Thanks to Wei Yinlian, Song Yixiao was not in a hurry to turn to the Crown Princess.

After the feast started, the three of them sat together.

Having drunk some liquor, they left the feast on the ground of getting changed and went into a wing-room. With maids guarding outside, they had a talk in the room.

“It's all Baoying's fault!” After sitting down, Wei Yinlian came to the point, “Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is unhappy to learn that Baoying used to force you to be a scapegoat for Muting, saying that even a maid of the Jiang Family was so domineering, let alone the young lady.”

Then she added, “Daiguo Grand Princess told His Majesty that Prince of Wei was not born by Her Highness the Virtuous Consort and that Muting was the legitimate niece of Her Highness. If Muting were married to His Highness Prince of Wei and got haughty, His Highness Prince of Wei would have to tolerate her given that he was raised by Her Highness the Virtuous Consort. It would be too pathetic that a royal prince is bullied by such an official's daughter!”

Virtuous Consort Jiang learnt about that afterwards. Throughout deliberate consideration, she offered an apology to Emperor Xianjia, saying that the Jiang Family failed to teach Jiang Muting well, making her not qualified to marry Prince of Wei. Hence, she advised that His Majesty should select another woman for Prince of Wei.

“Her Highness the Virtuous Consort is a first-rank imperial concubine anyway!” Song Yixiao puckered her lips silently while Sikong Yiluo snorted, “It is a wise decision indeed. She irritated Her Majesty the Empress Dowager first and then was doubted about her family education by Daiguo Grand Princess. Worse still, Prince of Wei didn't object either. Of course Her Highness must request His Majesty to cancel the marriage on behalf of the Jiang Family beforehand. Otherwise, the Jiang Family would be seriously shamed!”

“The onlookers see most clearly. We think that Muting may as well marry someone else rather than compete with Commandery Princess Nanzhang.” Wei Yinlian sighed about Sikong Yiluo's sarcasm. “However, she did fall for her ex-fiancé! We cannot do anything since she can't let go!”

Speaking of this, she said to Song Yixiao regretfully, “It should have nothing to do with you, but because some villains fomented on purpose by saying that the incidence at the feast of Shangsi Festival was disclosed by you to the Empress Dowager and Daiguo Grand Princess so as to vent your anger on Baoying even though Commandery Princess Qingjiang tried to conceal it. Shockingly, Muting was muddle-headed to buy the story!”

Sikong Yiluo snorted again, “How silly she is! She will believe everything when she is angry!”

Wei Yinlian ignored her and continued apologizing to Song Yixiao on behalf of Jiang Muting, “Recently she has finally calmed down and thought it through. She wanted to make an apology to you on her own. Nevertheless, it was not proper to bother you since you were busy with your wedding. Moreover, she has not been feeling well over the past days and she can hardly go out. Therefore, she can only ask me to apologize to you on behalf of her. After she gets well, she will pay you a visit and say sorry by herself!”

Song Yixiao used to think that Sikong Yiluo held grudge against Jiang Muting but now she felt that she was wrong. Sikong Yiluo just mocked Jiang Muting's stupidity but now she said, “Jiang Muting is always swelled with pride, but I must admit that she is frank and straightforward.”

Seemingly, she was pleading for mercy for Jiang Muting.

“It is too serious to talk of apologizing!” Song Yixiao glimpsed Sikong Yiluo and felt amused, shaking her head and saying, “I haven't apologized to you and Muting for failing to keep my appointment… Moreover, what happened at the feast of the Shangsi Festival was somewhat related to me. Cui Jianlian and I have harbored grudge since childhood!”

She deliberately left out Lu Guanlun and only mentioned that Cui Jianlian loathed Wei Mengying for taking over her birth auntie's position, thus venting her anger on Song Yixiao. “To be frank, whenever I hear a dog barking, I will feel frightened even if I know it cannot bite me!”

Amidst talking, she put her hand on her chest with a pale face, “The maid who saved me is 15 years old now, who should be an adorable and pretty girl. Nevertheless, I don't know how to arrange her marriage.”

“No wonder in the side room of the Qingxi Hall you two waged a t.i.t-for-tat struggle!” Sikong Yiluo took a tumble and looked to Wei Yinlian sympathetically, sighing, “Now that such a girl becomes the Crown Prince's concubine, Her Highness the Crown Princess will suffer in the future!”

“Cui Jianlian is always arrogant and overbearing, but strangely, she has become aloof after she came into the Eastern Palace.” Wei Yinlian shouted with a grim face, “It turns out that she is aiming big. She is aware that His Highness the Crown Prince likes cool and beautiful women so she curries favor by pretending to be cool!”

Song Yixiao narrowed her eyes and beat about the bush, “Is Side Concubine Cui well favored? I thought that His Highness the Crown Prince looked after her specially only because of the kins.h.i.+p between them.”

“If not, why would my sister arrange this feast?” Wei Yinlian snorted, “When my sister was conceiving Commandery Prince Zhongling, no such celebration was held back then! Regardless of the gender of Cui Jianlian's baby, can it surpa.s.s Commandery Prince Zhongling?”

Commandery Prince Zhongling was the eldest legitimate son of the Crown Prince, who was 7 years old and was said to be very smart, dearly favored by Emperor Xianjia.

“No matter how petted she is, she must curtsey to Her Highness the Crown Princess by rule.” Song Yixiao snorted, rolling her bracelet, “Yinlian, please don't be angry, or I shall be blamed if you fall ill out of fury.”

Sikong Yiluo mediated, “Shanyao is right. She is such an arrogant girl. The Crown Prince won't blame her given their kins.h.i.+p while Her Majesties the Empress Dowager and the Empress may not feel the same way. Even though her auntie is the n.o.ble Consort, Commandery Prince Zhongling is the legitimate grandson of the n.o.ble Consort!”

“I know what you mean. However, she puts on an aloof and arrogant look towards my sister's hard work, without any humbleness that a side concubine should have. She really annoys me!” Wei Yinlian exhaled and rose, saying, “Forget it. Let's stop talking about this and just go back to the feast. It has been some time since we didn't meet. We must have a drink together!”

Song Yixiao and Sikong Yiluo both got up and smiled, “We cannot hold our liquor. If you want to drink, you do it alone. We won't have any problem if you are drunk.”

“If I get drunk, I will hold your arms tightly!” Wei Yinlian held their arms on each side, saying, “By then you can't leave me alone at all!”

Talking and laughing, they returned to the feast. Song Yixiao and Sikong Yiluo claimed that they got drunk easily, but urged by Wei Yinlian, they still drank some liquor and ate some crabs. Unfortunately, Song Yixiao was fine while Sikong Yiluo was not.

When Sikong Yiluo went out of the Eastern Palace, she felt a bit drunk. Yet, she didn't bring it up as she was going back home.

However, while she was in the carriage, she felt irresistibly dizzy and nauseous in a cold sweat. By then, Sikong Yiluo realized that something was wrong and hastened to order her maid, “Check whether there is a clinic nearby. I'm afraid that I've eaten something wrong!”

Frightened by her pale face, the maid hurried to have the carriage stopped. At the moment, Song Yixiao and Wei Yinlian, who were still nearby, saw her carriage stop and both walked forward to ask why. As a result, they were startled to learn that she didn't feel well!

“There is no clinic nearby.” As Wei Yinlian's sister was the Crown Princess, she always went to the Eastern Palace, thus being familiar with the surroundings. After hearing what the maid said, she frowned, “Even the closest clinic is two blocks away!”

“What to do then?” The maid got very anxious, “Her Ladys.h.i.+p is not feeling well. No delay is allowed!”

Song Yixiao felt shocked to notice that Sikong Yiluo could hardly talk now. She looked around and only found wealthy houses with vermilion gates and beast door-knockers. After hesitating for an instant, she advised, “How about asking the nearby residents whether they can provide a wing-room for Yiluo to have a rest? She was fine just now. Maybe she becomes like this because it is too suffocating in the carriage?”

They couldn't find a doctor but at least Sikong Yiluo could stay in a comfortable place and rest for a while!

“Go to find a place now!” Wei Yinlian agreed with her. “Stop looking for clinics. Let my guards do it. They are familiar with the surroundings!”

Luckily, they found a house and the house servant was kind-hearted, “Saving a life is of vital importance. Come on in!”

It was said that the house owner had gone out and not returned yet.

It was the old house steward who allowed them to come into the house. He was sensible and capable. After learning about the ins and outs of matter, he ordered the servants to prepare a guest room for them with new quilts. After Sikong Yiluo was placed into a bed net by the maids, a pot of honey water was brought to her, “Honey can soothe the five internal organs, tonify Qi and regulate various medicines. Before a doctor arrives, the lady may as well have some honey water, which may relieve her symptoms.”

The servants were afraid that they didn't believe this so they continued saying, “Our Young Master has read a lot and also dipped into Chinese herbal medical science. The House Steward has served him for many years so he takes up some medical knowledge too.”

At the moment, with all her clothes had been wet by her sweats, Sikong Yiluo could seldom talk. It was getting more and more urgent but the doctor still didn't arrive. As a saying went, men in a desperate plight would try anything. Hence, Wei Yinlian and Song Yixiao gritted their teeth and have her drink a bowl of honey water first. Somehow, after she drank it, Sikong Yiluo did get better, which made the crowd finally relieved!

“Your help is greatly appreciated!” Wei Yinlian sighed with a relief and was about to thank the servants when she found that they had left. She could hardly stand and just fell on the embroidered chair, saying to Song Yixiao in a tired voice, “Shanyao, please express my grat.i.tude to them on behalf of me… Just now I was really terrified!”

She knew that Sikong Yiluo got drunk easily but she still asked her drink two or three bowls of Lychee Green Liquor. Honestly, the liquor was not very strong but it couldn't be underestimated for a lightweight drinker.

Back then Wei Yinlian thought Sikong Yiluo would only sleep at home for a long time and might have a hangover at most. She even intended to send her some anti-alcoholic drugs. Unexpectedly, such a consequence occurred instead!

Although she was always calm and composed, she was frightened with a pale face.

Song Yixiao saw that the maids of Sikong Yiluo were all gathering around the bed net and then wiped the sweat from Wei Yinlian's forehead with a napkin, saying in a nice and low voice, “Yiluo can't drink much but she still drinks. Now that she becomes like this, I don't think that drinking is the only reason. We can't know about the actual cause until the doctor arrives. Moreover, Yiluo is a blessed girl. See? She has got better by now. Don't worry. She will be okay.”

“When the doctor comes, he will ask about the ins and outs of the matter to make a definite diagnosis. Now that you are so anxious, I will become the only one to answer the doctor's questions. What if I leave out any detail?”

Actually, Song Yixiao also speculated that Sikong Yiluo's illness was caused by drinking. After all, today's feast was to celebrate the Side Concubine's pregnancy. Any food that would affect pregnant women or babies was not served to the guests. Hence, the food shouldn't do harm to ordinary people. What suspicious thing could it be other than the liquor?

However, Sikong Yiluo was lying in bed. What if something also happened to Wei Yinlian due to excessive guilt and horror?

Therefore, she comforted Wei Yinlian for a while before she went out and expressed grat.i.tude.

Given that the guests were all women, the old house steward lent them an independent yard.

Having gone out of the room, Song Yixiao learnt that the guards of them three were in the yard while the servants of the house all left after no service was needed. Then she ordered Jinxun to accompany her to find the house steward.

Generally, it was less rigorous for married women than single ones to have contact with men. After all, for the unmarried girls, the No. 1 task was to get married. They would be praised for being chaste and undefiled if they stayed in their own rooms. The married women must manage the household affairs and deal with social contacts, who couldn't avoid meeting people.

Song Yixiao thought to herself that the house steward was old anyway and she had forgotten to put on a cap due to hastiness. Now it would make her look arrogant if she concealed her appearance now.

Hence, she just walked outside with Jinxun. Nevertheless, after getting out of the door and pa.s.sing a corridor, she reached a moon gate when she b.u.mped into a man.

As a result, a jade hairpin with begonia patterns dropped from her loosened chignon onto the bluestone ground, which was broken into multiple parts!