Song Yixiao had tremendous mood swings and cried her eyes out yesterday. Moreover, no one woke her up, so she didn't awake until nearly noon.

She was not completely sober yet when she heard a surprised voice from her bedside, “My dear daughter! You are finally awake! How do you feel now? Are you hungry? Here, have some water first!”

Song Yixiao was fed with some water in a daze, making her able to voice out. Then she asked in surprise, “Mother, why are you here?”

The well-dressed woman sitting on the embroidered chair by the bed was her birth mother, Wei Mengying, who heard Song Yixiao's question and then tucked her in without replying to her. Instead, Ms. Bo, standing behind Wei Mengying answered the question on behalf of her mistress, “Her Highness hears that you are ill so she just hurriedly rushes here!”

She added, “Her Highness arrived around 10 a.m. and has stayed here by your side for 2 hours. If it had not been for that Qiaoqin and other maids all said that you were fine, Her Highness would have sent for a doctor!”

“Mother, I am so sorry to keep you worried about me!” Song Yixiao thought of the promise that Jian Xubai made last night and realized that her mother wouldn't come here without the Empress Dowager's order. However, she didn't want to point it out. Instead, she only asked Wei Mengying whether she had eaten anything, “Please don't starve yourself for me. The affairs of Prince of Hengshan's mansion are on your shoulders!”

Wei Mengying replied in a soft voice, “My dear, I just can't stand it that you look so pale. How can I have an appet.i.te? Since you are awake now, I am quite relieved. Would you like to eat something? I'll have it prepared!”

Hungry as Song Yixiao was, she didn't feel like eating at the moment. However, when she thought of her goal of meeting Wei Mengying here, she knew that she couldn't make it if she was too tired. Then she said, “A bowl of curd cheese will be enough.”

“It is easy for you to digest.” Wei Mengying nodded and let Ms. Bo make the arrangement. After that, she summoned a maid to help Song Yixiao wash face and get dressed.

Song Yixiao wanted to get up but she was pressed back by her mother. After sending off other people, Wei Mengying started to scold her, “As you are sick this time, your husband is so worried about you. He even asked the Empress Dowager to let me come here just in case that the Dowager Consort may stop me in the guise of the current situation. Evidently, he does value you very much!”

Under the circ.u.mstance, “How can you get recovered too soon? You must take the opportunity to make him pity you!”

Song Yixiao was only concerned about Wei Chan at the moment. Never did she have the mood to consolidate her position?

Yet, given Wei Mengying's temperament, the following conversation would not possibly go well. Hence, she decided to talk after lunch, or they couldn't eat the lunch together!

However, as she remained silent, Wei Mengying mistakenly thought that she was shy. Thus, she continued to talk, “According to Jinxun, you and Xubai haven't consummated your marriage yet?”

“Because…” Song Yixiao felt embarra.s.sed and wanted to palter with her. Yet, Wei Mengying waved and interrupted her, saying, “Rest a.s.sured. I am not scolding you. You know, Xubai cares for you so much. I know that he must like you, which will be enough! I've taught you a lot, only hoping that you can win your husband over by all means! As long as you can keep your husband in love with you forever, I don't care how you live your life. As your mother, of course I hope you to be happy!”

Seeing that Song Yixiao was finally relieved, Wei Mengying said, “However, you two cannot stay like that all the time! You two are husband and wife. He is such a young man that it must be hard for him to control himself. After you become well, you had better find a chance to do it as he wishes. Otherwise, you'll regret it if others take the opportunity to drive a wedge between you two!”

Annoyed by her mother, Song Yixiao said, “Mother, just rest a.s.sured! I've kept what you teach me in mind. And I will never fail you!”

She didn't want to hear more of that. Before Wei Mengying said anything further, she asked about her half-siblings, “I haven't seen my little sister. Who does she take after? How are Guanyun and Zhuo'er doing these days?”

Wei Mengying smiled, “Your little sister has got a name, Cui'er. Under my protection, of course they are fine.”

Song Yixiao got her mother's hint. Obviously, Wei Mengying just implicitly told her that without mother, Song Yixiao would have no one to rely on. However, Song Yixiao just pretended that she didn't get it and only said with a smile, “Cui means verdancy. I wish that my little sister can just live up to her name and always stay healthy and vigorous!”

Then she acted like she just recalled something, “Last time I was rewarded with some cubilose, which I know are of exceptional good quality. I remember Guanyun likes eating that. You must take some back home later!”

She added, “Two days ago, I also noticed two pairs of pretty bracelets with bells for little girls so I kept them specially for Zhuo'er and Cui'er. Kids grow fast. Supposedly, they will be able to wear the bracelets in two or three years.”

“It is so convenient to live without mother-in-law. You can have a say in everything at home.” Wei Mengying sighed, “But your brother and sisters don't lack these things. You should take good care of yourself first!”

Wei Mengying sounded like showing concern for Song Yixiao but in fact, she was giving her daughter a warning that the cubilose and bracelets with bells were good, but Lu Guanyun, Lu Zhuo'er and Lu Cui'er were not in need of these things.

Even if Song Yixiao was empowered to oversee the duke's mansion, she still couldn't show off in front of her maiden family.

Moreover, by saying “it is so convenient live without mother-in-law”, Wei Mengying actually wanted to remind Song Yixiao that she could have a say in everything in this family only because her mother-in-law didn't live with her and Jian Xubai! Once the Grand Princess wanted to interfere, Song Yixiao wouldn't be as powerful as before!

“Mother is such a shrewd woman as always!” Song Yixiao felt amused with self-mockery, “She just forces the Wei Family to abandon Chan and meanwhile learns their lesson lest that I follow the example to turn away from her control and even override her in light of Xubai's power?”

She felt bored and said causally, “Is the curd cheese not done yet?”

After a while, the curd cheese that Song Yixiao asked for and the lunch prepared for Wei Mengying were both served.

They had a meal together harmoniously. After they washed their mouth and all the dishes were cleared away, Wei Mengying put down the tea bowl and asked seriously, “You are always in good condition. How come you are so sick just due to a cold?”

“Mother, you were told that I had a cold?” Song Yixiao smiled faintly and placed a cus.h.i.+on behind her back to lean against, sitting up and saying slowly, “I thought that you had learnt about the ins and outs of the matter… Chan is even one year younger than me. No matter how ignorant she is, luckily, Guanyun is not hurt. I hope that you can spare her life. I wonder whether you can give her a way out for the love between us.”

Wei Chan was gloomy to hear the name Chan and reached the end of her forbearance to hear Song Yixiao mention “the endearment between them” again. She couldn't help sneering, “How dare you talk of the love between us? Think about this! I just rushed here anxiously right after I learnt that you had a cold! I didn't even care to cope with the Dowager Consort's spite. All I wanted to do was to see you and make sure you are fine! Besides, as to your brother—What Wei Chan did would kill him! Do you forget how long Guanyun remained dispirited after he was sent to your Hanxia Villa?”

“But Mother, don't you know why Chan did so?” Song Yixiao shouted in a deep voice with a cold look, “She was doing fine in her own home. If she had no other choice, how dare she offend you? She is only 13 years old. Is what she suffered on the Dowager Consort's birthday feast painful enough for her?”

“The children of the Wei Family are so incapable. If a girl wants to stand above others, she must sow before she reaps!” Wei Mengying said in a fierce voice, “Do you think that it took me no effort to marry your father and then remarry Prince of Hengshan?”

She glanced at her daughter with disdain, “Even for you! Thanks to me, you could learn in the girl's school and play the hypocrite with Lu Kou'er and Lu Chai'er, which makes you become what you are today. We are blessed to be beautiful but as to Wei Chan, she is neither pretty nor high-born. However, she doesn't want to marry a man of similar family background like her sisters. On what ground can she reap where she has not sown?”

Song Yixiao sensed that something was wrong and pondered for a while, asking, “You knew… something would happen to Chan on the Dowager Consort's birthday?”

“How did I know?” Wei Mengying was surprised and immediately denied, “She can't be comparable to you in my eyes, but she is my legitimate brother's daughter anyway. If she didn't try to hurt your brother, why would I frame her? After all, I meant to help her when I kept her sojourning at the prince's mansion. Afterwards, she suffered that mishap, which is her destiny! If she told me about it, wouldn't I avenge her and settle her future life? How could she listen to the ringleader and hurt her cousin instead? Why can't I seek revenge for my son?”

“Mother, why are you still lying to me now?” Song Yixiao felt cold and said with a bitter smile, “Chan told me that the reason why you kept her sojourning at the prince's mansion is that you asked her to offend the heir of Marquis Fuyang purposefully when Lu Guanlun went by so as to attract him to step forward and defend her against injustice! I found it very strange at that time. The heir of Marquis Fuyang is the beloved son of Daiguo Grand Princess, who is not a kind-hearted person! Mother, wouldn't you worry that the Wei Family and you might be implicated if Chan really offended him and thus Marquis Fuyang and Daiguo Grand Princess showed partiality for their son?”

She wiped her face randomly and looked straight at Wei Mengying, “Besides, Daiguo Grand Princess means to support Prince of Wei in seizing the throne! Yet, Prince of Hengshan never interferes in the battle for crown! Although the Prince likes you, regarding the prospect of the whole family of Prince of Hengshan, I suppose you may not dare to break the principle?”

“You, the Wei Family and Chan, all of your words are pretense!” Song Yixiao sneered, “You have taken what Chan suffered into consideration before, haven't you?”

Wei Mengying's countenance was changed instantly and then she just said with a poker face, “Very well! My good daughter! I regard you as my precious by offering you a well-off life. I've brought you up so well. What benefit does Wei Chan offer to you? She only lived in your Hanxia Villa for several days before you got married! How can you think about me like that and force me to give her a way out in light of the love between us?”

Rolling her bracelet, she appeared so resentful, “If I knew about this earlier, I would never give birth to you ungrateful thing!”

Song Yixiao, neither angry nor anxious, snorted, “But you gave birth to me and also allowed me to get married. It's too late to regret it!”

Wei Mengying stared at her in a cold look.

Song Yixiao remained completely indifferent.

They gazed at each other for a while. Song Yixiao finally sneered, “My dear daughter, you want to talk about conscience with me? Fine, tell me then how your first stepmother died back then?”