The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 1)

Chapter 89 - Ruthless

It was always like this—Li Shi had gotten so lost in her role-playing, she likely believed she was truly a loving mother. When it came to Song Yan, she appeared as gentle and benevolent as a bodhisattva, granting his every wish.

But when dealing with her own biological daughter, she was cold and distant. Song Chuning's lips curled into a mocking and indifferent smile.

Certain things, once you got used to them, no longer seemed strange or unjust. All those feelings of injustice and grievances had long been dried up by tears during sleepless nights.

Song Chuning, supported by Nanny Yu, sat down in a chair, enduring the sting on her face. She looked at the now stunned Li Shi with a hint of impatience and said, "You have a dowry estate in Tongzhou, don't you? The steward there has helped you with a lot of things before, hasn't he?"

Li Shi, shocked and fearful, glanced at Nanny Yu, then looked at Song Chuning with a probing and cautious gaze. "Who told you all of this?!"

Does it even need to be told?

In my dreams, you personally taught me all of these things, Song Chuning thought, glancing at her with disdain before shaking her head. "As long as you've done something, you'll always leave traces. It's just a matter of whether someone chooses to investigate. Look, don't I already know now? If you were afraid of people finding out, you shouldn't have done it in the first place."

Song Chuning had never spoken so sharply to Li Shi before. Though she had been lacking in respect before, she was never this confrontational. This sudden attack left Li Shi feeling deeply humiliated.

Embarrassed and furious, Li Shi was ashamed that her own daughter had uncovered her scandal and was now scolding her. It was a mix of both shame and anger. But this time, instead of throwing things in a fit of rage, she grasped the main issue. She calmed herself down and asked, "How do you know all of this? And how do you know that Song Chuyi knows?"

"I don't know if she knows or not. What I do know is that her sudden trip to Tongzhou is suspicious." Song Chuning easily continued, meeting Li Shi's gaze. "I advise you, she's not someone to be underestimated. Think carefully—haven't all your recent troubles stemmed from her? You should also reflect on when Grandfather and Grandmother started treating you so coldly. Haven't you noticed anything? That stepdaughter of yours is no longer a clueless fool. It's time to give up on those fantasies of taking her down slowly and gaining both reputation and benefits. The right thing to do is to strike first and get rid of her."

Nanny Yu nodded worriedly. "Now that you mention it, something really does seem off. She's completely different from before. Just look at how she behaves these days, how much favor she's earned from Old Master and Old Lady Song. Even the heir and his wife give her face... This would have been unimaginable in the past."

Li Shi's face darkened as she suddenly made up her mind and looked at Song Chuning. "So what do you suggest? Kill her? She's traveling with a lot of people. It's not that easy to kill her."

Besides, in the Marquis's mansion, she couldn't do as she pleased. There were too many restrictions.

"The Tatar soldiers have invaded Tongzhou. If she were to die at their hands during the chaos, no one would suspect anything," Song Chuning replied lazily. "This is something you can't handle on your own. You should return to your maternal family and ask Grandmother for help."

Li Shi no longer had the energy to argue with her daughter. She carefully considered Song Chuning's words and connected them to Song Chengru's firm attitude today. She suddenly realized that what Old Lady Li had said about taking it slow would no longer work.

After all, Song Chuyi was just a girl. As long as Li Shi behaved well, Song Chengru and Old Lady Song would be happy to leave the responsibility of raising her to her.

But Song Yan was a different story.

He was the only son of Song Yi, and the Song family would not let her have her way with him.

"Nanny Yu, go pack our things. I'll report to Old Lady and tell her we'll go to my family's house tomorrow." Li Shi had made her decision. She turned to Song Chuning and asked, "Are you coming?"

Song Chuning nodded. She didn't have much faith in Li Shi's abilities. Even though Li Shi had successfully dealt with Cui Shi and maintained her facade as a virtuous wife for years, most of that was thanks to Old Lady Li.

If it had been up to her, she probably wouldn't have even made it to Song Yi's bed.

Perhaps because Li Shi had just been embarrassed in front of her, this time Old Lady Song agreed very readily, even reminding her to take extra people along to serve them. She also had the First Lady draft a gift list for them.

With a heart full of indescribable emotions, Li Shi spent the entire night tormented by nightmares.

Cui Shi's tear-filled, despairing eyes hovered endlessly before her, blood blooming in large patches beneath her. Her eyes slowly turned from despair to anger.

Such a hateful gaze was too much for Li Shi to handle. For the first time in six years, she was startled awake from a nightmare, panting heavily, drenched in cold sweat.

Yes, she couldn't wait any longer. She couldn't.

If the events from back then were ever revealed, everything she had now would be ruined. Even her mother would be blamed and criticized. That could never be allowed to happen.

Clutching her blanket, she lay awake until dawn, unable to wait to bring Song Chuning back to her maternal family.

Li Shi's sister in law seemed rather displeased by her arrival. She exchanged a few cold pleasantries before leading them to Old Lady Li's room.

Li Shi had no time to care about her sister-in-law's indifference. As soon as she sat down, she told her mother about Song Chuyi's trip to Tongzhou.

A sharp glint flashed in Old Lady Li's cloudy eyes. She turned her head and repeated, "Tongzhou?"

She certainly remembered what was in Tongzhou, making her even more alert.

Li Shi nodded, wrapping her hands around Old Lady Li's arm, her voice filled with concern. "That girl is indeed acting strange. If she's going there because of Cui Shi's matters, there's a chance she might uncover something. Why don't we simply eliminate the threat once and for all?"

Old Lady Li gave her a stern look, then glanced at Song Chuning before suddenly smiling. "This idea isn't yours, is it? It's Ning'er's, isn't it?"

Li Shi awkwardly admitted it and then added, "Mother, do you know about the Tatar rebels in Tongzhou? If she happens to be killed by them, wouldn't that solve everything once and for all?"

Old Lady Li lowered her head and remained silent for a while.

She had only one son and one daughter in her life, and both were precious to her—neither could be allowed to suffer.

Back when Li Shi struggled to find a match, all the concubine-born daughters from the other wives were waiting to mock her. They all thought Li Shi would never find a good husband... Didn't they all work together to get rid of Cui Shi? Now, which of those concubine-born daughters had married better than her own daughter?

Now, all that remained were Cui Shi's two insignificant children—could they really be harder to deal with than Cui Shi had been?

This was indeed a rare opportunity. If they missed it, who knew when the next one would come?