Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-Nine

Old Madam Bai was beyond joyful as she looked at her great-grandson and his new bride. Now that Zhuo was "married off," the next in line would be Jie. However, Jie was still young, so they could take their time choosing a match for him.

Bai Jie, who was secretly sneaking sips of wine, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Could his father have found out about his illicit drinking?

Inside the bridal chamber, the matron of honor had arranged everything meticulously, scattering a generous amount of jujubes and peanuts across the bed. Once the room was cleared of everyone else, Xie Linghan lifted her heavy crimson veil, revealing a pair of stunning eyes.

"My lady, please put it back on. The red veil is meant to be lifted by the groom himself," said Chunhua, Xie Linghan's personal maid. Just like her mistress, Chunhua was dressed in a crisp and agile outfit.

"I..."

*Rumble—* A violent growl echoed from her stomach, and the mistress and maid exchanged a look.

"I'm hungry," Xie Linghan said with a touch of shyness.

"I heard it, My Lady," Chunhua replied, blinking her eyes.

"So..."

"My Lady, didn't you already eat before leaving the estate?" Chunhua had witnessed her mistress gulp down two large bowls of sweet soup brought by the older maids in the household.

"Can that possibly fill me up?" Xie Linghan pouted.

"Fine," Chunhua sighed in resignation.

*Knock, knock—* A soft rap sounded on the door, followed by the voice of an elderly nanny outside.

"Young Madam, this old servant is here to deliver something."

Deliver something? Xie Linghan thought with a hint of curiosity.

Shortly after, an elderly nanny entered carrying an extra-large bowl of sweet porridge.

"Young Madam, the Young Master instructed me to prepare this for you. Please partake, Young Madam."

Xie Linghan thought: Such a huge bowl! As expected, Bai Zhuo truly understands me. Hehe.

Chunhua thought: Oh, my lady, do you have any idea how heavy the long spear in your hands is? Anyone with eyes can tell that physical strength and appetite are directly proportional.

"Thank you for your trouble, Nanny," Xie Linghan said, offering a courteous bow.

Chunhua escorted the nanny out the door. The moment she stepped back inside, she saw her mistress hugging the bowl of sweet porridge and gulping it down eagerly.

"My Lady, please mind your decorum and image," Chunhua reminded her from the side.

"It's fine, it's just the two of us. Let me fill my stomach first, or I won't have the strength later," Xie Linghan said, holding the bowl with one hand while waving the other to signal Chunhua to keep quiet.

Chunhua thought: Wait a minute, what are you planning to do? What does "not having the strength" even mean?

Fubao, Chen's young miss Lin Jiajia, and Liu Feier—with whom she was always at odds—were seated at the same table, the air crackling with invisible sparks of hostility.

Liu Feier glanced at Lin Jiajia, then covered her mouth with a handkerchief and spoke with affected coyness, "Since it's a grand wedding banquet hosted by the Prime Minister's residence, I suppose just about anyone can wander in." With that, Liu Feier let out a dainty laugh.

"That's right. Since even someone like you could come, naturally others can too," the Chen family's young miss replied with a bright, plastered-on smile.

"You..." Liu Feier was instantly choked back by the retort.

"Hmm?" The Chen family's young miss maintained her sweet smile, thinking inwardly: *Goodness, some people just go looking for a beating every single day.*

"Come on, Jiajia, have some more lobster," Fubao said, choosing not to get drawn into the battlefield of the two young ladies and focusing wholeheartedly on the food.

"That Liu Feier just loves making trouble for me," Lin Jiajia pouted, speaking with a speechless expression.

"She only ever dares to bully you anyway," Fubao observed.

"Let's go check on the bride. It's so boring here," Lin Jiajia suggested, looking down at the heap of food still sitting in her bowl.

The Chen family's young miss, who had been sparring with Liu Feier, turned her head as well and chimed in, "Let's go, let's go! Sister Xie must look exceptionally gorgeous today."

Deciding on the spot, the three of them vanished in the blink of an eye.

Left behind with a chest full of pent-up breath, Liu Feier seethed: *Despicable.*

Bai Yugu rested her chin in her hand with a bored expression, watching the young ladies chattering away nearby. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk; it was simply that no one paid her any attention. Having just emerged from her own secluded courtyard, she was somewhat out of touch with the trends of the times.

"Mistress..." Her maid whispered urgently in her ear.

"Really?" Bai Yugu asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Absolute truth," the bud-topped maid nodded in confirmation.

"Well, this is getting interesting. Let's go take a look, and bring along a small gift while we're at it," Bai Yugu said, covering her mouth with her round silk fan.

"Yes, Mistress."

...

*Hiss~* Stepping into the back courtyard, Fubao suddenly felt a bone-chilling draft brush against her back.

Noticing Fubao stop in her tracks, Lin Jiajia turned around and asked, "Fubao, why did you stop?"

"It's nothing, just suddenly felt a wave of coldness," Fubao said, crossing her arms and knitting her brows. *What is going on? Where is this chill coming from in a place like this?*

"Are you coming down with something? It's scorching hot outside, how could it be cold!" Lin Jiajia said, looking up at the blazing sun directly overhead.

"Didn't you feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"What are you two doing? Hurry up and catch up!" the Chen family's young miss called out from a short distance ahead.

"Oh, oh, coming!" The two pushed their lingering doubts aside and hurried after her.

...

Chunhua watched as her mistress finished off the massive bowl of sweet porridge, regained her energy, and immediately went back to her antics. Seriously, how on earth had she managed to pack such a long silver spear into such a compact box?

"My Lady, today is your wedding day. If you pull out a spear this long, you'll frighten the groom half to death," Chunhua said helplessly.

"Oh, it's fine, Bai Zhuo is still out in the front courtyard," Xie Linghan said, stroking the long spear in her hands. This silver spear had been a gift from Chang Wei a few days prior. She had fallen in love with it at first sight and brought it along as part of her dowry. As for how she managed to fit it into the luggage—

Naturally, it was by...

Thinking this, Xie Linghan applied force with her hands and simply bent the silver spear into a curve.

Chunhua thought: *Ah! So that's how she brought it in.*

"Sister-in-law, we've come to see you!" Fubao pushed open the door and caught Xie Linghan testing out the bent silver spear—letting go to let it spring straight, then bending it all over again.

Fubao thought: *...My cousin-in-law's strength is truly... terrifyingly vast.*

Xie Linghan thought: *...*

Chunhua thought: *It's over. Her mistress's gentle image is completely ruined.*

...

"Ahem, this is all a misunderstanding," Xie Linghan coughed lightly in explanation. *Honestly, why did these girls have to pick this exact moment to show up?*

"Sister Xie is so incredibly strong!" Lin Jiajia exclaimed with an expression of pure adoration. *Bending a long spear bare-handed? That is legendary.*

"Right, right! Sister Xie is amazing!" The Chen family's young miss chimed in, stars practically twinkling in her eyes.

"Ahem, keep it low-profile, low-profile," Xie Linghan said, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head.

"Sister-in-law, that spear of yours is really striking," Fubao said softly. That spear truly looked like a treasure, yet it gave off a deeply unsettling aura—as if it were alive and staring right at you the moment you laid eyes on it.

Xie Linghan smiled and said, "It's a silver spear, a gift from a very dear friend of mine."

"Can I touch it?"

"Of course."

Fubao stepped closer and examined it carefully, noticing the uneven texture along the shaft. When she placed her fingertips upon it, a piercing wave of frost shot up from her fingers, making her feel as though she were about to freeze solid. She quickly pulled her hand back. *This weapon... it belongs to him.*

"It's freezing cold!" Fubao said, retracting her hand.

"Here, warm them up," Xie Linghan said, pulling Fubao over and wrapping her hands to warm them. The first time she touched the spear, it had been incomparably icy as well; she had only grown accustomed to it over time.

"Does this spear bite?" The Chen family's young miss reached her hand out, intending to give it a poke.

"Miss Chen, this spear is far too chilling; it shouldn't be touched casually," Chunhua intervened, stopping the young lady's hand with a solemn expression.

"Oh."