Chapter 210: Chapter 210 - Xie Yiren Gets Married

The next day, Madam Liao, the wife of Ming Nezhi the Vice Director of Ministry of War, was invited to Duke of Yan’s mansion.

She paid respects to Song Yixiao in an extremely respectful way with confusion.

With a smile, Song Yixiao asked her to rise and to sit down. Then she also ordered to serve the tea. After exchanging pleasantries, Song Yixiao frowned and said, “You know, my maiden family doesn’t have a lot of descendants. Two days ago, my stepmother finally gave birth to twins. I finally have a younger brother now!”

“I’ve heard that Your Highness is deeply blessed. You just got married last year and then shortly after that, such good news happened to the mistress of the Song Family!” The imperial capital was this big. Of course Madam Liao knew that Madam Lu had given birth to a couple of rarely-seen twins, which were even a boy and a girl, but she also knew that the Song Family didn’t treat Song Yixiao well. If she didn’t figure out how Song Yixiao felt about her newly-born half-siblings, how could she dare to send gifts for congratulations?

Since Song Yixiao brought it up herself, Madam Liao ventured, “Congratulations to Madam Liao then!”

“It’s a pity that my stepmother is always a sickly woman and went through a critical condition in labor. I wonder how she is doing now,” Song Yixiao said and heaved a sigh.

Madam Liao was stunned to hear that and seemed to figure out what she meant but to be on the safe side, she still asked, “If you want to avoid Elder Lady Pang, why don’t you send someone for a visit?”

“How dare I?” Song Yixiao said helplessly, “Previously, it was because I went against my grandmother’s fortune that I had to live in Prince of Hengshan’s mansion and started off there on the wedding day. Now that the Song Family finally has a son. These days I’ve only sent presents for a few times, about which my grandmother already feels worried. It is said that you have a happy family with a loving husband, healthy parents, daughters and sons, which makes you a well blessed person. I’m thinking that even if my fate is against my maiden family, thanks to your blessing, I suppose it will be fine. Hence, I would like to ask you to do me a favor and go there on behalf of me.”

“How can I?” Madam Liao said hastily, “Actually, Your Highness is greatly blessed, or why would you marry a man endowed with both beauty and talent as Duke of Yan? As to the fact that the Song Family cannot raise Your Highness, no offense, maybe because Your Highness is deeply blessed so you must be raised in the prince’s mansion. Your birth mother, Her Highness the Princess Consort is still safe and healthy all the time, isn’t she?”

Song Yixiao heaved a sigh and said, “It is better to believe that it exists than it does not. After all, my grandmother’s health matters most!”

Then she added, “For these years, no matter how I miss her, I can stand it as time goes by. However, I know that my grandmother always wanted a grandson. Now that the younger brother was finally born, I must show my concern! Nevertheless, I’m afraid that I may hurt my younger brother’s fortune as I did to my grandmother’s back then, so I don’t even dare to say that I want to learn about how everything is with him! Luckily, Qiaoqin told me about you yesterday, saying that you are very fortunate as a well-blessed person so my younger brother and sister can gain some luck from you!”

Madam Liao glanced at Qiaoqin gratefully and thought that the servant returned the favor after taking the benefits from her by providing her a chance to show up in front of Song Yixiao. She said seriously, “I will pay a visit to the Song Family later! I won’t let you down!”

Song Yixiao saw her off amidst saying thank-you to her. They both had a tacit understanding that inquiring about Madam Lu and her son on behalf of Song Yixiao was only an excuse. This time, Song Yixiao met Madam Liao only to leak out the fact that how the Song Family treated the eldest legitimate daughter shabbily through her!

It was not news eight years ago, but now was actually a good timing.

“You know that I am not a push-over. If you still don’t restrain yourselves, don’t blame me for striking back!” Song Yixiao pondered while rolling the bracelet on her wrist, “I was not born in the world to let you bullied!”

Madam Liao acted very neatly. After she paid a visit to the Song Family, she invited the families of the middle management of Ministry of War for a gathering, where she spread the news that Elder Lady Pang was not virtuous or amiable. The spearhead of attack was aimed directly at Elder Lady Pang. Of course Madam Liao had consulted Qiaoqin in secret. After the gathering, the similar gossiping was almost flashed around the imperial capital over one night!

“That old woman is not a good thing indeed!” Yuan Xue’e sat on the bed under the west window and took up the cudgels for her friend angrily, “Not amicable or virtuous! You are her legitimate grand-daughter and you are married now, but she still wants to keep hurting you! I can’t believe there is such a grandmother as her in the world! I think that the Song Family has few sons simply because she has done too many evil deeds!”

Speaking of that, she found that her speech was inappropriate. No matter how bad the Song Family was, it was Song Yixiao’s maiden family.

However, Song Yixiao didn’t care and then asked smilingly, “I was wondering why you rushed here furiously in the morning. It turns out that you are here specially to comfort me? Is it what is spread around the imperial capital now?”

“How can you still be smiling?” Yuan Xue’e didn’t apologize then. Instead, she rolled her eyes at Song Yixiao and said, “It has raised a colossal uproar all over the city. It is said that the rumor is spread among the folk! No one will believe that she is your real grandmother by blood. Even a step-grandmother is not so vicious as her!”

“It is never that simple.” Song Yixiao shook her head and pointed at her lips with her index finger to signal Yuan Xue’e to come nearer. Then she whispered, “Do you forget what happened in Prince of Yi’s mansion the other day? There has still no confirmed conclusion from the imperial palace by now! It is already bad enough that a prince of the imperial clan committed suicide. Moreover, rumor has it that the Crown Prince hounded his uncle to death and then Prince of Yi’s concubine disclosed the fact that the princess consort conspired against her husband. Although Her Majesty the Empress Dowager immediately ordered to block the news and implement a thorough investigation, prior to her order, the rumor has been spread around. Under the circumstance, how is it possible to continue suppressing the information entirely?”

Yuan Xue’e was not a fool. She instantly took a tumble, “That’s why word spreads at the moment that your maiden grandmother is not virtuous…”

“The imperial family and those who don’t wish to see the scandal of Prince’s Yi leaked out will volunteer to offer help and fan the fire so as to cover the scandal!” Song Yixiao rolled the tea bowl at ease and smiled faintly. Otherwise, how could the wife of a fifth-rank official, Madam Liao make the gossip spread all over the imperial capital over one night!

She had taken it into account when she turned to Madam Liao. Capitalizing on her identity as the legitimate grandmother of Song Yixiao, Madam Pang felt that no matter how she tortured Song Yixiao, the latter couldn’t do anything about it.

However, in the eyes of those in the places of honor who hoped to maintain the imperial family’s reputation including the Empress Dowager, Madam Pang was only a pawn that came in handy!

“The Song Family has already declined, which is not as splendid as it was during the times of Jiangnan Hall!” Song Yixiao took a sip of tea and pondered, “My grandmother’s identity in the imperial capital is not very significant! Even if the rumor shapes her as a horrible person, it is not enough to cover up the scandal of His Majesty’s bother, Prince of Yi. It seems that the gossip all over the city is merely groundwork. Then the Empress Dowager will continue to find a way to use this rumor!”

As to how to use it, Song Yixiao assumed that Madam Pang would probably come to grief!

Yet, she was not worried that anything untoward would happen to her grandmother. After all, Song Ying, the grandfather who she hadn’t met before, had a nostalgic friend called Gu Shao. Moreover, Gu Shao was about to be the teacher of Commandery Prince Zhongling in the imperial capital. In consideration of him, the imperial family wouldn’t strike fatal actions against the Song Family. At best Madam Pang would be insulted and live in shame, which would add fuel to the flame of the rumor among the folk people in case that they paid attention to Prince of Yi!

As expected, after several days, the Empress Dowager issued an imperial decree to instruct Madam Pang to copy the Admonitions for Women for 100 times within one month!

“She can never bully you in the future!” Among the six girls who received the imperial decree about the marriage arrangement, apart from Pei Yourui whose engagement was broken off, and Sikong Yiluo, who died of an illness, Song Yixiao, Commandery Princess Nanzhang and Cui Jianlian were all married while Xie Yiren’s wedding was scheduled this year, specifically, on the 17th day of the second lunar month.

Of course Song Yixiao must express congratulations on the spot. After entering Duke of Lai’s mansion, she chatted with Xie Yiren for a while. It happened that Duke of Lai and his wife beckoned their granddaughter. Then, she was ushered into the drawing room for tea with several other women who were here to congratulate.

After drinking half a pot of tea, Yuan Xue’e couldn’t wait to whisper to her with inevitable schadenfreude, “This is the first time in the current reign that a titled lady has been scolded by the Empress Dowager for lack of virtue! She even has to copy the Admonitions for Women. How can she have the cheek to show up in the public?”

Song Yixiao, rolling the bracelet in the wrist, only smiled in silence, with no delight in her face. Yuan Xue’e was confused to see her facial expression, “You look unhappy? Why? Don’t tell me that you still feel sorry for a senior like her!”

“How can I feel sorry for her?” Song Yixiao shook her head and said, “I’m thinking that since I didn’t grow up in the Song Family and have got married, my maiden family wouldn’t cause trouble for me anyway. But the two younger sisters and the younger brother conceived by my stepmother have to grow up by the side of my grandmother! Although they are still young, I don’t know whether they will be influenced in the future!”

Yuan Xue’e had no good impression of Madam Pang and Song Yuan, so she also didn’t care about the children born by Madam Lu, the woman favored by them. Then Yuan Xue’e said indifferently, “The elder one of your two younger sisters is only four years old. She won’t grow up until at least ten years later. Who can tell what will happen in ten years? Besides, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager also doesn’t wrong your grandmother, ‘does she? Your grandmother is not the only titled lady among the womenfolk of the officials. If she behaves well, why doesn’t the Empress Dowager scold the other titled ladies?”

Actually, Song Yixiao’s words were half true and half false. As Yuan Xue’e said, her three half-siblings were still young. No matter how abashed her grandmother was, how many people would remember her after ten or eight years? What Song Yixiao worried about was that since Madam Pang always preferred boys to girls and now, she finally had a grandson, she might take the wrong path in order not to become a burden of her grandson!

“I hope that she can get a lesson but not go to hell!” Song Yixiao felt a bit perturbed while she thought of it but on second thought, she pondered, “The Empress Dowager just issued the imperial decree to scold her. If she dares to act rashly, she must be suspected of bearing grudge against the Empress Dowager. In this way, even if she dies, how can the Empress Dowager not vent her anger on the other people of the Song Family? As my grandmother attaches much importance to her son and grandson, she will definitely not do it!”

Thinking of this, she was relieved with a sigh when Yuan Xue’e said in a low voice, “How is it going on with the scandal of Prince’s Yi now? It has been almost ten days. Why is there no conclusion from the imperial palace?”

Song Yixiao shook her head and said, “Xubai doesn’t tell me.”

Then she muttered to herself, “Regarding this kind of matter, those of high-rank must hope to take care of it with drive and sweep. It is probably because it is a sticky business that no conclusion can be drawn after so long?”

Yuan Xue’e was about to answer her when the two cousins of Xie Yiren came to greet the guests on behalf of her. Song Yixiao and Yuan Xue’e were on good terms with Xie Yiren, who were of high position among the women guests today. Of course they were the VIPs of the two ladies.

Now they couldn’t continue talking privately anymore. They both rose and started to exchange pleasantries with the ladies of the Xie Family.

Song Yixiao was on good terms with Xie Yiren, but the latter’s husband was the legitimate cousin of Jian Xubai. Therefore, on the wedding day, Song Yixiao and Jian Xubai went to two places separately.

In this case, after Song Yixiao returned home from the wedding feast in Duke of Lai’s mansion, she was surprised to learn that her husband had come back, “The wedding feast in Earl Yiping’s mansion was over so early?”

Given Jian Xubai’s identity, generally, he could leave the feasts in advance, but Xu Xishi, the heir of Earl Yiping, was his cousin and colleague, so Jian Xubai should have stayed longer out of respect. Why would he leave in advance?

Then she recalled that Xu Xishi once disclosed that his father’s concubine was not easy to deal with and wondered whether something wrong happened in Earl Yiping’s mansion today. Qiaoqin came to report that Jian Xubai came back with alcohol fumes all over his body and then immediately summoned the aides and staff into the study for business. He even asked Ji Su to fetch the clothes for him and he himself changed his clothes in the front yard.

Song Yixiao realized that he should have received some urgent news and faked drunkenness to come back. Instantly, she thought of the scandal in Prince of Yi’s mansion and slightly frowned, “Is there any conclusion now?”