Hearing that, Madam Kong looked at her meaningfully and said, "It's sister-in-law of my maiden family."

Noticing that Song Yixiao looked confused, she said, "My sister-in-law's surname is also Jian. Before she got married, she was also the third young lady of the Jian Family. Her name is Yimian. Actually, she will be your sister-in-law too. She is the elder half-sister of Xubai and her birth mother is the original wife of Uncle Jian, Madam Wen!"

However, after Jinguo Grand Princess fell for Jian Likuang, Madam Wen had to be abandoned and Jian Yimian, the legitimate daughter turned into a poor thing from a well-loved lady.

Although Jinguo Grand Princess didn't make it harsh on her, she didn't treat this daughter nicely. Therefore, when Jian Yimian turned 16 years old, her marriage was left unattended because her grandmother was dead, her stepmother didn't love her and her birth mother was sent back to the maiden family.

In the end, it was her auntie remembered her and helped her marry to the Kong Family.

The Kong Family was not a big family but given Jian Yimian's situation in her maiden family, she couldn't have a better choice. Moreover, she was not that ambitious person. After getting married, she was filial to her parents-in-law and got along with her sisters-in-law. She also showed great concern for Madam Kong, which gained consented appreciation from the Kong Family and helped her live a good life.

This time, she disclosed this to Madam Kong due to her family's request. "It is inevitably troublesome to arrange the wedding gifts given your family background. Uncle Jian loves his son and doesn't want the marriage to be postponed. It is said that your stepmother didn't make it last time, so he asked my sister-in-law to convey the message to me and let me to tell Grandma about it."

A few hours ago, Song Yixiao just heard Jian Xubai tell her that his father would intervene. Unexpectedly, now there was a clue. However, Madam Kong might not know that the son Uncle Jian loved was his eldest son but not Jian Xubai.

"This..." Song Yixiao recalled what Wei Mengying had done recently, which was suspicious though. Song Yixiao found it hard to ascertain, so she still asked Madam Kong, "Has my mother known about it?"

"It's not that I concealed this to my mother-in-law purposefully!" Madam Kong glimpsed Song Yixiao with a faint smile on her face, "But your stepmother didn't make it just because Grandma didn't meet them and only Mother did!"

She briefed Song Yixiao about what the Crown Princess told the Empress roughly and then said, "Therefore, I must tell Grandma first and gained her permission before I can tell Mother!"

Jian Xubai didn't talk in detail when she mentioned the matter so Song Yixiao only thought that Madam Huang and her daughter had conveyed the message well. Now that nothing happened in the prince's mansion because no result of negotiation was made. It was now that she realized that Jian Xubai's proposal had not been known by the people in the Prince's mansion!

"Madam Huang and her daughter came here today mainly to meet the Dowager Consort but they couldn't in the end. So didn't they tell Mother about my marriage? Does Mother know about it or not?" Song Yixiao thought to herself when she suddenly heard Madam Kong say, "But I recommend you shouldn't go back to the Song Family."

Seeing that Song Yixiao raised her head to look at her, Madam Kong took a sip of tea, "Now that there are only you and me here, I will have a hearty talk with you despite the fact that we are not that close. I can tell that you seem to be distant from Mother. You haven't told her about your marriage, right? I have heard about how the Song Family treated you back then! It is not that I try to defend for Mother, but compared with your father, Mother is much more reliable!"

She hedged and noticed that Song Yixiao didn't get angry so she continued talking, "Most importantly, over the past several years you have not been raised in the Song Family so they are not aware of your generosity! As a saying goes, a guilty conscience is a self-accuser. If you go back to the Song Family, chances are that they will stop you from being the wife of a duke just out of fear that you may oppose against them due to what they have done to you!"

Song Yixiao sighed and thought to herself that Madam Pang would never believe that Song Yixiao would bury the hatchet as she was so suspicious!

In order to take preventive measure, what couldn't Madam Pang do?

"Since you are kind enough to tell me about it, I guess that you must have a solution?" Song Yixiao pondered for a while and asked in a casual tone.

Madam Kong replied bluntly, "I do have a solution to keep you in the prince's mansion and protect you from going back to the Song Family to take risk, and in exchange I hope that you can help Chai'er!"

"You just say that I am grateful. Chai'er is framed by Madam Jin because she helped my maid. How can I stand aside and see her fall into the living h.e.l.l?" Song Yixiao smiled faintly, "Do you only have this condition?"

"I also hope that you can help me take down Madam Jin!" Madam Kong laughed, "But I think I don't have to ask for it. After all, one of your maids is ruined by her! Now if it were not for Chai'er, this maid wouldn't be safe now. I can tell that you are an affectionate person. Although it has been six years, I suppose you haven't forgotten what happened back then?"

How could she forget?

Song Yixiao snorted, "Madam Jin lives such a comfortable life that she has the mood to frame her sister-in-law! Now that she lives so happily, it is impossible for me to forget about it!"

They looked each other in the eye and smiled tacitly. They suddenly felt a tacit understanding between them.

"It is hinted by the people in the imperial palace that you should go back to the Song Family, but they don't like the Song Family actually. They just feel that it is the best solution for you in case that Xubai will be implicated in the future!" Madam Kong touched her hair and said delightedly, "Therefore, as long as everything is decently settled and Xubai is not affected, it won't matter whether you receive betrothal gifts in the Song Family or the prince's mansion!"

Song Yixiao said respectfully, "Please give me your advice."

"According to the big shots in the imperial palace, Grandma should ask you to go back to the Song Family so that you can set off from wherein. As to the Prince, since it is Grandma who gives the order, others cannot criticize you for not being grateful to the Prince for the past six years! Then problem is solved!"

Madam Kong said smilingly, "Therefore, let's think otherwise. If the Song Family doesn't want you to go back, then you have nowhere to receive betrothal gifts but the prince's mansion, right?"

"As you just said, the Song Family is anxiously eager to hope the marriage to work, I'm afraid that they must want me to go back badly!" Song Yixiao looked to her bracelet on the wrist and said, "Particularly, the Dowager Consort won't feel like seeing me marry into the purple. If I go back to the Song Family and make any trouble, the Dowager Consort will be so happy to see that coming!"

"Just leave it to me!" Madam Kong said with certainty, "I a.s.sure you that I will make it within three days. Of course, in this case, I'm afraid that everyone will know that you are not loved by your maiden family."

Song Yixiao grinned, "Don't make it like that anyone believes that I am loved by my maiden family."

Her birth father was not dead and yet, she lived in the Prince of Hengshan's mansion. It had been widely known that she was loathed by her maiden family!

Madam Kong smiled, "Then deal?"

"Deal." Song Yixiao pinched the middle of her eyebrows, "But for Chai'er, I think even if I do as you suggest and she may not be forced to marry Zhuo Ping'an, she may encounter similar problems?"

"To be honest, my sister-in-law only told me that Xubai chose you and that Chai'er would be married to Zhuo Ping'an. And I learnt about it last night!" Madam Kong heaved a sigh, "Last night I got held up in the garden and happened to meet Chai'er by the lakeside. I noticed that something was wrong so I dragged her back and realized that she was crying sadly!"

"I talked to her for a long time before she told me about the truth. She said that she would jump into the lake to kill herself rather than get married and be beaten by her husband! I spent a lot of time in persuading her and promised her that I would help her. As such, she agreed reluctantly that she would not commit suicide... This morning I heard that Mother was pregnant. I knew Father must ask us to lend her a favor out of concern for her health and that Mother would ask me to help her, so I sent for Chai'er to go to the Hanxia Villa!"

Madam Kong gave a bitter smile, "It is only an idea on the spur of the moment to invite you for a talk without arousing any doubt. After all, we don't spend much time together!"

Song Yixiao nodded her head knowingly, "Admiringly, you are so quick-witted!"

"Don't tease me." Madam Kong shook her head helplessly, "If I were quick-witted enough, why would I go to the garden last night? Do you know why I went to the garden at such a late time? Yesterday was my son's death anniversary!"

The resentment crossed her eyes, "I gave birth to a son by chance and I was overjoyed. Someone told Madam Jin that if she could have a newly born baby boy in her room for some days, she would tend to have a son too! Although Si was also born at that time, she didn't want a concubine's son so she insisted on taking my son away. My son was just born. Even I had to be careful about him and inquired about everything from the foster nurse! How could I hand over my son to her?"

However, Madam Kong, too young a woman with her maiden family's background inferior to Madam Jin's, was married to a concubine's son only, making her rejection appear not potent enough. Madam Jin was an imposing woman, who grabbed the child by all means when Madam Kong was still too weak from the labor!

At that time, they didn't hold grudge against each other. Thus, despite disgruntlement, Madam Kong felt that it would not be a problem since Madam Jin asked the foster nurse to leave with her and meanwhile promised to look after the child well.

Unexpectedly, after one month's rest subsequent to her labor, she heard that her son pa.s.sed away!

In fact, her son was dead about half a month after being born. No one dared to tell her lest that she would be hurt due to excessive sadness. Despite that, Madam Kong was seriously ill after that sorrowful incidence. By far she hadn't been able to conceive again!

Most resentfully, Madam Jin didn't look after her child well and when she went to confront her, Madam Jin appeared impatient and only make an apology randomly.

Then Madam Jin even said, "Two children were born almost at the same time and they are both boys. Why is your son dead after being born for half a month while the concubine's son is still alive? Obviously, it is because you are too weak that your son cannot live long! If it were not for that I looked after it and hid its death from you for half a month, you wouldn't rest well after going into labor. Maybe it would also leave a lingering negative effect on your health!"

Any mother would feel so hurt to hear such saying!

However, what Madam Kong cared about was not this but—"My son was well when it was with me. It is she who insisted on bringing it to her room and it died in the end. As a mother, couldn't I even ask about it? Yet, she talked to me like that. How could I believe that she had looked after my son well?"

Therefore, over the past years, Madam Kong always thought that if her son hadn't been taken away by Madam Jin and could have stayed with her, wouldn't it have perished back then?

When she thought of it, she felt even more guilty and tended to believe that Madam Jin was the one who got her son killed.

"If I had quick wits, I wouldn't be at a loss upon her sudden demand. I was not willing to but I still let her take away my son..." Madam Kong heaved a sigh and wiped off the tears, smiling with self-mockery, "I have had only one child by now but I didn't keep him alive. Hence, every time I speak of it, I can't help... I'm sorry."

Song Yixiao felt sympathetic for her, "Don't be! How can a mother not grieve over her son's death? Even as an outsider, I can feel how sad you were back then only by hearing you out!"

Madam Kong heard her and instantly burst out crying. Yet, she quickly held back her sorrow and gasped for breath with red eyes, saying with a forced smile, "I must not recall the past. Let's focus on the present. What do you think of Chai'er's matter?"