Chapter 109 Helping Her Steal the Private Seal
Just a few steps out of Song Shenshi's courtyard, I saw Ying'er waiting under the eaves not far away.
It had been a long time since I'd seen her, and she looked much more pregnant, her face was much more haggard, and her figure was much rounder.
He was supporting his lower back with his hand, looking frail and weak.
Upon seeing Song Yiqiu emerge, she immediately adopted a gentle and demure demeanor, gracefully stepping forward and offering a shy bow.
"Ying'er greets Miss."
Bai Mei was already seething with anger because of the news that the Third Young Master was going to marry Ruan Jiawen. Now, seeing the people in the Third Branch's courtyard, she was even more furious, and her tone was very sharp:
"Oh, why isn't Miss Ying'er resting peacefully in her own courtyard? Why is she out here blocking our young lady again? Is she using our young lady as a pregnancy tonic?"
"Judging from your figure... your meals must be excellent. But you should still control them a bit. If you lose that slender waist, it will be even harder to keep the Third Young Master's heart, won't it?"
Ying'er's face darkened, clearly indicating that she had already heard the news of Ruan Jiawen and Song Haochu's engagement.
Instead of getting angry, her eyes reddened, and she forced out two tears, crying as she said:
"Miss Bai Mei, you have really misunderstood Ying'er... Ying'er is of lowly status. If it weren't for the kind help of the young lady, she probably wouldn't have survived to this day."
She took a handkerchief and wiped away her tears.
"I heard that the autumn hunt was dangerous and that the young lady was wronged. I was worried and waited here to see if she was alright. Now that I see that she is safe and sound, I am relieved."
Green bamboo whispered in Song Yiqiu's ear:
“Young Miss, the weasel is paying New Year’s greetings to the chicken, it’s all up to no good. I heard that she caused a scene in the madam’s courtyard yesterday and was even slapped by Miss Ruan on the spot. I didn’t know why at the time, but now that I think about it, it must be because of this marriage.”
Song Yiqiu nodded slightly, her gaze calm as she looked at Ying'er's bent back. She didn't reach out to help her, but silently scrutinized her.
Upon seeing this, Ying'er's personal maid, Cui Rui, immediately knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly to Song Yiqiu, crying even louder:
"Young Miss! Please don't make things difficult for my young lady. She's already heavily pregnant, and the pregnancy is unstable. She was also upset yesterday, which has made her even weaker. She really can't take any more trouble!"
Bai Mei became even angrier upon hearing this, and put her hands on her hips, saying:
"Hey! How dare you talk like that, girl? What do you mean my young lady is making things difficult for her? She's the one who came here to block the way."
"Our young lady hasn't said a word since she came out. She's been crying and kneeling all day. She's practically finished performing three plays!"
Cui Rui was speechless after being rebuked and could only lower her head and sob.
Song Yiqiu then slowly spoke:
"Ying'er, stop pretending. Just tell me, what brings you here waiting for me?"
Ying'er's expression changed. Knowing that feigning pitifulness was useless, she simply abandoned her weak demeanor and glared at her with resentment:
"Song Yiqiu! I knew it! You and Song Sangyu are cut from the same cloth, neither of you are good people. You used me and now you want to kick me to the curb?"
"Do you think I don't know? You pretended to help me before, ostensibly for my own good, but actually just to keep Haochu from going to Qiuxian to help Song Sangyu, so as to save yourself trouble."
"You promised me before that you would make me the third young mistress. Now that this position is about to be taken away by that bitch Ruan Jiawen, are you just going to sit idly by and do nothing?"
Upon hearing this, Song Yiqiu seemed to have heard something extremely amusing. She chuckled softly and slowly circled around Ying'er.
"I promised to make you the third young mistress, but I never said I would make you the legal wife."
Her tone was casual.
"Given your shady background as a courtesan, any respectable family in the capital, unless they're blind, would choose you as their principal wife."
"Do you know who Ruan Jiawen is? She's the eldest daughter of the renowned Ruan family, a wealthy and influential family in the capital. Even a tiny bit of money from her family could feed an ordinary family for three to five years. What do you have to compete with her? Your face, or the baby in your belly?"
"I advise you to behave yourself and give birth to the child, so that you can hold onto your third brother's heart. Maybe he can even bring you into the mansion as a concubine or a maid. If you're lucky enough to give birth to a son, you might even be able to earn the title of a concubine."
"But you must be careful. If you continue to be unreasonable and stubborn, you might even squander the last bit of capital you have."
Seeing Song Yiqiu's firm attitude, Ying'er felt a sense of despair.
She knew all too well that although Song Haochu loved her, he was also cowardly, and in the face of his parents' wishes, his vows of eternal love seemed so pale and powerless.
She gritted her teeth, lowered her voice, and leaned closer to Song Yiqiu:
"I heard from the mistress that she plans to use the dowry your grandmother left you as a betrothal gift for Haochu to marry Ruan Jiawen. How can you tolerate this?"
"Song Yiqiu, if I'm not doing well, how long do you think you can stay doing well? Your things will just be taken by others to fill holes!"
Seeing that her words implied mutual destruction, Song Yiqiu was not angry at all; instead, she laughed even more heartily.
Qingzhu and Baimei exchanged a glance, and although they didn't understand why, they immediately laughed cleverly.
Ying'er felt uneasy at their laughter and stared warily at Song Yiqiu:
"What are you laughing at? Am I not telling the truth?"
Song Yiqiu's smile faded, her brows furrowed, and she feigned an innocent expression.
"As for the dowry, Mother said it was originally left by Grandmother to the entire Song family. Now, we're using it as a betrothal gift for Third Brother, so he can have a grand wedding. What's wrong with that?"
"Moreover, I've heard that Grandmother left behind a very generous dowry. It's more than enough to provide for Third Brother's betrothal, let alone for all the young masters and ladies of the Song family to get married."
"That's not for everyone in the Song family! It's for you alone!"
Ying'er interrupted her urgently.
"That's your dowry! Would you willingly give it away to someone else?"
Song Yiqiu continued to play dumb, looking at her suspiciously:
"Oh? Just for me? But Mother clearly said it was for everyone in the Song family. Ying'er, do you know Grandmother's last wish better than the matriarch of the Song family?"
Ying'er's face changed drastically with anger, and she gritted her teeth and said:
“Now that things have come to this, I don’t want to hide it from you anymore. Haochu told me everything; it was all a scheme orchestrated by Madam Song. Haochu secretly took me to see those things, and they all clearly bear Madam Shen’s private seal.”
"Those things can only be used and handled by the rightful heir to the title. Otherwise, why would Madam Song Shen insist on waiting until you inherit the title before she would propose marriage? It's because she can't do anything about it now!"
"Moreover, along with the dowry, there is also the private seal of the Marquis of Yongjia. Song Yiqiu, let me tell you, as long as you are willing to help me, I can help you get it. Otherwise, even if you inherit the title, without this private seal, you will always be illegitimate and subject to the control of others."
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