Madam Song finally welcomed her mother and younger brother. She got up early in the morning and personally instructed the maids to prepare the rooms arranged for her mother and brother.
"My lady, please rest for a while. When Madam and Young Master arrive, please don't be listless," Qingping said with a smile, comforting Song Shi as she looked at her excited expression.
"You little brat, you're making fun of me. I told you to get married, but you refused. Even younger girls like Nianxue and Xicha are married." Madam Song originally wanted to follow Lanqin's example and find Qingping a good husband, but Qingping herself stubbornly refused to get married.
“Master, what are you saying? I said I’ll stay with you for life, why do I have to get married?” Qingping immediately retorted.
"Alright, alright, I just felt I was holding you back. For every one thing I say, you'll have ten more to say. Who's the master here, you or me?" Madam Song laughed. Her relationship with Qingping was nominally that of mistress and servant, but in reality, they were sisters. Qingping was ten years younger than Madam Song, and in her early twenties, she was practically an old maid in the Qing Dynasty. But Qingping wasn't in a hurry at all; she didn't want to get married and planned to stay by Madam Song's side for the rest of her life.
“Of course, the princess is the mistress. This servant will naturally remain a servant.” Qingping quickly replied upon hearing Song’s words.
"Since I am your master, can you please listen to me and find a good family to marry into?" said Madam Song.
"Master!" Qingping stamped her foot, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the door.
"Alright, go check on things in the kitchen for me. Prepare my mother's favorite dishes and my younger brother's favorite dishes. Don't neglect them," said Madam Song.
Qingping agreed and hurried to check the kitchen. One advantage of living in the Yuanmingyuan was that each area had its own separate kitchen, so there was no longer any need to eat from a communal pot.
Madam Song walked to her dressing table and looked at her attire for the day. She wore the purple cheongsam that suited her best, her hair styled in a high bun adorned with a set of jadeite headdresses—her finest jewelry. She was now over thirty-five, an age in the palace where she could have already retired from public life. The Fourth Prince had long since stopped coming, so she had nothing left to fight for. She only hoped for the well-being of the eldest princess and the Song family; that would make her content.
"Juan'er, it seems like some of my powder has come off. Quickly touch it up for me." Madam Song looked at the woman in the mirror, whose face was still round and whose hair was as black as ink, but there were already some faint wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and between her brows.
The maid named Juan'er hurriedly went to Song's makeup box, opened a small drawer, and took out Song's pearl powder.
"Master, Master!" Qiu'er came in from outside and called out hurriedly.
Madam Song instinctively felt that her mother, Old Madam Song, and her younger brother had arrived, and hurriedly asked, "Have Mother and the Secretary arrived?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, it was Consort Niu who sent someone to say that she has invited Old Madam Song and Young Master Song to dine at her place. She specifically asked Jinju to say so," Qiu'er said. She and Juan'er were two new maids added to Madam Song's household, and she had specifically asked Lanqin for them so that Qingping could be married off.
"Go get Jinju a string of cash and tell her to tell Consort Song that Old Madam Song hasn't arrived yet. She'll go and pay her respects to Consort Song when she does. Tell Consort Song not to worry about it," Madam Song said quietly. She knew that Lanqin had always been very good to her, and it was Lanqin who had mentioned it to Fourth Master that she was able to see her family this time.
"Yes." Qiu'er received the message and hurriedly went out.
"My lady, the powder is ready." Juan'er took advantage of the pause between Song Shi and Qiu'er's conversation to touch up the powder on her face.
Madam Song turned around, looked at herself in the mirror, and said with satisfaction, "I'm getting old, and I'm no longer as beautiful as I used to be. I don't need to put on makeup; my skin is already very fair."
"Your Highness is still as beautiful as a flower, why do you say you're old?" Qingping heard Song Shi say this as soon as she returned from the kitchen and entered the room.
"So you think I'm still young and beautiful? Even the eldest princess has become a mother. Do you think I'm still young?" Madam Song said.
“Your Majesty, even though you are now a grandmother, you are not that old. Consort Yi in the palace is ten years older than you, so how come she is still favored by the Emperor?” Qingping said.
"You little brat, be careful or I'll tear your mouth apart! How dare you gossip about the empresses in the palace? Be careful someone hears this, or I won't be able to protect you!" Madam Song quickly pretended to tear Qingping's mouth apart.
"If the princess won't protect me, who will? If the princess cares so much about me, why does she insist on sending me away?" Qingping pouted and looked at Song Shi with a wronged expression.
“Oh, I’m really afraid of you. I’ve already seen Qin’er’s maids who were of marriageable age get married, so I was thinking of finding you a marriage as well. After all, if you’re with me, even if you don’t end up sleeping on the streets, you won’t have many good days either,” said Madam Song.
“My lady, I’ve been with you for so many years. Please don’t talk to me about being a burden. I will serve you, my lady, for the rest of my life,” Qingping said.
"Master! The old lady and the young master have arrived!" At this moment, Qiu'er came out again and said to Madam Song in the room.
Madam Song gave Qingping a few deep looks, then immediately stood up and went out to greet her. Qingping followed her out.
Song has not seen her relatives for twenty-two years. Every year she writes letters, sends some things home, and tells the lie that she is living well with the Fourth Prince.
She saw an elderly woman dressed in the attire of a noblewoman, being helped slowly towards her by a young man.
Although they hadn't seen each other for over a decade, Madam Song immediately recognized her mother and youngest brother, Shucheng.
"Mother~" Song Shi stood at the door and called out to the old woman.
"Ning'er!" the old lady's aged voice responded.
The word "Ning'er" brought Song to tears. She longed to hear her mother call her that affectionately again, but upon hearing "Ning'er," all the grievances and hardships she had endured over the years flashed through her mind.
"Mother, Shucheng~" Madam Song was much calmer this time. She hurriedly stepped forward to help the old lady and carefully looked at her birth mother, who had given birth to her but whom she had never seen again after sending her to the palace for the imperial concubine selection at the age of thirteen.
"Big sister!" Shu Cheng said. When the Song family held their selection of concubines, Shu Cheng was still an infant lying in a cradle.
"Good girl! Qingping, quickly go and serve tea to my mother and my younger brother," Madam Song instructed.
After the three of them were seated, Madam Song began to examine her mother and younger brother.
"Ning'er, why haven't you mentioned going back to visit us all these years?" Old Madam Song couldn't help but say.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
