Wei YiYi stared a little bit before face palming. She swear, if it's his work then Jiang Liu indeed have some grudge!
In the portrait, Wen Yang look agonizingly plain compare to her status of a Wangfei. Not only that, Jiang Liu only painted her eyes. Unless her nose is as small as an ant and her lips as thin as a sheet of paper, Wei Yi Yi does not believe this kind of woman exist!
Jiang Chen look like a heaven sent! There's no way his mother would be lacking in looks! Even if you tell Wei Yi Yi that Jiang Chen took after his father, Cheng Wang, Wei Yi Yi still have a few words to say!
Please tell her that it's just her sixth imperial brother-in-law being lazy. This booklet hurts the eyes and might be his cause of death. Don't underestimate woman's obsession to beauty! Stolen pictures--- a lot of friendship was destroy overnight because of it!
Ignoring the picture, Wei Yi Yi proceed to read.It stated: her rank, who she married, rank of his father, what number she is from her siblings, number of offspring, her height, her husband's rank and standing in court, etc etc..
Not finding what she wanted, Wei Yi Yi finally reached her end of the rope and flip out.
Is this some kind of resume?! At least put their personalities! I'm not hiring any woman here!
Tang Mei patiently stare at the empress as she kept changing expressions.
"Ah Mei, what do you know about Cheng Wangfei?" After overheating her brain, Wei Yi Yi turn to Tang Mei to be saved.
"Not much, your majesty. Eunuch Yuan is much more reliable with this kind of information. Why is the empress overly interested with Cheng Wangfei this days?" Tang Mei asked, curios and unhindered.
Propping her head on the table, Wei Yi Yi replied a bit grumpy. "It's only natural that I want to know personally my own sister-in-law."
"...Why?" Tang Mei asked again. She was taken aback for the empress sudden change of attitude towards her relatives.
"Why? What why? She'll be raising Ah Chen and so I need to know her qualifications! Like what kind of a wife she is, how she'll raise Lil' one, the environment in their home, is she in harmony with her husband, does she experience stress after birth that's why she sent away her son, and---"
Wei Yi Yi stop counting on her fingers. Alright that sounded so wrong. Wen Yang is the mother, why does she sounds like she's sending the little sushi roll to be adopted... by his own mother! The logic flew out of the window just now, right?!
It's because Boss committed kidnapping!
Tang Mei gave the empress a funny look. "Isn't the empress raising the imperial nephew?"
"Eh?! What scary thing are you saying Tang Mei? I don't have that kind of heavy sense of responsibility. I'm just a playmate, alright? I'm just accompanying him to play and nothing else," Wei Yi Yi depended as she waves her hand in the air as if it will add impact to the point.
"I don't see any difference, your majesty. If anything else, this servant think that... that... you---ummm---barely pass as mother and son..." It was a hard task to brought to light all the questionable things that the empress told the imperial nephew. Tang Mei even remember that time Jiang Chen pick a fight with a son of a minister. Instead of educating, Wei Yi Yi asked whether he won and pick up another fight after he answered 'no'.
"See? It's hard to tell right?" Wei Yi Yi laugh when Tang Mei almost bite her tongue on trying to make her words flowery. "A real mother would always think of their child's safety first. If a child did something bad, the mother would scold them and correct them. But for me, it's impossible. Either I jump on the same pit with them or laugh while rolling on the floor. Actually, rather than scolding them, I think I'm the one who needs to be scolded the most."
A mother would need to think how to raise a child as a good person that would be accepted in society. Wei Yi Yi would definitely fail that as she, in the first place, a person that doesn't fit in society. She rather be that godparent or auntie that would be supportive and would help hide the body--- she mean help clean up the mess.
Also, no matter how Wei Yi Yi view blood relationship, it is an inevitable fact that a young child need his mother right by his side.
They say, 'mothers loves their child the most in the world. Whatever they do, it's out of love for that child'. Or so they say.
"It's good that her majesty is self-aware."
"You're too straightforward Tang Mei! That hursts!" Wei Yi Yi acted like she was stabbed in the heart. "Look, doesn't she look so young? How old is Cheng Wangfei again?" she said, bringing back the attention towards the picture booklet.
Although, this portraits are really offensive to a woman's beauty. Wei Yi Yi could still see the important features of the woman in the picture. If this got out to the public, Jiang Liu would be beaten to death. Definitely.
"Answering to your majesty, her highness, Cheng Wangfei, celebrated her 23rd birthday this year," Tang Mei inform casually.
"Ah?!" Wei Yi Yi felt her brain lag for a moment. "How old is Ah Chen again?"
"His highness, the imperial nephew, will be turning eight next year."
"Eight?!!! Isn't he like five or six this year?!"
But Jiang Chen is so tiny! Wait that's not the point! How old is Wen Shi when she got married off and got pregnant?!
Te--teenage pregnancy! And it's a way too young girl!
"Empress, what's wrong?"
"Isn't Wen Shi ma---married second brother-in-law too early?"
"No? I do think the way they got engage is quite fast, but the marriage ceremony happened after Cheng Wangfei hairpin and adulthood ceremony. In my opinion, it's just the right moment to get married as a woman charm is at it's peak at that time."
'What charm?! She hasn't live half of her life yet!'
Wei Yi Yi heavily slammed her head on the stone table. She was KOed with the sneak attack of culture shock. "Ouch," she mumbles. Her mind crashed from the slap of reality in which now she lives.
A lot of thing can happened after a hundred or thousand of years. Fine, it was consented. They are adults in this world's sense, but they can't blame Wei Yi Yi for favoring society advancement.
"I'm so sorry I asked. I'll make sure not to make any comment when I meet her," Wei Yi Yi said weakly, her voice muffled.
Tang Mei was lost. Excessive emotion is not good for the empress! Finally, with a sudden enlightenment, she realized what's wrong, and tried to cheer up the empress. "Ah! Do not grieve your majesty! Even though people used to tease you before as an old maiden, your marriage was only delayed a 'little' bit!"