The sinister look in her eyes made Yuan Fuling's legs go weak.
"Did Father misunderstand something? Mother was just in a rush to move and hadn't had time to set up yet. Did Song Yue complain again?" Song Yao was about to rush out to confront Song Yue angrily.
"Stop!" Duke Jingguo roared, his eyes fixed on Song Yao with venom. "From today onwards, you are not allowed to see Pei Zhao again. Stay away from him."
“Father?” Song Yao was indignant. Her father had always been very supportive of her private interactions with Pei Zhao.
Yuan Fuling guessed that something must have happened in the palace today. Having served the Duke of Jingguo for twenty years, how could she not see the Duke of Jingguo's current mood? She hurriedly comforted Song Yao: "Go back first, don't make your father angry."
At Yuan Fuling's prompting, Song Yao had no choice but to stomp her feet and leave in frustration.
Looking at his daughter who only knew how to fight for love and jealousy, and thinking of Song Yue, the Duke of Jingguo instantly felt that Yuan Fuling had spoiled her.
"Lord Duke, please sit down and talk slowly." Yuan Fuling lowered her posture, coaxed him to sit down, poured him a cup of tea, and said cautiously, "Moving is inevitable and the house will be a little messy. If it's because of this, I will go and apologize to Yue'er later."
The Duke of Jingguo sat down and said in a deep voice, "His Majesty already knows that the fire at the villa has nothing to do with the robbers."
Yuan Fuling's heart was pounding like thunder.
"The villa caught fire, and only Song Yue escaped. It must have been the Emperor's doing. The Prefect of the Capital is the Emperor's man. No matter how I try to win him over, he won't listen. The Emperor has even found out that we are very close to the Prince of Zhennan's mansion."
“This…” Yuan Fuling panicked.
"We are no match for the Emperor now. He can easily find a reason to confiscate our property and exterminate our entire clan." The Duke of Jingguo warned seriously, "From now on, keep your distance from the Prince of Zhennan's mansion. Also, the Emperor values Yue'er very much, so don't provoke her."
Yuan Fuling felt like she had swallowed a pound of bitter herbs. Ever since Song Yue returned, she had been constantly provoked by the other party. In just a few days, both of her personal nannies, Fang and Zhang, were killed, and even the Wang nanny, whom she had finally managed to bribe, was beaten to death.
She had nowhere to vent her anger.
"I know you feel wronged, but the bigger picture is what matters, so please bear with it."
“My lord, Yue’er has ruined her reputation. Yao Yao and Pei Zhao grew up together as childhood sweethearts. If we try to persuade Yao Yao to give up, she will be heartbroken. She is my only daughter.” Yuan Fuling gritted her teeth as she thought about this.
Before Princess Jiahua left, she specially gave her a bowl of medicine.
This has also led to Yuan Fuling's inability to conceive for many years.
Otherwise, with multiple sons, her position would have been secure long ago. Why would she need to curry favor with that idiot Song Hengchuan?
"Today, His Majesty sent the Grand Consort to personally lead an investigation, which has already cleared Yue'er's name. Please do not say such things again in the future," the Duke of Jingguo reminded him.
Yuan Fuling was taken aback. Song Yue had actually undergone a physical examination today?
"Yes, and Prince Zhennan and Pei Zhao are both present. This marriage was arranged since childhood. The Emperor will not allow Yao Yao to take Yue'er away. You should try to persuade Yao Yao privately. There are plenty of noble families in the capital. I will help you find someone else."
Yuan Fuling bit her lip and nodded anxiously.
"Also, Yao Yao's temper needs to be changed. Although Yue'er didn't grow up in the manor, her words and actions have not tarnished the reputation of our Duke's manor."
These words were like a slap in the face to Yuan Fuling. It was the Duke of Jing blaming her for not knowing how to teach children and for being worse than a wild girl who had never learned anything.
This is an insult!
“Your Excellency is right, I will certainly teach Yao Yao a lesson,” Yuan Fuling replied obediently.
...
As soon as Song Yue stepped into Ning'an Hall, Zhang Mama came over and said, "Third Miss, the Grand Madam said that she would go to pay her respects as soon as you return."
"Um."
He went straight to pay his respects to the Dowager Lady.
The summer sun was blazing, and the chirping of insects filled the air. A cool breeze swept through the room as a maid brought in an ice basin and placed it in the corner.
The old lady was sitting in a chair, gently turning her prayer beads in her hand while chanting scriptures.
The maid didn't remind Song Yue when she saw her arrive.
It's the same old trick.
Once the old lady starts chanting scriptures, it takes her a while to finish. In the past, she would just wait, but now, Song Yue has long since put the word "reputation" out of her mind. She bent down and sat down.
As soon as she sat down, the old lady opened her eyes, frowned imperceptibly, glanced at Zhang Mama, and asked reproachfully, "How well have you been teaching the young lady manners these past few days?"
Granny Zhang secretly groaned. How could she dare to teach Song Yue manners? Hesitating, unsure of how to begin, Song Yue smiled and said, "Granny Zhang has done her best. It's just that I'm used to being wild and need time to adjust. I thought Grandmother was chanting scriptures and didn't want to disturb her, but I'm young and get dizzy standing for a while, so I sat down on my own. Is that why Grandmother blames Granny Zhang for not teaching me manners?"
Song Yue acted as if she couldn't understand what was being said and directly asked the implied meaning.
Upon hearing this, the old lady frowned deeply: "It seems that Zhang Mama has not taught us proper manners."
Song Yue was too lazy to argue with the Grand Madam.
“Granny Zhang…”
Song Yue played with the jade thumb ring on her thumb. Its translucent texture shone with a crystal-clear luster, and it was obviously very valuable. Upon seeing the jade thumb ring, the Grand Madam swallowed back her words.
"This is?"
“This is a gift from the Emperor, something that the Emperor himself had given to me. Does Grandmother like it?” Song Yue asked innocently.
Sometimes, the Dowager could not understand Song Yue's thoughts. She was sometimes obedient and sometimes domineering, like a wild child without any sense of propriety.
"You should keep what the Emperor bestowed upon you," the Dowager Lady said, her expression softening as she inquired about what had happened to her in the palace.
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