Chapter 112 -
As Sue Yueqing stepped across the wooden threshold into the main dining hall, all eyes immediately snapped toward her.
She looked immaculate. Her hair was swept up in an elegant side-bun with a silver jade hairpin, her dress was a pristine light lavender, and her posture was as grand and aloof as a proper Duchess-in-training.
[Oh good, everyone’s already eating,] Yueqing’s internal voice echoed loudly through the minds of the Xi family members. [My stomach is literally vibrating. If they don’t have those sweet red-bean buns today, someone is going to suffer.]
Old Madam Xi twitched slightly, quickly covering a faint smirk behind her sleeve as she picked up her teacup.
Duchess Lin Meiyun gave Yueqing a gentle, warm smile. "Yueqing, come sit down. You’re just in time for breakfast."
"Thank you, Mother," Yueqing replied out loud, her voice smooth, polite, and completely cold. She gracefully took her seat next to Qianqian.
The moment she sat down, the entire family, from Duchess Lin Meiyun down to the twins stared at her with subtle, intense curiosity.
Yunhao, still digesting the fact that his big brother had trotted off to war with a maid in tow, cleared his throat awkwardly. "Sister-in-law... did you know Elder Brother left for the border last night?"
Yueqing took a small, graceful bite of a steamed bun.
[Of course I know, you little dimwit, I was the one who told him to hit the road!] Yueqing’s inner voice scoffed dramatically. [And he took his little White Lotus maid with him! A match made in war-zone heaven! Honestly, good for them. I hope they get married in a muddy tent so I can finally sign my divorce papers and open a teahouse!]
PFFT!
Xi Yunchen instantly choked on his porridge. He coughed violently, slapping his chest as his twin, Yunhao, patted his back with a look of utter exasperation.
"Watch your manners, Yunchen," Aunt Xi Ronghua snapped playfully, though her own eyes were dancing with absolute glee. She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand, looking like a cat that just found a bowl of cream. "So, Yueqing... you’re not upset at all that Li Mei went along with Wenzhe? A young husband traveling to the border with a pretty maid... people might gossip, you know."
Gu Zhen, sitting beside Ronghua, quietly stuffed a dumpling into his mouth, giving his wife a look that clearly said, Please don’t stir the pot at 8 AM.
Yueqing set her bun down and put on her most grand, villainous, long-suffering smile out loud. "Why would I be upset, Aunt? A commander needs someone to tend to his... needs on the front lines. As his main wife, I am broad-minded. I practically encouraged it."
[Encouraged it?!] Yueqing screamed inside her head, her inner persona flailing its arms wildly. [I literally told him I hope he gets stabbed in a ditch and that I’d send Li Mei so he wouldn’t die a virgin! But no, the dummy actually took her! Now the plot is so twisted it looks like a fried dough stick! Nine, if Wenzhe comes back with a baby, I am quitting this transmigrator job, I swear to God!]
DING!
[System: Host, please refrain from threatening resignation. Male Lead favorability is currently fluctuating wildly at the border.]
Lanyin had to bite the inside of her cheek so hard it nearly bled to keep from laughing out loud. Beside her, Qianqian was trembling with suppressed giggles, hiding her face behind a massive soup bowl.
Eight-year-old Xi Anran blinked her big, innocent eyes and looked at Yueqing. "Sister Yueqing, what is a fried dough stick plot?"
The entire table went dead silent.
Duchess Lin Meiyun quickly reached over and popped a sweet sesame ball into Anran’s mouth. "Eat your breakfast, sweetie."
Old Madam Xi lowered her teacup, her sharp eyes scanning Yueqing’s calm face, then looking at the empty seats of her missing son and grandson. She gave a heavy, regal huff.
"Wenzhe is an idiot," Old Madam Xi declared flatly to the entire table.
Gu Xiang, standing near the pillar, let out a tiny, involuntary snort before quickly regaining his stoic composure.
"Grandmother?" Lanyin asked, surprised.
"I said he’s an idiot," the Old Madam repeated, shaking her head. "Leaving his lawful wife at home to take a tearful maid to a freezing mountain pass. When he returns, I don’t care how many enemy generals he slays he is kneeling in the ancestral hall for three days."
[YES! THANK YOU GRANDMOTHER!] Yueqing’s inner voice cheered like a stadium full of fans. [Make him kneel on walnuts! Make him write an apology letter in calligraphy! Hahaha, old people truly have the best judgment!]
Yueqing, meanwhile, lowered her eyes modestly out loud. "Grandmother is too harsh. I’m sure Wenzhe had his... reasons."
[His reason is that his brain is made of solid oak wood!]
Xi Yunchen buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking frantically as Gu Yue silently nudged him with her elbow, her own lips twitching with clever amusement.
"Well," Duchess Lin Meiyun said smoothly, restoring order like the master diplomat she was. "Since Wenzhe and his father will be gone for at least a few weeks, the estate will be quiet.
"Yueqing, my dear, since Wenzhe has gone to the front lines, his courtyard will be quiet. You may take full charge of managing his quarters and rest comfortably while he is away."
"Thank you, Mother," Yueqing said politely, maintaining her graceful posture.
[Oh sweet freedom!] her mind sang loudly, practically doing cartwheels in front of the entire family. [No annoying husband invading my space, no sneaky white lotus maid trying to set things on fire, a massive courtyard all to myself, and free high-grade meals! This isn’t a villainess punishment, this is a five-star luxury vacation! Time to sleep in until noon every single day!]
Aunt Xi Ronghua leaned in, her eyes shining with mischief. "Well, if you have so much free time now, Yueqing, you must join us for tea later! The gossip in the capital has been far too interesting lately."
"I would be honored, Aunt," Yueqing replied out loud, giving a faint, perfectly practiced noble smile.
[Gossip? Say no more!] her internal voice cheered instantly. [I am a professional spectator. Tell me who is secretly broke, who bought fake jade, and which official got caught sneaking out of a brothel! Lay it all on me!]