Chapter 468: Questioning
Mrs. Song San felt somewhat resentful of Mrs. Song Da.
Mrs. Song used to go out and come in with them, but in the past two years, she has gradually become estranged from them. When adding boxes for Jiang Yan, Mrs. Song just sent someone to ask them politely, and then went to the Duke of Yingguo's mansion with her eldest daughter-in-law, Tan, leaving them aside.
She said to Mrs. Song Si with some sarcasm: "Sister-in-law's mind is quick, she caught up with it early."
Mrs. Song smiled slightly and said nothing, but she thought in her heart: If you didn't like to be competitive, why would Dou Zhao allow her daughter to provoke her as soon as she came home? How could Song Yantang and Dou Zhao only show some face to them as aunts?
She secretly warned herself, wondering if she should also learn from Mrs. Song and distance herself from Mrs. Song III.
Both of them had their own thoughts, and Princess Ningde and Old Lady Lu arrived.
Dou Zhao went to greet him, surrounded by a group of maids and servants.
Mrs. Song was shocked. After returning home, she told her husband about this matter and said, "It seems that the rumors of those maids are true. Jiang Yan may really be the eldest daughter of the Duke of Ying's mansion."
Song Tongchun frowned secretly and complained: "How could my second brother do such a thing? Whose child is Song Han? My second brother was very obedient in those years. Could it be that Song Han was brought back from somewhere?" The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Song Han did not look like a child of the Song family. "It goes without saying that Yantang is elegant and graceful, and both civil and military talents are good. Even Song Qin and the others are very smart, and they can study and practice martial arts without any effort... But why do I hear that Song Han is very stupid? He has studied the Four Books and Five Classics for so many years, but he has not suffered any consequences. And you can see that he looks very different from the second brother. Brother and Yantang are only four or five points similar. There is a saying that children are like the people they are raised by, and maybe these few similarities are because Yantang was raised in the second sister-in-law's house since he was a child. No wonder Yantang would rather pay more money to exchange the second sister-in-law's dowry. "At this time, he whispered to his wife, "This is just between you and me, don't tell anyone! Passing a concubine's son as a legitimate son, pretending to raise a good family's son, any one of them is enough to make the second brother drink a pot of wine. When the Song family's reputation is ruined, we will also be in trouble."
Mrs. Song said unhappily, "Don't you understand this? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
Song Tongchun listened and said in silence: "If that's the case, you should tell your sisters-in-law from your mother's family that when Jiang Yan gets married, everyone should go and give him a gift."
Mrs. Song agreed.
Of course she wouldn't tell anyone else.
But how can my own mother and sister-in-law be someone else?
Soon, rumors about Song Han's suspicious background began to spread quietly among the relatives and old friends of the Duke of Ying's mansion.
Song Han naturally knew nothing.
Song Mo no longer cared about these things.
He received a handwritten letter of apology from Prince Liao, and Geng Li's attitude became extremely humble.
Back in the inner room, Song Mo couldn't help but sigh to Dou Zhao: "No wonder he is so ambitious. Just based on this, he can be said to have a broad mind."
When Jiang Yan was captured, Song Mo was angry and suspected Prince Liao, but when he calmed down, he immediately noticed something was wrong.
Prince Liao was in need of someone at the right time. The reason he wanted to marry Jiang Yan was just to get the support of the Duke of Ying's Mansion and be on good terms with me. Even if I rejected him, given his current situation, it was impossible for him to take the risk of disturbing the enemy by forcefully seizing someone.
Song Mo focused on investigating Shi Chuan.
He soon understood what had happened.
But Dou Zhao hated Prince Liao the most for forcing Song Mo.
If it weren't for him, how could Song Mo have shot and killed the prince in his previous life? How could he have been spurned by the world? How could he have killed his father and brother?
Seeing Song Mo's tone revealing his sympathy for Prince Liao, her scalp felt numb. She forced a smile and said, "That's right. Before ascending the throne, who doesn't have a broad mind? But once ascending the throne, who doesn't 'hide the bow after the bird is finished?' None of the dragon's sons and grandsons are easy to get along with."
Song Mo laughed, but had to admit that Dou Zhao's words made sense.
The two put this matter aside for the time being and concentrated on preparing for Jiang Yan's wedding.
Song Han, however, was worried about whether he could attend Jiang Yan's wedding.
Logically, Jiang Yan was nominally the cousin of the Duke of Ying's mansion, and as the second master of the Duke of Ying's mansion, he only needed to go and give a gift. But with more than a month to go before the wedding, Princess Ningde and Old Lady Lu started to visit the Duke of Ying's mansion. Those relatives and friends would definitely compare Jiang Yan's wedding with his wedding. When he went, he was just standing there naked and getting slapped in the face.
But if he didn't go, his cousin would be getting married, and all the relatives and friends of the Song family would be there, except for him. Would others misunderstand that he no longer had any influence on the Duke of Ying's Mansion?
He thought about how he went to Daxiangguo Temple to have a vegetarian meal a few days ago and had to wait outside for a seat.
This would have been something we could never have dreamed of in the past.
He felt like there was something stuck in his throat, so he turned around and went back to the alley.
Without the protective umbrella of the Duke of England, he would be just an ordinary citizen without any official title.
He must enter the government and be in charge of a region.
It would be even better if he was a hereditary clerk or a deputy magistrate.
Whether it is based on his father's qualifications or Song Mo's qualifications, he can be given some favor.
It seems that I have to ask my father for help on this matter!
Song Han was thinking in his study. When he heard that Miao Anping came to visit him, he said impatiently before the servant finished reporting, "I'm very busy. If he has anything to say, let him talk to the madam."
The servant swallowed his unfinished words, but when he saw Miao Anping, he didn't dare to reply to his words, but said tactfully: "Our master is busy, please have a cup of tea first, and when the master is done, come over and chat with you."
Miao Anping nodded and drank seven or eight cups of tea in the hall but did not see Song Han.
He came to his senses, and was so angry that his mouth trembled. He threw his sleeves and went to the inner courtyard, saying to Miao Ansu: "I wanted to teach you how to make a little money, but who knew you looked down on it! Don't say anything bad about your mother's family in the future. It's not that we don't care about you, it's that you are too arrogant and look down on these poor relatives from your mother's family!"
If Miao Anping had some good ideas, the Miao family would have become rich long ago. Why would they wait for them?
Miao Ansu, who knew his brother's character well, had no choice but to say, "Although we moved out of the Duke of Ying's Mansion, we are still its people after all. Before we moved out, the Duke had warned you not to damage the Duke of Ying's Mansion's reputation and not to interfere in business and other matters. I'm afraid I'll let my brother down!"
Miao Anping turned away.
Miao Ansu couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
※※※※※
Song Mo also had a headache at this time.
When the court was about to leave, the prince asked Cui Yijun to invite him over, dismissed the servants around him, and went to the warm pavilion with him. He asked him quietly: "What happened to your cousin being captured? Don't play tricks on me. The carriage of the British Palace is hung with silver dragon embroidery. The first thing the maids of the wealthy families in Kyoto do when they go out is to recognize the ranks of the officials. Did you offend someone you shouldn't have offended, so you use this excuse to fool everyone?"
Who said the prince was weak and incompetent?
At least these few sentences are noteworthy.
Song Mo felt that whatever he said was wrong, so he just smiled bitterly at the prince.
The prince was silent for a while before he uttered "I understand" in a sullen voice, and then served the tea with a gloomy look.
Song Mo really wanted to ask the prince "What did you know?", but seeing his mournful look, he inexplicably felt complicated.
After he left the East Palace, Cui Yijun's smile faded, and he said to the prince in a serious tone: "You really shouldn't have called Song Yantang over for questioning. People like him won't say anything."
The prince said gently, "If it were me, I wouldn't say anything. Besides, Yantang grew up in the palace since he was a child. I am the prince, but he is more distant from me. That prince is just a prince. He always looks generous in front of outsiders. He is also good at riding and shooting. He can play with Yantang. The palm of your hand is flesh, and the back of your hand is also flesh. What can you ask him to say? He didn't deny it today, nor did he ask me for help. He is helping me. Don't say such things in the future. There are some things you don't understand. Yantang is like our younger brother. There is a rift between us brothers. Who can you ask him, the younger brother, to help?"
There is no one in the world more cunning than Song Yantang, but the prince thinks he is kind and tolerant.
Cui Yijun clenched his fists tightly and could only bow his head in resentment.
The prince stood up and walked towards the princess with a smile: "Chong'er is different every day now, he is very interesting. Yantang's He'er is only one day older than Chong'er, he should be very interesting too. We should ask the princess to ask the wife of the Duke of Ying to bring He'er to the palace more often."
Cui Yijun's eyes lit up and he quickly replied "yes" with a smile.
Early the next morning, the Empress Dowager ordered Dou Zhao to bring Yuan Ge'er to the palace for an audience the next day.
Song Mo had already told Dou Zhao that the prince had summoned him, and Dou Zhao vaguely felt that this matter was related to the prince's summons.
She calmly prepared to enter the palace.
A cold and sharp light flashed in Song Mo's eyes.
Dou Zhao could understand Song Mo's anger.
Perhaps it was because he had broken up with his father. He always valued family and kinship above all else. First, the Liao prince threatened Jiang Yan, and then the crown prince warned him veiledly. He must have felt like a fire burning in his heart.
Dou Zhao hurriedly shook Song Mo's hand and said gently, "Sister Yan was captured. Didn't we also think it was the work of Prince Liao? I haven't met the Queen Mother and the Crown Princess yet. There are some things that cannot be taken for granted."
Song Mo's emotions gradually calmed down.
He snorted coldly: "They'd better not target you, otherwise I won't let them off easily."
One of them is the crown prince, the heir apparent of the country, and the other is a prince, the legitimate son of the queen. Even if Song Mo is angry, what can he do to them?
Dou Zhao just thought Song Mo was comforting him.
Song Mo said seriously, "I'm not saying this out of anger. The emperor is old and is most afraid of his sons being unfilial. They are all sons in their prime, and the emperor may not be without some resentment towards them. But if we do this, it will probably be a loss of 800 for every 1,000 enemies we kill. Until that happens, there's no need for us to fight them to the death."
Dou Zhao was stunned.
Song Mo is more scheming than she thought.
Is it because of this that, even though he did so many shocking and outrageous things in his previous life that angered both humans and gods, King Liao was unable to do anything about him?
Dou Zhao hugged Song Mo tenderly.