The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 1)

Chapter 107 - The Counterattack

First Lady Cui, having heard the response she was waiting for, smiled and stood up without hesitation. She turned to Old Lady Song and said, "Very well, I'll wait for them to arrive. For now, I'd like to go see Xiao Yi... It's been three or four years since I last saw her."

The First Lady hesitated as she recalled what Song Chuyi had just revealed about Li Shi hiring someone to kill her. In just one night, everything had turned upside down, with so many shocking revelations that it was hard to keep up.

Now, with First Lady Cui in such a rage, if she found out about the attack on Song Chuyi, it would surely infuriate her even more... If First Lady Cui, in her anger, sent a petition to the palace requesting an audience with the Emperor and Empress to expose this matter, it would certainly cause an uproar.

However, Old Lady Song, exhausted, merely waved her hand, signaling the First Lady to take First Lady Cui to see Song Chuyi.

In these circumstances, trying to hide anything would only embarrass the Marquis's residence further and intensify the Cui family's existing resentment. It was better to lay everything bare.

After all, it was Li Shi who committed the crime, not the Marquis's residence. There was no need for the Marquis's family to bear the blame or suffer the Cui family's wrath on Li Shi's behalf.

Yet, at the same time, a deep sorrow and unease welled up in Old Lady Song's heart. If Cui Tingting's death was indeed orchestrated by Li Shi, as First Lady Cui claimed, then how would Song Yi ever redeem himself in the eyes of Song Chuyi and Song Yan...

She closed her eyes, taking a heavy, weary breath.

The First Lady accompanied First Lady Cui to the outer hall, but wisely chose not to follow her inside. She merely exchanged a greeting with Song Chuyi before smiling and retreating with her attendants.

Meanwhile, someone from Lin Hai's household came to inquire, saying the kitchen had heard there were guests and wanted to know how to prepare the meal.

Jinhuan, who was massaging the First Lady's temples, frowned slightly at the question and responded with a forced smile to the maid: "Sister-in-law, we've always had a set procedure for hosting guests at our house. Just follow the usual standards for the meal, won't you? Unless the guests came to cause trouble, are we really going to treat them like ancestors?"

The maid, at a loss for words, nervously chuckled and repeatedly agreed.

Jinhuan chuckled again but then turned to see that the First Lady, who had been resting with her eyes closed, was now staring at her intently, which startled her.

"So, it seems that not only can I make decisions in this house, but even my maidservants can give orders about how we host guests," the First Lady sneered coldly. "By 'following the usual standards,' you mean whose standards? Are you following those of Nanny Zhao, or those of my own mother? Go ahead and explain it to me—I'd love to learn how to host guests properly!"

Nanny Zhao was Song Ren's wet nurse, while the "lady" she referred to was the First Lady's own mother. Jinhuan's legs buckled, and she fell to her knees, soon drenched in cold sweat. "Please forgive me, First Lady... I was only thinking that First Lady Cui had come to cause trouble..."

"Fool!" the First Lady shot her a frosty glare. "First Lady Cui is the Emperor's own niece, a county princess with her own fiefdom—how dare you even think of treating her poorly? If you anger such a noble guest, how many lives do you think you'll need to make up for it?"

With that, the First Lady had no more patience for Jinhuan and called the kitchen stewards herself to decide on the menu.

Although she had evidence and Lianyi's testimony on hand, First Lady Cui still seemed somewhat uneasy. She sighed repeatedly, hugging Song Chuyi to her side. It wasn't that she feared the Marquis's residence would defend Li Shi; her concern lay in how Song Chuyi would cope in the Marquis's residence moving forward.

Though Li Shi was despicable and deserved to die a hundred times over, the situation was more complicated than just her involvement. Song Yi, who had secretly conspired with her, also bore some of the blame.

This man's betrayal was unforgivable, yet he was still Song Chuyi and Song Yan's biological father. Once this scandal was exposed, how could Song Yi ever play the role of a kind father again? And how could Song Chuyi and Song Yan forget that their own father's affair had indirectly caused their mother's death?

Song Chuyi knew exactly what First Lady Cui was worried about. In fact, from the moment she discovered the signs of trouble, she had been thinking about ways to secure a way out for herself and Song Yan.

That's why she had taken on the responsibility of easing Song Chengru's burdens in every possible way, wholeheartedly helping the Song family resolve various crises, mending relations with the main family, and even ensuring Song Jue's protection.

Moreover, with her connections to Zhou Weizhao and Ye Jingchuan, along with the current incident involving the Tartar rebellion in Tongzhou, she was sure to earn further respect from Song Chengru.

"Aunt, don't worry about me," she said, shaking First Lady Cui's hand. "I've long since stopped relying on my father's favor to survive. As for Yan'er, he doesn't need it either."

As long as Song Yan lived, he would always be Song Yi's only, and most rightful, heir.

Though Song Chuyi said this, First Lady Cui still let out a heavy sigh.

She patted Song Chuyi's head, her heart filling once again with hatred toward Li Shi and the Li family—they would have to pay the price!

The two had only been talking for a short while when Luyi entered and quietly said, "My Lady, Miss, the Li family has arrived."

It had been less than two hours, yet the Li family had come so quickly.

First Lady Cui adjusted her clothes and stood up with a cold sneer. She waved over her trusted maid, Nanny Niu, and said, "Go inform the master that the Li family is here."

Old Lady Li's face was stern as she sharply scolded her still-rambling daughter-in-law, "Keep quiet!"

The Li family's First Lady, however, wasn't having it and glared back at her husband in dissatisfaction. "She has been spoiled by you all! Am I wrong? She even dared to hire someone to commit murder, and yet here you are thinking about how to help her avoid punishment. You're aiding a tyrant in doing evil!"

Old Master Li let out a heavy, cold snort, his face dark, silencing everyone with his gaze before speaking in a deep voice: "This isn't our own household. If you want to disgrace yourselves, do it at home! The situation isn't clear yet. Who said Jingshu hired someone to commit murder? Are you the one passing judgment on her?"

First Lady Li, filled with resentment, let out a cold laugh but turned away, saying nothing more. Was there even a need to question whether her sister-in-law had the nerve to hire someone for murder? Yet her father-in-law and mother-in-law were both acting as if they had come to seek justice. She couldn't help but wonder how they would be humiliated in the end.

Old Lady Li, hearing Old Master Li's words, felt a bit guilty and lowered her head, coughing lightly. She had only told her husband that their daughter was being wronged and that the Cui family was using their power to bully them. She hadn't mentioned that they had indeed hired thugs to go to Tongzhou and assassinate Song Chuyi...

But then her resolve hardened again. If things really became unbearable, they could push Li Gui and the others forward to take the blame for a while. First, they had to distance Li Shi from the situation. If necessary, she could plead with Old Master Li to speak with Old Master Song on their behalf. For now, the key was to downplay the matter as much as possible.

The Cui family actually sent people all the way to the capital just to stir up trouble? Old Lady Li sneered, deeply regretting that she hadn't persuaded her daughter to finish the job from the start—drown Song Chuyi and be done with it.