Chapter 216: Chapter 216 - The Only Opportunity

Song Yixiao opened the door, held the door frame and counted to five, but she still didn’t hear Shen Qimo admit her mistake or stop her, which made her really disappointed!

Despite that, she was aware that even if she turned around and continued persuading Shen Qimo, this stubborn girl wouldn’t listen anyway.

Therefore, she paused and then left with a flick of her sleeves.

On the way back, she recalled that it was Elder Lady Duanmu who asked Shen Qimo to take her to the room for freshening up. Now she was going back alone. How could the Elder Lady not suspect?

As a result, she had to return and asked Shen Qimo to go with her. She reminded Shen Qimo to compose herself so as to prevent the Elder Lady from noticing her affair and getting too angry.

However, as she was usually talkative and outgoing, she became clearly silent when she was back in the hall. Very soon, Elder Lady Duanmu asked in surprise, “Qimo, how come you don’t speak? Are you feeling not well?”

“My bad.” Song Yixiao hurriedly tried to cover up for her, “Just now I was chatting with Qimo merrily and I happened to mention some men about her age, which made her a bit furious!”

“What’s wrong with that?” Elder Lady Duanmu didn’t know whether to cry or to laugh, “When a girl grows up, she should get married. It’s for your own good that your cousin-in-law talked to you about that. We are all relatives. What are you shy for? You should thank her instead!”

Then she said to Song Yixiao, “She hasn’t experienced a lot. Please forgive her ignorance!”

“Grandaunt, you just said that I took you as an outsider!” Song Yixiao puckered her lips and smiled, “Now you are taking me as an outsider too! We are all relatives. No need to be that serious!”

Elder Lady Duanmu was a reserved woman. She implied her wish explicitly that Song Yixiao could find a good husband for Shen Qimo, but since Song Yixiao didn’t mention it proactively, she didn’t ask then.

After a while, she appeared a bit tired and a servant came inside to remind her to take medicine. As a result, she took the opportunity to send away Jian Xubai and his wife.

When the carriage got out of the side yard, the couple both heaved a sigh!

Just as they sighed, they were a bit surprised to notice each other’s action and then looked at each other in the eye. Then they said in one voice, “Today, it was so…”

“You go first!” They didn’t finish their words and both felt amused by each other, which surprisingly made them less frustrated. Song Yixiao leaned backward and rubbed her forehead, saying to her husband, “You were persuading Grandaunt into recuperating in our mansion. How did it go?”

“It didn’t go well!” Jian Xubai dragged her over and kissed around her cheeks and neck seemingly as a way to vent his depression. After a while, he said resignedly, “I had just started the topic when Grandaunt claimed to send us off and forbid us from going again if I continued! Therefore, I could only change the subject immediately!”

Then he pinched his wife’s cheeks, “What about Qimo? Didn’t it go well on your side either?”

“She told me that it was her who ran after Yiyou’s horse and that she didn’t regret it at all even though her leg was injured!” Song Yixiao waved his hand away and said with a poker face, “Neither does she care about the legitimate title or fear Princess Changxing. I’ve analyzed all the reasons and consequences to her but she just won’t give up her love for Yiyou. What do you think we should do?”

She seemed to think of something. Suddenly, she sat up and glanced at her husband discontentedly, “In my eyes, regarding appearance and bearing, you and Uncle Limiao are so much better than Yiyou anyway. Why does Qimo refer to Yiyou as Cousin Yiyou intimately and you as Xubai distantly?”

Judging from her facial expression, she was clearly expressing her dissatisfaction about Jian Xubai’s being regarded less handsome than Yiyou. Jian Xubai twitched the corner of his mouth and poked her forehead snappishly, “Nonsense! Aren’t you happy that no one attempts to take away your husband? You will be sad if someone really does. Do you forget what you suffered before due to Changxing?”

“I just can’t figure it out!” Song Yixiao responded emotionally, “Yiyou is always aloof to others, who distances himself so much from others! Although he is as taciturn as Rouchi, he is less cordial to me! Even if Cousin Qimo just falls for the type of man who doesn’t talk much, why is she so obsessed with him?”

She was not simply obsessed with him. She just insisted on being with Jian Yiyou at any cost, regardless of shame or her family!

Anyway, Song Yixiao couldn’t understand why Jian Yiyou was so charming to this extent!

Likewise, Princess Yushan also fell in love with Su Shaoge at the first time. Yet, she made so much effort, including getting her father to pass out because she wanted to marry him, not to have a fling with him regardless of the position!

Generally, girls at her age should have some romantic fancies. Even though Shen Qimo’s social position was no match for Princess Yushan’s, why did she have to lower herself for Jian Yiyou to this extent?

“It’s right that you can’t figure it out!” Jian Xubai looked at his wife’s rosy cheeks and burst out laughing. He held her hands and said sincerely, “I’m your husband! If you think through how charming Yiyou is, what about me?”

“Stop talking nonsense!” Amused by his words, Song Yixiao hit him and then frowned, “Changxing is not a tolerant person! Since she failed to let me tell Grandaunt about that, she may do it herself. How can this matter be procrastinated? But if Cousin Qimo doesn’t end with Yiyou, who can protect her?”

Given Elder Lady Duanmu’s temper, no matter how she adored Shen Qimo, she couldn’t accept her lowering herself insistently! By then, even if the others were willing to let go of Shen Qimo, the Elder Lady would clean the house herself!

“Yushan has just made the fuss. Even if this matter is spread to the imperial palace, I suppose that they will persuade Changxing into enduring it,” Jian Xubai pondered for a while and said, “I think there still should be some time to persuade her. If it still doesn’t work, we can only tell Grandaunt and separate them by force!”

“I’ve said the same words to Princess Changxing just now. However, you know, regarding this matter, the Princess is in the right!” Song Yixiao said hesitantly, “Won’t the seniors in the imperial palace help the Princess?”

Jian Xubai sneered and said, “Uncle doesn’t have a lot of children, regardless of the gender, especially the two daughters. Yushan was not born by the empress but in fact, she is treated almost the same as Changxing. Actually, she is treated just the same as a legitimate daughter. Moreover, her birth mother is the Virtuous Consort, who is only inferior to the Empress. The Jiang Family is not a small family. Whether given father-daughter bonding and grandmother-granddaughter bonding, or for the sake of the balance of the court situation, how can Uncle and Grandmother treat her unfairly?”

As a matter of fact, if Princess Yushan didn’t want to marry Su Shaoge but another young man who was not deeply related to the fight for the throne, even if the man was engaged, Emperor Xianjia could still let her daughter fulfill her wish.

Unfortunately, as the second eldest legitimate son of Duke of Ji, Su Shaoge was still the pillar of the supporters of Prince of Zhao, his prospect was too unpredictable!

How could Emperor Xianjia and the Empress Dowager, the two seniors who truly adored Princess Yushan, approve of the marriage?

Princess Yushan mentioned the example of Princess Changxing. In order to pacify the younger daughter, the Virtuous Consort and the Jiang Family, the Empress Dowager and Emperor Xianjia could only give Changxing a warning so as to let Princess Changxing understand one thing. That was, in fact, Princess Changxing was not better treated than her!

“You mean, it may be because they deliberately wanted her to know about their affair that Princess Changxing learned about it?” Thinking of that, Song Yixiao was slightly shocked and subconsciously sat up straight, “Cousin Qimo told me that she got her leg injured for running after Yiyou’s horse, but we couldn’t recognize anything wrong with her leg just now. Even if the injury was minor, she is a weak girl anyway. Even a scratch will be inevitably shown while she is walking. Since she looks fine now, probably it has been a few days since her leg was injured!”

Yet, Song Yixiao just mentioned that Princess Changxing was not a tolerant woman!

Since she beckoned Song Yixiao over today, she must have just learnt about it!

It was too coincidental. How could it not arouse any doubt that it might be a plot?

“Cousin Qimo is young and innocent. She just goes after Yiyou regardless of the reserve that a girl should have, but how can Yiyou not know the proprieties?”

“Even if he is thankful to Qimo’s affection, sending the jade pendant in the shape of mandarin ducks and meanwhile accepting the embroidered handkerchief with the pattern of mandarin ducks crossing necks on the twin lotus stalk is an affirmative attitude of being with her!”

“The problem is…”

“How many days has it been since Cousin Qimo came to the imperial capital?”

“Even if she started to badger Yiyou on the day when he visited Grandaunt, I don’t think she can win his heart within such a short period of time!”

Jian Yiyou was not as well-known as Su Shaoge and Ji Mingfei in the imperial capital. Neither was he as favored as Jian Xubai by the emperor. Nevertheless, he was born by Jinguo Grand Princess and the elder son, who Jian Likuang attached importance to!

He was not an inexperienced man who just couldn’t hold back his desire upon seeing a slightly beautiful woman!

Shen Qimo’s identity was rather special. She had the imperial family’s blood but she was regarded as a descendent of a sinner due to her grandfather.

Such a girl, just as Song Yixiao said before, was unacceptable for powerful and influential families as they feared that they would annoy Emperor Xianjia, no matter how beautiful and sensible she was.

Jian Yiyou was the legitimate nephew of Emperor Xianjia, but he was always not as favored by the emperor as his younger brother. Besides, his wife was Emperor Xianjia’s birth daughter. Could he really be sure that his prospect wouldn’t be affected after his romantic affair was found by Emperor Xianjia?

If Shen Qimo badgered him for a year or a half of the year, maybe he would be touched and accept the trouble that the cousin brought.

However, by now it was not even half a month!

Song Yixiao pointed her lips with her index finger and said with a deep voice, “In my opinion, Yiyou gave her the jade pendant in the shape of mandarin ducks pattern carved by himself probably to gain the assets of Jinxiu Hall!”

But the assets of the Jinxiu Hall were not owned by Shen Qimo but Elder Lady Duanmu!

This Elder Lady was nothing like Shen Qimo, the young and innocent girl. Shen Qimo was willing to be with Jian Yiyou without being legally attached to him, but how could the Elder Lady stand her granddaughter, who was raised by her, suffering wrong like that?

Therefore, if Jian Yiyou wanted to acquire Jinxiu Hall through Shen Qimo, he must give her a legitimate title!

Otherwise, Elder Lady Duanmu wouldn’t agree no matter how she adored Shen Qimo!

“But Yiyou is more than an ordinary prince consort. His wife, Princess Changxing is famous for her craftiness, so she will never allow Cousin Qimo to marry Yiyou!”

Then Song Yixiao heaved a sigh, “But according to you, even if Princess Changxing wants to kill Cousin Qimo now, under the pressure of the Empress Dowager and His Majesty, she has to restrain herself and set a good example for Princess Yushan!”

Currently, it was also the only chance for Shen Qimo to gain a legitimate title!