I Became The Stepmother of My Ex-husband

The palace attendant in red was polite, but Princess Royal Shou Kang knew that it was Lin Wei Xi the Empress Dowager was inviting. But seeing Lin Wei Xi and Shou Kang sitting here together, the Empress Dowager couldn’t just call for the Prince Yan Consort and leave the other behind, so they were both invited for a conversation.

Shou Kang could’ve taken the opportunity to decline, and rest for a little longer, but she was worried about Lin Wei Xi going by herself. So she stood up despite feeling exhausted and accompanied her to see Empress Dowager Qian. Many people saw the eunuch next to the Empress Dowager leave. And when they first saw the eunuch accompany the Prince Yan Consort, their jaws dropped in shock. On New Year’s Eve, the Emperor himself had left the palace to pay a visit to Prince Yan. Today, at the congratulatory ceremony, the first person the Empress Dowager called for a chat was the Prince Yan Consort. The power and influence of the Prince Yan Residence was truly frightening.

In Cining Palace, the Qian family were already sitting with the Empress Dowager. However, the Qian family came to see the Empress Dowager on their own after the ceremony; it was the privilege of being her relatives. Naturally, they were not the same as a non-imperial Lady like Lin Wei Xi, who had to be specifically summoned by the Empress Dowager to speak with her.

Lin Wei Xi supported Princess Royal Shou Kang as they slowly walked towards Cining Palace. When the two of them appeared, the few people who were already seated looked over and said, “The Prince Yan Consort and the Princess Royal have arrived.”

Except for Empress Dowager Qian, all the other Ladies stood up and offered auspicious New Year’s greetings to Lin Wei Xi. She smiled as soon as she entered the room and was about to pay her respects to Empress Dowager Qian when she was held up by the maid next to the Empress Dowager, “Prince Yan Consort and Princess Royal, no need to stand on ceremony. We’re all family here, so let’s dispense with the formalities. It’s so tiring to be bowing and paying respects all the time.”

“Thank you Empress Dowager.” Lin Wei Xi responded with a smile. Despite her words, she still completed her wanfu bow before getting up. After standing up, she immediately assisted Princess Royal Shou Kang. As they walked towards the rest, everyone in the Qian family felt a little cautious. One was the Prince Yan Consort, second to none in the capital and the wife of the powerful Prince Yan. The other was Princess Royal Shou Kang, a generation senior to the Empress Dowager Qian. When they both entered, who dared to sit in a higher position than these two?

The Qian family senior Lady took a step back and gave up her seat. Lin Wei Xi smiled when she saw it, “Senior Madam Qian is too polite. How could I trouble you?”

Senior Madam Qian laughed, “Your words make me feel ashamed, Prince Yan Consort. We are unworthy of sitting with the Prince Yan Consort. You and Princess Royal ought to take the seat at the front.”

Lin Wei Xi smiled but before she could say anything, the Empress Dowager, who was seated in the middle, spoke indifferently, “Princess Consort and Princess Royal need not be polite. Please take a seat.”

Princess Royal Shou Kang remained calm and nodded her head in agreement, “Then thank you senior Madam Qian.”

Shou Kang was worried that it would be inconvenient for Lin Wei Xi to accept, so she agreed on her behalf. While the Qian family had face in front of outsiders, they had no right to sit in a higher position above the two of them. However, Lin Wei Xi was still young. Even though her status was high, there were some things she couldn’t say. If she had agreed, she might’ve been labelled as intemperate. But if it was Princess Royal Shou Kang who agreed, then there wouldn’t be a problem. After all, Shou Kang held seniority and it was expected for them to defer to her.

After helping Shou Kang to her seat on Empress Dowager Qian’s right, Lin Wei Xi walked around to the opposite side and sat directly to the left of the Empress Dowager. Of course, Empress Dowager Qian, as the Queen Mother, sat in the centre. The seat directly to her right was the most respectable, followed by the one on her left, the second on the right, and so on. Everyone in the Qian family had been having a good conversation, but as soon as Lin Wei Xi and Shou Kang arrived, they all had to stand up and give up their seats. After all the fuss, the Qian family, who was already somewhat uncomfortable, became more embarrassed.

After everyone was seated, Empress Dowager Qian asked after the health of everyone in the Prince Yan Residence. This was a very standard small talk, Lin Wei Xi answered for everyone before finally taking the opportunity to ask about the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. As the two of them exchanged pleasantries, everyone else in Cining Palace could only stare, and no one dared to interrupt.

After speaking to Lin Wei Xi for a long time, Empress Dowager Qian glanced behind her and remembered that the Prince Yan Residence also had Gao Ran, the Shizi Fei. Empress Dowager Qian then asked, “Shizi Fei also came. You must be tired after being so busy today.”

Gao Ran lowered her head and said gently, “It is my blessing to serve my mother-in-law and the Empress Dowager. I am not tired.”

When the Empress Dowager heard this, she nodded slightly. She’d only asked in passing and didn’t really care about Gao Ran’s answer. One of the Ladies from the Qian family saw this and added, “Shizi Fei is really filial. Prince Yan Consort is fortunate to have such a gentle and sensible daughter-in-law by her side.”

The lady of the Qian family intended to compliment Lin Wei Xi, but her words praised both of them equally. Unfortunately, her flattery missed the mark. Both Lin Wei Xi and Gao Ran smiled politely at her words, but neither felt too happy about it.

After Empress Dowager Qian and Lin Wei Xi finished exchanging pleasantries, they didn’t know what else to talk about. She only found out late last night that the Emperor had left the palace. He’d gone to the Prince Yan Residence first, then to the Zhang Residence, before eventually being escorted back by Grand Secretary Zhang’s men. Empress Dowager Qian complained a lot when she learned about this. It was inappropriate for the Emperor to leave the palace without permission, but since he’d gone out, how could he not visit the Qian family? Empress Dowager Qian couldn’t say anything if the Emperor hadn’t gone anywhere, but he’d visited his uncle and his teacher, all except his maternal grandparent’s family, the Qian household. This made Empress Dowager Qian very unhappy.

However, the Emperor wasn’t her biological son, and even though she was his di mother, there were many things Empress Dowager Qian couldn’t say. Today, when the Qian family entered the palace, they’d also discussed this. Even though Empress Dowager Qian wasn’t happy about it, she still called on Lin Wei Xi to win her over. Yesterday, the Emperor had come over and specifically instructed her to do this.

The women of the Qian family looked at Lin Wei Xi and felt a complex mix of emotions that were hard to express. It was one thing to give their seat to Princess Royal Shou Kang. After all, Shou Kang had high seniority. The imperial family had to accommodate her, even for the sake of their face. But giving up their seat to someone old enough to be their daughter was embarrassing. The Qian family was ecstatic when they first became the Emperor’s maternal relatives, but over time, they grew used to flattery and were no longer satisfied with their current status. They were both relatives of the imperial family; Prince Yan was the Emperor’s uncle, but their Qian family was also the Emperor’s maternal household. But why could Prince Yan hold so much power, while the Qian family could only take on a few meaningless tasks and be treated like decorations.

Their conversation remained polite throughout. After Lin Wei Xi left, a niece-in-law who was very favoured by Empress Dowager Qian said, “Empress Dowager, the Emperor has us as his family here, so why does he always prefer outsiders?”

Although the Emperor called Prince Yan “uncle”, Prince Yan’s branch of the family was quite distant from the Emperor’s. To Empress Dowager Qian, even though they relied heavily on Prince Yan, how could Prince Yan compare to her own family, how could he favour Prince Yan over the Qian family? The niece-in-law’s words hit Empress Dowager’s sore spot. When everyone in the Qian family saw that Empress Dowager did not get angry after her niece-in-law spoke, they were overjoyed. One after another, they began to speak out about their grievances.

A palace maid who was serving beside the Empress Dowager frowned to herself. In the palace, the walls had ears, and every word had to be carefully considered. But this niece-in-law from the Emperor’s maternal family had said that Prince Yan was an outsider in front of a room full of palace maids and eunuchs, and even implicitly criticized the Emperor. The palace granny felt this was inappropriate, but the Empress Dowager didn’t rebuke the girl. The Qian family relied on this and became increasingly out of line. As a servant, it was not her place to criticize her master’s words and deeds, but the old granny still couldn’t help but sigh. No wonder the Emperor and Prince Yan were reluctant to entrust the Qian family with important tasks. Looking at their entire family’s behaviour, they really weren’t suitable for major responsibilities.

As soon as she left the Empress Dowager’s palace, Lin Wei Xi was immediately surrounded by people wanting to socialize. She sighed. It seemed she wouldn’t be able to relax all day.

After she finally managed to leave the palace that evening, Lin Wei Xi happened to run into the people from the Duke Ying Residence on her way out. When they saw her, they froze. Obviously, they still remembered the incident last year where they’d supported Gao Ran. The Prince Yan Residence and Duke Ying Residence were in-laws, so they couldn’t avoid greeting each other in the palace earlier, but they’d gone their separate ways after. Unlike then, it was now very awkward with only one road out of the palace.

Although the senior Duke Ying Lady had a calm expression, she still greeted Lin Wei Xi first, “Greetings, Prince Yan Consort.”

“Greetings, My Lady.” Lin Wei Xi couldn’t help feeling amused at the sight of someone familiar. She stood unmovingly. She used to be the junior, but now it was the Duke Ying Residence who had to greet her first. Of course, they also understood this. After the Ladies and daughter-in-laws of the Duke Ying Residence greeted her one by one, Gao Ran stepped out from behind her and said, her eyes lowered, “This child pays her respect to Grandmother, Aunt and sister-in-laws. Grandmother, please take care.”

The senior Duke Ying Lady felt embarrassed when she saw Gao Ran. During the previous incident, the senior Lady had aggressively brought her entourage to the Prince Yan Residence to support Gao Ran, but it turned out she was the one being unreasonable. The Duke Ying Residence had caused a scene and lost face. The senior Lady was angry with Gao Ran, so she didn’t meet Gao Ran and went straight back to her residence with everyone. Since then, this was the first time everyone in the Duke Ying Residence saw Gao Ran.

When they ran into each other last year during the Dragon Boat Festival, those from the Duke Ying Residence were overjoyed to see their residence’s married third daughter. They acknowledged each other as grandparent and granddaughter in front of everyone, and were very showy about it. However, in just half a year, when they ran into their third daughter and her mother-in-law, the atmosphere was completely different.

Gao Ran despised the Duke Ying Residence for being useless and treating their daughter like a commodity. They were good to her when things were going well, but when she needed the support of her family, no one was quicker to sell her out for the sake of the family. On the other hand, everyone in the Duke Ying Residence felt that Gao Ran was insincere. She’d done something wrong but kept it hidden, and instead instigated her family to quarrel with her mother-in-law, using her family as a weapon. The senior Duke Ying Lady had lost a lot of face in front of Lin Wei Xi, and she herself was very angry about this. But seeing Gao Ran’s indifferent attitude now, she became more frustrated.

Lin Wei Xi’s eyes flickered. She looked back at Gao Ran, then turned to look at the Duke Ying Residence in front of her. Finally, she turned back around with a smile in her eyes, “it’s been a long time since My Lady has seen Shizi Fei, hasn’t it. We just happened to run into each other today, and I’m also not an unreasonable mother-in-law. In any case, it’s a long road out of the palace. Shizi Fei, you might as well go and chat with your family. You don’t have to stay with me.”

“This won’t do.” Before Gao Ran could respond, the senior Duke Ying Lady said coldly, “It’s natural for a daughter-in-law to serve her mother-in-law. She is a junior, how can she leave her mother-in-law and go out on her own? Although Shizi Fei is surnamed Gao, since she married into the Prince Yan Residence, she is a member of the Prince Yan Residence. How can she return to her family so often?” After the senior Duke Ying Lady finished speaking, she looked at Lin Wei Xi, “She is your daughter-in-law. If she does anything wrong, please correct her. She isn’t a sensible child, and her di mother passed away early. She only has you, her mother-in-law, to rely on to teach her.”

Gao Ran also hadn’t wanted to talk to the people of the Duke Ying Residence, but she should’ve been the one to decline instead of being rejected to her face by her family. Gao Ran’s anger grew. She previously held some goodwill towards the Duke Ying Residence. After all, her father had conveniently arranged a good marriage for her. But hearing the senior Lady say such ingratiating words that threw her under the bus, Gao Ran’s last bit of goodwill towards the Duke Ying Residence disappeared.

Gao Ran was unhappy and she couldn’t stop it from showing in her voice, “Grandmother is right. I am now a member of the Gu family and shouldn’t be spending all my time with the Duke Residence.”

As soon as she said it, the atmosphere became even colder. Seeing the clear deadlock between the two of them, Lin Wei Xi quickly said, “the Duke Residence has a deep understanding of righteousness and Shizi Fei is sensible. This is truly a blessing for the Prince Yan Residence. It’s cold today. Please take care when you’re walking, My Lady.”

After speaking, even Lin Wei Xi herself felt it was very weird. Gao Ran and the Duke Ying Residence were surnamed Gao, while Lin Wei Xi was the step-mother-in-law. Normally, she’d be the weaker party and would’ve been targeted. How did she become the one mediating the situation?

Lin Wei Xi’s reminder to the senior Duke Ying Lady wasn’t just empty words. It had been snowing heavily before the New Year, and now the sky was dark, the west wind gradually picking up. The road out of the palace was indeed difficult to walk on. Black ice penetrated the cracks between the bricks lining the road and one had to be careful when walking. After Lin Wei Xi helped them come to a compromise, the senior Duke Ying Lady thanked her before silently allowing her maid and daughter-in-law to support her as she walked. Lin Wei Xi also had no intention to talk. They were walking in silence when a little palace eunuch suddenly approached them from behind, shouting from afar, “Prince Yan Consort, please stay.”

Lin Wei Xi heard the voice and turned around in surprise. Being loud and noisy was prohibited in the inner palace, and if the eunuch weren’t in a hurry, he wouldn’t dare shout so loudly. The eunuch ran up to Lin Wei Xi and after bowing to her, continued, “Princess Consort, please wait. The road out of the palace is long. His Majesty specially ordered a sedan chair to escort My Lady out of the palace.”

Everyone else gasped when they heard this. Lin Wei Xi furrowed her eyebrows and said, “This goes against proper etiquette. His Majesty is a very busy person. How could I trouble His Majesty’s eunuchs? This humble subject is thankful for the favour, but I shall decline the sedan chair.”

“Please don’t refuse, Princess Consort. His Majesty sent the sedan chair to pick you up after listening to Prince Yan’s request. If you refuse, Prince Yan will have to come personally. His Majesty will surely put the blame on this slave.”

So it was because of Gu Hui Yan. Lin Wei Xi wondered how the Emperor could remember a mere female relative like her. In front of so many people, Lin Wei Xi blushed a little as she tried to make up a proper excuse for Prince Yan’s behaviour, but the senior Duke Ying Lady answered very tactfully, “Since the eunuchs are sending the Princess Consort out of the palace, then this old lady and the others will not bother you anymore. Prince Yan Consort, this old lady will leave first.”

Lin Wei Xi became even more embarrassed and her face reddened. The Emperor had sent a sedan chair for the Prince Yan Consort because of Gu Hui Yan, but he didn’t care to do the same for the Shizi Fei Gao Ran. Gao Ran could only bow to everyone from the Duke Ying Residence, and after watching them leave, she personally helped Lin Wei Xi onto the sedan before walking out alone.

Gao Ran walked alone on the palace road, surrounded by twilight. Occasionally, there was black ice on the ground, the cold gradually creeping up from the soles of her feet to her heart. Comparison was the thief of joy, and many of life’s grievances came from comparing oneself to others. It was better not to know; once you had something to compare to, the difference was almost too easy to make one angry to death.