Song Yi Xiao didn't know about the poisonous plan that Bo's mother had given to Wei Mengying, but after returning to Huanxia Pavilion, she still felt a lingering fear: "I was worried back then that the establishment of the crown prince in the Hengshan Wangfu would not go smoothly. Now this hot potato is indeed going to start - today I managed to avoid disaster by crying and making a scene, but if mother makes up her mind, there's no need to worry about having ways to control me!"

  She felt a heavy heart, "This palace is not good to stay in anymore! Otherwise, it will be dragged down sooner or later! But the Song family is not a good place either, I want to escape, and can only marry!"

  But in the end, her marriage was still in We Mengying's hands!

  "Let's coax Sister Yuan first!" Song Yishang thought for a while, but couldn't think of anything else to do, and could only take things one step at a time. She thought about visiting Yuan Xueying tomorrow and sighed inwardly: although Yuan Xueying only had an older brother four years her senior to rely on, this brother was more reliable than her own parents put together!

  The next day, she arrived at the Boling Hou Mansion early in the morning by carriage.

  As soon as he entered the door, he was directly led to Yuan Xue's courtyard: "The old lady is heartbroken about Master Hou's affairs and is now too tired to see guests. Please forgive her!"

  Song Yixiao knew that Old Lady Yuan was probably overjoyed and didn't have time to be tired, but since the servant said so, she naturally wouldn't question it. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she asked about Yuan Xueying's recent situation.

  "Miss... You'll know when you see her!" The servant sighed, "If it weren't for the fact that there's no other way, His Lordship wouldn't have dared to trouble you so rashly!"

  Six years of acquaintance, Song Yixiao also knew Yuan Xueai's temperament. Before coming, she had already made some guesses and thought that if she looked down on people, she would know that it was probably really bad. But when they truly met face to face, she was still shocked: in just half a month, the young lady of the Hou Mansion had become haggard beyond recognition!

  Song Yi Xiao almost didn't dare to recognize her, and was stunned for a while before walking forward to comfort her: "Sister, how can you not take care of yourself like this?"

  "I don't want to either, but every time I think of my brother..." Yuan Xueying lay on the couch, her hand stretched out, and her bones were clearly visible. She sighed, "I really can't eat!"

  Song Yi smiled and hesitated for a moment, then suddenly tears fell down her face.

  Yuan Xueyao was taken aback: "Song Mei, what's going on?"

  "It's been half a month since we last met, I didn't expect you to lose so much weight, sister!" Song Yi smiled and grasped her hand, saying with a mix of sadness and determination, "If you can't eat, I won't eat either! From now on, I'll accompany you!"

  The two servants: "!!!!!!"

  Yuan Xueying was both moved and guilty: "Sister, why must you?"

  "Sister, although you're not my biological sister, after six years of living together, I've long considered you as family! Song Yi laughed and cried, her heart aching, "Now that you can't eat, how can I bear to eat alone?"

  Yuan Xueying was about to say something, but she wiped her face and made a fierce move, angrily questioning, "You allow your sister to care for her brother, but you don't allow me to care for my sister - do you think I'm not worthy of being your sister because of my humble status?! Of course, I'm also not worthy of sharing hardships with you?!"

  "No, no, no! Absolutely not!" Yuan Xueyi, although not good at handling things, had a kind heart and couldn't bear to admit it. She quickly explained, "I've long considered you as my own sister, so I'm worried when you don't eat too!"

  Song Yi laughed and stood up: "In that case, since we are sisters, how can it be reasonable for the older sister to go hungry while the younger sister eats and drinks a lot? If not eating, everyone will not eat together!"

  "After saying that, she showed great empathy and said, 'I can understand how you're feeling right now, it's like when someone calls you to eat but you really can't eat anymore! As a younger sister, I'm powerless and can't share your worries, all I can do is accompany you with the whole sisterly love!'"

  Yuan Xueyao: "......" A feeling of anxiety and helplessness, who can understand?

  Song Yi Xiao was still someone who "couldn't stand being hungry at all"!

  In the morning, she announced at Hou's residence that she would not eat anything. In the afternoon, in front of Yuan Xueying, she "fainted" - The servants were busy, feeding her a bowl of bird's nest soup, and she slowly came to. Yuan Xueying tried to persuade her to have dinner again, but she refused to listen, saying repeatedly that she wanted to share the difficulties with her sister.

  Now, Yuan Xueying can finally understand the feelings of Yuan Xuepei and others!

  But Yuan Xuepei can invite Song Yixiao to follow her example, but she cannot invite someone to coerce Song Yixiao!

  She really liked this Song sister, so she persisted until the evening, although she still didn't have an appetite. In the end, someone brought up a light porridge and some small dishes, and in front of Song Yishang's face, she ate tastelessly, shoving it into her mouth: "Look, I'm using it, you should hurry up and use some too!"

  Yuan Xuepei received the report and let out a long sigh of relief, only then did she feel at ease.

  The next day, Jian Xuwu came to visit as usual and asked about the matter. Yuan Xuepei told him everything from start to finish, and in the end couldn't help but sigh: "I originally thought that Miss Song would use soft words and gentle speech to persuade Xiaorong, but she used her daughter's own spear against her shield, and within a few hours, Xiaorong voluntarily used the porridge. What a clever and wise heart! How come I didn't think of this move earlier?"

  "Yesterday, the crown prince sent me a message." Jian Yu Bai didn't particularly like Yuan Xue Lian's temperament, but for Yuan Xue Pei's sake, he showed some concern. Now that he heard she had started eating again, he couldn't be bothered to mention it anymore.

  After taking a sip of tea, he directly spoke about official business, "The day after tomorrow is the grand court assembly, where we will discuss the previous suppression of the rebellion."

  Yuan Xuepei's relaxed expression vanished in an instant: "Did the Crown Prince say what the Emperor's will was?"

  It has been half a month since the great army returned to the capital, and sacrifices have been made at the ancestral temple, but the rewards and promotions have not yet been completed.

  After all, it was those who had been captured by the Wuhuan who were difficult to deal with.

  It was able to drag on for half a month, which was already the result of the Empress Dowager and the Crown Prince's efforts to persuade Emperor Xianjia.

  It's finally coming now.

  "The Crown Prince said, 'Considering the face of the Emperor's maternal grandmother, Your Majesty seems to have a somewhat lenient attitude.' Jian Yu Bai said lightly, 'However, the court officials will not let us pass easily! So, at the grand court, we still need to rely on ourselves!'"

  He put down his tea bowl, let out a cold laugh and said, "'With several people greedy for merit and advancement, delaying the war for five years, wasting grain and silk without limit, disgracing heaven's favor, and committing crimes against the state' - these few sentences were spoken by the Minister of Rites, Qiu Xuan, when he came to pay his respects and knelt down in tears before Your Majesty!"

  Yuan Xuepei looked down at her crippled legs and laughed coldly: "Others might say that, but Qiu Xiaoxia? He actually has the nerve to say it too?"

  Do they really not know what it means to be greedy for merit and advancement, and to fall into the trap of the Wu Hu?

  Qiu Xiaoxia was not the mastermind of this matter, but she was absolutely one of the accomplices!

  Yuan Xuepei's legs were a gift from him.

  He raised his head, and the young Marquis of Boling spoke in a gentle tone, but his eyes were sharp as knives. "On the day of the grand court, what do you plan to do?"

  Jian Yu Bai Zheng was about to respond when suddenly a hurried footsteps sound came from outside, followed by the servant hastily reporting: "Master Hou, Old Madame has summoned Eldest Miss over for a talk, and Second Mistress is also there, it seems like they've gotten into an argument!"

  Yuan Xuepei's face changed instantly: "Has Lian'er suffered injustice?"

  "Don't worry, I'll go take a look at what's going on." Jian Yu squeezed his brow and stood up, "If they really don't know any better..."

  "This is just a minor setback, let's bear with it!" Yuan Xuepei's worried eyes were red, but she said, "My step-grandmother is the most skilled at reading faces, how could she possibly make things difficult for Ruo'er when you came over? Most likely, she received news of the upcoming imperial court and intentionally made trouble for us! Even if I spoil Ruo'er, I wouldn't be unable to distinguish between what's important and what's not at a time like this!"

  Jian Yu Bai nodded slightly, but after leaving the house, his face turned gloomy. He ordered his personal attendant, Ji Su: "Later, you go to the palace and tell the Empress Dowager about Old Lady Yuan's spirit!"

  Ji Su said, "The young master is seriously injured and has not recovered, but the old lady of the Yuan family, as his grandmother, is indifferent and does not care. This lack of benevolence and kindness really chills one's heart! The empress dowager is fair and strict, how can she allow such a person to enjoy imperial favor and noble titles?"

  The Empress Dowager was trying every means to exonerate her beloved grandson, when the Yuan family's people, whether intentionally or unintentionally, dared to disturb the Prince of Yan and the Marquis of Boling from discussing countermeasures for the imperial court. The Empress Dowager would not forgive them!

  "Good grief! The master has been having one annoying thing after another lately, and all the maids in our household are on high alert, not daring to slack off for fear of angering him!"

  Ji Su followed behind Jian Yu Bai, narrowing his eyes slightly as he thought disdainfully, "Some people aren't even afraid of death and yet still dare to provoke Gong Ye... Don't they ever think that even if Gong Ye were to be held accountable for taking credit for others' achievements, he is after all the Emperor's own nephew and has the Empress Dowager protecting him? Do these few noble families really think they can cause trouble for Gong Ye? Don't they consider whether they are worthy or not?"

  Only the two of them, full of killing intent, arrived at the scene, but were surprised to find that Yuan Xueying was indeed a bit uneasy, yet her clothes were neat and tidy, her hairpins and earrings in place, surrounded by four or five maidservants under the old lady's watchful eye, not looking like she had been bullied.

  It was her aunt, the second wife of the Yuan family, Mrs. Liang, who was leaning on a maid with disheveled hair and a dropped hairpin by her feet, her face full of resentment, clearly having been taken advantage of!

  Jian Yu Bai entered the door just in time to hear Liang Shi's reckless scolding: "It's nothing but a thing that was driven out of its father's house and nobody wanted! The Wang Fu of Hengshan should have raised a dog and given it food to eat! What kind of nonsense is this..."

  "Enough!" The elderly Mrs. Tu, who had been watching with a bland expression, suddenly changed her face when she saw Jian Yu Bai, and hastily stopped her daughter-in-law, "I told you to change your sharp-tongued and soft-hearted nature, but you wouldn't listen! You think Song Miss is easy to talk to, so you've become even more arrogant?! Hurry up and apologize to Song Miss!"

  This remark seems to be scolding Liang, but in fact it is giving her an excuse - Jian Yu Bai had already instructed Ji Su, and he didn't bother to reveal Tu's little thoughts, and instead followed her gaze to find that Song Yi Xiao was also there, sitting just below Yuan Xue Lian.

  A seventeen-year-old girl wearing a crimson tight-sleeved dress with a lotus-colored skirt, her hair styled in a high bun and her skin as white as snow, her teeth small and delicate, looking like a branch of hawthorn flowers that have just begun to bloom, radiant and bright.

  The one who was scolded by Liang earlier should be her, but she sat there with a gentle and pleasant expression, as if she hadn't heard anything, with a faint smile at the corner of her mouth.

  "Yuan Xue'e hasn't been foolish enough to take on the Tu family alone, so she's pulled in Miss Song to help her out." Jian Yu Bai had just heard about Song Yi Xiao's cleverness from Yuan Xue Pei, and now that he saw it for himself, how could he not understand what was going on?

  Most likely, Tu and the second wife joined forces to find trouble with Yuan Xueyao. Who would have thought that Song Yixiao also followed along, not only did she not let Yuan Xueyao suffer a loss, but instead made Liangshi furious!

  He looked at Song Yishou, this girl's calm and composed appearance, compared to Liang's anxious and flustered state, was elegant and poised, showing the demeanor of a noble family.

  Jian Yu Bai vaguely remembered the first time they met six years ago, and at that time, Song Yi was already very sensible - after all, she was only eight years old when she was forced out of her home in a disguised manner, it's hard not to be sensible.

  "If I hadn't gone to war with the Wuhuan for these six years, I'm afraid I would still be very naive now? Indeed, jade that is not carved cannot become a vessel!" The young Prince of Yan's eyes flashed with complexity, and he suddenly lost interest in talking, standing with his hands in his sleeves, waiting for Song Yisheng to continue to placate the Liang family before shouting at them to leave.

  Song Yixiao didn't know what he was thinking. Seeing him come, she secretly let out a breath and thought: "The reinforcements have arrived, so why do I still need to charge forward?"

  Lower your head slightly, put on a wronged expression, and wait calmly for Jian Yu's words.

  Time flies, one moment has passed, another moment has passed...

  The hall is silent as if the ravens and sparrows have lost their voices!