The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 1)

Chapter 165 - Counterattack

She remembered the night before her wedding, lying in bed with her mother, filled with anticipation and fear for the future. Her family had long fallen into decline, living worse than some rural gentry. Marrying into the prestigious Changning Marquis's Mansion was seen as a sparrow turning into a phoenix among her sisters, and she was constantly surrounded by compliments.

Her mother held her hand and carefully advised her, "You are the eldest daughter our family, representing our family's values and reputation. We don't have a rich dowry or strong maternal backing, but we have a clear and honest family background and a clean conscience. After you marry, you must be filial to your in-laws and kind to your sisters-in-law... Since the Changning Marquis's Mansion has disregarded status to marry you, they won't mistreat you. As long as you treat them sincerely, they will surely reciprocate."

The moon was bright, and colorful clouds surrounded them. She was immersed in joy, silently vowing never to tarnish her family's values and to be a good matron for the Song family. But with the passage of time, perhaps it was the prosperity of the capital that blinded her, or the fear that came with her daughter's elevated status. The teachings she had once kept close to her heart had long been forgotten.

The First Lady's back was drenched in cold sweat, her inner clothes sticking to her uncomfortably. The old lady didn't look at her again, just sneered and told her to leave, "Think about these words carefully. If you can understand, it's good; if not..." She left the sentence unfinished, but the First Lady felt the pressure increase, her legs trembling.

"Bullying a child without a mother and threatening her with her brother, you've really outdone yourself," the old lady cast one last glance at her, "I've written to your parents about this incident, detailing everything. If you don't accept my words, surely you'll listen to theirs."

With great difficulty, supported by Yushu, the First Lady stood up, her previous commanding presence gone. She understood the old lady's intentions; they had known each other for years as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Biting her lip, she looked at the old lady sitting above, her voice barely a whisper, "This time, it was my fault... Little Sixth had suffered..."

The old lady waved her hand dismissively, "No need to say more. We all know how much of it is true and false. Xiao Yi isn't a foolish child; she sees and hears clearly. I don't expect you to treat her as your own, just fulfill your duties as the Song family matron. I will handle Xiao Yi's matters, and you don't need to worry about the Noble Consort in the future. I will explain it to her during this palace visit."

The First Lady forced a smile, acknowledged, and left the courtyard, enduring the pain in her knees. Upon returning to the main courtyard, she saw her husband, and her still unsettled heart skipped a beat. Song Ren stood there with an unpleasant expression, and it was unclear how long he had been standing. "Husband..." she tried to smile and say more, but before she could, Eldest Master Song had already turned sharply, his look of shock and impatience silencing her.

Song Ren stood there with his hands behind his back, staring at her for a while, then suddenly sneered. If the old lady made her fearful, her husband's reaction made her both scared and desperate. First Lady felt an overwhelming sense of panic, long forgotten, rising within her, worried to the point of tears.

"Just now, Little Sixth sent a maid to find you, but you were not here," Eldest Master Song's deep voice echoed, seemingly devoid of emotion but filled with extreme disgust. "She wanted the maid to tell you that she agreed to go and apologize to the Empress Dowager, just hoping you wouldn't trouble Yan'er."

The First Lady turned back in shock to look at Nanny Jin and Nanny Zou, seeing them cowering, and her heart sank. She didn't want her husband to know about this, but Little Sixth's maid had come at the worst time, bumping into the master of the house!

Eldest Master Song felt a sudden discomfort in his throat, as if he wanted to cough, and cleared it before continuing, "I didn't realize that the lives of our Song family children were so cheap. Yan'er's life had to be exchanged by Little Sixth's... Ying'er, you truly frighten me."

"No, no!" First Lady now in tears, rushed forward a few steps to grab his hand. "Husband, it's not like that..."

She wanted to explain, but where could she begin? Should she say it was to save her daughter? Should she admit she intended to push Song Chuyi to her death and used Song Yan to threaten her? Knowing what kind of man her husband was, how could she dare say such things?

Eldest Master Song angrily pushed her away, feeling his blood rush to his head. "How could you deceive a nine-year-old child like that? Have you no conscience? Do you have no regard for my younger brother? Do you have no regard for our Song family? Ying'er, I've lived with you for so many years, and never thought you'd be like this. How can I face my younger brother or pay respects to my deceased sister-in-law?"

Luyi peeked through the door and, seeing Song Chuyi looking at her, stuck out her tongue and came in excitedly. "Miss, Miss, the main house is really fighting!" she said gleefully. "The eldest master was so angry his face turned red... Later, everyone was kicked out, and I could only hear the first lady crying..."

Ziyun and Qingtao exchanged glances and couldn't help but laugh. Song Chuyi had been right. Dealing with the first lady harshly wouldn't work. Only by making everyone around despise her could she realize her place and where she went wrong.

"Serves her right!" Qingtao spat, while putting away the box given by First Lady Cui, "The First Lady really went too far this time, using someone as a scapegoat and expecting that scapegoat to solve her problems! Even a clay figurine has some resilience; did she think our Miss was easy to manipulate?"

Song Chuyi smiled but said nothing, continuing to read her travel notes. She understood that people were selfish; the First Lady wanted to make her daughter's life easier by pushing others to their deaths, and she could understand that. But when it came to herself, she had to stand up for her own interests. With someone like the First Lady, neither soft nor hard approaches would work. Only by making her understand that this behavior would disgrace both the Song and her maternal families, and lose the trust of her in-laws, and the affection of her husband, would she remember not to repeat it.