Chapter 57: Chapter 57 - Disobey the Empress Dowager’s Decree

Wei Mengying was doing her duty as a mother to teach her daughter hard. Madam Cheng of the Cui Family was also a mother. But she was full of sadness at present. “Jianlian, do you want the whole Cui Family to have a bed ending?” Asked she.

Next to her, Cui Jianlian didn’t wear a coat with uncombed hair. She just wore pink underwear with tight sleeves, holding a sharp hairpin with her hand. She said with firm eyes, “I’ve said that I wouldn’t marry any men except Lu Guanlun!”

“But the Empress Dowager’s decree has come…”

“Empress Dowager’s decree?” Cui Jianlian sneered, “Let the person who beg for the decree to marry him! Do you think I know nothing? I didn’t give face to Commandery Princess Qingjiang at the feast of the Shangsi Festival. How can she put in a good word for me to the Empress Dowager? If you didn’t take actions, the Empress Dowager wouldn’t ask me to be the side concubine of the Crown Prince!”

Madam Cheng was speechless. A moment later, she choked, “If Guanlun likes you, how can I force you to marry another man?”

What’s more, “You are clear that the Dowager Consort and the Princess Consort in the Prince of Hengshan’s mansion struggle with each other openly and secretly many times for the heir of the prince! Recently, Princess Consort Wei is pregnant. Prince of Hengshan is so happy that he even awards the stepdaughter. Although Dowager Consort of Hengshan is the elder, she is at an unfavorable position! Why do you want to marry into such a complicated family?”

Cui Jianlian gnashed the teeth in anger, “If I marry Lu Guanlun, Madam Wei’s son will have no chance to struggle with him because the Crown Prince is close to us!”

“How shameless you are!” A cold voice came outside the door when Madam Cheng bit her lips and tried to persuade her daughter. Cui Ziyu with official clothes put his hands behind his back and came in slowly. He said with cold eyes and angry face, “Princess Consort Wei won’t let Lu Guanlun marry you. Besides, Lu Guanlun himself doesn’t like you! You blamed us for sending you to the Eastern Palace. But you can’t achieve your dream even if we don’t interfere in your marriage!”

Cui Jianlian’s face turned pale suddenly as she heard that. Madam Cheng didn’t want to hurt her daughter. So she shouted, “Master!”

“Now what is done cannot be undone. You have to marry into the Eastern Palace!” But Cui Ziyu just looked at his daughter and ignored his wife, “You can commit suicide! Anyway, you are my daughter. I will try to let Lu Guanlun be with you after you die…”

“Father, are you crazy?” Cui Jianlian screamed, “He is your nephew!”

Cui Ziyu sneered casually, “I raise my daughter so hard but she will die for him. How can’t I kill him for my daughter? Nephew? How can a nephew compare with my daughter?”

Ignoring her desperate appearance, he just said, “Dress up and go out to accept the decree. Then you should serve the Crown Prince well in the Eastern Palace! It’ll be good to you, him and the Cui Family. Otherwise he will be worse than you!”

Then he left angrily!

Hearing the unquestionable firmness of his tone, Cui Jianlian was stunned for a long time. As the sharp hairpin in her hand fell down, she seemed to lose all her strength and dropped limply with Madam Cheng’s scream!

Disobeying the Empress Dowager’s decree was a felony. The Cui Family of course concealed it strictly from others.

Cui Jianlian showed up after a long time and looked pale. Although the eunuch who sent the decree felt confused, he pretended not to find it because of the Noble Consort and the Crown Prince. Besides, the Cui Family gave him two title deeds for land.

In Prince of Hengshan’s mansion, Song Yixiao finally found a chance to leave after Wei Mengying taught her for four hours.

As she got out of the yard, Lanhui who was the first maid of the Dowager Consort told her that the Dowager Consort wanted to see her.

Fortunately, the Dowager Consort didn’t like her and just congratulated her with few words due to the Empress Dowager’s decree.

After calling Song Yixiao to come, she just said some platitudes casually and gave her some presents. Then she asked her to leave. It didn’t take much time.

“Congratulations!” Wei Chan congratulated her first with a smile as soon as Song Yixiao went back to the Hanxia Villa. But there was a little envy behind her pleasure. “It’s said that Duke Jian is handsome and talented. He and you are really ideal couple!”

“You can’t rest even if you speak sugared words!” Song Yixiao pinched her cheek with a smile and said, “You have to help me to prepare the birthday gift for the Dowager Consort soon!”

Like Jinxun, Wei Chan couldn’t embroider as well as Song Yixiao so that she was unable to embroider with her. But she could act as assistant for she was very careful. After helping Song Yixiao for several times, Song Yixiao would like to ask for her help instead of Jinxun. But when talking about it, Song Yixiao thought of Zhiqin inevitably, “In my previous life, Zhiqin embroidered better than me…”

But Zhiqin was disabled six years ago and even couldn’t hold a scissor stably at present, let alone the delicate embroidery needles.

Sighing secretly, Song Yixiao went to the room where the embroidery shelf was, arm in arm with Wei Chan. They all knew the time was urgent. So they started to embroider after talking few words.

They didn’t stop until Ms. Zhao urged them to eat when the light was on.

“Thanks for your hard working today!” Song Yixiao sat in the drawing room where the food was put, asking Jinxun to knead her arms. Seeing the tired face of Wei Chan, she said apologetically, “There are many gifts sent to me these days. Please take whatever you like. Don’t hesitate!”

Wei Chan accepted with alacrity and smiled, “I like the set of mutton-fat jade ornament which was sent by the Dowager Consort. I just help you a little. Will you feel I am so greedy to ask for it?”

“How can a set of ornament be enough?” Song Yixiao and the Dowager Consort didn’t like each other. Song Yixiao didn’t want to use the Dowager Consort’s gift. It was good that Wei Chan wanted it. So she said generously, “You can choose half of the clothes. It’s really wasteful for me to wear all of them!”

But Wei Chan refused this time, “I was also measured when you were measured by aunt’s servants for summer clothes few days ago. How can I still take your clothes?”

Song Yixiao still wanted to persuade her. But servants sent dishes in at the same time, which interrupted their conversation.

After the meal, Ms. Zhao advised Song Yixiao to have a rest in the evening, “The time is abundant, especially that Miss Wei Chan helps you. Why do you work until deep into the night? It will be bad for your eyes and skins. If Her Highness knows it, she will blame us because we don’t serve you well!”

Wei Chan also agreed with her. Song Yixiao pondered for a while and finally nodded. Then Wei Chan asked maids to take the chess pieces of backgammon to play with Song Yixiao.

“I’m not familiar with it. I’m afraid to damp your spirits!” Song Yixiao hurried to say, “Why not play with Jinxun? She is better at it than me.”

What she said was true. Her energy was limited even if she was talented. These years, she spent so much time on learning that she was not good at playing.

“I just want to accompany with you to practice it.” Wei Chan held a dice and pretended to be annoyed, “Your future sister-in-law, Miss Pei, is very good at backgammon. Besides, it’s said that Miss Pei learns it hard because of Jinguo Grand Princess! After you get married, you will contact with sisters-in-law and the Grand Princess. I’m afraid that you have to play it with them!”

Song Yixiao asked surprisingly, “Who is Miss Pei?”

“Don’t you know her?” Wei Chan was shocked. But soon she understood it, “After receiving the Empress Dowager’s decree, you went to see aunt and the Dowager Consort. It’s no wonder that no one tells you it. Today, there are three decrees from the imperial palace about marriage. One is that Miss Cui will be concubine of the Crown Prince. The second decree is sent to the prince’s mansion to claim the marriage of you and Duke Jian. The last one is about the marriage between Miss Pei and Jian Yiyou, the elder brother of Duke Jian!”

Then she said, “You seem to be unfamiliar with Miss Pei. When I went out with my mother, I heard that Miss Pei was good at playing backgammon and had played it with Jinguo Grand Princess since many years ago! The reason why she is chosen this time may be because of the Grand Princess.”

Song Yixiao thought for a moment and finally thought of the status of Miss Pei. Her name seemed to be Yourui and her father, Pei He, was Grand Secretariat of Hanlin Academy.

At the feast of the Shangsi Festival, Commandery Princess Qingjiang especially talked with some girls, including her.

However, the point was that the relationship between Pei Yourui and the Jian Family, or Jinguo Grand Princess, was really special. She was the niece of Pei Ze who was the second prince consort of Jinguo Grand Princess.

Pei Ze married Jinguo Grand Princess in the first year of Xianjia. It was said that he was handsome and talented. He had become popular since he was young. So he was chosen by the Grand Princess to be her husband.

Unfortunately, his life was short. Less than half a year after he became the prince consort, he died from falling off a horse and didn’t have any kids.

After he died, Jinguo Grand Princess chose another husband within a year, which was Jian Likuang, the present prince consort.

Although Jinguo Grand Princess was not the Pei Ze’s wife, she had a good relationship with the Pei Family. Pei Yourui used to visit Grand Princess’s mansion since she was young. So in many people’s view, it was normal for her to be daughter-in-law of Grand Princess.

“I won’t know it if you don’t tell me!” Song Yixiao smiled, “I didn’t have much contact with Miss Pei frequently before… Backgammon? Let’s try to play it.”

Although Jian Xubai was the duke and didn’t need to live with elders and brothers, they had to stay together at every festival and at new year. If Song Yixiao couldn’t play with them well, she would be sidelined!

Jinguo Grand Princess had a daughter and three sons. Her daughter was Commandery Princess Qingjiang. Earl Shouchun, Dou Rouchi, was her second son whose wife had both sons and daughters. No matter the Grand Princess liked her son’s wife or not, the Grand Princess would give her face because of the grandchildren.

Pei Yourui was the future wife of her third son. Although she hadn’t married her son, the Grand Princess was familiar with her since she was a kid. So it might be the Grand Princess’s thought to let Pei Yourui be her daughter-in-law. So Pei Yourui had got her mother-in-law’s good impression before marrying.

Only Song Yixiao had a low status and an awkward family. If she didn’t know how to please her mother-in-law, her sisters-in-laws would perform better than her in front of her mother-in-law!

She didn’t hold herself aloof. So she listened to Wei Chan’s advises soon.

But she couldn’t help thinking about the three decrees mentioned by Wei Chan. “Sure enough, Cui Jianlian will marry into the Eastern Palace… The Crown Prince’s side concubine has a high status! Especially she will be an imperial concubine!”

Although she also married into the purple unexpectedly, the wife of duke was only a mandated woman of highest rank. Even if the Emperor liked Jian Xubai so much, he was not the crown prince! Besides, she didn’t know whether he would like to help her revenge or not!

“What should I do?” Song Yixiao thought when playing backgammon with Wei Chan, “It had been six years… I haven’t taken revenge for Zhiqin!”