Luckily, there was a tavern which was not far from where the carriage broke down.

Song Yixiao was supported by two servants, walking in the heavy wind and snow for quite a long time. Finally, they stepped inside the building.

“Is there a suite?” A guard went to the counter and asked. At that moment, a voice “Huh” came from not far away. A man got up and walked over, “Yixiao? What brings you here?”

Song Yixiao was still wearing a valance cap. It was cold. The tavern only left two door panels for people to enter, and a thick curtain was hung on the door. Although there were lights in the building, it was still inevitably bleak. Therefore, although she looked over immediately when hearing the voice, she could only see a vague figure. For a moment she did not recognize who it was, having to say vaguely, “The carriage is broken and it's snowing outside. So I come here waiting for someone to go back to find another carriage.”

“I'm afraid Xubai is very busy today and may not have time to pick you up, right?” The man said with a smile on his face, “If you don't mind, just take my carriage. There's no need to wait.”

Song Yixiao still did not remember who he was, but felt pretty familiar with his tone of voice. She had to lift some veil secretly. The first glance at him made her shudder: Ji Mingfei!

Although it was awkward when she met Ji Mingfei last time, she was actually never stumped by the distant relative, “Cousin Mingfei”. Besides, he was, to some extent, warmhearted. But for some reason, Song Yixiao's scalp pinned with all kinds of discomfort when she saw him.

She smiled embarra.s.sedly and tried to decline his offer subconsciously, “Did you also come by carriage? If so, I can't take yours. What will you do when you are going if I use your carriage?”

“I can stay!” Ji Mingfei didn't care at all, “There's a daughter of a family behind this tavern whom I get along well with. I'll go there for a night and wait for someone to pick me up tomorrow!”

Song Yixiao knew that the so-called “a daughter of a family” was probably a secret prost.i.tute. She still couldn't think of any suitable words to reply after quite a while, and had to say, “Thank you, Cousin Mingfei!”

“Don't regard me as an outsider.” Ji Mingfei smilingly ordered someone to go to the backyard and pull his own carriage out. He measured this cousin-in-law, “But Xubai really doesn't know how to care about you. In this windy and snowy day, how could he ask you, such a weak lady, to run around instead of putting things off?”

Song Yixiao thought what he said was a bit frivolous. However, he was not only her relative, but also a helper. It was not suitable to make a retort. So, she just laughed, “One of Director Linghu's parents pa.s.sed away. Since Xubai is serving in the Ministry of War, obviously, I need to go to Linghu's mansion to offer condolences. When I came back, I came across my mother and sister who were waiting at the roadside, because their carriage was broken. Unluckily, after I sent them home, my own carriage broke down on the way where is not far from here!”

“What a coincidence!” Ji Mingfei laughed, “I was going to leave just after a little more drinking. If you had come a bit later, you wouldn't have met me. We're family after all. We have a bond!”

“Is this man accustomed to being frivolous?” Song Yixiao frowned, “Is it incest that a man has a bond with his cousin-in-law? How can he talk like that?!”

Luckily, the carriage arrived at the door at this time. When Song Yixiao saw it, she turned around and went out without any reply except for “thank you”.

She didn't meet any trouble on the way back to the mansion of Duke of Yan finally. When she entered the door, she asked about Madam Mu first. Knowing that Madam Mu had left, she asked about Wei Chan, “How was she feeling? Did she ever cry? Did she have a look of embarra.s.sment on her face?”

Jinxun followed her into the inner room. While changing Song Yixiao's clothes moistened with snow, she said, “The mother and daughter embraced together the moment you had come out of the Jiangxing Villa. How could they not cry? As for Lady Chan's expression, I've seen her depressed these days… Anyway, why don't you have some food before going there?”

Song Yixiao had been tossing and turning for most of the day, and now she hadn't even eaten lunch. She asked about Wei Chan, knowing that she had already eaten her lunch, and said, “Then set up dinner. I'm really hungry!”

After lunch and a bowl of warm almond porridge, Song Yixiao wrapped herself in her fox fur and went to the Jiangxing Villa in the wind and snow.

Hearing Wei Chan stammer that she decided to go back the Wei Family the day after tomorrow, she was surprised, “Although you are able to get up now, you are not fully recovered yet. Why are you in a hurry to leave since you have lived for quite a few days? Especially it is freezing now. Even though the Wei Family was also in imperial capital, it is a few blocks away from here! If you were frozen in the wind on the way home, wouldn't it make your body worse?”

Wei Chan stammered, “Anyway, I will sit in a carriage which can protect me from the wind. Besides, it's November now, and you're getting busy. I may bring you inconvenience if I keep living here.”

“There's nothing inconvenient.” Song Yixiao shook her head, “Your brother-in-law let me take charge of all the things in the backyard. I neither need to greet the elders in the morning and evening, nor have any sisters- or brothers-in-law to take care of. So how busy can I be?”

She wondered, “What did aunt say to you just now? Why do you make a sudden decision to go back?”

“Since I will withdraw the marriage with Third Young Master Lu definitely, my mother said that it is better sooner rather than later.” Wei Chan pursed her lips after hearing that, “It should be done secretly during the lively Shengshou Festival and Wanshou Festival. Everything may have been past and changed before others know and talk about it. If I don't go back, I'm afraid some people would think that it has something to do with you and my brother-in-law. Then don't you two be dragged into the trouble for no reason?”

Hearing this, she stopped pursue her to stay. And she just said, “If there is any trouble with this matter, just send someone to tell me.”

Naturally, Wei Chan said many thanks. The two cousins talked a lot and Song Yixiao didn't leave until a servant came to tell her that Jian Xubai had returned.

The Jiangxing Villa was really quite far from the Keshao Hall. When she arrived there, Jian Xubai had not only changed his clothes, but also drunk almost a cup of tea. Seeing her enter, Jian Xubai set aside the cup immediately and walked towards her. He said with concern, “I heard the carriage was broken on your way home. Are you OK?”

“I am fine. The hub was broken, and I was just frightened.” Song Yixiao knew he cared her a lot now, and if she told him the truth, the coachman might be given a severe punishment. Even though the coachman was not her servant, it was not easy to drive a carriage in heavy snow. Therefore, she skated over, “It was funny. I met my stepmother and stepsister whose carriage broke down. So, I offered to send them home. It turned out that after sending them home, on my way back home, my carriage broke down, too!”

Jian Xubai was displeased as expected, “The hub was broken. It must be the coachman who didn't pay attention in normal times…”

“I'm the one who wanted to come back early and rush him to get the carriage moving quickly!” Seeing that no one was in the house, Song Yixiao put her arms around his neck and laughed, “Otherwise, there wouldn't have been any trouble. Besides, I'm not so bad luck. I thought it would be good enough if I'd be back by nightfall. But in a nearby tavern, guess who I met and lent me the carriage?”

Jian Xubai glanced at the white hands his wife rested on his shoulder. His eyes softened, and he laughed lightly, “It's either Cousin Mingfei or Cousin Zifu?”

Song Yixiao was surprised, “How do you know?”

“It's a snowy today, and tomorrow is the Shengshou Festival. All the families are busy, so which woman would go to the tavern with nothing?” Jian Xubai said pleasurably, “Therefore, the one who lent you the carriage must be a man. You don't have any brothers, so he must be a relative from my side. You've just been married to me for two months. Who else would it be except for the two cousins from the Ji Family, the one you know each other and is still wandering around outside in such weather?”

Seeing the certainty on his face, Song Yixiao rolled her eyes and said, “That's not necessarily correct! It's true I don't have any brothers, but I have many cousins! How do you know I didn't meet a son of my uncle from whom I get a carriage to come back?”

“Well, I told you. That's because tomorrow is the Shengshou Festival!” Jian Xubai said with a faint smile, “The Wei Family is only barely qualified to partic.i.p.ate in the birthday banquet, so they are very cautious about going to the banquet. Why would they let their children drink outside? If something goes wrong which affects the Shengshou Festival, won't it be too much to regret?”

It was only the brothers of the Ji Family with a backing didn't care about what their conditions would be tomorrow. He would have the nerve to drink outside, and even probably sleep in a wh.o.r.e's house tonight.

Song Yixiao pondered for a while, wanting to say something, but only curling her lips down.

Noticing her movement, Jian Xubai said with a confusing smile, “Are you still trying to say that it could also be Lu Guanlun? But Lu Guanlun, like me, always rode horses in spring, summer, autumn and winter. Unless accompanying the elders or women, he would never sit in a carriage even in snowstorm. So even though you ran into him, he didn't have a carriage to lend you!”

As for saying that Lu Guanlun happened to accompany the elders or women to take the carriage, “If he lent it to you, how would these people go back? He would at most take a tour to get you back, and would never lend you the whole carriage!”

Song Yixiao couldn't search any weaknesses in his words, and she had to say, “Alright, You win. The one I met is Cousin Mingfei.”

“Although Cousin Mingfei is dissolute, he is not bad to his relatives.” Jian Xubai looked away and smiled, “I guess it's mostly him you ran into!”

Hearing that, Song Yixiao couldn't say anything about Ji Mingfei except for the words, “Cousin Mingfei has not been married yet. So it's inconvenient for me to thank him personally for his help. Thank him for me another day!” The cousin, who was seen by her to have some relations.h.i.+p with her mother-in-law, was wanted to keep at a respectful distance.

“Of course.” Jian Xubai smiled, “I'm relieved to know that you came back early. How can I not thank him?”

Despite saying like that, he went to the study on the pretext of official duties after a short time of happiness. His face darkened the minute he entered the study, “Ji Su, go and tell Ji Mingfei. It's ok that he plots against others. But if he wants to plot against Shanyao, I will kill him!”

Ji Su advised him to calm down immediately and said, “Why didn't you tell Her Highness that First Young Master Ji likes teasing married women? If she knows, she will surely avoid him!”

It was better than threatening Ji Mingfei in private!

After all, Ji Mingfei's hobby of teasing married women has been lasting for not just one or two days. He could even tease Jinguo Grand Princess, his distant aunt, let alone Song Yixiao, his cousin-in-law, who was at least his peer.

It would be strange that he would give up just because of Jian Xubai's threat!

The Marquis Fuyang's mansion, which gave him backing, was not in the same group as Jian Xubai. Therefore, there will be a clash sooner or later!

It would be better to let Song Yixiao know the true nature of this relative and be more vigilant to eliminate the possibility of his seduction at the source!

“…Last time she said that Lu Guanlun used to take good care of her which was scolded by me.” Jian Xubai's face clouded. After a long period of silence, he said depressingly, “Ji Mingfei just lent a carriage to her this time. According to Shanyao's disposition, how can she not think of his kindness? If I speak ill of him, what if Shanyao misunderstands me and thinks I will make trouble with her again?”

He had just made up with his wife and didn't want to have a fight again just one night after that!

Ji Su heard the words and smiled bitterly to himself, “Won't it be good if you coax madam early? You know that someone is plotting against your wife now, but it turns out that you dare not tell the truth!”