The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 1)

Chapter 154 - Unfairness

"The cabinet issued a notice today, stating that Hong'er is to be taken to the capital for trial..." The Princess of Zhennan wore a worried expression, anxiously looking at her son with a hint of fear. "If we still can't obtain news about those secret letters, won't we just be fish on the chopping block, at the mercy of others?!"

She actually wanted to ask if those secret letters were indeed real. If the letters existed, why hadn't they been able to find any information about them? It was said they might be in the hands of that niece left behind by the Su family, but even Chen Xiang had found no leads...

Thinking of this only added to her distress. She had originally wanted to take the opportunity of Duke Ying's banquet to ask Song Chuyi for some news, but unexpectedly, she hadn't even seen Song Chuyi's face. The First Lady was even more clueless, unable to provide any information at all...

Ye Jingkuan was somewhat more optimistic than the Princess of Zhennan. "Song Chuyi has no reason to fabricate such a lie to deceive us, especially since Chen Xiang has come out to help find the letters, which indicates their existence even more. Right now, the most important thing is to locate those letters."

He comforted the Princess of Zhennan with gentle words and then frowned, saying, "Mother, I know you're anxious, concerned for Uncle and Jingchuan's safety, but we can't lose our composure... Logically, Duke Ying's household shouldn't be involved in this matter. Don't you think they're a bit too on edge?"

The Princess of Zhennan hesitated but nodded. She felt that Lady He seemed a bit overly anxious, even more so than herself. She had even gone to the Duke's residence several times to persuade the First Lady to facilitate Song Chuyi's attendance at the banquet.

"We must always be cautious," Ye Jingkuan said, patting her hand. "Mother, you mustn't let yourself become flustered. As for outside matters, there's Father, and there's me. At this point, the Crown Prince and Xingfu are practically at an impasse. Many people are looking for solutions. Even if we can't find the secret letters, there are still ways without them. You'd better keep your distance from the Duke's heir's wife in the future."

The Princess of Zhennan had always listened to her eldest son. Hearing him say this, she felt a bit more at ease. Though still anxious, she nodded in agreement.

Just as Ye Jingkuan was comforting his mother, they suddenly heard Ye Jingchuan's loud voice coming from afar.

"Mother! Mother!" Ye Jingchuan rushed in like a gust of wind and quickly arrived in front of the Princess of Zhennan and Ye Jingkuan, his tone hurried. "I heard that something happened to Sixth Miss Song at Duke Ying's residence today! What's going on?!"

(Translator Xiaobai: Boy....you're slowly turning into a second male lead, aren't you?)

Even though she hadn't sorted out her own matters, the Princess of Zhennan found herself concerned about others and shot her son an annoyed glare. "You're in such a hurry, yet you don't even know how to ask how we are first, just to inquire about this?"

Ye Jingkuan was suddenly intrigued and turned to look at the Princess of Zhennan. "Mother, something happened at Duke Ying's banquet today? Is it related to Sixth Miss Song?"

Hearing her eldest son's serious question made the Princess of Zhennan forget her earlier complaints about her younger son. After collecting her thoughts, she shook her head. "I heard about it from Yunxiu on my way back. She didn't know much and spoke in a disjointed manner. It seems a little maid from Duke Ying's residence delivered something to Sixth Miss Song, which angered her. Later, it even drew the attention of the elders and the Duke's heir, and Yunxiu and the others were invited out to go boating in the garden."

Ye Jingkuan had met Song Chuyi a few times and had spoken to her. He knew she was definitely not the type to overreact and disturb the elders over a small maid's mistake, so he couldn't help but furrow his brow.

While the Princess of Zhennan might not fully believe that such a young maid could influence the situation, Ye Jingkuan couldn't ignore the fact that this maid was anything but ordinary.

Ye Jingchuan had already started shouting, "What maid served poorly and angered her? That's just the gossip from the Duke of Ying's household! Today, I was having fun with that guy Shen Qingrang when he was suddenly called away by Chen Mingyu's maid. Then I heard that something happened to her... If it wasn't this guy and Chen Mingyu who caused trouble, I would chop off my head and use it as a stool!"

"You know nothing!" The Princess of Zhennan poked his forehead with her finger, scolding him in annoyance. "Spouting nonsense without any evidence! If it turns out that's not the case, you'll have offended both the Chen and Shen families in one go!"

Ye Jingchuan snorted. "When those two get together, they're just colluding to do something bad! What trouble can't they cause?!"

After the incident in Tongzhou, Chen Mingyu became a prime example of a treacherous person in his mind. He simply couldn't see her in a positive light.

Ye Jingkuan patted him on the back and then turned to the Princess of Zhennan. "Regardless, since we know something has happened, given our families' friendship, it's only natural for us to pay a visit. Mother, why don't you take Jingchuan with you to check it out tomorrow?"

The Princess of Zhennan recognized the truth in her son's words and realized this was a good opportunity to inquire about the secret letter as well. She nodded eagerly.

Ye Jingkuan then took Ye Jingchuan out and instructed him, "Don't just focus on having fun when we go tomorrow. Our families have a close relationship, so I doubt they would specifically ask you to avoid the young ladies. Whenever you have a chance, try to find out what Sixth Miss Song knows."

The incident in Tongzhou had been pushed by Song Chuyi, and she was the one who came up with the idea. Since there was news suggesting that the secret letter was in the hands of the niece from the Su family... it wasn't hard to guess where Song Chuyi learned about the secret letter. It was highly likely that the young lady from the Su family had informed her.

Now that the Crown Prince and Xingfu were vying for advantage, whoever found the secret letter first would seize the initiative.

Ye Jingchuan was somewhat skeptical. Although the matter of the secret letter had been conveyed to him by Song Chuyi, if she knew where the secret letter was, she would have revealed it long ago. Why was she still hiding it?

"How's the investigation by that Supervisory Censor going?" he asked Ye Jingkuan. "Isn't it also a good idea to go after him? After all, he's not exactly clean himself, and those records are solid evidence."

Ye Jingkuan shot him a glare. "It's not as easy as you think! That man has long since disappeared without a trace. Do you think Xingfu and the others haven't thought of that?! At this point, whether he's alive or not is still uncertain."

Mentioning this matter made Ye Jingchuan a bit restless, and he snorted without replying.

Xingfu and his group were secretly colluding with the Tatars, wanting to push them forward as scapegoats. He was filled with frustration. He wasn't an ignorant wastrel; he knew this time they had indeed caused a serious problem. If it weren't for the sake of his father and the princess's sister-in-law, he might already have been thrown into the imperial prison...

"I understand. I'll ask Sixth Miss Song," he replied sullenly.