The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 1)

Chapter 153 - Warning

The atmosphere at Duke Ying's residence was unsettlingly oppressive. Lady He stood to the side, filled with a mix of fear and anticipation as she glanced at her mother-in-law, hoping she could persuade Shen Xiaohai to stop pursuing the matter concerning Shen Qingrang's actions today.

The Duchess had always doted on her grandson, especially since this legitimate grandson was hard-won; she protected him as if he were her own precious jewel. At this moment, she stood before her grandson's bed, fulfilling everyone's expectations by coldly sneering at her son: "Look at you, becoming so accomplished—taking out your frustrations on your son! If we had treated you like this when you made mistakes as a child, you wouldn't have grown up at all! At your age, you're no better than Old Lady Chen; at least she knows how to protect her own!"

Lady He, dabbing her eyes with tears, interjected timidly, "We've already apologized and offered compensation to the Changning Marquis's residence. Why not just let it go...?"

Shen Xiaohai snorted heavily, making Lady He's next words vanish into thin air; she blushed and dared not speak further.

"All you know is how Old Lady Chen protects her own, but do you understand the price she pays for it?" Shen Xiaohai's tone was cold and hard as he faced the Duchess, different from his tense demeanor with the Duke. "The disciple of the great scholar Tang Mingzhao, that's a gift we can't match even if we work hard for another ten years!"

The Duchess was left speechless for a long moment, finally frowning and saying, "It's just a little girl, after all. If it's truly problematic, I'll personally speak to Old Lady Song."

After all, they were connected by family ties, friendships that had developed since youth. Could they really tear apart their relationship over the children's foolish antics? Why stoop so low?

Shen Xiaohai knew his mother had little understanding and did not expect her to grasp the reasoning behind this. He shook his head in slight impatience: "What's the point of saying anything now?! This is all about our Little Seventh being rude to that girl. This could be a big or small issue; the best way to resolve it is for me to go apologize. What's the point of engaging in such empty gestures?!"

The Duchess felt her son's rebuttals chipping away at her dignity, and she stood up with a stern face: "Now that you're older, you want to act like you're giving face to others, but even your father can't persuade you. Of course, you wouldn't listen to an old woman like me! Since that's the case, do as you wish; whether you want to beat him or kill him, he's still your son!"

Lady He hurried over to support her but was forcefully brushed away by the Duchess. She was irritated that her daughter-in-law didn't speak up when it mattered and only feared her husband. The Duchess shot her a cold glance before huffily leaving with her maid.

Lady He, stung by her mother-in-law's glare, felt her spirit fly away. Hearing Shen Qingrang starting to cry, she quickly approached, steeling her courage to plead, "Master! It's really too harsh... He knows he was wrong!"

"If I don't hit him harder, he won't learn his lesson at all!" Shen Xiaohai slapped Shen Qingrang on the back of his head, turning to look at Lady He: "This is all your fault for spoiling him! What did I tell you before? Have you really forgotten?!"

Lady He stammered several times but ultimately couldn't find the words.

Meanwhile, Shen Qingrang cried and shouted, "It's not my mother's fault! I just can't stand that nasty girl! What's so good about her?! She bullies people every day, acting all high and mighty, and follows me around like a pesky mutt that I can't shake off!"

After he finished speaking, he felt something was off—over the past six months, he had seen Song Chuyi several times, but she no longer clung to him like before... Not only had she stopped her persistent antics, but she seemed too lazy to even exchange a few words with him.

"If she's willing to follow you, that's your good fortune!" Shen Xiaohai was furious, quickly kicking the soft couch, nearly sending him flying off it.

Shen Qingrang stubbornly bristled, "What's so good about her?! I dislike her the moment I see her!"

"So you listened to others' instigation and framed her? You are a man, but you are so soft-hearted. You have the nerve to hang out with girls who are all powdered and cosmetics. How can you even face yourself?" Shen Xiaohai laughed through his anger. "I'll say it here: I don't care what you think, but you'd better keep your face in check! If you keep this up, you can forget about being Duke Ying's heir!"

These words struck a nerve with Lady He. Upon hearing them, she recalled her own embarrassment years ago when she couldn't bear a son for many years—at that time, it was almost...

Seeing Shen Xiaohai leave in a huff, Lady He wanted to chase after him but didn't dare. After pondering for a while, she ultimately sat down at her son's bedside, heavily sighing: "You need to hold back a bit. You know your father's temperament; if you don't shape up... be careful he really won't give you the title!"

Shen Qingrang hated hearing about this, rolling over to lie down inside, but accidentally bumped his wound, making him grimace in pain.

Lady He hurriedly called a maid to come apply medicine, intending to scold him a bit more, but he had already closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.

She had no way with Shen Xiaohai, nor could she do anything with Shen Qingrang. Though she was anxious, she could only sigh and cover her son with a thin blanket.

However, Shen Qingrang wasn't actually asleep. He wasn't heartless and knew very well how serious his father's words had been. From a young age, he had understood that his family was different from others; his mother had spent over a decade unable to give birth to a son, leading her to stop the contraceptive medicine for the concubines, which meant he had a half-brother above him.

Shen Qingyun had spent seven or eight more years with their father and was always good at reading people, charming those around him far better than Shen Qingrang could...

The reason he had listened to Mingyu's words this time was twofold: one, they indeed had a good relationship, and he genuinely disliked Song Chuyi; two, he also wanted to take the opportunity to annoy Shen Qingyun a bit—after all, Shen Qingyun had raised so many young boys and often acted recklessly when Yang Shi was away. If the troublesome girl from the Song family happened to catch him, Shen Qingyun's reputation would be ruined.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. The girl from the Song family turned out to be quite clever, not only avoiding being deceived but also managing to catch that maid, forcing her to confess, which implicated the Li sisters and Chen Mingyu...

He irritably shook his head, his fists clenched tightly—there was no way he would relinquish the title of heir to his elder brother; only a fool would willingly give away wealth and glory.

Wasn't she just a little girl from the Song family? Just an apology? He swallowed his dislike for Song Chuyi and silently resolved: women were like clothes; if you liked them, you married them and took care of them. If you didn't, you could always marry a few more.