Pei Zhao was surprised by his mother's change. Looking at the angry Princess Zhennan, he nodded. At this moment, the servant whispered a few words in his ear.
"Mother, I have to go now."
Princess Zhennan has always been at ease with her son. He is well-behaved and sensible, never disobeys, and acts with composure, so there is no need to worry about him at all.
So he nodded: "Go ahead."
Private room in the restaurant
Pei Zhao rushed over, and Song Hengchuan greeted him, saying, "Brother Pei, you've arrived."
"Is Yao Yao alright?" Pei Zhao asked with concern. He had changed his clothes at the banquet and hadn't had a chance to leave when a maidservant from the Princess of Zhennan came to report that the Princess was feeling unwell and had to go home first. So Pei Zhao didn't know what happened afterward and only found out from the servants.
Song Hengchuan quickly explained, "Yaoyao is crying so hard. She was wronged. She was tricked by that ruthless and vicious Song Yue. She was poisoned, which is why she was diagnosed with pregnancy. Han Feng has a grudge against the Duke of Jingguo's mansion, so he deliberately took revenge. Yaoyao didn't know anything and was tricked."
"I see." Pei Zhao frowned; he knew Song Yao wouldn't do such a thing.
"Brother Pei, you and Yaoyao grew up together. Now Yaoyao is crying her heart out. Perhaps only you can comfort her..."
Having said that, Pei Zhao immediately remembered his mother's instructions. He sat down awkwardly, cleared his throat, and continued, "I treat Yao Yao like a younger sister."
Song Hengchuan frowned: "What do you mean? Even you are going to look down on Yao Yao?"
Pei Zhao remained silent.
He wasn't disgusted by Song Yao, but rather he carried the burden of the Zhennan Prince's Mansion's prosperity and could never marry a girl with a tarnished reputation.
That would ruin his entire career.
“Brother Song, the person I’m engaged to is Song Yue,” he said.
“How can she be compared to Yao Yao?” Song Hengchuan said excitedly, “She is illiterate and doesn’t know the rules. Today she went on a killing spree in the manor and didn’t even respect her elders. Such a person should be confined to the manor for the rest of her life.”
Hearing Song Hengchuan say this, Pei Zhao couldn't help but be curious and pressed him for details about the massacre.
Facing Pei Zhao, Song Hengchuan stopped hiding anything and simply told Pei Zhao all the things that had happened since Song Yue returned, embellishing the story.
Pei Zhao was astonished and couldn't believe that such a thin and small person could do such a shocking thing.
"If you're unwilling to marry Yao Yao because you're worried about your marriage to Song Yue, I have my own ways to annul the engagement," Song Hengchuan said confidently.
Pei Zhao was speechless for a moment.
Even without Song Yue, his family would never allow him to marry Song Yao.
Before he could speak, Song Hengchuan pulled Pei Zhao and urged him to go to the Duke of Jingguo's mansion to comfort Song Yao. Pei Zhao stopped and politely declined, saying, "The mansion is in chaos right now, and I shouldn't disturb you. It would be better to wait a few days before I go."
Having said that, Pei Zhao made an excuse and left.
Song Hengchuan could easily see through the subtle differences in their expressions, and he thought to himself, "He's starting to look down on Yao Yao too."
Yao Yao is such a good person, she should be cherished and pampered.
Pei Zhao left in a hurry, his heart filled with mixed feelings. He had known Song Yao since childhood, so naturally they had feelings for each other.
But he was even more unwilling to be pointed at and talked about.
Even if Song Yao was wronged.
...
Song Yao waited for a long time before Song Hengchuan returned. She looked at him expectantly and asked, "Big brother, you...you're back?"
There were some things she wanted to ask, but she was too embarrassed to press them. Her expectant eyes were fixed on Song Hengchuan.
Song Hengchuan cleared his throat and comforted her, "Yaoyao, I've seen Pei Zhao. He... he knows you've been wronged and will come to visit you one day."
Hearing him say that, Song Yao's dead heart was rekindled, and she was overjoyed: "Thank you for explaining for me, brother."
"Silly girl, you are my sister, of course I'll side with you." Song Hengchuan gently stroked Song Yao's hair, watching her copy scriptures, and nodded: "You stay in the room and don't go anywhere for a while. I'll plead for Grandmother and Father."
"Thank you so much, brother. You're so kind to me." Song Yao was deeply moved.
Rose Garden, separated by a wall
Yuan Fuling had suffered a great humiliation today, and the Grand Madam had personally taken away her power as a housekeeper, confiscating all her account books, keys, and property tokens. She was filled with hatred and anger, and accidentally smashed a teacup. When she heard that the Duke of Jingguo had come to visit, she was startled, bent down to pick up the broken pieces, gritted her teeth, and cut her wrist, causing blood to gush out immediately.
The Duke of Jingguo saw this scene as soon as he entered the room. He rushed forward and quickly helped Yuan Fuling up, saying with concern, "How did you get like this?"
"The Duke?" Yuan Fuling was shocked, tears welling up in her eyes. She sniffed and said, "It is my fault. I failed to raise my daughter well and have brought shame to the Duke's mansion."
Seeing Yuan Fuling's appearance, the Duke of Jingguo's anger subsided by seven or eight parts, and he sighed, "Some things are not your fault."
Yuan Fuling had consulted him on many matters, and he had tacitly approved of it.
However, the old lady was unaware of this.
In front of the Dowager Lady, the Duke of Jingguo could only make a show of reprimanding Yuan Fuling.
"Don't worry, Your Excellency, I have already persuaded Yao'er that she must not bring shame to your reputation. After this matter is over, I will find her a good home," Yuan Fuling said cautiously, her eyes brimming with tears.
The Duke of Jingguo had four daughters, but Song Yao was the only one he had watched grow up from childhood. He had personally taught her and doted on her.
“Yaoyao can’t stay in the capital any longer. Once the storm has passed, if she goes to another province with the reputation of the Fourth Miss, no one will know what really happened to her.”
The Duke of Jingguo had long planned to find a good match for Song Yao. With the Duke of Jingguo backing her up, who would dare to bully Song Yao?
Yuan Fuling was both surprised and delighted. Bearing the name of the Fourth Miss was indeed a good choice. The Duke of Jingguo said, "In a few days, you will raise the Fourth Miss under your care and treat her as your legitimate daughter."
“Yes!” Yuan Fuling replied immediately.
In this way, Song Yao still married into the family with the title of legitimate daughter.
"Thank you for considering Yao Yao's feelings, Your Highness. I thank you on your behalf." Yuan Fuling leaned shyly on the Duke of Jing's shoulder, sobbing softly, as if she regarded the Duke of Jing as her only support.
Having served her husband for so many years, how could she not know about the Duke of Jingguo's quirks?
"There's one more thing. From today onwards, stay away from Song Yue. She's a troublesome problem right now. Let's talk about it after I've sorted things out outside."
Yuan Fuling nodded obediently; "Yes, Your Highness, I will obey."
Night fell
Duke Jingguo personally went to the Shen family to explain the events of the day. In the past, he only needed to send a servant with a token, and the steward would personally open the door.
This time, however, there was no response even after knocking on the door several times.
The Duke of Jingguo frowned. Just as he was about to leave, the inner door opened, and the steward ushered him in: "Your Excellency, my master is already waiting."
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