The noise in her ears subsided. The Princess of Ning let out a soft sigh and pressed her hand against her forehead, looking extremely pained. Seeing this, Nanny Chen quickly stepped forward to massage her temples.
"Your Highness, everyone has their own fate. Don't fret over those two who don't belong to the mansion. It's not worth it," Nanny Chen advised.
Nanny Hu sighed on the side. "No wonder the Heir of Ding'an Marquis said those words back then. It turns out there's such a hidden story behind it."
The Prince of Ning wasn't without concubines, but he always knew his boundaries and respected the Princess in everything. The concubines in the mansion, for the sake of their own wealth and status, had always been well - behaved and never dared to act coquettishly like this.
After a moment of thought, Nanny Hu said, "Your Highness, perhaps you should find an opportunity to send those siblings back."
"Maybe the Fifth Young Master Song is a good one, but this Fourth Miss Song looks so charming. I'm afraid she'll learn from that concubine and bewitch the Heir. Then, there will be no peace in the Mansion of Ning in the future."
Send them back? The Princess of Ning frowned and finally sighed. "Innocent children should not be harmed. Sending that child back to the Marquis Mansion would be like sending him to his death."
The Princess of Ning was referring to Song Yixuan.
As for Song Yihuan...
For now, she seemed well - behaved, but who could tell what the future held?
When the Dowager of Ding'an Marquis passed away, she probably never expected that the maid serving by her side would do such a thing right in front of her.
The Princess of Ning didn't mind if Ji Lingchuan took more concubines. Before, Rongzhi had come to plead with her to serve Ji Lingchuan, and she had turned a blind eye.
However, Rongzhi was acceptable, but Song Yihuan was not.
If two sisters were to serve the same husband, word would spread and ruin Ji Lingchuan's reputation, making him a hypocrite. She would never allow such a thing to happen.
"If she behaves improperly and uses coquettish means like her aunt to seduce the Heir," the Princess of Ning narrowed her eyes slightly.
"The Mansion of Ning will never show mercy."
...
When Song Yihuan returned to Tinglan Courtyard, Song Yixuan was taking a nap in the room under Fuling's care, and Chunxing hadn't returned from the Ding'an Marquis Mansion yet.
Seeing her younger brother's pale face, purple - tinged lips, and furrowed brows, Song Yihuan's heart tightened. She asked Fuling, "What did Xuan'er do after I left? He doesn't look right."
Fuling replied nervously, "The Fifth Young Master didn't do anything. After you left, he just sat in the room, either writing or playing with the Chinese rings and Kongming locks, waiting for you to come back. After lunch and taking his medicine, he said he was sleepy. I helped him to bed, and he's been asleep until now."
Song Yihuan took the palm - leaf fan from Fuling's hand, sat by the bed, and fanned Song Yixuan while gently pressing on his eyebrows.
How could such a young child have so many worries?
As if sensing the presence of the most familiar person, Song Yixuan's eyelids fluttered, and he woke up.
As soon as he saw Song Yihuan, tears welled up in his eyes. He covered his chest and sobbed, "Sister, it hurts here."
This was the first thing Song Yixuan said after waking up.
Song Yihuan's throat tightened. She held back her tears and gently hugged her younger brother, then stroked his chest and said, "It's okay. Fourth Sister is here. Xuan'er just took his medicine. As long as you lie down quietly, you'll feel better soon."
The little boy nestled in her arms, so light that he seemed weightless.
Smelling Song Yihuan's scent, Song Yixuan's aching heart finally calmed down. He grabbed Song Yihuan's sleeve and whispered, "Fourth Sister, I feel much better."
Song Yihuan let out a sigh of relief and stroked his soft hair. "That's good. Guess what Fourth Sister brought for you when I went out today?"
She hid her hand behind her back and looked at Song Yixuan with a smile.
Song Yixuan blinked his big eyes and guessed cooperatively, "Is it the dessert that Xuan'er likes the most?"
"Right!" Song Yihuan took out the desserts she bought today like a magician. "Look, Fourth Sister brought you desserts from Ziwai Fang!"
Children have simple minds. He was immediately delighted by this surprise.
Seeing the smile reappear on her younger brother's face, Song Yihuan's heavy heart also eased.
She handed a piece of dessert to Song Yixuan's lips. He said seriously, "Fourth Sister, you eat too."
The siblings ate the desserts one bite after another and had a great time in the room. Then they heard some noise outside. It seemed that Chunxing had returned.
Song Yihuan asked Song Yixuan to stay in the room and then got up and walked out.
As soon as she looked up, she saw Chunxing standing in the courtyard, looking angry and aggrieved. She knew that Chunxing's trip to the Marquis Mansion to get the silver hadn't gone smoothly.
After entering Song Yihuan's room, Chunxing burst into tears before she could say a word. She choked with sobs, "I'm sorry, Miss. Chunxing failed to get the silver for you."
She didn't dare to complain to the Fourth Miss about how the servants in the Marquis Mansion had slandered the Fourth Miss when she went back to get the monthly allowance today.
They said that the Fourth Miss was lingering in the Mansion of Ning because she had her eye on the Heir of the Prince of Ning and wanted to stay there as a concubine!
They also said that the Fourth Miss was shameless, daydreaming about climbing the social ladder and competing with her own sister for a husband. She was coquettish and vulgar!
But Chunxing knew best how much her Miss yearned for freedom and how much she wanted to break free from the cage of the Marquis Mansion. She firmly believed that the Fourth Miss would never do such a thing as seducing her brother - in - law!
Seeing her crying so hard, Song Yihuan smiled and wiped away her tears with a handkerchief. "Come on, there's no need to cry about this. It's always been like this. If we can't get it, we can't."
Chunxing sobbed, "But, Miss, your money is almost used up. Without silver, in this Mansion of Ning, you'll... What will you do?"
She glanced at Fuling. Although she didn't say it explicitly, Fuling understood what she meant.
Without silver, Song Yihuan would have to rely entirely on Song Nanxin in the Mansion of Ning.
Song Yihuan also lowered her head and pondered this matter.
After going out today and buying some pastries, she only had thirty copper coins left. Although they didn't have to worry about food and drink for now, there would surely be times when they needed money in the future.
Moreover, when everything in the capital was settled and she wanted to leave this place, she would definitely need money. There was no hope from the Marquis Mansion, and the jewelry on her body carried the mark of the Marquis Mansion and couldn't be sold. She had to find another way.
After thinking for a while, Song Yihuan said, "I still have some embroidery in my room. When we go to the Mansion of Duke Jiang for the banquet, you can take them to the embroidery workshop to sell. They're old customers, so I think the embroidery workshop will give a good price."
Looking at Fuling, Song Yihuan didn't try to avoid her and said straightforwardly, "There's also the bookstore. I still have some unpaid compensation from when I worked as a copyist there. It should add up to about five or six taels of silver. Don't worry."