The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 1)

Chapter 47 - Asking for Someone

Thinking she had stepped into wealth, Ruizhu was finished in an instant. 

Xuezhu, pale with fear, knelt and kowtowed to Old Lady Song and the First Lady, trembling, "It's not my fault, it's not my fault, the young lady's injuries were caused by the Fourth Miss of the Pingyang Marquis Residence..."

The Fourth Miss of the Pingyang Marquis Residence, Fourth Lady Xiao!

She was notoriously difficult to get along with in the capital, but who would have thought she would dare to hit her sister-in-law!

Old Lady Song almost laughed in anger, "What do they take our Changning Marquis Residence for?! Does the Xiao family think we have no one?!"

Song Chuxuan, crying hard, finally managed to say a few words, "Grandmother, Mother, I wanted to endure until tomorrow to tell you... but the Xiao family wouldn't let me out... my sister-in-law went to pray, I just mentioned the gifts for tomorrow, and my mother-in-law slapped me... told me to give up, not to think about coming home... my sister-in-law chased me and hit me..."

The Pingyang Marquis Residence dared to bully the Changning Marquis Residence like this!

The First Master, playing cards with the Second Master and others in the flower hall, rushed in upon hearing the news and was stunned by the scene.

The First Lady, holding her daughter's injuries, couldn't help but cry and scold him, "Is this how you are a father? Look at how your daughter is being bullied! Do they think our Changning Marquis Residence is full of dead people?!"

The First Master, trembling, touched the swelling on his daughter's forehead, his whole body covered in a layer of cold air.

Too much bullying! Too much bullying!

Song Chuxuan, always afraid of her father, shrank into Old Lady Song's arms, crying and begging, "Grandmother, please don't send me back..."

"Go back for what?!" The First Master roared, almost smashing the table and chairs, "Who dares to send you back, I'll break their legs! If the Xiao family doesn't give us an explanation today, I'll make them pay!"

He said this, but fearing his tone might be too harsh and scare his daughter, he softened his voice and looked at Song Chuxuan, "Stay at home, don't be afraid of anything, your father will stand up for you!"

Unexpectedly, the father who used to complain about her frequent visits to her maternal home said this, leaving Song Chuxuan stunned for a moment, then she cried even harder.

Song Chumi and the others came up with tears in their eyes to comfort her.

Song Chuyi held onto Song Chuxuan's clothes and gently applied ointment to her forehead.

The First Lady finally calmed down and had someone prepare Song Chuxuan's old boudoir. After composing herself, she was about to discuss continuing the temple visit with the Old Lady when someone reported that people from the Pingyang Marquis Residence had arrived.

Old Lady Song glanced at the First Master and asked, "What do you say?"

The First Master unhesitatingly ordered, "Beat them away with sticks! Don't let them dirty our doorstep!"

Having received the news, Song Qi had already gone out with people and drove away the servants from the Pingyang Marquis Residence.

Old Lady Song calmed herself and instructed the First Lady to continue the temple visit with the Second Lady and others. She then told the First Master, "Wait until your father returns to decide on this matter. You should still go out. Although no relatives are visiting today, the dragon and lion dancers will arrive soon, and you need to arrange food and drink. If any monks come for alms, treat them well."

The First Master agreed, told his daughter to rest well, and left with the First Lady.

Song Chuxuan, hungry and tired, was served food by Yushu and then told to rest.

Old Lady Song sat in a round-backed armchair and sighed deeply.

Song Chuyi sat down next to her, holding her arm and gently shaking it, "Grandmother, don't be sad. It would be better to see the truth early and cut losses sooner."

Old Lady Song looked at Song Chuyi's bright eyes and laughed at herself for not being as open-minded as a child. Feeling less stifled, she nodded, "You're right. Our Song family's daughters won't tolerate such treatment. At worst, your grandfather and I will support your second sister for life, and won't let her suffer like this!"

Hearing this from the side hall, Song Chuxuan's tears flowed like broken beads, soaking the pillow, but she also felt relieved.

Her maternal family thought this way, how wonderful.

In the afternoon, Song Chengru returned and, after hearing the news, first went to see Song Chuxuan, who had moved to the First Lady's courtyard, then returned to the Old Lady's room with a somber face.

"Did you find out the reason?" he asked, sitting on the kang, picking up a few pine nuts from the fruit plate on the kang table.

Old Lady Song handed him a cup of tea and sneered, "I found out early. If it were our girl's fault, I wouldn't have had the First Son drive away the people from the Pingyang Marquis Residence. It's truly outrageous!"

She explained the situation to the Old Master and added with a cold laugh, "That Fourth Lady Xiao from their family constantly troubles our second girl, even meddling in her brother and sister-in-law's affairs, sending that maid Ruizhu to Xiao Yan's bed! Isn't it infuriating?! This is not the behavior of a noble lady, but..."

The Old Master's face grew darker, and he bitterly blamed himself, "I thought the Xiao family was good, but it turned out to be such a mess. I really misjudged. Did the second girl say what she plans to do?"

With Song Linlang's example, he would rather have his granddaughter divorced and come home to be supported by the family than see her slowly lose her life.

Old Lady Song sat quietly for a while before saying, "She didn't say, but I think she still has some attachment to Xiao Yan."

The Old Master decided, "Then let's wait and see. If the Xiao family shows the right attitude, it's fine. If they persist in their ways, don't blame me for being unkind!"

Old Lady Song agreed, lowering her eyes with an unreadable expression, "Let's hope they know their limits."

The First Lady returned from the temple visit and spent the afternoon asking her daughter in detail, growing more upset with each question.

The Second Lady and others, hearing the news, came to express their concern, sighing with sympathy.

The eldest daughter-in-law, the softest-hearted, sat beside Song Chuxuan, holding her hand with red eyes, unable to speak from heartache.

In the evening, someone from the Pingyang Marquis Residence came with a message, saying that Xiao Yan had wanted to come to apologize in the afternoon but thought it inappropriate to visit in the afternoon, so he would come the next day.

The First Master, hearing this, just sneered and tossed the note aside.