"No,"
Old Madam Song stopped Song Yuan. "You are now a minister of a department, and so many people are watching our household. Although we have long separated our rooms, the eldest branch is still the legitimate heir. They merely want to send a daughter over, and we want to send her back. Wouldn't that make us a laughingstock?"
She gestured to Song Yuan. "Let her come. Your first wife may be dull-witted, but I, this old woman, am still in charge of this household. She won't be able to stir up any trouble, you can rest assured."
The old madam even glanced meaningfully at Song Chaoyu. "Let the people in this household be distracted, so that their eyes are not all on their painting academy. Although you are busy in court, you are ultimately the one in charge of the Song family. Now, Fourth Girl is serving me, and Eleventh Mistress is pregnant. There are many things you cannot turn a blind eye to, do you understand?"
"Yes."
Song Yuan naturally understood the old madam's meaning. Having seen Song Chaoyu diligently serving the old madam these past two days, he paid more attention to her than before.
Song Chaoyu now had more confidence in being able to protect the child in the concubine's womb.
But she rather wished it were a girl.
If it were a boy, even if he could be born, in this turbulent Song household, he would likely face constant dangers!
—
With Song Chaoyu's meticulous care, the old madam's illness recovered in five to six days.
During this period, Song Yanjiao also visited multiple times. After all, she was the legitimate granddaughter, and she pleased the old madam greatly.
However, Song Yanrou had not visited many times, and the old madam did not favor her much.
Later, the second concubine even brought Song Yanrou to sit with the old madam for a long time, but no matter how eager they were, the old madam remained indifferent.
Watching Song Chaoyu dote on the old madam, Song Yanrou's hatred intensified, making her grit her teeth.
As the Qixi Festival approached, it was unclear if it was a coincidence, but the carriages of Song Jiaxing and Song Xiuxiu arrived in the capital on the Qixi Festival itself.
Early in the morning, the Song mansion began to bustle.
It wasn't just to welcome the two of them; the Emperor was also hosting a rare palace banquet on this Qixi Festival, seemingly intending to have Prince Chang review noble daughters.
Knowing that there would be a lively temple fair in the capital on the evening of Qixi, the Emperor held the palace banquet at noon.
Song Yanrou had not been able to attend last time, but this time she was very well-behaved, causing no more trouble, and dressed refreshingly and simply.
For some reason, Song Chaoyu was afraid of meeting Prince Chang.
And in her memories of her previous life, this was just an ordinary palace banquet, and Prince Chang had not taken a liking to any daughter.
Therefore, this time, Song Chaoyu simply asked the old madam to allow her to stay by her side.
The old madam agreed, and before Song Yanrou left, she whispered to Song Chaoyu, "On such a good day today, you're not joining the fun? Although there's a temple fair tonight, your cousins are coming, and the family will likely have dinner together, so you won't be able to leave the mansion. On Qixi, you're willing to stay home alone? Isn't there some scheme?"
Song Chaoyu was somewhat helpless and too lazy to explain to Song Yanrou.
Anyway... she really didn't want to see Prince Chang.
Seeing him reminded her of Han Xi. She still had no news of Han Xi, and her heart ached. She didn't know how she would face this neighbor brother who had grown up with her if she were to confirm that Prince Chang was Han Xi.
Song Chaoyu's troubles did not last long.
Not long after Song Yuan and Madam Song left with Song Yanjiao and Song Yanrou, a servant entered and reported to the old madam, "Old Madam, the cousin young master and cousin young lady's carriage has entered the capital city gates, and they should be arriving at the mansion entrance soon."
"Oh?"
The old madam sat up and motioned for Granny Yin to fetch her brown brocade skirt with a round neckline. "Didn't they say they would arrive in the evening? They're here so quickly?"
The servant nodded. "Yes, they said the cousin young lady was unwell from the journey, so they expedited their travel."
Old Madam Song nodded, then pulled Song Chaoyu up. "Let's go, we'll wait at the mansion entrance!"
Although Song Jiaxing and Song Xiuxiu were born to concubines, Song Jiaxing's success in the provincial examination was an honor to the family. Moreover, as guests who had traveled from afar, they naturally did not need to enter through the side gate but were to be welcomed through the main gate.
Song Chaoyu and the second concubine helped the old madam stand at the entrance. Looking at the bustling street due to the Qixi Festival, they couldn't identify which carriage belonged to Song Jiaxing and Song Xiuxiu.
It was only when a very ordinary dark blue coarse cloth carriage stopped in front of the mansion gate that the second concubine muttered, "Oh, didn't they say the eldest branch of our Jiangzhou old home was the legitimate heir of the main household? Why is this carriage so shabby?"
The old madam glared at the second concubine, and Song Chaoyu also felt that even if the family had declined, a dark blue coarse cloth carriage in the capital was probably worse than that of ordinary merchants!
The servants of the Song mansion stepped forward to lift the carriage curtains and saw three people, two men and one woman, step out!
The one walking in front wore a simple moon-white scholar's robe and appeared dignified and gentle. This was Song Jiaxing.
Behind him followed a scholar dressed even more simply than him, and no one knew who he was.
And behind that person was a woman wearing a lantern skirt of light pink plain silk, which had been in vogue in the capital for the past two years. The hairpins she wore were only a few simple golden-plated silver pins.
Looking at her, even Song Chaoyu, who was dressed simply without makeup, could not compare. This showed how much the Song family of Jiangzhou had declined.
Song Jiaxing led the two forward and bowed deeply to the old madam. "Song Jiaxing pays his respects to Second Ancestor. May Second Ancestor be blessed with longevity and peace!"
The two behind him bowed along with him. The old madam smiled and lightly supported him. "Compared to the years I went to Jiangzhou, Xing Ge'er has truly grown a lot. You are now a scholar who has topped the provincial examination. You don't need to be so formal, come in!"
Song Jiaxing nodded, then pointed to the poor scholar behind him. "This is a poor scholar from Jiangzhou. His name is Zhang Tianqi. He followed our carriage on foot all the way here, just to meet Second Uncle. I couldn't bear to see it, so I brought him along. He said that among the court officials, he most admires Second Uncle's demeanor. Please forgive me, Second Ancestor."
Song Chaoyu lowered her head and looked at Zhang Tianqi's shoes. Although they were old, they were intact, unlike someone who had walked all the way.
She didn't know if Zhang Tianqi was lying or if Song Jiaxing was lying.
At the same time, Song Xiuxiu, who was standing behind, stepped forward and smiled brightly at the old madam. "It's been many years since I last saw Second Ancestor, you are still so benevolent!"
She was eloquent, but Song Chaoyu noticed that her complexion was somewhat pale, and she was likely indeed unwell.