Chapter 246 - Wild Sister-in-law

Jinguo Grand Princess was scolding her son now. She did not know that when Empress Su received the news in the temporary palace, she looked quite indifferent, “In the early days, Changxing took away other’s lover by force, so not only the outside world was talking about her, Jinguo also felt very dissatisfied with her. Pei Yourui grew up under the eyes of Jinguo, so even if Changxing was her niece, Jinguo was indignant at the injustice done to Pei Yourui. Now Changxing has paid for her insolence for several times, and it may not be a bad thing. In the future, Jinguo will treat her better!”

Her trusted maid was worried about Princess Changxing, “It’s just that Her Highness suffers injustice.”

“It’s better to suffer injustice at present than to suffer injustice forever in the future!” When Empress Su heard the speech, her eyes showed a flash of distress. But soon her expression hardened and she said in a deep voice, “In the past, when Noble Consort Shentu and Madame Zhenyuan were in power, the five grand princesses born by the Empress Dowager were all not favored except for Daiguo Grand Princess, who was extremely fortunate to love and to be loved by the heir of Marquis Fuyang. But you can see what kind of honor the two princesses enjoyed now. Changxing is always sensible, so she knows what she should do.”

The empress had confidence in her daughter, but she forgot that there was Princess Yushan born by the Virtuous Consort in the palace. That princess was not raised by her, and she was not that broad-minded!

After a long time, when Jian Yiyou walked out of the palace after he was forgiven by Empress Su, he was suddenly attacked by Princess Yushan on the head. Princess Yushan held rocks as big as bowls and swore, “Last month, Aunt Jinguo just forgot to host a banquet for your father, but you showed her a green face in front of your cousins!”

“Yesterday, it was your birthday. My sister was kind-hearted to celebrate it for you, but you allowed Shen Qimo to insult her in public!”

“Do you think that your father and you are more valuable than the royal princess?”

“You killed people when you felt aggrieved, but when we suffered injustice, we must swallow it!”

“My sister is good-natured, but I’m not. I’ll let my aunt punish me later, but today I must teach you a lesson!”

Regardless of Princess Changxing’s obstruction, she did not stop until Jian Yiyou’s head was broken and bleeding. She thought she vented the anger for her sister, but she didn’t know that when Empress Su knew the news, she was almost driven mad by anger. The empress originally expected that Jinguo Grand Princess could love Changxing dearly by taking advantage of Shen Qimo’s pregnancy. But after this, Jinguo Grand Princess could only focus on and care about her son, so how could she spare her energy to mind her daughter-in-law?

Sure enough, after a while, Jinguo Grand Princess, with a deathly pale look, personally went to the palace of Virtuous Consort Jiang to settle accounts with them, “I’m not dead, and the emperor and the empress are both alive. Your daughter is nothing. How dare she teach Yiyou a lesson in the name of us?”

The Virtuous Consort knew that her daughter had offended Jinguo Grand Princess this time. Without saying a word, she dragged down Princess Yushan to kneel down, “I did not teach my daughter well. Please punish me!”

She kept a low profile, so the Grand Princess couldn’t do anything to them. She could only scold Princess Yushan and angrily warn her, “The emperor was too busy to teach you, and the empress and your mother have always spoiled you. But if you dare to be so reckless next time, as your aunt I won’t spare you!”

Then she walked away. No one dared to tell Emperor Xianjia this series of things happened in the palace, but the Empress Dowager was startled by the news. Hearing that her daughter walked out of the palace where Virtuous Consort lived, she immediately ordered people to summon her, “What’s the matter?”

The Grand Princess angrily told her the story and said, “I don’t mean to blame the Virtuous Consort. It’s natural for her to pamper her only daughter. But this time Yuanshan totally banished rites from her mind and fought her brother-in-law as well as cousin until he was bleeding. It’s ridiculous! If this news has got about, no one would revere her!”

When the Empress Dowager heard that Jian Yiyou was injured, she frowned, “Yushan has gone too far!”

After pondering for a while, she said, “She is fifteen years old. The emperor has few children, especially daughters, so he may want to let her accompany him as long as possible. But this year the child has stirred up trouble frequently, and I think maybe it is because that a grown girl can’t be kept at home. I’ll discuss this with the empress later. If there is a suitable family, I might as well let her get married so that she won’t idle about and do no decent work.”

Her words reminded Jinguo Grand Princess. When she got out of the palace, she summoned Song Yixiao and said, “Last time Xubai said that the newly promoted No. 1 Scholar was a nice person. While we are on the mountain now, you two can arrange a date for Yourui and that man to see whether they are congenial. Otherwise, when we get to the imperial capital after the summer vacation, it won’t be so convenient for them.”

It’s not difficult. The couple made appointments with the two youngsters separately, and planned a “chance encounter” after setting the time and place. Song Yixiao even invited Xie Yiren and Nie Wuying for fear of embarrassment, so Jian Xubai also decided to invite more people to accompany.

After a few days, Song Yixiao and other two girls surrounded Pei Yourui to the appointed lakeside, laughing and chatting. To their surprise, there were much more people on the side of Jian Xubai. It’s not surprising to see the major role Helou Duhan, and Xu Xishi as well as Yuan Xuepei as the makeweights. But it is out of their expectation to see Su Shaoge, Prince of Zhao and Prince of Shu!

“They happen to go sighting here,” Jian Xubai explained in a low voice as soon as he met his wife, “Today’s arrangement is just a private thing, so it does not matter whether they are here.”

Song Yixiao was relieved when she heard the words.

After both sides exchanged greetings for a while, Song Yixiao gave Xie Yiren a hint, so Xie Yiren quietly pulled Pei Yourui’s sleeve and said in a soft voice, “Yourui, the man wearing the indigo blouse is Helou Duhan, the No. 1 Scholar.”

One year younger than Su Shaoge, Helou Duhan was gentle and handsome. Although his bearing was not as noble as Su Shaoge, he has an air of scholar. He had elegant manners and concise speech. When he saw the approaching ladies, his eyes were also quite clear, which indicated that he was an upright but not frivolous person.

Song Yixiao had a good impression on him after studying him for a while. She thought that no wonder her husband would introduce this man to her mother-in-law.

A moment later, she took Pei Yourui aside on the pretext of appreciating the scenery. Before she could say anything, Pei Yourui said, “He is a nice man, but he is not my Mr. Right. Let’s call it quits today!”

Song Yixiao asked instantly, “Yourui, what kind of man do you like? We can have a general idea for future efforts.”

“To tell you the truth,” Pei Yourui said gently, “It’s only half a year since my father passed away, so I really don’t have this kind of plan now. If it is not because of my foster mother, I don’t want to come out today. You don’t need be worried about me, otherwise it will just be a waste of your time.”

“Even if you feel satisfied with each other now, it will be just an oral agreement,” |Song Yixiao tried to persuade her, “After all, we will only talk about your marriage after you fulfill your filial duty. Mother is also afraid that your youth may be wasted. I think if Grand Secretariat Pei knew this thing in the heaven, he would also agree with us.”

Pei Yourui gave a bitter smile and said, “I know that you all have good intentions. But I haven’t completely regained my strength yet. Let’s wait a few months! In a few months, maybe I’ll be able to accept the situation.”

Since she said this, Song Yixiao couldn’t continue to persuade her. After saying a few words of comfort, she went away to tell Jian Xubai the result. Jian Xubai said regretfully, “Helou appreciates Yourui very much. He said, at a glance he knew that Yourui was from a noble family because her dignified demeanor could not be taught by ordinary family.”

Song Yixiao said, “I also think Helou Duhan is very nice. Unfortunately, Yourui was still in the pain of losing her father. If he really likes Yourui and is not in a hurry to get married, he might as well wait a few months. Maybe Yourui will feel much better then, and they two are brought together.”

“It’s improper. After all, Helou Duhan is not the one who can’t marry a daughter of a noble family. It’s okay to let him wait for Yourui if she changes her mind a few months later. But now everything is unsure. If he got nothing at the end, it would be embarrassing.” After thinking about it, Jian Xubai suddenly lowered his voice and said, “You can ask Wuying later. What does she think of Helou Duhan? After all, it is time for Wuying to get engaged.”

“But Wuying knows that we come out today to let Yourui see the No. 1 Scholar!” Song Yixiao was shocked and said, “If you tell me earlier that you plan to introduce him to Wuying if Yourui does not like him, I won’t tell her our original intention. If we ask for her opinion now, how can she not be angry?”

Jian Xubai said, “It is not that Yourui does not feel satisfied with him. She just doesn’t have this kind of intention at present. She doesn’t disdain the background of Helou Duhan. Helou Duhan is a nice person. He has both talent and appearance. He is also young. The important thing is that he has a clear and clean family background. You know Wuying’s life experience and temperament. If it wasn’t for Mother who arranged the date for Yourui first, I would introduce Helou Duhan to Wuying.”

After hearing that, Song Yixiao hesitated for a while, and then said, “OK, I’ll ask her. You provide this idea, so if our Wuying is annoyed, I won’t take the blame for you!”

“If Wuying is annoyed, you can just let her come to beat me to vent her anger,” Jian Xubai said in all seriousness, “Anyway, she’s thin-skinned, so she can’t do such a thing. Then you’ll have to comfort her as her sister-in-law!”

Song Yixiao stared at him, “I’ll beat you for her when I get back!”

But when she went back to Pei Yourui and Xie Yiren, she found that Nie Wuying, who was still nearby before, could not be seen. She got no sight of her when she looked around, so she was surprised, “Yiren, Yourui, where is Wuying? Where did she go?”

“She went over there, saying that she wanted to pluck some lotus flowers,” Xie Yiren pointed her moon-shaped fan to the middle distance and said, “Don’t worry, I sent some people to follow her, and told her not to get too close to the lake.”

Seeing that they were chatting, Song Yixiao said, “I’ll go and have a look.”

She walked along the road Xie Yiren pointed to for a while, and gradually heard Nie Wuying’s laughter. It seemed that she was talking to someone. The plants around here were very prosperous. Song Yixiao pushed aside flowers and branches all the way and could only see clearly until she came near. She could not help frowning slightly when she saw the scene: Prince of Zhao was putting a woven willow hat on Nie Wuying’s head with a cheerful look.

Nie Wuying snapped a willow twig and gave him a soft flick, complaining, “There is a bug I saw it just now!”

Before her voice died away, she saw Song Yixiao. Her hand was stiff, and the twig fell to the ground. Then she took off the willow hat in a panic and said, “Yixiao!”

“Yixiao!” Prince of Zhao frowned. He gave a salute to Song Yixiao, and then naturally greeted, “Yixiao, you also come to play? There are many willows nearby, and it’s fun to make up some willow hats and wear them.”

“Your Highness, you are right,” Song Yixiao glanced at the willow hat in Nie Wuying’s hand and said kindly, “Wuying, if you like it, I’ll make more for you later. How can you let His Highness make it for you?”

Nie Wuying knew that her family didn’t approve of her contact with Prince of Zhao, so she knew that she was in the wrong. She blushed and didn’t dare to speak, only whispering that Song Yixiao was right.

But Prince of Zhao said with a smile, “Yixiao, you are too polite. It’s just a willow hat. If you like it, I can also make up a few for you.”

Song Yixiao smiled, but she didn’t reply. After exchanging usual pleasantries with Prince of Zhao, she saw that he still stayed here and that Nie Wuying also stood still. She said, “Wuying, you come here to pluck the lotus flowers, right? Yiren is waiting to see the flowers. Let’s go back quickly!”

Nie Wuying said awkwardly, “I’m going to pluck now!”

When she said that, Song Yixiao naturally suspected that she didn’t come here to pluck lotus flowers but to meet Prince of Zhao. She could not help moaning bitterly in her heart, and didn’t want to let Wuying stay with Prince of Zhao any more. Therefore, she said firmly, “Wuying, how can I let you pluck these lotus flowers? Let’s go back to chat with Yourui and Yiren.”

Then she made a national salute to Prince of Zhao, saying politely, “Your Highness, we will get back first. Please help yourself!”

Prince of Zhao pursed his lips tightly and looked at her for a while. Seeing that Nie Wuying had already stepped forward, he replied lightly, “Goodbye, Yixiao.”

After taking her sister-in-law back, Song Yixiao didn’t intend to ask her feelings about Helou Duhan. She acted perfunctorily for a while, and then found an excuse to get back.

After she returned to the side courtyard, Jinguo Grand Princess summoned her to inquire about the result of the date. When Jinguo Grand Princess learned that Pei Yourui had no feeling for Helou Duhan and that Nie Wuying got along well with Prince of Zhao, she was speechless for a long time. And then she said, “Go and bring Wuying here!”

“Mother, don’t be in a rush!” Song Yixiao quickly reminded, “Last year in Zhanchun Venue, Qingjiang and I only had a brief talk with Wuying, but she soon got furious, leaving with anger. Then she stayed in her room for several days. I came to her door to see her every day, but she just refused to see me. In the end, Aunt Daiguo came to intercede and then persuaded her to come out!”

After Jinguo Grand Princess heard this, her eyelids kept twitching, and she murmured, “How can Prince of Zhao be with good will when he keeps close to her? My daughter, my daughter, why is she so childish?”

She was in a dilemma for a long time. She was afraid of falling out with her daughter. Thinking about it for a long time, she finally said with her teeth clenched, “I’ll go to the palace to meet the empress tomorrow!”