Chapter 185 The Troublesome Granny

Song Sangyu's face was ashen, but she forced a smile, stepped forward, grabbed Song Tianhan's sleeve, and gritted her teeth:

"Brother, what are you saying? Get up right now!"

The second brother, Song Wenbin, also quickly joined in, but his eyes couldn't help but dart towards several handsome young men in the guest seats, absentmindedly echoing:

"Yes, yes, yes! The thought of Shen Yiqiu monopolizing Grandmother's dowry and leaving us brothers to live such a miserable life makes me wish... I wish I could sever all ties with her!"

Just as everyone was watching the spectacle with their arms crossed, an untimely voice broke in:

"The young masters are kind-hearted and still remember old friendships. They're just venting their frustrations."

Looking in the direction of the sound, the old woman with the scar on her brow bone slowly stepped forward, smiling as she glanced over Shen Yiqiu and the Crown Prince, then turned to her brothers:

"Today is Miss Sangyu's wedding day with Young Master Fu. Why bring up the past? Marquis Yongjia holds a high position and has his own considerations. Since you young masters are here, you are guests. You should happily drink a cup of wedding wine. To keep dwelling on those unpleasant things from the past would be a waste of this auspicious day, and... it would also make you seem inconsiderate."

With just a few words, she downplayed the family scandal as mere complaining, thus saving the day.

Song Sangyu breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the old woman come out, and called out softly, "Old woman."

Shen Yiqiu and Xiao Yongjing exchanged a glance and silently mouthed the following:

"She's out."

Xiao Yongjing nodded slightly and leaned close to Shen Yiqiu's ear:

“This old woman… I do feel that she looks familiar. I must have seen her at some palace banquet or occasion, but I can’t remember exactly. She is definitely not an ordinary servant.”

Shen Yiqiu calmly observed the situation; how could she let them take control so easily?

She subtly winked at her third brother, signaling him to proceed as planned, continue the entanglement, and create chaos to extract information.

However, Song Haochu's gaze was firmly drawn to a familiar figure among the guests.

That was Ying'er, dressed up in finery, chatting and laughing with a wealthy young man. Suddenly overcome with anger, she forgot her mission and her feet involuntarily moved toward him, almost knocking over the wine pot in the maid's hand.

Shen Yiqiu frowned. Seeing this, Fourth Brother cursed Song Haochu inwardly for being useless.

Seeing Shen Yiqiu's increasingly dark face, and remembering his own hopes, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward to continue the conversation.

He waved to the old nanny:

"What you say is true, Granny. We were rude. But... but we brothers are really struggling right now. I wonder if Father and Sister Sangyu could, out of consideration for our past relationship, perhaps... lend us a little help?"

The old woman didn't even lift her eyelids, and quickly brushed her off with a few words:

"Fourth Young Master is joking. Master Song and Miss Sang Yu are new to the Earl's mansion, and they need to be cautious in everything they do. How can they afford to be so extravagant?"

"Furthermore, all of you young masters are capable of doing so; it is only right that you rely on your own efforts. Always thinking of depending on others is not a long-term solution."

Song Yutang was speechless for a moment, not expecting her to not take the bait at all, and instead put a label on him.

Song Yutang wanted to speak again, but the old woman didn't give him a chance. She instructed several servants who were clearly prepared beforehand and had a fierce look on their faces:

"These young masters have probably had a few too many drinks and are starting to talk nonsense. Why don't you quickly invite them to the side hall for some hangover soup and a good rest, so as not to disturb our distinguished guests' enjoyment?"

The servants immediately stepped forward and forcefully supported the brothers. Shen Yiqiu stepped forward and said, "Wait a moment."

She turned to the old woman and smiled slightly:

“Granny, today is my sister’s wedding day. Although my brothers have said some wrong things, they are not guilty of this.”

"He only had a few too many drinks and said a few drunken words. Why did the old woman have to make such a fuss and escort him away? Is this how the Earl's mansion treats its brother-in-law who came to offer congratulations?"

Her words were sharp, but the old nanny bowed slightly and spoke respectfully, her words and manners flawless:

"Lord Yongjia, you flatter me. How could this old servant dare to be disrespectful to my uncles? It's just that..."

"The young masters seem quite drunk. If they remain here, they might misbehave and offend some important person, or say something even more inappropriate..."

"Damaging the Song family's reputation is a minor matter; if it were to implicate Miss Sangyu's situation in the Earl's mansion, that would be truly disgraceful. This old servant's actions are precisely to uphold the dignity of the Song family and the Earl's mansion, and even more so... to protect the young masters."

As she said this, she suddenly looked up and stared at Shen Yiqiu:

"Lord Yongjia, you are of noble status and still in poor health. You should rest and recuperate. It is really not appropriate for you to trouble yourself with such trivial matters."

"If the young masters feel wronged after they sober up, Miss Sangyu, their own sister, and Master Song will surely stand up for them. Don't you agree?

Shen Yiqiu narrowed her eyes slightly, a cold smile playing on her lips.

This old woman was indeed troublesome. With just a few words, she defined my intervention as untimely meddling, and every sentence seemed reasonable, making it difficult to refute her openly.

If she were to forcefully obstruct the process, it would only make her appear unreasonable and disregard the bigger picture.

Having assessed the situation, Xiao Yongjing whispered in Shen Yiqiu's ear:

"She's trying to stop you with rules and reason. If you forcefully stop her now, she'll give others grounds to criticize her."

Shen Yiqiu naturally understood this principle.

She gave the old woman a deep look, and said with a half-smile:

"The old woman's thinking is very thorough; it is I who have been meddling."

The old woman laughed and said, "I wouldn't dare," but then turned around, her fierce expression turning fierce. "Hurry up and take her away!"

Under the control of the servant, the brothers were powerless to resist and could only be reluctantly carried away.

The old nanny then turned to the guests and began to smooth things over:

"It was just a little mishap, please excuse me. The banquet continues, please enjoy yourselves."

She handled things cleanly and efficiently, proving to be more difficult to deal with than I had imagined.

Without his brothers, the wedding banquet went very smoothly.

When the process was about halfway through, a palace attendant from Consort Zhao's palace delivered a congratulatory gift.

Amidst the sounds of string and wind instruments, a eunuch entered, surrounded by a crowd, bowing and announcing loudly:

"Your Highness Consort Zhao, bestowing a congratulatory gift—!"

Four eunuchs struggled to carry a wooden box, about half a person's height and covered with red silk, slowly into the hall.

It instantly attracted everyone's attention.

The box had an antique design and was heavy; its contents were unknown.

A chorus of envious voices immediately arose from the guests:

"Did you see that? Consort Zhao has sent someone to deliver a congratulatory gift! And it's such a big one!"

"She's definitely my aunt, that's why she values ​​her so much! Miss Song... no, the young master's wife's position in the Earl's mansion is now secure."

"That's right! With a concubine from the palace as their backer, there are very few families in the entire capital who can match their prestige!"

Hearing the surrounding chatter, Song Sangyu deliberately straightened her back, looked defiantly at Shen Yiqiu sitting at the head of the table, and stepped forward with delight:

"It's a congratulatory gift from my aunt!"