Chapter 173: Chapter 173 - Being Afraid to Move

The next morning, the Su sisters indeed brought generous gifts to Duke of Yan’s mansion to make amends. Among the Su Family, only Duke of Ji, Su Shaoge, Su Shaomo and Su Shaoling were in Imperial Capital at present. The others, such as Lady of Ji and First Young Master Su, were not here. The former had already passed away, while the latter was in his hometown Qingzhou.

Although Duke of Ji was out of work and free, he was a senior both in status and age. Therefore, it was not possible for him to make an apology personally just because of a trifle made by his daughter.

However, Su Shaoge was still in Zhanchun Venue for quiet and peace. So under such circumstances, only Su Shaoling escorted her sister to the mansion, “We’re so sorry, Madam Song! My sister…”

“Miss Shaomo didn’t do it on purpose!” Song Yixiao had had no intention of bothering about this matter, and now that the Su sisters had come here to make apologies, which preserved the decency of both families, she naturally wouldn’t keep annoyed. She interrupted Su Shaoling with a pleasant smile on her face, “Besides, I just changed my clothes, and nothing happened. Don’t regard me as an outsider!”

Both the Su sisters were relieved at the words, but still said sorry earnestly and asked about her health with concern. Before they took their leave, the gifts were sent to Song Yixiao at their insistence.

“Miss Shaomo is truly different from members in the Su family!” After they left, Jinxun sighed, “Even though her brother and little sister are refined, she is still born with a reckless nature. It’s not easy for her to be so unyielding.”

Her words brought laughter from the hall. Song Yixiao gave her a helpless glance, “That’s not strange. Ms. Zhao pays much attention to your behavior and rules, and I, as your master, am not fond of gossiping. Besides, Qiaoqin and the other maids are steady. Even with all those people around you, don’t you still like to gossip?”

Jinxun stuck out her tongue, “I am wrong!”

Song Yixiao wanted to continue criticizing her, but the little maid in the outer room walked in and reported, “A message was sent from the Third Master: he has sent servants to Youzhou, but it’s unknown if it will succeed!”

“Youzhou?” Song Yixiao almost forgot about this matter with so many things during the Spring Festival. Only after hearing the news, did Song Yixiao remember that Jinguo Grand Princess had planned to take a risk to ask Jian Limiao for help for her adopted daughter, Pei Yourui? Jian Xubai was asked to finish this task. Song Yixiao thought it had been done smoothly since she didn’t accompany her husband to where his uncle lived the next day and her husband didn’t say anything after returning. But it seemed that it was not until today did Jian Limiao decide to give a hand.

She sighed, “Got it.”

Just as she was about to ask the little maid to leave, the little maid said, “Two embroidery patterns in your diyi are broken, and Qingchun asked if she could mend it for you.”

Song Yixiao frowned on hearing that, “When did she start washing clothes?”

She was not very happy when she asked this question: Did Qingchun take her words to heart?

Although it would be better to preserve Ms. Zhao’s dignity, Song Yixiao thought she would send out such a disobedient maid earlier, so as not to break the rules of her own backyard, and not to create a gap between herself and her foster nurse!

“Your Highness, please allow me to explain: Qingchun hasn’t been to laundry lately. It was the maid who was in charge of washing clothes found the embroidery was broken but she was unable to mend it. Thinking that Qingchun has good embroidery skills, the maid asked her for help, and that’s why Qingchun asked me to get your permission!” The little maid heard Song Yixiao’s displeasure and said hurriedly, “Qingchun said that your embroidery skills are the most exquisite. Therefore, although she was willing to help, she didn’t dare to do it without your permission!”

Since Song Yixiao had just been Lady of Yan for a short while, she just had one set of diyi that were given along with the imperial edict for conferring honorary titles by imperial mandate. And she hadn’t made another one for change. Song Yixiao wore it today, the ninth day of the first lunar month, to congratulate Princess Yushan’s birthday. On the banquet of Lantern Festival that was several days after Princess Yushan’s birthday, she would also wear the clothes.

So, if the diyi was broken, it had to be mended in time.

However, this kind of complicated and gorgeous dress was very laborious to make, and thus was not easy to mend.

Song Yixiao, who had lived for two lifetimes, had embroidery skills which even shocked the knowledgeable Dowager Consort of Hengshan. Obviously, Song Yixiao could mend it, but she didn’t expect that You Qingchun also had such confidence. She was inevitably surprised when hearing that, “Does she make sure she could do it?”

But before the little maid replied, Song Yixiao had already figured it out, “For the two lifetimes, both Zhiqin and I have been taught needlework by Ms. Zhao. Even though Qingchun doesn’t spend much time with Ms. Zhao, she is her own daughter after all, so how can she not be taught even a single skill by Ms. Zhao?”

Thinking of this, Song Yixiao suddenly lost interest and her eyes flickered for a moment before she faintly said, “If she’s confident, ask her to help to mend.”

After the little maid left, Song Yixiao turned her head to look at the courtyard where Zhiqin settled with her appearance shifting, and she was speechless for a long time.

When Jian Xubai returned to the mansion from outside, she barely dealt with her mood and relayed Jian Limiao’s message. She asked, “Do you think Yourui will follow Uncle’s servants back to the imperial capital?”

“I’m also not sure!” Jian Xubai frowned, “After all, I don’t see Yourui very often, and it’s not clear if Grand Secretariat Pei told her before his death about Uncle’s friendship with Prince Consort Pei?”

Song Yixiao was surprised, “Since Uncle had gotten mad because of Prince Consort Pei in Mother’s mansion back then, such a friendship, Yourui couldn’t be ignorant, right?”

“Uncle had been on good terms with Prince Consort Pei, but Grand Secretariat Pei disliked Uncle.” Jian Xubai muttered for a moment before saying, “That’s why Sister Roumei speculated that not until Grand Secretariat Pei was on his deathbed and instructed Yourui about the things she should do after his death, did he tell her about the past event. If he hadn’t said it then, or hadn’t been able to tell it in time, Yourui probably wouldn’t know!”

“Isn’t there a butler?” Song Yixiao thought it was strange that there were people who didn’t like Jian Limiao, who was elegant and talkative! And she asked in confusion, “I think at Butler Pei’s age, he must have met Prince Consort Pei before, right?”

Butler Pei was an old servant who was entrusted with Pei He’s daughter when Pei He was on his deathbed, so Pei Yourui must believe what he said, right?

Jian Xubai pinched his eyebrows and spoke in a flat tone, “When Prince Consort Pei fell from the horse and died, Mother was involved in the rumors. Do you think the people around him would still be alive? Not only the people around him, but also many servants of the Pei Family have been implicated. Butler Pei is indeed loyal, but he wasn’t serving the Pei Family in Imperial Capital before. It was after that period of time that he was transferred back!”

Song Yixiao was stern and startled at the words, mumbling after a long while later, “Then I really don’t know whether the servants sent by uncle will make it!”

The subject was left as it was.

In the evening, You Qingchun brought the mended diyi to Song Yixiao for her to look over.

The two broken embroidery patterns were on the hem of the dress. When the dress was taken to Song Yixiao, the mended places could only be seen by carefully checking even after being pointed out by You Qingchun. If it was put on, no one else would notice them as long as she didn’t mention it, which showed how great her skill was.

“Thank you so much!” Song Yixiao put down the clothes with satisfaction, and asked Jinxun to give Qingchun a pair of pure gold pendants as a reward. You Qingchun declined several times with a blushing face. In the end, Jinxun smilingly stuffed them into her sleeve, and then she thanked Song Yixiao and left.

Song Yixiao asked Jinxun to put away the diyi, “It will be worn again soon. After the Spring Festival, we have to make two spare ones quickly, otherwise it will be very troublesome when it was broken like today, without enough time to mend and wash. I can’t borrow from Sister Roumei again and again.”

Those two embroidered patterns might have been damaged when she was pressed in the snow by Su Shaomo and struggling there today.

Although Song Yixiao hardly got into such situation, it was not enough to have just one set of diyi that was needed on important occasions.

She should have made one or two sets after she was conferred the title, but she was busy “recuperating in the bed”, and in order to make it believable, she couldn’t spare more energy to deal with these trifles; then she was tied up with the task of teaching her younger sister-in-law and hadn’t been thinking of it; later her younger sister-in-law lost her temper and ran away from home because this younger sister-in-law was neglected for her own birthday, so she was dragged by her elder sister-in-law to Zhanchun Venue, where she stayed until nearly lunar New Year’s Eve before returning to the imperial capital when everyone would be celebrating the New Year, and how could she find a dressmaker!

If it wasn’t for her elder sister-in-law’s help yesterday, Song Yixiao would have had to return to Palace of Mingguang in her regular clothes after taking a bath at Pavilion of Pinglan.

She suddenly thought of it and told Jinxun, “Go to the storeroom to get some gifts, and send them to Sister Roumei along with the washed diyi. Say thanks to Sister Roumei.”

When Jinxun had just taken the order, Liyu brought in an invitation, saying, “Your Highness, the Wei Family sends an invitation saying that the 24th day of the first lunar month is Elder Lady Cao’s birthday, and invites you to attend the birthday banquet at that time!”

“There are quite a few people who are born in the first lunar month!” Song Yixiao smiled to the maids around her when hearing the news, “I’ve attended two birthday banquets, one was in Qianqiu Festival and the other was held by Princess Yushan. Mother’s birthday is on the 23rd day of the first lunar month, and plus Grandmother, there are already four people!”

She said to Liyu, “Put the invitation on the bookcase. It’s late today. Draw up a gift list together to me tomorrow morning!”

It was not the first time for her to attend Elder Lady Cao’s birthday banquet, but it was different after she got married. In the past, she would just follow her own mother over for a dinner and brought one or two pieces of embroidery she had made herself as gifts; now she had to prepare gifts carefully after getting married.

Luckily, on the seventh day of the first lunar month, she went to the Wei Family together with Jian Xubai to wish them a happy New Year, and at that time, they also chose the gifts carefully. Although the gifts for birthday were not the same as the gifts for New Year, New Year gifts could also be taken as examples in terms of value and quantity. Now there was still nearly half a month to go, and although she had forgotten about it before, she would not be too busy preparing for it.

After arranging this task to her servants, Song Yixiao took the sugar water from Jinxun and drank it slowly.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

That evening, after Jian Xubai returned to their room, he took the tea bowl on the table as usual and lifted up the teapot. When just a little of tea was poured out, he put the teapot down, looked up to his wife who was sitting in front of the dressing table removing the hairpins, and said in an excited tone that could not be concealed, “Is it tea in the teapot?”

Song Yixiao wore a snake bun today, which was sparkling and gorgeous, but was very troublesome to remove. She was carefully pulling out golden hairpins. In order to prevent her hair from getting hooked, she concentrated on it. So, she didn’t realize the meaning of her husband’s words and casually replied, “Yes!”

Jian Xubai looked at her back and smiled, strode up behind her, raised his hands quickly, and plucked all the pearl hair ornaments and hairpins from his wife’s head in a moment!

His moves were so agile and fast, while he didn’t even hook any of her hair. He had suddenly revealed such a skill that Song Yixiao couldn’t help but be startled!

But Jian Xubai didn’t care if his wife was dazed or not. He watched her black hair pouring down, held a handful of it on his nose and sniffed it, then laughed out loud, fiercely held her horizontally and walked towards the tent quickly!

“Where was the naughtiness when you teased me two days earlier?” At this point, Song Yixiao naturally understood. Although she had teased her husband several times these days, she was untutored and felt nervous at the last moment, so she couldn’t say a single funny word and grabbed her husband’s sleeves tightly. The nervousness could even be seen from her look!

It was perceived by Jian Xubai. After placing her on the bed, he was not hurry for the next step. He just grabbed her arms and pressed them to the pillow above her head, leaning over to gaze unblinkingly into her eyes. Only after a moment, realizing that Song Yixiao’s entire body had stiffened, did he smile playfully, lowering his head and pecking her brow, as if smiling, “Why are you afraid to move like a log now? Hmm?”