Miss Truth-Chapter 471 - 306: Composure_2

Ran Yan knelt down to offer tea to Duke Song and Lady Dugu, and before this, Chan’er opened a box containing a brocade handkerchief in front of Lady Dugu. Although the Grand Lady was an elder, Lady Dugu was Ran Yan’s mother-in-law and should be the first to inspect it.

Lady Dugu looked down briefly, about to nod, but then she paused, looked again, and only then nodded her head.

Chan’er then presented the box to the Grand Lady. The Grand Lady was more composed, showing no change in expression. After inspecting it, she spoke indifferently, "Proceed with the tea ceremony, I have been feeling somewhat tired lately and cannot stay long."

Having the family elders and sisters-in-law witness the bride’s chastity was not a matter of shame in the Tang Dynasty. Originally, this handkerchief, stained with the blood of virginity, was meant to be shown to Princess Xiangcheng and Lady Jia Rong, but the grandmother interrupted. Normally, the recognition of the elders was enough, and the sisters-in-law were just there for excitement; naturally, it would not be appropriate to insist on seeing it.

The maid brought the tray to Ran Yan, who picked up the teacup, slightly turning towards Duke Song, holding the teacup high above her head with both hands, "Please enjoy the tea, Grandfather."

Although Duke Song kept his gaze straight, he had been observing every move Ran Yan had made since entering the room. She was calm and dignified, beautiful without a hint of flirtatiousness, and carried an air of nobility that transcended humble origins. Satisfied, he took the teacup, took a sip, then offered a few words of advice before setting down the teacup and placing a palm-sized zitan wood box on the tray.

Ran Yan then offered tea to Lady Dugu, "Please enjoy the tea, Mother."

Unexpectedly, Lady Dugu did not make things difficult for Ran Yan, nor did she show any dominance. She cheerfully took the teacup, sipped lightly, and then said, "Now that you have married into the Xiao Family, you have a responsibility to ensure that you do not dishonor the Xiao family name. Remember well the ancestral teachings of the Xiao family, abide by the family rules, and most importantly, take great care in serving your husband and bear offspring for the Xiao family."

Serving one’s husband and bearing offspring were two distinct responsibilities, but Lady Dugu mentioned them in such an order that it seemed vaguely suggestive.

Ran Yan felt extremely awkward inside but maintained a composed appearance, replying, "I will keep Mother’s teachings in mind."

"Yes, your grandfather and I will return to Qi State tomorrow. Since you won’t need to serve us elderly, you should focus your efforts more on your husband," Lady Dugu continued to instruct.

Ran Yan replied respectfully, "I will engrave Mother’s words in my heart."

Only then did Lady Dugu put down the teacup and placed a red brocade pouch on the tray, saying, "Go and offer tea to the Old Lady now."

In fact, Lady Dugu had prepared two gifts for today’s meeting, intending to dismiss Ran Yan if she was not pleasing. However, unexpectedly, this daughter-in-law was not the timid and delicate type of Jiangnan woman she had imagined. This woman inherently possessed a natural nobility, and even as a wife without rank and not of particularly good birth, faced with a room full of women of Imperial Decree, she showed not a hint of panic. Lady Dugu admired women who remained calm in the face of danger and, upon seeing the brocade handkerchief, felt that her son had suffered enough over the years and thus did not give Ran Yan a hard time.

After Ran Yan kowtowed to the Old Lady, Xiao Song led her to meet his brothers and sisters-in-law. After exchanging pleasantries all around, Lady Dugu, supporting the Old Lady, led the three daughters-in-law down.

Upon leaving, she instructed Princess Xiangcheng and Lady Jia Rong of the County, "If you have any concubines in your rooms, call them out to meet Lady Song the Third, so they don’t end up behind closed doors not recognizing their own masters."

Lady Song the Third referred specifically to the ranking within Duke Song’s branch of the family. Lady Dugu said this to emphasize the distinction between the principal wife and concubines.

The Princess of Xiang City and Lady Jia Rong were slightly embarrassed as they replied with a yes.

Ran Yan thought for a moment and understood why they were embarrassed. She had heard Xiao Song say that both of his older brothers only had one principal wife and neither had concubines nor secondary wives. She wasn’t sure if Lady Dugu was asking knowingly or was genuinely unaware.

"Xiang City, Jia Rong, accompany Yuezhi’s wife for a walk around the estate," the old Lady suddenly said.

The two of them agreed and then invited Ran Yan to join them. Ran Yan didn’t particularly enjoy this, as her judgment of people was always accurate. Though the Princess of Xiang City presented herself as gentle and virtuous, she was still a princess with inherent pride and arrogance in her bones. Although Lady Jia Rong didn’t hold a high status, she was the legitimate daughter of Princess Pingyang, and normally, daughters of princesses didn’t have titles. However, Princess Pingyang had made significant contributions to the stabilizing of the Great Tang and was buried with military honors after her death. The Grand Ancestor personally conferred the title of County Duke on her son and the title of Lady on her daughter. With such a mother, who wouldn’t give her respect? Therefore, her pride was surely no less than that of the Princess of Xiang City.

Moreover, weren’t their ages a bit too disparate? Status and age seemed to be an insurmountable chasm. Dealing with these two sisters-in-law, Ran Yan felt it was bound to be uncomfortable; she would rather keep the old Lady company for a chat.

Meanwhile, Lady Dugu walked with the old Lady towards the back garden.

The old Lady didn’t say a word the entire time, leaving Lady Dugu to ponder what might be the important matter that necessitated sending the daughters-in-law away. Unable to keep waiting without talking, and without asking for a reason, she brought up the matter of the embroidered handkerchief, "Ah Jia saw that embroidered handkerchief too, Yuezhi must have been holding back for too long, somewhat..."

She paused for a moment, noticing the old Lady’s lack of reaction, and continued, "Perhaps after a month, we should consider adding a few more beautiful concubines for her."

After a while, the old Lady finally spoke slowly, "If Xiao Jiu wishes for it, it will naturally happen."

Lady Dugu felt stumped by the remark, finding the old Lady’s words logical and unable to offer any rebuttal.

"The imperial decree for the conferment hasn’t come down yet." The old Lady mentioned offhandedly.

Lady Dugu was extremely shrewd, and it suddenly dawned on her. The rank of an imperial wife could be conferred after the marriage date was set. On her wedding day, an imperial wife could wear floral jewelry and a ceremonial robe without having to wear jewelry and a formal gown. One’s rank fluctuates with the husband’s rank, but the decree for Ran Yan’s investiture hadn’t been issued by the palace yet. Could this signify something?

"Are you implying that Yuezhi might have prospects for promotion?" Lady Dugu asked in a hushed voice.

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Today, Sleeve Paper read an academic post, mentioning that during the Tang Dynasty, the wedding gift wasn’t jewelry and a formal gown, but a floral hairpin and a ceremonial robe, which took me by surprise. I’m not sure of its authenticity. As for the grand ceremonial robe, wearing it to meet the bride might seem too ostentatious, but let’s overlook that and pretend it’s the Xiao family’s custom.

Historical content is always disputed, especially over a few pieces of clothing, so let’s simply appreciate that such splendid attire once existed in our country, without delving too deep. Kids who have studied deeply, please don’t nitpick over this. Also, there are no family conflicts in this volume, so everyone can rest assured.

On another note, are you aware that monthly tickets have doubled?! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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