I Became The Stepmother of My Ex-husband

Lin Wei Xi sent someone to the study to invite Gu Hui Yan, but was occupied in the meantime.

In Jingcheng courtyard, several respected old female servants were talking to her.

“…Princess Consort, everyone in the residence wants to kowtow and pay their respects to you. It’s just that you got married yesterday and you still have many things to settle, so they wanted to be considerate and not disturb you.”

Lin Wei Xi had just finished checking the servants in Jingcheng courtyard. If she were just the Shizi Fei, this would be enough. But she was now the Princess Consort. Aside from the courtyard she lived in, she also had to accept visitation from the entire residence. She swept a glance at the woman who spoke and asked calmly, “Then when does Granny think is a good time to summon everyone? I am the Princess Consort. How preposterous for the servants of the residence to not recognize me as their mistress.”

Granny Zhao glanced at the people beside her and said with a virtuous smile, “we will follow the time that Princess Consort prefers. How dare we make the decision for you.”

Lin Wei Xi snorted inwardly. It’s good that you don’t dare to do it. She flipped through the Prince Yan residence’s thick roster and said, “let’s just go with the flow and do it this afternoon at 1pm. Have everyone in the residence set aside any work on hand and come to Jingcheng Courtyard so I can recognize their faces.”

Although the old servant next to Granny Zhao didn’t move, the corners of her mouth curled downwards and she looked displeased. This servant looked around fifty years old, with a long face and a square chin. There were wrinkles at the corners of her mouth and her eyes sagged, making her look unfriendly. She wore a crisp blue pongee double layered top, a simple black and blue skirt, and spotless shoes. She had a heavy gold hairpin on her head, bracelets on both wrists, and a simply woven gold bracelet as wide as a thumb on her right hand. This Granny was not only strict in temperament, but also had a high status in Prince Yan Residence and was obviously used to giving orders.

When Lin Wei Xi asked questions earlier, Granny Zhao glanced to the side to look at that old servant before speaking. Lin Wei Xi was no stranger to this extremely ostentatious woman. Who wouldn’t recognize Princess Consort Shen’s dowry Granny, Bu Shi?

The previous Prince Yan and Prince Yan Consort both left early and those who’d served the previous Prince Yan Consort were either dead or had moved away. Even if they were still alive, they’d have retired to their home towns where they looked after their grandsons and took care of their health. Very few continued working. The servants of the previous Princess Consort’s generation had retired and the important divisions of the residence were taken over by Princess Consort Shen’s people. Granny Bu was the nanny that Princess Consort Shen brought with her from her maiden family, and was the person whom she trusted and relied on the most. Granny Bu had been in charge of the residence all this time, so why would she give it up to someone else?

Not two years after the death of the previous Prince Yan Consort, Princess Consort Shen also died. At that time, Shizi was only eight years old and Prince Yan, twenty four. Although he was in the prime of his life, the war in the North was relentless. He passed through various places to quell the chaos and that was when he fought many of his famous military campaigns. He was busy with the war and had no time to concern himself with the residence, while Gu Cheng Yao had just started schooling. Gu Cheng Yao deeply trusted Granny Bu, and with the credibility of having served Princess Consort Shen, she of course held an important position in the residence at that time. Gradually, every important matter in the residence required Granny Bu’s approval.

Prince Yan was away all year round while Shizi was young and ignorant of foreign affairs. The residence relied on these old Grannies to run it and it was obvious what the state of the residence’s domestic affairs was like during that time. When Lin Wei Xi first married in, she was shocked to see the bills of the past few years. Prince Yan was very famous, but she would never have expected the Prince Yan Residence to be in such a mess. He had many territories under his name, silver truly running like water. Relying on the ample silver, the Prince Yan Residence looked like a delicate blooming flower on the outside, imposing and brilliant, but it’s accounts were actually rotten on the inside.

After getting married, Lin Wei Xi was in a difficult position for a period of time. In this kind of situation, it didn’t matter if she was negligent or not, because she’d certainly offend these old servants. When the time came, it’d be her fault. It was also her bad luck. That period of time just so happened to be when she and Gu Cheng Yao had a harmonious relationship and Gao Ran hadn’t yet told him the truth. Lin Wei Xi let her farce of a marriage life get to her head, and was quite careless when cleaning up the mess. She firmly believed that she was doing the right thing. Even if they were respectable old servants, they ought to be punished if they did something wrong. She didn’t care when the servants talked badly about her. The long-term survival of the residence was the priority.

However, the Prince Yan Residence wasn’t the Princess Residence and Gu Cheng Yao wasn’t Princess Royal Shou Kang. In the end, one thing happened after another and their husband-wife relationship broke down. The wicked slave that she had punished seized the opportunity to bounce back. Lin Wei Xi had a strict personality and was naturally more strict with purging the bad practices when trying to prove herself to everyone. As a result, the relationship between husband and wife only worsened. The vicious cycle was like a snowball that grew bigger and bigger until it completely overwhelmed her in the end.

Lin Wei Xi looked at Granny Bu again, feeling somewhat amused and rueful. She never imagined that she’d once again meet an old friend from her previous life, nor that she’d return to the position of the Prince Yan Residence’s mistress. Lin Wei Xi closed the roster and looked at Granny Bu with a small smile, “Granny Bu, it seems like you have something you want to say. It’s just us here, so whatever it is, just speak your mind.”

“Princess Consort, it’s nothing more than a few words for you to order the servants to have an audience with you, but it’s barely an hour until 1pm. The kitchen, purchasing department, and those on sweeping duty have much work to do. This is indeed nothing for the Princess Consort, but if you make them leave their work to kowtow to you, things could go wrong. At the end of the day, such a large residence isn’t for you to play around with.”

“If it becomes chaotic just because they come to kowtow to me, then they no longer need to work in the residence. My Prince Yan Residence doesn’t need such mediocrity.” Lin Wei Xi indifferently glanced at Granny Bu, ignoring her acting like an elder, and continued, “Let’s do it this way. At 1pm, have everyone in the residence come in batches to pay their respects. In every location, have half the people stay and the other half come here. After the first batch returns, the second will have their turn. The kitchen still needs to prepare dinner, so have them come first. After the two groups from the kitchen leave, those from the warehouse… “

When Lin Wei Xi spoke, it sounded like jade pearls falling onto a silver plate^◇, and she efficiently set up arrangements for the large residence. Granny Zhao and Granny Bu didn’t even have a chance to interrupt. After she finished speaking, she lifted the teacup and took a sip to moisten her throat. She then placed the teacup on the table with a thud, her eyes clear and her expression calm, “did you remember everything?”

◇

Lin Wei Xi had the natural and easy air of a mistress and the servants didn’t even dare to lift their heads, affirming their agreement. Granny Bu had intended to bring down this little Princess Consort’s authority today to show her who was in charge of the residence, and who was the true Princess Consort. After Lin Wei Xi gave her instructions, Granny Bu was unexpectedly too stunned to catch even the tiniest slip up. Instead, it seemed that she was the one at a disadvantage. Granny Bu wasn’t happy. She’d been respected for so many years and disliked this orphan girl who’d come in and taken over the position of her own lady. Her lady had been devoted to Prince Yan and even gave birth to the residence’s only heir. Prince Yan ought to honour her his entire life. How could he let someone else occupy her lady’s position?

Granny Bu initially felt personally prejudiced, but now that she was suppressed by Lin Wei Xi, she became more unreasonable. She frowned deeply and the wrinkles on both sides of her mouth became more pronounced, “Princess Consort’s management is naturally good. Although you are the second wife, you are unexpectedly decent at managing the household and won’t lose to other noble ladies from influential households.”

As soon as she said that, silence descended on the west room. Wan Xing’s eyes widened, but she was firmly held back by Wan Yue. Lin Wei Xi smiled as she rested her hands on her knees, leaned back slightly and looked at Granny Bu with a smile, “I may be incapable, but since I have this position, how can I betray the Prince’s trust? As the Prince Yan Consort, this is what I ought to do.”

Lin Wei Xi directly addressed herself as “Prince Yan Consort” and even briefly mentioned Prince Yan at the end. Granny Bu didn’t dare say anything about Prince Yan, so she had no choice but to avoid this landmine, and agreed with a smile. Afterwards, she seemed to casually talk about Princess Consort Shen’s past accomplishments. It included her first encounter with Prince Yan, their marriage, everyone’s joy when Shizi was born, as well as Princess Consort Shen’s extremely grand funeral when she died.

Lin Wei Xi maintained her smile as she listened. She could strike back against slaves who deceived their master and decisively demonstrate her position as mistress, but she couldn’t say anything about the deceased original wife who was a white moonlight.

Actually, Lin Wei Xi had already heard all of this during her previous life. Although the focus last time was to one up her when it came to filial piety, this time it was a demonstration to show her that she was an outsider. The last time she heard this, she was a daughter-in-law who didn’t care at all about the feelings of her mother-in-law and father-in-law. She treated it as if it were a story. But this time, Lin Wei Xi noticed some discrepancies in the story.

Shou Kang was a princess, Wei Shi was the Princess’ di daughter and the wife of a Duke’s Shizi, while Lin Wei Xi was a Duke Residence’s di daughter in her previous life. With the accumulation of education from generation to generation within the family, frankly speaking, Lin Wei Xi couldn’t understand the beauty behind this story about falling in love at first sight during military upheaval and thus eloping for thousands of miles.

Wasn’t this illicit sexual relations without a matchmaker and eloping? Lin Wei Xi, who came from generations of imperial officials and had a quarter imperial blood, didn’t really understand this kind of marriage union. In her world, marriage was a way to tie two families together for their benefit. The main wife was in charge of offering prayers and worship to the ancestors as well as finances. This symbolized her status and role as a wife and it wasn’t about love. As a noble young lady who was raised as a model wife from birth, no one dared to talk about love to Lin Wei Xi. And the husband wife relationship of her grandmother and mother didn’t give Lin Wei Xi a good impression of love between a man and a woman.

So with Granny Bu now telling the legendary and touching love story of Princess Consort Shen, Lin Wei Xi could remain silent and nothing more. She’d never been in love, nor had anyone given her love before. She was like a spectator of a drama, only able to hide at a distance and silently avoid Prince Yan and Princess Consort Shen’s story.

First it was Gu Cheng Yao and Gao Ran, now it was Prince Yan and Princess Consort Shen. Lin Wei Xi maintained a smile on her face, but her heart was frozen. She was probably born in the ashes of others’ love stories. She couldn’t seem to avoid it for the entirety of her two lives.

Granny Bu was still going on about it when footsteps came from outside the room. When she saw the person walk in, her voice suddenly trailed off, “My Prince.”

Lin Wei Xi also stood up and greeted Gu Hui Yan with a Wanfu salute, “my Prince, you’re back. Would you like to eat?”

Gu Hui Yan swept his gaze across the room filled with maids and grannies before it finally stopped on her, “not yet. Have you been waiting here this whole time?”

“Of course.” she felt a little down. She forced a smile and tried her best to walk over to Gu Hui Yan without showing her feelings, “my Prince, the food is hot. I’ll have them prepare it, so please wait a little.”

Gu Hui Yan nodded. Seeing this, Granny Bu and the others promptly withdrew, Wan Xing and Wan Yue following them out to bring the food. He had barely crossed the threshold before the completely packed west room emptied out.

Gu Hui Yan sat down at the west window seat and looked at Lin Wei Xi. When he came in earlier, had he faintly heard them talking about Shen Shi? His feelings towards his deceased wife had always been very complicated and somewhat indescribable. But at the end of the day, she was Gu Cheng Yao’s birth mother. He wouldn’t speak ill of the dead and always showed respect towards her. But these servants actually talked about it in front of Lin Wei Xi?

Irritation suddenly rose within Gu Hui Yan.