Chapter 71 - The Engagement Was Broken

Although Song Yixiao didn’t know her mother’s plan, she was an unmarried girl and couldn’t do whatever she wanted to do. She had to be obedient after Wei Mengying claimed her attitude.

Then she thought, “I should find an opportunity to see Xue’e and let her send a message to Sister Muting!”

If there was no reply after Yuan Xue’e sending the message, “When I get on well with Sikong Yiluo and Xie Yiren, I can ask them to help me.”

But all her plans failed. No matter who she sent or what excuses she made, Jiang Muting’s maid always replied, “My young lady is so weak recently that she can’t see guests or think too much! Her parents worry about her. For my young lady’s health, they don’t let anyone bother her before she feels better. Well…”

All people sent by Song Yixiao were refused by Jiang Muting.

But Song Yixiao didn’t give up and thought of Wei Yinlian who had been Jiang Muting’s friend since she was a kid. How could Jiang Muting refuse Wei Yinlian?

However, the elder lady of the Wei Family was still ill so that Wei Yinlian didn’t come to Sikong Yiluo’s birthday party. Song Yixiao couldn’t have a chance to talk with Wei Yinlian.

After the elder lady of the Wei Family finally recovered, the weather had been hot. Emperor Xianjia went to Cuihua Mountain to avoid summer heat with the Empress Dowager. Prince of Hengshan’s family and the Wei Family were also busy preparing to go there. It was not proper to bother Wei Yinlian at that time.

“I will talk with Sister Wei after we arrive there!” Thinking of it, Song Yixiao had to put off asking for Wei Yinlian’s help.

However, she couldn’t find Wei Yinlian as soon as she arrived at Cuihua Mountain.

After all, her people should have a rest after they had traveled quickly for a long time. Besides, it took two or three days to put away her luggage. Song Yixiao used to live in a remote place. But this year, because of her fiancé, Song Yixiao could live in a large place next to Lu Kou’er. She needed some time to be familiar with the environment.

After she finally did all of that, Wei Mengying let her take care of Lu Guanyun because Wei Mengying’s belly was larger and suffered a lot from morning sickness during her pregnancy. The servants who served Lu Guanyun were not enough. Lu Guanyun was her only son and Wei Mengying would rest assured to let her daughter look after Lu Guanyun.

Song Yixiao couldn’t refuse to care about her younger brother and Lu Guanyun always wanted to stay with her. Song Yixiao just saw Wei Yinlian once and it was impolite to visit Wei Yinlian with her younger brother. But if Song Yixiao went there alone, Lu Guanyun would fly into a tantrum. Song Yixiao had nothing to do but sigh. Anyway, Jiang Muting had misunderstood her for many days. She was so busy at present and had to find another chance to see her!

Although she had no time to go outside, Sikong Yiluo and others didn’t forget her and often gave her gifts.

Half a month later, Xie Yiren came here in person. Xie Yiren said that she hadn’t seen Song Yixiao for a long time and wanted to see her.

Song Yixiao gave her the full treatment. In order to have a quiet time, she coaxed Lu Guanyun to play swing in the courtyard with a little servant girl. Then she invited Xie Yiren to have tea and snacks, “My mother is tired and my younger brother is naughty and clingy. I really have no free time recently to talk with you. When I miss you, you come here!”

“Kids at this age are all naughty.” Xie Yiren smiled, “My parents told me in the letter that my younger sister was also very naughty. Even three or five servants are not enough to look after her!”

The younger sister she said was the youngest daughter of her parents. She was born in Qingzhou and one year younger than Lu Guanyun. Xie Yiren never saw her and only knew her condition by letters.

Song Yixiao joked, “You look so gentle and quiet. I can’t imagine how your younger sister performs naughtily!”

They talked about the topic about their younger siblings happily. Then Xie Yiren thought of one thing and told her, “I went back from my aunt’s villa two days ago and met Miss Pei, our future sister-in-law, on the mountain road.”

Many nobles and the rich were in Cuihua Mountain at present. It was normal that young ladies met each other.

The problem was, “I’ve known her for five or six years and she will be my sister-in-law. So I must greet her after I saw her. She used to be enthusiastic to see me. But at that time, after seeing me, she went away directly without saying a word! I don’t know why.”

Song Yixiao was very shocked, “Maybe she was not comfortable?”

“Why did she go to the temporary palace if she was weak?” Xie Yiren shook her head and said, “I thought she might have some trouble. So she was so nervous that she was not in the mood to talk with me. But the question is that Jinguo Grand Princess always treats her like her own daughter. Do you think what kind of thing will make her be like that?”

Xie Yiren found something wrong with Pei Yourui and couldn’t know the reason. Song Yixiao stayed at home all day to take care of her younger brother. How could she know that?

They had no clue to guess. Although Pei Yourui would be their sister-in-law, she hadn’t been married so that they didn’t contact with her frequently. Even if Pei Yourui had some trouble, they wouldn’t be implicated.

So even though Xie Yiren was curious, she had no interest to pay attention to it for a long time. Then she turned to talk about needlework with Song Yixiao.

After Xie Yiren left, Song Yixiao didn’t care about Pei Yourui. In the next few days, she snatched a little leisure from a busy life to embroider the handkerchief that she had promised Sikong Yiluo to send her. Then she also embroidered several handkerchiefs and asked servants to send them to Xie Yiren, Yuan Xue’e, Wei Yinlian and Jiang Muting.

The next day after the handkerchief was sent out, Sikong Yiluo came to thank her and told her a surprising message, “Jinguo Grand Princess will make Pei Yourui be her daughter. You’d better prepare a gift for her!”

“Will she marry the son of the Grand Princess? How can she be her daughter?”

“What else can she do?” Sikong Yiluo sneered, “Princess Changxing went out few days ago with servants and then she was lost. She was trapped in the forest and didn’t go back for a night. Then Jian Yiyou sent her back the next day. I don’t dare to ask more details and just know that Jian Yiyou has to break the engagement with Pei Yourui for Princess Changxing’s reputation! Pei Yourui does nothing but loses her future. The Grand Princess has to compensate her!”

Jian Yiyou was the first son of Jinguo Grand Princess and Prince Consort Jian. He was also the brother of Jian Xubai.

Song Yixiao never expected that. She was stunned for a long time and then said, “Didn’t the Empress refuse it?”

Princess Changxing liked Jian Xubai. Although Jian Yiyou was the first son of Jinguo Grand Princess and Prince Consort Jian, Jian Xubai would inherit the title of the Jian Family. Jian Yiyou was just a normal noble and had been engaged to Pei Yourui!

If Princess Changxing married him, other people would blame her for grabbing other girl’s husband. Besides, her reputation would be destroyed after she stayed with her cousin before the wedding for a night. Empress Su was so clever. She must conceal it completely as if nothing happened. How could she make it public and let Jian Yiyou be her son-in-law?

Did Jinguo Grand Princess support her own son? But this was an important thing for her daughter, how could the Empress compromise?

“I’ve told you that I didn’t dare to ask more. How can I know it?” Sikong Yiluo shook her head after hearing that, “You don’t ask it, either. We’d better pretend to know nothing about it.”

Song Yixiao forced a smile to see her off and asked Ms. Zhao to take care of Lu Guanyun. Then she hurried to go to Wei Mengying’s yard.

Fortunately, Wei Mengying looked good at present. After paying respects to her, Song Yixiao told her everything about it and wanted her to analyze it.

“What are you afraid of?” Wei Mengying didn’t care after hearing it, “Even if she becomes your sister-in-law, she will live in a new mansion. How can she live in Duke of Yan’s mansion?”

She sneered, “So I ask you to make your husband love you! As long as Jian Xubai is in your side, he will support you when Princess Changxing gives you problems! At that time, you will see that Princess Changxing crying regretfully!”

Song Yixiao thought her mother was right. But she still felt worried, “Mother, what does Princess Changxing want to do? Why didn’t the Empress Dowager and the Empress stop her?”

“I didn’t know it before you told me. How can I reply your question now?” Wei Mengying pinched between her eyes and seemed to think of something, “The wedding of Pei Yourui and Jian Yiyou is in August. And you will marry Jian Xubai in September. But the wedding of the princess will be prepared for a long time, and the elder brother’s wedding should be held earlier than his younger brother. According to the present situation, your wedding may be put off!”

Wei Mengying didn’t mind that her daughter’s wedding was delayed.

But Jiang Muting and Pei Yourui all had a powerful background. The Empress Dowager even decided Pei Yourui’s marriage in person. But their future husbands were still grabbed. Wei Mengying was worried that her future son-in-law would also be grabbed by someone because the wedding was delayed.

Wei Mengying was so worried that she thought of many ways to stop it. But she didn’t dare to carry on because she was afraid to provoke the royal family after they knew the truth.

However, Song Yixiao seemed to be so lucky. When Wei Mengying hesitated, everyone in Cuihua Mountain knew that Princess Changxing grabbed Miss Pei’s fiancé!

Not only that, after the summer was over, the Emperor went back to the palace with the Empress Dowager. Then they were shocked that people in the imperial capital also realized it! It had raised a colossal uproar!

In this case, the royal family had to take measures.

“A disaster must come if we don’t let our people speak.” The Empress Dowager turned livid with rage, “Now people around the imperial capital also know it. We can’t stop it with force. Otherwise it will destroy the reputation of the royal family!”

So, “Most people just join in the fun to talk about it. In this case, we’d better divert their attention!”

Emperor Xianjia poured a cup of tea for the Empress Dowager and said respectfully, “Mother, please tell me!”

“Xubai’s wedding is in the next month, right?” The Empress Dowager took a sip of tea and said slowly, “Let Jian Pingyu write a letter to the imperial capital and say that he is ill and asks Xubai to get married as scheduled in order to counteract his grandfather’s bad luck. The wedding should be grand so that people in the imperial capital must care about it. At that time, few people will stare at Changxing.”

“If we do that, will someone guess that Jian Pingyu is ill because what Changxing did?” Emperor Xianjia was not satisfied with his daughter’s behavior, either. But she was his daughter after all. So Emperor Xianjia was a little hesitated after hearing it.

“She caused trouble by herself. Why shouldn’t she be blamed by others?” The Empress Dowager put down the tea bowl and sneered, “My Xubai is so innocent. He had suffered much in Wuhuan for five years. After he finally comes back, the fiancée he chose is bullied by others. Now he lives alone in the large mansion and no one cares about him. I really feel sorry for him. Don’t you agree?”

Emperor Xianjia was very filial. After seeing the Empress Dowager was about to be angry, he didn’t dare to contradict her and hurriedly said, “Mother, it’s up to you!”