It was a long time before Chunyu came back. Ye Jiayao tried waiting up for him, but she was too tired that she eventually succumbed to sleep.

She only woke up when she felt the bed move. She asked, still dazed from sleep, “Chunyu? How did it go?”

Xia Chunyu tucked her in and softly said, “Don’t worry about it. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

He already knew who contacted Zhu Wang’s wife. He knew it the minute she described his appearance to him. However, it was Chunyu’s wedding and he didn’t want to cause a commotion.

Ye Jiayao was so exhausted that she just burrowed into his embrace and fell back asleep.

The next day, the newlyweds were scheduled to serve tea to the family.

As per tradition, the family, especially older relatives, were expected to present the new couple with a red envelope of cash. Ye Jiayao and Chunyu prepared a thick stack for the couple to wish them well on the start of their marriage.

The start of the ceremony was lively. All the families were there plus the Second Aunt who arrived from Shanxi yesterday.

Second Auntie, Xia Peishan, turned to Chunyu and complained, “Why did you have to get married in such a rush? By the time the news of your engagement reached me, the wedding’s already done!”

Chunyu smiled apologetically. “I was just too eager to marry my girl. Don’t worry, Second Auntie, I will have a feast prepared for you and Second Uncle tomorrow to make up for it.”

Xia Peishan smiled slyly, a thought forming in her head. She knew that Big Sister approved of Chunyu’s wife. She also couldn’t deny that the perfect wedding banquet last night has impressed her immensely. “I want Jinxuan to prepare this feast, though. What do you say, Jinxuan?”

“I’d be happy to, Second Auntie,” Ye Jiayao said.

Zhou frowned upon hearing this. Why was it such a big deal when she tried to get Jinxuan to cook for her, and yet the young lady readily agreed when it was the Second Sister?

“Hey, how come Second Sister-in-law get to have her own feast?” Zhou protested in jealousy.

Xia Peishan, who also wasn’t a huge fan of Zhou, said emotionlessly, “I am not taking this feast for free. If you’re jealous, you can come as well.”

She then gave her husband, Qin Shimao, a meaningful look.

Qin Shimao smirked and took out two big red envelopes. “Although we did not make it to the wedding, a gift is still necessary.” He then handed one envelope to Xia Chunyu and the other one to Ye Jiayao.

Ye Jiayao nodded gratefully, hiding her excitement. The stack they gave her was quite thick and she estimated that it would amount to no less than 1000 silvers. It wasn’t really surprising since she heard that Second Aunt and Second Uncle were rich. They owned several coal mines in Shanxi.

Xia Chunyu and Ye Jiayao said simultaneously, “Thank you, Second Auntie and Second Uncle.”

Xia You smiled and remarked, “Second Sister, you really are thoughtful.”

Xia Peishan shot Zhou a glance and said, “This is the tradition. Even if I didn’t make it to the wedding, I’m still going to make sure that you receive my gift.”

Zhou coughed awkwardly. Flushed with embarrassment, she turned to her son and yelled, “Stop fidgeting around and sit properly. Those red envelopes are not for you!”

Chunsi pouted. “My tenth birthday is in a few days. All of you will have to give me red envelopes then.”

“Then wait for that day to come!” Zhou chastised.

The people in the room were speechless. Did that kid just demand red envelopes for his birthday? Were this family’s education and manners really that poor?

After a few more moments of waiting, Chunfeng and Liu Li finally appeared. The couple came in separately, not even sparing a glance at each other, their faces stoic.

Ye Jiayao could not help but sigh. It seemed that the newlywed’s first night didn’t go very well.

Xia You and Xia Zhuofeng looked at each other worriedly. They knew that Chunfeng was an unwilling participant in this marriage, but since it was the Emperor’s decree, there was nothing any of them could do. They tried to make Chunfeng more amenable to this arrangement but based on how he and Liu Li looked today, it was clear that they didn’t succeed.

However, Xia You did not want to draw more attention to this fact so she gestured to Mother Sun to begin.

Mother Sun cleared her throat and announced, “Will the young couple please start serving?”

The servant handed Xia Chunfeng and Liu Li two cups of tea.

Xia Chunfeng walked to his parents and kneeled, waiting for his wife to do the same. Liu Li, however, simply stood next to him and slightly bowed her head.

“Mother, please accept this tea,” she said rather haughtily.

“You are supposed to kneel when you are serving tea to the elders,” Xia Chunfeng hissed angrily.

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Liu Li responded arrogantly, “I am a princess, part of the monarch. Do you expect a monarch to kneel before her subservient?”

Xia Zhoufeng and Xia You couldn’t hide their embarrassment.

This was what You was afraid of. The moment the Emperor declared Chunfeng and Liu Li’s marriage, You has worried about the technicalities of the hierarchy. Add that to Liu Li’s arrogance and bad temper, it was a sure recipe for disaster.

“So you want my family to kneel before you?” Chunfeng demanded, his anger rising out of control.

Liu Li snorted. “They should.”

Xia Peishan couldn’t stand it anymore and chimed in, “It is part of the tradition for the newlyweds to kneel before their elders as they serve the tea. Even the Emperor is required to follow this custom. Are you saying that this rule is beneath you, Princess?”

Liu Li’s brows furrowed. “I bowed, didn’t I? Is it really necessary that I, the Princess, kneel?”

Ye Jiayao shook her head in dismay. Oh, this is going horribly wrong. She had thought that Liu Li would for once act a little more mature since she’s facing strangers, but she was as unbearable as ever.

“It is a rule that everyone has to follow,” Xia You explained gently. “Our family wants a daughter-in-law, not a monarch. If you treat us all as your ministers, we would never be able to treat you like family.”

The Old Marquis snorted and said, “This is outrageous.”

“Father, Mother, this is my fault,” Xia Chunfeng interjected. “I am not worthy to have such a noble wife. I will go to the palace and speak to the Emperor about this. It is clear that Princess Liu Li and I are not compatible with each other.”

Liu Li’s face reddened and she turned to her new husband furiously. “Are you threatening to divorce me?”

“You have belittled my family on the first day of our marriage. Why would I stay with you?” Xia Chunfeng demanded coldly.

Zhou tried to smooth things over and piped in, “Princess Liu Li has a point. The hierarchy cannot be ignored even for tradition. It’s always the monarch first before family.”

“Oh shut up,” Xia Peishan retorted.

All eyes turned to her, shocked by her words.

“In all those years you’ve lived in that little town, have you forgotten the meaning and importance of rituals? If you’re not going to contribute anything meaningful, stay quiet,” Xia Peishan told Zhou, irritated.

Ye Jiayao’s reverence for Second Auntie grew even more. She liked her no-nonsense attitude.

Zhou was stunned. She wasn’t expecting Second Sister-in-law to come at her so harshly.

Xia Qinqin immediately came to his wife’s defense. “Second Sister, there is no need to speak like that. Just because we lived in a small province doesn’t mean we’re beneath you.”

“It’s because all her riches have gone to her head,” Zhou said angrily. “I was only trying to help! Chunfeng is not being sensible in what he’s asking. Princess Liu Li might have been married to the family, but she is first and foremost a royalty. We should treat her with respect.”

Since it was obvious that the rest of the family wasn’t a big fan of her, Zhou made up her mind to make Princes Liu Li her ally. None of them would be able to touch her if she has a royalty backing her up.

Liu Li looked at Zhou gratefully. Finally, a person in this family with sense and respect.

Chunfeng didn’t want Second Auntie to fight for him so he immediately said, “Since Third Auntie is so insistent, why don’t you take Princess Liu Li home?”

Liu Li screamed at Chunfeng, “You can’t do this! You are going against a royal decree. I will tell the Empress Dowager about this and you will be punished!”

“Go!” Xia Chunfeng snorted. “No one is stopping you. Leave and never come back.”

Ye Jiayao was watching the scene unfold in disbelief. How had things gotten so out of hand? This was supposed to be a simple ceremony. How did they go from serving tea to yelling at each other?

“Shut up, all of you!” the Old Marquis yelled furiously, his voice thundering around the room.

Everyone immediately quieted.

Xia Zhuofeng said calmly, “Princess, you do not have to go to the Empress Dowager to complain. I will speak to her myself. It is clear that our family is too small to accommodate a woman of such power and position.”

“Mother Sun, come and help me change,” Xia You immediately ordered.

The couple got up and left.

Xia Peishan stood up after them and walked towards Ye Jinxuan, throwing Zhou a disdainful look. “Jinxuan, shall we go to your room for a cup of tea? I can’t stand to be around such… revolting things.”

“Revolting? What are you talking about?” Zhou demanded, knowing full well that it was a snipe at her.

Xia Peishan merely smiled at her.