Chapter 223: Chapter 208: His Greatest Fulfillment
I don’t know who taught Jinbao "the most golden, the shiniest, the most valuable".
Once he got the hairpin, the little guy wanted to tuck it into his father’s arms, planning to "pocket" it blatantly.
Unfortunately, he was clumsy. The other end of the hairpin was sharp, poking Song Wei’s chest several times.
Song Wei looked at him with a smile, "Quickly give the hairpin back to your grandmother."
The little guy pretended not to hear and continued to poke his father’s chest with the hairpin, until he finally managed to tuck it in.
Exhausted, he quickly took a deep breath.
The Eldest Princess couldn’t help but laugh, "This little guy’s interest in tinkering with things is most likely inherited from you, Third Son."
Song Wei shook his head, "If Jinbao truly has this hobby, I must curb it from a young age."
The Eldest Princess was puzzled, "Why do you say that?"
Remembering the past, Song Wei’s smile appeared helpless, "When I was young, I stubbornly wasted money collecting antiques and got whipped by my mother quite often. Thinking about it now, tinkering with those things can easily become an obsession; it’s better to stay away."
Hearing this, the Eldest Princess involuntarily thought of someone, her brow furrowing deeply.
Song Wei sensitively noticed his mother-in-law’s discomfort, but he didn’t ask.
The Eldest Princess suddenly said, "You’re not wrong. Hobbies should have a limit, and if they truly become an obsession, it can harm others and oneself."
In front of Song Wei, she wasn’t afraid to say it, "There was once a person just like you, who loved collecting old things, but he was far more obsessed than you. Because of one old item, he missed out on a girl who was devotedly waiting for him, and the two parted ways.
If that girl was just wishful thinking, I would have nothing to say, but the truth is, they were deeply in love, and that man had promised to propose before the Emperor’s selection. However, when the time came, he suddenly left the Capital, simply because the antique he had been searching for appeared in the south.
Later, the consequences of his actions affected his children; his eldest son was born weak and sickly, uncurable by any treatment or medication. His daughter married for a few years only to have her husband die, and, since she bore no children, she was forced by her mother-in-law to marry her husband’s younger brother, who also died shortly after. She couldn’t shake off the reputation of being a husband killer and was kicked out by her in-laws. As for his second son..."
At this point, the Eldest Princess noticeably paused, not continuing but looking at Song Wei, her voice exceptionally cold, "That man who harmed others and himself is none other than my father-in-law, the Old Marquis Lu."
Upon hearing this, a wave stirred in Song Wei’s eyes.
But it quickly calmed down.
A few years ago in Beijing while studying, his parents’ letter clearly stated that his mentor was surnamed Lu; at that time, Song Wei wondered if his mentor was related to the Lu Family of the Prince Consort.
Just later, due to being busy with various matters, and the subconscious aversion of the Lu Family, he never investigated privately.
Now hearing his mother-in-law mention it, he connected the dots. Considering his mentor’s obsession with antiques and his tense reaction whenever the Capital was mentioned, it wasn’t hard to guess that his mentor was indeed the Old Marquis Lu, his mother-in-law’s father-in-law.
As for who his mentor wronged, Song Wei carefully observed his mother-in-law’s deeply engrained hatred towards her father-in-law, and a certain answer seemed to emerge.
Still, without confirmation, Song Wei was unwilling to truly think in that direction.
Despite being a mentor picked up along the way, Song Wei deeply admired him for his research and insights on antiques.
Privately, Song Wei was reluctant to admit or face the fact that his mentor ruined a life over an antique.
"You must be curious, Third Son, why Wanwan’s biological father is now my Prince Consort, and I, as the Eldest Princess, the Emperor’s sister, ended up in the countryside with Wen Guangping for a time."
As she spoke, she stepped forward to pull out a chair, inviting Song Wei to sit.
Holding Jinbao for a while, Song Wei’s arms were indeed sore, so he didn’t refuse and sat down.
Jinbao drooled over the snacks on the table, bending over with chubby little hands reaching out.
The Eldest Princess picked up a piece and handed it to him, a gentle smile at the corner of her mouth, "Little guy, eat more to grow taller soon."
While Jinbao focused on the snacks, the Eldest Princess stroked his little head.
Having gained the advantage, the little guy was unusually generous, letting her stroke, while he just hugged the snack and ate away.
Soothing the mood with her little grandson’s adorable state, the Eldest Princess spoke of the past again, her tone less cold, "With your intelligence, I suppose you’ve already guessed who was wronged by the Old Marquis Lu."
Song Wei remained silent, acknowledging it.
"That’s right, it was my biological mother, the most honored woman of the Great Chu Dynasty, the Empress Dowager Renyi."
The Eldest Princess continued, "With my mother’s grievances with the Old Marquis, she later forbade me from associating with the Prince Consort, repeatedly obstructing us.
Sadly, I was drugged and accidentally consummated with the Prince Consort, resulting in Wanwan’s conception.
Then because of a misunderstanding, I ended up in Ningzhou, followed by a large group of assassins intending to take my life. I hid and ran, just about to be exposed when I unexpectedly met your Uncle Wen, who saved my life and helped me keep the child.
At that time, I was truly at a dead end, so I had no choice but to follow him back to Lower River Village in Pingjiang County, thinking I would give birth to the child first and then talk about everything else.
After Wanwan was born, I waited for another year, but I never saw that person. Believing I would never return to the Capital, I settled my heart and planned to live well with your Uncle Wen and raise Wanwan.
But what happened later completely exceeded my expectations."
Song Wei remembered last year when he sought out Xu Shu to inquire about the news of the Eldest Princess; Xu Shu said the Eldest Princess was granted marriage to Lu Xingzhou.
Since the Empress Dowager opposed these two from being together from the beginning, it was unreasonable for her to actively grant marriage later. The only thing that could make her change her attitude might be just one possibility.
"The Empress Dowager forcibly brought Mother-in-law back for the sake of the twenty thousand troops under the Prince Consort’s command?"
The Eldest Princess didn’t expect Song Wei’s mind to turn so quickly; she hadn’t said anything yet, but he already figured out the crux.
She sighed and nodded.
Such truth is unexpected, yet sensible.
Song Wei probably also understood why the Eldest Princess and the Prince Consort did not acknowledge Wanwan.
It’s not that they don’t love their daughter; rather, they love her too much. They don’t want her mindset to collapse because of the truth, so they painfully severed this relationship.
Being married for four years, Song Wei understood his young wife well; her mind is simple and can’t handle too many dark schemes. If she knew she was conceived in such a circumstance and born under such a situation, Song Wei could hardly imagine what she would become.
"Third Son."
The voice of the Eldest Princess rang next to his ear, "I’m telling you this not to seek your sympathy for my tough situation but to tell you that I never forgot Wanwan for a single day. If I didn’t love her, I could have listened to my mother’s harsh words and directly aborted her, there was no need at all to let her come to this world.
I owe too much to this daughter; now that she is married, and I have no way of recognizing her face to face, I can only ask you to take good care of her."
Song Wei’s gaze inexplicably brought peace of mind to others. "The same words, Mother-in-law said sixteen years ago. At that time, I had already promised to take care of Wanwan for a lifetime. However, I was born humble, unable to let her live a life of wealth and nobility for a while. I can only promise Mother-in-law that Wanwan will never suffer a bit of grievance in her mother-in-law’s home."
The Eldest Princess firmly believed this.
Back in Ningzhou, she saw that Granny Song was someone with a sharp tongue but soft heart.
After the Song family entered Beijing, she even had someone secretly investigate, and the results were not much different from her expectations. Granny Song indeed didn’t mistreat Wanwan.
...
Jinbao chewed half of the snack; it was soft, but way too sweet. He felt uncomfortable after a few more bites, whipped his hand, and threw the remaining half on the ground, spitting out "puh-puh-puh" from his mouth.
The Eldest Princess quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe him.
Taking the opportunity, the little fellow caught sight of the emerald green bracelet on his grandmother’s wrist, and clung to it, refusing to let go.
Song Wei wanted to dissuade him.
The Eldest Princess had already taken off the bracelet and slid it onto the little fellow’s wrist.
Over nine-month-old Jinbao’s wrist, though chubby, wasn’t as thick as an adult’s, so it was easy to take off the bracelet. Holding it with both hands, he bit on it with his little mouth, grinding his teeth, and looked at his grandmother with his shiny eyes, making "pa-pa-pa-pa" sounds from happiness.
Seeing him like this, the Eldest Princess was so overwhelmed her heart melted, she asked him, "Jinbao, where’s your mother? Why didn’t she come?"
The little fellow turned his eyes left and right, not seeing his mother. Thinking of that woman not coming home all day to feed him egg custard, he tossed the bracelet away, looked at the Eldest Princess, pointed outside the window, and babbled for a while.
Song Wei knew at a glance the little fellow was complaining, accusing his mother of being heartless and abandoning him.
Although he couldn’t speak, he complained vividly.
The Eldest Princess was amused by Jinbao, laughed, leaned forward, and kissed his forehead, "Little fellow, you are just too adorable."
Then she said to Song Wei: "Luckily I handed Wanwan over to you back then, otherwise if she fell into someone else’s hands, her life now might not be as good."
Song Wei didn’t think too much about "what ifs," he only knew the little girl he watched grow up eventually became his wife, and in the four years since then, he had never let her be unhappy.
Every day when he opened his eyes, she and the child are there; this is his greatest satisfaction.
Having let Mother-in-law see her little grandson and the matter being almost discussed, Song Wei feared his mother would become suspicious and offered to leave.
The Eldest Princess could see that today’s conversation has significantly reduced her son-in-law’s "strangeness" towards her.
Song Wei wanted to take his leave; she didn’t stop him.
Taking advantage of Jinbao not noticing, Song Wei returned the golden hairpin the little fellow had "snatched" earlier to the Eldest Princess.
The little fellow was playing robber in the courtyard earlier, having ruined all Grandpa’s plants, and then had fun at the teahouse. Once on the carriage, he was sleepy, curled up in his father’s arms and fell asleep.