Chapter 192: Chapter 192 - The Cui Family Came to Apologize

Song Yixiao returned home and found that Jian Xubai and Ms. Zhao were not back yet. Neither did any message come about them.

She was very disappointed to hear that.

Having struggled to look through the list for her mother-in-law’s birthday in a few days, Song Yixiao was about to ask Jinxun whether she had seen a doctor when a maid came forward and reported, “Your Highness, Madam Cheng asks to meet you!”

“Madam Cheng?” Song Yixiao didn’t think of who she was and Qiaoqin gave her a reminder, “Is that the mother of Side Concubine Cui, Madam Cheng?”

She took a tumble and couldn’t help frowning, “She came alone? But why does she want to meet me?”

The maid answered respectfully, “Your Highness, Madam Cheng takes a 20-something woman who looks like her daughter-in-law, but I have never met the Cui Family before, so I’m not sure about it.”

“Madam Cheng says nothing but to ask to meet Your Highness.” She added.

“Fine. She is a senior anyway. Since she is here, I cannot expel her,” Song Yixiao pondered for a while and said, “Invite them to the drawing room for tea and tell them that I will meet them after I get changed!”

After a while, she arrived at the drawing hall. Madam Cheng and her daughter-in-law saw her and hurriedly rose to receive her, “Lady of Yan!”

“Madam Cheng, you are being too polite!” Song Yixiao nodded her head reservedly. After sitting at the seat of honor and ordering to serve tea again, she fetched the tea served by Qiaoqin and took a sip, asking with a faint smile, “May I know what I can do for you?”

Faced with her frankness, Madam Cheng didn’t mince her words, “I wouldn’t dare to ask you to do anything for me. I’m here only to apologize to you for failing to educate my daughter well!”

Speaking of that, Madam Cheng sobbed with red eyes, “I am muddled! For years, I’ve doted on my daughter and always not punished her for her mistakes. I thought she would restrain herself when she grew up, but… To my astonishment, she… She…”

She was too grieved to continue talking.

Song Yixiao took the hint, “The news that Cui Jianlian is dead seems to have been spread to the Cui Family. The Noble Consort acted so fast!”

Within such a short period of time, she not only informed the Cui Family of Cui Jianlian’s death but also told Madam Cheng to make preparations and come to Duke of Yan’s mansion to apologize on behalf of her daughter. It seemed that Noble Consort Cui played it for real this time!

“What a pity! According to my previous plan, I could take this opportunity to drag the Liu Family down!” Song Yixiao touched her jade bracelet and meanwhile comforted Madam Cheng softly. Yet, she felt regrettable in her heart, “But my mother-in-law said that she would handle this and asked me not to worry about it. Now I cannot do as she told!”

Awed by the power of the Noble Consort, Madam Cheng held back the pain of losing her daughter and came here to apologize. Now as she listened to Song Yixiao’s conciliation, she got increasingly grieved, “It is this woman who caused the death of my daughter, but I cannot seek revenge on her. Worse still, I have to try my best to earn her forgiveness! How can the Noble Consort be so ruthless? Jianlian was her niece!”

With her thought, she got even more unwilling to apologize. However, she loved her daughter so much that she ignored her conscience and justified Cui Jianlian while the young woman who came here with her, aka, the daughter-in-law of her eldest son, Madam Lin, didn’t feel the same way!

“How could my mother-in-law be so muddle-headed!” Madam Lin sensed the indignation of her mother-in-law’s cries and kept frowning, “Given what my sister-in-law did, she wouldn’t be tolerated by any family, let alone the imperial family! Now the Noble Consort urges us to come to Duke of Yan’s mansion to make an apology, which is a good opportunity for us to get off lightly! However, even a blind person can feel my mother-in-law’s pity for her daughter. What kind of apology is this? She is basically making trouble for Lady of Yan!”

Madam Lin and Cui Jianlian were not on bad terms but no matter how well they got along, Madam Lin cared more about her family’s prospect!

Now she finally found a chance to interrupt Madam Cheng’s cries, saying, “Mother, we’ve come to an agreement on the list of the apologetic gifts for Lady of Yan…”

Madam Cheng was crying her eyes out. When she was stopped, she took out the list and passed it to her daughter-in-law. Madam Lin fetched it and took the opportunity to offer it by herself, saying in a low voice, “Lady of Yan, please forgive my mother-in-law. The maid of Her Highness the Noble Consort said that if my mother-in-law knew how to educate her daughter well, my sister-in-law wouldn’t be that muddle-headed! Your Highness is a sensible person and we will not let you suffer wrong!”

“Madam, you’re being too serious!” Song Yixiao glanced at Madam Lin and the latter hurriedly said, “My maiden family name is Lin. I’m the daughter-in-law of the eldest son of the Cui Family!”

“Madam Lin,” Song Yixiao said amicably, “You are too polite. How can a mother not love her child? I can relate to Madam Cheng’s feelings so I won’t take it personally!”

Madam Lin took the hint and instantly flushed with shame. Madam Cheng did love Cui Jianlian but if Cui Jianlian didn’t overlook her unborn twins, how could she be made to take in the poison by her auntie who also doted on her?

She felt shamed as a sister-in-law of Cui Jianlian and meanwhile thought that her mother-in-law and sister-in-law were too troublesome. After all, Cui Jianlian was dead for good and Madam Cheng was old now, who didn’t care a lot.

However, Madam Lin, her husband and their children still had to live.

“Thank you so much for your leniency!” Madam Lin pondered and thought of what the Noble Consort’s messenger said in the Cui Family’s mansion. The messenger said, “Putting aside the fact that it was Side Concubine Cui who caused her own death, Madam Song has been so forbearing at such a young age, which indicates that she takes after Princess Consort Wei well. In common cases, we shouldn’t mess with her.” Hence, Madam Lin made up her mind and said, “I have something to report to Your Highness!”

Madam Cheng was still crying, which made Song Yixiao rather annoyed. Song Yixiao placed her chin against her hand, and then asked with a casual air, “Oh?”

“My husband found that Liu Zhenxi, Vice Minister in the Ministry of Punishments, and his family had conducted a lot of illegal acts!” Madam Lin emphasized on the word “husband” to suggest that her husband had made effort in discovering this incident, “When enough evidence is collected, an impeachment against him will be submitted!”

“Why do you tell me about it?” Song Yixiao just grinned at her report, “I’m a woman only and I never engage in the court affairs.”

Madam Lin smiled obsequiously and said, “I know. I’m just thinking that the sister of Liu Zhenxi used to your stepmother in your maiden family. You are known as a filial person, so you must care about the Liu Family too. But a country has its own laws…”

Song Yixiao responded, “I understand what you mean. Indeed, a country has its laws and a family has its rules! Since the Liu Family has done something against His Majesty, as a married woman, I cannot interfere with it and even if I can, how can I defend for them due to the kinship?”

She urged seriously, “Please deliver my message to your husband that no need to take me into consideration. Woman as I am, I still have learned that Heaven, Earth, Emperor, Parents and Teachers are commonly worshipped and that among them, emperor is ranked higher than parents!”

Then she heaved a sigh, “Uncle Liu is too muddle-headed! His Majesty treats him quite well!”

“Your Highness has made a good point. Vice Minister Liu deserves to be punished!” Madam Liu understood that what she actually suggested was that no mercy should be shown to Liu Zhenxi. After promising tacitly, she thought in awe, “She called him so naturally those not in the know would regard him as her real uncle!”

No wonder even the Noble Consort claimed that she didn’t want to confront her easily!

After they left Duke of Yan’s mansion and the carriage was traveling in the street, Madam Cheng fetched the napkin passed by her daughter-in-law and wiped her face with the napkin. Looking at Madam Lin who wanted to speak but still hesitated, she said casually, “What do you want to say?”

“I dare not!” Madam Lin was displeased with her mother-in-law’s behaviors during the visit, but she didn’t dare to criticize her mother-in-law face to face. In a hurry she said, “I’m just too stupid to understand why you…”

Then she just stopped tactfully.

“How can I not know about your thinking?” Madam Cheng said sternly, “You just felt that my sympathy about Jianlian was too apparent and worried that I might offend Madam Song so deeply that your prospect might be affected, right?”

“Mother, you’ve got me wrong.” Of course that was what Madam Lin thought about, but she wouldn’t admit it, “I just feel that you are always prudent. There must be certain meanings behind your behaviors today!”

She was just saying but Madam Cheng nodded at her, “I am old enough to be a grandmother. How can I not consider that? The reason why I annoyed Madam Song just now was for your own good indeed!”

Speaking of that, she heaved a sigh, “Jianlian… She got herself killed for the mistake she made and even implicated our family! The Noble Consort also says that Madam Song is not an ordinary person and very cunning! As to such a person, if we directly go to apologize to her by even giving her a kowtow and serving tea, she may express her forgiveness, but do you really think she won’t suspect our sincerity?”

Particularly, the Cui Family was not sincerely apologetic!

“Therefore, I don’t hope for much at my age so I may as well use myself to serve as a foil to you. In this case, you can look like a person of sense and meanwhile disperse the doubts of Madam Song!”

Madam Cheng leaned against the wall of the carriage tiredly, “Then I didn’t have to behave against my will too much and your future prospect wouldn’t be much affected… So that I wouldn’t let my son or daughter down!”

Speaking of that, she recalled her seventeen-year-old beloved daughter and shed tears again but she still struggled to urge her daughter-in-law, “You should hang out more with Madam Song from now on to make her believe that unlike me, you do want to get along well with her and that the Cui Family will be in the charge of you!”

Madam Lin finally took a tumble. Guilty and ashamed, she knelt down regardless of the interior narrowness of the carriage, “It was too foolish of me to understand your effort, and I even speculated about your intention improperly. Even death cannot atone for the offence!”

“Actually, it is my fault!” Madam Cheng waved her hand to let her rise and choked with sobs, saying, “If I had known what happened today, I wouldn’t have said that in front of your father-in-law! In that case, your father-in-law wouldn’t have demanded to send her into the Eastern Palace. I thought it was for her own good but unexpectedly, her life was ruined then and my two innocent grandchildren were lost too! I… I am so resentful and remorseful!”

After the incident of the mastiffs, Cui Jianlian was sent back home. Out of partiality for her daughter, Madam Cheng complained to her husband, Cui Ziyu, about Lu Guanlun’s favoring an outsider instead of his own cousin. Unexpectedly, Cui Ziyu took the opportunity to propose distancing from the people of Prince of Hengshan’s mansion and marrying their daughter to the son of the Noble Consort.

Back then, Madam Cheng was disgruntled about Lu Guanlun and felt that either being the side concubine of the crown prince or legal wife of Prince of Liang was a good choice indeed. Thus, having been persuaded by her husband, she agreed on the suggestion then.

During the six years after that, just as Song Yixiao speculated at the feast of the Shangsi Festival, Cui Jianlian was educated as the future favored consort until she entered the Eastern Palace.

Madam Cheng, just like Noble Consort Cui, thought that they had paved a way to a bright prospect for her.

Unexpectedly, the enviable path to glory she took turned into a road to infamy and hell.

While Madam Cheng was still grieving, Song Yixiao was finally relieved. Jian Xubai was back!

He told her a piece of good news, “Ms. Zhao and her grandson were sent out of the imperial palace an hour ago. I took a glance nearby and found that they were frightened but they still looked fine. Supposedly, they didn’t suffer much!”

Song Yixiao hastened to ask, “Then why aren’t they back to the mansion?”

“Back to the mansion?” Jian Xubai looked at her and shook her head, saying, “Regardless, the Crown Prince has lost the twins. Under the circumstance, I can only keep them alive. If I put forward more requirements, the Crown Prince would feel uncomfortable! No matter how Grandmother loves me, the Crown Prince is the heir anyway!”

“Then…” Song Yixiao knew that he was telling the truth. Ms. Zhao was the birth mother of You Qingchun and You Qingchun was accepted into Duke of Yan’s mansion thanks to her. Now that You Qingchun was in trouble, how could Ms. Zhao stay out of it completely?

She stayed silent for a while and asked carefully, “Then how will the Crown Prince dispose of them?”

“Mother and Grandmother discussed about it and thought that given that Cui Jianlian was the side concubine of the Crown Princess, if her conduct was found too improper, it would exert a really bad influence on the Crown Prince. Therefore, they decided to make Cui Jianlian’s maid, Xiaoman a scapegoat for the death of the twins!” Jian Xubai said seriously, “As to Madam You and other people, they won’t be mentioned openly. The Crown Prince doesn’t want to transfer the anger and only mentions that he doesn’t want to see them in the imperial capital. Grandmother decides to let them leave for a place 800 miles away immediately. As to the direction, when I came back, the interior supervisor in charge hasn’t made the decision!”

Song Yixiao was stunned and looked at the copper water clock in the corner of the room, “Leave right now? They are not in the imperial capital now?”

When she saw that her husband nodded, she instantly felt empty. So her foster nurse who replaced her birth mother and treated her sincerely just left?

And she would be 800 miles away. Maybe they couldn’t meet again this life?