Chapter 142: Chapter 142 - Bad News from Youzhou

As Jinguo Grand Princess, who was in despair, heard such great news all of a sudden, she dared not believe it in an instant and was dumbfounded where she was!

It was not after Song Yixiao took a breath slightly that she added, “Su Shaomo and Su Shaoling didn’t know it was Wuying’s birthday date today. Nor did they know Wuying had run out on her own. Consequently, they took her to have fun outside the imperial capital and just went back to their house a moment ago. Upon knowing that we were looking for Wuying, they sent someone here to explain specifically!”

“How about Wuying?” It wasn’t until Jinguo Grand Princess heard her words that she cried out of joy and asked hurriedly, “Did she come back? Where is she now?”

As Song Yixiao was about to answer, unexpectedly, aide Xue Shiren walked in with a solemn look on his face. After greeting them roughly, he reported with a trembling voice, “Your Highness, there is someone from Youzhou!”

As Jinguo Grand Princess, who was worrying about Nie Wuying, heard his words, she replied casually, “Let’s talk about it later… Wait! Youzhou?!”

Jiayue came to her senses and asked in a hurry, “Did the Pei Family send us the New Year Gifts? Are Grand Secretariat Pei and Miss Pei OK?”

“They did send the New Year Gifts here.” Xue Shiren added bitterly, “However, there was bad news that Grand Secretariat Pei was deceased!”

Silence reigned the whole hall instantly!

Quite a while later, Jinguo Grand Princess muttered, “How come?”

“The messenger didn’t reveal the details.” Seeing that besides Jiayue, Song Yixiao was the only one in front of Jinguo Grand Princess currently, Xue Shiren thought for a while and said in a deep voice, “Your Highness, the messenger claimed himself to be Chief House Steward’s nephew of the Pei Family. According to him, the reason why Chief House Steward Pei sent him here specifically this time was to report one thing to you!”

The look on Jinguo Grand Princess’s face was ghastly. It took her quite a while to reply, “What did he intend to report to me?”

“According to the messenger, before Grand Secretariat Pei passed away, he was concerned that Fifth Young Lady Pei, who was his youngest girl and didn’t communicate with her brothers and sisters-in-law frequently, would have no one to depend on in the future. Consequently, he made a will that half of the Pei Family’s properties would go to Fifth Young Lady Pei as her dowry and the other half would be divided by his other four sons according to the rules.” Xue Shiren continued, “However, based on Chief House Steward Pei’s knowledge about the four young masters of the Pei Family, they surely won’t agree to do that.”

Most unfortunately, “After Grand Secretariat Pei passed away, Fifth Young Lady Pei’s brothers and sisters-in-law will be the ones in charge of her marriage. Chief House Steward Pei is concerned that at that time, the young masters of the Pei Family would threaten Fifth Young Lady Pei to give up her dowry with her marriage!”

Xue Shiren let out a sigh, “Chief House Steward Pei watches Fifth Young Lady Pei growing up, who was also entrusted by his master before his death that he should try his best to take care of Fifth Young Lady Pei well! Even so, he is a servant after all. Fearing that he couldn’t convince the four young masters of the Pei Family and would fail Grand Secretariat Pei consequently, he has no choice but to take advantage of the opportunity to send a messenger here to beg Your Highness for help and put Fifth Young Lady Pei at your disposal in the name of sending New Year Gifts!”

“Of course. There is no dispute about it. Even though Yourui isn’t my daughter-in-law anymore, after all, she is my foster daughter. I surely won’t ignore her!” As Jinguo Grand Princess, who thought she had owed Pei Yourui, heard that her foster daughter had just gone through the suffering of losing her father and would fall into a difficult situation where her brothers and sisters-in-law would bully her, she felt heart-broken as well as guilty. She couldn’t help shedding floods of tears as she said chokingly, “You arrange manpower to Youzhou as soon as possible. After you pay the condolences to Pei He, bring the girl back to me. From now on, I, her foster mother, will be the one protecting her. Let me see who dares to belittle her!”

Song Yixiao pursed her lips and said nothing. Everyone in the imperial capital knew about what had happened to Pei Yourui, Jinguo Grand Princess’s foster daughter. Once she was brought back to the imperial capital and lived in Jinguo Grand Princess’s mansion, the situation at that time would be quite awkward even though Princess Changxing and Jian Yiyou lived in Princess Changxing’s mansion.

However, what Jinguo Grand Princess had said indicated that she was determined to defend Pei Yourui!

Xue Shiren became stern right away and replied, “Your Highness, I obey your order!”

He retreated to carry out Jinguo Grand Princess’s order. It was clear that the duplicate bad news, namely, Pei He’s death and Pei Yourui’s predicament, struck Jinguo Grand Princess hard. After confirming that Nie Wuying was safe and sound, she was not interested in asking for further details. Instead, she asked, “Is Wuying still at the Su Family’s house?”

Song Yixiao replied cautiously, “Sister went to pick her up in person. She sent me here to report to you in case you are concerned.”

“You have a good conversation with her and make her happy.” Jinguo Grand Princess waved her hands wearisomely, “I’m tired and will have a rest first!”

It was not after Song Yixiao saw her mother-in-law off respectfully that she went out of the back hall. On her way to the second gate, she came across Princess Changxing, who looked to be in a hurry to depart.

As Princess Changxing saw her, she frowned slightly and paused as she asked, “Did you tell Mother where Wuying is?”

Hearing her question, Song Yixiao also paused, greeted her according to the family rules, and nodded as she said, “Yes!”

“You are quite quick at flattering!” Princess Changxing chuckled and said disdainfully, “It is my legitimate cousins who reported Wuying’s whereabouts. How dare you to be the first one to report the news to Mother?”

Song Yixiao glimpsed at her and said, “Mother doesn’t eat anything at all the whole day. She is worrying about Wuying all the time. In that case, of course, once we get good news, the earlier we tell her, the better it will be for her! When the Su Family sent people here, saying Wuying was with Su Shaomo and Su Shaoling, you were not even on the scene. It was unknown when you would come back. So I didn’t hold it back and inform Mother right away.”

She added, “You are not only Mother’s daughter-in-law but also her legitimate niece by blood. Could it be that Mother-in-law would dislike you simply because you had no gains?”

Princess Changxing snorted and said, “You are quite sharp-tongued! However, the reason why I wasn’t here a moment ago was that I had been looking for Wuying outside. What about you?”

“I looked for Wuying together with Sister.” Song Yixiao said evenly, “Changxing, if you think I didn’t search for Wuying wholeheartedly, you can just inquire about Sister.”

As Princess Changxing saw Song Yixiao retorting her question, the look on her face was more ghastly. She said, “Alright. I will skip this. I only have a question for you. Was the messenger whom Xue Shiren had entertained in person in the side hall sent by the Pei Family? Yes or No?”

Hearing her question, Song Yixiao finally understood why Princess Changxing had stood in her way. She said calmly, “Side hall? I didn’t even go there. How would I know? Moreover, I don’t know anybody in the Pei Family.”

“Why are you pretending to be ignorant?” Princess Changxing sneered and said, “After Xue Shiren went out of the side hall, he headed directly for the back hall. It was clear that he had gone there to report to Mother. It happened that you were playing flattery games in front of her at that time. Why didn’t you know about it?”

“Changxing, if you are so concerned about the Pei Family, why don’t you just ask Mother-in-law in person?” Originally, Song Yixiao wasn’t in favor of Princess Changxing. Even so, she didn’t resent her. However, after hearing from Xue Shiren about how Pei Yourui had gone through misfortunes in a row, it was difficult for her not to despise the culprit resulting in Pei Yourui’s misfortune. So she said in sarcasm now, “After all, Mother only has two foster daughters now. If she knows you are quite concerned about Sister Yourui and her family, she will be quite relieved and happy, right?”

“You!” Princess Changxing was agitated and lifted up her arms. Song Yixiao stared at her indifferently and sneered, “Do you dare to do that?”

Both her father-in-law and mother-in-law were alive. Her Senior Sister, Second Sister-in-law, and her husband were all safe and sound. In that case, her Third Sister-in-law, Princess Changxing, who got married later than her, was in no position to teach her a lesson while bypassing so many people senior to her. If she dared to hit her now, Song Yixiao would just fall on the ground and refuse to get up shamelessly!

“Bitch! Don’t you ever think that you will be carefree all your life since Jian Xubai loves you so much now!” Princess Changxing’s hand froze in the air for a while. In the end, she didn’t hit Song Yixiao. Instead, she gritted her teeth and said, “Let’s wait and see!”

Staring at her back figure, Song Yixiao chuckled, “Is it necessary for us to wait and see? Although you are noble and dignified, you lost to me all the time.”

Before her voice subsided, she saw that Princess Changxing, who had just walked out for a few steps, almost staggered. Princess Changxing turned her head, glared at her harshly for quite a while, spat out quite viciously, and left in rage!

Song Yixiao curled the corner of her lips, tidied up her hem, and left happily.

By the time she went back to Duke of Yan’s mansion by carriage, Jian Xubai, who had been informed, was at home. Upon seeing her, he asked in a hurry, “Was it true that the Su Sisters had come across Wuying and Wuying was safe and sound?”

“According to the one sent by the Su Family to report to your mother, it was true. As for whether it was that coincidental or not, I have no idea about it.” Song Yixiao shook her head and said, “However, the messenger emphasized that Wuying was quite safe. I think she should be fine. When the messenger from the Su Family arrived a moment ago, Sister was also there. She said that since we had made such a big scene to search for Wuying today, she would be frightened if we came to her together. So she asked me to report to your mother first and she would go to the Su Family to pick Wuying up alone, saying that we shouldn’t go to visit Wuying today and just wait for her update tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.”

Upon hearing that Commandery Princess Qingjiang had taken the issue over, Jian Xubai was relieved and said with guilt, “I have been so busy in recent days. Because of my carelessness today, Wuying was sad. However, it was inappropriate for a young girl to leave home quietly amid the freezing weather!”

After all, “Although she was angry about her family members, she couldn’t consequently put herself in a dangerous situation.”

Song Yixiao sighed, “Wuying’s issue was almost settled now, which you don’t need to worry about anymore. However, Pei Yourui is in a quite difficult position now!”

Jian Xubai asked with surprise, “Didn’t she go back to Youzhou with Grand Secretariat Pei early? Could it be that the members of Pei Clan treat them harshly?”

Song Yixiao replied depressedly, “Grand Secretariat Pei was gone.” Jian Xubai was silent upon hearing her words.

She told Jian Xubai about what had happened to Pei Yourui in detail. In the end, she said, “I am somewhat worried about your mother. She didn’t eat much today for the sake of Wuying, who had been feeling anxious. Although I happened to tell her about the good news that Wuying was safe, before she could even smile, Aide Xue came to tell her about Yourui’s situation! She experienced extreme sadness and happiness at the same time…”

Jinguo Grand Princess was 48 years old this year!

If Zhuo Ping’an weren’t disabled and Commandery Princess Qingjiang didn’t insist on finding a wife endowed with both talent and beauty for her son, Jinguo Grand Princess would be a Great-grandmother now!

For someone her age, however good the life she was having was, she surely couldn’t put up with so many ups and downs in an instant.

Jian Xubai was silent for a quite a while before he said, “Aunt Jiayue serving in front of my mother is well-known for her consideration, she will ask a royal doctor to check on my mother tomorrow.”

Jinguo Grand Princess was of noble social-status, who wasn’t lacking any food or clothing. There were so many people taking care of her the whole day. As her son and daughter-in-law, most of the time, they were useless.

Due to Nie Wuying’s and Pei Yourui’s issue today, both Song Yixiao and Jian Xubai were somewhat gloomy. After having dinner, they didn’t talk much and went to bed directly.

The next morning, as usual, Jian Xubai left Duke of Yan’s mansion early to attend the court before dawn. Song Yixiao didn’t get up until the sun just rose. It wasn’t after she got up that she remembered that it was unknown whether Nie Wuying, who had made a big scene yesterday, had gone back to Jinguo Grand Princess’s mansion today or not. In that case, Nie Wuying might be more likely to have no time to learn dancing from her.

In that case, Song Yixiao could still stay in bed for a while…

However, since she had got up, she, who wasn’t lazy, shook her head and asked the servants to report to her one by one.

After taking care of the family chores that day, Jinxun handed a cup of warm rose syrup to her. A servant maid in the outer room walked in and reported, “Your Highness, Commandery Princess Qingjiang sent someone here!”

Thinking that the messenger should be here to tell her about Nie Wuying’s situation, Song Yixiao said in a hurry, “Bring him in quickly!”

Unexpectedly, after the messenger came to the front of her, greeted her, and saluted her, he said instead, “Her Highness will take Miss Nie to Zhanchun Venue and live there temporarily for a few days. She wants to invite you there!”

“Live there temporarily for a few days?” Song Yixiao asked with surprise, “It is true that Zhanchun Venue is a good place. If there is a chance, I would like to go there for fun. However, Xubai has been quite busy dealing with official documents in recent days and he almost gets up early and gets home late every day. If I leave him at this critical moment, I am afraid that I will cause trouble to him!”

The messenger sighed, “Your Highness, there are some things you don’t know about. Everyone in the imperial capital was astounded by how we had been searching for Miss Nie yesterday. You also know Miss Nie’s temperament well. Of course, she felt somewhat ashamed to stay here. Consequently, Her Highness had no choice but to take her out of the capital city and avoid the rumors temporarily. Since Her Highness will go to Zhanchun Venue, of course, His Highness Young Master will surely be there too! However, if His Highness Young Master needs Her Highness’s companion, nobody will take care of Miss Nie.”

Sensing Song Yixiao was about to say something, the messenger added, “Lady of Earl Shouchun has four children, who are all teenagers. Even if she is in Zhanchun Venue, she, who is busy taking care of her children, surely has no time for Miss Nie. As for Her Highness Princess Changxing, she has to stay here to attend the birthday party of her legitimate uncle by blood, Duke of Ji. Duke of Ji’s birthday party will be held five days later. So it is inconvenient for Her Highness Princess Changxing to leave here right now. Upon deliberation, Her Highness has no choice but to trouble you!”

Upon thinking of how angry her mother-in-law had been yesterday, Song Yixiao bit her lips for a while and said, “I have to pack up a few clothes. Moreover, I have to send someone to inform Xubai!”