The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 1)

Chapter 157 - Making Amends

After all these years of mingling in society, Song Chengru finally made his decision after careful consideration.

Currently, only the Prime Minister in the cabinet hadn't benefited from Xingfu; others had, to varying degrees. Lord Zhang had even entered the cabinet through Xingfu's connections...

That said, Lord Chen had become very wary of Xingfu due to the Tongzhou incident and had been almost at odds with him recently, clashing with Lord Zhang multiple times in the cabinet.

The Prime Minister currently not taking a stance was the best stance.

Once Song Chengru made his decision, he had no other worries, nor was he indecisive. He looked up at Song Chuyi and suddenly smiled, "Having you as a granddaughter truly saves us from taking many detours. Thanks to you, the knowledge gained is worth more than gold. Do you know how rare these words are?"

He genuinely felt grateful that he had given this granddaughter his full trust and support from the start. True hearts exchange with true hearts; Song Chuyi was a good child.

In the past, Song Chuyi had never given her full trust to Old Lady Song and Old Master Song. The lessons from her previous life were too painful; she even believed that in this life, she should harden her heart and eliminate everyone who had wronged her, keeping the utmost suspicion towards everyone.

But human hearts are made of flesh. Old Master Song and Old Lady Song had indeed treated her well. Even if Old Lady Song might have some guilt, she had genuinely taught her principles and truly cared for her.

Song Chuyi lowered her head and was silent for a moment before finally looking up and smiling.

The matter with Li Shi was already in the past. She and Song Yan both shared the Song surname and could not thrive outside of the Song family—no matter how strong their maternal clan was, it could only serve as a bonus. If a person's paternal family weakened, then no matter where they went, they would just be relying on others.

"So, Grandfather, you must treat me even better in the future," Song Chuyi said, smiling at her grandfather, which was different from her usual demeanor. "When I move into my new courtyard, you must give me a few of your treasured items."

Song Chengru couldn't help but laugh, yet he was utterly helpless against Song Chuyi's smile. "You little girl, you've never been one to make a losing deal. So, about that inspector, how should we cast our net? Where should we throw it?"

"That inspector is estranged from his family and has little connection with his relatives. He treats his wife and children merely as ordinary people, selling or giving away his concubines without a hint of hesitation. Yet, he happens to be the best brother in the world, fiercely protective of his biological sister." Song Chuyi poured out all the information she knew to Song Chengru and specifically reminded him, "His sister seems to have married a constable from Shuntian Prefecture... I think her surname is Zou."

After considering for a moment, Song Chengru replied, "But he has now run off to the Tartars. How can we let him know that his sister is in trouble?"

This was a very practical issue. If that inspector didn't hear any news, how could they talk about casting nets to catch fish? Now, due to the Tartars' violent invasion of Tongzhou, the borders were already under strict control, making it even more difficult to convey messages. If things went wrong, they might even be accused of colluding with the enemy by Xingfu, and who could bear that?

Mentioning this issue, Song Chuyi felt a heaviness in her heart.

Soon, the northern checkpoints would face heavy pressure from the Tartars, leading to another war.

However, this problem was beyond her capacity to resolve, so she could only suppress the slight unease in her heart and turn her thoughts to Song Chengru's question.

If they were not careful when conveying messages, they could easily be accused of wrongdoing, especially since Xingfu was currently having Chen Xiang keep an eye on them. It was even more crucial not to act recklessly.

It was indeed inappropriate for the Song family to intervene in many matters...

"Grandfather, why don't you casually mention it to Old Master Chen?" Suddenly, Song Chuyi had a flash of inspiration and came up with an idea. "His records were written by this inspector, and now that he has nearly torn ties with Xingfu, his situation is probably much worse than ours. He must be losing sleep over it day and night. Once he learns about the inspector, wouldn't he be eager to dig three feet into the ground to find the person and report to the Crown Prince?"

Song Chengru chuckled and pointed at Song Chuyi. If it weren't for the fact that she was his junior, he might have scolded her for being a little fox.

This little girl indeed held grudges; now she was handing over the inspector's background to the Chen family. They would surely be delighted. But beneath this enormous benefit lay a knife hanging over their heads, which could drop at any moment.

Once Xingfu learned that the Chen family had started looking for the inspector's whereabouts and had made progress, their attention would shift from the confidential letter to the Chen family.

This way, the pressure on the Song family would ease, and they would become the target...

"It seems that the Chen family girl has offended you quite a bit," Song Chengru said with a laugh as he pulled out two books from the shelf for her. "But this is good; you've helped solve your grandfather's dilemma. However... since we've given all the benefits to the Chen family, how can we show our sincerity to the Crown Prince?"

"Can't you figure that out, Grandfather?" Song Chuyi wrinkled her nose, and reached out to take the books from his hands, her eyes shining with joy. "It's a travelogue! I've been looking for this book for ages; you're so wonderful, Grandfather!"

Song Chengru tapped her on the head from across the table. "You speak lightly, but you probably wouldn't find many copies of this travelogue even if you searched all over the capital. I've kept it hidden for over a decade, and now it's a bargain for you. You must cherish it well and go see your grandmother. Tell her I'll have dinner with her tonight."

Song Chuyi nodded, hugging the book tightly and smiling in response.

Watching her leave, Song Chengru stood up and stayed still for a moment before suddenly smiling.

This time, both Duke Ying's residence and the Li family were somewhat involved. Since the Chen family had presented such a heavy compensation, it wouldn't make sense for the two families to show no signs of gratitude at all, right?

He pondered that they would probably come to apologize and offer compensation tomorrow. Since they were coming, several families that were closely connected would likely also bring news.

The heir of Zhennan King's residence had married the Crown Prince's younger sister, Princess Rongcheng, and this time, the Tongzhou violent incident was at the forefront. While letting the Chen family know, why not also share some news with them? This would indirectly indicate the Song family's stance, alleviate Zhennan King's concerns about the Song family taking in the orphaned daughter of the Su family, and subtly communicate to the Crown Prince their current thoughts through goodwill towards the Zhennan King's residence.