Chapter 316 - Resting in Bed for Miscarriage Prevention

The current situations of the Ji Family and the Su Family were not much to choose between the two, and neither was any better than the other.

In this situation, Ji Zifu was still worried about Su Shaoling not thinking highly of him, which meant that he still cared a lot about his wife.

Song Yixiao thought she understood her cousin’s thoughts and comforted him with kind words, and even Jian Xubai said, “Why should you be so worried? As the saying goes, there are no weak people under the reputation, and since Shaoling is recognized as a virtuous and courteous woman by all the nobles in the imperial capital, how could she despise her husband? Moreover, you are handsome and straightforward and a good man who is rarely seen, but the world is ignorant and my cousin does not care to defend himself, which is why people misunderstand you. Time reveals a person’s heart. In the future, when Shaoling has spent more time with you, she will naturally understand your goodness.”

Ji Zifu was not in the mood to talk to the couple anymore, so he replied haphazardly and excused himself to go back to his room to calm down.

When he reappeared, he had already changed into his auspicious clothes and was ready to go to the Su Family to receive the bride. This time he did not welcome Jian Xubai and Song Yixiao in private, but in front of the gaze of all the guests, he was not showing a depressed look. Although he wasn’t extremely excited, his mouth slightly upward, looking expecting and pleasant.

However, most of the guests were not too optimistic about the future of the two families, but as the Empress Dowager and the emperor were still present, everyone was afraid of upsetting the two, they all put on a cheerful face.

Under such a tacit circumstance, the wedding went off well.

Song Yixiao’s pregnancy was serious and she was already tired after all day’s banqueting which used to be normal, so when it came to teasing the newlyweds on the wedding night, she couldn’t take it anymore. After standing for a while in the crowd, she left by the reason of not disturbing the newly-married couple.

Even so, she was so exhausted that she didn’t want to talk much when she returned to Duke of Yan’s mansion.

Seeing this, Jian Xubai naturally felt sorry for her. He couldn’t help but say, “You should rest well for the next two days. How about not going to Wuying’s birthday? You can’t be tired now.”

“How can I be absent?” Song Yixiao who was refreshing her spirit by closing her eyes widened her eyes when she heard this, saying, “Wuying is going to get married next year, and this is her last birthday at her parents’ family before she gets married. How can I not be present?”

She rolled her eyes at her husband and lowered her voice, “Have you forgotten what happened at her birthday last year? Everyone could be neglected but not Wuying!”

Jian Xubai was reminded of the scene where they looked for Nie Wuying all around the city in twelfth lunar moon last year, and his head also ached. He lifted his robe and sat on the edge of the bed to rub her legs, sighing, “Or you can pretend you don’t feel well and let her feel solicitude for you? That girl should always be understanding.”

Even if Nie Wuying wasn’t so understanding, Grand Princess Jinguo would remind her. After all, the future Su’s Princess Consort was counting on them to support her!

However, Song Yixiao thought that although it was already the end of eleventh lunar month, she still had half a month before Nie Wuying’s birthday. So, she might not be unable to recover. And if she could support herself by then, there was no need to spoil her sister-in-law’s fun.

Besides, she still wanted to see how Gu Tongxu would behave at the banquet!

However, she could not go on the fifteenth day of twelfth lunar month. She had already regained her energy on the seventh and eighth day of twelfth lunar month after Aunt Yun’s recuperation, but then unexpectedly, something happened to the manors, and the stewards concerned had their own words and went to Song Yixiao, arguing for several days.

Song Yixiao was so worried that there was the bloody show, which scared her maids, so they not only rushed to report to Jian Xubai, who was at the government office but even Grand Princess Jinguo heard of this!

Both the mother and son rushed over as soon as they received the report. Not bothering to deal with the stewards who had caused trouble, they hurriedly asked Aunt Yun about the concrete situation. Although Aunt Yun said that it was not a big deal and that she should be fine after resting in bed for two days, Grand Princess and Jian Xubai were still anxious. Grand Princess said on the spot that Song Yixiao should absolutely not attend Nie Wuying’s birthday banquet!

“You have always been close to your sister-in-law anyway. Do you not love her anymore if you don’t go to celebrate her birthday?” Grand Princess said, “Besides, you know much about Wuying’s temper. If you hurt your body trying to congratulate her, she will be overwhelmed with the regrets for the rest of her life!”

Jian Xubai didn’t want his wife to be tired, so he said, “Mother is right. Wuying is always considerate and understanding. Shanyao, don’t put her in a pickle!”

Both of them said so, and Song Yixiao herself was worried about her child, so she declined politely for several times and finally agreed.

Grand Princess told her two adopted daughters about the incident. Pei Yourui and Nie Wuying came to visit her personally the next day, comforting and reassuring her not to think too much about not being able to attend Nie Wuying’s birthday banquet. The others received the news and came to visit her, including the newly married Su Shaoling.

The Su Family had no direct relationship with the Yan Family, but Ji Zifu and Jian Xubai were biological cousins, and Su Shaoling was the sister-in-law of the couple, so it was natural that she should come to visit them.

Su Shaoling, who was a new wife, looked not very different from before her marriage, but was still gentle and generous, with a quiet and dignified look between her eyebrows, so one couldn’t guess whether she was satisfied with her married life.

However, when Xie Yiren came over, she privately revealed, “It is said that the heir of Earl Fuyang and his wife respect each other like guests.”

“How do you know that?” Song Yixiao asked curiously.

Although it was said that for the sake of the Empress Dowager and Emperor Xianjia, people did not dare to cast stones at the Ji Family’s downfall yet, they would certainly not get any closer to them, right?

Especially since the Xie Family and the Ji Family were originally not close to each other.

Xie Yiren smiled and said, “Two days before, I went to the palace to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager, and it so happened that someone from the Grand Princess Daiguo’s mansion went to answer the Empress Dowager, so I heard something.”

Saying this, she looked around and found that the people in the room were all trusted maids of them two, and continued to say, “The Empress Dowager was delighted when she first heard that they respected each other like guests, but it was only after asking a few questions that she understood that the maid meant the couple was too polite to be husband and wife. The Empress Dowager then frowned. Aunt Yuguo comforted her for a while, saying that the couple had only met once before they got married so they had not even spoken a few words, and that teenagers were shy. She also said that they would be fine after a few days. Only then did the Empress Dowager look at ease!”

Song Yixiao did not say anything about Ji Zifu and his wife, but asked, “Is there anything going on in your mansion lately?”

Otherwise, all families and mansions couldn’t be busier during the Lunar December, especially since Xie Yiren’s mother-in-law, Grand Princess Luguo, had died early. As the mistress of Earl Yiping’s mansion, she should be busy enough even if she did not have any children yet. Why would she suddenly go to pay respects to the Empress Dowager?

Xie Yiren looked gloomy at her words and sighed, “What else could it be? It’s been almost a year since I got married, but I haven’t had any sign of getting pregnant yet, so my father-in-law listens to some of the concubines and personally talks with my husband about the matter of descendent.”

“Earl Yiping is in a hurry, isn’t he?” Song Yixiao, of course, was on her side and immediately said after hearing this, “You said it’s been almost a year since you got married, but many things have happened this year. Cousin Xishi even changed his job in the middle of the year, moving from the Ministry of War to the Ministry of Revenue, so he has to start every affair all over again, and while he has to share more energy in his business affairs, how can he not neglect his family affairs? Now that it’s the end of the year. After the Spring Festival, with Cousin Xu’s and your constitution, is Earl Yiping still afraid of not having a legitimate grandchild?”

“What?” Although Xie Yiren also hoped to have a son soon, she was still a lady from a cultured family and still blushed slightly at these words and pretended to be angry. After that, she sneered and said, “In my opinion, my father-in-law was originally not in a hurry. Those who are in hurry are those concubines. They are all waiting to give their nieces in their maternal families to my husband! Even if I wanted to take a concubine for my husband, I wouldn’t do as they wished and let those messy things in! After all, my father-in-law is the elder. Since he has expressed his concerns, it’s possible for my husband to disobey. I think it was the Empress Dowager who made the match between me and my husband, so naturally, I have to consult her.”

Song Yixiao did not know the Empress Dowager’s response to this matter and pondered whether she should ask.

But Xie Yiren had already smiled smugly and said, “The Empress Dowager said that it hadn’t even been a year since I got married and that as the Spring Festival was approaching, we should wait until after the Spring Festival!”

When the Empress Dowager said this, she was not saying that Xu Xishi should take a concubine after the Spring Festival, but euphemistically expressed that she did not approve of it!

Song Yixiao said sincerely, “Her Majesty is wise!”

This was not about her friendship with Xie Yiren, but out of her position as an official wife.

After a few days, it was Nie Wuying’s birthday, and although Song Yixiao had already agreed not to attend, she sent Jinxun to congratulate her on that day on her behalf. Of course, Jinxun was only a maid and was not qualified to eat with Nie Wuying and the other ladies, so she went over to congratulate her, sent the gift, sat at the subordinates’ table for a while and then left.

The next day Jiang Muting came over to give her the news, “Miss Gu really did come yesterday.”

“Nothing happened yesterday, did it?” Song Yixiao raised her eyebrows.

“What could have happened?” Jiang Muting snorted and said, “It was the birthday banquet of County Lady Jinghui, and the banquet was held in Grand Princess Jinguo’s mansion, so who would dare to pick the wrong side? Miss Gu went there with the visiting card you gave her after all, and her performance was commendable, so she was very popular at first. But when they knew that she was living in the Song Family’s mansion, some people, including County Lady Jinghui, stopped chatting with her!”

She took this for granted, “After all, everyone who was there yesterday was to congratulate County Lady Jinghui, and you are the sister-in-law of the County Lady. Also, you have always been respected by her. Gu Tongxu took your visiting card to the banquet, yet she is close to the Song Family. How can we be comfortable with her, knowing how the Song Family treats you?”

The last sentence revealed that she was one of those who did not care for Gu Tongxu yesterday.

But Song Yixiao did not feel complacent at all when she heard this, instead, she slightly frowned, “When I was staying in bed to rest for miscarriage prevention, my stepmother also sent something to me, taking the opportunity to deliver a message to me.”

Jiang Muting was confused and asked, “What?”

“My stepmother’s trusted maid Ms. Zhang, secretly told Jinxun, that it was Concubine Liu who had urged my grandmother to do so by taking Miss Gu to the Song Family’s mansion for a while.” Song Yixiao pursed her lips, “Miss Gu came to visit me the day after she arrived in the imperial capital, taking the visiting card with her. For Wuying’s birthday banquet, no matter whether I attend or not, the guests would naturally favor me. So when everyone knows that Miss Gu is able to attend the banquet because I have given her the invitation, but she is staying at the Song Family’s mansion, I’m sure they’ll stand up for me.”

After all, the people who went to congratulate Nie Wuying yesterday, such as Wei Yinlian, Jiang Muting and Xie Yiren. were all basically related to Song Yixiao, and although Gu Tongxu was Gu Shao’s biological granddaughter, she had been betrothed to the Qiu Family, so she was at this time a Qiu Family’s member.

For one thing, no one was optimistic about the Qiu Family’s future; for another, Song Yixiao grew up in the imperial capital and had at least met everyone once or several times, even if she did not have a deep friendship with them. Compared with Gu Tongxu, who appeared in the imperial capital for the first time, how could Song Yixiao not gain more preference?

Jiang Muting was so pure that she didn’t even understand this, “And then?”

“And then?” Song Yixiao gave a contemptuous smile, “Everyone knows that the marriage between the Qiu Family and the Gu Family was prompted by the emperor personally intervening, in order to share the Empress Dowager’s worries, as the Empress Dowager was concerned about the parents’ family. However, when Miss Gu attended the banquet for the first time but got ignored, how could the Empress Dowager and the emperor not pursue the matter?”

She rubbed her hair and continued with a sneer, “If they do, they will find out that it was all because they offended me! That’s not the point, but the point is that my grandmother took Miss Gu to live with her, and such a thing offended me! This is a clear indication that I have a deep-seated resentment towards my grandmother, even though I appear to be respectful!”

Glancing at Jiang Muting, who was already dumbfounded, “How do you think the other people will think of me then? What will the Empress Dowager and the Emperor do to me?”