On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

"By order of the Regent of the Great Zhou: Wangfu Mi, virtuous and kind, diligent and frugal, and meritorious in her service, is hereby promoted to the rank of Consort, granted the surname Lin, and permitted to enter the ancestral hall to receive offerings. This is the imperial decree!"

After reading it aloud, Steward Yang closed the document and handed it to the clerk next to him with a smile.

The latter took it and drawled, "Concubine, kneel!"

Yang Mi knelt on the prayer mat, placed her hands in front of her body, interlaced her fingers, and bowed her head, performing the three kneelings and nine kowtows ceremony.

When I got up, tears were already welling up in my eyes.

After years of hard work, I finally got what I wanted most.

Thinking of this, she bit her lower lip tightly and blinked several times to force back her tears.

Then came the investiture of the seal.

Nangong Min brought over a vermilion tray, stood in front of Mi Mi, and said softly, "From now on, you are a member of the Lin family."

Mimi looked up at her.

"His Highness has made the decision for you, so I have nothing more to say." She picked up the official seal from the tray and handed it to Mimi with both hands. "Live well from now on."

Mimi's hands were trembling. She held the small bronze seal for a few seconds, then lowered her head and slammed it to the ground with a thud.

"This humble servant thanks Your Highness for your grace."

Nangong Min reached out to help her up, saying, "Good sister, get up."

Mimi didn't get up. She knelt there, her shoulders trembling, and then tears started falling, one by one, onto the back of her hand.

She didn't want to cry, but she just couldn't help it.

This isn't being pretentious.

A woman who had worked as a maid for over a decade, starting from serving tea and water, making beds and folding blankets, endured countless scornful looks and scoldings. She finally climbed to this position with great difficulty.

Now that the official register is in my hand, the official in charge of ceremonies is reading out my name.

It's not shameful to cry at this time.

Nangong Min handed over the handkerchief, which Mimi took and wiped herself haphazardly a couple of times. She then looked up, her eyes filled with admiration for her.

To be fair, if their roles were reversed, she definitely wouldn't be as generous as Nangong Min.

At this moment, Lin Yi came from the doorway, walked up to Mi Mi, and pulled her up from the ground.

Mimi looked up at him, her face streaked with tears, her lips still trembling.

Lin Yi smiled as he wiped away her tears, but accidentally smudged her makeup, leaving a finger mark on her face.

He laughed and said, "Silly girl, don't cry, your makeup is all ruined."

Mimi burst into laughter through her tears, raised her sleeve to wipe her face, but the more she wiped, the more smudged it became. Her eyeliner, blush, and lipstick all mingled together, covering her face like a little kitten.

"Hehehehe!" After wiping, she looked up at Lin Yi and gave him a silly grin.

Lin Yi said indulgently, "Go wash your face, we still have to serve tea later."

"Um!"

Yang Mi ran out carrying the booklet, but almost tripped over her skirt and stumbled, grabbing the door frame for support.

The fat man watching from the side laughed heartily: "Hahaha, little sister-in-law, slow down, don't fall!"

Mimi turned around, made a face at the fat man, and then ran away without looking back.

Lin Yi turned to look at Nangong Min.

The latter came over and said softly, "My lord, I will go and arrange the tea ceremony. It will be completed soon."

"Okay, you handle it."

Nangong Min hesitated for a moment, then said, "There's one more thing."

"explain."

"Mi Mi has been promoted to a concubine, shouldn't Yi Fei also be given a proper title? Otherwise, people in the mansion will gossip, saying that one has been promoted while the other hasn't, which might make her feel uncomfortable."

Lin Yi shook his head. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but Yi Fei simply didn't care about such things. So he said, "Ask her. If she's willing, then of course she can. If she doesn't want these empty titles, then don't force her."

"it is good."

......

There were three tables set up in the flower hall; it wasn't extravagant, but it was by no means shabby either.

Each table served eight dishes and four desserts, along with a pot of distilled liquor brewed by the Prince's Mansion, which was considered a family banquet.

There weren't many guests.

But most of the officials from Lin Yi Tiegan's faction came, including Li Chengfeng, the military commander, Yue Nan of the Shenji Battalion, and the commander of the Wansui Army.

To Lin Yi's surprise, Wang Tienan and his wife actually came in person, bringing gifts.

It's worth noting that he didn't attend Lin Yi's baby shower last time, but this time, when Yang Mi was promoted to a concubine, he actually brought his wife to the event in person. The implications of this are quite intriguing.

Upon seeing them, Lin Yi quickly went to greet them, saying, "Uncle Wang, Aunt Wang! I feel guilty for troubling you with such a small matter at home."

Wang Tienan waved his hand: "Your Highness is too kind. We couldn't come last time because we were really busy, but this time you're taking a concubine, so we definitely have to come and join in the fun, hahaha."

Old Deng was clearly in a good mood.

The fat man winked at Lin Yi from the table next to him.

Lin Yi understood, gestured for them to sit down, then walked over to the fat man and asked, "What's the situation with your dad?"

The fat man said, "Hey, didn't my sister-in-law run errands for us before? My dad said back then that she had the look of someone destined for wealth and that if she were to rise to prominence, he would definitely come to congratulate her."

"A face of wealth and nobility?" Lin Yi asked, somewhat surprised.

According to physiognomy, Yang Mi has the appearance of a vixen, which would prevent her from being favored by wealthy and powerful families.

"Yeah, I don't know what my dad thinks."

"That's really strange."

Actually, Lin Yi shouldn't have overthought it.

In ancient times, everyone from high-ranking officials to ordinary people was superstitious about physiognomy.

Especially in upper-class families, there are absolute standards for choosing a wife. First of all, she cannot have the appearance of a vixen, because marrying such a woman will bring unrest to the household and discord in the harem.

If we have to say who's a vixen... well, let's take Fan Bingbing for example, right? She's the most typical example.

Is it pretty? Of course it is.

She can't resist any pretty man; there's no man in the world she can't seduce, not even a eunuch who'd need a stick to use as a real weapon.

The problem is, nobody dares to marry her, haven't you noticed?

Forget about her being a big shot or having a sugar daddy or anything like that, none of that matters. Every man in the world wants to date her, but when it comes to marriage and taking responsibility, they all run away.

And then there are those white gloves, right?

Therefore, the higher up a person's social class, the more they admire physiognomy, the I Ching, and the Tui Bei Tu (a prophetic text).

What does true wealth and nobility look like? It should be like Nangong Min.

A round face, a slightly pointed chin, a large and prominent forehead—in short, a high hairline—and body shape is the last thing to consider.

Being too skinny like a skeleton is definitely not an option; one needs to be plump, poised, and have a refined air.

Yang Mi clearly doesn't have that kind of wealthy look, so Wang Tienan is probably lying through his teeth.

But Lin Yi couldn't guess what his purpose was, nor did he care to, because the Wang family and the Lin family were bound together, and he couldn't possibly betray them.

Lin Yi went to the main table and sat down next to Nangong Min.

Mimi sat next to Nangong Min, having changed into clean clothes and reapplied her makeup, looking refreshed and energetic.

At the next table were Fatty and Lu Dehao.

The latter sent someone early in the morning to deliver congratulatory gifts: two bolts of Suzhou embroidered brocade and a set of gold-inlaid jade headdresses.

As a wealthy family, and having reaped considerable benefits from following Lin Yi this past year, they were very generous in their spending.

However, he arrived just before lunch and greeted Yang Mi with a cupped-hand salute as soon as he entered.

"Oh, sister-in-law, congratulations! Hahaha, you've finally made it big after all the hard work!"

Mi Mi deliberately suppressed her smile and put on a stern face. "Thank you, Young Master Lu."

Lu Dehao chuckled: "You see, the change in address makes all the difference. Before, when I called you Mimi, you'd roll your eyes at me, but now that I call you Little Sister-in-law, you put on a serious face, hahaha."

Mimi glared at him again, then burst out laughing.

Lu Dehao sat down at the same table as the fat man.

The tea ceremony is very simple.

Mimi carried the tea tray to Lin Yi, raised her hands above her head, and knelt down.

"This humble servant, Lin Mi, offers tea to Your Highness."

"Hmm." Lin Yi took the tea, took a sip, and then took something out of his pocket and handed it to her.

It is a token.

It is made of bronze and has the words "Concubine of the Regent's Palace" engraved on it.

"Take this, you'll need it when you go out to run errands."

Mimi took it and looked at it, her eyes reddening even more, and she nodded vigorously.

Then he served tea to Nangong Min.

Nangong Min naturally didn't hesitate, took the drink, and then took off a jade bracelet and put it on Mi Mi's wrist.

"This bracelet was with me when I married into the family, and now it's yours."

"Oh? Your Highness, this is far too precious..."

"Take it." Nangong Min pressed her hand down. "We're family, no need for formalities."

Mi Mi lowered her head, twirled the bracelet on her wrist, and sincerely said, "Thank you, Your Highness."