The Favorite of the Sick and Weak Lady - Chapter 46

“Is this what your wife’s boudoir looks like?” After the maid left, Xiao Yu smiled as she looked at the room’s layout.

Seeing this, Song Luoning’s face flushed with a hint of red. She glared at her. “Why is my husband so curious? It’s just a woman’s boudoir.”

This scoundrel, her nature truly hasn’t changed.

Song Luoning pretended to be calm and adjusted her clothes, avoiding eye contact with her.

Seeing that Song Luoning was ignoring her, Xiao Yu awkwardly touched her nose. She knew that a woman’s boudoir in ancient times was a very private place, and men from outside were not allowed to enter. Even fathers and brothers in the family had to avoid it. Although she was also a woman, staring and asking like this was indeed rude. Acknowledging her wrongdoing, she said, “I was just a little curious.”

“Mhm.” Song Luoning answered faintly, sitting on the soft couch in the outer room. She raised her hand to pour herself a cup of tea, and as if to hide her emotions, she put it to her lips and took a sip.

“Then…” Before Xiao Yu could open her mouth, the door creaked open. Cui Zhu entered with two maids. “Miss, the water is ready.”

Song Luoning nodded. Cui Zhu instructed the maids to pour the water into the tub and then left. Song Luoning stood up and looked at Cui Zhu. “You don’t need to serve here. You can go now.”

“But Miss…” Why didn’t she need to be served? Cui Zhu had been serving her since she was a child. Cui Zhu was about to speak, but Song Luoning interrupted, “My husband is enough.”

Cui Zhu: “…”

She was out of favor!

Cui Zhu lowered her head and secretly glanced at her mistress. Song Luoning was calmly drinking tea, and her peripheral vision caught Xiao Yu, who was smiling foolishly at her.

“…”

What did her mistress see in this husband?

Or did her mistress just like a fool like this?

She, for one, couldn’t appreciate it, but as long as her mistress liked it, that was all that mattered. However, if she even needed her husband to serve her while she bathed, it was certain that her mistress loved her very much.

It seemed she would have to be kinder to her husband in the future, lest her mistress be unhappy. Cui Zhu, with her keen eye, bowed and closed the door as she left.

Seeing them leave, Xiao Yu narrowed her eyes. “Wife, are you bathing now?”

“…” Song Luoning choked and straightened her face. “Husband, you should rest early. I’m afraid the Dali Temple will ask you to come in for questioning tomorrow.”

“Bathing…”

“Luoning can do it herself.” Song Luoning interrupted her, glanced at her, and then stood up and walked behind the screen.

“…” If she hadn’t seen it wrong, the tip of the eldest miss’s ear was red. Xiao Yu touched her nose. So her wife was shy.

On the other side, in the Prince of Chang’s mansion, the Prince of Chang had a grim expression as he smashed the teacup in his hand onto the ground. The hot tea splashed onto his retainers, but no one dared to move.

“Useless! You can’t even catch one person.”

Seven or eight people stood with their heads bowed in the main hall, none of them daring to speak. Tea shards were scattered all over the floor, and the maid who served the tea couldn’t help but shrink back, her head bowed even lower.

Xiao Chenze’s face was also pale, but he didn’t dare to say anything. He clenched his fists and stood with his hands at his side. “Father, we’ve already sent people out to catch them. This time, our grain and fodder were burned and the account book was stolen. Your son suspects that old fox Song Yunzhou sent people to do it.”

“Do I need you to tell me that?” The Prince of Chang looked at Xiao Chenze, his expression softening a bit. He looked at his retainers and said, “Continue to investigate. They dare to provoke me in broad daylight. It seems that old wretch is tired of living.” After a moment of thought, he said to Xiao Chenze, “I will write a letter immediately. You will send someone to the capital and make sure it gets into the Emperor’s hands. Do not make any mistakes.”

“Yes, your son understands.” Xiao Chenze gritted his teeth. After the retainers left, he stood with his head bowed, looking as if he would follow his father’s lead.

The Prince of Chang quickly finished writing the letter and handed it to him. “Go quickly. You must get it to the palace before that old wretch Song Yunzhou makes trouble. The Emperor is your own brother; his heart is with us.”

“Yes.”

“Wait a moment.” Xiao Chenze was about to step out when the Prince of Chang called him back. “You will deliver the letter yourself. Leave the matters here to Vice-General Liu for now.”

With that, he walked over to Xiao Chenze and patted his shoulder. “You are the child your father trusts the most. Be careful of that old wretch Song Yunzhou. Now that he has Xiao Yu in his hands, your brother is in a very unfavorable position.”

Xiao Chenze nodded. The moment he turned around, he narrowed his eyes, like a venomous snake that had been lurking for a long time, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment.

Early the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Song Luoning was sleeping soundly in Xiao Yu’s arms when she was woken by a knock on the door. The sound was not loud. Cui Zhu outside the door said in a low voice, “Miss, the steward just passed on a message that the Prime Minister will be coming over after court.”

Song Luoning squinted, nestled in Xiao Yu’s arms for a moment, her eyes hazy. She reached out and pushed Xiao Yu. “Husband, wake up.”

Since they started sleeping in the same bed, this scoundrel would always hug and embrace her while she was asleep. It was too much.

“Mmm~” Xiao Yu was pushed awake. She pulled the person in her arms closer, her eyes closed, her voice raspy from just waking up. “What time is it?”

“It’s the hour of Mao (5-7 am).” Song Luoning was already awake. She pushed her, her tone urgent. “Get up and get ready. Father should be here by the hour of Chen (7-9 am).”

Xiao Yu sniffed. Her nose was filled with a faint fragrance. She sighed contentedly, still with her eyes closed. “I really don’t want to get up.” As she spoke, she reached to hug her again.

Before, she would get up and exercise at the hour of Mao. But ever since she started sleeping with the eldest miss, she had been waking up later and later.

“Get up, stop messing around.” Song Luoning pushed her away and sat up. Her wide, moon-white sleeping robe slipped to the side, revealing her fair collarbone and hinting at her graceful figure. Xiao Yu’s long arm reached out and wrapped around her waist, burying her face in the hollow of her waist and mumbling, “I really don’t want to get up.”

Song Luoning’s body stiffened for a moment before she slowly relaxed. “Court is almost over. What will Father think if he comes and sees you’re still sleeping?”

“Sigh!” Xiao Yu sighed and let go of her, sitting up as well. She wasn’t fully awake yet and stared blankly at a spot.

“Put your clothes on first.” Song Luoning couldn’t help but urge her.

“Oh.” Xiao Yu responded but didn’t move for a long time.

Song Luoning stood up, turned to look at her, and sighed slightly. “Are you still not getting up?” She then raised her voice to the outside, “Come in and serve.”

At her words, the door was pushed open from the outside. Cui Zhu came in with a wooden basin and waited in the outer room for her masters.

“Miss, husband, the water is ready.” Cui Zhu bowed to Song Luoning through the curtain.

“Mhm.” Song Luoning answered faintly. She turned back to look at Xiao Yu, and seeing her still sitting blankly, she took her outer robe from the screen and handed it to her. “Put it on yourself.”

“Okay.” Xiao Yu came back to her senses, nodded, and a silly smile appeared on her lips. She quickly put on her clothes and followed her to the outer room. Song Luoning sat down at the dressing table, and Cui Zhu began to style her hair.

Xiao Yu was a bit idle and asked, “Is my father-in-law easy to get along with? Is he fierce?”

Hearing this, Song Luoning chuckled. It was true that when the dignified Prime Minister Song had a tense face and didn’t speak, he could be quite intimidating, but he was always gentle when he spoke to her.

Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Song Luoning’s lips. She turned her head to look at her. “Is my husband scared?”

“How could I be?” Xiao Yu subconsciously touched her nose and glared at her. “I haven’t done anything wrong, so why should I be afraid of my father-in-law?”

Song Luoning chuckled. “Mhm, my husband is right.” Her eyes were slightly curved, showing that she was in a very good mood.

Xiao Yu also smiled, her eyes clear and clean.

While they were talking and washing up, the sky was already bright. Cui Zhu helped Song Luoning step over the threshold, and Xiao Yu followed behind.

The courtyard was lush and green, with greenery everywhere, but there were no flowers. Xiao Yu was confused. “The courtyard is beautiful, but why are there no flowers? Pomegranate and peony flowers are blooming well this season.”

Flowers?

Cui Zhu frowned, and her heart was immediately filled with dissatisfaction towards Xiao Yu. Her miss had been in poor health since she was a child and couldn’t be around pollen. How could her husband not even know this? She truly didn’t care about her miss’s health. It was a shame that her miss was so good to her. How could she not care about her miss? Cui Zhu felt wronged for her mistress and couldn’t help but remind her. “Husband, you may not know this, but our miss has been in poor health since she was a child and can’t be around pollen. So flowers are not allowed in the Prime Minister’s mansion.”

“Are you allergic to pollen?” Xiao Yu was surprised. She blinked and looked at Song Luoning.

Why had her eldest miss never mentioned it? When they went to the fields before, many apricot blossoms were blooming on the road, and she didn’t see anything wrong with her eldest miss. Had she overlooked something?

Song Luoning frowned and glared at Cui Zhu. The little maid immediately shut her mouth, looking a bit wronged as she glanced at Xiao Yu, then lowered her head and continued to help Song Luoning walk.

Song Luoning turned her head to look at her, and it just so happened that Xiao Yu was also looking at her, her clear eyes filled with confusion.

She lowered her gaze and explained, “It was because dust and such would aggravate my cough, so Father ordered that no flowers be planted in the mansion.”

“Mhm.” Xiao Yu nodded.

Song Luoning curved her lips. “Just answer whatever Father asks truthfully. Father is not an unreasonable person.”

“Okay.”

The three of them first went to the side hall for a meal. Jiang Wanrou and the others hadn’t come over, so Song Luoning had people send breakfast to their rooms after they woke up. After she and Xiao Yu finished their meal, the sunlight was already pouring in from outside. The two didn’t delay and went directly to the main hall.

The steward and several maids were already waiting there, and when they saw them coming, they all bowed in greeting.

“Miss, husband, this old servant sent someone to check, and the Prime Minister’s carriage is already on its way. It should be here by now.” The steward stood respectfully with his head bowed.

Cui Zhu helped Song Luoning sit down, and a maid immediately came forward to pour tea. After the sound of the water stopped, the maid retreated, and Song Luoning said, “I haven’t seen Father in a long time. Uncle Zhang, please have people prepare some of Father’s favorite dishes for noon.”

“Yes, of course.”

As she spoke, a low, masculine voice sounded, “My Ning’er is still the most considerate.”

Xiao Yu was stunned. She followed the sound and saw a middle-aged man walking in from outside, followed by three handsome men. The steward Zhang and the maids all came forward to bow.

Is this her father-in-law?

Then the three men behind him must be the eldest miss’s three older brothers. One of them was the eldest brother, Song Yanqi, whom she had met yesterday.

Song Luoning tugged at her sleeve. Xiao Yu turned her head to look at her.

Song Yunzhou stepped over the threshold, his usual serious face now a bit softer. He waved his hand and ordered, “All of you, leave.”

The maids bowed and exited the main hall, leaving only the steward Zhang.

Song Yunzhou glanced at him. “You can go out too. No one needs to serve here.”

The steward Zhang lowered his head and immediately understood. The masters had something to talk about, and it wasn’t something he should hear. He exited the main hall and closed the door.

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