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The two close female officials accompanying Consort Yang, who appeared to be serving in the palace, were actually two female Golden Shadow G
The two close female officials accompanying Consort Yang, who appeared to be serving in the palace, were actually two female Golden Shadow Guards that Wei Tingyu had sent in earlier! Of course, with Consort Yang, the Emperor's favored concubine, orchestrating things, arranging official duties for the two Golden Shadow Guards and bringing them to her side was incredibly simple!
"Oh!" Old Master Yang immediately nodded upon hearing this, then sighed, "Alas! Daughter!"
"You've had your own opinions since you were young, and after entering the palace, you've gained the Emperor's affection. Your father shouldn't say too much!"
"But the situation in the palace changes in an instant, and I often can't help but worry about you, my daughter!"
"The Empress has no children and no favor! And I've heard rumors that Consort Shang is deeply favored by the Emperor! She even brought honor to her father and brothers, who all received noble titles!"
"Just a mere cloth merchant! In just a few years, her entire family rose to prominence!"
"Your father wanted to help you, but alas, my official position is low, and my words carry little weight! Advancement is hopeless, and I simply can't intervene!"
"You must make plans early! Don't let others monopolize the glory!"
As the old man's words fell, Consort Yang immediately understood. Her father wanted her to ask the Emperor for a promotion and a title! Consort Yang naturally knew about the so-called favored Consort Shang. The old emperor's inability to have children was merely another facade to cover up his shortcomings. However, Consort Shang was skilled at charming people. Even without any genuine affection for the old emperor, she could still flatter him for the sake of her family's future. But Consort Yang simply couldn't do such a thing! Otherwise, Consort Shang wouldn't be able to overshadow her in the palace! She was already like this before, and now that she had a husband like Wei Tingyu, Consort Yang found it even harder to force a smile for the old emperor!
Thinking this, she turned and picked up the teacup from the nearby table. Seeing this, Father Yang immediately knew that his words hadn't moved his daughter, so he immediately winked at his wife beside him.
The Yang family's matriarch paused, then spoke with some embarrassment, "That Li family was originally just a lowly tea-selling household!"
"Relying on their connection with the Marquis of Jining, they've become extremely presumptuous in front of me!"
"It's good that our daughter has returned! She should teach them a good lesson!"
"Lest they become even more audacious in the future and ride roughshod over our Yang family!"
"Who knows, they might even cause trouble someday! Harming our entire Yang family!"
Consort Yang was startled at first upon hearing her mother's words, then understood. Her father had just tried to get her to speak favorably to the old emperor for a minor official position, but seeing her unresponsive, her mother actually shifted the topic to the Li family and the Marquis of Jining. What did this mean? Her mother was using the Li family's sudden rise in status after connecting with the Marquis of Jining—even daring to challenge the Yang Residence—as a way to remind her! The underlying message was nothing more than: Our Yang family is already connected to the imperial family; why can't you, our daughter, be more ambitious? Look at how the Li family's daughters are doing?
As for the claims that the Li family would become presumptuous and ride roughshod over the Yang family, or even cause trouble that would harm the Yang family, Consort Yang scoffed at them! She knew Wei Tingyu very well; the fact that he married five daughters from the Li family was enough to show that they were not bad women! If her parents just didn't provoke them, wouldn't there be no problems?
"Patriarch! Consort!" At this moment, the butler rushed in, bowing to the people in the main hall and reporting, "Marquis Jining and the Lady of his residence have arrived!"
"Quickly invite them in!" Before Old Master Yang could react, Consort Yang suddenly sat up straight and spoke anxiously. She even unconsciously smoothed her hair, as if afraid of appearing undignified. This scene, in the eyes of the Yang family members, left them bewildered.
What's going on? The dignified Consort Yang meeting a mere Marquis and his concubine, why was she acting so nervous? At this moment, Consort Yang directly ignored the puzzled gazes of her family members. Instead, she took a deep breath, sat up straight, and waited for the lover she had met countless times in her dreams to appear in her sight!
Soon, Wei Tingyu, holding Fifth Lady Leshan's hand, entered the Yang family's main hall, and the Yang family members were even more dumbfounded! Good heavens! These two came to someone else's banquet still holding hands so intimately? This display of affection is almost sickening! Especially the female relatives of the Yang family, seeing this, they all revealed disdainful eye rolls! However, their subtle facial expressions allowed Wei Tingyu to immediately see that these women were actually terribly jealous in their hearts!
Of course, Wei Tingyu didn't bother with the thoughts of these Yang family women. He walked straight in, holding Leshan's hand, ignoring everyone else, and went directly to the center of the main hall. At this moment, he naturally also saw Consort Yang, and their gazes, as their eyes met, were filled with warmth! Consort Yang was even more excited; if she hadn't controlled herself so well, tears might have already flowed.
In fact, after that passionate night with Wei Tingyu, Consort Yang's heart had long since been given to him! It was just that she hadn't realized at the time how deeply she had fallen! For the next ten-plus days, Wei Tingyu did not appear! Every day, she would eagerly look up at the crossbeam above her bath, hoping that figure would reappear! However, repeated disappointments in reality caused Wei Tingyu's image to dominate every moment of her dreams during those days. And at this moment, Consort Yang finally realized that she wasn't emotionally cold at all; it was simply because she hadn't met a man who truly entered her heart before!
Fortunately, Wei Tingyu's two Golden Shadow Guards were sent into the palace as promised, and from then on, Consort Yang knew that this man had not forgotten her! And now that she had the opportunity to visit her family, she couldn't wait to order the Yang Residence to send an invitation to the Marquis of Jining's estate. Of course, for the purpose of covering up, she also invited Fifth Lady Leshan of the Li family. After all, it was Fifth Lady Li and Yang Xian who had the most unpleasant confrontation before. Consort Yang could use this incident as a shield, pretending to resolve misunderstandings between the Yang Residence and the Marquis's estate.
Wei Tingyu naturally understood. After all, for Consort Yang, on one side was the man she loved, and on the other were her in-laws, parents, and siblings. Forcing her to make a choice would indeed be too difficult.
However, Fifth Lady Leshan, who was with Wei Tingyu, frowned directly after seeing Consort Yang's expression from afar. Goodness! Why is this Consort Yang suddenly so excited?! And her expression and the way she's looking at the Marquis... these can't be faked! Could she also have some kind of relationship with the Marquis?
Leshan's sixth sense was incredibly accurate. She didn't even need a second to think before grasping the crux of the problem. This was also thanks to her usual lack of rationality and tendency for wild imagination! If it were a woman like Shouhua, He Weifang, or even Dou Zhao, though they were very intelligent, they would never dare to think in that direction! Of course, Leshan was only shocked at this moment! Because she hadn't expected the Marquis to be so bold as to even dare to steal a concubine from the palace?! As for jealousy, she didn't feel any, as she had long since grown accustomed to it after living in the Marquis's estate for so long! She was simply amazed by the Marquis's skill and courage; this was simply too incredible!
"Consort, all my blessings!" Thinking this, Leshan slightly bowed to Consort Yang and then spoke. After being tutored by Dou Zhao and others in the Marquis's estate, Leshan's etiquette was now very standard. Consort Yang immediately nodded, then quickly said to Wei Tingyu, "Marquis Jining, there's no need for excessive politeness! Please, take your seat!"
Wei Tingyu, of course, hadn't intended to bow to Consort Yang; he had only planned to cup his fists as a gesture, considering she was his woman! But he hadn't expected Consort Yang to be even more nervous than he was! It made sense; for a woman with Consort Yang's values, if her beloved had to bow to her, she would probably feel guilty and unable to sleep at night.
The Yang family members were also surprised to hear this. Not only did Wei Tingyu not need to bow, but he was also directly granted a seat? It seemed Consort Yang's return today and her special invitation to Wei Tingyu were clearly not intended to support the Yang family! What could be the reason?
However, before the Yang family members could figure it out, Consort Yang slowly stood up, and with the help of her female official, walked towards Leshan! Her peripheral vision, however, remained fixed on Wei Tingyu! At this moment, Consort Yang's heart was pounding fiercely. If it weren't for so many people watching, she would probably have rushed into Wei Tingyu's embrace like a small bird, seeking comfort.
And as she took step after step towards Leshan, this young girl's heart also became somewhat uneasy! After all, Consort Yang's status was undeniable. Seeing her slowly approach in her luxurious imperial robes, the sense of pressure made her instinctively tighten her grip on Wei Tingyu's hand. Regardless, Yang Xian had indeed been severely tormented because of her, becoming the laughingstock of the entire capital. As Yang Xian's older sister, even if she had to save face for Wei Tingyu, a scolding was probably inevitable! Oh well! If Consort Yang really wants to scold me, I'll just endure it. After all, it wouldn't be good to damage the relationship between the Marquis and Consort Yang, would it?
Leshan's thoughts and actions at this moment were entirely from Wei Tingyu's perspective! Even grievances she couldn't tolerate before, she could now bear a little! This change even surprised Leshan herself! And the Yang family members all showed schadenfreude in their eyes. Indeed, Consort Yang is a Yang family member after all! She's still siding with her own family! Putting everything else aside, it looked like she was definitely going to teach this Fifth Lady Li a good lesson now! Although a scolding wouldn't cause any severe harm, it could at least curb this little girl's arrogance and relieve the pent-up frustration in the Yang family's hearts!
Just as everyone in the hall harbored their own thoughts, Consort Yang had already walked straight to Leshan's side. Of course, Wei Tingyu was only a step away from her! Then, a rich scent of lavender instantly filled Wei Tingyu's nostrils... It was the scent of the lavender perfume emanating from Consort Yang. And this bottle of lavender perfume was precisely the gift Wei Tingyu had given her when they last met!
At the same time, Consort Yang subtly glanced at Wei Tingyu with her eyes, leaving no trace. Although it was only for an instant, the emotion in her gaze was unmistakable. Wei Tingyu, standing very close, naturally understood the meaning in this beauty's eyes. Coupled with the meaning conveyed by the lavender-scented perfume, wasn't it obvious? Wei Tingyu had told Consort Yang before that lavender, this purple flower from the Western Regions, had a very pleasant fragrance and also a special flower language: waiting for love. Consort Yang had silently repeated it a few times back then, keeping it in mind. Now, she was wearing lavender-scented perfume, plus that suggestive glance just now—wasn't she telling Wei Tingyu that she had been waiting for him? And most importantly, there were many Yang family members present in the hall. This meant the two of them were secretly exchanging glances and private information, known only to them, in plain sight! One had to admit, this young lady was playing quite a thrilling game!
Thinking this, Wei Tingyu's lips curled into a faint smile, indicating that he understood! Consort Yang, upon receiving Wei Tingyu's response, finally withdrew her gaze contentedly, and her delicate face also became slightly flushed. Of course, such a minuscule change could only be noticed by Wei Tingyu and Leshan; the Yang family members sitting nearby couldn't notice it.
And Leshan, this young girl, who was originally a bit nervous and uneasy, immediately saw her worries vanish after observing the eye contact between Wei Tingyu and Consort Yang. What the heck? There's absolutely, 100% some unspoken secret between this Consort Yang and the Marquis! But the crucial thing is, even if they want to meet secretly, why did they have to call me here? To make me eat their dog food at such close proximity, and then watch her and the Marquis exchange secret glances? Is this Consort Yang's punishment for me? Seeing this, Leshan even unconsciously pouted, and her heart actually felt a tiny pang of jealousy! It must be said, from this perspective, Consort Yang truly succeeded in punishing her!
"Good!" However, Consort Yang blinked at this moment, looking at Fifth Lady Li and smiling, "It's truly as the rumors say! Fifth Lady Li is indeed a courageous and upright person!"
Leshan was stunned upon hearing this. What's going on? Not only was I not reprimanded, but I was also praised? And the Yang family members' mouths were wide enough to swallow a duck egg at this moment! After all, this was a result none of them had anticipated!
"Just yesterday, the Emperor mentioned promoting Father's official position!" Consort Yang, on the other hand, had long guessed her family members' reactions. She slowly turned around, surveyed the surroundings, and then spoke. Although they didn't know why Consort Yang suddenly changed the topic in this direction after praising Leshan, the expressions on the Yang family members' faces all lit up with joy. Especially Old Master Yang, whose eyes widened with excitement. Wasn't his biggest goal today to persuade his daughter to speak well of him to the old emperor to get a promotion?
However, Consort Yang paid no mind to her family members' expressions. She immediately continued, "I told the Emperor that external officials should only be promoted for diligently performing their duties and accumulating merits!"
"To grant titles to the Yang family merely due to the Emperor's favor towards me would set a precedent for the imperial harem to interfere in state affairs for personal reasons!"
"It would inevitably draw criticism from both the court and the public! This matter is absolutely impermissible!"
As Consort Yang spoke, the Yang family members' faces changed again! This scene made Leshan inwardly cheer. These Yang family members, experiencing such drastic ups and downs in such a short time, performed better than professional actors!
"You... are you truly not considering your father?" Old Master Yang tremblingly stood up at this moment, looking at Consort Yang with an expression of disappointment and asked. However, before Consort Yang could speak, the two female officials accompanying her immediately spoke up.
"Insolent! Why are you not apologizing to Consort?!"