I Became The Stepmother of My Ex-husband

Gu Hui Yan paused momentarily and smiled again, “Grand Secretary Zhang is dedicated to Your Majesty and strictly abides by his duty as a teacher. This is a blessing for the country.”

Lin Wei Xi didn’t miss the fact that the Emperor addressed himself with “I” in front of Prince Yan, nor did she miss Prince Yan merely calling Grand Secretary Zhang’s strict discipline “a blessing to the country”, devoid of any personal opinion. Grand Secretary Zhang shouldered the responsibility of being the Emperor’s teacher. He also wholeheartedly wanted to groom a virtuous and wise monarch for the Qi Dynasty. Hence, the Emperor’s discipline was very complicated and strict. From the books he read to the words he practised, to even what he did during court sessions, everything was strict and regimental. From an adult’s perspective, Grand Secretary Zhang was doing this for the sake of the Emperor. But from the perspective of a twelve year old child, this was most likely a pain in the neck.

The Emperor reluctantly sent Prince Yan out. He glanced at Lin Wei Xi again and said, “Uncle Wang just got married. Zhen is a junior and wasn’t able to congratulate you on the day of. It’s truly unfortunate. Zhen doesn’t have much of a greeting gift. It’s only a pair of jade Bi for Aunt Yan. Zhen hopes that Aunt and Uncle Yan live a long and happy life together in harmony.”

Lin Wei Xi was caught off guard when she was addressed. She had never spoken to the emperor before, so she almost stumbled, “Your Majesty, this official’s wife lacks the ability… “

The Emperor smiled kindly at Lin Wei Xi. The young man had fair skin which made his smile look elegant and neat, “Aunt Yan, you don’t need to do this. Zhen has always respected Uncle Yan. This is Zhen’s congratulatory wedding gift to the both of you. Auntie should just accept it.”

Lin Wei Xi looked at Gu Hui Yan. He nodded slightly, so she said, “Thank you, Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty.”

Lin Wei Xi and Gu Hui Yan made small talk with the Emperor while Gao Ran and Gu Cheng Yao had to stand at a respectful distance and watch from the back. Gao Ran couldn’t say a word. She watched the two of them stand side by side from behind, and thought to herself for some reason, that Gu Cheng Yao was only a Shizi and when people brought him up, they’d always refer to him as Prince Yan’s son. Gao Ran used to be extremely proud of her identity. But now it was hard for her to understand her own feelings.

It was because he was Prince Yan’s son that Gao Ran could only stand at the back and watch Lin Wei Xi accept greetings, make small talk, and joke with various influential figures. It wasn’t due to how clever Lin Wei Xi was or how stupid Gao Ran was. Lin Wei Xi could only do this because she was the Prince Yan Consort, Prince Yan’s new wife.

Gao Ran stood an arm’s length away and watched her thank the Emperor with a smile before having her servants put away the jade artefact he gave to her. Gao Ran and Gu Cheng Yao were obviously standing not far away, but they seemed to be separated by an insurmountable valley.

That valley was power, status, and seniority, and also Prince Yan’s outstanding military service. The Emperor had no choice but to rely on his massive military power. For the first time, Gao Ran clearly realized that the honour she had as Shizi Fei was not because of Gu Cheng Yao, but because of Prince Yan.

After leaving the palace, Lin Wei Xi and Gao Ran both got onto the carriage and remained silent the entire way. Lin Wei Xi was deep in thought about the heavenly book while Gao Ran stared at the decorative motif on the sleeve of her dress, slightly distracted.

Because of this incident, Gao Ran was preoccupied with her thoughts until dinner. That evening, everyone in the Residence would be eating together. From start to end, she stood behind Lin Wei Xi and served her. When the maid swapped out the tea, Gao Ran rolled up her sleeves and poured it for Lin Wei Xi.

Lin Wei Xi watched her former sister serve her tea and water. She silently basked in it for a while, and when Gao Ran held out the tea to her, she said, “I’m not thirsty. I don’t want to drink tea. Put it away first. “

Gao Ran’s hand tightened around the teacup. Ning Fu and the other maids looked indignant. Of course Lin Wei Xi saw it. Her smile didn’t change and she said carelessly, “Shizi Fei’s hand just healed. You couldn’t even serve tea properly when your hand was still okay. Now that your hand is injured, I’m afraid it won’t have any strength. Put it down. It’s just been boiled. Unlike Shizi Fei, I can’t stand getting scalded.”

Lin Wei Xi was truly being incessantly picky. Gu Cheng Yao had just entered the room when he heard this. His eyebrows twitched and he unconsciously looked at Gu Hui Yan, who was in front of him.