His determined demeanor would surely make people believe he was a man deeply in love.
Song Chaoyu smiled faintly and then glanced at the old woman behind her.
The old woman nodded at her, signaling that preparations were nearly complete.
Mu Hansu, standing ahead, felt a thin layer of cold sweat on his forehead. He stared at Song Chaoyu, "Fourth Sister, if your third question is even more tricky than the previous two, I truly don't know how I'll answer!"
Song Chaoyu smiled at everyone, "Look, I'm the one doing the thankless work! It's clearly Second Sister's question, yet everyone now thinks it's me, the younger sister-in-law, making things difficult for my brother-in-law! If this continues, I might not even get the red envelope from my brother-in-law later. You all must bear witness that Second Sister owes me a big red envelope to settle this!"
"Hahaha!"
Everyone burst into laughter at Song Chaoyu's childish display.
Even the old woman smiled and said to the silver-haired maid beside her, "This girl is a clever imp! She makes difficult tasks seem easy, and no one dares to blame her. She'll even get a large red envelope from Prince Ning and Second Sister for free. She's a smart one!"
The silver-haired maid also nodded with a smile, "Fourth Miss is indeed clever, but isn't that due to your excellent guidance, Old Madam?"
At this, Mu Hansu had no choice but to produce a large red envelope and hand it to Song Chaoyu, "Please be merciful, Fourth Sister!"
Song Chaoyu took the last cup of wine and handed it to Mu Hansu, "Second Sister's final question is very simple! She just wants to ask Prince Ning, why haven't you finished your wine and entered yet? Are you perhaps going to be late?"
"Hahaha! This girl, what a clever imp!"
"Isn't that so? Not only did she get a big red envelope, but she also pleased him!"
...
Amidst the laughter of the crowd, Mu Hansu was secretly alarmed.
How had he not known before that the Fourth Miss of the Song household was such a clever person?
This cup of wine, he could not refuse, no matter how he tried.
He could only accept it, and to show his sincerity, he had to drink it all in one go.
Only then did Song Chaoyu clear a path, "Brother-in-law, please enter!"
"Give the red envelope!"
Someone in the crowd shouted.
Immediately, others joined in, "Yes, Prince Ning must give Fourth Miss a big red envelope! Just for not making things difficult for you with this last question, you should give her the biggest red envelope today, shouldn't you?"
In fact, Song Chaoyu had already received a red envelope earlier.
Now, with the crowd egging him on, Mu Hansu had no choice but to give another. A red envelope was no longer feasible, so he simply took off a piece of exquisite Hetian jade pendant hanging from his waist and handed it to Song Chaoyu, "Thank you, Fourth Sister!"
Song Chaoyu accepted it without hesitation. In her past life, she knew how precious this jade pendant was to Mu Hansu! In this life, having it given to her made her very happy.
With a happy smile, she held up the jade pendant and stepped aside.
Today's protagonist was not her, and she would not steal anyone's spotlight.
Seeing her happily showing off the jade pendant, the old woman indulgently stroked Song Chaoyu's head, "You girl, you handled this so well, got a big red envelope, and now this jade pendant. Haven't you taken all the good fortune today?"
Song Chaoyu leaned against the old woman, acting spoiled as she rarely did, "It's all thanks to Grandmother giving me this opportunity, otherwise how could I have succeeded? Grandmother, can you keep this jade pendant for me?"
Knowing Song Chaoyu's intentions and aware that Concubine Liu was often bullied, the old woman accepted the jade pendant, "Alright! This is your dowry that you earned yourself. It will go into your dowry chest later, and then let's see who dares to look down on you!"
The grandmother and granddaughter walked towards the back courtyard, chatting and laughing, and saw Prince Ning's wedding procession grandly arriving at Song Yanjiao's boudoir.
Indeed, after a short while, Song Chaoyu saw Song Yanjiao emerge wearing Concubine Liu's opera costume.
However, the opera costume had been altered, and it no longer resembled one at all, looking like a brand new wedding dress.
Yet, when Mu Hansu saw this wedding dress, he was still taken aback.
He remembered that the style of the wedding dress agreed upon for Song Yanjiao was clearly not like this!
But they had already wasted a lot of time, so Mu Hansu didn't ask further. He had the matchmaker carry Song Yanjiao and walked out.
Song Jiayang, as one of the send-off party, naturally had to follow them.
The old woman pushed Song Chaoyu, "Go, follow your elder brother! Go to Prince Ning's mansion and broaden your horizons."
"Grandmother..."
Song Chaoyu was reluctant to go, "I'm not part of the send-off party today, so wouldn't it be improper for me to tag along?"
The old woman, in front of the First Madam, loudly declared, "What's improper about it? If it weren't for you today, who knows what chaos would have ensued outside! It's just for you to see the world. Would your mother say anything else? With your elder brother watching over you, and knowing that your acquaintances like Madam Hu are attending the feast at Prince Ning's mansion, you should just go!"
Even the First Madam, as foolish as she was, knew these words were directed at her.
Thinking that they had indeed been fortunate to have Song Chaoyu's help today, she stepped forward, forcing a smile to appear magnanimous, and said to Song Chaoyu, "Your grandmother is right! We are very grateful to you today, so you should go with your elder brother. Prince Ning's mansion hosts a better banquet than ours. Let your elder brother and sister-in-law look after you, so go!"
Song Jiayang, who was ahead, kept beckoning to Song Chaoyu, "Fourth Sister, hurry up, don't fall behind!"
Only then did Song Chaoyu nod, turn, and follow Song Jiayang with the wedding procession towards Prince Ning's mansion.
--
Today, Prince Ning's mansion was the most lively place in the capital.
When Song Chaoyu's group arrived, it was with a procession of ten miles of red silk, like a grand spectacle for the entire capital.
How could onlookers not marvel that Prince Ning marrying a wife, and the Minister marrying off a daughter, was truly extraordinary.
Song Chaoyu followed closely behind Song Jiayang, but her sister-in-law, Nie Shi, accompanied her.
She took Song Chaoyu's hand and sighed softly, "It's a pity that Fourth Sister is a concubine's daughter. Otherwise, with your temperament, if you were a legitimate daughter marrying, you might have been even more glorious than your second sister!"
However, speaking between them as sister-in-law and sister-in-law, Song Chaoyu didn't really care about such things, "In the future, I only hope to marry a husband who understands my needs, just like you, sister-in-law. Grand weddings with ten miles of red silk are just superficial displays!"
Nie Shi smiled, "You girl, you see things quite clearly. But remember, no matter whom you marry, if he's unwilling to give you a grand wedding, then he certainly doesn't have you in his heart!"
Song Chaoyu agreed with this point.
As they chatted and laughed their way to the entrance of Prince Ning's mansion, she saw Mu Changxi from afar at the very first glance.