Chapter 317 - Gu Shao’s Scheme (1)

Jiang Muting never thought that she would push her friend into a trap by only defending her and ignoring a stranger, so her face turned pale with anxiety, “Then what should we do now? Shanyao, you are always smart. You must have a solution, right?”

“The good thing is that Wuying’s birthday banquet was just finished yesterday.” Song Yixiao narrowed her eyes slightly and said calmly, “Miss Gu is new to the imperial capital and is not familiar with everyone. Although I gave her the visiting card, I was unable to attend due to my pregnancy and no one introduced her. Therefore, it is reasonable that she can’t assimilate into us for the time being. As long as someone continues to invite her, even if it goes to the Empress Dowager, they can’t say we’re crowding her out!”

“Then I’ll give her the invitation when I get back!” Jiang Muting hurriedly said, “And I’ll talk to Yinlian and the others, about inviting her one by one. We’ll all imply towards the public that you have praised her so much that we have the intentions to become friends with her. Then even Gu Tongxu herself will have nothing to say!”

Song Yixiao said with a shameful look on her face, “You were trying to help me, but unexpectedly I have to bother you again!”

“It’s just a few cups of tea, just to pass the time.” Jiang Muting patted on her lightly and snapped, “What kind of relationship do we have? Is such a little thing worth mentioning? You helped me much before. Did you forget it?”

With the strategy in mind, Jiang Muting went over what had happened and said with hatred, “This Liu Family is really no good! If the upper beam is not straight, the lower ones will go aslant. Madam Liu and Liu Zhenxi simply deserve it, and Liu Zhijin and Qiu Zhiyin have the nerve to bother you!”

She thought it was clear. After Qiu Zhiyin and Liu Zhijin learned that Gu Tongxu had visited Song Yixiao and received the visiting card from Song Yixiao, they deliberately urged Elder Lady Pang to take Gu Tongxu to the Song Family’s mansion.

This was to make Gu Tongxu treated coldly at Nie Wuying’s birthday banquet so that they could slander Song Yixiao for disrespecting her grandmother and defying the emperor’s will!

Qiu Zhiyin and Liu Zhijin were once biological siblings, but now, one is the heir of the Qiu Family and the other is the concubine of the Song Family. How did they collude? Jiang Muting suspected Elder Lady Pang and Song Yuan from the bottom of her heart. After all, it seemed to her that they, the mother and son, had always regarded Song Yixiao as an enemy, and even if they knew of Liu Zhijin’s move, they might not have stopped it.

In a darker thought, perhaps they still had a role to play in the tandem of the two members of the Liu Family!

“After all, it is their biological father. It is not surprising that they are nagging at me.” Song Yixiao heard this, smiled and said, “It’s a pity that the Empress Dowager is so old, but while she’s worried about Grand Princess Daiguo, she doesn’t forget to think for the Qiu Family’s future. To ensure the future of the Qiu Family, she even asked the emperor to personally persuade Prime Minister Gu, so that he was willing to marry his biological granddaughter to Qiu Zhiyin! If the Empress Dowager knew the real story, I wonder how sad she would be.”

She sighed with emotion as she said, “Although I have never spent much time with the Empress Dowager, my husband was raised by her and is very close to her. If he knew about this, even if he wouldn’t blame me, he would certainly share the Empress Dowager’s concerns!”

Jiang Muting hurriedly said comfortingly, “It’s obvious that you were also being set up, so how can the Duke of Yan blame you? As for the Empress Dowager, I think it would be better if the Empress Dowager knows about it! The Empress Dowager has worked so hard to plan for her parents’ family, but Qiu Zhiyin only cares for his own father. He totally doesn’t care about his current father or the Empress Dowager! He is such a heartless person that the Empress Dowager should know what he really is!”

She also said with concern, “You are now resting for miscarriage prevention, so you should wait until you give birth no matter what happens. I heard from my sister-in-law two days ago that the first legitimate son of the Prince of Liang was carried by his foster nurse at the veranda to go for a blow for a little while and nearly had a serious accident – don’t fall into the trap!”

Obviously, she thought that the siblings in the Liu Family were not only trying to slander Song Yixiao but also trying to kill two birds with one stone, so that the child in Song Yixiao’s womb would also be taken into account in this trickery.

Song Yixiao was receptive to this advice, “Don’t worry! I will never let anyone hurt my child!”

The conversation was almost finished. After a few moments, Song Yixiao looked tired, and Jiang Muting figured this out and hurriedly left.

After she left, Jinxun came near to serve her and asked with anxiety, “Madam, that day when Ms. Zhang came over to deliver something, she didn’t say anything to me!”

“So now you know what she did say to you.” Song Yixiao tapped on the beadwork on her temples, signaling to her to remove it all. Dispersing her long hair and leaning back comfortably on the cushion, she said calmly, “As for the exact words, do you need me to teach you?”

Jinxun was stunned for a while, but then she understood, and nodded with bright eyes, “Don’t worry, Madam! If anyone asks, I’m sure I’ll know what to say, but will I also have to go to visit the Young Mistress?”

“Do you really think I’m setting Qiu Zhiyin and Liu Zhijin up?” Song Yixiao heard this and gave her an unpleasant look, “At the beginning of the year, I just dealt with Cui Jianlian and the others. This is not a hidden secret. The Empress Dowager and my mother-in-law know clearly about this. Now the Empress Dowager is obviously worried about the future of the Qiu Family, and the Qiu Family has only one heir, Qiu Zhiyin, so if I try to set him up again, even if I am pregnant, do you believe the Empress Dowager will not spare me?”

Seeing Jinxun’s astonishment, she laughed coldly and said in a low voice, “Even if the Empress Dowager thinks of the child in my womb, I am still less than two months away from childbirth! How can I be confused at this juncture?”

Women’s giving birth had been a dangerous juncture since long before. If Song Yixiao had provoked the Empress Dowager’s murderous thoughts at this moment, with her identity, the Empress Dowager would just need to give a little hint, and there would be bunches of people to kill the birthmother and to leave the child for Jian Xubai!

How could she make such a mistake?

Jinxun thought about it but was puzzled, “Since it is not yours divine plan, I wonder…who is enforcing justice on behalf of Heaven?”

“Enforcing justice on behalf of Heaven. Are you reading any historical romance novels secretly lately?” Song Yixiao was amused by her words and gave her a giggle, reaching out and nudging her with her finger before saying, “This is clearly aimed at Qiu Zhiyin and Liu Zhijin. Strictly speaking, it’s mainly to deal with Qiu Zhiyin. Liu Zhijin is a woman and has become a concubine. What more can she do? If we count the people who dislike Qiu Zhiyin, apart from me, the only person who dislikes Qiu Zhiyin will be Prime Minister Gu!”

“I am your maid, so of course my words must be in your favor too!” Jinxun said seriously, “So those who plot against you must be scheming. But if you set others up, then you will be wise and resourceful. And those who are helping you naturally are chivalrous and righteous!”

She continued to say with surprise, “Prime Minister Gu? His own granddaughter was married to Qiu Zhiyin by decree. If he harms Qiu Zhiyin, what will Miss Gu do in the future?”

“It is for the sake of Miss Gu’s future that Minister Gu is doing this.” Song Yixiao said, “After all, the marriage was arranged by His Majesty himself. Do you think Prime Minister Gu himself likes Qiu Zhiyin?”

Although she hadn’t asked Gu Shao about this question herself, she could guarantee that Gu Shao didn’t like Qiu Zhiyin at all!

This was not to say that Qiu Zhiyin’s talent and character did not meet Gu Shao’s eyes. In fact, to be honest, Qiu Zhiyin in this life was much more competitive than in the last one.

After all, in the previous life, when Song Yixiao died with grievance, the Liu Family was still prominent. As the only legitimate son of Liu Zhenxi, this person could be said to have been loved by a thousand people and was inevitably spoiled with all the vices of a fop. He was very lax about his schoolwork, frequently skipping the lessons.

In this life, however, the Liu Family had suffered a misfortune. After he was adopted by the Qiu Family, even though Qiu Shuxia had no children, his adopted father was not the same as his own father. The rumor said that Qiu Zhiyin had worked hard to improve himself, being filial to his adopted father and adopted mother and studying hard. It seemed to be the return of a prodigal son!

He had owned high status and lived a comfortable life since young. After he changed from his foppish personality, he did look delicate and pretty. The problem was that even though he was a man of great talent and a man of great beauty, Gu Shao was more reluctant to become the enemy against the Duke of Yan’s mansion!

“Although there have been whispers in the palace that His Majesty, in order to get Prime Minister Gu to promise to marry his granddaughter to Qiu Zhiyin, has hinted that in the future, he will have the crown prince confer a title of nobility upon Prime Minister Gu.” Song Yixiao fiddled with the embroidered patterns on her lapel, gently whispering to her trusted maid, “Prime Minister Gu has no capable descendants, and with an empty title, it is merely a glamorous appearance. How can he gain power?”

Although Gu Shao himself was currently in a high and powerful position. “But how old is Prime Minister Gu? Even if he knows how to maintain his health, can he still outlive my husband?”

Since he would not outlive Jian Xubai, Gu Shao would have to consider whether it was worthwhile to get involved with the Qiu Family for the sake of a promised title, thus creating a rift with Jian Xubai. Qiu Shuxia had offended Jian Xubai so badly that no one in the court didn’t know about it. Song Yixiao, as his wife, had a deep conflict with Qiu Zhiyin. Gu Shao would not be so naive as to think that after his son became Qiu Zhiyin’s father-in-law, Jian Xubai and his wife would have no hard feelings towards the Gu Family, so the deal was not a good one at all!

“Prime Minister Gu now has a high status, only lower than the Emperor’s, and with his service to the crown prince, even without His Majesty’s promise, there is a high chance that the crown prince will confer a title of nobility on him in the future!” Song Yixiao analyzed the situation carefully, “To take a step back, if the crown prince doesn’t confer the title, there will still be Commandery Prince Zhongling! He is the official disciple of Prime Minister Gu, and if he ascends the throne in the future, no matter whether or not Prime Minister Gu is still alive, how can he not be gracious to the Gu Family?”

Jinxun subconsciously said, “But what if the one who ascends to the throne in the future is not Commandery Prince Zhongling?”

It was only when she said this that she felt wrong, so she hurriedly raised her sleeve to cover her mouth in fear.

But since there were only them two in the room, Song Yixiao did not scold her, but said, “You are really silly. Prime Minister Gu is the teacher of Commandery Prince Zhongling, and he and Commandery Prince can be considered to be one when it comes to honor and disgrace. If Commandery Prince Zhongling ascends the throne, as the teacher for the emperor, he will be overwhelmed with honor, leave a good reputation in history, and bless his family’s future. But if something happens to Commandery Prince Zhongling in the future, what will be the point of having a title?”

Yuan Xuepei had succeed a title at a young age, a marquis title second only to a duke, and was considered to be a very distinguished person in terms of status. But because his parents died early, and his step-grandmother and uncle eyed covetously, he still lived a tough and sympathetic life.

Moreover, since the royal family could confer a title, couldn’t they also remove it?

A ready example was the Ji Family. That was the emperor’s own brother-in-law, not to mention that Gu Shao was not even a royal relative.

So the benefits that Emperor Xianjia had promised Gu Shao sounded good, but in reality, they amounted to nothing.

Gu Shao’s willingness to nod was due to the emperor’s decisiveness and cruelty, and he had to compromise.

But he was a famous minister, and even if he was afraid of the emperor, he still had his own pride. So although he agreed to marry his granddaughter to the Qiu Family, he also made a secret move.

“The reason why the Empress Dowager and His Majesty spent so much effort to convince Minister Gu to promise to marry his granddaughter to Qiu Zhiyin is, in the final analysis, for the Qiu Family.” Song Yixiao took a sip of the rose syrup handed to her by Jinxun and said with a chuckle, “But not for Qiu Zhiyin. Those two are willing to worry about his marriage only because his surname is Qiu now, and he is Qiu Shuxia’s only heir.”

Saying this, the smile on her lips deepened as she saw Jinxun thinking, “That’s right. Since he’s not really the Qiu Family’s biological son, why can’t Qiu Shuxia have a second heir if there can be one?”

“It doesn’t matter where the Qiu Family’s next heir comes from, as long as his character and appearance are decent and the point is that he doesn’t hold any grudges, I think Prime Minister Gu will be satisfied!”

With Gu Shao’s status, he might not be able to convince Jian Xubai and his wife to give up their revenge against Qiu Shuxia and Qiu Zhiyin, but he was confident that he could convince them not to be angry with an innocent heir and Gu Tongxu!

Jinxun asked curiously, “I am always at your side. I don’t know how Prime Minister Gu managed to conceal this from me and inform you of this plan?”

“How could he possibly let anyone know about such a thing?” Song Yixiao said unconcernedly, “I guessed it myself. Gu Tongxu just arrived in the imperial capital and was eager to visit me, so it could be said that Prime Minister Gu wanted to comply with the Empress Dowager’s and His Majesty’s wishes so that the Qiu Family and we couple could bury the hatchet. The problem is that when the Song Family wanted to take Gu Tongxu to live in the Song mansion for a while, Prime Minister Gu didn’t stop them. I can’t help but think more about this!”

Gu Shao knew the best of the rift between the father and daughter of the Song Family. If he really wanted his granddaughter to make friends with Song Yixiao, he would never have agreed to take Gu Tongxu to live with the Song Family before she got married.

It was a well-known fact that Gu Shao was a benefactor to Song Yuan and had a higher status than the Song Family, so if he did not give his nod, how could Elder Lady Pang possibly take Gu Tongxu away no matter how many reasons she had and how much trouble she wanted to bring to her eldest granddaughter?

As for the claim that Gu Shao valued his old friend’s descendants and did not care about Song Yixiao’s feelings as a married lady. Song Yixiao did not think that was possible either. After all, such a move would be very detrimental to Gu Tongxu’s integration into the circles of the imperial capital. Even though Gu Shao thought highly of Song Yuan, he couldn’t possibly risk his own granddaughter’s future for the sake of a personal grudge between Elder Lady Pang and Song Yuan, could he?

Therefore, when Song Yixiao learned that Gu Tongxu had been brought by Elder Lady Pang to the Song Family’s mansion, she became suspicious!

“The main reason why I fabricated what Ms. Zhang reminded you of, and asked Muting and other girls to be warmer to Miss Gu, was to stop Qiu Zhiyin and the others from trying to defend themselves!” Song Yixiao narrowed her eyes, “Otherwise, if the rumor that I had been offended by Miss Gu’s living in the Song Family’s mansion was confirmed, Qiu Zhiyin could say that he was worried that I still harbored ill will towards him and had deliberately conspired with Liu Zhijin, who was a concubine in the Song Family, to test him. At that time, no matter whether he could get away with it or not, but I would definitely be in trouble! Why do I give him such an opportunity?”

Jinxun was worried and said, “Therefore, I think I should go to the Song Family’s mansion and inform Ms. Zhang in private. Otherwise, in case any flaws are revealed…”

“No need!” Song Yixiao waved her hand and said, “If the Song family is really investigated, my stepmother will definitely put all the blame on Liu Zhijin. This is the best way to protect the Song Family and get rid of an obtrusive concubine. Why doesn’t my stepmother do it with pleasure?”

She laughed coldly, “After all, my good grandmother has personally supported Liu Zhijin in her fight with my stepmother for the reins of the family! How many married wives can stand such humiliation and threats? My stepmother doesn’t dare to do anything to her mother-in-law due to filial piety, but she has the opportunity to kick her when Liu Zhijin’s down. How is possible that she shows her sympathy and doesn’t grab this chance?”

At that time, Madam Lu might even thank her stepdaughter for giving her the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, that is, she could get rid of Liu Zhijin, combat the power of Elder Lady Pang, and save the rest of the Song Family at the same time!

Song Yixiao smiled at this point and closed her eyes, “As for whether my guess is right or not…we’ll see if the Qiu Family changes their heir next!”