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Song Yihuan opened her door and stepped out, indeed seeing Baizhi, Song Nanxin's head maidservant, in the courtyard.
Baizhi said coldly, "Fourth Miss, the Princess Consort requests your presence." Her chin was slightly raised, and her eyes held an obvious disdain and contempt for Song Yihuan.
Faced with such gazes, Song Yihuan, as a legitimate daughter born of a concubine in the Marquis Manor, had long grown accustomed to them.
Both she and her younger brother Song Xuan'er were born to Concubine Rou of the Ding'an Marquis Manor.
Concubine Rou was originally a maidservant by the side of the Ding'an Marquis's Old Madam. When the Old Madam was gravely ill, Concubine Rou had an intimate encounter with the drunk Ding'an Marquis, thus becoming his woman and permanently staying in the Marquis Manor. The Old Madam, greatly distraught by this incident, passed away not long after.
Although Concubine Rou was already pregnant with Song Yihuan when the Old Madam passed away, the Marquis Manor did not welcome Concubine Rou, nor did they welcome the arrival of Song Yihuan and Song Xuan'er.
This was solely because everyone believed that Concubine Rou, fearing she would lose her backing after the Old Madam's death, had deliberately climbed into the Ding'an Marquis's bed, branding her an unruly, unfaithful foxy temptress.
And the Old Madam's death was inextricably linked to her.
A little foxy temptress born of a foxy temptress naturally had the blood of a born seductress flowing through her veins.
From childhood, she had suffered countless cold stares and contempt. Even the servants in the Marquis Manor could freely bully and mistreat her.
Only Song Yihuan knew how much suffering her mother, Concubine Rou, had endured in her life.
Concubine Rou was originally only one month away from leaving the Marquis Manor to marry her fiancé and live a carefree life as an ordinary couple. But all of this was destroyed by the Ding'an Marquis.
That man, because he had taken a liking to Concubine Rou, disregarded the gravely ill Old Madam and ruined Concubine Rou's purity right in front of the Old Madam, which was the true reason that accelerated the Old Madam's death.
But the world would not consider this the Ding'an Marquis's fault; they would only push all the blame onto the powerless Concubine Rou, making her, a weak woman, bear the infamy and public scorn.
She once thought her Older Sister was the kindest person to her in the Marquis Manor, unlike others who disdained and alienated her. Older Sister gave her clothes, food, and jewelry, treated her as fairly as her other sisters, and even introduced her to other noble ladies in the capital.
But to her Older Sister, she was merely a tool to be exploited. All the kindness Older Sister had shown her in the past now became a debt she had to repay.
Fate was so ironic. She never expected to now follow in her mother's footsteps, forced to give herself to a man with whom she had no connection.
And she... she only needed to wait one more month, just one more month.
Suppressing the bitterness in her heart, Song Yihuan forced herself to forget it all.
An arrow shot from the bow cannot be recalled. Since she had already agreed to her Older Sister, she would properly "repay" her Older Sister's past kindness.
After she gave birth to the child, she would definitely take Xuan'er far away from the capital, find a place where no one knew them, and live a good life.
Arriving at Yixiang Courtyard, Baizhi stood guard outside, allowing only Song Yihuan to enter. Stepping inside and seeing the familiar furnishings, the memory of that absurd night made Song Yihuan's face grow a shade paler.
Her beauty was already delicate and charming, and her pale complexion added a touch more of a frail, fragile feeling, inspiring a desire for pity.
However, all of this appeared exceptionally glaring in Song Nanxin's eyes, especially since Song Yihuan had changed into a goose-yellow dress, nearly identical to what Song Nanxin was wearing today, further fueling the jealousy, resentment, and anger in Song Nanxin's heart.
With a "thump," Song Nanxin slammed the table forcefully: "Song Yihuan, who are you putting on this affected, wronged act for? It is your honor to serve the Heir! You should know that given your birth, you aren't even worthy of being the Heir's concubine! I advise you to put away your petty schemes and do your part, otherwise, don't blame me for exposing your scandalous affair of seducing your sister's husband to the public!"
Song Yihuan's head felt a bit dizzy, and listening to these words, she only felt annoyed. She replied indifferently, "Did Older Sister call me here just to say this?"
Song Nanxin's surge of anger met a wall with Song Yihuan, leaving a breath caught in her throat, neither up nor down. Remembering that she still temporarily needed this younger sister to serve the Heir and become pregnant on her behalf, Song Nanxin could only glare at her fiercely, speaking exasperatedly:
"Why did you leave the manor just now? What if you ran into the Heir outside and he saw something amiss? Can't you just stay put in your courtyard and not run around?"
Song Yihuan calmly explained, "Xuan'er's medicine ran out. I just went to the medical hall to get some. When I left, I specifically chose a small path and even picked a quieter medical hall. I absolutely wouldn't easily run into the Heir, Older Sister can rest assured."
Hearing her say this, Song Nanxin's tone instantly softened considerably: "Sending a maidservant to fetch medicine is a small matter, why did you have to go yourself? I told you that as long as you agree to me, I will be responsible for Xuan'er's medicine from now on, and I will also hire a better doctor to cure his heart ailment. Do you not trust me?"
Song Yihuan paused, then said, "Of course I trust Older Sister. It's just that in the past, I always went to the medical hall myself to get medicine; I didn't think it through immediately."
Remembering that Song Yihuan and Song Xuan'er only had one maidservant, Song Nanxin raised an eyebrow: "Xuan'er's illness requires careful care. Chunxing alone in your courtyard probably won't be able to handle it. From now on, I will let Fuling serve by your side to help you."
Fuling was one of the dowry maidservants Song Nanxin brought from the Marquis Manor. She had followed Song Nanxin since childhood and was very loyal to her.
Song Yihuan understood perfectly well that her Older Sister assigning Fuling to her wasn't for care at all, but for surveillance.
From then on, her every action and word would be under her Older Sister's control, and even Xuan'er's life was firmly held in her Older Sister's palm.
Taking a deep breath, Song Yihuan lowered her head and replied, "Thank you, Older Sister."
"All in all, remember next time, no matter where you go, you must inform me beforehand and only leave after receiving my permission. You are also not allowed to wander around the manor to avoid offending the Prince and the Princess Consort, and you must be careful not to let the Heir see anything amiss," Song Nanxin further instructed.
Receiving no reply from Song Yihuan, she unhappily raised her voice, "Have you remembered?"
Song Yihuan used the table to steady her weak body and replied in a low voice, "I remember."
Seeing her beautiful younger sister, born of a concubine, obey her like a servant, Song Nanxin felt triumphant, and her anger dissipated. Her gaze fell on the account books casually placed on the table, and Song Nanxin's eyes lit up. She pulled Song Yihuan's hand and smiled:
"Yihuan, don't blame Older Sister for losing my temper with you just now. Older Sister was just anxious because I couldn't find you for a while. You know I've always doted on you since childhood, so don't take those angry words to heart. I called you over because I truly have something to discuss. I remember you were quite good at Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art. Take a look at these account books; can you find anything amiss?"
Upon hearing the words "account books," Song Yihuan broke out in a cold sweat. Her mind cleared a bit, and she immediately refused.
"Older Sister, these are the Ning Prince Manor's account books. I am merely an outsider; this would be inappropriate."