Chapter 229 - Yuan Xue’e Gets Married

Two days later, the news that Gu Shao would return to Chunnong Venue was confirmed. Song Yixiao prepared a huge housewarming gift with doubt and let her husband offer congratulations to Gu Shao with it.

Jian Xubai spent almost one day in Chunnong Venue. Having returned to Duke of Yan’s mansion, he became even more confused, “Today Lord Gu is in a good mood.”

“Does he think of any way to deal with Prince of Wei and Prince of Zhao?” Song Yixiao smelt alcohol on him, slightly frowned and urged him to drink the soup for the hangover, “Otherwise, as he looked so happy just after he moved out of the Song Family’s mansion, those unknowing people may think that the Song Family have mistreated him! Isn’t it discourteous?”

Unexpectedly, after taking a sip of the hangover soup, Jian Xubai slightly shook his head, “I asked the others at the feast and learnt that Lord Gu hadn’t given any advice to the Crown Prince recently.”

“Is it because my father and the other family offend him?” Song Yixiao asked in surprise, “It is unlikely. Last time I saw that my father showed extreme respect for Lord Gu. After all, when my father was dismissed from office back then, without the help of Lord Gu, he might not be able to rise so fast!”

She thought of Liu Zhijin then, “Is it because Lord Gu dislikes Liu Zhijin?”

“Who is Lord Gu? If he leaves for a concubine who is a daughter of a sinful official, it will be too hilarious!” Jian Xubai said with a wry face, “Maybe Lord Gu has a plan in his mind but he hasn’t told the Crown Prince about it, so certainly we don’t know either.”

Speaking of that, he put down the soup and said seriously, “By the way, when it was still cold before, did you order to help a scholar in the street?”

“No!” Song Yixiao answered with confusion, “I didn’t… Wait! Maybe it was done by Yu Shiheng?”

She told him roughly what happened that day, “Who told you about it? Why was I given the credit?”

“Lord Gu held a feast in Chunnong Venue today and quite some new prize-winners went to offer congratulations,” Jian Xubai said with a wry look, “During the feast, the champion dragged me over and expressed his gratitude to me, saying that without your kind help, he would inevitably get a cold. By then, he wouldn’t even get through the metropolitan exam, let alone winning the championship in the palace exam!”

Song Yixiao said in surprise, “It turned out that Yu Shiheng happened to help a champion? But it is Yu Shiheng who helped the champion but not me. When you meet him next time, you should explain to him!”

It was Yu Shiheng who did the favor and Song Yixiao only asked about that. Although Helou Duhan got it wrong, she wouldn’t take the credit wrongly.

Jian Xubai learned about what happened and then said with a nod, “I will talk to him when I meet him next time.”

He added, “Today Helou Duhan thanked me in public. Although it was not done by you, Yu Shiheng is a guard of our mansion. When this matter is spread, we will gain a good reputation. We can’t take advantage of him for nothing. I’m thinking whether we should give something to him in reward.”

“We ought to carry forward kindness.” Song Yixiao agreed too, “That day I witnessed Cui Jianlian pass away and then went to talk with Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, so I was inevitably perturbed. After I came back, I forgot to tell you about it, or I should have rewarded him at that time.”

Since the couple made the decision, Song Yixiao ordered to fetch ten bolts of silk from the treasury and send the silk to Yu Shiheng. When the reward was given, the news that Yu Shiheng saved the champion was naturally spread in the mansion.

Now that the golden list was just released, the topics about the new prize-winners were the most popular.

Particularly, because Su Shaoge, a talent who rose to fame at a young age, participated in the exam this year, Helou Duhan even didn’t make it to the top three in the metropolitan exam. However, he exceeded Su Shaoge and acquired the first place in the palace exam. Even if it was speculated that Emperor Xianjia deliberately wanted to oppress the Su Family, the new champion who was around Su Shaoge’s age and allegedly handsome still attracted a lot of attention from the public.

Therefore, before the ten bolts of silk were sent to Yu Shiheng, all the people in Duke of Yan’s mansion knew that he helped a star of wisdom luckily.

Cuipiao’s wedding hadn’t come, so she was certainly still in the mansion. When she heard of that, her feelings of being comforted by the fact that Fan Zhong was averagely good-looking and virtuous and he also liked her were replaced by bitter and unreconciled feelings, “Yu Shiheng is only a captain of guards. Generally, being a guard, he must follow his master, offering service anywhere and anytime. How can he be compared to Fan Zhong, a manor manager who lives a carefree and decent life? Now that he helps the champion, even if the champion doesn’t help him get rid of the servant’s identity and leave the mansion to start his own business, given his kind deed, His Highness won’t treat him unfairly!”

Thinking of this, she felt that she was right about Yu Shiheng—this man’s future was rather promising. Meanwhile, she was sad that this man didn’t fall for her and then her thought of being satisfied with Fan Zhong was kind of shaken, “Fan Zhong is the manager of the manor. Carefree as he is, without any accident, he won’t achieve more for the rest of his life. How can he have any chance to stand out if he only manages the manor? I picked Yu Shiheng only because he is trusted by His Highness and often escorts His Highness and Her Highness out of doors.”

Then she couldn’t help suspecting that Song Yixiao deliberately sent her away to the manor so that she would be trapped there for the rest of her life and not cause any trouble to her!

“But what can I do?” Cuipiao felt so unhappy but after thinking back and forth, she could only heave a sigh, “This lady is not generous. Even the Side Concubine of the Crown Prince… It is lucky for me to stay alive. If I am too greedy, I may get killed then!”

At the thought of Cui Jianlian, the second young madam in Prince of Hengshan’s mansion Madam Jin, and the family of Liu Zhenxi, Cuipiao couldn’t help shivering and suppressing her ulterior intent.

It was lucky that she didn’t act recklessly. Song Yixiao was not as vicious as she imagined, but Yu Shiheng just refused to marry Cuipiao when the news that he helped an influential man by accident was spread. How could Song Yixiao not anticipate that Cuipiao might have some hard feelings?

“Your Highness, these days, Cuipiao either helps Qiaoqin and Jinxun handle the work in the mansion or goes to the side yard to chat with Zhiqin. She doesn’t take any other action just as before.” Half-kneeling before the bed, Liyu was thumping on Song Yixiao’s legs gently with the white jade massage hammer, saying in a low voice, “As far as I observe secretly, when she is alone, she looks a bit grieved occasionally. I don’t find too much indignation or resentment on her face.”

It was from the twelfth lunar month of last year that Cuipiao started to visit Zhiqin. At that time, she just succumbed to Song Yixiao and hurried to gain the hostess’s understanding and trust. Therefore, when she heard that Song Yixiao kept the maid who had saved her before in the mansion, she immediately realized that it was a good opportunity to please Song Yixiao.

Song Yixiao made sure that she didn’t mean harm to Zhiqin and could make Zhiqin happy, she agreed on her action tacitly.

After all, as the hostess of the mansion, even though she cared about Zhiqin, she couldn’t visit her and keep her company frequently.

Cuipiao was using Zhiqin indeed but she still kept Zhiqin company for a while anyway. Song Yixiao didn’t mind giving her some benefits in return.

Therefore, Cuipiao’s habit of accompanying Zhiqin when she had time was kept.

Now with her eyes slightly closed, Song Yixiao was kind of satisfied with the result, “Yu Shiheng’s rejection of the marriage did embarrass her, but no one can force a man to marry a woman he doesn’t like. Particularly, Cuipiao has been engaged to Fan Zhong. If she can’t think it through now, she will hurt herself and Fan Zhong at the same time. I’m afraid that she may be too stubborn. It will be the best result if she can think positively. Otherwise, I can only talk to her by myself, or she may not live well even after she is married to Fan Zhong!”

Liyu said with a smile, “Your Highness, you are such a kind person. You’ve given so much care for the sake of the maids’ future!”

“After all, she used to serve Xubai. Xubai and I will be relieved if she can live a good life after getting married,” Song Yixiao said with a grin, “Fan Zhong is an honest man, who likes her very much. If she is perturbed for such a piece of news and then exposes her emotions after getting married, which will ruin the conjugal love between her and her husband, it will be too silly of her.”

Gladly, Cuipiao seemed to accept the fate, which saved Song Yixiao the trouble of enlightening her.

Time flew. It was the 22nd day of the third lunar month, the wedding of Yuan Xue’e and Lu Guanlun.

Of course Song Yixiao couldn’t be absent from her wedding.

Even Jian Xubai specially asked for one off to offer congratulations in consideration of his friendship with Yuan Xuepei.

The couple got up early and freshened themselves up. When they arrived at Marquis Boling’s mansion, it was not even noon yet. After they entered the mansion, they split up, heading to the front hall and backyard respectively.

Song Yixiao went up easily to the embroidery compound where Yuan Xue’e lived when she found Jiang Muting had been there. Moreover, judging from the half-empty tea bowl before Jiang Muting, she must have been here for quite a while.

“You are ahead of me again this time!” Song Yixiao greeted her and also started to joke with her, “Since when you are so close? I didn’t know that. Are you going to leave me alone for being fond of the new friend and tired of the old one?”

“Speaking of the new friend, you are the new one!” Jiang Muting was a bit stunned. She hedged and then responded with a smile, “I have known Xue’e since childhood. And you two met each other only when she went to sojourn in Prince of Hengshan’s mansion temporarily.”

“See? I’ve told you,” Yuan Xue’e said with a chuckle, “I’ve told you that after Shanyao arrived, she would joke about your arriving first. I didn’t know she was so jealous. Is it a habit formed due to Jian Xiuhuang after she got married?”

Song Yixiao raised her handkerchief and pretended to hit her with it, “Xue’e, good for you! It turns out that you really don’t want me after you are close to Muting. Now you are even saying that I am jealous. Think about who rushed here in the early morning for you!”

“Of course it was Muting. Look, Muting has arrived here earlier!” Yuan Xue’e replied so deliberately, “You arrived so late! How can you say you care about me! Somehow, Muting treats me better!”

Song Yixiao just put the handkerchief back into her sleeve and rose to tickle her. Giggling, Yuan Xue’e ran around Jiang Muting and meanwhile asked the latter to do her a favor. For the moment, the embroidery compound was full of laughter. However, while playing with Yuan Xue’e, Song Yixiao noticed that Jiang Muting looked a bit absent-minded, who seemed to have something on her mind though she was smiling too.

“Are people the Jiang Family forcing her to marry someone in the distance?” Song Yixiao naturally thought of this, “No wonder she came to congratulate Xue’e in the early morning. I’m afraid that she is here to meet Yuan Xuepei while not many guests are around and also to avoid being forced by her family under the guise of offering congratulations to Xue’e.”

Honestly, she didn’t believe that Jiang Muting’s affection would end well. After all, Yuan Xuepei not only couldn’t walk but also interfered with the struggle about the throne. Even he himself hurriedly made his sister marry Prince of Hengshan’s son to avoid being implicated. How could the Jiang Family allow their daughter to take the risk with him?

Moreover, by far, the Jiang Family still stood a neutral stand. If their daughter was married to Yuan Xuepei, it would surely be considered among the officials that the Jiang Family wanted to side with the Crown Prince!

This was a huge thing about the prospect of the whole family!

How could they make a decision recklessly only because of Jiang Muting?

The struggle for the throne had just begun. Moreover, given the current situation, the result wouldn’t come out within a short period of time. Jiang Muting was 17 years old now. Even if she wanted to postpone, she couldn’t afford it. Without any accident, she and Yuan Xuepei could never be together.

“I shall find an opportunity to comfort her and straighten her out!” While chatting merrily with Yuan Xue’e, Song Yixiao thought to herself, “However, a girl who just falls in love can hardly give it up easily. I’m wondering whether she will listen to me.”