The main hall was lined with incense burners, and Song Yi, dressed in her finest attire, knelt properly at the bottom of the hall.

  After the official finished reading the imperial edict, he knocked his head to thank him and raised his hands above his head to receive the jade scroll with the imperial decree. With the support of those around him, he stood up and was about to exchange a few pleasantries with the official when the latter had already bowed his hand and said indifferently: "This official still has official business, farewell!"

  "Slow down!" Song Yi smiled and looked at the situation, obviously not wanting to get close to the Yan Guo Gong Fu - presumably a confidant of Qiu Xixia - and didn't even bother to pretend, proudly nodding her head. She watched him step over the threshold, then handed the imperial edict to Jin Xun, "Go put it with the original imperial edict from the empress dowager!"

  "Congratulations, madam!" Jin Xun took it over and didn't rush to leave. Instead, she followed the servants present to congratulate her before holding the jade scroll with both hands and going down with a smile.

  From now on, the one they will be serving is none other than the official and legitimate First-Rank Lady of the State of Yan!

  Such great news, just saying congratulations at the place where the imperial edict is received is not enough.

  Song Yi Xiao returned to the back hall, and the servants with some status gathered together, taking turns going in to kowtow and pay their respects, congratulating her on finally becoming the legitimate mistress of the Duke's Manor.

  "We should go to the shop and get some silver now." Jin Xun finished giving out the last reward, saw that there was no one else waiting outside, closed the door, and smiled at Song Yi, "The silver you brought when you got married is almost all given out today!"

  "Let's have lunch served." This was originally a happy occasion, but unfortunately Song Yixiao is not in a good mood at the moment. She still maintains a smile in front of others, but when only her closest confidants are present, she can't be bothered to pretend anymore. She said blandly, "After we've eaten, send someone to check on the situation at the Quanxing Pavilion and report back to me - also, what's the official explanation for what happened last night?"

  Jin Xun went out to call people to set up the meal, and after waiting for her to finish, she called Yueteng to visit Quanxing Hall. She presented a cup of fragrant tea and watched as Song Yi smiled and took a sip before saying: "The master left early this morning and hasn't returned yet. However, before he left, he said that family scandals should not be spread outside, and this matter needs to be discussed with the Empress Dowager and the Crown Prince before a unified statement is made. Before then, all members of the household must guard the gates tightly and not leak a single word!"

  Song Yixiao thought to herself, "Last night, who knows how many people died? The neighbors on the left and right aren't blind or deaf, so how could they not have heard any news at all?" This so-called blockade of information was just for show.

  So worried, "I was held hostage for a while last night, and I don't know if any unfavorable rumors about me will spread."

  She hesitated for a moment and said: "I saw that there weren't many servants who came to congratulate me just now, probably most of them were still the ones who followed me when I got married. What about the others...?"

  "I don't know." Jin Xun's eyes lost their joyful color and revealed a hint of fear, as he lowered his head and said, "It seems that last night Master said he wanted to thoroughly investigate the remnants of the Grand Steward's party and took many people to the prison. Perhaps they are still being held inside?"

  Song Yi Xiao didn't say anything else and just asked: "Hasn't Yue Deng come back yet?"

  Yue Deng returned soon, with a worried look on her face: "Miss's wind and cold seem to be quite serious. When I went there, the doctor who took your pulse yesterday was saying that Miss might not recover for a while, at least she needs to rest for ten days or half a month!"

  Others are fine, Qiao Xing and Li Yu sisters can get up already, they just have a bit of headache, they will come to pay their respects to the madam later!

  "Tell them to go back and rest for a couple of days." Song Yi smiled and shook her head, saying, "Neither visiting the sick nor congratulating are urgent matters - if we add a few more people at Cui's place, otherwise there will only be Su Die, now she might also have a headache, taking care of herself is not guaranteed, let alone serving the patient?"

  Knowing that there are not many people in the mansion now, she called Jin Xun and said, "You go to Zhao Mama's house immediately and ask Zhao Mama to recommend a few suitable girls from my dowry to help out!"

  Although it's said that this untrained girl, suddenly entering the mansion as a maid is definitely not handy. But at present, the Quan'an Pavilion has no one to serve, after all, can solve the urgent need - Moreover, the dowry is not sensible, because her life and death are in her hands, after all, more reliable than hastily buying people.

  Jin Xun heard the words and hesitated for a moment before responding vaguely.

  Song Yi Xiao asked Yue Deng again: "Is Yuanyuan's situation very serious? Are the medicines she takes difficult to match? Is she awake now?"

  According to the doctor, it's not serious, just that if she doesn't take good care of herself, there might be lingering aftereffects. The medicine needed is also common stuff, we can gather everything from our own storage. Yuelan said this much before quietly glancing at Jinxun and continued, "Miss seems to still be asleep."

  Song Yi Xiao didn't say anything else, just waved her hand to let her go down, leaving only Jin Xun in front of him. He furrowed his brow and asked: "Did you tell Yuelan that you don't like Cui's sister? Otherwise, why would she say that Cui's sister seems not to have woken up yet - isn't this just a way of hoping I won't go to Quanxing Hall to see her?"

  "But, madam, you were injured just last night!" Jin Xun's concern was exposed, and she felt both anxious and wronged. "Just now, going to the front hall to receive the edict was unavoidable. Since Miss Fang has already invited a doctor, and you don't understand medicine, why must you go see her? The road is so far, what if you catch a cold or get chilled on the way?"

  "It's precisely because of what happened last night that I must take a trip! Song Yi sighed and patiently said, "Otherwise, my cousin would be frightened to death! You don't think about it, she came to our house alone, if something happens to her, how can I explain it to the Wei family? Even if the Wei family doesn't dare say anything to me, if it gets out, what will people outside think? You think you're doing this for my sake, but look at what you've done!"

  Jin Xun was about to explain, when voices came from the courtyard, it was Jian Xu Bai instructing Ji Su - the master and servant in the hall subconsciously stopped talking.

  A moment later, Jian Yu Bai walked in alone and said, "I just heard from the gatekeeper that your imperial edict has arrived?"

  "It's over." Song Yi smiled faintly and replied, making a gesture for Jin Xun to continue, then asked, "Are you back from your parents' place? How did things go?"

  Jian Yu Bai walked over to the table opposite her, sat down and poured herself a cup of tea from the teapot on the table. She took a sip and said: "Father and mother's intention is to suppress it, after all, they are just some lower servants, making a big fuss about it will only bring trouble to us - and also avoid diluting the joy of third brother's upcoming wedding!"

  "Your third brother is almost frightened to death, what's there to be happy about?" Song Yi smiled inwardly and snorted secretly, but said on the surface: "I know. However, with so many people leaving the mansion all at once, especially during the busy year-end period, it's indeed troublesome!"

  "The people in the front yard are readily available." Jian Yu Bai put down his tea bowl and raised his eyes, saying, "Most of them were my personal guards when I went to war years ago. Now that the four borders are at peace and there is no war, they have all returned home and are idle. It's a blessing for us to be able to come to our mansion to work; as for those I gathered in Wuhuan, due to various reasons, they will arrive in the capital in two days, which coincidentally fills the vacancy - you'll have to think of something for the backyard!"

  Song Yixiao wanted to hear that last sentence, but still said: "I thought it was only after the New Year that I would consider this matter, and I'm not prepared here either. It's likely to take some time to gather enough people - and training maids is no easy task, so the backyard will probably be noisy for a while."

  "It doesn't matter, anyway we don't live with our elders, and even if it gets noisy, it's just the two of us who will be disturbed, so let's just get through it."

  It's settled then. Song Yi thought about summoning Zhao Mama back to the manor immediately for discussion - previously, You Hong was only fined silver and didn't suffer any hardship due to the care of the Jingzhao government office. But after You Qingchun left with her son, she wasn't accepted by her brother and sister-in-law, so she had no choice but to ask Zhao Mama to plead on her behalf, and took refuge in the Yan Guo Gong manor. This matter made both You Hong and his wife extremely angry!

  You Hong beat his son severely, but the daughter-in-law was not easy to mess with. She shouted "The old man only loves his daughter and grandson, but doesn't care about his son and grandson". She tried to hang herself from a beam and jump into the river, causing a commotion that attracted many people from her family to come to the You's house to question them, making it a big scene for the neighbors to watch.

  Song Yi Xiao knew about it and gave Zhao's mom a break, letting her thoroughly take care of things at home before coming back.

  Of course, she did this not only to comfort the wet nurse but also because she was afraid that Zhao's mother would mention again "the aphrodisiac incense that Princess Wang put in the secret compartment of your trunk".

  But now things have taken an unexpected turn, and it's clear that not recalling Zhao Mama as an assistant is no longer an option.

  Song Yi thought for a moment, just about to call someone, when Ji Su walked in from outside. Today, he rarely didn't have a feather duster in his hand, but instead carried a bird stand, on which perched a red-beaked parrot with bright and shiny feathers, its black eyes gleaming with spirit - as Ji Su bowed and said: "Your humble servant greets the young master and mistress!"

  The parrot immediately opened its mouth and said in a voice like that of a little girl: "Great luck! Everything goes as you wish!"

  This made Song Yi laugh and hesitate, while Jian Yu Bai chuckled and nodded to Ji Su to hand over the bird cage. He personally placed it on the table between them and said: "I just went to my mother's place and saw someone send her a parrot, which was quite clever and could sing little tunes, making my mother so happy that she couldn't close her mouth. I thought you might like it too, so when I came back, I also picked one up from the market."

  He pointed to the parrot that was still chattering "auspicious, as one wishes" and said, "Although this one can't talk as well as your mother's mynah bird, it should be almost as good if we continue to teach it. Moreover, its plumage is beautiful, far surpassing that of the mynah bird!"

  Song Yixiao knew that he was doing this with a compensatory intention, and she didn't know what kind of feeling it was in her heart. After being silent for a while, she finally reached out to touch the parrot's small head under his expectant gaze - the parrot gently pecked at her finger and said: "Beauty! Beauty!"

  "Look, madam, this little thing has a discerning eye!" Below, Ji Su glanced at the couple and, plucking up his courage, interjected, "When Master paid the bill in the market, he asked them to wrap it up and send it over. I just received it at the gate and carried it all the way here, and it said many things along the way, but not a single word about 'beauty'! I thought it didn't know that phrase, but it turns out my appearance is too ugly to fool it! Now that it sees you, madam, it's willing to speak up!"

  Song Yi Xiao, although she had a grudge in her heart, wasn't foolish enough to openly quarrel with Jian Xu Bai at this moment. She smiled and said: "It looks quite interesting, but I wonder if it's difficult to raise or not?"

  "It's easy to raise! Not difficult at all! Just feed and water it, and that's it!" Ji Su hastily said, "Besides, even if it's hard to raise, we can't let you worry about it!"

  Taking advantage of the parrot's topic, the atmosphere finally relaxed a bit. Jian Yu Bai stroked his tea cup and turned to his wife, saying: "Yi Jie is leaving tomorrow, you're injured, so don't go see her off. If there's anything you want to say to her, why not write a letter for me to bring to her?"

  Song Yi Xiao was taken aback for a moment, and then remembered that it had been several days since Pei You Dui came to propose marriage until now. Since the Pei family wanted to leave the capital before Princess Changxing's birthday, they couldn't delay any longer.

  She didn't have much of a relationship with Pei You Rui, and when Jian Yu Bai told her to deliver the message, she was at a loss for words for a moment, hesitating before saying: "I've heard that Jiangnan is prosperous, but I'm looking forward to seeing Sister Yi..."

  "They're not going south, they're going north." Jian Yu Bai shook his head, "It was easy for Niang to persuade Jin Su Ke, but Pei University Scholar refused to go to Jiangnan, saying he missed his hometown and had to bring Yi Jie back to Youzhou!"

  Song Yi smiled and pursed her lips, looking at the brick road not far away: "That... those boxes of the Pei family, the silver tickets that are being sold now, take them to Yiyi first?"

  "It's alright." Jian Yu nodded slightly, and was about to say something when Jin Xun, who had previously taken his leave, came in again to report: "The Empress Dowager has sent a nun to pay her respects to the lady, and she is on her way here now!"