Song Yuwang was four years older than Madam Song. Because he was the only male lineal heir of Duke Duanhui, Song Xinping, who did not die at a young age, Duke Duanhui brought him up well. He was even willing to retire early just to pave the way for his son. Hence, compared to other senior officials, Song Yuwang was a first-ranking official and had become the minister of the public at a young age.

He and Madam Song were biological siblings. Hence, they had quite a similar appearance. With a fair face, mildly beards, pretty eyebrows, and attractive eyes, he had a handsome and gentle appearance. With the elegance and his acts of a gentleman, it was obvious he was brought up in a respectable manner for many years, and he acted very affectionate towards his niece, Wei Changying, too.

Wei Changying had just bowed down respectfully when he helped her up immediately and asked her to take a seat. He then said kindly, “It has been more than a year since you moved to the capital after your marriage. It is a pity that this is our first time meeting up due to our busy schedules.”

At these words, Wei Changying apologized for having neglected her uncle. Song Yuwang said with a smile, “You were here earlier, but I was busy and happened to miss the chance of meeting you, so how could I blame you?” He then asked about the situation of the people in Fengzhou, focusing especially on Wei Zhenghong's health and Wei Changfeng's studies.

When he heard that Wei Zhenghong had not recovered but was still in considerably good health over the years and that Wei Changfeng was a disciple of Wei Shigu and was praised by both his master and Wei Huan, Song Yuwang showed his relief and said, “Your father is so talented and smart. What a pity. Fortunately, Changfeng is born smart and is now a disciple of a famous tutor, too. I’ve heard of his talents and had the chance to read some of his written poems. They are indeed quite excellent.”

Wei Changying said humbly on her brother's behalf, “This is all due to family uncle Zhijiao being a good tutor. Plus, grandfather's constant supervision is also one of the main reasons for his success. My brother is flattered.”

Song Yuwang praised her for her courtesy and talked to her casually about poetry and history. Wei Changying who was far less talented than her brother panicked a little. Fortunately, Song Yuwang only mentioned it briefly, and with Song Zaishui helping her, she managed to get by.

Later on, Song Yuwang could see that his niece was not very good at literature and was only of the standard of a common lady, so he stopped talking about it and talked about family matters instead. After an hour or so, Song Zaishui reminded her father, “Madam Su wants Changying to go home early, so we’d better ask them to prepare dinner now.”

Song Yuwang proceeded to order his servants and asked how life at her husband’s house was. He mentioned Shen Shuguang, “With such a cute and healthy son of yours, I can see that the Grand Preceptor loves him a lot.”

Song Zaishui smiled and said, “Changying is now well respected by the Shen Family because of her son! Otherwise, she might not have been able to come out today!”

Wei Changying wasn’t too familiar with her uncle as it was her first time meeting him. Hence, she was embarrassed to scold her cousin in front of him. Upon hearing what Song Zaishui said, Song Yuwang frowned slightly and said, “You are the lineal daughter of the gentlefolks, and your family is not weaker than the Shen Family. All you need to do is to play your role as a wife and mother. If the Shen Family mistreats you and you have no one to talk to as your parents are so far away in Fengzhou, you can always come to me. I will speak to the Shen Family on your behalf.”

“Thank you, my uncle.” Wei Changying felt a little touched and she thanked him respectfully. She added, “I’m always at the back hall. Hence, I don't see my father-in-law that often, but my mother-in-law is treating me alright. Not to mention that she is being extra lenient now because of Shuguang.”

Song Yuwang nodded his head and stroked his beard, “Your mother and I are siblings, and I treat you the same as Zaishui. You don't have to be shy to reach out to me anytime. If I am not in the mansion, you can always tell Zaishui to pass me a message.”

Wei Changying thanked him profusely once again.

After a while, a servant came to tell them that dinner was ready.

Mrs. Huo did not come over as Song Yuwang wanted to have dinner together with his niece and daughter. Wei Changying asked out of curiosity when she saw that Song Zaijiang and Song Zaitian weren’t there, either.

Song Zaishui said, “Big brother and second brother are so busy with their errands these days that they don't come home until late at night.”

Seeing that neither Song Yuwang nor Song Zaishui took their late return seriously, Wei Changying did not take it to heart, either. After dinner, when it was still bright, Song Yuwang sent her off and asked Song Zaishui to see Wei Changying to the back door.

On the way, Wei Changying scolded her, “Why did you tell my uncle that I’m respected because of my son? He thought I was being bullied in my husband's house and relied on Shuguang to get by!”

Song Zaishui pointed at her and said, “I've never seen someone as ungrateful as you! I was just trying to be nice! Who was the one being worried about how to talk to her mother-in-law when she gets home? I’m finding you a backup just in case your mother-in-law gives you a hard time. Isn’t it a good thing for my father to back you up if that happens?”

Wei Changying laughed, “How could I use my uncle as a backup just because my mother-in-law reprimands me? Who else has such a spoiled daughter-in-law?”

“You're really stupid.” Song Zaishui nudged her with her arm and said, “When you go back, explain what’s going on with Princess Anji first. Then, briefly mention the marriage between Huo Qingling and her son. If your mother-in-law doesn't say yes, you don't have to force it on her, either. When Father is at home, I'll send you a letter and you can come over to tell Father so he could help propose the marriage on behalf of the Huo Family instead. I’m sure your mother-in-law must give Father some face, right? Wouldn't that be the way to go?”

Wei Changying sighed, “What I have to worry about now is not just my mother-in-law's approval. There's also my sister-in-law and brother-in-law!”

“Well, that's your own business.” Song Zaishui teased, “Who asked you to act so foolishly?” That being said, when she was about to get into the carriage, Song Zaishui still gave her an idea, “Remember how you talked to Madam Gu today? Now go back and do the exact same thing to your sister-in-law and brother-in-law! Be honest about it, and ask them what you should do to make it up for them. No matter what happens, I’m sure they’ll have to give you some face as you’re their sister-in-law.”

Wei Changying did not appreciate her idea as she scoffed and got into the carriage, “What kind of idea is that? I was going to do exactly what you suggested. Do you have a better one?”

“Stop acting! I knew it, you ungrateful br*t.” Song Zaishui said, “I won't give you any good ideas even if I have one.” She pulled down the curtains of the carriage and said, “Go ahead now. Don’t give your sisters-in-law any chance to complain about you getting back home late.”

Wei Changying lifted the carriage curtain and reminded her, “Remember to tell first cousin-in-law that I'm leaving.”

“I know. I know.” Song Zaishui said, “Do you think I'm as careless as you are? Do you think I’ll not tell first cousin-in-law even without your reminder?”

When Wei Changying returned to Grand Preceptor’s mansion, Madam Su happened to be having dinner. Wei Changying immediately washed her hands and went to serve her.

Madam Su asked her, “Have you had dinner yet? If you haven’t, ask them to set up a table for you. I’ll let the servants serve me instead.”

“Thank you for your concern, Mother. I’ve already had my dinner at my uncle's place.” Wei Changying said with a smile.

Madam Su nodded and proceeded to let Wei Changying serve her.

When she had finished, the servant brought tea to her. Wei Changying took it and offered it to Madam Su to rinse her mouth, and she proceeded to hand her a handkerchief for her to wipe the corners of her mouth. Only then did Madam Su ask her what happened when she was in the Song Family. Wei Changying tried to come up with a few excuses when she was serving her mother-in-law, but she didn't think she could get away with it, so she just did what she had done in front of Madam Gu and said, “Speaking of which, I have to apologize to you, Mother.”

Surprisingly, Madam Su seemed to have expected this. Upon dismissing her servants, she asked, “Is Huo Zhaoyu going to marry a Princess?”

Wei Changying nodded timidly and couldn’t stop guessing what her mother-in-law would do next.

Madam Su instructed her, “Go on.”

After hearing what had happened, Madam Su's expression changed slightly before she asked, “Then in your opinion, is Huo Qingling qualified to be a daughter-in-law of the Shen Family?”

Wei Changying could not guess what was on her mother-in-law's mind, so she said cautiously, “I have only met her twice at the banquet before and have not talked to her properly. Hence, I do not know her true character. I’m afraid I’m in no position to give my opinions.”

Madam Su glanced at her and said, “Then let's wait until I've asked someone to find out more about her.”

What she meant by this was that she would agree with this marriage if Huo Qingling was up to her standards.

With a relieved heart, Wei Changying brought Shen Shuguang back to Jintong Courtyard.

On the other side, in the Wei Family's mansion, Mrs. Min who was grateful also closed the door of her room and rejoiced, “Got her! God bless! Hopefully, Liu Ruoye will give her a few more ideas on how to create a huge fuss so that she can be tormented to the point of no return! I hate that my second sister-in-law and I have to be constantly worried that one day my father-in-law, my husband, and my second uncle will all change their minds and favor her all over again. We, as her sisters-in-law, will have to be humiliated and bullied by her again!”

Mrs. Min sprang into action immediately and sent her servants away. She then fell on her knees in front of her bed and prayed to the heavens.

In the courtyard, Wei Changjuan looked at Liu Ruoye, who was dressed in disguise as a maidservant, in surprise. She said after a long pause, “Why? Why are you here at this hour?”

“I feel uneasy without seeing you in person, but the guards didn’t let me in.” Liu Ruoye bit her lips. It was starting to get late, and she said softly as there were tears in her eyes, “I know I shouldn’t have given you ideas before this. I should’ve kept my mouth shut even when you asked me to tell you. I really didn't think it would turn out this way. I thought… I thought the worst thing that could happen to you was getting punishment. If you sold me out, you might not even be punished. I can fully understand why you’re unwilling to meet me. I just thought that the guards seem to be a little disrespectful when they mentioned your name. I was… I was just worried… I…”

She seemed so sad that her voice got softer and softer, and her head dropped as she gradually became unable to speak.

Wei Changjuan stayed silent for a long time before she said lightly, “It's dark now. If word gets out that a young lady like you is sneaking around in disguise, it’ll not be good for your reputation.”

“I was the one who got you into trouble in the first place. I couldn’t care less about myself now.” Liu Ruoye jerked her head up earnestly upon hearing her speak.

As she raised her head sharply, she couldn’t stop the two drops of tears rolling down her cheeks. Being reminded of how she was mistreated and neglected these days, tears filled Wei Changjuan’s eyes as she said with a sob, “It's not entirely your fault. Who else could I blame but myself? I should have listened to you whenever you advised me. But I… I… Now… Mother…”

“I noticed it was pretty quiet, and there weren’t many people on my way here.” Liu Ruoye lowered her voice, “Although you’re mourning, I still think it’s a little too quiet. Are your two sisters-in-law so overwhelmed with grief that there is no one to take care of the family affairs?”

This question immediately hit Wei Changjuan's sore spot!

Immediately, she burst into tears and murmured, “If they had been so saddened over Mother’s death, they wouldn’t have humiliated me so bad these few days!”