The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 1)

Chapter 117 - Fire

The Marquis of Changning's residence was bathed in the green shade of the parasol trees during the summer, with the rich fragrance of gardenias carried on the wind, filling the air with a refreshing scent that lifted the spirits.

Song Chuning had just finished her bath, still carrying the scent of roses. Her damp hair fell over her shoulders, fluttering in the breeze, droplets of water occasionally splashing onto the back of her hand. She leaned her hands on the windowsill, allowing the wind to gently coax a smile from her.

Today, Old Lady Song had become unwell due to Lady Su's situation, leaving the First Lady occupied at the bedside while attending to her. With such a strong wind blowing, if a candleholder were to topple over in Song Yan's courtyard, it could spell disaster...

She thought of the quietly deceased Li Shi, recalling how her mother could never be buried in the Song family's ancestral tomb to receive offerings from the family. A sharp hatred flared up in her eyes.

Song Chuyi must be feeling quite pleased with herself right now, thinking that by getting rid of Li Shi, everything would be peaceful again. Did she believe that bringing up the Cui family would solve everything once and for all? Her hands clenched tightly, her lips pressed into a thin line.

Since she could manipulate Song Chuyi in her dreams, she could do the same in reality. Song Chuyi had caused her mother's death, and now it was time for Song Yan to pay with his life! If she was in pain, she would ensure Song Chuyi suffered even more.

The moonlight streamed through the open window, casting a pale glow on her face, making her already expressionless features appear even more ghostly and somewhat frightening from a distance.

Cui Guo hesitated for a long while before finally daring to approach her, speaking in a very low voice to persuade her, "Miss, you should rest." After she spoke, seeing that Song Chuning didn't respond, she gathered her courage to step forward and used a towel to help dry her hair, a wave of worry rising in her heart. Given the current situation, Song Chuning's status in the household had suddenly become awkward. Although the old master and old lady wouldn't hold a child accountable for Lady Li's incident, there would inevitably be some lingering resentment.

She didn't know whether the branch she had painstakingly climbed would be able to endure long term, yet her entire family depended on this branch for survival.

Noticing Cui Guo's distracted demeanor, Song Chuning's ink-black eyes fixed on her for a moment before she turned her head away, her voice cool as she ordered, "Call Lushan."

Cui Guo, at a loss, placed the towel on a nearby table, knowing her young mistress was quite resolute and not someone she could casually speculate about. After a moment of collecting herself, she bowed and left to find Lushan.

Lushan was a bit more perceptive than Cui Guo, but even so, she was very cautious around this mistress, standing respectfully with her head bowed, waiting for her orders.

However, Song Chuning didn't say much to her, only instructing her to visit Nanny Yu and bring a few fresh peaches sent by the eldest young lady to Nanny Yu.

After all, Nanny Yu had been close to Lady Li and shared a deep bond with Song Chuning. Lushan quietly sighed with relief, her opinion of Song Chuning shifting slightly. Ever since Lady Li's incident, Song Chuning had only shed tears in front of the First Lady, and since then, her reactions had remained somewhat cold—cold enough to be unsettling.

Now it seemed that while she was so considerate of Lady Li's remaining family, she wasn't entirely heartless; perhaps she simply didn't know how to express her sorrow at that moment.

She bent down and performed a salute, then retrieved a few already chilled peaches from the well in the courtyard, filling a glass bowl with one to bring to Nanny Yu, who was staying in the side room next to the main hall.

Perhaps due to Lady Li's passing, Nanny Yu appeared somewhat less stern than usual. She silently accepted the glass bowl and pushed the door open to enter without uttering a word of thanks. Lushan waited outside for a while, feeling her heart pounding.

With a heart that felt like it was racing like a rabbit, she returned to the courtyard. Unexpectedly, Cui Qiao gestured for her to be quiet, saying that Song Chuning had already gone to sleep.

She blankly nodded, then quietly returned to her room without lighting a lamp, sitting on her bed, and letting out a heavy sigh.

Before half an hour had passed, she suddenly heard a commotion outside. Straining to listen, she vaguely caught wind of something about a water leak. Opening the door, she indeed saw flames and thick smoke rising in the northeast direction.

This was... the Fourth Young Master's residence! Her heart seemed to leap out of her chest, and for some reason, she suddenly thought of Nanny Yu, prompting her to sprint toward the main hall.

Just as she ran through the corridor, she saw Nanny Yu, dressed in green, hurriedly entering through the side door, her footsteps brisk as she rushed into the room.

Lushan paused beside the column in the corridor, her mind swirling in chaos, nearly making her unable to stand. Determined, she set her course for Ningde Courtyard.

Ningde Courtyard was already brightly lit. Old Lady Song, being of advanced age, could hardly bear such matters, and the servants were trembling, supporting Lady Song's arm in a state of uncertainty.

Moments later, Yulan, who had gone to fetch the Sixth Miss, returned without bringing Song Chuyi with her. She looked somewhat pale as she entered, glancing at Old Lady Song and the First Lady. Taking a deep breath, she mustered the courage to report, "The Sixth Miss has already gone to the Fourth Young Master's courtyard..."

Old Lady Song was so frightened that her eyes went blank, and she almost fell backward immediately. Luckily, the First Lady supported her, preventing her from collapsing. She couldn't care to say anything else and quickly shouted for someone to hurry and put out the fire.

At that moment, all the young servants and stewards in the residence had already gone home. Even though there were about twenty young servants still in the residence, they couldn't do much. The First Lady hurriedly called for someone to get the tokens to let the women at the corner gate open the door and instructed others to go out and summon the stewards to bring people to extinguish the fire.

Old Lady Song was worried, so she threw on an outer garment and headed out with the First Lady.

Ziyun used all her strength to hold onto Song Chuyi, preventing her from rushing headfirst into the sea of flames. She didn't dare raise her hand to wipe the cold sweat on her forehead, not knowing whether it was caused by smoke or fear, and desperately urged with a choked voice, "Miss, just now, Steward Qin and a few others have already rushed in! Fourth Young Master will be fine! If you charge in like this, they won't know who to save first!"

Qingtao also stood in front of Song Chuyi, desperately blocking her. She knew that no matter what she said at this moment, Song Chuyi wouldn't be able to hear it. So, she said nothing and, along with Hongyu and Luyi, dragged Song Chuyi firmly.

Song Chuyi's eyes turned red with anger, feeling overwhelming rage, despair, and fear enveloping her entire being. She could hardly hear what the people around her were saying; she could only see their lips moving incessantly.

But as she looked, the scenery and people blurred, leaving only the sight of Song Yan's blood-red eyes and the cold, lonely corpse lying on the ground.

Her throat felt as if it had been scorched by fire, both painful and itchy. In her panic, she suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

Just then, Nanny Xu happened to come by and was splattered with blood, leaving her momentarily dazed. Ziyun and a few young girls had never seen such a scene and couldn't help but start crying in panic.