"You?" Song Yixiao couldn't help feeling shocked, "Is this done by you?"

She couldn't believe it. Wei Chan looked lively, cheerful and simple-minded but she acted rather properly. Two days ago, when Wei Chan came to show her the banquet, Song Yixiao saw clearly that she sat down carefully and kept the flowers away from the embroidery.

Moreover, only Ms. Zhao had the key to the room where the embroidery frame was placed. Yet, how could she disobey her own mistress's order because of a lady who sojourned here?

"I didn't stain it but it is caused by me accidentally!" Wei Chan started to tell the ins and outs of the matter sobbingly, "Two hours ago, Sixth Young Lady suddenly came over! As she heard that you had gone out, she was going to leave. However, when she got up, she saw the embroidered patterns on my collars and then complimented me. Then I... I told her the patterns were embroidered by you!"

It was nothing at first but it suddenly reminded Lu Chai'er of the birthday gift that Song Yixiao prepared for the Dowager Consort and then she asked about it!

"Ms. Zhao couldn't resist Sixth Young Lady's repeated request and had to open the lock to let her see your works. Unexpectedly, after she came into the room, one of her maids fell and knocked over the embroidery frame by accident... When Ms. Zhao asked someone to hold up the embroidery frame, it has been like this!"

Wei Chan said sadly, "I have checked it before. The stain is caused by the mulberry juice. If it were left in the other place, it would be okay. However, it is left on the white crane so it cannot be washed off!"

Song Yixiao heard that and felt less angry, thinking to herself, "Lu Chai'er helped Jinxun last time, but why does she do against me now?"

And she even did it so apparently!

"Even if she didn't know about Mother's pregnancy when she came here... But even without being pregnant, Mother could teach her a lesson in light of her ident.i.ty as her legitimate mother. Lu Chai'er ruined the birthday gift that I prepared for the Dowager Consort bluntly, which seemed to be a purposeful act!"

The problem was that making such trouble did no good to Lu Chai'er. In this case, she would offend Song Yixiao and the legitimate mother. Worse still, it was well known that Song Yixiao made the embroidery for the Dowager Consort. Now that the granddaughter of the Dowager Consort stained the embroidery on purpose, which was also a slap in the Dowager Consort's face.

Once it leaked out, she should be surely regarded as a girl of misbehavior.

She was only a concubine's daughter. In this case, her future marriage would be affected for sure.

"She must not take her prospect seriously. Anyhow, she is a daughter of the prince. There are not so many people who can force her to this degree!" Song Yixiao thought of the Dowager Consort and put on a stern face, "Does the Dowager Consort implement another plan after her scheme at the feast of the Shangsi Festival didn't work?"

She ruminated for a while and then said, "Mother is just with child again. His Highness orders that no one should bother her. Let's keep this on a low profile and see if we can remedy the birthday gift."

Hearing that she was not going to punish anyone, all the people at present felt relieved and started to think about any solution around the embroidery frame.

In the end, it was Wei Chan who put forward an idea. That was, to embroider a pattern of rock above the white crane with livid threads so that the stain could be covered.

Song Yixiao estimated based on her suggestion. Ms. Zhao and the others all found the idea feasible. They were selecting the threads and colors when a maid of the outer room conducted a strange maid inside, "Miss Song, greetings! Do you have a minute now? Madam Kong sends me to invite you to her room now!"

"I'm wondering what Madam Kong invites me to her place for." Song Yixiao felt a bit surprised. Madam Kong held grudge against Madam Jin. In terms of her husband's or her maiden family's social status, she was no match for the second young mistress. Hence, she chose to side with Wei Mengying long before.

Therefore, Madam Kong treated Song Yixiao quite nicely. However, they were not really sisters-in-law so they seldom spent time together. They were not close.

Now Song Yixiao was surely surprised to be invited by Madam Kong.

The maid was quite sensible so she added, "His Highness understands that Her Highness the Princess Consort is tired of pregnancy, so His Highness ordered two young mistresses and Fourth Commandery Princess to help Her Highness the Princess Consort to share the household ch.o.r.es. The two young mistresses and Fourth Commandery Princess just took the order when the servant reported that Sixth Young Lady made trouble here. Given that Her Highness the Princess Consort is in need of a rest-cure, my mistress sends me to invite you for a private conversation!"

Then she made a curtsey again, "My name is Lianyue. I've accompanied Her Ladys.h.i.+p the First Young Mistress to marry to this family. I rarely show myself in front of you. If I act improperly, please forgive me!"

"How come Madam Kong wants to talk to me about it?" Song Yixiao felt increasingly surprised to hear her out and pondered, "Lu Chai'er always looks to Fourth Commandery Princess as a bellwether. Since she came here to stain my embroidery deliberately, by reason Fourth Commandery Princess should come to meet me! Even if she is not the one who comes to meet me, Second Young Mistress should come anyway. Why does Madam Kong send her maid to invite me?"

Amidst thinking, she asked Lianyue, "Only Madam Kong asks me for a talk? Are Madam Kong and Fourth Commandery Princess there too?"

Lianyue replied with respect, "Miss Song, Second Young Mistress and Fourth Commandery Princess are occupied so they are not in Her Ladys.h.i.+p's room."

Hence, she meant only First Young Mistress wanted to talk about this with her?

Song Yixiao was puzzled and but she didn't delayed any. She hinted Ms. Zhao to give Lianyue a pair of purses decorated with silver ingots as reward, saying smilingly, "Please wait for a minute. I will go upstairs and get changed first. Then I will go with you to meet Madam Kong!"

Lianyue expressed her grat.i.tude for the reward and said hurriedly, "Please, Your Ladys.h.i.+p!"

After a while, Song Yixiao got changed and went downstairs. She arrived at Madam Kong's room with Jinxun and Lianyue. The minute that she met with Madam Kong, Song Yixiao made a curtsey and was instantly grabbed by her. Madam Kong said amicably, "Yixiao, no need for the formalities."

Then Madam Kong pressed her on the seat and also sat down opposite. Yet, she didn't speak at once. Instead, she winked at the servants to make them leave. Upon seeing this, Song Yixiao also nodded at Jinxun.

When only they two were left in the hall, Madam Kong cast an admiring look at Song Yixiao, saying in a soft voice, "It seems that you've smelt something uncommon behind the trouble that Chai'er made today?"

Song Yixiao said seriously, "I just feel that Chai'er can't be such a willful person."

"I knew it!" Madam Kong gave a bitter smile, "Chai'er... If she were not driven into a corner, she would not dare to offend you."

Song Yixiao was astounded, "Madam Kong, why do you say that?"

"No hurry. I've invited you here to tell you the ins and outs!" Madam Kong reached out her hand to touch her hair. As the coldness in her eyes faded away, she still talked in a soft and tender voice, "I know that you are smart, so I will cut to the chase. At the feast of the Shangsi Festival, did you feel that Roumei paid extra attention to you?"

Noticing that Song Yixiao's countenance was changed, she sneered, "You are so blessed indeed!"

"You mean?" Song Yixiao had sensed the Dowager Consort's scheme at the feast of the Shangsi Festival, but due to Jian Xubai's sudden act, she was so occupied to speculate about his thought that she didn't have time to think about the Dowager Consort's real scheme.

Now that she learnt that Madam Kong was going to tell her what it was, she became serious instantly, "Please enlighten me!"

"Miss Song, you are still young so you don't know that Roumei is also a poor person!" Madam Kong, rolling the bracelet on her wrist, talked about the story of Zhuo Ping'an unhurriedly and looked over Song Yixiao's countenance, saying sneeringly, "Actually, I shouldn't speak ill of my grandma. However, if such an exceptional girl like you is really married to that person, it will be a disaster for you!"

"That's why I said you were blessed! Without Xubai..."

Madam Kong noticed the flare in Song Yixiao's eyes and hedged smilingly. Then she added, "In fact, since Xubai takes a liking to you, Roumei will not compete with him and you will stay out of the trouble. However, although Roumei doesn't blame you or Xubai for this, how can she not blame Grandma?"

Song Yixiao stays silent for a while and then looked at her, "In order to ease Commandery Princess Qingjiang's anger, the Dowager Consort is going to marry Chai'er to Zhuo Ping'an? Chai'er thinks it is my fault so she has her maid stained my embroidery?"

"You are even smarter than my imagination!" With anger crossing her eyes, Madam Kong shook her head, "Grandma is willing to recommend you to Roumei as her daughter-in-law. After all, you are not a child of the Prince! Yet, she still loves her granddaughter. It is Madam Jin who facilitates the marriage!"

Speaking of Madam Jin, Madam Kong talked in a cold voice, "She did so because Chai'er used to help your maid and indirectly ruin her arrangement!"

"So Chai'er went to my place?" Song Yixiao asked with her face turning purple, confused as still.

"It is me who proposed the idea to her. Roumei has such a son, who is rather strong and healthy. Roumei is worried that after she dies, Zhuo Ping'an is still alive in the world and may suffer! Therefore, she always gets along well with her siblings, hoping that they can look after Zhuo Ping'an given her kindness!"

Madam Kong pursed her lips, "This is also why Roumei stops asking you to marry her son after she learns that Xubai gives you his jade pendant!"

Song Yixiao took a tumble instantly, "Hence, once Chai'er p.i.s.ses me off, Commandery Princess Qingjiang will not want her to marry her son."

"But I know that you are not only generous but also grateful." Madam Kong gave a helpless look, "So here I am to tell you about this. Otherwise, given that Chai'er is the official lady in the prince's mansion, you will not blame her! By then, Roumei will believe that as long as Chai'er apologizes to you with a cup of tea, then you will forgive her. Then..."

Then Lu Chai'er would marry Zhuo Ping'an anyway!

"But if you help Chai'er get out of this, you would be charged with arguing to death! You will be accused of being ungrateful to the Prince for the care over the past years!" Madam Kong exhaled a breath, "Therefore, I asked Chai'er to go to the Hanxia Villa and also ordered her to show mercy. At least, you can have a chance to remedy the situation!"

"In this way, I can have an excuse to invite you here for the talk. Moreover, I can learn about your thought and then decide what to do next. If you don't want to lend the favor, that's all for now. Mother is just pregnant and Grandma's birthday is approaching. Now the prince's mansion is beaming with dual happy occurrences. We shouldn't allow anyone to gossip at the moment!"

"If you pity Chai'er... In order to keep Madam Jin from noticing that Chai'er is not here, I will express her grat.i.tude to you on behalf of her!"

Madam Kong looked at her, "I'm wondering what you are going to do?"

Song Yixiao also looked at her, "Before I make the decision, can you tell me who told you that Duke Jian gave me the jade pendant? I don't think it is my mother, but it also can't be the Dowager Consort or Madam Jin, right?"