Even if they went to the General’s Mansion in the future, they would likely be mocked if she made a mistake .
So, after a moment of hesitation, she quickly stood up.
“Yingtao, come in.”
“Yes, Madam.”
By now, the maids all knew how to serve properly, so they hurriedly led Du Jingyi into the side room to bathe and freshen up.
Li Zhu, meanwhile, had already prepared a bath tub and towels for Shang Ji in another side room.
Compared to Du Jingyi, his bath was much quicker. After rinsing away the stickiness of sweat and dust, he simply used the scented soap.
It carried a light fragrance—subtle, not overpowering—and Shang Ji had grown accustomed to it.
After all, his wife always carried such a refreshing scent. How could he afford to appear unkempt?
The couple bathed swiftly that morning. By the time they were dressed and seated for breakfast, dawn had only just broken.
Today, Shang Ji wore a royal-blue silk brocade robe adorned with qilin motifs and faint dark floral embroidery. The cut and color emphasized his handsome features, giving him an air of both strength and nobility.
His long hair was gathered neatly and fastened with a white jade hairpin.
Once a battle-hardened general, today he bore more of the refined bearing of a young aristocrat.
Beside him, Du Jingyi had also dressed carefully.
To complement his brocade robe, she wore a long skirt of sky-blue and milky white silk patterned with drifting clouds, embroidered in gold and silver threads, and edged with a string of pearls.
Which make her looked elegant, dignified, and strikingly beautiful.
Her hair was adorned with a set of plum blossom hairpins, carved from white jade and tourmaline. The petals gleamed with the luster of jade, carrying the charm of early spring.
With an additional plum blossom ornament set at her forehead, her beauty shone even more brilliantly today.
The elaborate attire felt excessive to Du Jingyi, yet Yingtao and Lizhu firmly believed this was the only way to deter the women scheming to ensnare the General with their charms.
Thinking of their persistence, Du Jingyi could only relent.
Shang Ji glanced at her and said softly in a low voice,
“Even if the flowers of the entire garden bloomed together, none could rival your beauty today.”
He was not a man of flowery words, so when he spoke such praise, it carried an earnest, convincing weight for the listner.
Yingtao and Lizhu could not help feeling proud when they heard these words.
Amidst the chatter breakfast also served, consisting of their usual favorites.
But since they would be meeting others later, they ate only lightly, choosing dishes without heavy flavors.
Afterward, they rinsed their mouths with water steeped in mint leaves, leaving their breath fresh and their cheeks lightly flushed.
At that moment, Mama Dou entered from outside, clearly having taken great care with her attire.
Once, such formality had been mere ritual. Now, however, it was a mark of dignity.
For a moment, Shang Ji almost mistook her for the radiant head Mama of her younger years who had once served his mother, not the weary woman who had lingered so long in obscurity within the East Courtyard.
“This old servant greets the General and the Young Madam.”
“Mama Dou, please rise.”
“Thank you, Young Madam.”
All three exchanged smiles. As today truly felt like a day of renewal for those in the East Courtyard.
“The Eldest Madam, Young Master Ping, and the Eighth Miss are already waiting in the outer courtyard for both of you ,”Mama Dou said. “Will the General’s wife be joining them?”
“Yes, let us go.”
As Shang Ji stepped forward, the rest naturally followed.
It was the first time in many years that the entire East Courtyard went out together.
Perhaps it was Shang Ji’s presence, or perhaps it was simply the joy of the occasion, but the women of the East Courtyard were all felt radiant.
The Eldest Sister-in-law, Madam Liu, was dignified and poised; the Eighth Miss, Xue Niang, was lively and charming. Yet the one who outshone them all was Du Jingyi.
Dressed as she was, she seemed like a celestial maiden descended from the heavens, surpassing even the princesses of the imperial palace.
Xue Niang had never seen her Sixth Sister-in-law so gorgeously dressed before. Her eyes sparkled as she stepped forward, exclaiming:
“Sixth Sister-in-law, you’re truly breathtaking! You and Sixth Brother are a match made in heaven. Your children will surely be extraordinarily handsome.”
Her words left Du Jingyi a little embarrassed.
Lizhu, however, interjected playfully.
“Eighth Miss, how can you be so sure they’ll be handsome? What if they’re astonishingly beautiful instead?”
Xue Niang covered her mouth with her hand and laughed, replying:
“My mother was the only daughter in my grandfather’s family, so I have four uncles and nine cousins. In my generation, apart from Cousin Lang in Jinling City, I’m the only girl. Judging by this, Sixth Sister-in-law will probably be blessed with many sons!”
The group laughed warmly at her words.
But in Shang Ji’s eyes, there flickered both sorrow and longing.
To Xue Niang, the fall of her grandfather’s family in battle had been a distant memory—she was too young then, and had never truly known them.
But to Shang Ji, they were brothers, uncles, and kin with whom he had shared years of daily life. Their loss still cut deep within.
The speaker had spoken casually, yet the listener carried heavy thoughts.
Du Jingyi and Madam Liu both noticed the shift in Shang Ji’s expression, so they quickly pulled Xue Niang along, saying,
“All right, all right, let’s head to Yunjin Courtyard before we lose any more time.”
Naïve and carefree, Xue Niang failed to sense the undercurrent in his brothers eyes. She only smiled and tugged her nephew’s hand as she followed ahead with her Eldest Sister-in-law.
Du Jingyi, however, kept her gaze steady on her husband, her eyes filled with quiet worry and pity.
Shang Ji was silent for a while before offering her a reassuring smile.
“I’m fine.Don’t worry, Let’s go.”
“Alright.”
As they walked, Shang Ji continued in a low voice:
“My eldest brother and Eighth Sister grew up in the Duke’s Mansion, so they regard my grandfather’s household as mere relatives. But I was raised there, among them. To me, they were closer than those in the Duke’s Mansion.”
“They treated me as one of their own, taught me how to navigate the world, tempered my character, and shielded me from countless attacks. If they were still alive, you would surely have loved them also.”
His words were heavy with longing and grief.
Du Jingyi listened quietly, then said softly:
“General, do not grieve. Your grandfather and his kin would surely be proud to see all you’ve achieved today.”
Shang Ji did not respond, only walked on in silence.
He did not fully compose himself again until they neared the gates of Yunjin Courtyard.
Seeing Madam Liu and the others waiting at the entrance, Shang Ji set aside his memories and said,
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
This was Du Jingyi’s first visit to Yunjin Courtyard since she had feigned fainting and left the last time.
The courtyard was now fully transformed.
Where before it had been plain, it was now lavish and refined—clearly the work of Madam Wei, who had quickly elevated its appearance.
It was obvious now that her daily complaints of poverty had merely been for show.
Suppressing her thoughts, Du Jingyi kept her expression calm and harmless as she followed the others into the main hall of Yunjin Courtyard.