Chapter 308 - Marry the Wrong Person

After thinking for a while, Song Yixiao asked her husband and knew that Gu Shao was in good health and not terminal ill at all, so she put the matter behind. Anyway, Song Yuan was the one who compromised. No matter what the inside story was, it was probably the Song Family that was in trouble, which had nothing to do with Jian Xubai and her.

In that case, why should she bother about that?

Time passed quickly and soon it was the ninth day of the tenth lunar month, Zhuo Ping’an’s birthday. In order to show their respect to Commandery Princess Qingjiang and her son, Jian Xubai specially asked for leave and accompanied his wife to congratulate them.

Princess Changxing was also present, but she came alone. As soon as she entered the door, she apologized on behalf of Jian Yiyou. Jian Yiyou recently caught a cold and was afraid of giving others his cold, so he had to ask her to come alone to celebrate his nephew’s birthday.

Princess Changxing looked very pale and listless. Obviously, she had just recovered from a serious illness.

Therefore, not long after she sat down, Commandery Princess Qingjiang asked about her health, telling her not to manage to hold on and that she could have a rest if this was too tiring for her.

“I’ve been in bed for recuperation these days. My bones almost got stiff.” Hearing this, Princess Changxing just smiled calmly and declined her kindness politely, “Today, it’s Ping’an’s birthday, so I came out and walked around, and I felt more comfortable!”

Commandery Princess Qingjiang sighed and said with a smile, “You are young, so you like to move around rather than being sedentary.”

She emphasized the words “you are young”, and deliberately reminded Princess Changxing that she still had years ahead of her and should avoid getting sick for being too sad.

Princess Changxing could tell her meaning in her words, but only smiled and turned to Pei Yourui, who kept silent nearby, “Yourui, I haven’t seen you for many days. How are you doing recently?”

They didn’t expect that she would suddenly talk to Pei Yourui. Pei Yourui didn’t expect that either and was stunned when she heard that!

“Your Highness, thanks for your concern. I’m very good recently,” The looked in Pei Yourui’s eyes changed. She got up and curtsied to Princess Changxing, “I also wish you a good health.”

“Yourui, don’t stand on ceremony,” Princess Changxing waved her hand and motioned for her to return her seat. When she saw that the others in the hall were staring at her, her expression changed, and then turned into a bitter smile. She said, “As the old saying goes, a prodigal who returns is more precious than gold. I know I was not sensible before and had caused a lot of trouble to you, especially Yourui. Now I really want to compensate her, but I don’t know if I have this opportunity.”

Hearing this, all people all felt embarrassed. Pei Yourui lowered her head and said, “Your Highness, you’ve overstated. The past is already behind us.”

“Even so, I still hurt you before,” Princess Changxing seemed to have grown up in a short time. Her arrogance actually had disappeared without a trace. She said sincerely, “Although I know it may be late to say this to you, I will always be uneasy if I don’t say it. Back then, I was young and ignorant. I offended and hurt you capitalizing on my status as His Majesty’s daughter. Now I dare not ask you to forgive me. I just hope you will meet your love and be healthy all your life!”

Pei Yourui’s calm expression finally changed. Her fingernails sunk into her palm and she trembled all over slightly, while Princess Changxing continued, “Shen Qimo is pregnant again.”

Her tone was bleak and chilly, revealing endless sadness, which surprised all people. Commandery Princess Qingjiang said in a deep voice, “She didn’t use the contraceptive medicine? Yiyou made that mistake last time and was already warned by Mother personally. He was bewitched by Shen Qimo in the past several months again?”

Song Yixiao was also very surprised. Her impression of Jian Yiyou had never been very good. Unexpectedly, Shen Qimo could win his heart. Although it hadn’t been very long since Shen Qimo married him and she was still his new love, Shen Qimo’s previous child had been forcibly aborted. She got pregnant again and thought her child could survive this time? Grand Princess Jinguo didn’t lack grandchildren!

They asked Princess Changxing about the details for a while. Until Princess Changxing’s tears filled her eyes, Commandery Princess Qingjiang waved her hand, gesturing for them to stop asking, “Changxing, don’t worry. Mother always values rules. I’ll tell her about this matter in person and she will surely do you justice!”

“Qingjiang, you got me wrong!” Princess Changxing shook her head, “I didn’t mean to let Shen Qimo have another abortion. I want her to keep this child.”

“Why?” Lady of Earl Shouchun couldn’t help asking in surprise. They all thought that Princess Changxing said those words because she wanted Song Yixiao and Commandery Princess Qingjiang to teach Shen Qimo a lesson and even warned Jian Yiyou for that. However, she actually said that she wanted Shen Qimo to keep the child, which was naturally confusing.

After all, Princess Changxing was very young and didn’t need Shen Qimo to give birth to Jian Yiyou’s children in place of her. Moreover, she was not like those virtuous wives who obeyed her husband in every way. Even if Shen Qimo’s child might not pose a threat to her and Jian Yiyou’s children in the future, wasn’t it a real eyesore a concubine’s child?

“It has been more than a year since I married Yiyou, but I haven’t got pregnant.” Princess Changxing showed a sad smile, “However, Shen Qimo is pregnant for the second time. Mother only has two male descendents, Yiyou and Xubai. Yixiao is already pregnant, but Yiyou still has no unborn child. If I force Shen Qimo to abort her child again…”

She kept silent for a long time before she said with difficulty, “I’m afraid I and Yiyou will be more estranged from each other!”

All people in the hall looked at each other at a loss for words for a long time when they heard this. Commandery Princess Qingjiang looked down at the hem of her clean clothes, raised her sleeve, and covered it, “I spilled some tea on my hem. Changxing, come with me and help me change my clothes!”

She said to the others, “We are all relatives. and you’ve been here before. Help yourself and make yourself at home!”

Lady of Earl Shouchun hurriedly said, “Don’t worry, Qingjiang. We won’t stand on ceremony.”

After Commandery Princess Qingjiang led Princess Changxing into the inner chamber for a further chat, it quieted down in the hall again, and then it gradually became lively after Lady of Earl Shouchun asked how Song Yixiao was doing during her recent pregnancy.

However, all people were still thinking about Princess Changxing and her husband. After a while, seeing that Princess Changxing and Commandery Princess Qingjiang didn’t come out for a long time, Lady of Earl Shouchun couldn’t help saying to Song Yixiao in a low voice, “When Yourui suddenly became Mother’s adopted daughter, we all felt indignant for her. Now, I guess that was a right decision.”

Although she was laughed at by others when she suddenly became Grand Princess Daiguo’s adoptive daughter from future daughter-in-law, she would have a hard life if she married the wrong person.

Only few people could have Wei Mengying’s courage to remarry. Moreover, each family she married into was more influential than the last one, which even impressed Grand Princess Jinguo. Grand Princess Jinguo could be arbitrary and carefree mostly because she had a distinguished status and Emperor Xianjia respected her and protected her. However, Wei Mengying got what she wanted by depending on herself. In short, for most women, marriage was a great event in their life. If they married the wrong person, they could only put up with that.

Even if they couldn’t, they would grit their teeth and hold on.

Even if Pei Yourui was loved and protected by Grand Princess Jinguo, she was much more inferior to Princess Changxing in terms of identity. Even Princess Changxing was brought into such a helpless situation. If Pei Yourui married Jian Yiyou back then, she probably would suffer more.

“Things are unpredictable,” Hearing this, Song Yixiao said this noncommittally and glanced at Pei Yourui from the corner of her eye. Pei Yourui lowered her head as if she were watching the tea cup in her hand, but the tightly pressed lips revealed that she was far from as leisurely as she looked.

As if noticing Song Yixiao’s glance, Pei Yourui suddenly looked up and smiled at her, but there was no delight in the misfortunes of Princess Changxing in her expression. On the contrary, she looked a little worried.

Seeing this, Lady of Earl Shouchun was too embarrassed to continue talking about that, so she quickly changed the topic, “It will be the Shengshou Festival at the beginning of the next month…”

Commandery Princess Qingjiang and Princess Changxing had a long chat and didn’t come out until the banquet started. They both freshen themselves up. The corners of Princess Changxing’s eyes were covered with thick power, but it still couldn’t cover up her red eyes.

At the banquet, they didn’t mention Jian Yiyou and Shen Qimo knowingly, but even so, they were still absent-minded at the table.

Because the birthday boy, Zhuo Ping’an, had a special situation and didn’t even show up from the beginning of the party to the end, so after lunch, they sat for a while and then dispersed.

On the way back to Duke of Yan’s mansion, Song Yixiao asked her husband, “Jian Yiyou actually did such an absurd thing?”

“Who knows?” Jian Xubai said lazily, “I didn’t pay attention to his side lately.”

He smiled playfully, “However, Changxing is the empress’s only child now. She didn’t make a scene after she was aggrieved this time. Even if she could put up with that, Uncle will not let the matter go!”

Emperor Xianjia naturally loved the empress and his children with her, but it wasn’t enough for him to replace the crown prince with the empress’s son. However, compared with his nephew Jian Yiyou, the empress and her son were more important to him.

Moreover, Prince of Zhao, the legitimate son of the empress, had become the heir of Prince of Su Hui. The only thing that the emperor could do to compensate the empress was to take good care of Princess Changxing.

“So Princess Changxing was just pretending to be magnanimous?” Song Yixiao said thoughtfully, “That’s more like what she would do, but what Yiyou did was also confusing. Back then, he abandoned Yourui and fell in love with Princess Changxing, and we thought he just took a fancy to the distinguished status he would have after he married Princess Changxing. However, after that, he neither obviously supported Prince of Zhao nor was harmonious with Princess Changxing. Moreover, he got his concubine pregnant twice before the princess could be pregnant. What on earth was he thinking?”

Jian Xubai seemed not interested in this topic and said carelessly, “I hadn’t lived with him since I was young. How could I know that?”

Song Yixiao suddenly remembered that her husband was almost killed by Jian Yiyou when he was young. Although it had been many years since that happened and Jian Xubai was brought up by the Empress Dowager because of that, how could he forget that he was almost murdered by his brother?

She kept talking about Jian Yiyou, which might remind Jian Xubai of those unhappy things in the past.

She realized she was wrong and stopped talking about Jian Yiyou, “Yesterday, I heard that the crown princess summoned the imperial physician. I don’t know if she’s okay. I have to send someone to the Eastern Palace to inquire about that later.”

However, the news came to them after they returned home and changed into informal dress. Someone from the Eastern Palace came to Song Yixiao.

To be precise, the servant came here for Aunt Yun and wanted her to check the crown princess and prescribe some miscarriage prevention medicine for the crown princess. The crown princess was pregnant!

“I didn’t want to bother you because of my pregnancy. You are also pregnant and it’s not convenient for you.” This time, the situation was different. Last time, Princess Consort of Liang was in labor, and Aunt Yun needed to help her in the delivery room. Moreover, Song Yixiao was pregnant. If she was there, she would only bring trouble to them. However, this time, the crown princess was just found pregnant. Song Yixiao couldn’t let Aunt Yun go to the palace and see her alone, so she visited the crown princess in person.

When they just saw each other, the crown princess, who looked a little haggard, apologized, “I didn’t know I was pregnant earlier, so the fetus was a little affected. Although the imperial physician has prescribed medicine for me, he still suggested asking Aunt Yun to check my condition. After all, the physicians of the Jinxiu Hall are inheritors of Miracle-Working Physician Ji.”

Song Yixiao knew that this was only one of the reasons. Aunt Yun was nominally the female physician of Duke of Yan’s mansion. In fact, she had been in contact with Elder Lady Duanmu, and Elder Lady Duanmu had semi-publicly supported Empress Su. In a sense, the crown princess showed her tolerance and trust to the empress and the Su Family by using Aunt Yun at this time.

Moreover, it showed her intention of getting close to Jian Xubai and Song Yixiao.

Song Yixiao was also happy to see this, so she modestly echoed the crown princess’s words. What she said was, she was not busy or tired at all, and she felt happy and relaxed to visit the crown princess in the Eastern Palace and something like that. As for Aunt Yun’s medical skills, neither the Jinxiu hall nor Aunt Yun belonged to Song Yixiao, so the crown princess couldn’t say anything modest about them.

After they made a few conventional remarks, Aunt Yun came forward and felt the crown princess’s pulse. Shiwan handed the prescription given by the imperial physician. After reading it, Aunt Yun made a few small corrections to it and gave some dietary suggestions. Shiwan quickly wrote them down. After that, Song Yixiao was about to leave, thinking that she could avoid disturbing the crown princess and go back to rest early, but the crown princess suddenly sighed and gently stroke her eyebrows, as if she was deeply worried.

Seeing this, song Yixiao had to swallow the words that she was going to say and showed a concerned look, “Your Highness, you should be happy for your pregnancy. Why do you look like you have something on your mind?”