Song Jinyu changed her clothes and came out. She personally felt Song Wangqiu's pulse. Her expression suddenly darkened, but she didn't expose Song Wangqiu on the spot.
Song Wangqiu was already over a month pregnant. Exposing her at this moment would surely damage the family reputation of the Song clan. It wasn't just about the reputation of the girls in the Song Mansion, but also about the marriages of all the women in the Song family.
Seeing Jinyu's face change greatly, Zhongli Mingye understood immediately. At this time, he arranged for the steward to take the other ladies and young ladies to the front hall for dinner.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing. My younger sister is not feeling well. Please allow this subject's daughter to take my younger sister back." After Jinyu bowed, she wanted to leave.
The young girl turned around firmly, and a faint fragrance of herbal medicine wafted through the hall with the wind.
Zhongli Mingye felt reluctant to part, but he also knew her temperament. For now, he simply admonished the Song and Deng families. He didn't pursue the matter of the snatched handkerchief anymore. Seeing that they had spoiled the prince's grand banquet, the two families apologized awkwardly and left.
He ordered someone to prepare a carriage to send Jinyu back. His eyes followed Jinyu's figure until she was out of sight. This scene fell into the eyes of the second madam beside him, who hated Song Jinyu even more.
In the carriage, Jinyu noticed Song Wangqiu's eyeballs moving.
"Stop pretending! You're already pregnant. I wonder whose child it is?"
Song Wangqiu was greatly shocked. "Please, elder sister, keep this a secret. Your younger sister never intended to do anything to let you down."
"Aren't you ashamed of yourself like this?"
"Your younger sister and Young Master He are deeply in love. Please, elder sister, help us!"
"Young Master He? You mean the eldest son of the He family!" A hint of sarcasm appeared at the corner of Jinyu's mouth.
"Of course. Your younger sister is already pregnant. Please, elder sister, give me a way out!"
The He family was undoubtedly the wealthiest and most powerful family in Liuzhou City, and there was even a Concubine He in the imperial palace. With such a powerful background, how could they take a fancy to the daughter of a collateral and concubine - born son of the Song family?
Jinyu looked at Song Wangqiu. She didn't miss the hint of calculation in her eyes.
So that's how it was. She had a really good plan. She used her identity as the legitimate daughter of the Song Magistrate to attract the attention of the He family's young master. To ensure her marriage into the He family, she even got pregnant before marriage.
Presumably, the second madam also knew about the betrothal between the He and Song families. She never thought that her younger sister would be so brave.
They returned to the Song Mansion in silence. The second madam was waiting at the gate early. She took Song Wangqiu and went back to her room.
Jinyu summoned the Song steward. After carefully examining the problematic dress again, a sly look appeared on her face, just like a little fox. She ordered the steward to arrest the maids in the weaving room.
After strict interrogation, they confessed that it was the second madam who had done it.
After Song Magistrate returned to the mansion from the banquet, his face was as black as the bottom of a pot! In his decades of official career, he had never been so humiliated as today.
"Smack!" He threw the paperweight, which hit the Song steward on the head. Blood immediately covered his face.
"My lord, please calm down! Your servant is telling the truth! The second madam did make several clothes with poisonous flowers. She also told the people in the weaving room to wait for the eldest young lady to come back and get them herself."
"The second madam also said that the only eldest young lady in this mansion is Young Lady Wangqiu!"
"Miss Wangqiu's monthly allowance is on par with that of a young mistress." Seeing the magistrate's face getting darker and darker, the steward trembled as he continued, "Even, even the eldest young lady can't compare."
The steward's words hit Song Qinzhou hard. The prince's admonition was right. He really hadn't managed his inner courtyard well. The fire in the inner courtyard had damaged his reputation.
"Go and arrange for the second younger brother's family to move out of the Song Mansion within three days! Let the eldest young lady take charge of the family affairs!"
Song Qinzhou didn't care much about the inner courtyard, but he cared about his official reputation.
Song Jinyu was waiting for the Song steward at the flower gate. These words were what Jinyu had told the steward.
The steward timidly told Jinyu the result that the second madam's family had been driven out. Jinyu felt relieved, but she was still worried about Song Wangqiu's pregnancy.
Unexpectedly, the second madam knew Song Qinzhou's intention to drive them out of the mansion. But she remained calm. At night, she put on a night - suit and quietly left the Song Mansion, heading straight for another courtyard.
This courtyard was her natal family's. All this didn't escape the eyes of Prince Yu.
"Qingfeng, keep a close eye on the Song Mansion. There's unrest in the Song Mansion!"
"My lord, why are you so concerned about the Song family's young lady?"
"She's wonderful, isn't she!" Zhongli Mingye remembered the scene when the girl fed him the antidote pill. His heart started beating faster.
The tenderness in her eyes was so thick that it couldn't be melted.
"But, my lord. His Majesty has already decided on the candidate for your principal wife!" Qingfeng was worried that the girl who was like a mountain sprite would surely not be willing to be a concubine.
"I'll decide my own affairs. You just make the arrangements."
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Prince Yu remembered what the emperor had said before he came to Liuzhou Prefecture: "You're not young anymore! After several years of experience on the battlefield, is there any girl who has caught your eye?"
"Father, your son has no intention for now. I only beg Father to allow me to choose my own wife."
"Nonsense! Royal marriages can't be decided by oneself!" The emperor's aura was intimidating even without getting angry.
Prince Yu said calmly, "Your son can give up any other rewards, but I only beg Father to grant me this freedom."
"Fine. If you're still unmarried before you turn twenty, I and the empress will arrange a marriage for you!" The emperor looked at his beloved son, who had grown into a decisive and valiant general after several years in the military camp. He was extremely satisfied but also a bit wary.
The current emperor controlled the marriage matter just to make this son more obedient.
Zhongli Mingye obeyed the emperor's order. But at the age of twenty, he met that girl. The He family, the Song Mansion...