As was expected by Song Yixiao, after struggling for a while, the woman still decided to do as told. After all, the woman had only two choices: one was to lose all reputation for abducting the eldest young lady of an official of the Hanlin Academy; the other was to receive moral praise after doing the girl a favor. It was an easy decision!
However, she still felt a bit worried, âThe Wei Family is merely your motherâs maiden line. Your mother has been remarried to a prince. What if they donât want to stand for you? Thenâ¦â
âThink with your brain!â Song Yixiao opened her eyes and gawked at her teasingly, âPrince of Hengshan is much superior to my father! My mother divorced my father and becomes a princeâs second wife. Although it is true that she is loathed by my grandmother, others all accuse her of fawning upon the rich and despising the poor. Even the Wei Family are criticized for negligence of educating the daughter. I have three cousins who are still unmarried and they are not even engaged because of this scandal!â
âNow the Wei Family must yearn to see something disgraceful happen to the Song Family so that my motherâs remarriage can be justified!â She sneers, âYou had better think about how to brace up after being well received by the Wei Family!â
As expected, the carriage stopped at the back door of the Wei Family. The woman nerved herself to knock on the door and to convey her message. Then she also asked the doorman to raise the carriage curtain so as to demonstrate that the girl in poor clothes was Lady Yixiao indeed. After a while, the five mistresses of the Wei Family hurried to receive the girl, âWhere are our poor niece?!â
Upon hearing their voices, Song Yixiao, who was eating pastries idlingly, changed her countenance quickly and gripped the carriage tightly, screaming and crying with tears in horror. No matter what good words the five aunties told her, she just wouldnât get off the carriage, frightened and afeared.
The aunties were not angry at all. Immersed in great sorrow, they cried sadly, âMy good lord! She is the eldest legitimate granddaughter of the Song Family anyway! Despite their hatred for her mother, what fault has she made? After all, her family name is Song! How can the Song Family be so ruthless!â
Eventually, Song Yixiaoâs grandmother, Madam Cao arrived and cried in pain. Song Yixiao raised her skirt hem and moved towards the shaft slowly with tears, throwing herself to Madam Caoâs arms. The woman with heavy makeup was struck dumb while all the people of the Wei Family were overjoyed to escort her and Song Yixiao into the house, just like winning a war!
When they arrived at the back hall, the Wei Family finally thought of the woman with heavy makeup. They hastened to offer her a superior seat and Madam Cao showed her gratitude, âThe Wei Family will never forget about your favor! My ruthless daughter has only one child! If she is really ruined by the Song Family, I donât know how to live onâ¦â
The woman didnât dare to receive her gratitude, even including the gratitude of the five mistresses of the Wei Family. In the end, she just couldnât decline their enthusiasm and was made to sit beside Madam Cao. âAs a saying goes, grassroots people always uphold justice while scholars always do things against their conscience. Today, I finally realize that the saying makes perfect sense. My granddaughterâs grandfather of her fatherâs line retires as the Grand Secretariat of the Hanlin Academy and her father is working in the Secretariat department now! Such a respectable family should not injure their eldest legitimate daughter of the first official wife. Yet, now they just show us otherwise!â
Madam Cao held her granddaughter, crying over Song Yixiaoâs miserable life and cursing about the Song Familyâs heartlessness. After a while, reminded by her daughter-in-law, she took a tumble, âYixiao, donât be afraid. Since you are at your grandmotherâs home, the Song Family can never hurt you!â
She asked her eldest daughter-in-law, Madam Mu to bring Song Yixiao to take a shower and dress her back as a respectable lady. Then she ordered to prepare for a meal, âWe must show gratitude for Yixiaoâs helper!â
Before the table was completely set, the maid that accompanied Madam Mu to marry to the Wei Family, rushed into the back hall tearfully, âYour Ladyship! The Song Family are evils! The injuries of Lady Yixiaoâs body just scare Madam Mu to fainting!â
All the people at present were dumbfounded!
The woman felt so frightened and couldnât help thinking with sweat on her face, âShe is only a little girl but she dares to scheme about selling herself in order to frame her stepmother, and she even hurts herself so harshly that her auntie even fainted out of shock!â
It was lucky for her that she had listened to the girl!
Otherwise, considering the cruelness of the girl, she would be killed for sure!
Actually, she kind of misunderstood Song Yixiaoâ¦
Song Yixiao did hurt herself and left the injuries, but the injuries were not that scaring. She did that only because she didnât want to see her stepmother get away with this in light of the baby she was carrying. And her auntieâs fainting was merely a consequence of her on-the-spot performance!
Otherwise, Madam Cao wouldnât fall sick and lie in bed, angry and sorrowful. âHer ladyship is a senior in this family. Now that she is ill, everyone is occupied and flurried. Of course all shall serve her ladyship by her bed. How can they have time to attend to the other matters?â
They even had no time to inform the Song Family that their âlostâ young lady was actually in the Weiâs house, sound and safe!
After a few days, the news was spread in the whole city that the eldest young lady of the Song Family died of a sudden illness. Learning about the news, Madam Cao sneered and sat up. She lifted away the napkin on her forehead and threw it to a maid, saying in fury, âCall on some more people. Letâs go to the Songâs house and settle with Madam Pang!â
She thought to herselfâ âYou old cat used to loathe my daughter for not giving birth to a son and even maltreat her so badly that she had to remarry. The Wei Familyâs reputation has been ruined even for that. Now you neglect your duty of managing the family and allow the new daughter-in-law to abuse the eldest legitimate granddaughter of the first official wife and to sell her to a brothel! If I let go of you on this, I will change my maiden name of Cao!â