Chapter 185: Chapter 185 - Do Your Parents Know This?

When Song Yixiao woke up, she was a bit alarmed and panicked to see the familiar bed net.

“Your Highness!” Upon noticing her wake up, Jinxun walked inside with a basin on her hands, saying with concern, “You are finally awake! Would you like to sleep for another while? His Highness said that you might sleep more if you felt tired. After all, there is nothing to worry about in the mansion.”

Then she lowered her voice, “As to the tumult that happened in the imperial palace yesterday, His Highness said that the Grand Princess would handle it and that you didn’t need to worry about it!”

“When did we come back?” Song Yixiao fetched the warm handkerchief and put it on her face, asking, “Is Xubai out? Where has he gone?”

Amidst walking to the coat rack and getting the outfit for her, Jinxun said, “His Highness came back after the street gate was opened this morning. At that time, you were sleeping and it was His Highness who carried you into the mansion!”

“His Highness went out for the business as ordered by Her Highness the Grand Princess. I don’t know where he has gone.” She added.

Song Yixiao took off the handkerchief and threw it at her hand. Then she lifted the quilt, sat up, put on the outfit and lowered her head to smile. She won the bet!

Last night, forced by her mother-in-law, she had to make a choice. She refused to murder Lady Nuan and instead, drank the “poison” fetched by Jiayue!

She did so for two reasons. Firstly, Lady Nuan disrupted her plan indeed, but the intervention also helped bring ruin and shame upon Cui Jianlian and share a part of the resent from the Noble Consort and the Crown Prince. Hence, Song Yixiao believed that the grudge between her and Lady Nuan was not that severe.

Secondly, she suspected that it was a test of her mother-in-law!

Jinguo Grand Princess was protective of her own people but daughter-in-law was different from birth daughter. Song Yixiao schemed against Cui Jianlian, Madam Jin and the Liu Family for a reason but she was too resolute. How could the Grand Princess not worry about her son?

After all, quarrels could always happen to a couple as they spent so much time together.

If Song Yixiao was too scheming and also came into a conflict with Jian Xubai, it was possible that she also set up a trap for her husband out of anger.

Especially her birth mother, Wei Mengying used to remarry for not getting along well with her mother-in-law. Like mother, like daughter. It remained unknown whether Song Yixiao would surpass her mother. What if she also murdered her husband and remarried with the legacy for not getting along well with him?

Therefore, Jinguo Grand Princess put on a show with her trusted maid, Jiayue, to test her daughter-in-law by virtue of Lady Nuan. Did she seek revenge for her maid or her interests regardless of conscience?

“Actually, my mother-in-law must realize that I guessed her intention more or less!” Song Yixiao let out a sigh and pondered, “But if my mother-in-law insisted on maintaining the relationship between Jian Xubai and the Crown Prince, it was possible that she really sent me to hell, so I was not 100% sure that the tea was not lethal poison. In the end, my choosing drinking it was enough to prove that my conspiracy against Cui Jianlian was conjured for a reason but not out of my nature!”

Moreover, Jinguo Grand Princess specially talked of the past in the late dynasty last night and even shed tears at some touching moments. If Song Yixiao were less resolute, she would agree to harm Lady Nuan in order to show filial obedience or to please her mother-in-law even if she didn’t intend to.

However, such filial obedience was not what the Grand Princess wanted. If Song Yixiao was highly credulous and reckless, the Grand Princess would believe that she would definitely murder her husband out of anger!

If Song Yixiao really did that, she would probably lie in the coffin for the guests to offer condolence instead of dressing up in her bedroom!

“Gladly, I’ve passed the test!” Song Yixiao put on the last hairpin on her own and smiled at the mirror, “I have a good mother-in-law indeed. I didn’t expect my mother-in-law to handle the aftermath for me!”

She finished dressing up and had some congee in the drawing room. It was in the afternoon. She was wondering whether she should go to make an apology or express her gratitude to her mother-in-law when a maid came to report that Jiang Muting was here to pay a visit.

Song Yixiao hastened to order the maid to usher her into the mansion while she went back to put on a suit of wear for receiving the visitor before rushing to the second gate.

After a while, she received the visitor and exchanged pleasantries until they arrived at the main hall. When they both sat down, Jiang Muting winked at her to dismiss the maids and then asked with a frown, “Something happened at the imperial feast yesterday? It has been rumored this morning that the Side Concubine of the Crown Prince had the oxytocic drug last night but she hasn’t even given birth to one baby by far!”

She added, “The maiden mother of the Crown Prince’s Side Concubine, Madam Cheng, didn’t attend the feast for she has a cold. Now she is extremely anxious to hear the news, but she hasn’t got well yet. Hence, she cannot go into the imperial palace when she is still sick!”

Song Yixiao thought to herself, “No wonder only the Noble Consort and the Crown Princess stood up for Cui Jianlian last night, which was because Cui Jianlian’s mother didn’t attend the feast!”

Song Yixiao saw through the worry in Jiang Muting’s eyes and then pondered for a moment, shaking her head and saying, “It is kind of you to send the news to me secretly so I cannot requite kindness with enmity! This matter is huge. You had better stay out of it!”

“My aunt is Prince of Wei’s foster mother. You know what Prince of Wei is doing with Her Highness Daiguo Grand Princess!” Jiang Muting said with a casual air, “Since Prince of Wei married Commandery Princess Nanzhang, the Noble Consort has born grudge against my aunt. They are friends only on the surface! I don’t’ mind being more annoyed by her!”

However, she didn’t mean to ask further. She only said, “I heard that after the feast was over, somehow, the Noble Consort grabbed Lady Nuan’s hair and meant to beat her. However, before reaching Lady Nuan, she was pushed away and fell onto the ground by His Majesty. Worse still, His Majesty asked the Noble Consort to introspect on her behavior in her own palace and not to come out for the following days!”

Song Yixiao grinned and said, “Good for the Noble Consort! She reacted so fast!”

“The Noble Consort?” Jiang Muting obviously knew something about the incidence. Upon hearing Song Yixiao’s comment, she said in surprise, “Do you think it wise that she did so? Rumor has it that His Majesty will abandon the Noble Consort! Perhaps you didn’t notice yesterday that Lady Nuan looked gorgeous! I thought you were already extremely beautiful but now I have to say, no offense, Lady Nuan is a bit more gorgeous than you!”

“You do love me!” Song Yixiao said in a teasing tone, “An unsurpassed beauty like Lady Nuan is only a bit more gorgeous than me in your eyes, but please think about it. The Empress Dowager, the two grand princesses, and even His Majesty used to suffer due to the favored concubines during the reign of the late Emperor! How can they see the history repeat itself? Particularly, Lady Nuan is the princess of Wuhuan and Wuhuan was subjugated by the Great Rui. How can the Empress Dowager and the two grand princesses entertain doubts about her?”

In this case, “His Majesty pushed away the Noble Consort for her in public and even had the Noble Consort grounded for introspection. What will the Empress Dowager and the two grand princesses think after they find it out?”

“Helen of Troy?” Jiang Muting took a tumble, “I knew it! The Noble Consort is always demure and reserved, who has never lost control on the surface over the past decades. How could she beat Lady Nuan under the watchful eyes of the people, including His Majesty?”

It turned out that she deliberately did so to make Emperor Xianjia punish her so as to remind the Empress Dowager and the two grand princesses to do away with Lady Nuan!

She sighed with a frown, “I am way worse than you on these complicated things! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have let Baoying hurt your feelings and thus, she came to a miserable end herself!”

This was the first time that they talked about this past event since the last Shangsi Festival.

Although Wei Yinlian and Sikong Yiluo both said that Jiang Muting regretted having misunderstood Song Yixiao, but after they started to meet again, Jiang Muting never talked of the incidence so Song Yixiao tacitly didn’t mention it either.

Now Song Yixiao was slightly surprised to hear this, “What’s wrong with Baoying?”

At that time, the Empress Dowager said, “How can a maid of the Jiang Family be so insolent?” She knew that Baoying was about to be punished. Judging from Jiang Muting’s tone, the punishment was not so simple?

“My family told me that she was made to marry a man in a distant village,” Jiang Muting said in depression, “I never doubted it. However, two days ago, the people in that village came to pay a New Year’s visit and I asked a woman about Baoying. It was then that I realized that Baoying was never sent there. Then I asked my mother and then she told me that Baoying was actually sent to that kind of place…”

Song Yixiao didn’t know what to say and then she continued saying, “I asked my mother whether we could redeem her. Even if she cannot serve me, she can marry a servant and start a business, which is better than staying in the brothel. However, according to my mother, we cannot get in touch with those Her Majesty belittles. Actually, my father proposed beating her to death so as to maintain the family’s dignity. Out of kindness, my mother sold her instead. It is shameful but she is alive anyway. But…”

“I thought she was here to send me a message only.” Song Yixiao pondered, “It turned out that she came here to pour out her troubles?”

Song Yixiao was thinking about how to comfort her when Jiang Muting suddenly asked, “Marquis Boling… How is he doing recently?”

Song Yixiao was slightly surprised to hear that, “I haven’t met him these days.”

Jiang Muting heard that and instantly gave a disappointed look but very soon, she blushed the moment she noticed Song Yixiao’s expression. She struggled to put on a demure look and coughed, “A few days ago, I happened to hear of several prescriptions, which should be useful for him!”

Speaking of this, she emphasized, “I am not into this all the time but you know, Xue’e and I are like sisters and we used to often hang out together. However, since he… her brother came back injured, I have seldom met her. I am worried about her so when I heard of these prescriptions, which may help with his… her brother’s injury. Therefore, I had a copy of the prescriptions.”

Her saying so was a clumsy denial resulting in self-exposure and yet, she still added, afraid of being found out, “Don’t think too much!”

“Is the reason why you haven’t met Xue’e since Yuan Xuepei came back that you stayed at home and avoided meeting others for more than half a year?” Song Yixiao was quite dumbfounded, “Under this circumstance, even if Xue’e went to have tea with you at the drawing room, you two didn’t get to meet each other.”

Jiang Muting had sensed that she was exposed, but she still took out some prescriptions. Song Yixiao was surprised and thought that she found so many prescriptions!

Unexpectedly, Jiang Muting placed the prescriptions carefully on the small table between them and asked with embarrassment, “Help me see which type of handwriting is the best. We both can write the Flower Regular Script, but my handwriting is always not as good as yours, even though I’ve practiced it often!”

“The Secretariat Style is neat but it is commonly used by males in the imperial exam, which is inevitably tacky!”

“The Semi-cursive Script looks powerful but it is hard for girls to display its essence!”

“The Cursive Style is unruly and yet, not demure enough!”

“The Clerical Script Style is straight and narrow but does it look a bit tedious?”

“The Seal Script is simple and elegant but because it is difficult and less commonly used. I still cannot write some of the characters…”

Song Yixiao looked at the prescriptions of various kinds of styles and stayed silent, saying, “Muting, I don’t want to disappoint you, but do your parents know that you’ve copied the prescriptions so many times?”

Jiang Muting’s bashful smile instantly disappeared!