Song Yixiao had guessed wrong about the inside story, thinking that Jin Xun was indirectly framed by her own mother, but she didn't plan to let Lu Ziyu off: "I've been freeloading at the Hengshan Wangfu all these years, so I've always endured the sour words and sarcastic remarks from the Lu family without daring to show any resentment! But other grievances are one thing, how could Lu Ziyu treat my maid like this?!"

  She comforted Jin Xun for a while, rewarded her with two sets of clothes she had just worn, and told her to go down and rest. Then she called Zhao Mama upstairs to discuss: "We must teach Lu Zi Mo a lesson! But this matter cannot be publicly disclosed, otherwise it will ruin Jin Xun's reputation!"

  "Now that your marriage with Young Master Jian is not yet settled, I think it's better not to make things complicated since Sixth Miss has already covered this up." After a moment of contemplation, Zhao Mama said, "After all, Jin Xun is just a maid and hasn't really suffered any losses!"

  It's true that Zhao's mother also knew that Song Yixiao had always attached great importance to the people around her, especially after what happened to Zhiqin, she was even more concerned about the safety of her personal maid.

  So she saw the disapproving look on her face, and reminded her, "No matter how Sixth Miss was in the past, this time she saved Jin Xun and also preserved her reputation - if we go to trouble Fifth Master for Jin Xun's sake, I'm afraid Fifth Master will resent us and also vent his anger on Sixth Miss!"

  Lu Chai'er and Lu Ziyao, although they had different mothers, were both born out of wedlock and were close in age, so the relationship between the siblings was still good. In this day and age, brothers are a girl's reliance after marriage, it would be bad to offend them, if they really fell out with each other because of their own pursuits, it would be disastrous for Lu Chai'er.

  Song Yi Xiao was heartbroken for her maid, but she didn't want to repay kindness with enmity either. After hearing this, she remained silent for a while and sighed: "Let's do it that way then!"

  However, she is willing to let things go and avoid trouble, but some people just want to stir up trouble.

  The next day at noon, Wei Mengying sent Qiaocui over to call her to the main house: "The second young lady just went to find Wang Fei and said that she saw Jin Xun and the fifth young master pulling and tugging in the garden yesterday. She advised Wang Fei to give Jin Xun to the fifth young master, so as not to secretly come and go and affect your reputation. Wang Fei said that you have only one useful maid like this, and must ask for your opinion!"

  Song Yixiao almost got angry to death, Jin Xun just suffered a loss and couldn't find a place to vent, and now the Jin family is coming to add insult to injury?!

  Are they all stepping on her as if she has no future?!

  Her face turned iron-green as she slammed her hand on the table and stood up: "Leave!"

  As soon as they entered the courtyard, they heard Second Young Madam's sharp voice saying: "...the Wang estate has supported Miss Song for so many years, and the expenses are not just limited to one maid, even ten or twenty maids would be more than enough. Now that they're asking Miss Song for a maid, what else can she say?"

  Song Yi Xiao sneered and quickly walked a few steps into the door, asking directly: "How did the second young madam's side lack servants? Even if there was a shortage of people, in this Wang Fu, there are many clever and intelligent maids who would be willing to serve you. Why did you have to set your sights on my servant? Or did I offend the second young madam somehow, so that even using a maid is not pleasing to your eyes, and you must take her away?"

  "Miss Song's mouth is really like a knife, not sparing anyone!" The second young lady fiddled with the golden bangle on her wrist and sighed without lifting her head, "But I'm just thinking for your own good. After all, doing good deeds is an accumulation of virtues. Besides, Jin Xun has been serving you for many years, even if she doesn't have any merits, she does have hardships! You said that, and it's as if I'm coveting your maid!"

  She burst out laughing again, "As for Miss Song saying that I couldn't bear to let you use a maid, this is truly a great injustice! You are the treasured daughter of the stepmother empress, what's a mere maid compared to that? The Wang estate is vast and wealthy, buying a hundred maids would be no big deal - when has the stepmother empress ever treated you unfairly?"

  "Isn't it you who should be congratulated?" Song Yi smiled and paid respects to Wei Mengying, then curtsied to the second young mistress before taking a seat at the lower table. She took the tea from Cui Xian and sipped it lightly, saying indifferently, "I wonder what this 'adult beauty' you speak of is all about?"

  Second Young Mistress knew she was asking with ulterior motives - after all, it was a fact that Jin Xun had been intercepted by Lu Zi Xiao in the garden yesterday, and it was something she had witnessed with her own eyes. Song Yi Xiao thought about denying it, but it wouldn't be that easy!

  With a smile, she said: "I'm not the one who wants to say this, Miss Song! But as a girl, you really need to take care of the people around you! Otherwise, others won't just say that your personal maid is unscrupulous, but also suspect your own reputation! Take Jin Xun for example, Fifth Brother is young and handsome, it's not surprising that she has a crush on him, but without any introduction or engagement, she got entangled with Fifth Brother...

  "How dare you!" Jin Xun's face had not been looking good since she entered the door, and she could only endure it because of her identity. But now that she heard the second young madam distort the truth with her own ears, saying that she was the one who took the initiative to entangle Lu Zixiao - no matter how different their status was, she couldn't bear it anymore, and tears burst out, "It's clearly..."

  "Second Young Mistress, Jin Xun was indeed a maid, but she was bought in cleanly and honestly!" Song Yi smiled, raising an eyebrow, cutting off Jin Xun's words. Her sharp gaze stared straight at the Second Young Mistress, "You say she entangled with Fifth Master, do you have any evidence?"

  "I saw it with my own eyes, along with my maid. Can she still be wronged?" The second young mistress sneered and glanced at Jin Xun, "If Miss Song doesn't believe it, why not have someone bring in Fifth Brother to confront her?"

  Song Yi Xiao sneered, "That's strange! Second Young Mistress kept saying that Jin Xun was unruly, but yesterday when you and your maid saw Jin Xun with the Fifth Young Master, why didn't you think of stopping them? Instead, you waited until today to come and tattle to Mother?"

  She showed a playful expression, put down her tea bowl, "Or should I say, what you were doing at the time was even more improper, and you didn't dare to show your face to manage it?"

  Wei Mengying took a sip of tea and timely helped her daughter by saying, "Jin Xun's mouth is still very tight, and I don't think she looks like someone who saw something she shouldn't have seen. Erjia, you're really asking for it this time!"

  "I knew the stepmother would favor her own daughter!" The second young mistress was so angry that she trembled all over, "Indeed, there is ironclad evidence on our side, but the stepmother doesn't even bother to look! All it takes is one slanderous sentence from Miss Song and the stepmother immediately believes it! I don't know if the stepmother remembers or not, but this family's surname is Lu, not Song! You are now a member of the Lu family!"

  Wei Mengying and others were in the city, to such accusations eyelids are too lazy to lift: "If you ask heart no shame, smile is just speculation a sentence, as for the urgent red face even I still remember not remember who their own wife such words have been said?"

  "Second Young Madam, what you're saying doesn't make sense!" Song Yi smiled and continued, "You said it yourself, you and your maid saw Jin Xun entwining with Fifth Master; you also said it yourself, this matter is not proper! But at the time, you didn't stop them, and only spoke out after a day had passed. Who wouldn't be suspicious of what you're saying now?!"

  She said slowly and calmly, "Jin Xun is just a maid, you can't say you don't dare to scold her! As for the fifth young master, in terms of age, you are his sister-in-law, in terms of birth order, you are the legitimate daughter-in-law and he is the illegitimate son. Whether you teach him or speak on his behalf, it's all a matter of course! These two people, you can say something to them, you can manage them - so I'm curious why you didn't go and say something, why you didn't manage them at that time? What was wrong?! How could it be that you were just empty words and white teeth slandering you?"

  With just this little bit of endurance, you still want to play with floating stones and sinking wood?

  Deservedly being beaten by my mother until I'm speechless!

  Song Yi laughed, with a hint of disdain in her eyes. "Mother, I have received great kindness from the Wang family and do not dare to bear the crime of slandering the second young mistress! In my opinion, it's better to thoroughly investigate this matter! Otherwise, as the second young mistress said, even if only my reputation and Jin Xuan's are damaged, that would be tolerable. But if we implicate Princess Ke Er and the others, wouldn't that be a crime punishable by death?"

  "This is what should be!" Wei Mengying swept her hair back, saying indifferently, "The prince and the imperial concubine have entrusted me with managing this mansion. How can I let things go unregulated in the backyard? Don't worry about me covering up for you, Second Brother. Today, I'm putting my foot down: no matter who is unregulated, as long as it's investigated, there will be absolutely no leniency!"

  Her words were loud and clear, but how could Second Young Mistress possibly trust her?!

  "The truth of the matter is that Lu Ziyao was teasing Jin Xun, and even if it's investigated, it's just a matter of Lu Ziyao getting punished!" The second young mistress gritted her teeth in anger, "This Song girl clings to the fact that I was only watching the excitement at the time and won't let go, how could Wei Shi not add fuel to the fire according to her daughter's reminder?"

  Even if the news of Jin Xun entangling with Lu Zi Xiao spreads, it's just a servant after all! Wei Mengying wouldn't mind sacrificing a pawn to save the general, sending Jin Xun away - which family hasn't had a few unscrupulous maids? All this would be blamed on the master's head, so are there still any innocent families in the imperial capital?

  But it doesn't hurt at all!

  It's not uncommon for young maids to flirt with young masters, and everyone just listened to the commotion and let it pass. In comparison, the second young mistress of the Wang family was doing something at that time, and she didn't even go up to help her younger brother-in-law when he was being pestered, which is more likely to attract gossip!

  Even if she is clear in her conscience, are there few people who have been wronged in this world?

  Especially since Wei Mengying now has a son and daughter by her side, her status is much more stable than six years ago. This matter was originally the second young lady's fault, even if it were to be brought before the imperial concubine, she wouldn't be able to get a good outcome!

  Still fuming with anger, Second Young Mistress couldn't help but shift her anger to Lu Zhu'er, "If it wasn't for this little wretch interfering, why wouldn't I have stepped in right then and there to settle the matter of Jin Xun's affair with Lu Zi Xiao?!"

  Unable to help it, Lu Ziyu gave his sister face, and after Lu Chui'er arrived, he didn't say a few words before letting Jin Xun go - while the second young madam, who had originally planned to wait until he succeeded or Jin Xun was even more miserable before going up to "help", couldn't even make it over in time to stop him, and could only cause trouble afterwards!

  As a result, this "after the fact" was actually grasped by Song Yi and wouldn't let go!

  The second lady was furious and the more she thought about it, the more she felt that it was all Lu Zhi's fault. "This cheap woman! She's always scheming behind people's backs! What a despicable thing!"

  "Nor did she think about how in all these years Song Yiliao, an outsider, had been treated better than her in every way!"

  "As a princess of the royal family, it's fine if you don't remember this humiliation, but actually wanting to maintain Song Yixiao's maid!"

  "Not even a bit of backbone!"

  "Good-for-nothing thing! The aunt's upbringing is really not up to par!"

  No matter how much she scolded Lu Xiang'er in her heart, it was useless in the current situation. So she quickly thought of a plan and remembered that Song Yixiao had just interrupted Jin Xun's words, seemingly not wanting the maid to interrupt, but thinking carefully, it was actually intentional to stop Jin Xun from revealing the truth: obviously, Song Yixiao still valued this maid's reputation!

  The second young madam finally became clever for once, changed to a smiling face, and slowed down her tone: "Oh my! The stepmother and Song miss are really taking it seriously? It was just a joke, look at the two of you with such serious faces!"

  As expected, Wei Mengying played with the tea bowl without loosening her grip. Song Yi smiled faintly and said: "Is Second Young Mistress joking? But this joke is a bit too big, isn't it? Even if she's just a maid, this kind of thing can be said casually?"

  "Wasn't it that you heard Miss Song is clever and resourceful, so I wanted to scare you a bit?" The second young mistress clapped her hands and said with a serious expression, "Yesterday, I didn't go to the garden at all, how could I see anything? Besides, my fifth brother has always been polite, if he saw a woman in the garden, even if it was just a maid, as long as she wasn't by his side, he would definitely turn around and leave!"

  She smiled all over her face, "What's the talk about Fifth Brother and Jin Xun - it's all nonsense! I was just trying to scare you, wanting to see your frantic look! As a result, Miss Song is indeed clever and didn't fall for it!"

  "This is not a good thing to do, Second Young Madam should do it less in the future!" Song Yi Xiao indeed considered Jin Xun and intentionally left her a way out. Although she was furious and wanted to give her two slaps, she took a deep breath and restrained herself, coldly saying: "After all, you also have children who call you mother, if not for yourself then for your children's sake, shouldn't you accumulate some virtue?!"

  "Ah!!!" The Second Young Mistress didn't expect that she had already taken a step back, yet Song Yi Xiao accepted the reconciliation and still managed to stab herself in the back - for these six years, Wei Meng Yin's words had been used as a handle to hit her countless times!

  Even Empress Dowager Ci Xi was no longer as fond of her because of this reason!

  What made Ersha's grandmother grit her teeth the most was that, due to her failure to give birth to a legitimate son in time, her husband Lu Guanqun had already started cultivating his eldest illegitimate son - that little thing is also good at fawning on people. In a few years, even if she gave birth to a legitimate son, it's likely that this illegitimate child would still occupy an extremely important position in his father's heart!

  "You cheap thing! You're still laughing at me for having no children? Just wait until you marry Zhuo Ping'an, and then see if you can still laugh!!"

  Thinking so, Second Young Master's wife clenched her fists several times before releasing them, and after exhaling, she felt a bit relieved in her heart.