Song Shuyuan noticed the look on Song Shuyu’s face and exchanged a glance with Madam Song.
Madam Song looked slightly ill at ease as she explained to Song Shuyu, “Mother isn’t saying you shouldn’t eat it. I’m just worried that eating too much cold food will be bad for your health.”
“If you consume too many cold things, they’ll cause dampness to build up in your body. Over time, it’ll become difficult to get rid of.”
“By the time you reach fourteen…”
Madam Song stopped herself.
Her daughter was only four years old. She still had ten years before she turned fourteen—there was no need to worry about it yet.
Still, Madam Song gave Song Shuyu a suspicious once-over.
Outside the prince’s residence, she had been too overwhelmed with excitement to notice anything. Now that she examined her daughter carefully, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
Madam Song had seen chubby little girls before.
But Song Shuyu’s plumpness seemed somehow different.
Madam Song’s gaze moved repeatedly over Song Shuyu’s body.
Song Shuyu noticed that her mother had first scolded her for eating ice cream and was now looking her over as if she were some kind of monster.
An indescribable feeling welled up in Song Shuyu’s heart.
She set down the spoon in her hand and wiped her fingers with a handkerchief.
“Wasn’t there something you wanted to say? If not, I’m leaving.”
Hearing this, Madam Song immediately put aside her doubts about what was wrong with her daughter.
She took Song Shuyu’s hand and smiled at her affectionately.
“Mother hasn’t seen you in such a long time. Now that we’ve finally met, I wanted to take a good look at you.”
“You’re so different from before. Seeing that you’re doing well, Mother can finally set her worries aside.”
Song Shuyuan hurriedly helped their mother coax his younger sister.
“Exactly. Ever since my sister left, Mother has smiled much less.”
“She thinks about you every day, wondering whether you’ve gone hungry, whether you’ve been cold, and whether anyone has bullied you.”
“We wanted to come see you as soon as we arrived in the capital, but the gates of Prince Ling’s residence are too high for ordinary people like us to cross.”
“Father was also worried that our coming here would upset the Crown Prince.”
“What if he stopped valuing you and began neglecting you? What would you do then?”
Song Shuyuan was indeed a scholar. Once he started talking, everything sounded logical and well organized.
He managed to absolve the entire family of all blame.
Song Shuyu had already been wondering why her parents had been in the capital for so long without coming to see her.
They must have forgotten about her and no longer cared about her.
But after hearing her elder brother’s explanation, she understood.
It wasn’t that her parents hadn’t wanted to come. It was that commoners weren’t allowed into Prince Ling’s residence.
It never occurred to Song Shuyu that if someone truly wanted to meet another person, there was always a way.
For example, her mother had found a way now.
Song Shuyu was still very young. After hearing her brother’s explanation, she immediately believed him.
“Brother, Mother, are you still living at the Song residence?”
The moment Song Shuyuan heard this, he became extremely indignant.
“Second Uncle drove our entire family out!”
“Father came all the way here, traveling thousands of miles to seek refuge with his own brother out of consideration for their family ties.”
“But once he saw that we had spent all our money and were no longer of any use to him, he kicked us out without a second thought.”
“How despicable!”
“Little sister, you have to help us!”
“You have no idea—we don’t have a single silver coin left. We’re about to end up sleeping on the streets!”
When Song Shuyuan said the last sentence, his face flushed with embarrassment.
As a scholar, he looked down on nothing more than discussing money.
But their father had instructed him to say this. It had to be said.
His younger sister was a Princess, so she must have a substantial amount of private spending money.
As long as she could give them a little, they could at least rent a small courtyard and remain in the capital.
Song Shuyuan had originally been quite disdainful.
If even their parents couldn’t solve the problem, what could a little girl do?
But just now, he had watched his sister eat two liang of ice cream without even blinking.
As his second younger brother had said, his sister’s life was clearly that of someone above ordinary people.
She certainly wasn’t short of money!
Song Shuyu was stunned by what her elder brother said.
What did he mean?
Was he asking her for money?
Song Shuyu spent her entire monthly allowance.
She loved to eat, had no self-control, and was picky besides. Whenever she received her allowance, she would have her maid buy whatever she most wanted to eat.
Things like the ice cream here.
And Fuduo’s imperial pastries.
The only money she managed to save was the reward money she received during festivals and special occasions.
She had only been able to save it because, when Chunxiao was still with her, Chunxiao had reminded her to keep some money on hand. That way, she wouldn’t panic if something happened.
It had taken Song Shuyu a great deal of effort to save that little bit.
Seeing Song Shuyu’s dazed expression, Madam Song affectionately stroked her cheek.
“We’re only borrowing it from you for now. Once things ease up, we’ll save it for you as part of your dowry.”
At the mention of her dowry, Song Shuyu remembered the things she had left at the Song residence.
“When you came to the capital, what happened to the dowry you prepared for me?”
“Did you bring it with you, or did you leave it in Xianyang?”
Madam Song froze.
For the sake of her husband’s prospects, they had even sold their residence in Xianyang.
How could there be any dowry left?
They had already spent nearly all their money.
Where would they find anything else?
Madam Song didn’t dare tell her the truth. Instead, she smiled and coaxed Song Shuyu.
“You’re a Princess now. The dowry we prepared before isn’t suitable for your current status.”
“Besides, you’ll become a princess consort in the future. The Crown Prince will certainly prepare an even more lavish dowry for you!”
Song Shuyu thought it over and decided her mother was right.
“Then sell my old dowry.”
“Those things should be enough to get you through for a while.”
The smile on Madam Song’s face stiffened for an instant.
“Those things are all in Xianyang. They can’t help us with our immediate needs.”
“Your elder brother is exceptionally gifted, and there are many renowned teachers in the capital.”
“If your elder brother can become a student of one of them, he’ll surely rise to great heights in the future!”
“Mother is telling you, a woman’s most important support is her maternal family’s brothers.”
“If your elder and second brothers become successful, your husband’s family will never dare bully you.”
Song Shuyu wore an utterly unconcerned expression.
“I’m a Princess. Who would dare bully me?”
Madam Song was rendered speechless.
“I heard that you and the Heir Apparent don’t get along very well,” Song Shuyuan reminded her.
“We’re your brothers. Only your second brother and I will sincerely protect you!”
Song Shuyu thought of Xiao Yun’an and couldn’t help biting her lip.
“I’ve spent all my monthly allowance. I don’t have much saved.”
She removed the pair of gold bracelets from her wrists and placed them on the table.
“Take these and pawn them.”
The gold necklace was too conspicuous to remove. The bracelets were small, and she could always claim later that she had accidentally lost them.
Song Shuyuan’s eyes widened.
“You haven’t saved a single coin? What have you been spending it all on?”
“What Princess in the world can’t produce even a penny?”
