Glory

"Exactly, exactly," the others chimed in, showering compliments as if they cost nothing.

Though comforted, Ye Hongsheng felt both joy and apprehension.

It was good that the Xuanwu Marquis had specially returned from the border to attend his son's wedding. This showed that the Marquis still valued his legitimate eldest son. His regard for Lu Guanyi would also benefit Ye Yaming.

However, this meant that after the wedding, Ye Yaming would have to face her father-in-law. If the Marquis was dissatisfied with her background, he might mistreat her. He wouldn’t need to do much—simply ignoring her greetings or remarks, or acting as if she were invisible, would be enough to make the servants of the Xuanwu Marquis Household look down on her.

In that case, Ye Yaming’s life in the marquis’s household would be very difficult.

Qingzhi was off duty, but the clever maid had gone to gather information as soon as she heard that the bridal bed setters had returned.

Thus, it didn’t take long for these remarks to reach Ye Yaming’s ears through Qingzhi.

When Ye Yaming heard Madam Zhou’s description of the differences between the Xuanwu Marquis’s residence and the Ye family’s home, she laughed. "How could they be the same? Our Ye family is an ordinary household. When building our home, we had to adhere to regulations—no matter how wealthy we are, we cannot overstep. The Xuanwu Marquis Household is a marquis’s residence, a first-rank general’s mansion bestowed by the emperor. There’s simply no comparison."

To ensure that military generals willingly defended the nation at the borders, the emperor rewarded them lavishly with material gifts, starting with the grand residences he bestowed.

As for the Lu family’s servants, many were brought into the household by Shi Shi or purchased under her direction. Regardless of her other traits, as the legitimate daughter of the Duke Wei’s household and the empress’s younger sister, Shi Shi naturally maintained an air of grandeur and extravagance. The servants she employed inevitably carried some of the Duke Wei’s haughty demeanor and condescending attitude.

This was the fundamental difference between the servants of the Xuanwu Marquis Household and those of the Ye family.

As for the Marquis’s return for the wedding, Ye Yaming was not surprised.

This marriage was arranged by imperial decree. No matter how dissatisfied Lu Zhongyong might be with the match, he could not voice his objections. As long as there was no ongoing conflict at the border, he would return to show respect for the emperor’s decision.

Since Ye Yaming was to marry the next day, Ye Hongsheng and Yin Shi naturally dined with their daughter that evening.

Yin Shi had also heard the remarks from the bridal bed setters and remained deeply concerned. She asked Ye Yaming anxiously, "Will you be treated unfairly after marrying into the Lu family?"

Ye Yaming noticed that although Ye Hongsheng remained silent, the worry in his eyes was even greater than Yin Shi’s.

She smiled reassuringly. "Don’t worry. When have you ever seen me suffer losses or endure injustice?"

Instead of comforting him, her words only deepened Ye Hongsheng’s concern.

He said earnestly, "Being too rigid can lead to breaking. After all, you are marrying into the Lu family as a daughter-in-law. Although there are no senior in-laws living there, their trusted servants remain. If you act too assertively, they might report you to the Marquis, and that would not bode well for you. Sometimes, you must know when to be gentle and avoid appearing too formidable."

These were heartfelt words, the kind only parents would dare to speak.

Ye Yaming nodded sincerely. "Father, I understand. I will balance firmness with flexibility—ensuring that the servants neither disrespect me nor spread rumors about me being difficult. I know how to gauge the appropriate degree."

Only then did Ye Hongsheng feel somewhat relieved.He comforted his daughter, saying, "I heard from the clan leader and the others that the Marquis of Xuanwu treated them with great courtesy. Zi Mo was especially attentive, staying by their side throughout, presenting them with generous red envelopes, and personally escorting them out until their carriage had traveled far into the distance before returning. The clan leader praised Zi Mo highly."

This was something Ye Yaming hadn’t known before.

She was quite satisfied with Lu Guanyi’s conduct: "That’s what he ought to do."

The next day was the grand wedding day. Ye Yaming was roused early in the morning to prepare and dress up.

She herself was fine—having gone to bed early as usual the night before and being an early riser, she was full of energy. However, Bai Rui and Lve E couldn’t help but yawn repeatedly.

"What’s wrong with you two? Did you go stealing chickens last night?" she joked.

As senior maids, Bai Rui and Lve E would need to help Ye Yaming manage the servants at the marquis’s household later. For this reason, Ye Yaming had instructed them to rest early the previous night, assigning Qingzhi to keep watch instead. Qingzhi was a girl with excellent sleep quality—she could fall asleep instantly whenever she wished, and even with less rest, she remained energetic the next day.

In truth, keeping watch wasn’t strenuous—it merely meant sleeping in the outer chamber. Ye Yaming never woke at night, didn’t need water, and slept soundly until dawn, never requiring her maids’ assistance. Qingzhi, who had slept in the outer room the previous night, had a full night’s rest.

"Hey, don’t move," Yin Shi said, gently turning Ye Yaming’s head back.

Ye Yaming had no choice but to sit quietly.

Lve E covered her mouth to stifle a yawn, fighting back tears of exhaustion as she explained, "We were just a bit too excited and didn’t sleep well last night."

As senior maids, she and Bai Rui had their own rooms in the Lin’an residence. Here, they shared a room. The previous night, they had stayed up late discussing how to handle interactions with both the masters and servants of the Xuanwu Marquis Household, which had left them sleep-deprived.

"I’ll go splash some cold water on my face," Lve E said, pulling Bai Rui along as they hurried out. When they returned shortly after, both looked noticeably more alert.

Today, their only duty was to accompany Ye Yaming.

Yin Shi murmured blessings as she combed Ye Yaming’s hair and threaded her face. Then, she brought glutinous rice balls for Ye Yaming to eat.

While Ye Yaming was eating the rice balls, Ye Ruhui and Ye Yaxiu, aunt and niece, arrived one after the other.

After exchanging a few words with Ye Yaming, Ye Ruhui beckoned Bai Rui outside.

Bai Rui quickly followed her out.

Ye Ruhui advised, "Have a junior maid prepare some bite-sized pastries for you to carry in your pouch. Once you’re at the Marquis of Xuanwu’s household, you’ll be sitting for hours until evening. If their arrangements aren’t thorough, you might go hungry the whole time."

She had experienced this herself at her own wedding. To avoid needing the bathroom after getting into the bridal sedan chair, she had eaten sparingly at her parents’ home—only a couple of glutinous rice balls, not even daring to drink the broth.

As a result, from morning until dusk, she had no chance to eat or drink, growing increasingly hungry and thirsty. Even after all the ceremonies were over, the Su family was busy hosting the wedding banquet outside, with guests coming and going, and no one attended to them. Her maids and elderly servants were unfamiliar with the Su residence, afraid of getting lost or intruding somewhere inappropriate and giving the Su family a poor impression of the new bride. So, they all had to endure it.

Her own two daughters had faced similar situations when they married.Bai Rui, however, believed that given Lu Guanyi's high regard for Ye Yaming, such a situation would not occur. Moreover, if it really happened, Ye Yaming would never endure it silently and would instead instruct the Lu family servants to bring meals and snacks.

But it was better to be safe than sorry, so she sincerely thanked Ye Ruhui for the reminder and instructed Ziyuan to fetch a plate of pea flour cakes from the kitchen. She divided them into four pouches and had each of her four maids carry one.

7017k