Xiao Tingyi naturally knew it wasn't her fault, he only regretted not having solidified their status earlier. If outsiders knew she was the future Princess of Ding, he wondered how many would dare to throw themselves at her so recklessly. "Don't worry, in half a month at most, the news of you being the future Princess of Ding will surely spread far and wide, cutting off those people's hopes." This included, but was not limited to, Yin Canwen from Liangzhou in the northwest, and Chi Zimo from Jinling City.
Seeing him act so petulant and exasperated, Feng Jinyao found it even more amusing. Being cherished was truly a wonderful thing. Feng Jinyao lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, gazing at the rapidly passing scenery outside, a smile unconsciously blooming on her lips. Witnessing this, Xiao Tingyi, who had been furious moments ago, immediately softened. He leaned in to share the beautiful view with her.
The carriage carrying Madam Shen and Bai Sihan had already quickened their pace considerably, yet they still missed the ceremony of adoption. By the time they arrived at the Bai family's entrance, it was already noon the next day. "It's just that our news arrived too late. We originally thought it would be fine to arrive the day before Bai Siruo's wedding, but who knew this matter with Qiao Shanwei would happen. That brat is truly good at hiding his capabilities. He tricked me with a subservient demeanor just yesterday, and now he's suddenly become part of the main branch. Won't the Bai family be his for the taking in the future! Humph, does he even deserve it!"
Mentioning Bai Shanwei, Madam Shen gnashed her teeth in hatred. In her opinion, how could a wild child who wasn't even a legitimate heir from an outer branch be able to surpass Bai Sihan and become the next heir of the Bai family! He should have remained in the old residence forever, just like his mother, and lived a lonely and miserable life; that was the fate he deserved. What was he doing running to the Bai family now? The dislike for Bai Shanwei, the main branch, and even her father-in-law, Prime Minister Bai, was evident on her face.
Bai Sihan wanted to offer a few words of advice, but she had been thoroughly scolded by her mother along the way. She was either told she couldn't seize opportunities or that she lacked the ability to capture a man's heart. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been met with a cold reception in Dongdu City and then faced the same situation upon returning to Qiongzhou. After scrutinizing potential sons-in-law for several months, Madam Shen was satisfied with none of them. She would either deem their family background insufficient or believe they had no future. This sentiment intensified when they received the wedding invitation for Bai Siruo, making her find fault with everyone. Bai Sihan had endured much criticism on this journey.
Taking a deep breath, she followed her mother into the Bai residence, a place both familiar and strange. She never imagined the situation that awaited them. As soon as Madam Shen entered, she inquired about Bai Shanwei's residence and angrily headed towards Changqing Courtyard. The maids and servants immediately ran to inform the First Madam, Lin Shi. Coincidentally, Princess Wenyi and Bai Siruo were also in her room, chatting cheerfully.
"They're here so soon?"
"Yes, First Madam, please go and see. This servant sees the Third Madam is going to trouble the eldest young master."
Now, everyone in the Bai mansion addressed Bai Shanwei as the eldest young master and showed him respect in their daily interactions. They didn't know much about his background but were puzzled as to why the Third Madam was seeking trouble with the eldest young master as soon as she returned. Upon hearing this, Lin Shi's expression darkened. "Hmph, that crazy shrew Shen. It was bad enough that she caused a scene in the mansion before over Sihan's matters, and now she dares to come here and trouble Siming. She completely disregards me. Since she wants to cause trouble so badly, I'll let her experience the taste of family rules and punishments again!" With that, Lin Shi pursed her lips and gave a look to the accompanying Nanny Lin, who then went to retrieve the family punishments from the ancestral hall. She also gathered about twenty servants, both inside and outside the courtyards, who were all burly and formidable-looking. Then, Lin Shi, suppressing her anger, said to Princess Wenyi and Bai Siruo, "Please sit for a while. Siruo's wedding is in two days; don't let this disturb you. I'll go and see what's happening."
"Eldest Sister-in-law, be careful."
"First Aunt..."
"Don't worry. I can manage this entire mansion; am I afraid of Shen?" With that, she led her entourage and rushed towards Changqing Courtyard. Before she even reached the courtyard gate, she heard Madam Shen's "shrieking like a shrew." "You slut, you truly are born of a slut, a slut's offspring! Your mother shamelessly seduced Third Master, and without any proper status, she dared to flaunt her pregnancy everywhere. And you, you ran all the way to the southwest, and now you've become some reincarnated spirit child? Bah, go take a look at yourself in the mirror! Truly disgusting. I can see it now, you and the main branch are just as rotten. You think because they have no sons, and you have no parents, you can conspire together to control the entire Bai family? Not happening! I'll go out right now and spread the word about your background, letting the world see that the 'reincarnated spirit child' they talk about is actually an illegitimate child with a shameful past!!"
As she spoke, her anger escalated. Lin Shi, listening from outside, was furious and was about to enter to help Bai Shanwei when she suddenly heard a splashing sound, followed by Madam Shen's scream. "What are you doing! How dare you splash water on me!"
"Oh, I didn't see clearly. I thought it was a dog barking everywhere."
"You! How dare you insult me like this!"
"Insult you? No, I was splashing a dog."
This exchange made the initially indignant Lin Shi outside unable to suppress a smile. She knew that Siming was kind, but not to the point of being bullied by everyone, especially now that he had been adopted by the main branch. If he were bullied, the main branch would lose all face. Thus, after calming her emotions, she walked into the courtyard with her people. She immediately saw Madam Shen, who had fallen to the ground, completely drenched and cursing with her nose askew and eyes bulging. Beside her, Bai Sihan frowned, twisting a handkerchief, neither daring to step forward to comfort her mother nor daring to interact too much with this brother with whom she shared blood.
"Siming, why is there so much noise in the courtyard?"
"Mother? Why have you come?"
"I heard from a servant that your Third Uncle's wife has returned. I was planning to take people to see if the courtyard they are staying in needs tidying, but I didn't expect to hear such a commotion when I arrived here. So, I came to take a look."
"Oh? Third Uncle's wife? Is Mother referring to this person?" Bai Shanwei feigned surprise, as if he had never seen Madam Shen before. He could lie so effortlessly, demonstrating the depth of his cunning. Lin Shi naturally understood the underlying situation, but Madam Shen was a fool. Bai Shanwei's higher status was increasingly beneficial to the Bai family, yet she harbored ulterior motives, wishing to drag Bai Shanwei down and crush him. But didn't she realize that Bai Shanwei now had the Emperor's favor? His insults were so casual, and this splashing of dirty water was done without any issue! Therefore, Madam Shen didn't listen to a single word of Bai Sihan's advice, only thinking about how to drag him down into the mud. Seeing her mother's somewhat deranged state, Bai Sihan sighed deeply, hoping that this time she wouldn't cause any more trouble and would just return home safely.