The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 1)

Chapter 54 - Bad News

On the seventh day of the first lunar month, Song Jue, who had been in Qingzhou for over a month, finally sent his first letter.

Old Lady Song fell ill after reading it, lying in bed unable to move, and for several days she couldn't eat.

When Song Chuyi went to pay her respects in the morning, she saw her eldest uncle coming out of Old Lady Song's room, his steps faltering, looking as if he had aged several years overnight.

In her previous life, she had been very afraid of this uncle, always feeling that he was more stern than kind. But when she was on her deathbed, her uncle, who had a falling out with Li Shi, came to see her...

"It's Little Six." He saw Song Chuyi standing on the steps, staring at him, and straightened his clothes, awkwardly coming forward to talk to her for a while.

But there were only a few things to say, and once they were said, there was nothing left. He never knew how to get close to girls. His own daughters, one a noble consort and the other a soft-hearted girl, would cry after a few words. So he was even more cautious with his nieces.

Song Chuyi suddenly stepped forward and took his hand.

Her eldest uncle was startled, and his first reaction, despite being in his fifties, was to step back several paces, almost shaking off his niece's hand.

"Uncle, when the weather clears, will you take me to fly kites?" Song Chuyi looked up at him with longing, "Grandmother says you are the best at flying kites, better than Father and the others."

In his youth, her eldest uncle had been quite the idler, loving to run around flying kites, and he was indeed quite skilled at it. Probably the best kite flyer among officials.

He smiled awkwardly, feeling a bit more at ease, and agreed readily, "Sure, when the weather clears, we'll pick a time. I'll take you all to Huangjue Temple. It's wide and beautiful there, perfect for flying kites..."

Several physicians had mentioned Song Chuyi to him, saying that Old Lady Song was very fond of her. From his wife's tone, it was clear she also had a special regard for this niece. Now it seemed this little girl was indeed quite likable.

Even his own daughters rarely spoke to him...

She watched her eldest uncle walk away before turning to enter the room. Nanny Huang came out with a bowl of almost untouched lotus seed soup, sighed, and shook her head at her.

"This can't go on..." Nanny Huang whispered to Song Chuyi, "Since last night, she's only had a few sips of plain porridge and can't eat anything else."

Song Chuyi entered the room to find Old Lady Song lying on the kang bed. The room was warm from the heated floor, and she was only covered with a woolen blanket. Seeing Song Chuyi, she managed a faint smile.

Song Chuyi quickly stepped forward, took Old Lady Song's outstretched hand, and sat on the embroidered stool prepared by Yulan, gently persuading, "Grandmother, you can't go on not eating..."

Old Lady Song waved her hand to interrupt, coughing a few times before shaking her head with a bitter smile, "I know all the reasons, but thinking about having such a disappointing daughter makes my heart ache."

Even Song Chuxuan was probably more resilient than Song Linlang.

Song Chuyi also found some of Song Linlang's actions incomprehensible. Despite Song Jue traveling thousands of miles to Qingzhou, Song Linlang seemed unaware, taking several days to see her nephew.

Even more outrageous was that Xiang Yunzhang never showed up at all.

Neglecting the family of his legitimate wife, who came from the prestigious Changning Marquisate, was quite bold.

In his letter, Song Jue mentioned that Song Linlang was gravely ill and refused to see a physician. She had been living poorly in the Xiang family, with most of her old servants dismissed and nowhere to be seen.

What Old Lady Song found most unbearable was that Song Linlang agreed to register her illegitimate sons under her name to please Xiang Yunzhang.

"Are all the men in the world dead?!" Old Lady Song coughed violently, her emotions surging, "I taught her for seventeen years, and this is what she becomes?! Since her marriage, she's only returned a few times... Is this how she repays my nurturing?"

Old Lady Song couldn't understand how the daughter she had poured everything into could abandon her dignity and pride for a mere man, willing to humble herself to the ground.

Unable to comprehend, the frustration in her heart grew, making her restless.

When Song Jue's second letter arrived, Old Lady Song finally gave up. She forced herself to write a reply, looking as if she had aged five years overnight.

"I've called Jue'er back." Old Lady Song leaned against the soft pillow, her silver hair cascading over her shoulders, gripping Song Chuyi's hand tightly, "She seeks her own death; I can't save her."

Song Chuyi felt a bit lost. She had thought that returning to change some things would be easy, but Song Linlang's life trajectory remained the same as in her previous life, filling her with a sudden sense of dread.

This dread spread from her heart to her entire body, making her shiver.

At night, when Qingtao came to stay, she heard Song Chuyi sighing repeatedly.

The next morning, Song Chuyi's eyes were dark with heavy circles, and her complexion was terrible.

Nanny Xu, feeling heartbroken, knew that Old Lady Song had been the same recently. She assumed Song Chuyi was upset because of Old Lady Song's distress and went to boil an egg to soothe her eyes.

"Qingtao," Song Chuyi seized the moment when Nanny Xu left, looking at Qingtao with a complex expression, "Is there still no news about what I asked your parents to investigate?"

Logically, it had only been half a month, so it was normal not to have any news. But Song Linlang's situation made her uneasy, fearing that fate would still lead her to the same tragic end as her previous life.

Qingtao, sensing Song Chuyi's recent restlessness, lowered her head and promised, "It's been seven or eight years, so it's not easy to investigate... But my parents are very diligent. There should be news soon..."

Song Chuyi nodded, pressing her temples hard to suppress the inexplicable headache.

Qingtao immediately stepped forward, took her hand, and whispered, "Miss, you've been too tired lately... You should let Physician Sun take a look."

Song Chuyi realized she had indeed been quite restless recently. She smiled bitterly, thought for a moment, and nodded in agreement, "Don't alarm Nanny. Accompany me to the ancestral hall..."

These matters weighed heavily on her heart, and she had no one to confide in except for Cui Shi, her deceased mother.