The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 1)

Chapter 42 - Rectification

When Song Chuyi arrived at the main courtyard, Old Lady Song was already waiting for her. Besides Old Lady Song, the First Lady, Second Lady, and Third Lady were also present.

Old Lady Song smiled at Song Chuyi and said, "Earlier, you were curious about the stuffed longevity character snowflake cake your aunt mentioned. She specially sent a plate over for you. You must finish it later."

The First Lady also smiled and pulled her to sit down, "If I had known you liked it, I would have asked your sister-in-law to prepare more. Later, when your fourth and fifth sisters come, that small plate won't be enough."

Li Shi was curious about why Old Lady Song had called them all over today, so she spoke cautiously, adjusting Song Chuyi's clothes, "Old Lady, according to her aunt, she doesn't really like eating this. She just thinks the name sounds nice. She has never liked sweets, and getting her to eat some snacks is harder than climbing the sky. This girl must be curious and playful. Once she sees it, she'll probably put it down."

The Third Lady, having been reprimanded before, couldn't gauge Old Lady Song's intentions and just smiled without saying anything.

Soon, Song Chumi and the others arrived, with only Song Chuning and Song Chuyan absent among the girls. It was understandable that Song Chuyan didn't come, as she was only two years old and too young.

Old Lady Song asked the Second Lady, "Why isn't Ning'er here?"

"I don't know what's wrong with her. She started having a fever this morning, and it hasn't subsided yet." Li Shi shook her head worriedly, "Nanny Yu said it might be caused by a night spirit. We'll set up a chopstick later to ask."

The First Lady quickly said, "We can't delay this. I'll send Nanny Qiu from my house to take a look. She's good at calming spirits and asking questions."

Old Lady Song nodded in agreement. Seeing that everyone was present, she began to serve the dishes.

The First Lady, Second Lady, and Third Lady did not eat there but stood by to serve the dishes.

After the meal, Old Lady Song did not ask the ladies to leave. After sitting for a while, she asked the First Lady, "I remember that the housekeeper and the head maid in Xiaoyi's room were chosen by you?"

The First Lady was momentarily stunned and instinctively glanced at the Second Lady.

Before she had a falling out with the Second Lady, she had used the people recommended by the Second Lady to avoid trouble and suspicion. Could something have gone wrong now?

After hesitating for a moment, she carefully said, "At that time, my second sister-in-law said that Nanny Wang was an experienced old nanny and reliable. The two maids also seemed clever, so I assigned them to Xiaoyi's room."

Old Lady Song then looked at Li Shi.

Li Shi's heart sank, and she immediately sensed trouble.

She glanced at the First Lady and said sincerely, "Old Lady, I chose the people. Nanny Wang used to nurse the Second Master. She is old and experienced and has always taken good care of people in our house. I thought that since Nanny Xu in Xiaoyi's room was young, it would be good to have an older person to balance things out. As for the two maids, they were good. Xiaoyi herself chose them, thinking they were pretty and clever."

Song Chuyi looked at Old Lady Song with a nervous expression, "Grandmother, Nanny Wang and the others..."

Old Lady Song shook her head at her and turned to the First Lady and Second Lady, "According to you, they are reliable. But yesterday, that maid Huangyao came to Yushu with a white jade bracelet to plead for mercy. I want to ask, how did a maid get such a valuable item?"

A white jade bracelet, especially one with twisted patterns that required great craftsmanship—how could a maid have it? Since a maid couldn't have it, it must have been stolen or hidden from the master.

A maid who dared to steal her master's valuables to bribe others could hardly be considered clever or smart; calling her cunning might be more believable.

The First Lady felt her face burning and said softly, "Such a thing happened..."

The Second Lady felt even worse, as if Old Lady Song had slapped her hard in front of everyone, her face burning red.

How could Huangyao's appetite have grown so large! She even dared to steal Song Chuyi's jewelry to bribe Yushu, who was close to Old Lady Song.

Old Lady Song glanced at the two bewildered daughters-in-law and sneered, "The most ridiculous part is yet to come. I asked Yushu to bring Huangyao over, but she wasn't there. Nanny Wang was packing her bags to leave, wearing crimson tribute satin from Hangzhou and a gold and jade hairpin. Anyone who didn't know better might mistake her for one of you ladies."

The First Lady and Second Lady had already stood up, bowing their heads to receive the reprimand.

Li Shi felt increasingly dizzy, almost unable to stand.

"These two people—one manages all the affairs in her room, and the other takes care of her jewelry." Old Lady Song ignored their expressions and sneered, "I want to ask you two, how do you act as the First Lady and as mothers?!"

This question struck at their hearts. The First Lady's face turned pale with anxiety, deeply regretting that she had agreed to use Li Shi's people to avoid trouble and offending her sister-in-law.

Li Shi was already on the verge of collapse, biting her lip and kneeling on the ground.

Seeing Li Shi kneel, Song Chuyi quickly got up and knelt down as well.

Song Chumi and the others also hurriedly stood up and knelt in a row.

"If it weren't for Huangyao's foolishness this time, if I hadn't brought Xiaoyi to my side for upbringing," Old Lady Song said, now truly angry, "were you planning to let these petty people lead her astray?!"

Old Lady Song valued Song Chuyi to such an extent! The Third Lady looked at Song Chuyi with a complex expression, the rising anger in her heart extinguished by Old Lady Song's words.

The First Lady was so anxious she almost couldn't speak, but fortunately, she was usually calm. After a moment of composure, she realized that no matter how she defended herself, it would be useless in the face of Old Lady Song's anger. She could only honestly admit her negligence.

Li Shi felt bitter. Losing face in front of her two sisters-in-law was a small matter, but losing face in front of the younger generation was a big deal. More seriously, Old Lady Song had become suspicious of her because of this incident, rendering her years of effort almost futile...

She smiled bitterly and said, "Old Lady, this isn't my sister-in-law's fault. I chose the people. It was my mistake to trust the wrong people... Nanny Wang and Huangyao seemed good on the surface, but I didn't expect them to be so deceitful... Huangyao even came to my room today, and I couldn't tell at all. Truly, you can't judge a book by its cover."