The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 1)

Chapter 156 - Casting the Net

Song Yan clung to Song Chuyi, refusing to let go, agitated like a restless little lion. "Why does she have to find a master for me?! They're bad people, and I don't want anything from them!"

Although the Four Surnames were prestigious families, it was still quite difficult to invite a great scholar like Tang Mingzhao. This time, it could be considered a pleasant surprise, and such a good opportunity must not be missed. Song Chuyi bent down and scratched his nose. "This isn't a gift from them; I'm the one who asked for it. You're not listening to what your sister says?"

Song Yan frowned, looking a bit troubled. "But that Sister Chen is different from our Sister Chen (Chen Jinxin) in our family. She's terrible!"

"You went to see our Sister Chen?" Song Chuyi was a bit surprised. "Why on earth would you go there?"

Could it be that Sanniang by Miss Chen's side and the others are still planning something else?

"Grandmother invited Sister Chen into the house, so I saw her," Song Yan replied, feeling a little happier. "Sister Chen even gave me a paper kite today."

Song Chuyi let out a sigh of relief and patted Song Yan's head. Just then, Luyi softly said, "Miss, the Old Master is calling for you."

Old Master Song was searching for a book in front of the bookshelf. Hearing her enter, he asked, "Are you just going to let the matter of the girl from the Chen family go?"

Given how resolute Song Chuyi had been against the Li family and the Li clan, she was clearly not the type to let things lie. The Chen girl had already offended her once, and yet she dared to provoke her again without fear; it struck him as odd that Song Chuyi casually brushed it aside.

"Grandfather is currently on edge with Old Master Chen in the cabinet, so of course, I can't push her too hard," Song Chuyi said, pressing her lips together to reveal a small dimple, smiling somewhat cunningly. "Besides, this time, we've managed to get Yan'er a rare and excellent teacher. We're not at a loss here. As for next time... if there is a next time, that Chen girl should just pray for her own good; even her grandparents won't be able to save her."

Song Chengru couldn't help but chuckle, then quickly straightened his face and coughed a few times. "Don't speak as if you're all-powerful, afraid that others won't know how smart you are. After this, I'm afraid Duke Ying's residence will be vying for your favor. Just be careful not to annoy their little Seventh so much that it becomes a hassle."

With someone like Shen Xiaohai, he wouldn't let go of anything profitable. It was clear that Song Chuyi had become the most favored girl in the Marquis family, with the Cui family backing her. If you added her exceptional intelligence, it was inevitable that she would attract attention.

Hearing the names of the Shen family and Shen Xiaohai, Song Chuyi inexplicably felt disgusted, and a cold smile appeared on her face—if they wouldn't take the road to heaven, then she would have to teach them a lesson.

She had no intention of provoking Shen Qingrang again and wanted to keep as far away from him as possible, yet he kept coming over to stir trouble...

"Let's not talk about the Shen family." Once Song Chengru settled back into his armchair, Song Chuyi asked, "Grandfather, have you thought about how to handle the secret letters hidden in Miss Chen's dowry? Or, what do you think about the current situation, and what are your plans?"

Song Chengru had always been a conservative, focused solely on holding onto the Emperor, unwilling to align with any political faction. Because of this, the Song family remained safe and sound over the years, even when Duke Cheng and other noble families faced misfortunes. However, the situation was now different. Under the scheming of Old Lady Su, the Song family had taken in a hot potato. Even if they wanted to avoid this murky water, they now found themselves caught up in it.

When this matter was brought up, Old Master Song's expression turned serious. He looked at Song Chuyi and suddenly asked, "Xiao Yi, it seems you've never considered aligning with Prince Duan from the start?"

"A person who has already thought about how to kill you while trying to win you over." Song Chuyi glanced at Song Chengru, her eyes filled with disdain. "Is it worth it? Even if we do our utmost to help someone like that, they'll probably end up discarding us when the time comes..."

What Song Chengru dreaded most was exactly this point. If he had to choose a side for the Song family, he naturally wanted to choose a path with better prospects and a more stable position.

But Prince Duan was obviously not a benevolent ruler. At a time when he needed to win people's hearts, he could ruthlessly discard those who originally depended on him. What would happen later?

"Then do you mean we should give the secret letter to the Crown Prince?" Song Chengru hesitated, stroking his beard. "But if we do that, we'll offend not only the Jinyiwei and Xingfu but also Prince Duan..."

Song Chuyi fell silent for a moment. This matter was crucial, and even she found it hard to make a decision—after all, it concerned the survival of the entire Song family, and the pressure on her shoulders was immense.

"Grandfather, perhaps they won't have the energy to pay attention to these secret letters after a while. By then, if they already have a knife in their hearts, they naturally won't be able to care about other injuries." Song Chuyi lowered her eyes to look at her fingers, her expression cold.

Song Chengru quickly sensed what she was implying and, after a moment's thought, exclaimed in surprise, "Do you know where that inspector is hiding now?"

Aside from the secret letters, there were also crucial witnesses. This inspector must have dirt on Xingfu, especially since he had been with them for over twenty years and regarded himself as their godson. If he had ties to the Tartars, no one would believe that Xingfu could stay uninvolved.

The Crown Prince and Xingfu were both looking for him now, yet there had been no news for nearly a month—this person was quite cunning; after the Tartars invaded Tongzhou, he probably realized something was off and disappeared directly from Zijing Pass.

If he had run off to the Tartars... finding him would be as difficult as fishing out a needle from the ocean.

"In my dream, he indeed went to the Tartars," Song Chuyi noted, seeing Song Chengru's thoughts at this moment, and nodded. "But although this person is very slick and fearful of death, he has a fatal weakness. As long as we grasp this weakness, we needn't worry about him not coming back."

This inspector had an ordinary relationship with his parents because he was a concubine-born son and likely suffered a lot since childhood. Therefore, he didn't care much for the family, but he was very close to his birth mother and biological sister. After his mother passed away, his sister became the only person he trusted, and his significant assets even fell into her hands.

Song Chengru lightly tapped his fingers on the table, quickly brainstorming in his mind.

The Song family had now clearly become an important chess piece in others' games, and his choice of side would directly impact their survival.

Xingfu was neither reliable nor dependable, and Prince Duan was even less so...