High-class maid

Chapter 219 He took a knife for Song Wenyang

Hou Xinyu didn't know how to respond, after all, she was a new bride and didn't know much about the situation in the Minister's mansion, and she was afraid that saying too much would make her make a mistake.

"Sister, why is this cousin so hostile towards me? This is the first time I've met her," Hou Xinyu asked.

Xiao Luosheng's face showed a hint of unease. She couldn't very well tell her sister-in-law that her cousin was after her husband, could she? However, apart from that, she could tell her sister-in-law the truth about everything else.

"To be honest, sister-in-law, our eldest uncle is a son born out of wedlock in the Liu family, while our second uncle is the legitimate son. When our eldest uncle's aunt was alive, there were people to keep him in check, and the family lived a decent life. But ever since our eldest uncle's aunt passed away, he has become increasingly unreliable."

"Later, my aunt would send Jing'er to stay at our house for a long time, ostensibly to keep my mother company and relieve her boredom, but in reality, she was just trying to freeload off her. As a result, no one in the house liked her family."

Xiao Luosheng then recounted the old stories of their elders to her sister-in-law, and Hou Xinyu nodded gratefully.

"Thank you for telling me, sister, otherwise I wouldn't know how to deal with it."

"Sister-in-law, you don't need to be so polite. It's normal that you don't understand things now that you've just married into the family. You'll gradually learn as you go along," Xiao Luosheng patted her hand to comfort her.

The two sisters-in-law exchanged a few more words, and then Xiao Luosheng returned to the front courtyard. There were many people attending the banquet today, and she still had to help her mother deal with the ladies.

After Xiao Luosheng left, Hou Xinyu's face darkened, and she turned to Bai Lan and instructed her...

"Bai Lan, tomorrow you can inquire about this cousin in the manor. Why is she inexplicably hostile towards me?"

As the legitimate daughter of a marquis, she had a feeling that this person was not simply trying to freeload; there were probably other factors she was unaware of.

Bai Lan nodded and kept the matter in mind. This was the first thing her young lady had instructed her to do after arriving at the Minister's residence, and she was determined to handle it well!

In the front yard, male and female guests sat separately. Because it was a joyous occasion and everyone had brought their families, there were no screens set up at the banquet. The male guests sat on the left and the female guests on the right.

Unsurprisingly, Song Wenyang was also at the banquet. The Second Prince, as the future son-in-law of the Minister's Mansion, also attended the banquet. The two of them sat with other young men from the capital, attracting the attention of many young girls.

“Jing’er, if you continue to talk nonsense, I will send you back to the manor right now,” said Zhang, Liu Xiujing’s mother.

Although she was also in a bad mood, she recalled that last year when she brought Jing'er to the Minister's Mansion, she had hinted to this young lady more than once that she wanted to strengthen the family ties through marriage, but the young lady just pretended not to understand. She thought she was just putting on airs, but who knew that she would turn around and get engaged to the legitimate daughter of Yongchang Mansion? What? Does she look down on them because they are illegitimate children?

“Mother, how can she compare to me? So what if she comes from a better background? Is my cousin really that shallow?”

Liu Xiujing hiccuped. She was in a bad mood because Xiao Luosheng had kicked her out in public. After coming out, she drank two glasses of wine. As a young lady, she didn't have a good tolerance for alcohol and was already six-tenths drunk.

“My darling, no one is as good as you. Do you see that young master? He is even more handsome than your cousin, and he is the top scorer in this year’s imperial examination. He has no mother or grandmother at home. If you marry him, you will be the mistress of the house.” Madam Zhang said, pointing at Song Wenyang.

Liu Xiujing followed her mother's hand and saw a handsome young man in the men's section. Although he was not as good as her cousin in her heart, he was still a good candidate. She had also heard her close friends talk about him.

"I've heard that many young ladies in the capital have their eyes on this man. He's incredibly popular right now, how could he possibly be interested in my daughter?" Liu Xiujing said disappointedly.

The reason she broke down when she saw Hou Xinyu was because the other woman was prettier than her. Although Hou Xinyu came from a good family, she had an ordinary face. If she were prettier, her cousin might have taken a liking to her.

"Silly child, as the saying goes, it's easy for a woman to pursue a man. There are many people around today, and you've both been drinking. It's not surprising that something might happen," Zhang said, trying to persuade him with what she thought was good intentions.

Liu Xiujing's eyes lit up. She glanced at the man again and felt that it wouldn't be a waste of her time to have him as her husband, so she nodded reluctantly.

Zhang stroked her head tenderly and then said...

“Good child, you are the only child in our branch of the family. If you had a brother, your aunt wouldn’t look down on you. Since she doesn’t like us, we will fight for it ourselves!”

After Zhang finished speaking, her eyes reddened. After hearing her mother's words, Liu Xiujing also remembered the hardships they had endured in the Liu family, and her eyes also reddened. The mother and daughter felt a deep connection at someone else's wedding, and both of them had tears in their eyes.

The surrounding guests thought the two of them were oddballs. How could they cry on such a joyous occasion as someone's wedding? Everyone tacitly kept their distance from the mother and daughter, afraid of getting involved in something scandalous without the two of them being aware of it.

Looking at the Second Prince, Liu Xiujing felt that the more she looked at him, the more pleasing he became. Although he was not as handsome as the young master next to him, it wouldn't be shameful to take him out in the future.

The second prince was unaware that he was being targeted, and in some mysterious way, he took a knife for Song Wenyang.

The banquet lasted for about an hour, and the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves immensely. Some who couldn't hold their liquor had already gone home, while others who had good relations with the Minister's family were helped to their guest rooms to rest. Liu Xiujing and her daughter waited anxiously for an hour, and finally their opportunity arrived.

"Your Highness is not a good drinker, so our young lady asked me to take you to your room to rest," said Xiao Luosheng's personal maid.

"Please lead the way, young lady. I'll help him." Song Wenyang was always cautious. He wasn't drunk this time, so he decided to help the Second Prince to the guest room.

"Then I'll have to trouble this young master." After saying that, the maid led the way.

The two of them followed the maid to a secluded courtyard. A bed had already been made inside, and a servant was standing at the door.

"This is a room that our young lady specially reserved for the Second Prince. Young master, you can simply hand him over to this young man," the maid said.

"No need, I'll take him in myself." Song Wenyang was unwilling to entrust the task to others; he had to personally escort the Second Prince to the bed and confirm that there were no women in the room.

Helpless, the maid had no choice but to open the door and let Song Wenyang help the second prince inside. Song Wenyang helped the second prince to the bed and then checked the room thoroughly, even under the bed. Only when she was sure there was no one else there did she come out with peace of mind.

"This is a reward for you. No one is allowed to enter except for me and the young lady," Song Wenyang said, handing a purse to the servant.

The servant nodded cautiously. This young master was far too careful; his mind was even more meticulous than a woman's.