Su Xiaoqi settled Du Yiyi into a small side room she had personally arranged.
It was furnished with two small single sofas.
She had commissioned someone skilled in carpentry from the estate to build them for her after she moved in.
There was no sponge here, so she had used wood as a base and filled it with a generous amount of cotton. When one sat down, it was somewhat soft, but it wouldn't sink in, nor was it too hard.
Du Yiyi had never seen anything like it, finding it quite novel. Sitting on it felt soft and fluffy, and it was unlike the round-backed chairs she usually sat on.
Her curiosity was so piqued that she forgot to cry.
"Wuuu... this, this is so pretty and so comfortable," Du Yiyi exclaimed, still sobbing but touching the small-flowered, pastoral-style sofa beneath her hands.
Su Xiaoqi responded adeptly, "This is called a sofa. It was just made not too long ago, and I've already asked them to make more.
Two more sets should be ready by tomorrow, and I'll send them over to you and the Old Madam.
I just don't know if you'll be used to sitting on them?"
The winters in the capital were somewhat long and very cold, so people here were generally accustomed to sitting on soft couches or Luo Han beds.
Many wealthy families had underfloor heating, while poorer households had their own self-built earthen kang.
Du Yiyi pressed down gently with her bottom and then supported herself with her palms, saying repeatedly,
"I'm used to it, I'm used to it, aren't I sitting on it quite comfortably now?"
Su Xiaoqi watched as she became engrossed in examining the sofa, forgetting even what she had come to say.
She gently prompted, "Yiyi, why were you crying earlier?"
"Oh, it's about my marriage," Du Yiyi rolled her eyes.
Not at Su Xiaoqi, of course, but at those who weren't present but wanted to dictate her marriage.
"Who is it?" Su Xiaoqi asked, recalling their previous conversation.
"It's related to that person, the Crown Prince's heir.
You asked me about it before, and I thought I truly had the freedom to choose my own marriage. I went back and told my parents about the Crown Prince's heir meeting someone in secret under the moonlight.
My parents were very angry and immediately agreed to break off the engagement.
But then, you know who objected? It was my grandmother, who arrived so late."
The Du family was not originally a prominent household, but it was a scholarly family with a history spanning generations.
Over hundreds of years, several of its descendants had entered officialdom through the imperial examinations.
The Du family's true prosperity, however, came from Du Wenqian and his uncle, Du Zhenpeng.
Du Wenqian was somewhat secondary; everything went smoothly when he first entered officialdom.
However, during the turmoil eighteen years ago, he was inevitably affected.
He was forced to take up a post in the provinces.
Now, with the Crown Prince's innocence proven, he had returned to the capital.
Du Wenqian's uncle, Du Zhenpeng, had always enjoyed considerable good fortune.
Starting as a humble Shujishi in the Hanlin Academy, after three years of accumulating experience and passing the examinations, he was directly assigned to the provinces as a Censor.
It could be said that his career in officialdom was exceptionally smooth.
He was now the Minister of Works, a member of the Grand Secretariat.
Coupled with Du Yiyi's maternal grandfather's Duke of Yu State's mansion as a backer, their foundation was even deeper.
The Du family had gradually become a prominent clan in the capital that various families sought to associate with.
"Sister Xiaoqi, I was too naive last time. I thought that because my parents agreed to let me choose my husband myself, I truly had the right to choose."
Thinking back now, she realized she had been too foolish.
"It seems I've lived in Yizhou Prefecture for too long and am not quite accustomed to the relationships here in the capital, I've oversimplified things."
"This isn't your fault, it's just a matter of getting used to things."
Su Xiaoqi had wanted to remind Du Yiyi for a while.
This was no longer Yizhou Prefecture. Back then, only Du Yiyi's grandmother was there, and their grandmother-granddaughter relationship wasn't very good, so they lived separately.
But now their family had moved to the capital.
As an Old Madam with noble titles and rewards, Madam Du naturally had to return to the capital with Du Wenqian.
Here, the decision-makers were not just their immediate family.
There were also the members of the Du clan.
"Besides your grandmother, who else disagrees?" Su Xiaoqi's primary concern was the opinion of Du Yiyi's grand-uncle.
He was now the patriarch of the Du family, and his official rank was the highest, giving him a pivotal position within the Du clan.
"My grand-uncle definitely agrees," Du Yiyi replied listlessly.
If her grand-uncle hadn't agreed, her father wouldn't have been unable to stop it.
Su Xiaoqi thought that was indeed the case. Although she had only met Du Wenqian a few times, she knew he was a man who doted on his wife and daughters.
He was also exceptionally considerate and open-minded.
"Although there seem to be many people in your Du clan, in the end, only your grand-uncle can make the final decision.
Without saying anything else, let's secure his support first." Su Xiaoqi believed in striking the head of the snake first.
As long as her grand-uncle, that weighty figure, did not object, and even actively severed this marriage, then Du Yiyi would be safe.
Du Yiyi looked at Su Xiaoqi, her eyes sometimes sparkling, sometimes filled with grievance.
After listening, she said with a苦苦 expression, "I understand the logic, but, but I don't know what to do?"
Persuading the grand-uncle was as difficult as ascending to heaven.
She felt it would be faster for her to just dream.
Seeing her low spirits, Su Xiaoqi thought for a moment, beckoned her over, and whispered in her ear,
"As far as I know, your grand-uncle values face the most.
He considers himself a pure official, loyal only to the current monarch, disliking following trends or aligning with factions, and even less interested in the merits of assisting the emperor from the very beginning.
Du Yiyi nodded her head like a pecking chick, looking at Su Xiaoqi with some surprise, "Sister Xiaoqi, you, you are truly divine. You say it just like my father.
He analyzed it to me the same way before. However, just like before, I understand the logic.
But, but how can I make him feel that this marriage with the Crown Prince's heir is not a good match?"
Du Yiyi felt a headache coming on.
"I have a plan!" Su Xiaoqi's lips curved into a smile.
Upon closer inspection, there was even a hint of a charming malevolence in it.
Du Yiyi's eyes lit up, and she stared fixedly at Su Xiaoqi, eagerly asking what to do and what she needed to do.
"At this point, it's best for you to do nothing. I will handle it for you, and then you can just wait and watch the show." Su Xiaoqi took on the task.
"Sister Xiaoqi, you, you are too good to me. I should repay you." Du Yiyi pouted and threw herself into Su Xiaoqi's arms.
Su Xiaoqi replied, "Come on, we're best friends.
This matter is about your lifelong happiness, why would I need you to thank me?
You don't need to do anything. As long as you are well, I will be at ease."
What Su Xiaoqi said was truly how she felt.
She hoped Yiyi would always be well.
She wished her smile would forever be pure and radiant, never tainted by the secular world.