The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 1)

Chapter 56 - Reaction

Song Chuyi stood in front of Old Lady Song, her hands clenched into fists at her sides, using all her strength to suppress the surging anger. With red eyes, she asked the old lady, "Did Nanny Xu do something wrong? Grandmother, you know Nanny Xu has always been very attentive to me..."

Old Lady Song knew that Song Chuyi was soft-hearted. She took Song Chuyi's hand and pressed her head into her arms, sighing heavily after a while.

"Although I asked her to leave, it wasn't because she did something wrong," Old Lady Song explained, using the reason she had discussed with Song Yi. "The estate in Tongzhou needs a manager, and Nanny Xu's husband is capable. This is a promotion for them..."

Song Chuyi held back her tears and finally nodded with tears in her eyes.

The large tears fell on Old Lady Song's hand, and also heavily on her heart.

What a good child, knowing that things weren't that simple, and reluctant to part with her nanny, but still agreeing without making things difficult for anyone, not even asking a single extra question.

Old Lady Song patted Song Chuyi's back in a daze, comforting her repeatedly, saying that things would get better in the future.

When Song Chuyi returned to the side hall, her eyes were red, clearly having cried. Nanny Xu was shocked and didn't know what to do, thinking she had offended Old Lady Song, and anxiously asked her.

Song Chuyi wiped her tears with her hand, calm and composed, and asked Luyi to watch the door.

Now that Nanny Wang and Nanny Huang had been sent away, and the new people hadn't arrived yet, the entire side hall was filled with people Song Chuyi trusted.

Luyi went out as instructed, and Song Chuyi pulled Nanny Xu to sit down.

Nanny Xu knew something must have happened. She wasn't as capable as the big maids who used to serve Lady Cui, but she wasn't stupid. After thinking for a while, she asked Song Chuyi, "Miss, did I do something to make the old lady unhappy?"

Song Chuyi shook her head and lowered her voice, "The old lady said that Uncle Zhang and you are to be transferred to manage the estate in Tongzhou."

Nanny Xu was shocked, her mouth open for a long time before shaking her head vigorously, "How can that be? I promised to take good care of you... I'll go beg the old lady..."

Song Chuyi grabbed her, holding back her sadness and anger, and shook her head resolutely, "It's useless, Nanny. I know my grandmother too well. If there was any room for negotiation, I wouldn't have waited until now to come back..."

Nanny Xu collapsed into the chair, choking for a long time before she could speak, "Why..."

Song Chuyi sneered.

Yulan said that Song Yi had come to Ningde Courtyard in the morning and had a long talk with the old lady.

Her father had never been close to the old lady Song since she could remember. Although their relationship wasn't bad, there was always a layer of unspoken estrangement, a faint awkwardness and distance even in their closeness.

This time, Second Master Song, who usually felt guilty talking to the old lady, was so proactive, which seemed unusual.

He left, and the old lady immediately informed her about Nanny Xu. How could it be such a coincidence?

Li Shi had wanted to get rid of the people around her for a long time. This time, Song Chuyi sent away Nanny Huang and Nanny Wang so Li Shi used Nanny Xu as revenge. She didn't expect that she would involve Song Yi. Didn't she always love Song Yi and didn't want him to get involved in the inner house disputes, trying hard to make him a virtuous minister? Yet, she used Song Yi as a tool.

Nanny Xu choked with grievance and worry. She was really worried about Song Chuyi's future. Although the old lady said she favored her, there was still the scheming Lady Li. If she left, who could Song Chuyi trust in the future?

"Don't cry, Nanny," Song Chuyi calmly comforted her. "The old lady gave me Nanny Xu, who is experienced and favored by her. I will be fine, and you must take care of yourself outside." (Translator XiaoBai: the nannies have the same surname, Xu)

Nanny Xu didn't want to make Song Chuyi sad, so she tried to hold back her tears, but still felt sad as she stroked her hand, "Poor Miss, if only the lady were still here..."

Song Chuyi didn't speak. After a long time, she suddenly asked, "Nanny Xu, how did my mother die? Why were all the people serving her replaced after her death?"

She remembered that the Cui family had a big fight with the Song family over this, and it was only after Old Lady Song intervened that Cui Yingshu was barely convinced.

Nanny Xu trembled all over, looking at Song Chuyi, not knowing how to respond for a moment.

"Nanny, do you know what I asked Qing Tao's parents to investigate?" Song Chuyi didn't immediately force Nanny Xu to answer, but continued speaking on her own: "I asked them to find out where the maids who were with my mother back then were sold."

Although servants with slave status could be bought and sold at will, they could not be killed arbitrarily. If someone wanted to kill a dozen servants at once, it would cause too much commotion.

Even if Song Yi wanted to do this, Old Lady Song and Song Chengru would not allow it.

The most they could accept was probably to sell these servants far away.

Song Chuyi only reached Nanny Xu's waist, still looking like the little girl who used to cry whenever Song Yi held Song Chuning a little longer. But upon closer inspection, her eyes held a coldness that did not belong to her age.

Nanny Xu hesitated for a long time, finally trembling as she hugged Song Chuyi: "When you were born, the lady assigned me to stay by your side. At that time, the little Master had just been born not long ago, and I had to take care of both of you. Gradually, I didn't know much about what was happening with the lady. I only knew that before the lady's accident, she was always arguing with the second master... On the day the lady had a difficult labor with Yan'er, her water broke on the mountain, and the second master personally escorted her back..."

Many things she herself did not know clearly, all were her own intermittent inferences based on her gratitude to her old master. She did not dare to directly state her guesses to influence Song Chuyi.

"The lady had a difficult labor, struggled for a day and a night to give birth to Yan'er, but she couldn't make it through herself..." Nanny Xu finally couldn't help but sob again: "When I got the news and went over, the courtyard was empty. Mo Mei and Mo Hua were nowhere to be seen, and all the faces moving around were unfamiliar... Even the few old steward nannies were gone. They all came with the Cui family, and logically, if the Cui family didn't release them to you or Yan'er, they would have followed the Cui family back to their hometown."