2.4 || Virtuous To One's Husband

                                    

                                          
She did not expect to eat to her heart content at this so-called breakfast, but she certainly did not expect to barely eat at all.
                          
The in-laws barely ate their portions, but kept Liu Qirong busy in handing their preferred dishes of vegetable and light food to their plates. Their personal maidservants might as well be wallflowers. 
                          
She initially did not know exactly why her new in-laws, especially Hou Feihong's mother, tried to make things difficult for her, but she could deduce some background stories from her jabbing words masked behind a doting tone.
                          
The older woman, Madame Hou, was a widow. It contributed to the harsh lines on her otherwise-youthful looking face, "No matter how often I look at this daughter-in-law, I cannot help but be grateful to His Majesty, The Emperor, to have bestowed this marriage to Hong'er. Otherwise, how else can our family afford to have such a beautiful lady enter our house?" 
                          
Another woman of around the same age, who Liu Qirong understood as Hou Feihong's paternal aunt, chimed in, "Sister-in-law is correct. But Her Majesty The Empress might have her hand in this too. Who does not know Her Majesty The Empress, a Phoenix from the Liu clan, is a Mother figure to the Crown Prince as well as the next two in line succession. She was truly fortunate to have received the heaven's favor. Our clan must be blessed to have another Phoenix of the Liu clan and may receive the same favor."
                          
"I heard Her Majesty The Empress visited the Liu house yesterday to give her blessing to niece-in-law? Truly a blessing indeed, I just hope it's not the one we do not wish for."
                          
Liu Qirong pretended to be oblivious to her sarcasm.
                          
Empress Liu Ziyu, her blood sister, was childless. The three Royal Princes, whom the Emperor had favored, were entrusted to her care since their childhood, ignoring their real royal-concubine-status birth mothers. The Empress was truly just a 'Mother figure', but not the Princes' real mother. In other words, this still-bachelorette old maid was cursing the Empress as a barren female, and also having a go at Liu Qirong for possibly be one as well.
                          
Liu Qirong merely put another piece of wild mushroom into Madame Hou's plate, and stewed bamboo shoot into Miserable Old Maid Hou's plate, "Mother, Auntie, have some of your favorites."
                          
At least Hou Feihong had previously briefed her on each of his family members' likes and dislikes. For this, she was grateful towards him. 
                          
However, on the topic of barren or not, how could she conceive if the owner of the seeds refused to plant them in her? Of course there was still a slight possibility, but seeing how the other concubines also had not bore any children, why was the responsibility of conceiving suddenly put on her head?
                          
She was not even seventeen yet. However, although internally aggrieved, Liu Qirong acted as the perfect new bride and daughter-in-law.
                          
Grandmother Hou was at least somewhat milder yet straightforward, "You have plenty of time and you are still young. But Hong'er constantly goes to war. It will be good to have the next generation born as soon as possible, just in case... ," the old woman's eyes became misty, "Just in case... ."
                          
Liu Qirong knew the old woman was reminded of her son - Hou Feihong's father - who had passed away. 
                          
The old woman's words were choked back in her throat, causing Madame Hou and Old Maid Hou to coax her with comforting words. Liu Qirong also did her bit, "Grandmother, this granddaughter will do her best to look after Lord Husband and look after our family and future."
                          
She referred to Hou Feihong as her Lord Husband; in the society, no matter how exalted her so-called Phoenix clan was, she was now someone's wife. Moreover, this someone was a Prince, albeit not one in succession. She used 'our' to emphasize her place-to-be in the Hou clan, as well as 'future' to express her understanding towards her responsibility.