Song Yixiao had just calmed down her husband's temper with a gentle smile, and was about to take advantage of the situation to bring up the matter of the servants in the mansion. But before she could even think of what to say, there was a sudden knock at the door. Jin Xun looked somewhat nervous as he announced: "Master, mistress, Seventh Young Miss has come with only one maid, and is kneeling at the back door asking mistress to take her in!"

  "Is this the sister-in-law?" Song Yi laughed in surprise, immediately wanting to struggle out of her husband's arms, but Jian Yu Bai tightened his hold, not letting her leave. Irritated, he scolded from behind the door: "In such a large mansion, can't you just let her clean up an empty courtyard first? Do you have to ask about everything? Don't you have a brain of your own?"

  Jin Xun: "......"

  Although Wei Chan is Song Yi Xiao's biological cousin, it would be troublesome to ask for help and without the master's permission, how dare these servants let her in? Not to mention the arrangements afterwards!

  But these grievances, Jin Xun did not dare to mention to Jian Yu Bai, and hastily retreated after saying a "yes" with a trembling voice. However, as soon as she left, Song Yi Xiao became uneasy, dodged her husband's kiss, furrowed her brow and said: "I sent someone to the Wei family this morning to pass on a message, and they came back at noon to report that Yu Mei was still calm. How did she end up coming here now? I'd better go see for myself."

  "She only brought a maid to beg for an audience, and eight or nine out of ten times she's crying and wailing. You're either watching her cry or accompanying her in tears - it's all useless! " Jian Yu Bai heard this and slightly narrowed his eyes, seeming to smile but not quite, saying: "It would be better to have someone take her away to calm down, then when she sees you later, she can explain things more quickly, right?"

  She also said, "You're worried about her, just afraid that something will happen to her. But she's already left the Wei family, not to mention the ponds and rivers along the way, with hairpins on her head and bangles on her wrist, if she really wants to die, it's hard to find a way. Since she came to our house and asked for shelter, how could she possibly take a narrow path? What's the difference between going later or earlier?"

  Now you'd better stay with me seriously!

  She heard the discontent in his words, and after weighing her options, Song Yi could only suppress her impatience, lift up her swan-like neck, and lean back against his shoulder.

  It wasn't until dinner time that Jian Xuwu reluctantly let go of his wife - the two tidied up their clothes, called in the servants, and Song Yi smiled as he asked Wei Zhuang: "Where is my cousin being accommodated?"

  "In the southwest corner of the Quince Pavilion." Jin Xun, having been scolded by Jian Yu Bai earlier, did not dare to speak up. Li Yu had to come out and say, "Miss Biao arrived in a hurry and didn't bring any spare clothes, so I took it upon myself to send over one of Madame's old dresses. Please punish me, Madame!"

  "This is what should be." Song Yi smiled and nodded, "What else does she lack? I'll send over whatever I have here..."

  She glanced at her husband, Jian Yu Bai, who understood her meaning but said: "Your cousin is young and unmarried, and there are no elders in our household. If we invite her to dine with us, wouldn't it tarnish her reputation if word gets out?"

  Song Yi smiled helplessly and said to Li Yu, "Tell my sister-in-law that her brother has been busy with official duties lately and eats hastily. I'm afraid she'll feel constrained if she comes over. Besides, she's had a tiring day today, so why not just rest at the Jie Xing Pavilion? I'll go see her later!"

  Li Yu Dao said: "I understand!"

  She went down to pass on the message. The couple then ordered people to set up dinner. After finishing, Jian Yu Bai went to the study as usual to deal with the official business he brought back.

  However, after he got up, he didn't take a step immediately, but looked at his wife and said: "I don't have much to do today."

  "I won't stay too late at the Apricot Pavilion." Song Yi smiled and thought for a moment, understanding his intention, sighed, and promised.

  Jian Yu Bai was finally satisfied and left.

  "Go to the Apricot Pavilion." Song Yi smiled and returned to the inner chamber to change her clothes, instructing those around her.

  Although the Hongying Building is in the backyard, it is extremely far from the Keshao Hall where the couple lives.

  It was already late in the day, and it would be inconvenient to walk through the artificial hills and flowers, so they could only take the winding corridor - which made the distance even greater. Song Yi laughed as she walked halfway, couldn't help but complain: "Why did you arrange your cousin in such a remote corner?"

  "The slave thinks that since Miss Biao came in through the back door, she obviously didn't want to be seen by too many people." Jin Xun held up the lantern and led the way, carefully explaining, "So I chose a quiet corner for her, if Madam finds it unsuitable, I'll go clean up later?"

  She was half true and half false, considering Wei Cui's situation; she was also intimidated by Jian Yu Bai's scolding earlier, and didn't dare to arrange this untimely Miss Biao in a place near Ke Shao Tang - what if Jian Yu Bai ran into her and thought the young aunt was getting in the way, and then investigated which maid had done such a foolish thing?

  Song Yi Xiao didn't know her little thoughts, but thought it also made sense, so she said: "Don't change for now, wait until I've talked to her and then we'll see."

  After a good cup of tea's worth of time, the master and servant finally arrived at the Hong Xing Pavilion.

  Although this place is a bit far from the main hall, at the moment, looking up at the lamp, you can vaguely see the carved beams and painted buildings, red railings and green tiles, the flowers and grass under the steps are lush, the eaves are hanging bells ringing, magnificent yet not losing precision.

  Settling Wei Cui as a peerage younger sister was not considered slow either.

  "Miss Tai has finally arrived!" Because Li Yu had previously come to deliver the message, saying that Song Yixiao would be coming soon, Wei Chan's maid Su Die had been waiting outside the door. Seeing a figure, she was overjoyed and rushed up to greet her, saying "My mistress is now completely relying on you!"

  Song Yi Xiao didn't respond to this and just said: "I'll go take a look... has she had dinner?"

  "Miss can't eat anymore." Suzhu led the way with a bitter smile, "Just waiting for you!"

  As they spoke, they had already passed through the small courtyard outside the Quin'an Hall and entered the door. After circling around a purple sandalwood screen with carved mountains and water, they saw Wei Chan sitting alone in the guest seat with her head down. In just two or three days, her originally slightly rounded chin had become somewhat pointed.

  When you raise your head, the fleeting light at the bottom of your eyes makes one think of a shooting star.

  A blossoming at the cost of life, a brilliant display on the eve of destruction.

  Even if it's astonishing and earth-shaking, it will ultimately be unable to conceal its impoverished and hopeless end.

  "What Lusan Gongzi said, is it true or not?" The sisters exchanged a glance, Song Yi smiled and waved her hand to let everyone leave, then sat down at the top and asked straightforwardly, "If it's not true, why would your purse be in Lusan Gongzi's hands?"

  Her eyes were slightly cold, "I remember, when you were at Huanxia Xiao Zhu, you only made a purse, and that was the time I guided you - I even joked and asked if it was for me. You said at the time that it was to practice your skills?"

  "I brought that wallet back to the Wei's house." Wei Cui averted her gaze, no longer looking at her, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "It was lost several months ago!"

  "Lost?" Song Yi frowned, just about to say something, but heard her rapid words: "This morning, Cui Xuan went to the Wei family to deliver a message, and after that, my grandmother took severe measures to investigate. One of the rough servants in our courtyard couldn't bear the punishment and confessed that it was she who had stolen it, and exchanged it with Bao's daughter-in-law for a gold hairpin!"

  Song Yi's smile froze on her lips - her heart sank, she took a deep breath, and then asked with a glimmer of hope: "Did you offend Mrs. Bo?"

  "I've offended my aunt!" Wei Cui smiled slightly, but her eyes were devoid of any smile, instead exuding a heavy and gloomy aura. Her expression was quite strange at this moment. "I put the incense given by the Empress Dowager into Yun Shu's room!"

  Song Yi Xiao almost subconsciously stood up!

  "Yun's younger brother is currently harmless." Wei Cui spoke up at the same time, "Otherwise, where would I have had the opportunity to come find you, older sister? Wouldn't I have been taken care of by Auntie herself long ago?"

  Song Yi Xiao stared at her for a moment, confirming that there was no regret or guilt in her eyes, before slowly sitting down and laughing softly: "Is it just because the imperial concubine promised you the position of Crown Prince's wife?!"

  "That's your own nephew!"

  "He's only four years old!"

  "Do you still remember when you first arrived at King Wang's mansion in Hengshan, he pulled your skirt and chased after you shouting 'older cousin'?"

  "From the moment he fell down, there were siblings who could play together, except for me, it's you!!!"

  "Besides, Taifei looks down on you even more than her own daughter-in-law, how could she possibly want you to be the legitimate granddaughter-in-law?!"

  Her expression was calm and unruffled, but two lines of clear tears slowly slid down, "You... how could you do it?! How stupid are you to do this?!"

  When Wei Mengying sent Lu Guanyun to Hanxia Pavilion, Song Yishang thought that her mother was pretending to be a thief to catch a thief. However, it turned out that Wei Mengying indeed had such thoughts, but also coincidentally achieved the right result!

  Who would have thought that the real culprit was actually Wei Mengying herself, who personally ordered Wei Zhuang to receive at the Wang Mansion?!

  Thinking of Lu Guanlun at Huanxia Xiao Zhu, Wei Chan also had a few days there. Even knowing that her brother was safe and sound this time, Song Yixiao still felt a chill: "At the time of Huanxia Xiao Zhu..."

  "Cloud brother is sticky like what!" Wei Cui interrupted lightly, "I just want to do something, where does the opportunity come from?"

  Song Yi Xiao had never been so grateful for her brother's nagging before!

  It's fortunate that she also found it unbelievable: "You've done such a thing, and previously deceived me without my knowledge. If you had asked for my help to devise a plan, that would have been fine. Now that you've spoken, do you still think I'll take you in?"

  "Does my cousin still remember or not, after the Empress Dowager's birthday, you sent Zhao to ask me if I was humiliated at the birthday celebration?" Wei Zhuang said calmly, "At that time, I didn't admit anything... and returned to the Wei family in just a few days."

  Song Yi smiled and nodded her head, she laughed out loud, put down the tea bowl that was warming her hands before, and slowly pulled up her wide sleeves.

  "This is......" Song Yi's smile was initially incomprehensible, but soon thought of something, the blood on her face suddenly drained clean, and the original confusion in her eyes also turned into deep fear and incredulity!

  The wide sleeves were pulled up to her shoulders, and on her snow-white arms, a touch of crimson, shining like red plum blossoms in the snow.

  Song Yi couldn't help but cover her chest with her hand, feeling a little dizzy as if she had just narrowly escaped death.

  However!

  Wei Chang picked up a handkerchief, dipped it in tea water, and gently wiped the vermilion mark. The original bright color instantly disappeared without a trace!

  "At home, a trick was found to deceive during the wedding night, but the guardian sand on her arm couldn't be lit no matter what. Wei Chan sneered at Song Yi Xiang's pale face and said in a light tone, 'In order to deceive others, we can only use rouge as a substitute for now. Looking again, it seems similar, but after all, it's fake!'"

  Song Yi's smile died on her lips as she clutched the handkerchief, staring at the tea stain on her arm. She felt her blood rush to her head and then suddenly drop to her toes - her entire body was alternately hot and cold, with rapid and frequent changes in temperature that left her feeling like her soul was leaving her body.

  In a daze, she finally heard her own voice ask: "Is... Mother?!"

  "It was the princess." Wei Chan's laughter was like a silver bell, but the resentment and poison in it were so strong that they seemed to have substance. She said in a tone that was almost light and quick, "At the birthday banquet that day, I was ordered by my aunt to guard the road that the son of the Marquis of Fuyang must pass through——the process of failing the task has already been told to my cousin, so I won't repeat it! When I wanted to return to my seat, I was covered by a group of maids in an empty corridor and tied up in a quiet place..."

  She seemed to have not seen Song Yi Xiang's trembling and continued on her own, "There were three or two men waiting there, I don't remember. All I remember is that I kept shouting 'Auntie save me', 'Sister-in-law you save me', 'Dad', 'Mom', 'Grandma', shouting all the people I could think of, including Su Die... until I couldn't shout anymore!"

  "I thought I was going to die in agony, and even if I didn't, I knew I couldn't survive. But perhaps the women of the Wei family are not born to be chaste and virtuous, like my aunt who remarried, or me, lying on the ground at death's door, still begging them to spare my life?"

  "So, they proposed that if I could let Lu San Gongzi take the position of Shizi, they would let me go and pretend nothing had happened. I took the initiative to ask them for the incense stick, and after dinner, I found an opportunity to put it in Yun's room!"

  She smiled lightly, "Although Yun is innocent and young, I truly like him - but this liking, after all, can't compare to my own life!"

  "Besides, I was originally living peacefully in my own home. If it weren't for my aunt, how would I have ended up at the Wang Manor in Hengshan?!"

  "If I hadn't gone to Wangfu in Hengshan, how could I have had such an unbearable experience?!"

  "Auntie owes me!"

  At this point, Wei Chang's gaze was like a knife as she stared at Song Yixiao, her voice sharp and cutting, "And you, elder sister - don't you owe me?!"

  She sneered, "Aunt has been in charge for a long time, if it were an ordinary day, how could I have suffered such losses in the Wang Mansion?! It's all because you snatched away the person Longxing Princess had her heart set on, causing both princesses to go to Hengshan Wang Mansion that day. Aunt was worried that you, her own flesh and blood, would suffer a loss, so she put all her thoughts into protecting you, how could she not neglect me?!"

  "After all, I was ruined by you mother and daughter!!!"

  "How could this be?! How could this be?!" Song Yi Xiao had already been crying uncontrollably, her ten fingers clutching the armrest of the chair were cramped from exerting too much force, and her body was propping herself up without any sensation, softly collapsing to the ground. "When mother brought her to the Wang Fu, I clearly sensed that there was something fishy going on! But because I was afraid of offending mother, I only dared to pay attention to her every move, not daring to ask mother for clarification——at that time, I had already obtained the engagement with Jian Yu Bai, truly wanting to protect her, it's not like there were no ways!"

  "But I only thought that Mother would not order my cousin to harm Lu Guanlun, yet I forgot that a 13-year-old cousin, being suddenly drawn into the struggle for the position of young master, how could she possibly be safe?!"

  "She's only thirteen! Only thirteen!!!"

  When Wei Chang arrived at Huanxia's residence, she was carrying a bouquet of trailing Abelia flowers and smiled as she stepped inside. The image seemed to be still vivid in her mind. Only half a year had passed, but the girl who was once so delicate and charming now had all pretenses removed, with only gloom remaining between her eyebrows.

  What kind of desperate gaze is that, like a she-wolf driven to the brink of death, what kind of agony is it to be so recklessly abandoned?!

  If I, as her cousin, had been less guarded and more caring from the start, would those things have happened?

  Looking at her cousin's apathetic expression, Song Yi felt a pang in her heart - she stumbled and crawled forward on her knees, threw herself onto Wei Zhuo's lap, and burst into loud wails: "Why didn't you tell me earlier? Why didn't you inform me? Why did you have to drag it out until today before telling me?!"

  Wei Chang held her in her arms, with tears drying on her face, but there was no emotion in her eyes. She coldly looked down at her cousin's collapse. After a while, she calmly asked: "A son repays his mother's debts, and it turns out that my cousin is unharmed. Auntie, why did you push me to the point of no return?"

  "Sister, can you honestly say that this is reasonable?!"