Wei Gaochan and Wei Changyan looked at each other and said anxiously, "I"m afraid that if we don"t go this time, we can"t always take the excuse of serving the elders when the second sister sends invitations later."
"Why not?" Song Zaishui calmly said, "Sisters, let me say an unkind word. Although the second Miss is your cousin, she is the child of the other branch. If you make mistakes, your family elders will discipline you. When should other branches turn to dictate? Moreover, I want to ask you a question. Do you give your grandaunt a much better birthday present than the one you give the second Miss?"
Wei Changyan said, "How... How is that possible? That"s all we can bring out now."
"Has grandaunt been picky about your gifts?" Song Zaishui sneered and said, "I don"t think she did so. Grandaunt is your lineal grandmother. She loves you so much, and why should the second Miss go beyond grandaunt? Grandaunt will be sad that you take the initiative to let her criticize you."
She said slowly before they answered, "In my opinion, you are so gentle that the second Miss is sure you are easy to bully!"
Song Zaishui always behaved well and reasonably during the months she lived in the Wei Family. Everyone admired the Song family for the good education they had given their daughter and thought that she was the one who was virtuous and kind. Wei Gaochan and Wei Changyan usually had little contact with her. After hearing a lot of servants" comments, they were a little flabbergasted and thought the cousin Song.... Why did it sound like she had been misled by the third sister?
Wei Changying looked at her with a frown for a moment and said, "What cousin Song said is also reasonable. The second sister is clearly intended to embarra.s.s you. In my opinion, we don"t have to keep contact with the mansion of Duke Jingping in the future. Anyway, we have own sisters at home."
Wei Changying changed her mind for Song Zaishui had a hand in this matter. Whether Wei Gaochan and Wei Changyan accepted this method of disconnection and indifference or not, they could only agree to it.
After agreeing, Wei Gaochan and Wei Changyan were not as fearless as Song Zaishui and Wei Changying. They clearly revealed that they were absent-minded when they sat there. It was not long before a clever maidservant reminded them that there was still something to be done.
Then Wei Gaochan and Wei Changyan took an excuse to leave and went to the third branch to discuss Song Zaishui"s idea in detail.
As soon as they left, it was Song Zaishui and Wei Changying"s turn to enjoy the clean Caiping pavilion.
The pavilion was built in a lake, not to the center, but it was also a few meters away from the sh.o.r.e. Twelve white marble stone stages which emerged from the water and looked like lotus petals meandered into the pavilion.
The entire pavilion was in the shape of an octagon. Its main purpose was to close to the water to avoid the summer heat and to see lotuses and fish, so there was a circle of winding corridor outside the pavilion and armchairs near the lake. At this time, the lotus flowers and leaves in the lake were higher than people, blooming near and far. Red flowers in green embraced the entire pavilion. Looking ahead, it was the most typical lush summer.
Although it was said there were hundreds of carps in this lake, it was difficult to see one today because it was full of lotus leaves.
Although the pavilion was built on the water, it was not silent even if there was noisy around now. It was because the cicadas on the willows around the lake were noisy.
The years of these willows were at most for hundreds, and at least for decades. Although it was a willow, it appeared vigorous because of the age. Many willows extended into the lake, obscuring the lotus flowers of the lake for several meters around. Saw from the pavilion, it looked like a thick and green curtain, showing the azure smoke.
It was Old Madam Song"s intention not to chase the cicadas away, for these willows along the sh.o.r.e were more or less nested. Old Madam Song loved birds, for fear that servants chasing cicadas might accidentally push the nests into the lake. Such mistakes had been made before. Besides, cicadas were the food of birds.
So, thanks to the birds, the cicadas in this garden were allowed to run its own course.
In the sound of cicadas, putting a silver cup filled with half a gla.s.s of the Agarwood drink on the table, Song Zaishui took out the handkerchief in her sleeve and wiped the drips on her hand. "Your two cousins are really interesting. This matter could be avoided clearly. They have to egg you on to do this for them. I don"t know what their intentions are."
Wei Changying said, "I"d love to. Your solution can solve the problem for a while, but won"t the second sister come by herself even if we avoid going? I think we should teach her a lesson and let her break the idea of bullying our family. This will put an end to the trouble! Why did she vent her anger on us?"
Song Zaishui snorted and said, "You are so stupid as to practice martial arts. This is the business of the third branch, and they have to bear it even if they are wronged. If your third uncle is capable, it will be useful to help him. But I don"t think he has good character or ability. If you help him now...." She whispered, "If Changfeng fights for the Family Head, he will not dare to offend the second branch. Why do you worry about it?"
"I don"t expect to help the fourth sister and the fifth sister once, and the third branch always wants to pay me back." After listening to these words, Wei Changying realized that she didn"t like to help the sisters of the third branch because she thought the third branch was of little value to woo. She broke into laughter and said disapprovingly, "I just think the cousin pushes people too hard. And it"s just a lift of the finger. The uncle from the mansion of Duke Jingping had said that the second sister was wrong. Considering the difficulty of being a widow at a young age, they indulged her even further over the years. Just make it clear to her. In the worst case, we will never keep contact with her. What can she do if n.o.body spoils her?"
"Don"t take it seriously. Otherwise you are a fool." Song Zaishui sneered and said, "The royal heir of the mansion of Duke Jingping can"t even control his daughter? Do you think he is your aunt instead of your uncle?"
Wei Changying said, "He could not help doting on his only daughter. And even if he was angry with the third aunt, never mind. Would he swallow his pride and do it in person?"
Song Zaishui shook her head and said, " In a word, it"s none of your business. Stay out of this matter. Won"t it be more reasonable for you to stand out when Wei Changxian really comes? If you take the initiative to discredit her, even if the mansion of Duke Jingping can"t do anything to you, they"ll spread a rumor about your termagancy. Would it good for you if it gets to the capital? It"s not long since you"re going to get married, so your two cousins" intention is not right. They shouldn"t pick you even if they are looking for someone to stand out for them. Is Changfeng easy to bully?"
Although Wei Changying loved martial arts, she was opinionated instead of a stupid and naive person. She frowned slightly and said, "That"s strange. I have no grudge against them. Moreover, both of their marriages now depend on grandmother. How dare they set me up?"
It was obvious that Old Madam Song was partial to the eldest branch. In view of the old lady"s majesty, the other branches dared not even show jealousy. Wei Changying was used to being superior in the family and being envied by other cousins. Listening to Song Zaishui"s a.n.a.lysis, she always thought it was impossible.
Due to her future, she learned very well from Old Madam of the Song Family of setting someone up, who was never afraid to think the worst of people. She immediately said, "What do you think is enmity? Having a quarrel or offending someone openly? For example, the Empress and the Crown Prince were kind to me when I was in the capital, but now I wish they were dead! Lest I marry to suffer in the Eastern Palace!"
She added, "Grandaunt spoils you and Changfeng so much that Wei Changxian dares to bully them rather than yours. Can the fourth and fifth Miss not be jealous? It"s not strange that they do people harm since they are jealous. And grandaunt didn"t even care about this matter."
Wei Changying frowned and said, "It"s all right for other branches, but the third aunt.... I think you have known since you had lived here for several months. She does everything with goodness and gentleness for she feels inferior to her background and is most afraid that people will say she is not worthy of being a daughter-in-law of the Wei Family. The fourth and fifth sisters mention nothing even if the second cousin purposely makes difficulties for them. I"m afraid it has a lot to do with the third aunt"s temperament. As for the grandmother, after all she is the elder. The second sister did not make things out of hand. Now it just looks like the contradiction between the sisters. How can the grandmother interfere in her ident.i.ty?"
Song Zaishui thought about it and said, "That makes some sense... But Madam Pei is so funny. She is afraid that others will say that she doesn"t deserve to marry the Wei Family with such a background. Is it all right to please grandaunt? Is grandaunt a person who is willing to let outsiders talk about her daughter-in-law easily? In addition, it"s up to the grandaunt whether Madam Pei deserve to marry the Wei Family or not. She"s so afraid of other branches, especially the junior Wei Changxian. I"m afraid that grandaunt is disappointed too."
"That"s the third aunt"s biggest worry, and she hasn"t had a child yet." Wei Changying said, " So she always feels ashamed. In fact, grandmother never blamed her for not having children. Instead, grandmother praised her several times for her goodness and gentleness. I think maybe grandmother cares about granduncle"s face, so she didn"t care about the mansion of Duke Jingping."
Song Zaishui smiled in silence. She thought to herself, though she said nothing. Grandaunt paid attention to the heirs of the eldest branch in her early years and now was engrossed in the prospects of your brother and you. Wei Shengnian was not worth courting for he was not grandaunt"s natural son, and he was coward and useless. Grandaunt would not care whether his branch had heirs or was promising or being bullied. As long as Madam Pei kept the third branch in order, grandaunt would be all right. After all, he was not her natural son!
So, what"s the big deal to praise Mrs. Pei when she was in a good mood?
Take as an example, Wei Gaochuan, who was examined homework by Wei Huan with Wei Changfeng. Wei Gaochuan saw Wei Huan as a mouse saw a cat. Both Wei Shengnian and Pei dared not intercede for him for Wei Shengnian was a coward and Mrs. Pei was a woman. Only Old Madam Song would persuade when Wei Gaochuan suffered the family doctrine. And the reason why Old Madam Song was willing to defend him was that he was not as good as Wei Changfeng and couldn"t threaten his future. If Wei Gaochuan was better than Wei Changfeng in study, Old Madam Song would have already been unsatisfied with him.
Song Zaishui was clear in her mind. Although the position of Family Head always belonged to the capable people in the family, in the eyes of Old Madam Song, all of these should belong to Wei Changfeng, not only the position of Family Head of the Wei Family in Fengzhou, but also the t.i.tle of Duke Changshan and the senior commander on Wei Huan.
Wei Shengyi was a good example for anyone who dared to covet. If it was not for Wei Huan didn"t have other capable sons, Wei Shengyi was needed to support through the years when Wei Huan was old and frail while his grandchildren had not yet grown up, Old Madam Song could have killed Wei Shengyi directly!
Old Madam Song would not be softhearted to those who threatened Wei Changfeng"s position.
Not only Old Madam Song, but also Madam Song who was kind to her children would be wicked and merciless to whom stood in the way of her children.
Thinking about that, Song Zaishui couldn"t help but stared Wei Changying and said with hatred, "A child without mother can depend on no one! I haven"t realized it until today!"
"Why do you think of this?" Wei Changying who was picking the seasonal fruit from the bowl with a silver spoon changed her face after hearing it.
Sure enough, Song Zaishui quickly turned the topic back to the things she was afraid, hateful, anxious and helpless, "If my mother is still alive, why should I live in your house for so long for the sake of not wanting to marry a dissolute prince , why should I live in the Wei Family shamelessly for a long time and always worries about being kicked out so as not to want to marry the vicious Crown Prince? Did I do a lot of bad things in my previous life? Why am I so miserable? If I had known that I would marry such a man in the Song Family, I would rather be a toiling poor girl in a common family and marry a common man than being a Crown Princess."
A moment ago, the cousin was still confident with a well-thought-out plan, but soon she took a handkerchief to wipe up tears and cried sadly. After looking that, Wei Changying heaved a deep sigh and said drawlingly, "Or... you pretend to be sick? Serious illness? Shall I try to beg grandmother for you?"
Song Zaishui suddenly stopped crying, stomping her foot and urged, "Why don"t you go now?"