Chapter 354: Chapter 355

When Song Yixiao returned to the mansion of Duke of Yan, she ordered Jinxun to summon Yu Shiheng to the backyard, “Do you remember where the valley was, in which you found my mother in last year’s summer vacation?”

Yu Shiheng didn’t understand but still said, “Yes, Madam. I remember.”

“Very well then. you need to go there with Jinxun.” Song Yixiao glanced at Jinxun, who looked surprised, “As for what to do there, I will explain to Jinxun later. You just make sure Jinxun returns safely. Can you do that?”

Their marriage had just been announced. Yu Shiheng was eager to get closer to his fiancée-to-be. So how could he refuse such a beautiful job? He was overjoyed and immediately agreed!

After he had left, Song Yixiao solemnly instructed Jinxun, “When you get to the valley, remember the terrain and nearby scenery, then go to the corner of the valley and look for the sign of a cabin’s foundation under the grass. If there’s not, check if the soil has been replaced. When you’ve found out, report back to me!”

Actually, the guards should have been sent out on such an errand. But the matter was so important that Song Yixiao had to decide whether or not to trust her mother’s word. She had to send out her most trusted servant, Jinxun.

If she hadn’t been unable to leave during January, she would have gone there herself!

After Jinxun accepted and left, Song Yixiao pondered for a while in the room alone. Then she straightened her dress and went out to see her daughter.

Jian Xubai also went out that day, saying that he had gone to visit Elder Lady Duanmu. When he came back, he brought back a long and narrow brocade box, saying, “Elder Lady Duanmu gave it to Qingyue.”

“What’s it?” Song Yixiao asked as she opened it. Because although Elder Lady Duanmu and they were now back in a good relationship, they had been estranged. She thought Elder Lady Duanmu had just given Qingyue an ordinary gift. But when she opened it, she was shocked. It was a silver certificate, a field deed and a shop, worth more than 100,000 taels!

She was shocked and said, “Is this…a wrong gift from her?”

“I thought so. But Elder Lady Duanmu said that she just liked Qingyue. She insisted I take it back. I saw she was about to get really angry, so I had to accept it.”

Jian Xubai said helplessly, “Luckily, my two cousins weren’t there. Otherwise, I really would have not known what to do!”

Although Lu He’ai and Lu Heyu were not Elder Lady Duanmu’s bloodline, they had been with her for so many years that they were entitled to inherit the estate from her, given that she had no kids and that Jinxiu Hall had no successor.

If they knew that Elder Lady Duanmu had given so many things to Jian Qingyue, how could they accept it in their hearts?

“Let’s take more care of He’ai and Heyu in the future!” Song Yixiao pondered for a moment, thinking that Elder Lady Duanmu might not be biased in favor of her and her husband. Elder Lady Duanmu probably thought that the lineage of Prince of Chengyang would not be able to succeed, and Lu He’ai and Lu Heyu didn’t look particularly shred and capable. So if Jinxiu Hall’s property fell into their hands, it would not be a fortune to them.

But it was not secret that Elder Lady Duanmu was from Jinxiu Hall and had inherited the legacy of Jinxiu Hall.

The only way to prevent this inheritance from causing trouble for Lu He’ai and Lu Heyu was to send it out while she was alive so that Lu He’ai and Lu Heyu wouldn’t be attacked in the future, and she could save some favors for their future use. But according to Great Empress Dowager’s analysis of Elder Lady Duanmu, this old lady wasn’t harsh towards her non-biological juniors, but she wouldn’t be too attentive either.

“After all, they have been getting along for so many years. Even if she didn’t treat them like Commandery Princess Yishui, how could she not care at all?” Song Yixiao smiled at the thought, “Moreover, when Great Empress Dowager said this, it had not been long since Elder Lady Duanmu returned to the imperial capital, and Great Empress Dowager’s impression of her was probably still from the time when she was exiled from the country. At that time, Commandery Princess Yishui was still alive. It was only natural for Elder Lady Duanmu to be indifferent to the children of the concubines, as she had her own daughter to count on!”

Jian Xubai agreed. He nodded and said, “In a couple of days, I will talk to Grandmother and the others to see if they can find a better job for my two cousins.”

At this point, he suddenly frowned and said, “It can’t go on like this!”

“Why?” Song Yixiao closed the brocade box and ordered Liyu to put it in the case, then asked in surprise.

“There always are people giving you and Qingyue presents. If it goes on like this, I’ll be the poorest as the head of the family…” Jian Xubai sighed, “It will be alright if you don’t listen to me. But when Qingyue grows up, what if I also lose her respect? How can this be?”

Song Yixiao couldn’t help but laugh at his words and said, “What’s wrong with that? People say that kids will look after you when you grow old. But your daughter can take care of you before you are old. Isn’t this a blessing that no one else can match?”

Both Jian Xubai and Song Yixiao began to laugh.

After this, Jian Xubai asked, seemingly inadvertently, “When I entered the mansion, I heard from the subordinates that you had sent Yu Shiheng to escort Jinxun out of the mansion on an errand?”

“Don’t ask about this matter!” Song Yixiao had already known that she could not hide her arrangements from her husband. After all, Yu Shiheng worked for Jian Xubai. But she couldn’t send Jinxun alone, a delicate maid, to Cuihua Mountain in January.

Therefore, she had thought about how to explain it to her husband. She just decided not to explain. She said directly, “It’s not that I don’t regard you as a family this time. But I really don’t know how to tell you. If you really want to figure it out, it will be like forcing me to die!”

“Why do you say so? I just want to ask you if Yu Shiheng and the others are enough. If not, I have a few more capable men than Yu Shiheng, who can also give you a hand.” Hearing this, Jian Xubai felt stressed. He knew that his mother-in-law must have coaxed his wife again, or at least his wife believed half of her words. Otherwise, why would Song Yixiao have sent Jinxun?

He had many thoughts in his heart, but he said without changing his face, “Don’t you talk about death in January. Are you trying to break my heart?”

His words made Song Yixiao embarrassed. She took the initiative to kiss him on the lips, “Fine. I shouldn’t have said that. Well…”

The Lantern Festival was just two or three days away. The whole court only thought that on January 15th, they had to go to the palace again to have a cold and bland banquet. But early in the morning of January 14th, news came out from the palace that the Lantern Festival Banquet would not be held.

The reason was that Great Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager Su were not yet well enough to attend, and that Emperor Duanhua and Empress Wei were in pure filial piety. They separately took care of Great Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager Su before their beds, so they had no intention of celebrating. Therefore, they told the ministers to make themselves comfortable.

All the families were relieved to hear this.

After all, although not many people expect to have a good meal at the palace’s banquet, the atmosphere of the two banquets was really not good. A careless mistake might even cause trouble. So, it would be better to live in peace at home!

After receiving the news, Jian Xubai immediately went to the palace to visit Great Empress Dowager. He came back with some rewards after noon, saying that Great Empress Dowager was still in good spirits and that she was not really unable to attend the banquet in terms of health, but mainly because she was not in the mood.

He also went to visit Empress Dowager Su. Empress Dowager said that she had not yet recovered from her illness and only exchanged a few pleasantries with him before saying that she was tired. Jian Xubai said, “In fact, I think that Aunt is in better health than Grandmother. After all, Aunt is younger. The only reason is that Aunt thought Grandmother didn’t want to attend the Lantern Festival Banquet, so she didn’t need to make a splash as Empress Dowager. Therefore, she excused herself on the pretext that she hadn’t recovered.”

Emperor Duanhua was not Empress Dowager Su’s own son, and there was a gap between them. So, how could Empress Dowager Su not follow Great Empress Dowager in everything?

Hearing this, Song Yixiao asked, “So what do we need to prepare for tomorrow? I thought we would go to the palace for the banquet, so I didn’t ask the kitchen to prepare anything!”

“No need!” Jian Xubai waved his hand in a good mood and said, “We are going out to have a meal!”

Seeing his wife’s confusion, he smiled and pinched the tip of her nose affectionately, “Have you forgotten the Lantern Festival Exhibition? It’s the third year you’ve been married to me. You haven’t gone to the Exhibition with me yet, have you? This year we finally have the chance. How can we not have a good stroll?”

“People are out and lanterns are shining. The imperial capital is bustling with excitement in the middle of January.” Song Yixiao was stunned for a moment before she said sweetly, “Ever since I read these two lines in a book, I’ve been looking forward to seeing it with my own eyes. Poor me. I never got the chance! Your proposal today is right up to my alley!”

When she was in Prince of Hengshan’s mansion, neither Wei Mengying nor those in the family had forbidden her to go to the Lantern Festival Exhibition.

It was just that at that time, Prince of Hengshan’s Family had gone to the palace for the banquet, and Yuan Xue’e would also be taken there. So, of course, there wouldn’t be many guards left for her to use.

Ms. Zhao was always worried that with so many people at the Lantern Festival Exhibition, she would run into some trouble and suffer a loss since she was pretty and didn’t bring enough guards with her. therefore, Ms. Zhao advised her not to go out. She didn’t want to worry her foster nurse, so she complied.

But to say that she had never been to the Lantern Festival Exhibition…

Song Yixiao vaguely remembered that when Wei Mengying hadn’t remarried, she had been held in her father’s arms to see the lanterns, as the apple of her parents’ eyes.

She remembered the time when the lanterns lit up half of the night sky. In the crowd, the delicate and beautiful Wei Mengying was carrying a bowl of hot sweet dumplings, smiling as she scooped up a sweet dumpling. She blew on it and tenderly handed it to Song Yuan, who was holding Song Yixiao. When Song Yuan opened his mouth with joy, she cunningly turned her wrist and fed it into her daughter’s mouth.

Song Yixiao was young and was so dumbfounded that she dripped sesame seeds onto her and her father’s clothes, which caused the young parents to laugh and pretend to scold. Wei Mengying hastily handed the bowl to the maid and took a handkerchief to wipe it for them, first for her daughter and then for Song Yuan.

At the end, she took a dirty handkerchief and tended to wipe on Song Yuan’s face suddenly!

This time Song Yuan was on guard and dodged it. He smiled wickedly and bit her quickly on the finger.

Song Yixiao clearly recalled the time when her father’s eyes were amazingly bright, almost overflowing with tenderness and adoration.

Her mother, who was shyly bowing her head, occasionally raised her eyes. The light in her eyes seemed like the stars in the sky.

The crowds were full of New Year’s cheer. The lanterns from far and near made for a magnificent spectacle. But at that moment, all they could see was each other.

However, all the glamour was in the past.

At present, it was too much to look back on.

Song Yixiao retracted her thoughts and met her husband’s puzzled eyes. She slightly smiled, “I was just excited to go to the Lantern Festival Exhibition, so I was lost in thought.”