Song Wan nodded, though her heart felt somewhat bitter.

After leaving Changxin Palace, she had someone send word to Ming Xiang. Although it was called a family banquet, it still meant entering the palace—they absolutely could not be negligent. Upon receiving the news, Ming Xiang immediately sought out the estate’s embroidery workshop to prepare clothing through the night, along with everything else needed for the palace visit.

The inner quarters of the Song estate bustled with activity. Watching this, Song Yao felt extremely uncomfortable.

“Father favors the two eldest, and Concubine Yun also favors those two. Why is it that only those two are summoned to enter the palace? Are Nian’er, Lan’er, Song Ni, Song Zhao, and I not human beings?”

“Even if that person in the palace looks down on the second and third branches, she shouldn’t bypass us siblings.”

Crumpling the handkerchief in her hand into a wrinkled ball, Song Yao ground her teeth hatefully.

“If outsiders learn of this, how will they view us siblings? Isn’t this plainly announcing to the whole world that she looks down on us?”

“Miss, please be careful with your words.”

The maid beside Song Yao hastily gestured, but this only made Song Yao even angrier.

“All of you are useless.”

Her mother was still prostrating herself in her room day after day, crying and weeping—who knows what she was doing. When Father was here, Mother had straightened her spine and quarreled with him, stubbornly refusing to let her wait for Father’s return before arranging her marriage.

But then Mother, turning around, disobeyed Father’s words and agreed to the Qi family.

Now that Father was gone, when it should be time for her to harden herself and take charge of the household, she only knew how to cry and weep, completely useless.

Neither she nor Song Nian’s dowries had been extracted from the family, her marriage had not been called off, yet Mother had shrunk back and refused to see anyone—what was this supposed to be?

Thinking of how Madam Qi came calling every few days, loudly proclaiming the marriage between the Song estate and the Qi family, her hatred made her want to grind her teeth to dust.

“Has that old thing come again recently?”

“Miss.”

Song Yao’s maid blanched: “Miss, please be careful with your words.”

“Madam Qi is your future mother-in-law. How can you say such things? If word gets out, do you still want your reputation or not?”

“Reputation? I’m about to marry into the Qi family—what do I need a reputation for?”

Seeing Song Yao’s temperament growing increasingly twisted, the maid dared not speak further, afraid her young miss would make another scene. She could only keep her mouth tightly shut, not daring to utter a word.

Seeing her silence, the resentment in Song Yao’s heart dissipated somewhat.

But the suffocation in her chest could not be completely relieved. She could only go seek out Song Nian again.

When she arrived at Song Nian’s room, a large wooden box sat before Song Nian. She gazed down at it for a long while without moving to open it. Only when she saw Song Yao enter did she have Yin Su move it aside.

“What good thing requires hiding from your own elder sister?”

Song Nian didn’t answer her question, instead asking: “What brings elder sister here today?”

Somehow, now whenever Song Nian opened her mouth, Song Yao felt extremely displeased.

“You tell me what that thing is first. Why do you have it but I don’t? Could it be that tomorrow’s palace banquet, Concubine Yun summoned you to go but deliberately left me and Mother behind?”

“It’s not from the palace—the Ming family sent it.”

Song Nian’s face flushed slightly red, her eyes showing some shyness.

The two families had arranged the engagement and exchanged compatibility cards. Naturally she knew Ming Shiqi’s birthday. A few days ago, she had asked Ming Xiang to send him a birthday gift. Now Ming Shiqi was merely returning the courtesy.

But she was unwilling to tell Song Yao these things. Speaking of them would only add unnecessary trouble.

“The Ming family sent it? It’s neither New Year nor a festival—why would they send you something? Take it out and let me see. I want to know what items there are.”

After speaking, she sat down beside Song Nian, waiting for Yin Su to bring the thing back.

Yin Su looked at Song Nian. Only after seeing her nod did she move.

“Open it so I can see.”

Song Yao urged Song Nian. Song Nian lowered her eyes and opened the wooden box.

On top lay a reply letter from Ming Shiqi. The handwriting was neat and proper—one could tell at a glance that the writer had a steady temperament and was reliable.

Song Nian glanced over it and nodded to herself with satisfaction.

Below the letter were three brocade boxes—one large and two small. The large one contained a gem-inlaid silver mirror that young ladies all loved these days. Of the remaining two, one box held butterfly velvet hairpins, and one held a white jade comb.

Song Nian looked at them with a faint smile, her ears turning red.

The Ming family had many daughters—he must have asked his sisters what young ladies currently liked before sending these things. That butterfly velvet hairpin should be because he feared she wouldn’t like just the silver mirror, so he added something more conventional. And that white jade comb…

Song Nian closed the brocade box, feeling shy inside.

White jade combs carried the meaning of growing old together. That Ming Shiqi was treating her as a proper legitimate wife.

When the Song estate and Qi estate hastily arranged the marriage while Father went to Su River, no one knew at first. But these past few days, with Madam Qi’s loud proclamations, it had become known to all. Madam Song was also often secretly mocked for being vulgar.

She had deliberately tested the waters by sending something before Ming Shiqi’s birthday, wanting to probe his intentions.

Now it seemed Ming Shiqi had no intention of looking down on her.

Carefully putting the things away, Song Nian placed her future husband’s letter to the side.

Song Yao looked at those items and let out a mocking laugh.

“Just common items from the street. Yet you treasure them so.”

“I wonder if that velvet hairpin is even worth two taels of silver…”

Song Nian was in a good mood and unwilling to quibble with her. After sitting down, she remained silent, listening to Song Yao prattle on about this and that.

“Are you listening to me speak?”

“I’m listening.”

“Then why don’t you say anything?”

“I don’t know what I should say.”

Song Yao laughed coldly. She found Song Nian’s attitude—acting as if she would put the Ming family first in everything before even marrying into it—truly despicable. Too lazy to bother with matters between her and Ming Shiqi, Song Yao went back to complaining about how Concubine Yun was holding a banquet but hadn’t invited her and her mother.

“Don’t you feel wronged and indignant?”

“I don’t.”

Song Nian lowered her head, fiddling with the handkerchief in her hands, stubbornly refusing to engage with Song Yao’s words.

She didn’t feel there was anything improper about Concubine Yun not inviting her mother and the three of them into the palace.

After eldest sister severed ties with the Marquis of Chengyang, she and Mother clashed several times. The grudge between them was not small. In earlier years, Concubine Yun still showed them some courtesy for appearances’ sake, but her attitude of being unwilling to maintain even this superficial sentiment was not a matter of just one or two days.

Now that eldest sister was about to become Empress, and Concubine Yun was going to Nanqing, she was even less inclined to bother with them.

Especially after what Mother had done since Father went to Su River—forget Concubine Yun, even she herself couldn’t bear to watch.

Song Nian raised her head and said coolly to Song Yao: “Elder sister, people are valued by others only when they value themselves. Right now, elder sister has not yet married into the Qi estate. Everything can still be salvaged. Please don’t do anything excessive again.”

“Eldest sister will become Empress. Elder brother will have high office and generous salary in the future. As long as you and I remain quiet, wherever we go we’ll only be respected and revered. If we cause such a commotion that eldest sister loses even her last shred of sentiment, then our good days will truly be over.”

“You are my elder sister after all—when one prospers, all prosper. I don’t want you to make mistakes and regret it for life.”

“How am I making mistakes?”

“Second elder sister, I’m tired. Little sister has said all she can. Please take care of yourself.”

“Song Nian! How have you become like this? Could it be that seeing Song Wan grab the Empress position, you think it’s such a remarkable achievement that you can’t wait to kneel before her and wag your tail begging for favor?”

“If it weren’t for Father’s favoritism, the one who should be sitting in that position would be me!”

Song Nian frowned slightly: “Could second elder sister still not see even now that from the very beginning, the position of Crown Princess and Empress was prepared for eldest sister? From start to finish, from the very beginning, there was never anything to do with second elder sister.”