam Xing was not resourceful enough, and the eldest daughter-in-law of the eldest branch was pregnant, so this difficult task fell to Madam Wang.

Madam Wang wanted to make a hasty decision, but Madam Xing wanted to hold a grand celebration, and the two argued fiercely about it. Whenever Madam Wang tried to be perfunctory, Madam Xing would jump in and cause trouble.

Originally, Madam Xing was no match for Madam Wang, but with Jia Chi giving advice from behind and Grandmother Jia also taking sides, Madam Wang could only swallow her anger and obediently proceed with the wedding arrangements.

When Jia Ying got married, Lin Jiang, who had not appeared for a long time, came to the Jia family mansion with Lin Hai to attend the ceremony.

Lady Wang had toiled for many days, but during the wedding procession, she could only sit at the table and watch Jia Chi and Lady Xing greet and see off the guests.

When Lin Hai and Lin Jiang arrived, Jia Chi and Madam Xing hurriedly stepped forward, smiling to greet them, and escorted them to the banquet. Lin Hai sat at a table with Jia Zheng, Lord Shi the Great, Lord Shi the Younger, Wang Teng, and Jia Chi.

Lin Jiang was ushered to the table where Grandmother Jia was seated by Madam Xing. Just as she was about to sit down, Madam Wang said, "Lin girl, quickly sit with your sister Qiong. You've been busy these past few days and haven't seen you in a long time. You two sisters should have a good chat."

Xue Qiong and Aunt Xue were sitting at the back table. After hearing Madam Wang's remarks, Xue Qiong stood up and said with a smile, "Yes, Sister Lin, it has been a long time since we last met."

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia's face immediately darkened. She looked at Jia Yuan beside her, but Jia Yuan did not notice Grandmother Jia's gaze and did not stop Lady Wang from doing so.

Grandmother Jia snorted coldly, "Lin'er, come and sit with your grandmother. Yuan'er, you haven't seen your sister Qiong for a long time, have you? Go and have a good talk with her."

Hearing this, Jia Yuan felt wronged and looked at Madam Wang. Just as Madam Wang was about to speak, Grandmother Jia preemptively said, "Second son's wife, Yuan'er has not been home for a long time. I imagine you miss him too. Why don't you come along?"

Lady Wang was very displeased that Grandmother Jia would actually send her and Jia Yuan away. Just as she was about to argue, Lady Xing chimed in, "Sister-in-law, why aren't you going yet?"

Madam Wang gritted her teeth, and seeing that no one at the table reacted, she could only sit at Xue Qiong's table with Jia Yuan.

Lin Jiang sat down next to Grandmother Jia, who put her arm around her and said with a laugh, "You little heartless thing, it's been so long since you came to see your grandmother. If it weren't for Ying'er's marriage, I don't know how long it would have been before I saw you again."

Lin Jiang quickly coaxed, "Grandmother, Jiang'er misses you too. But the Emperor has decreed this marriage, so I can't be negligent. These past few days, Jiang'er has been listening to the Lady-in-Waiting's teachings."

Grandmother Jia was startled and hurriedly asked, "Grandmother hasn't asked you yet, which family has the Emperor bestowed upon you for marriage?"

Lin Jiang said in a low voice, "He is the son of Gao Heng, the Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai."

Grandmother Jia was stunned and pressed for an answer: "Lord Gao Heng? Is he Gao Bin's son, Gao Heng?"

Lin Jiang nodded and said softly, "Yes. The lady-in-waiting said that the Imperial Noble Consort will also be attending the wedding ceremony, so Jiang'er has been unable to leave. Please forgive Jiang'er, Grandmother."

Grandmother Jia: "How can this be your fault? Your household doesn't have anyone in charge. Are the wedding preparations all done properly?"

At this point, Lin Jiang looked slightly embarrassed and replied, "Not yet. I originally wanted to ask my grandmother for help, but Sister Ying's wedding is approaching, and I was afraid that my grandmother would be too busy, so I thought I would ask my grandmother after Sister Ying's homecoming ceremony."

Grandmother Jia was exasperated and said anxiously, "Ying'er has her parents taking care of her, how could she neglect an old woman like me? If I don't help you take care of her, how will I face your mother in the future?"

Lin Jiang coaxed, "Grandmother, Jiang'er was wrong. When Sister Ying and her husband return home for the third day after the wedding, Jiang'er and Father will ask you to be there to oversee things."

Grandmother Jia felt sorry for Lin Jiang's sensible nature, and with a soft heart, she pointed to Lin Jiang's forehead, uttering only one sentence: "You!"

After Jia Ying returned to her parents' home with her husband, Lin Hai brought Lin Jiang to invite Grandmother Jia to her residence.

Madam Wang was puzzled and said to her confidante, "Zhou Xiang's wife, send someone to ask who Lin Jiang is betrothed to? Why did she so eagerly invite the old lady over?"

Zhou Xiangjia received the order and went to investigate for half a day, but returned empty-handed, saying, "Madam, I investigated for half a day, but the Lin family's servants only said that the in-laws' surname is Gao, and they didn't say anything else."

Madam Wang frowned and said, "Surname Gao? It's not a common surname, so it can't be a high-ranking or wealthy family."

The Gao family has always been capable officials in water management, spending years away from home managing floods. Gao Xiyue also left with Fucha Langhua more than a decade ago. Outside of the core circle in the capital, the Gao family is indeed not well-known.

Zhou Xiangjia knew that Madam Wang had always disliked Lin Jiang, so he flattered Madam Wang and said, "Yes, how can Miss Lin compare to the girls in our household? I suppose His Majesty just randomly picked a poor girl."

Madam Wang nodded and said, "That's right. I suppose Lin is an orphan girl, so she might not be able to marry into a good family. The old lady is afraid that others will look down on the Lin family, so she went to support her."

……

Lin Family Wedding Banquet

Because the relatives of the Lin family were not on good terms with Lin Jiang and Lin Hai, Lin Jiang's wedding procession was accompanied by several sisters from the Jia family, Jia Zheng, Jia Chi, Madam Wang, Madam Xing, and Wang Xifeng (the eldest daughter-in-law of the eldest branch).

Lady Wang didn't want to go and support Lin Jiang, but Grandmother Jia wouldn't allow her to embarrass Lin Jiang and ordered her to go along.

Lady Wang already looked down on Lin Jiang's husband's family, and after Grandmother Jia repeatedly ordered her to go there to "put on a show," she looked down on them even more. With the intention of watching them make a fool of themselves, she still obediently went.

As the wedding procession walked further in, Lady Wang sensed something was amiss. The Jia family was a Duke's mansion, residing in a very prestigious location, while the Lin family had been marquises for generations, and their residence was no less impressive than the Jia family's.

The fact that the wedding procession didn't go out but instead went in indicates that Lin Jiangfu's family lived in a decent location. Is this the kind of place a poor family should live in?

When Lady Wang followed the wedding procession all the way to the Gao family mansion, Gao Heng's sons Gao Pu and Gao Bai, along with Gao Pu's wife Nara, were waiting at the gate to greet the bride.

When Lin Jiang arrived at the mansion gate, she answered Gao Pu and Gao Bai's questions one by one, and then spontaneously composed a poem to urge them to get ready for the wedding. After that, everyone was welcomed into the courtyard.

Lin Jiang entered the hall and bowed, saying, "Your daughter-in-law greets your grandfather, grandmother, father, and mother. Your humble servant greets the Imperial Noble Consort and Princess Hewan."

Gao Xiyue: "No need for formalities."

Lin Jiang: "Thank you, Your Highness the Imperial Noble Consort."

Upon hearing this, Madam Wang in the courtyard was struck dumb. The Imperial Noble Consort? The Eldest Princess? How could Lin Jiang, an orphan, be married into such a prestigious family?

Lady Wang stood there in a daze, but Wang Xifeng reacted quickly and pulled everyone to bow, saying, "Your subject (woman) greets the Imperial Noble Consort and Princess Hewan."

Gao Xiyue: "No need for formalities."

It wasn't until Lin Jiang and Gao Song finished toasting and were preparing to return to their residence that Madam Wang finally came to her senses and, in a daze, followed the wedding procession back to the Lin residence.

Lin Mansion

Grandmother Jia stood at the door to greet the bride, and Lady Wang followed the lady-in-waiting to her seat.

When the lady-in-waiting led her to the third table, Madam Wang was very displeased and questioned, "What does the Lin family mean by this? I am Lin girl's aunt! Why am I sitting here?"

The lady-in-waiting was surprised that someone dared to question her, and coldly replied, "The seating arrangement was checked with the master of the house. The wife of the Assistant Minister is seated in this position, and there is no problem."

Lady Wang paid no attention to the female official's self-address, her mind filled with the thought that a lowly servant dared to speak to her like that. Just as she was about to argue, Jia Yuan quickly stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your humble servant greets the Minister of the Imperial Household (a sixth-rank official). Mother, please sit down."

Lady Wang glanced at Jia Yuan in surprise, but out of consideration for her own daughter, she swallowed her anger and sat down.

The female official glanced at Jia Yuan briefly and warned, "Jia Zhangbin (a high-ranking official), since she is your mother, you should talk to her about the rules and regulations. Don't let her miss the wedding banquet."

Jia Yuan quickly bowed and said, "Yes, Your Excellency."

After the female official left, Jia Yuanlian advised, "Mother, please sit down first, even if it's just for my sake. I will explain to you when I'm done with my work. Please don't cause any trouble."

Madam Wang was seething with anger, but she ultimately yielded for her daughter's sake and sat down, suppressing her rage.

Madam Wang sat down and observed carefully for a long time, noticing that each person who came was more distinguished than the last. The two marquises from the Shi family sat at the second table, while Madam Xing sat with her at the third table.

Lady-in-waiting: "Princess Hewan has arrived!"

Lady Wang was startled and rose with everyone to pay her respects. Everyone greeted her: "Your Majesty, this humble woman greets Princess Hewan!"

Jingyan: "No need for formalities."

Everyone: "Thank you, Princess."

Before Lady Wang could even sit down, she saw Grandmother Jia smilingly personally welcoming the Imperial Noble Consort into the room…

Lady-in-waiting: "The Imperial Noble Consort has arrived!"

Lady Wang was stunned, and then bowed to the others, saying, "This humble woman greets the Imperial Noble Consort!"

Madam Wang was dumbfounded and hurriedly asked the people at the table, "Why are our in-laws here having a meal too?"

The person at the table glanced at Madam Wang and said disdainfully, "Aren't you a member of the main family? Don't you know? This is arranged by the palace. From now on, no matter which side is getting married, there will be two banquets."

Today, we'll hold a banquet at the bride's family home, and the bride's family will attend. Three days later, after the bride's return visit to her parents' home, we'll hold another banquet at the bride's family home, and the bride's family will attend.

Madam Wang was stunned and quickly said, "This... but I didn't hear about this when my family had a wedding a few days ago."

The lady at the table asked, "Whose family are you, anyway?"

Before Madam Wang could answer, the lady at the same table continued, "The Lin family's wedding was arranged by the palace, so naturally it is the most in accordance with the rules. You should learn from them."

Madam Wang cautiously replied, "Yes...yes..."

After the lady at the table finished speaking, she ignored Madam Wang, who was standing to the side, and only instructed the maid beside her to remember the steps.

After the banquet, Gao Xiyue and her companions left. When the Imperial Noble Consort left, the guests also took their leave, leaving only the Lin family's relatives and friends to witness the ceremony.

……

贾府

After returning to her room, Madam Wang was furious. In a fit of anger, she swept her sleeve and smashed a table full of teaware.

As Jia Zheng entered the room, he was startled by the tea set that had been knocked over. He frowned and asked, "What are you doing now?"

Madam Wang said angrily, "My lord, I followed the wedding procession all the way here today to give Miss Lin face, but at the wedding banquet, Miss Lin actually arranged for me to sit at the third table! How can the host sit at the third table?"

Jia Zheng said helplessly, "These seats were decided by the old lady and the palace ladies, not by Lin Yatou."

Madam Wang, however, wouldn't listen. She felt that Lin Jiang was deliberately seeking revenge for the time when she had Lin Jiang sit at the second table at Jia Ying's wedding banquet.

……

After Grandmother Jia returned to her parents' home for the banquet, Lady Wang poured out her grievances to Grandmother Jia during her morning and evening greetings.

Grandmother Jia was so angry that she laughed and asked, "Second daughter-in-law, do you think you shouldn't be sitting at the third table? If it weren't for Jiang'er's consideration for our past relationship, you wouldn't even deserve to sit at the third table!"

The first table is filled with the wives and relatives of officials of the highest rank, and the second table is for ladies of noble birth with titles. Which table do you think you could sit at?

Madam Wang had no rebuttal and lowered her head, ceasing her complaints.

The other families who were betrothed also followed the Lin family's marriage customs and completed the wedding ceremony in a similar manner.

From then on, this set of rules was followed for both men and women getting married. The wedding ceremony was no longer dominated by the bride's family, but was considered jointly by both parties.