This marriage proposal was far beyond Song Yishuo's expectations, so much so that she subconsciously repeated it: "Who did you say agreed to whom?"

  "Miss Qi has promised to marry the Third Young Master of the Hengshan Wang Manor," Li Yu reminded, "Have you forgotten? When we lived in the Hanxia Pavilion back then, Miss Qi had also stayed there for a short while."

  Song Yi Xiao was certain she hadn't misheard, but instead of being delighted, she looked puzzled and hesitated before saying: "Go call Qiao Chen over, I have something to ask her!"

  Cui Xian was sent by her to help Zhao's mother a few days ago, and after Yu Hong's case was settled, she ran errands for Zhao's mother for another two days. She only returned to the Duke's mansion yesterday afternoon, and Song Yi Xiao gave her a two-day leave to rest.

  She was resting in her own house when she heard the summons and hastily changed into a dress to come over: "Grandma, is there any instruction?"

  "Sit down!" Song Yi smiled and waved her hand, letting the idle people retreat before asking straightforwardly, "When your mother arranged for Yan to stay at the Wang Fu in Hengshan, did she intentionally want to give her to Lu San?"

  Chuang heard this and was taken aback for a moment, hesitated, then said: "What Nai Nai said is true, the princess did say that to Wei's family."

  Song Yi Xiao heard the implication in her words and slightly furrowed his brow: "Mother said this to the Wei family... so what is Mother's true intention?"

  "Your Highness..." After all, the old master was extremely cunning. Cai Xuan was afraid of being suspected by Song Yi Xiao, but she had to reveal Wei Mengying's plan, and her heart was racing with fear. "The real intention of Her Highness is to let Miss Biao provoke Lord Lu San and the noble guests who came to congratulate on the day of the Empress Dowager's birthday, in order to kill two birds with one stone and cut off Lord Lu San's path to becoming the crown prince!"

  Song Yi Xiao was silent for a long time before asking: "So why was it quiet that day?"

  "Because that noble guest thought Miss Biao's appearance was not enough, after being bumped by Miss Biao, he didn't care and left." Cui Xuan said carefully, "Although Mr. Lu San was led over afterwards, he didn't see the noble guest teasing or bullying Miss Biao, so naturally there was no conflict with that noble guest."

  "It's really true that good people get good rewards." Song Yi smiled, only then did she understand why Wei Zhuang had avoided talking about the birthday banquet after the Empress Dowager's birthday, to the point where Zhao Mama thought she had been bullied at the table - whoever lost such a big face would definitely not want to mention it again.

  She thought for a moment and then asked, "Mother, who is that noble guest you were thinking of?"

  "He is the young master of Fuyang Hou." Qiao Chen smiled bitterly, "That young master has been notorious for being arrogant and frivolous since childhood. Originally, the queen thought that Miss Biao was not careful to offend him, no matter whether it was lust or dissatisfaction, he should have made a move——who would have thought that on that day he only pushed Miss Biao away and said 'This young master is also worthy of your beauty', and then left! Afterwards, Queen Wang was also extremely regretful, saying that if she had known it would be like this, she might as well have picked a beautiful maid to cultivate."

  Song Yi smiled coldly and said, "I said that the Hengshan Wangfu has always been neutral, and the Dai Guo Long Gongzhu is not unaware of this. How could she think of pulling in the Tai Fei? It seems like there's a flaw here!"

  All the daughters-in-law made their moves on the legitimate sons at the mother-in-law's birthday banquet, showing how fierce the internal struggle is!

  The eldest princess of Dai State, who has been everywhere to win over allies for Prince Wei, can't help but have thoughts about it.

  "It seems that Mother is distant from me, and it's probably because the Empress Dowager has something on her. She can't do otherwise!" Song Yi pinched her brow, thinking to herself, "But since the Empress Dowager already has something on her, and also has the support of the Grand Empress Dowager, why would she still agree to let Lu Guanlun marry my cousin Yu?"

  Hengshan Wangfu is after all a hereditary title, and as the eldest son, he has a great chance of becoming the heir. He can choose from among the best ladies of noble families. As for Wei Zhuang, even if we ignore her family background, she doesn't stand out in terms of talent or beauty. The Empress Dowager wouldn't look down on her even if it weren't for Wei Mengying's sake.

  To say that Wei Mengying helped, Song Yixiao didn't quite believe it: "Mother's current status is due to her own talent, beauty, and cleverness. But behind the scenes, there must have been guidance and support from Grandmother and Aunties! The reason why Grandmother and Aunties went all out to help Mother was that the Wei family's social status was low, so it was easy for Mother to make a name for herself. Naturally, they would want to work together to achieve this. If even if Yan were to marry into a high-ranking family, wouldn't she have to share some of the support that Mother received from her own family?"

  Especially since Lu Guanglun and Wei Mengying have huge differences in interests, according to Wei Mengying's character, it is even more impossible for her to marry her niece to him - isn't this pushing the Wei family's main house to the opposite side? Even Wei Mengying's own mother, Cao Lao Furen, would probably choose the former when it comes to her granddaughter being the wife of the young master and her grandson being the young master!

  After all, Lu Guanyu was only four years old. Even if he looked robust and lovely now, many children of his age had died young or prematurely. Who could guarantee that he would definitely grow up? Even if he did, with the Empress Dowager's explicit opposition, how much hope was there for him to ascend to the position of Crown Prince?

  It's just that his granddaughter is already eligible for marriage, and after getting married, if she has good luck, she can give birth to children within a year or two to consolidate her position, which is a visible advantage!

  Song Yi Xiao thought of this and couldn't help but feel a chill in her heart: "Could it be that, Yu Mei younger sister is with the Empress Dowager...?"

  Since Wei Mengying won't help her niece pave the way, under normal circumstances, Princess Wang of Hengshan wouldn't accept her nephew's cousin as a granddaughter-in-law... The most likely person to facilitate this marriage is probably Wei Xiang uniting with the princess and setting up a trap for her own aunt, in exchange for securing her own future!

  "If that's the case, then the King of Hengshan's mansion will be lively from now on!" Song Yi sighed and said to Qiao Chen: "In two days, the Wei family will host a banquet, let's go take a look together!"

  The Wei family was not particularly prominent, and even if they had continuously climbed up to the Wang mansion, the guests who came to offer congratulations on this day were generally ordinary.

  Song Yixiao's edict has not come down yet, but her husband's identity is already there, and she was naturally invited to the inner hall as soon as she arrived, where she was personally received by Old Lady Cao.

  "Good child, you've finally arrived!" Old Lady Cao held her granddaughter's hand, asking about her well-being, "I thought you'd just gotten married and wouldn't be able to leave your husband's side for a while. Now that I see you, I can finally put my mind at ease!"

  She was also asked about her life after leaving the boudoir, including how she got along with her elders, husband and servants.

  Song Yixiao answered one by one, all were very good, everything was going smoothly, and she also apologized on behalf of Jian Yu: "My husband is working in the Ministry of War, and the Minister's mother is seriously ill, so he has been quite anxious these past two days. That's why my husband couldn't get away to come and pay his respects. I hope you won't mind, Grandmother and uncles and aunts!"

  Mrs. Cao and others were disappointed, but Lianhu DeYin's news of his impending mourning period was no longer a secret at this gathering, and they could all understand.

  "Daughter-in-law, what's there to worry about?" Old Lady Mu smiled and said, "Who in the capital doesn't know that Xiaoxiao is blessed with good fortune? Lord Jian treats her like a treasure, how could she be wronged?"

  Other aunts and guests also echoed in agreement.

  Song Yi smiled and glossed over these jokes, took a glance around, saw Wei Zhuo was not there, then smiled and asked: "Where's Cousin Zhuo? She was the one being congratulated, why is she hiding?"

  "You can't even hide from your sister!" Just as the words fell, Wei Zhuang walked in from the door, smiling and continuing, "I was just standing in front of my grandmother, and my little nephew grabbed my hem with his sugar-stained hand. Unfortunately, I was wearing a moon-white embroidered mandarin duck robe with a jade belt, and it left two handprints on it. I had to go back and change into another one. Unexpectedly, sister happened to come over, what a coincidence!"

  "My goodness, you're absolutely radiant today! I can hardly recognize you!" Song Yi smiled and said, "With this stunning appearance, if I were a young master, I'd grab hold of you on the street and not let you go!"

  Her words were half-true and half-false - Wei Cui's beauty was not something that could be achieved just by dressing up, but compared to the days she spent in the Wang Fu of Hengshan, today's Wei Cui indeed had a radiant glow about her.

  "Can't tell that Eldest Sister is a woman, she's actually quite the tomboy?" Wei Zhuang teased, then chatted with the others in the hall for a while. Seeing no other important guests, she turned to Old Lady Cao and said, "Grandmother, since the banquet hasn't started yet, I'll take Eldest Sister to my room to sit for a bit?"

  Mrs. Cao was eager for her granddaughters and great-granddaughters to get closer, so she readily agreed: "I know you cousins want to be close, go ahead, go ahead!"

  The two sisters-in-law arrived together at Wei Zhuang's residence, which was a embroidered building on the southeast corner of the Wei family's large house. All the girls in this generation of the Wei family lived here. However, Wei Zhuang was the youngest daughter, and all her older sisters had married out, so she was the only one living there.

  "There's not much good stuff here, so just make do with it, Sister!" After entering the building, Wei Cui ordered someone to pour tea and smiled, saying, "This hundred-fruit cake is something that even my aunt can't praise enough. Try some, Sister!"

  Song Yi laughed and took a bite, saying: "Sweet but not greasy, indeed good craftsmanship!"

  She guessed that Weicheng had something to say alone, so although the Baiguo cake was indeed very delicious, she stopped after tasting a piece.

  As expected, Wei Cui saw the situation and made a gesture to let her attendants retreat. Song Yi Xiao also asked Qiao Chen and others to leave - after clearing the scene, Wei Cui moved to Song Yi Xiao's side, holding her hand, with tears shining in her eyes: "Sister, you must help me!"

  "What's wrong with you?" Song Yi laughed, roughly guessing in her heart, but surprised on the surface, "You were fine just now, why are you crying? If there's something difficult, can't you tell me? We're biological cousins, I'll help if I can, how could I refuse?"

  Wei Chang pulled out a handkerchief from her sleeve, dabbed at the corners of her eyes, composed herself, and then said: "I was too ashamed to ask my sister for help, but now that things have come to this, I don't have the courage to take my own life either. I can only swallow my pride and ask you!"

  Song Yi scolded, "What are you talking about on a good day like today? You're not alone, you have elders above you, brothers and sisters in the middle, and nephews and nieces below. With so many people working together, can't you find a way to solve this?"

  This sounds good, but it's actually hinting that I'm just one of the many relatives in Wei Cang's family, what a troublesome situation, don't expect too much.

  "But this matter is probably something that my sister can help me with!" Wei Zhuang heard this and suddenly tears rolled down, sobbing pitifully, "Master Lu San looks down on me, insisting on breaking off the engagement! You say if this really happens, where will I put my face? What will I do in the future? Besides seeking death, is there a second way out for me?"

  Song Yi smiled: "......"

  She only said that Wei Cui had made a move on Wei Mengying, fearing that after marriage, her aunt would use her mother-in-law's identity to bully her to death, so she wanted to find this cousin to mediate.

  Who would have thought that the problem lies with Lu Guanlun!

  "I may not have met Third Master Lu many times, but I know he's a decent person. Your engagement has been made public, how could he possibly treat you like this?" Song Yi took a deep breath and calmly asked, "Not to mention that it doesn't sound good for me as your cousin to say this, but since you want my help, you have to tell me what you did to make him not give you any face?"