Chapter 87: Chapter 87 - Mother-in-law’s Preferences

But it didn’t matter that she couldn’t figure it out. Several days later, people sent by Jinguo Grand Princess to see Jian Pingyu would come back to the imperial capital. Then most servants would be sent back to serve their former master. At that time, they couldn’t be calm any more!

Song Yixiao was confident after thinking about it. She began to think how to tell it to her mother-in-law.

But she didn’t take much time to ponder. The servants who were sent to Grand Princess’s mansion came back to tell her that the Grand Princess agreed to see her at any time.

Two house stewards tried to persuade Song Yixiao but failed. They had to listen to Song Yixiao to let servants in the kitchen leave. Song Yixiao didn’t need to care about the affairs in Duke of Yan’s mansion temporarily. So after hearing that, she immediately dressed up and went on the carriage.

When she arrived at Grand Princess’s mansion, Jinguo Grand Princess didn’t see her in the main hall but asked servants to lead her to the waterside pavilion in the backyard.

Before going there, Song Yixiao only saw a part of upturned eave hidden in the flowers and trees next to the lake. Faint music came from there.

“Is Mother listening to the music?” Song Yixiao found it and then asked the maid who led the way.

The maid seemed to hesitate. She paused for a while and then said, “Maybe Mr. Qiao is playing the harp for Her Highness.”

“Mr. Qiao?” After seeing the maid’s expression, Song Yixiao guessed that the identity of “Mr. Qiao” might be special. She thought of her mother-in-law’s secret preferences and twitched the corner of her mouth slightly. So she just repeated the name once and didn’t dare to ask about Mr. Qiao in detail.

What she guessed was almost right. After she stood outside the waterside pavilion, the maid went in to report and the music stopped instantly. After a long time, the voice of the Grand Princess finally came from inside to let Song Yixiao in.

During this time, Song Yixiao narrowed her eyes with her hands down to show her humility as a daughter-in-law. Most importantly, the windows of waterside pavilion were completely open and only a piece of gauze obstructed the view. She could hear clearly the voice of wearing clothes inside because she was young.

After she was allowed in, she just looked at her mother-in-law on the seat of honor and didn’t dare to glance around.

No one knew whether the Grand Princess was guilty or had some thoughts. She stopped Song Yixiao’s curtsy and let her have a seat. Then servants gave them tea. The Grand Princess pointed to a man next to her and introduced, “This is Mr. Qiao in the mansion. He is an excellent harpist.”

Song Yixiao finally glanced at him and puckered in a faint smile, “Nice to meet you, Mr. Qiao!”

Mr. Qiao was about 30 years old and wore a green rounded-neckline long gown with a leather belt and black hat. His eyebrows were broad and his eyes were bright. His skin was white and his facial features were strongly defined with pretty short beard in his chin. He had an elegant temperament. The way he held the harp made him more graceful and handsome.

He looked so calm. People who served here were all eunuchs and maids. It was easy to know who wore clothes hurriedly just now without asking.

But Mr. Qiao wasn’t awkward at all. He looked calm and reserved in a gesture of noble. “I’m just familiar with playing the harp. How can I be eligible to be called as an ‘excellent harpist’?” He said.

Then he nodded to Song Yixiao slightly to greet her, “Forth Young Mistress, nice to meet you too!”

The Grand Princess knew that her daughter-in-law just got married and was too busy at this time. So Song Yixiao wouldn’t take initiative to see her without any reasons. Although the Grand Princess still wanted to stay with Mr. Qiao, she talked with him for a moment and then implied him to leave.

After only the Grand Princess and her daughter-in-law were in the waterside pavilion, the Grand Princess asked smilingly, “I’ll send people to ask you if you don’t come here today. I heard that your mother gave birth to a girl yesterday, right? How is your mother? Does your younger sister look like you?”

Song Yixiao hurried to say, “Thanks for your concern. They are all fine! But I haven’t seen my younger sister. When I knew she was born yesterday, I was going home from the feast of the Eastern Palace and had no time to take a bath and change my clothes. So I didn’t go to see her because she would be uncomfortable by the smell of liquor on my body!”

“You look so good. Your younger sister must be beautiful like you when she grows up.” The Grand Princess had no interest in her daughter-in-law’s siblings whoever their father was. She just talked about it to show her attention to Song Yixiao.

But she was curious about the thing happened after the feast of the Eastern Palace yesterday. “What happened to the Sikong Family’s girl? It’s said that she fainted on the road, right?”

“I’m not a doctor. So I am also confused about it.” Song Yixiao didn’t expect that the Grand Princess had already known it. So she described it briefly and didn’t mention that Wei Yinlian urged Sikong Yiluo to drink. After all, it was not sure whether Sikong Yiluo was ill due to this behavior. So she just said, “We casually chose one to ask for help. Coincidentally, the door we knocked belonged to the house of Su Shaoge, the nephew of Her Highness. The old house steward was so kind. Otherwise I and Yinlian would be helpless on the street at that time.”

Not like Jian Xubai, the Grand Princess didn’t looked estranged with Su Shaoge when hearing his name. Instead, she smiled obscurely, “I’ve seen him once. He is really talented and handsome. Among the young generation in the imperial capital, besides Xubai, no one is as good as Su Shaoge in appearance and temperament! If he wasn’t the nephew of the Empress, I would usually invite him to have a talk here. His eyes…”

Then the Grand Princess suddenly realized that Song Yixiao was her daughter-in-law instead of her daughter or trusted subordinates. At this time, Song Yixiao looked serious and calm, as if her mother-in-law was talking about important national affairs rather than a handsome man younger than her eldest kids improperly. Although Song Yixiao pretended to hear and know nothing, the Grand Princess’s ears were burning.

But that was all. After all, the Grand Princess just had a “talk” with Mr. Qiao in the waterside pavilion and forgot such a kind of awkward thing soon. She touched the flower hairpin in her hair and then turned to look natural as if nothing happened. She asked, “It happened all of a sudden. How did you do at that time?”

The Grand Princess asked some details and was sure her daughter-in-law didn’t make mistakes at that time. Then she nodded lightly, “Aunt Zhenyang only has two granddaughters and perishes them so much. Hope that girl is lucky enough to be fine soon!”

Although the Grand Princess said that, her tone was very calm. Obviously, she didn’t have a strong feeling with Great Grand Princess Zhenyang. And the Grand Princess was also less close to the junior, Sikong Yiluo.

Song Yixiao just got married and wasn’t so familiar with the relationship between her husband’s family and other families, even if her mother-in-law taught her once. So she just echoed without showing her attitude because the less she said, the fewer mistakes she would make.

The Grand Princess sighed for a while and then stopped caring about it. She asked with a smile, “Is there anything else?”

After Song Yixiao said the servants in the kitchen didn’t serve well, the Grand Princess frowned her delicate eyebrows and said, “These people are so yucky!”

She pondered for a moment and then said, “Well, don’t drag on any more. I buy some real estates recently and I’m lack of servants! Since you don’t need so many servants, you can give them to me with their indentures. I’ll pay you according to…”

“Don’t be so polite!” Song Yixiao was shocked by the Grand Princess’s decision. She suggested it obviously last time and her mother-in-law just nodded casually without trying to solve problems for her son’s wife.

But why did she decide to help Song Yixiao actively at present?

Although Song Yixiao was confused, she instantly said, “We are family. You’re familiar with the situation of servants in Duke of Yan’s mansion. You want them now because you love us. How can I accept your money? If other people know it, I and Xubai will be blamed because we are not filial.”

The Grand Princess didn’t refuse her. Anyway, she was the mother of Jian Xubai. As her youngest son, Jian Xubai must inherit a part of her poverty no matter how rich she was. So after hearing her daughter-in-law’s words, she nodded and said, “It’s up to you!”

Song Yixiao found that the Grand Princess wanted her to leave, then she hurried to say, “In fact, Xubai suggested me to come here today.”

“Oh?” The Grand Princess put down the tea bowl and said in surprise, “What did Xubai say?”

“Yesterday Xubai said that I was young and had less experience so I should often ask you and Her Majesty the Empress Dowager for advise!” Song Yixiao thought of her mother’s words that she must let her mother-in-law know how she treated her husband well. So she looked virtuously and said, “So after I sent my husband to court early in the morning, I instantly came here to pay respects to you!”

Sure enough, after hearing she got up early to serve Jian Xubai to court, the Grand Princess looked satisfied and said, “Xubai really makes excessive demands of you! You are so young! Your experience will become more gradually. He is also learning while he works. The weather is colder. It’s so hard for you to serve him so early!”

Thinking of the thing happened this morning, Song Yixiao forced herself to look happy and said, “You are so polite. I have been his wife and I’m happy to be taught by him! But I’m afraid to be stupid to disappoint him! As for caring about my husband, it’s my duty…”

She lowered her head shyly, “It’s also my luck!”

The Grand Princess praised her due to her shameless words so much and immediately sent her a pair of Mutton-fat Jade Ruyi Hairpin. Then the Grand Princess told servants around her, “How can’t my son be unsatisfied with such a good wife?”

“You flatter me!” Song Yixiao looked happily to hold the hairpins and didn’t want to put them down. She was curious what Jian Xubai’s reaction would have after seeing them.

Song Yixiao was happier when she was thinking about it!

After sending her the hairpins, the Grand Princess immediately asked servants to prepare the carriage for her to go to see the Empress Dowager in the imperial palace.

At this time, Song Yixiao also enjoyed the same treatment as Pei Yourui and directly went to the Qingxi Hall without any blocks. The Empress Dowager was happy after seeing her daughter and granddaughter-in-law and said, “The Empress and imperial concubines also mentioned you when they came to pay respects to me!”

“What did they say?” Jinguo Grand Princess sat next to the Empress Dowager and accepted the tea bowl given by the maid. She used the lid to move the tea in the bowl and asked smilingly, “Did they say that my daughter-in-law’s mother gave birth to a girl?”

The Empress Dowager took a glance at her and smiled, “Did Prince of Hengshan’s mansion give birth to a kid again? I didn’t know. But what they said also related to Princess Consort Wei. Is Guanlun older than Xubai’s wife?”

Standing behind her mother-in-law, Song Yixiao was stunned for a while and then hurried to say, “Your Majesty, Master Guanlun is really older than me!”

She didn’t say how many years he was older than her. After all, Lu Guanlun had no blood relationship with her and he wasn’t her brother. It was not a good thing that she was familiar with a young man’s age.

“People always care about the marriage of kids at this age.” Jinguo Grand Princess directly asked after hearing that, “Mother, am I right?”

“Prince of Hengshan’s mansion can raise such a clever kid like Xubai’s wife, which shows its cultivation and generosity.” The Empress Dowager smiled, “Recently, many people want their daughters to marry Guanlun. Dowager Consort of Hengshan is so worried! So she came here few days ago and begged me to make a decision for her! I’m not energetic these years and even asked Qingjiang to choose a wife for Prince of Wei and Prince of Liang. How can I help her? So the Empress and imperial concubines came to talk about it with me for a moment.”

Song Yixiao heard it was about Lu Guanlun’s marriage and started to pay attention to it. After all, Lu Guanlun treated her well and she hoped him have a perfect marriage sincerely. Besides, it would influence the result about the heir of Prince of Hengshan’s mansion. Although Song Yixiao didn’t want to help her younger brother be the heir, she hoped Lu Guanlun marry a kind wife to get along with siblings. So her mother’s kids could have a good environment to grow up.

But before the Empress Dowager told Jinguo Grand Princess in detail, a palace maid came from outside and reported, “Duke Jian is outside the palace and sends a message to let Madam Song go to see him immediately. He wants to tell her an important thing!”

People around the Qingxi Hall were all shocked. The Empress Dowager asked surprisingly, “What is the important thing?”

The palace maid’s voice was not loud. But her words made the hall quiet suddenly. “I heard that a young lady of the Sikong Family had passed away!”