Chapter 7: Paying Homage

The couple had just entered the courtyard.

They heard the voice of an old woman coming from the main hall, sounding somewhat arrogant and coarse.

"If you ask me, it's the sixth son's wife who's lucky. She's been here for three years, and I haven't seen you giving her any guidance. Look at how long we've all been waiting here, and you still haven't shown up. If this gets out, people might laugh at the lack of manners in our Duke's mansion!"

Then came a cold snort.

Du Jingyi didn't need to look to know that it was the old third lady, who loved to assert her authority in the mansion and enjoyed taking it out on the younger generation to make them "respect" her.

Unfortunately, since Du Jingyi had married into the Duke's mansion, she rarely left the Xitang Courtyard, so she had no chance to assert her authority. That's why she chose this moment to speak, intending for both Shang Ji and Du Jingyi to hear her.

First, she wanted to embarrass Shang Ji.

Second, she wanted to put Du Jingyi in her place and make her more obedient.

It would be best if she could send some gifts to her own room, so that the elder would not make things difficult for her.

Du Jingyi still had a faint smile on her face, but her indifference in her eyes was just like her husband Shang Ji's.

Those who knew that the couple had come to pay their respects to their elders remained silent in the courtyard.

Then a woman's voice came from inside, sounding soft and gentle.

"Auntie, don't be angry. She's still a child. She only came to the Duke's mansion when she was just eighteen. Don't worry, she'll learn slowly."

"No wonder people say you have a good temper. I can see that you're easy to bully."

"We're family, so why hold grudges?"

The group of people exchanged sarcastic remarks, clearly intending for Shang Ji and Du Jingyi to hear them.

Or rather, it was mainly intended for Du Jingyi, the newly favored general of the emperor.

Du Jingyi couldn't believe that the maids and servants in the courtyard were so blind that they didn't even announce their arrival.

Now everyone was talking about her lack of manners.

Du Jingyi had no good impression of the people in the mansion. They were always trying to take advantage of her and gossiping behind her back.

She had heard these kinds of remarks before, but she never took them to heart. After all, as someone who had been in the business world for many years, she didn't even consider these petty remarks worth getting angry over.

She believed in one principle: anything that could be solved with money was not worth mentioning. However, her husband Shang Ji didn't see it that way.

He had been away from home for three years, but that didn't mean he had forgotten the faces of these relatives.

When his mother and sister-in-law were in charge in the past, they were always dissatisfied with this or that, often using their elder brother as an excuse to demand special treatment.

But their elder brother had been dead for many years. If they were really so filial, why didn't they volunteer to take care of his grave?

So Shang Ji knew that these remarks were intended for him.

The purpose was simple: to make him misunderstand his unfamiliar wife.

In fact, when Du Jingyi didn't show up at the palace banquet yesterday, Shang Ji had already begun to understand.

Today, after hearing these remarks, he was even more convinced of his thoughts.

He didn't even need to ask to know that his young wife was not having a good time in the mansion. So he looked at Du Jingyi with some concern and asked, "Were you feeling unwell yesterday?"

"What do you think, General?"

Du Jingyi threw the question back at him, unafraid of offending anyone.

This response made Shang Ji look at her with surprise. He had thought she was the kind of person who would endure everything at home.

But it turned out she was quite articulate.

Suddenly, he remembered the scene in the backyard this morning, his shabby training ground in stark contrast to the carefully crafted garden around it. It became clear to Shang Ji that this woman was not one to be easily oppressed.

That was good.

After all, neither he nor his wife were to be trifled with. So Shang Ji's lips curved into a faint smile and he called out, "Luo Yuan."

He only called out the name, but his attendant Luo Yuan was quick to raise his voice and announce to the people inside, "The Grand General and his wife have arrived."

Compared to his insignificant title as a minor prince, Shang Ji naturally preferred his hard-earned title as a general.

Some of the "distinguished guests" in the Duke's mansion who had been a bit arrogant all let out a collective sigh when they heard this announcement. Their faces showed embarrassment and forced smiles, especially the old ones.

They had no official rank or academic qualifications, so they should have stood up and bowed to Shang Ji and Du Jingyi when they entered. But they considered themselves elders and sat in their chairs, waiting for the couple to come in.

After Shang Ji and Du Jingyi entered the main hall of the Yunjin Courtyard, they glanced around.

Sure enough, it was packed with people.

A large group of people, sitting and standing, the spacious main hall was almost not enough to accommodate them all.

It was easy to see why.

A total of fifteen people from three generations in three rooms, and nine people from four generations in five rooms, have squeezed the legitimate descendants of the Duke's mansion to the side.

At a glance, Shang Ji saw the widowed sister-in-law and her young nephew in the corner, who were once the most important figures in this family, but now they were being marginalized.

Thinking of this, Shang Ji's anger grew.

His originally indifferent face now carried a hint of sternness.

The relatives present were all immersed in the excitement of their illustrious ancestors, completely oblivious to Shang Ji's expression.

Or perhaps, when facing them, Shang Ji always wore this expression, and everyone had long grown accustomed to it.

Du Jingyi stood by his side, feeling the various glances being cast their way.

There were looks of jealousy, envy, resentment, and of course, happiness.

She didn't pay any mind to any of them, calmly facing forward.

Seated at the head of the room was the current Duke, Shang Yukuan.

In his fifties and looking slightly plump, he had a gentle temperament and didn't seem like the son of a military general, but rather more like a scholar.

There was a hint of scholarly air about him, but not too much.