The two of them naturally wouldn't speak carelessly. The old madam then inquired if the bridal sheet from that day had been sent to the palace. Upon hearing that the Empress and the Noble Consort had personally inspected it, she finally felt at ease.
The old madam also prepared some medicinal herbs for recuperation and handed them to Concubine Liu, instructing her to send them to Song Chaoyu in her own name.
After all, the old madam had not sent such things for her previous two granddaughters' marriages. Even her favoritism towards Song Chaoyu should not be too overtly displayed to others.
After giving the items to Song Chaoyu, the old madam held her granddaughter's hand and gently patted it. "Child, although our Song family is considered a prominent family in the capital, we failed to find a better match for you and instead dragged you into such a vortex. It is the Song family's fault. Live your life well from now on, understand? Don't be afraid of anything. You must know, you are a daughter of the Song family!"
For some reason, Song Chaoyu felt that her grandmother seemed a bit sentimental today.
Perhaps seeing the lives of the three daughters in the family now made the old madam recall her own past.
"Oh, right!"
The old madam had Granny Yin bring out an invitation from the side and handed it to Song Chaoyu. "You received the invitation to the Duke of Liang's wife's birthday, didn't you? I have two bolts of fabric here. Take them back and make yourself a nice outfit to attend the banquet. The Duke of Liang is a veteran of three dynasties. Although he has retired, the Emperor has kept him in the capital to be honored. If you gain the favor of the Duke of Liang's wife, then the noble ladies in the capital will not dare to slight you in the future."
The Duke of Liang's family had a veteran of three dynasties, and his descendants were also very promising, with two嫡出的 grandsons holding important positions in the court.
Therefore, the invitations sent by their family were exceptionally exquisite, with gold wax used for embossed patterns.
However...
As the invitation was in Song Chaoyu's hand, she felt extremely estranged.
She shook her head and returned the invitation to her grandmother. "Your granddaughter did not receive an invitation from the Duke of Liang's family."
Even the Song family's old madam was taken aback.
"Hmph!"
It was clear that the Song family's old madam was also somewhat angry about the Duke of Liang's wife's behavior.
She took the invitation and then angrily threw it on the ground. "This Duke of Liang's wife, is she not even giving face to the Noble Consort?"
Actually, Song Chaoyu knew about the Duke of Liang's wife since coming to the capital. "The Duke of Liang's household has always strictly distinguished between嫡 and庶. Their family also has strict嫡庶 class distinctions. Furthermore, I heard that the Duke of Liang's wife has never even looked at庶 daughters from the capital. Therefore, it is understandable that she dislikes your granddaughter."
Song Chaoyu chuckled as she said this. "I recall that when the Emperor bestowed the marriage upon me to Prince Chang, the Duke of Liang was the most opposed in court. Although the Duke of Liang's wife said nothing in public, the women in her family always brought up my status as an outer chamber daughter. It seems reasonable that she is not inviting me to her birthday banquet now."
Song Chaoyu did not care.
What kind of person she was did not need others to decide.
Having lived two lives, would she still care about these things?
But seeing Song Chaoyu lightly speak of the ill-treatment she received, the old madam became even more angry and sad. "The Duke of Liang's wife and I were friends in our youth. Now that she treats my granddaughter this way, then I shall not go either! Let her host her birthday banquet alone!"
The Song family's old madam was acting a bit childishly.
Song Chaoyu chuckled and quickly stepped forward, coaxing the old madam. "Oh, Grandmother, aren't you throwing a childish tantrum? Your friendship with the Duke of Liang's wife is between you two, what does it have to do with your granddaughter? You should go if you should go! Besides, didn't she invite Second Sister? Second Sister is also your granddaughter, are you not going to look after her either?"
"Alas!"
Mentioning Song Yanjiao, the old madam couldn't help but sigh. "This pampered child, I don't know what's going on. I always feel that after marrying Prince Ning and becoming Princess Ning, she's not quite the same as before. This child nowadays doesn't listen to advice. She treated you that way, and yet you are still willing to speak for her. Fourth Girl, who did you inherit this forgiving nature from?"
Song Chaoyu seized the opportunity and leaned her head on the old madam's shoulder. "Naturally, I inherited it from Grandmother!"
This action made the old madam laugh heartily.
It also caused Song Yanjiao, who was standing at the courtyard entrance at that moment and intended to pay her respects to the old madam, to feel a surge of jealousy. "Why is it that Grandmother is increasingly fond of this girl now? What method did she use to make Grandmother so happy?!"
With that, Song Yanjiao threw the items to the maidservant serving at the entrance. "These are gifts for Grandmother. You send them in. I won't be going, as I have to report back to Mother. Please convey my apologies to Grandmother for me!" The maidservants at the entrance were all personally trained by the old madam. Although they were dissatisfied with Song Yanjiao's behavior, they wouldn't say anything out of line.
They simply shook their heads and watched Song Yanjiao leave.
The old madam's courtyard remained unchanged by Song Yanjiao's visit, and laughter continued to fill the room.
—
When leaving the Song family, Song Chaoyu noticed that Prince Ning's carriage had already disappeared. It seemed Song Yanjiao had left long ago.
On this return visit, Song Chaoyu received a pile of gifts from the old madam, and Mu Changxi received several good paintings from Song Yuan.
This made Song Chaoyu look at him with newfound admiration. "My father has always treasured these paintings. I didn't expect him to be willing to give you so many! How did you manage to please my father so much?"
Mu Changxi smiled and held Song Chaoyu's hand. "Lord Song's disposition is easy to guess. Unlike your brother, who has some hidden depths. Of course, he's easy to please. Ah Yu, don't worry, I will get along well with your Song family."
Actually, he didn't have to do this.
He was a prince, and like Mu Hansu, he should be respected by the Song family.
But he was willing to humble himself for Song Chaoyu. How could Song Chaoyu not be grateful?
Immediately, Mu Changxi looked at Song Chaoyu with some concern. "I heard about the Duke of Liang's wife's birthday banquet. Ah Yu, do you want to go? If you do, there are ways to make it happen."
Song Chaoyu shook her head. "No one else invited me. If I were to force my way in, wouldn't that make people look down on me even more? It's better to do nothing and say nothing, just live as usual. That way, people will think that our Prince Chang's mansion has some backbone."
Mu Changxi's thoughts were actually the same. "Then my Ah Yu will have to endure some hardship!"
Song Chaoyu smiled faintly. "What hardship is there? It's better not to go. Being free and at ease at home, isn't that even happier?"