The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 1)

Chapter 149 - Behind the Scenes

The First Lady of the Li family was quite different from the rest of the Lis. When the evidence of Lady Li's misdeeds had been undeniable, Old Master Li, Old Lady Li, and even Lady Li herself had fought tooth and nail to resist. Yet this First Lady of the Li family was not the same...

Lady Li, glancing at First Lady Cui and the First Lady, was filled with unease. For a mistake yet to be fully realized, sending the girls to the family temple to meditate for years was no light punishment. Both girls were soon to be married, and their future husbands would undoubtedly harbor suspicions if they were sent to the temple now...

If they had been dealing with a different noble family, she might have sought some other way to shirk responsibility or reduce her daughters' punishment. But this was the Song family, and more than that, it involved Song Chuyi.

The Song family already held a grudge against the Li family because of Lady Li's past actions, and with Princess Duanhui (First Lady Cui) nearby, there was simply no room to gloss things over.

As soon as she made her statement, even Shen Xiaohai and Lady He couldn't help but look slightly startled, casting a glance at the First Lady and First Lady Cui. However, both First Lady Cui and the First Lady unexpectedly lowered their heads to look at Song Chuyi, who stood a head shorter.

Lady He scoffed to herself. Although Song Chuyi's handling of matters had indeed surprised her earlier, now that she thought it over, she found it unimpressive. At best, Song Chuyi was just more clever than others.

However, Shen Xiaohai was intrigued, now seeing this young girl in a new light. Recognizing the maid's lie so quickly was clever, choosing to contain the situation without alarming other noblewomen was perceptive, and waiting for her elders to arrive before presenting evidence showed composure. This young girl was indeed exceptional.

After a moment's thought, Song Chuyi suddenly smiled and turned to the First Lady of the Li family, shaking her head. "No, it may not be necessary to deal so harshly with your daughters. As far as I recall, I hold no grudge against them, so I find it hard to believe they would do this without another cause. Would it be convenient, Lady, for me to speak with them?"

When Song Chuyi had first shaken her head, the First Lady of the Li family felt her heart sink. Now, hearing her suggestion, she nodded eagerly.

"Uncle, please, no more punishment for Brother Qi," Song Chuyi said, turning to Shen Xiaohai. "He truly cannot take anymore."

Neither First Lady Cui nor First Lady Song raised any objections, surprising Shen Xiaohai once more. With a gentle, fatherly smile, he nodded and said, "Since this is what you request, little girl, then there's nothing further to say. Still, I can't simply let him off. Once he's had a few days to recover, I'll bring him by to apologize properly."

Lady He looked at Song Chuyi with both surprise and relief, feeling a deep sympathy for her and promptly ordering someone to bring a rattan chair to carry Shen Qingrang, who was now drenched in sweat and mumbling incoherently, back to his room.

Shen Xiaohai's anger had been so severe that even the household servants hadn't dared hold back. Shen Qingrang would likely be bedridden for ten days to two weeks. Song Chuyi lowered her eyelashes to hide the scorn and profound hatred in her eyes. Shen Qingrang, if you hadn't come to collect on a debt from our previous lives, then why provoke me over and over? Since you insist on digging your own grave, I might as well bury you in it.

The two young ladies from the Li family were petrified. After being scolded by their mother, they were as tense as startled birds, jumping at the sound of the door opening.

When they saw not only their mother but also Song Chuyi entering, they grew even more wide-eyed, at a complete loss for what to do.

"Yuejiao, Yuefeng, listen up. Answer whatever is asked, nothing more!" The First Lady of the Li family grabbed each of her daughters by the hand, squeezing them tightly and giving them a meaningful look. "Otherwise, even your mother won't be able to save you!"

Song Chuyi didn't need to hear what instructions the First Lady had given them; she could already guess. Glancing at the two Li sisters, both now a bit taller than herself, she slowly smiled.

Her smile was sweet, dimples forming on her cheeks, making her appear all the more friendly and adorable. Yet, despite this, both sisters couldn't help but shiver.

They recalled vividly how Lady Li had died, a cautionary tale their mother had drilled into them at home, along with a warning about how Song Chuyi had changed completely—becoming clever and shrewd.

"I won't ask why you wanted to lure me to Xianle Garden." Song Chuyi gave them one look, noting the ashen expressions on their faces, then turned her gaze to the tall plum vase nearby. "I only want to know—who taught you this scheme?"

The Li sisters were people Song Chuyi had interacted with in her past life; they were hardly capable of manipulating Shen Qingrang to follow along so obediently.

The sisters flinched, casting pleading looks toward their mother, seeking rescue. First Lady Li, frustrated at their incompetence, pinched her eldest daughter's arm, nearly yelling in anger and desperation, "Speak up already! The two of you together could never come up with such a scheme. Who was it that taught you this? Tell me the truth, or else... I'll send you both to the temple to reflect on your mistakes!"

The Li sisters understood the gravity of going to a temple. Finally, with eyes shimmering with tears, they confessed, "It was... it was Miss Chen who suggested it to us..."

Miss Chen? Among today's guests, the only one who could be the "Miss Chen" they referred to was the young lady from Minister Chen's family.

Song Chuyi could barely suppress the anger surging within her. Chen Mingyu, she thought. In Tongzhou, she nearly got me killed, and now, for our second meeting, she brings me this 'gift' of a scheme.

She gave First Lady Li a calm, faintly mocking look, as if finding the situation both ironic and contemptible. "Good thing I thought to ask," she remarked softly, "otherwise, wouldn't both young ladies' reputations have been ruined for life?"

First Lady Li bit her lip and slapped each daughter across the face, her breath caught in her anger. "She told you to, so you just went along? Are you really that foolish?!"

But what angered her even more was Chen Mingyu's cunning malice, plotting from the shadows while using her daughters and the Shen family's son as shields to harm others.

If word of this spread, the reputation of the Li sisters—caught in a scheme with Duke Ying's heir to frame the young lady of a marquis's family—would indeed be ruined, just as Song Chuyi had said.

Seeing that the moment was right, Song Chuyi decided she'd said enough. Rising to her feet, she looked at First Lady Li and said, "Since that's the case, would First Lady Li and the two young ladies accompany me to bear witness? I can't let this injustice fall on me for nothing, and the young ladies shouldn't take the blame without cause, should they?"

First Lady Li had no real choice. If she refused to go, the blame would inevitably fall on her daughters. But if she went, she'd surely offend Minister Chen... Weighing the two options, she chose the lesser of two evils. Looking at her lovely daughters, she clenched her teeth and said, "Yes, we should, of course, bear witness for Sixth Miss Song!"