She was surprisingly understanding.
Immediately, she bowed deeply to Madam Lin, saying with immense gratitude,
"Thank you, First Madam. To have a mother like you is my good fortune, Shanwei's."
"Good, good. You may get settled. I heard the Qiao family has an elderly couple who raised you. Do you wish to bring them into the manor or have them stay at the Qiao residence to look after the house? You decide."
With that, she clapped her hands, and soon, servants brought in four maids, two matrons, and six young men.
"These are all personally selected by me. They are honest, upright, and attentive. Use them for now, and if you're not accustomed to them, you can always change them."
Qiao Shanwei was a little intimidated by the grand display. With twelve new servants, though well-intentioned, it made him feel a bit constrained.
Bai Chao'an noticed his awkwardness and spoke with a smile,
"Keep them. The courtyard is large, and it wouldn't be proper for you to have no one to attend to you. Your cousin's chambers have far more people than this."
At this remark, all three of them laughed.
Qiao Shanwei had never experienced the affection of parents before. These past few days in the Bai family had been somewhat overwhelming.
Bai Chao'an was mostly occupied with court duties and the recent busy affairs of the Ministry of Works, so he had little time to visit.
However, Madam Lin and Princess Wenyi visited him frequently, always worried he might lack something or need something else.
They kept sending things to Changqing Courtyard, leaving Qiao Shanwei with a mix of amusement and helplessness.
There was hardly any space left to store everything. If he refused them, he feared they would be saddened.
He had no choice but to clear out a side room to be used as a temporary storeroom, then select some of the better items, pack them into boxes, and prepare them as dowry gifts for his cousin Bai Siruo's upcoming marriage.
The ceremony for his adoption was officially held on the fourth day of Qiao Shanwei's residence in the Bai family.
According to custom, his background was first explained to the assembled guests. Then, Bai family relatives were invited to witness the event. He entered the ancestral hall to pay respects, his name was added to the family genealogy, and finally, he kowtowed and served tea to Bai Chao'an and Madam Lin.
The word "Father" warmed Bai Chao'an's heart.
The word "Mother" nearly brought Madam Lin to tears.
The Duke of Zheng and others were invited as witnesses to the ceremony. They also received tea from Qiao Shanwei, though they did not kowtow.
"The ceremony is complete."
Qiao Shanwei was officially renamed Bai Shanwei, with the courtesy name Siming.
Everyone was joyful and lively, unaware that at this moment, a carriage was heading towards the Eastern Capital.
Inside sat a fuming Madam Shen and Bai Sihan.
Firecrackers sounded, and the banquet began.
The festivities today were no less grand than Old Madam Bai's birthday banquet, and there were no separate seating arrangements for male and female guests.
Thus, Bai Shanwei immediately spotted Feng Jinyao, who was chatting and laughing with Bai Siruo and Xu Mingyue.
As he approached, he respectfully called out, "Cousin."
This address of "cousin" held more genuine sincerity than any other title.
Without Feng Jinyao, he would not have been able to acknowledge his ancestors and hold his head high today.
Therefore, he was immensely grateful, but he didn't know how to express it.
Bai Siruo, noticing he had something to say to Feng Jinyao, excused herself to find something, taking Xu Mingyue with her.
They stood by the waterside pavilion not far from the banquet and talked for a while.
"The merit you have today is all earned by yourself, so you don't need to always think about repaying kindness. It's more important to focus your thoughts on the future prospects of the Bai family!"
Before Bai Shanwei could speak, Feng Jinyao had already finished his sentence.
A flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes.
He had originally thought that his current status was quite respectable. Although he was young, it didn't mean he couldn't cherish someone.
If he could marry Feng Jinyao, wouldn't that be a good thing, strengthening their familial ties?
But upon seeing those cold, sharp eyes across the banquet, he couldn't utter the feelings in his heart.
Compared to Prince Ding, he was far behind.
Feng Jinyao had experienced much and could guess the general situation from his dejected expression.
However, since Bai Shanwei didn't speak, she couldn't directly refuse. So, she spoke indirectly.
"After Cousin Siruo gets married, you will also be going to the Southwest. With Uncle Wen there to support you and the imperial golden token protecting you, your future prospects should be bright. I heard Auntie Da and Aunt Wen mention that she would look after you. If you meet a suitable family in the Southwest, don't delay."
"Cousin..."
Bai Shanwei was not foolish. Although he had long known there was no hope, hearing these words from Feng Jinyao's mouth still hurt.
He merely maintained his composure, unwilling to show his immediate distress.
"I sincerely hope that your future will be smooth and fulfilling, that you will find a lifelong companion and grow old together, never to part."
At this point, if Bai Shanwei were to press further, he would be considered tactless.
He took a deep breath, took three steps back, bowed deeply, and when he looked up again, the ambiguous affection in his eyes was gone.
Only sincerity and gratitude remained.
Although Xiao Tingyi was surrounded by people and being flattered, his thoughts had drifted to the waterside pavilion.
The matter of the imperial marriage decree could not be delayed any longer, or everyone would be coveting his A'yao.
It was truly impossible to guard against!
If it weren't for the fact that this was a joyous occasion for the Bai family, he would have lost his temper long ago.
Therefore, he endured until the banquet was halfway through, could no longer bear it, and quietly left the Bai residence with Feng Jinyao.
The elders were aware of this, so they turned a blind eye. Feng Jinlin wanted to say something but was silenced by an angry glare from Elder Xu.
His expression seemed to say, "Don't disturb them, or I have plenty of ways to deal with you."
This was the grandfather of his future wife, not someone to be trifled with. He had no choice but to give up.
The only one who was slow to realize was Bai Siruo.
Seeing Feng Jinyao gone, she was about to look for her when Xu Mingyue quietly told her about the couple's departure.
Bai Siruo was first startled, then embarrassed.
Swallowing hard, she asked Xu Mingyue a silly question.
"Then, if A'yao really becomes Princess Ding, won't I have to call her Imperial Aunt in the future?"
Xu Mingyue found it both amusing and exasperating. Bai Siruo's imagination was truly... peculiar.
The two left the Bai mansion, and the carriage headed in an unknown direction. Feng Jinyao shivered, feeling the cold aura emanating from Prince Ding.
Then, inexplicably, Xiao Tingyi produced a cloak and draped it over her. This time, it was Feng Jinyao's turn to be surprised.
"Your Highness..."
"Don't catch a cold."
He was observant, yet oblivious.
The coldness clearly emanated from him, yet he didn't notice.
Feng Jinyao found it somewhat amusing.
This was the first time she had seen Prince Ding in such a state.
"Stop laughing. I'm just jealous. If A'yao continues to exude such charm, I fear I'll be drowning in jealousy from now on."
Feng Jinyao was helpless. It wasn't her fault, was it?