The sun has been getting increasingly intense lately.
Seeing that Ji Fengyao's fair face was flushed from the sun and her fine hairs were damp with sweat, Lin Shuang took out a handkerchief and stepped forward to gently pat her dry, saying in a low voice, "Your Highness, please bear with it."
"I know," Ji Fengyao reassured her, patting her hand.
The master and servant sat on the cold benches in the main hall for nearly two hours, during which time no one even came to refill their tea.
It wasn't until the sun was almost setting that Cuiping gracefully approached, and politely said with her hands behind her back, "Your Highness, the Dowager Princess requests that you go to the side hall to give a reply."
Ji Fengyao snorted inwardly. Using "please" repeatedly—how could that be the way one would ask someone for a favor?
Sure enough, anyone with the word "Tai" in their name is the same – they love to put on airs and act superior, thinking that younger generations should kneel down in front of them.
We arrived at the side hall.
As soon as Ji Fengyao entered, she saw a beautiful woman dressed in a very rigid and old-fashioned manner sitting on the chaise longue by the window, with a nanny with upturned triangular eyes standing next to her.
Judging from the woman's clothes and attire, she must be the Empress Dowager of the mansion.
"Your Majesty, I greet you," Ji Fengyao said as she approached the bed and bowed respectfully, showing no sign of impatience.
"As a daughter-in-law, Your Highness should kneel down and offer Your Highness a cup of tea on your first audience with the Dowager Consort," said Granny Wang in a shrill voice, standing beside the Dowager Consort Xiao.
As soon as he finished speaking, a palace maid brought in a cup of tea.
Ji Fengyao knew that newlyweds had the custom of serving tea to their elders, but shouldn't Shang Xiye be invited to join her?
Alright, I'll show respect then. Respecting the elderly and caring for the young is only right, especially since she is the mother of the Ninth Prince.
The palace maid brought over the tea. Just as Lin Shuang was about to take the teacup from Ji Fengyao, she heard Wang Mama say, "Stop! This tea should be offered to the Dowager Consort by the Princess Consort herself to show respect. Who do you think you are to dare to reach out like this?"
Lin Shuang's hand paused near the teacup, but upon hearing what Granny Wang said, she had no choice but to withdraw it.
The palace maid then carried the tea tray directly to Ji Fengyao.
"Please, Your Highness," Wang Mama said in a cold, sharp voice with a hint of mockery. "Your Highness must hold this first cup of tea offered to the Dowager Consort carefully. If you drop it, it will not count."
Ji Fengyao felt a chill run down her spine when she heard the hidden meaning in Wang Mama's words.
Is this a serious attempt to punish her?
Ji Fengyao reached out and touched the teacup, finding it was indeed scalding hot.
If she really endured picking up the teacup, and the Dowager Consort didn't take it away for a while, her hand would definitely get burned.
If the Dowager accepts it, well, then it will be her fault again.
There's a limit to how much we respect the elderly and care for the young. If someone treats me with respect, I'll treat them with even greater respect.
Yun Yao is not the type of person who would allow herself to be wronged.
With a flick of her finger, Ji Fengyao knocked the cup of tea directly onto the tea tray. She exclaimed "Ah!" and withdrew her hand, looking innocently at Granny Wang and Empress Dowager Xiao: "This tea is too hot. I can't hold it at all. Let's get a warmer cup. On such a hot day, it's better for the Empress Dowager to drink warm tea."
Consort Xiao's gaze darkened slightly.
Granny Wang frowned and scolded, "Your Highness has overstepped her bounds. This is the first cup of tea the newlyweds offer to their elders, and it should be as hot as possible to show their respect. Someone, prepare another cup of tea for Your Highness!"
Holy crap, that old bastard!
They think she's a pushover just because she's not showing her teeth!
"This old nanny, are you deliberately making things difficult for me?" Ji Fengyao stood with her hands in front of her, staring sharply at Wang Mama.
Wang Mama had never been so directly confronted and criticized while tormenting someone, and she felt somewhat embarrassed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
