Wanyun was rendered speechless by what Hua Yang said.
Hua Yang raised an eyebrow at Wanyun. "I'm your adoptive mother now. How can you not pay your respects to me? Go on, call me 'Mother.'"
Of course, Wanyun had no intention of bowing to Hua Yang, much less calling her "Mother." She smiled and said, "Seniority in the Imperial Family is determined by His Majesty's generation. So even though you're my adoptive mother, I'm still your Imperial Sister-in-law. You're the one who still has to address me as such."
Hua Yang said, "How boring. And here I thought I could finally pull rank on my Imperial Brother."
Wanyun smiled. "Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?"
Hua Yang said, "Better not. I still have to greet my Imperial Brothers and their consorts from the various fiefdoms. This gown is a hassle to take off, so I'll just hold out until after the ceremony to eat."
Since Hua Yang insisted, Wanyun let it be. "I'll go out and tend to the guests, then."
Hua Yang nodded.
