When Song Yixiao returned to the Embroidery Compound, Yuan Xue’e just got up. Yuan Xue’e found Song Yixiao came from outside, she felt confused and asked about the latter one’s whereabouts.
“Jinxun felt like hanging around outside, so I took her out for a tour around the apricot forest. Unexpectedly, when we arrived there, Duke Jian had been there. Then we came back.” Song Yixiao talked about the ins and outs of the matter lightly, leaving out the person in the pavilion. “We didn’t sit there for long. I’m quite sorry for Meiyan and Qingruo’s effort.”
“No need to feel sorry for that. You’ve regarded me as an outsider.” Yuan Xue’e, quite simple and candid, didn’t doubt what Song Yixiao said. After scolding her for a bit, she changed the topic then.
However, that night, after Song Yixiao went to bath, served by Jinxun, Qingruo requested permission to meet Yuan Xue’e via Meiyan, saying, “When Miss Song was in the apricot forest today, Duke Jian ord
Dowager Consort took the moral responsibility and she even took Song Yixiao was brought up by Prince of Hengshan’s mansion as her backing, thus she had a point anyway.Wei Mengying made every effort to reach her goal, but the only result she got was that her daughter should get married within this year, “Mother, you’re afraid that Yixiao may bring troubles on Kou’er and her sister, so you asked Yixiao to get married. But Mother, if Yixiao get married when she just came back from Marquis Boling’s mansion. People will doubt that there is something fishy behind this. By then, thing would be more harmful for Kou’er and her sister. If we wait until the rumor subsides, it shows that we have no guilt, am I right?”“But she can’t go to Marquis Boling’s mansion any more! From now on, she’d better stay at the Hanxia Villa all the time!” Dowager Consort took “caring about the reputation and integrity of her granddaughters” as an excuse, but, her real aim was to clear
Dowager Consort of Hengshan finished her scheme secretly, thus neither Wei Mengying nor Song Yixiao knew anything about it.So when they received the invitation of the feast for Shangsi Festival, they began to make preparations as they did in last year. Wei Mengying did things against the Dowager Consort’s will on purpose. She thought, “You said that my daughter had disgraced herself being just two days in Marquis Boling’s mansion, so you asked her to stay in the house all the time? No way!”Song Yixiao had no choice. She couldn’t and didn’t want to live in the prince’s mansion for a lifetime, especially after the Dowager Consort gave her the ultimatum! So marriage was a matter of urgency. But as a stepdaughter, her chances of being led by her mother to go out and socialize were slight.Participating in the feasts among ladies was the only method for her to remind people that there was a young lady open to marriage in Prince of Hengshan’s mansi
On the terrace, Commandery Princess Qingjiang looked Lu Kou’er and the other two ladies up and down, who were climbing upstairs. She rolled the glass cup in her palm and asked the maid next to her, “Is it the hindermost one? She looks quite familiar to me?”“Your Highness has a good memory!” The first maid, Zhenli flattered her mistress first and then said, “Miss Yuan conducted her to you last year. Back then, she presented you with a pair of sachets and you praised her for her good skills face to face!”“No wonder.” Commandery Princess Qingjiang nodded her head and narrowed her eyes, “Prince of Hengshan is virtuous and kind. Judging from her talent, appearance and temperament, I suppose she is exceptionally better than Kou’er and her sister! Obviously, she has been carefully raised.”Zhenli said smilingly, “If she is not good enough, how dare I mention her to you?”Speaking of this, Lu Kou’er and the other two girls had arrived. C
Commandery Princess Qingjiang was worried about her half-brother’s marriage on the terrace while Song Yixiao was speculating about her thought in the midst of appreciating the flowers. “It is my second time that I have met with this commandery princess. I haven’t offended her before, but why did she show favor for me just now?”Even though she didn’t know Commandery Princess Qingjiang well, she still knew that this high-born lady couldn’t leave out her two cousins and dedicated herself to discussing about needlework. Obviously, it was an intentional act!“Is it because Dowager Consort of Hengshan told her something?” She was ruminating, “But if she wants to make Lu Kou’er and her sister resent me, the Dowager Consort can directly talk to them in private. Why does she have to let Commandery Princess Qingjiang know about it? Even if Commandery Princess Qingjiang agrees not to leak it out, it is not a decent thing at all.”Then she had the same id
Jiang Muting didn’t know that her wish of becoming the Princess Consort of Wei would fail, so she was totally fine with the current feast and even had a sense of superiority while facing the other beautiful girls.After socializing for a round, she found time to show care for Song Yixiao, “The sweet osmanthus cake tastes refreshing, but now is not summer yet and it is windy in the mountain. You had better eat less for the sake of your health.”Song Yixiao wanted to say okay when a maid suddenly came from behind. After looking around for an instant, she walked to the front of Jiang Muting and bent over to report, “Miss Jiang, something is wrong with the cottages. Would you like to go over and have a look?”Jiang Muting was surprised and recognized the clothes of the maid. The maid was from the Zhanchun Venue. Jiang Muting couldn’t help asking, “What’s wrong?”The cottages that the maid mentioned were on the both sides of the mountai
The place where Cui Jianlian fell was not far away from the square for the feast. Her maid screamed so loudly that her voice even exceeded the music of the feast and disturbed Commandery Princess Qingjiang, “What’s wrong? Go to have a look!”After a while, the servant reported the ins and outs of the matter while wiping the sweat. Commandery Princess Qingjiang instantly frowned. Lu Kou’er and her sister decided to make Cui Jianlian plot against Song Yixiao, which had been known and tacitly approved by her.However... Jiang Muting? Why was she dragged into this? Especially the trouble was coming at Jiang Muting instead of Song Yixiao?Noticing that the matter was out of her control, Commandery Princess Qingjiang felt extremely angry and said to Commandery Princess Nanzhang who leaned forward to fish for information, “I’ll check it out. Keep your eye here for me!”Commandery Princess Nanzhang nodded her head smilingly, “Roumei, rest
Song Yixiao knew about Baoying’s plan and felt furious in her heart. But she looked calm and said, “To bear the blame for her means to admit my guilt. It’s the worst solutions to be led by the nose! Baoying, although you protect your lady loyally, you are not smart enough!”“Miss Song, do you mean that you can prove us innocent and make others have no chance to spread rumors?” Baoying wasn’t angry after hearing that. She raised her eyebrows and questioned, “I’m dumb. Miss Song, please show your mercy to teach me.”How demanding she was! She didn’t only want to prove them innocent, but also asked her to control rumors. Even imperial edicts couldn’t completely stop people gossiping!Song Yixiao snickered, “Baoying, you’d better know one thing. Although I owe the Jiang Family favors, I won’t repay them by putting my future on the line!”She didn’t have any support. But she did have backbone. Baoying wanted to bring her to terms due to
Cottages.“Do you mean that Jianlian’s legs are injured and can’t walk?” Commandery Princess Qingjiang touched a golden bracelet on her wrist and frowned. She asked, “Doctor Han, can’t you cure her? I hold this party to make these young ladies happy. But now Cui Jianlian is injured. Shall I ask people to carry her back to the Cui Family? How can I tell the Cui Family and the Noble Consort?”Cui Jianlian looked pale and smiled faintly, “Your Highness, don’t be so serious. How can I blame you? It’s I who don’t manage my people well to make it happen.”Jiang Muting glared at her, “Say it clearly! Don’t be unintelligible. Other people may think I push you!”“Miss Jiang, you are clear about what happened!” Cui Jianlian’s maid protested with tears, “Everyone saw it! Even if Miss Jiang forgets how it happened, many people outside will tell you the truth!”Then she knelt down again to Commandery Princess Qingjiang and accused