Jian Xubai stayed by the door for a while. Then he stepped over the threshold and then closed the door, which made Song Yixiao even more alerted and vigilant.

He just walked to Song Yixiao slowly and didn't mean to do anything against her. With an embarra.s.sed face, he opened his mouth and seemed to say something.

"Anything I can help?" Song Yixiao looked at him suspiciously.

"Kind of." Jian Xubai answered with uncertainty and remained silent for a long while. He even blushed and then talked of his intention in a low voice, "My uncle says girls are good at how to act like a spoiled child. I am wondering how you do this to your father."

After he said that, his face was completely red. He kept looking around and yet didn't dare to look at Song Yixiao. It was too embarra.s.sing for him to ask a girl younger than him how to act like a spoiled child before her father. Even though he was eager to win favor from his father, he felt so awkward now indeed!

Actually, Song Yixiao didn't feel less awkward at all!

She was astounded for a while and said with a complicated countenance, "Shouldn't it be similar to doing it before mother and grandmother? They are all your seniors."

"But what I do to my grandma and mother doesn't work on my father at all!" He would go ahead regardless! Jian Xubai made up his mind to disclose his problem undisguisedly, "My father likes my brother most, followed by my sister. I am the least liked one by him. My uncle says that it is because my father attaches importance to seniority and my sister knows how to act like a spoiled child!"

He stared at Song Yixiao with antic.i.p.ation, "You look quite young, so you must be the most favored now, aren't you? How do you deal with your father?"

Song Yixiao bit her lip and had no idea whether she should cry or get angry, "Well… I'm afraid I cannot help you with this. In terms of winning favor from my father, I am quite a loser. Otherwise, I wouldn't be shut out of the family and brought by my mother to live under the roof of Prince of Hengshan!"

"Shut out of the family?" Jian Xubai looked at her in surprise, "What wicked deed have you done to let your father abandon you even though you are so young?"

Although Song Yixiao felt uncomfortable with the consequence caused by selling herself, she wouldn't admit it for sure. Then she immediately said tearfully, "I am only eight years old. What evil thing do you think I can do?"

Jian Xubai started to ruminate.

Song Yixiao was speechless.

In order to prevent the young man from hitting the mark by a fluke, she reminded weakly, "It is said that the matter of Madam Liu in the Song Family has created a sensation. You have never heard of it at all?"

"I didn't get out of the palace until yesterday. My grandmother is strict about managing the palace, so the all of the imperial servants don't dare to gossip." Jian Xubai frowned, "Who is Madam Liu?"

a.s.sumedly, he went back home specially to hold a birthday feast for his father. However, his enthusiasm was poured cold water afterwards. Out of frustration, he ran to the silk store, waiting for his father to beg him back. Sadly, his father or brother didn't come. If his uncle didn't come to smooth things over, he would be so humiliated…

This thought flashed through Song Yixiao's mind. She came to her senses and talked about what happened to her before, "… Then I was brought to Prince of Hengshan's residence by my mother afterwards."

"Was your stepmother framed?" Jian Xubai heard her out and asked. Instead of cursing Madam Liu for her viciousness instantly like the others, he said as if absorbed in thought, "If she was determined to sell you to the brothel, how could you stay well? After all, you are eight years old now. Undoubtedly, you are old enough to remember things. Even if the bawd didn't send you back to the Wei Family, wouldn't she fear that you might tell her off?"

He said carefully, "If I were your stepmother, I would make you a dummy and break your wrists so that you couldn't speak or write. In that case, you wouldn't be able to testify that she conspired against you even if you met her. Then it would be absolutely safe!"

Was he a human being or not?

Song Yixiao stared at him in bewilderment and couldn't help feeling frightened. Did this man suspect her now?

Instead of looking at her, Jian Xubai thought for a while and said, "In terms of this incident, you seemed to be the target but in fact, the ones who suffer a lot are your stepmother, her maiden family and the Song Family. As to you, apart from your reputation being slightly damaged, you don't suffer a real loss! Moreover, people all show sympathy for you, which kind of counteracts with your loss of the reputation."

What he just said made Song Yixiao feel on pins and needles!

He continued saying, "Hence, in my opinion, it can't be your stepmother who plots on selling you. It must be…" He said meaningfully, "Someone who resents the Song Family and Liu Family!"

Song Yixiao couldn't help s.h.i.+vering and grasping her sleeves subconsciously. Should she confess? What would he do if she didn't?

She remained silent with fear.

Jian Xubai said confidently with sparkling eyes, "It's the Wei Family!"

Song Yixiao felt that she almost collapsed and then leaned back against the cus.h.i.+ons faintly!

"Silly girl. You have been used by your grandma. Ms. Wu and the bawd who sent you to the Wei Family must have been arranged by the Wei Family! They did this only to use you to set up a trap for your stepmother so that they can erase the trouble that your mother's remarriage has brought to the Wei Family on the grounds of the Song Family's maltreatment on you and the Liu Family's inability of educating a daughter!" Jian Xubai said in a pitiful tone, "You father must know this too but he can't find the evidence. Therefore, he cannot do anything to the Wei Family but to vent his anger on you!"

Song Yixiao was relieved with a sigh and got up in spirits, staring at him with admiration, "You are so smart that you can think of so much at once. I just can't do the same!"

"You are still too young." Jian Xubai, neither conceited nor rash, encouraged her with generosity, "You should try your best to observe when you are around my age. Then you won't be easily cheated like now."

Song Yixiao kept nodding her head and sincerely hoped that he could keep being so wise. They felt like old friends at the first meeting and had a happy conversation until Zhiqin arrived with Lingdang.

Song Yixiao and her own maid didn't know Jian Xubai so they could only guess that Lingdang, the senior maid of Wei Mengying, must have seen this young man when she accompanied Wei Mengying into the palace for meeting the empress dowager.

Now seeing that this young man and Song Yixiao were talking happily alone in the wing-room, Lingdang felt a bit surprised and then chuckled to herself. After greeting to them, she expressed the grat.i.tude and apology of Wei Mengying sincerely, "Princess Consort Wei wanted to come here on her own but she is occupied now."

She was lying!

The real reason was that Zhiqin was only concerned about Song Yixiao's injury without paying attention to Jian Xubai's ident.i.ty. Wei Mengying was a princess consort anyway so she didn't want to come after knowing that it was only a young man two or three years older than her daughter.

However, Jian Xubai didn't care about that, "I am to blame for Sister Yixiao's injury. I should have apologized to Princess Consort Wei. However, today is my birthday and there has been a feast in the Grand Princess's residence. I am afraid to get the seniors waiting for me if I arrive late. Hence, I must let Yixiao down now. I will go to visit Prince of Hengshan and offer my apology some other day."

They had such a nice conversation that they started to call each other by the first name.

Having noticed that, Lingdang felt admiration for Song Yixiao and did polite greetings with Jian Xubai on behalf of Wei Mengying. After knowing that Song Yixiao could move now, she volunteered to carry her back. They hadn't gone far. She checked around and found no one nearby. Then she couldn't wait to ask, "Your ladys.h.i.+p, is there anything going on between you and Duke Jian…"