Wen Ye didn't sleep well, likely due to the change in environment, and woke up at the break of dawn.
When she slowly opened her eyes, she noticed that the person beside her was already gone.
Though she had woken early, she still felt drowsy.
Sitting up with a groggy expression, Yun Zhi, who had heard the commotion from outside, quietly entered and said in a soft voice, "Madam, it's time to head to the main courtyard soon."
Wen Ye responded with a faint "Hmm" and suddenly remembered the man who was missing. She casually asked, "Where is Xu Yuejia... my husband?"
Yun Zhi walked over to draw the curtains and replied, "It seems he went to the study in the front courtyard."
"And," she added, "he woke up an hour ago."
An hour ago...
Tsk, so early.
Wen Ye's expression remained unchanged as she allowed Yun Zhi to help her wash up.
Although the old Duke and his wife were no longer around, the Duke's residence had not yet been divided, so it was customary to visit the main courtyard on the first day after the wedding.
After dressing up, Xu Yuejia returned from the front courtyard.
The man, now out of his wedding attire, seemed even more aloof, his gaze subtly distant as he looked at her.
As if the man who had been so passionate last night wasn't him, Wen Ye raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Her eyes casually drifted downward, and she noticed he was holding the hand of a small child, barely three heads tall.
Wen Ye understood immediately—this must be the child left behind by Xu Yuejia's late wife.
Behind the father and son stood a group of maids and nannies, all nervously watching the child beside Xu Yuejia.
Judging by the expressions of the maids, it seemed Xu Yuejia rarely spent time with the child, as the father and son didn't appear particularly close.
Wen Ye had originally thought she would only see the child in the main courtyard. She had done her research before marrying into the family—the child had been raised by the Duchess since birth and mostly lived in the main courtyard.
His appearance here now likely meant someone was trying to test her.
With this in mind, Wen Ye walked over gracefully, curtsied, and said, "Husband."
Then, lowering her gaze, she addressed the child, "Xuan'er."
Her tone was neither affectionate nor overly enthusiastic.
Nanny Ji, who was taking care of Xu Yuxuan, racked her brains trying to decipher the meaning behind Wen Ye's words.
If Wen Ye had known what she was thinking, she would have replied: You're overthinking it. It's just a greeting—what hidden meaning could there possibly be?
Xu Yuejia stared at Wen Ye for a moment before saying, "Let's go."
He then handed the child to a nanny to carry, as the path to the main courtyard was too long for such a young child to walk.
Wen Ye followed half a step behind, walking at a leisurely pace.
Along the way, she couldn't help but observe the man in front of her. Based on last night's events, after her half-serious, half-teasing remark, he hadn't shown any anger.
In fact, he had even complied.
It seemed Xu Yuejia wasn't difficult to communicate with.
That was already a good sign.
Wen Ye looked away, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
As they turned a corner, Xu Yuejia's gaze shifted subtly for a moment.
*
Before heading to the main courtyard, they first had to visit the Xu Family Ancestral Hall.
Wen Ye and Xu Yuejia arrived at the ancestral hall at dawn, where many people were already gathered.
Aside from Duke Xu and his wife Madam Lu, there were also two boys, one around seven or eight years old and the other about five or six.
They were likely Madam Lu's two sons.
Wen Ye glanced at them and noticed the older one seemed to be glaring at her.
The Xu family, by the time it reached Xu Yuejia and his elder brother Duke Xu, had already seen its branches decline. The few remaining branches had no elders left, so no one else was present today.
Xu Yuejia walked up to Duke Xu and Madam Lu and said, "Elder brother, sister-in-law."
Wen Ye followed with a curtsy.
Duke Xu and Madam Lu smiled warmly.
Although the old Duke and his wife were no longer around, the tradition of the new bride serving tea still had to be observed.
Wen Ye took the cup of hot tea handed to her by a maid and knelt with Xu Yuejia before the ancestral tablets of the Xu family.
They offered tea and kowtowed, each ritual performed flawlessly.
Even Madam Lu, who had been closely watching Wen Ye, had to admit that the Wen family had taught her well in terms of etiquette.
After the tea ceremony and paying respects, everyone returned to the main courtyard.
Once the elders had been served tea, it was Xu Yuxuan's turn to offer tea to Wen Ye, his stepmother.
Nanny Ji carefully handed the teacup to Xu Yuxuan and guided him forward, half-protecting him as he approached Wen Ye.
Wen Ye sat on a stool, her expression appearing somewhat indifferent to outsiders.
Even though someone had coached him beforehand and they had met earlier in the west courtyard, Wen Ye was still a stranger to Xu Yuxuan.
The two-year-old child, with his short, chubby limbs and thick winter clothing, looked like a precious, round, white ball rolling toward her—not at all like the frail, premature child rumored in Sheng Jing.
"M-mother, d-drink... tea!"
Wen Ye didn't make things difficult for him. She took the tea, sipped it, and then picked up a gift from the tray Yun Zhi was holding to give to him.
With that, the tea ceremony concluded.
Duke Xu had no concubines, so he only had two sons with Madam Lu, named Xu Jingrong and Xu Jinglin.
The older one, eight years old, had already been named the heir, while the younger was not yet six.
Wen Ye greeted each of them in turn and presented the gifts she had prepared earlier.
When Xu Jingrong received his gift, he snorted disdainfully, earning a glare from Madam Lu.
Wen Ye didn't mind.
The Duke's residence didn't have many members, and during breakfast, the table wasn't even full.
Her stepson had already been seated beside Madam Lu, with Nanny Ji nearby. Madam Lu's two sons seemed very fond of their younger cousin, piling food onto his small plate.
Wen Ye silently observed this scene, which explained why the young heir had glared at her earlier.
He probably saw her as the wicked stepmother from the stories.
With the elders no longer around, there was no need for Wen Ye, as the new bride, to serve food. The family sat together at the table, and she sat beside Xu Yuejia, waiting for everyone to start eating before quietly beginning her meal.
The little food she had eaten the previous day had long since been digested, and she had woken up early today.
As a result, throughout the entire breakfast, Wen Ye focused solely on eating, showing no intention of trying to please anyone.
A bowl of porridge and a few crystal dumplings later, Wen Ye stopped eating around the same time as everyone else.
In large families, it was customary to remain silent during meals, so the breakfast passed quietly. Afterward, Madam Lu had the table cleared and tea served.
Now that Wen Ye had been married into the family, even if Madam Lu was dissatisfied, she had no choice but to accept it.
Madam Lu turned to Wen Ye and said, "Since you've just arrived, it will take some time for you to familiarize yourself with the affairs of the west courtyard. For now, it might be difficult for you to take care of Xuan'er. Let's wait until you two have grown closer before moving him back to the west courtyard."
Wen Ye naturally had no objections and replied obediently, "As you wish."
Not expecting Wen Ye to agree so readily, Madam Lu paused for a moment before continuing, "From now on, aside from festivals, you only need to come to the main courtyard for meals with Zitan on the first and fifteenth of each month."
Wen Ye looked up and asked, "Zitan is..."
Halfway through her question, she suddenly realized and turned her gaze to the man beside her, meeting his cool, clear eyes. After a brief pause, she said softly, "Your courtesy name?"
Duke Xu, Madam Lu: "..."
Xu Yuejia: "..."
Realizing her slip, Wen Ye put on her best act, playing the part of the obedient bride.
Wen Ye's face had a natural advantage—when she wore this expression, she looked utterly innocent.
Faced with such a soft, round face, Madam Lu couldn't bring herself to say anything harsh.
On the first day of marriage, not knowing her husband's courtesy name wasn't a big deal.
If it hadn't been for last night's events, perhaps Xu Yuejia would have been fooled like his elder brother and sister-in-law.
He glanced at Wen Ye, momentarily at a loss for words.
