The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 1)

Chapter 146 - Farce

More and more noble young ladies gathered around, making Lady Yang feel increasingly overwhelmed, her mind a jumbled mess of panic and frustration. As the wife of the eldest son born to a concubine, her position in the family was awkward. Although Duke Ying valued this grandson of concubine birth, she dared not act too boldly in the household and usually kept a low profile. She made a point of showing full respect and obedience to Lady He, her legitimate mother-in-law, and followed her instructions closely.

But now a maid had caused an incident, and, to make matters worse, it involved their Xianle Garden... She was almost dizzy from the chaos, fumbling clumsily with no clear plan. She knew it would be best to keep this from reaching the adults and quietly suppress the matter. Yet Sixth Miss Song was clearly unwilling to let it go, and Fourth Miss Song had already gone to find the First Lady Song.

Shen Huixin, who didn't understand what was going on, looked from her sister-in-law to Sixth Miss Song, unable to get a word in.

When Song Chumi arrived, the First Lady was in the middle of a lively conversation with Lady Cui. First Lady Cui had been a frequent guest over her five or six years in the household, and the First Lady had often hosted her. Now, with Li Shi's passing, and given their close rapport, First Lady Cui was willing to engage, so they fell easily into conversation.

Upon hearing that there was trouble on Song Chuyi's side, even the First Lady, usually mild-mannered, couldn't help but direct some irritation toward the visibly alarmed Lady He. "How could this happen?"

First Lady Cui had already risen to her feet. Although she hadn't experienced the worst of the Tongzhou incident, she'd witnessed Song Chuyi's calm demeanor in the face of danger. Upon hearing that Song Chuyi had grabbed a maid in anger, she knew the situation was likely more complicated than it appeared. She glanced at the stunned Lady He and said calmly, "Little Sixth isn't a child who loses her composure for no reason; let's go and see what's happened. Besides, it's not proper for so many young ladies to be gathered there."

Her words jolted Lady He awakes. She looked at Duchess Ying and quickly led the First Lady and Lady Cui toward the Jinxiu Pavilion.

Today's weather was pleasantly cool; the blazing sun of recent days had hidden behind the clouds, and a gentle breeze lifted spirits. Yet Lady He could barely keep the strained smile on her face.

As they reached the Jinxiu Pavilion and saw the tense standoff on the balcony, Lady He's smile completely faded. She turned to instruct the nearby servants to escort the young ladies to the Bihui Residence for a boat ride in the garden, then followed First Lady Cui and First Lady Song up to the second floor.

Seeing her mother, Shen Huixin hurried forward, anxiously grabbing her mother's hand and relaying what had happened—though she didn't know much, only bits and pieces, unable to provide a clear account. Lady He gently patted her daughter's hand to comfort her, though inwardly she sighed. She had raised her daughter too innocently; once she was married, who knew...

But this wasn't the time to worry about such things. She quietly instructed her daughter, "It's all right; take your friends to enjoy themselves at Bihui Residence."

First Lady Cui had already stepped forward and taken hold of Song Chuyi's hand, her gaze somber as she cast a quick look at the maid, whose face was deathly pale and looked ready to faint at any moment. Turning to Song Chuyi, she asked, "What happened?"

First Lady Song, equally concerned, quickly looked over Song Chuyi to ensure she was unharmed. Only then did she let out a relieved sigh—today's gathering had been her idea, and her close relationship with Lady He meant she couldn't afford any mistakes, especially after the countless reminders from Old Lady Song. If anything happened to Song Chuyi, it would be impossible to explain.

As everyone on the second floor dispersed, Lady He felt a partial relief. After checking on Song Chuyi's well-being, she shot a sharp glance at the maid and finally asked, "What happened?"

Song Chuyi opened her hand, revealing a neatly folded note, and handed it to Lady He, her tone calm and steady. "This note was given to me by this young lady, along with a message. She told me that the Crown Prince's son had arranged to meet me... at Xianle Garden, and said that as long as I showed this note to the caretakers there, they'd let me in."

A collective gasp escaped the gathered group, particularly from Lady He, who could barely restrain herself from striking the maid then and there. Trembling, she took the note from Song Chuyi's hand.

"I haven't read this note," Song Chuyi said with a faintly mocking smile directed at the maid, "and I don't think I should read it. Some things simply shouldn't be seen or said. Like this sister here telling me the Crown Prince's son wants to meet me at Xianle Garden. Even at my age, I know this is improper and certainly not something the Heir Apparent would do. I can only suspect someone here in the household is playing a nasty trick..."

Lady He's whole body was covered in goosebumps. She cast an incredulous glance at Song Chuyi, feeling as though she had never truly understood this Sixth Miss Song. Her hands shook as she unfolded the note and glanced at it, immediately horrified. In an attempt to hide it, she quickly crumpled the note into a ball.

Yet before she could think of how to respond, First Lady Cui and First Lady Song were already watching her intently. Forcing down her panic, Lady He managed a tense smile and nodded. "It must be some ignorant child in the household... playing a prank..."

First Lady Cui let out a cold, mocking laugh. "If the Crown Prince's son hears about this so-called prank, I wonder if he'll find it amusing."

First Lady Song's expression darkened. Caught up in this mess, she could clearly sense there was more going on beneath the surface. She rolled up her sleeves slightly and cleared her throat. "Lady He..."

Lady He, stunned by their words, nearly lost her balance. She immediately turned, pointing at the maid and demanded furiously, "What on earth is going on? Who sent you with this message? And who gave you that note?"

The young maid, now so weak in the knees that she slid down against the railing, burst into tears, biting her hand to stifle her sobs, unable to get a single coherent word out.

Fuming and out of patience, Lady He kicked the girl onto her back and demanded harshly, "Speak up! Which household are you from, and who are your parents? If you don't tell me everything, I'll have your entire family sold off this instant!"

The maid froze in terror, knowing Madam He was not one to make empty threats. Trembling, she finally dared not keep any secrets and, with a tearful kowtow, stammered, "It... it was the Young Heir and..."

Lady He's eyes widened in horror, and she quickly glanced back, afraid others had heard. But she saw First Lady Cui and First Lady Song already looking shocked, and Song Chuyi with a mocking smile on her lips...

How could she have accounted for everything yet overlooked her reckless, willful son! Lady He's legs nearly gave out, and she only managed to keep herself from collapsing by gripping the shoulder of a nearby servant.