The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 1)

Chapter 14 - Deep Waters

After the evening banquet, Song Yi stayed in the main courtyard of the second house. Li Shi personally helped him change his clothes and brought a bowl of calming soup, "You've had a hard journey, drink this soup and rest early."

Song Yi drank a few sips with her help and then refused, suddenly asking, "I heard that Xiaoyi was ill recently?"

Li Shi's heart skipped a beat, but she casually handed the glass bowl to Su Zhi, smiling, "Yes, she had a quarrel with her fourth sister. Both of them are children, and they didn't know their own strength."

Song Yi shook his head worriedly, "What do you mean, didn't know their own strength? Children playing naturally don't know their own strength, but why are there so many nannies and maids around if not to intervene and help? What kind of behavior is this?! And the fourth girl, she's the elder sister, no matter how overboard Xiaoyi was, she shouldn't have been so harsh!"

This was probably the mindset of parents everywhere—their own children are never wrong, it's always someone else's fault.

Li Shi's anger surged, almost unable to hide the malice in her eyes. But she quickly composed herself, still smiling gently, "It's just that the nannies and maids didn't serve well. I've been worried about this too... Unfortunately, those are all people left by the elder sister, and I can't do much about it."

"What's wrong with that?" Song Yi interrupted her without thinking, "If it's not suitable, just replace them all. This time, it resulted in a fall, who knows what might happen next time."

As soon as Song Yi returned, he neither asked how she had been these days nor inquired about Song Chuning. Instead, he immediately mentioned Song Chuyi's illness, which made Li Shi even angrier. Her tone became stiff, "You know her temper... Even though I treat her with all my heart, there's still a barrier. If I even touch the people around her, what would others think of me?"

Seeing her pale face and tightly pressed lips, Song Yi knew she was angry.

"Alright, alright." He pulled her to sit beside him, saying, "I know it's hard to be a stepmother, but you are a virtuous person from a scholarly family, so don't neglect the education of the children."

As he softened his tone, the coldness around Li Shi dissipated instantly, and a smile appeared on her previously tense face.

"Don't I know that? You have eyes too. Can't you see how I've treated them over the years?" Li Shi leaned into Song Yi's arms, wrapping her hands around his neck, her voice lowering, "I know we wronged my sister in the past..."

The scenes in the back room of Qingliang Temple were vivid in his mind. The incredulous look on Cui Shi's face, heavily pregnant, was still etched in his memory. His temples throbbed as he recalled the questioning from his brother-in-law, Cui Yingshu, during his trip to Jinzhong. His heart sank like a stone in an icy abyss.

Li Shi naturally noticed his change and roughly guessed what Song Yi was thinking. However, she remained calm and sighed, "If we had been more careful back then... it would have been better. Now, whenever I see Chuyi, I feel a bit inferior. I just want to take good care of her for my sister. Even if she wants the moon in the sky, I wish I could get it for her."

"Ning-er has also become more understanding recently. She often gets upset with me for favoring Chuyi a bit more. When she's not upset, she cries secretly... It's really heartbreaking. Xiaoyi is pitiful, but what did our Ning-er do to deserve this? In the end, it's all my fault. I just hope I can breathe my last breath soon and apologize to my sister in the afterlife."

This hit Song Yi right in the heart.

Yes, Song Chuyi, who lost her mother, was indeed pitiful. But Li Shi had already done her best to make up for it. Little Song Chuning shouldn't be neglected either, after all, they brought her into this world...

The more Song Yi thought about it, the more his head ached and his heart raced. His hands trembled slightly, and it took him a long time to squeeze out a few comforting words, sighing heavily with guilt, "Don't think too much. The dead cannot come back to life. Sleep."

Li Shi sobbed softly for a while, then suddenly seemed to remember something. She tugged at Song Yi's clothes and leaned her head on his chest, "Dear, do you think Nanny Xu knows something?"

Song Yi felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him in winter, instantly waking him up. He was wide awake, his back stiffening, and his voice took on a heavy tone, "Nanny Xu? How would she know... Did she say something to Xiaoyi?"

Li Shi gently stroked his chest, "No, no, I was just saying. But last time, Chuyi went to the ancestral hall to kneel, which made me uneasy. I'm really afraid that Chuyi might be influenced by someone, believe those unfounded rumors, and hate us..."

The veins on Song Yi's forehead throbbed. After a long silence, he said in a muffled voice, "Find an opportunity to send Nanny Xu away. But since she was close to Cui Shi, don't treat her too harshly. Send her to a manor to spend her old age, far away, and make sure she never comes back."

This was exactly what Li Shi wanted to hear. No one knew Song Yi better than she did. She had put so much effort into him... Now, she deliberately blurs the matter of Song Chuyi going to the ancestral hall, making Song Yi think that Song Chuyi was suspicious of Cui Shi's death. Song Yi, who appeared calm and composed on the outside, was actually like a child who hadn't grown up, lacking determination. He still felt guilty about Cui Shi's death after all these years. Every time it was mentioned, he felt guilty. That's why Nanny Xu often cried about Cui Shi in front of him, because it always worked, and she could get whatever she wanted.

But now, with this seed of doubt planted, Song Yi would never be able to face Song Chuyi openly again...

Li Shi smiled with satisfaction, her lips curling up. The inner courtyard was deep and treacherous. Did they think that practicing etiquette and currying favor with the old lady would ensure peace? Dream on.

She had waited for five years, and today she finally started to poison Song Chu Yi's mind, aiming to crush her completely, so she could never rise again.

Just wait, Cui Shi died too quickly and didn't suffer enough. But Song Chuyi had plenty of time to experience all these hardships. She would make sure Cui Shi and her children tasted the bitterness she had endured.