The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 1)

Chapter 178 - Decisive Action

Early in the morning, news of the city gates being under strict guard spread rapidly throughout the city, and people excitedly recounted the rare confrontation between the Ministry of War and the Jinyiwei, their expressions tinged with anxiety.

When the First Lady heard the news, she had just exited Old Lady Song's courtyard. After pondering for an entire night, she finally understood where she had gone wrong and how she had crossed the lines of Old Lady Song and Old Master Song. Once she clarified her thoughts, she quickly organized her current situation and devised a plan.

Like every other day, she had come to pay her respects to Old Lady Song. Fortunately, this time Old Lady Song didn't find an excuse to keep her away and accepted her service during breakfast. Just as she began to feel slightly relieved, she suddenly heard the shocking news, causing her to become somewhat dazed. Last night, her husband had specifically warned her that the situation had changed and advised her to be extremely cautious. Although she believed him, she never expected matters had escalate to the point of open conflict.

"Jin Ling," a voice called softly from beside her, pulling her back to reality. Once focused, she immediately instructed Jin Ling, "Go inform the doorman: aside from those in the kitchen and those serving the gentlemen going to court today, no other servants are allowed to enter or exit!"

Old Lady Song also caught wind of the news, her expression heavy as she watched Old Master Song enter the room. She sighed anxiously while Yushu helped him remove his outer garment, "I'm really afraid something serious will happen."

This was no child's game; once the Ministry of War clashed with the Jinyiwei, neither side would back down. It was likely that this would lead to mutual harm.

Although Song Chengru was on night duty in the Western Garden, he had hardly slept, being frightened all night. Hearing Old Lady Song's remarks made him laugh instead. He went to change clothes in the washing room and, after washing his hands, turned to look at Old Lady Song: "Last night, I was on night duty with the Prime Minister in the Western Garden. He must have heard some news, hinting that Lord Zhang may have overstepped his bounds... Now that he has said this, I have a vague sense of his attitude."

Old Lady Song keenly caught the implication in Old Master Song's words and thought for a moment before expressing some surprise: "So, the Prime Minister is actually on the side of the Ministry of War this time?"

"Cen Biliang's granddaughter is marrying his grandson, making her the future matriarch of their family," Old Master Song replied vaguely. "Moreover, they were both top scholars, and their relationship has always been excellent. Last time, when the Emperor personally inquired about the Tongzhou incident, he didn't immediately decide the matter or remove him from his position as Minister of War. The Prime Minister must have played a significant role behind the scenes."

Given the stakes involved and their family ties, it was only natural that the Prime Minister wouldn't allow Cen Biliang to fall into misfortune. However, Old Lady Song still had some worries: "Even so, he may not want to offend Xingfu and Prince Duan."

"Why would he offend Prince Duan? This matter has nothing to do with him and has never involved him at all. The Prime Minister has been in office for so many years; he knows how to weigh the pros and cons," Old Master Song smirked. "Besides, there's no direct connection between Xingfu and Prince Duan. The Prime Minister is merely getting rid of the corrupt eunuchs for the sake of the people."

Indeed, having navigated through the court for so many years, Old Master Song had a far higher level of cunning than this old fox at home. Old Lady Song felt somewhat relieved and lowered her voice to ask him, "What about entering the palace in a few days... After all, Empress Dowager Rongxian was the former emperor's wife, and her daughters were all married into influential families. The emperor and empress regard her as their mother, and many matters cannot go against her out of filial piety. If she truly clings to Xiaoyi, the emperor and empress may have no way to intervene..."

Speaking of this, Song Chengru's expression became serious. He had thought this through carefully over the past few days, and now that Old Lady Song brought it up, he shared his plans: "Although the empress dowager cannot be opposed out of filial piety, affairs in the world must still adhere to reason. Xiaoyi is after all a noble young lady from the Marquis's family. Even if the empress dowager is the empress dowager, she cannot harm Xiaoyi without justifiable reasons. I estimate that her usual approach will be to frame Xiaoyi with some false charges..."

This indeed reflected the empress dowager's usual style. Old Lady Song scoffed coldly: "She loved using such methods when she was in the inner chambers, and she hasn't changed her old ways."

"This time entering the palace, I will keep a close eye on Xiaoyi and try to prevent her from leaving my side."

If the empress dowager wanted to make a move, she would undoubtedly be fully prepared, especially since the palace was her territory. Merely watching Song Chuyi was not a solution. Old Master Song shook his head, intending to say more when they suddenly heard a commotion outside. He furrowed his brows and stood up, hearing Yushu and others repeatedly calling for the eldest young master.

Indeed, Song Jue entered the room amid the noise, his expression grave and weary. After greeting Old Master Song and Old Lady Song, he spoke in a low voice: "The Jinyiwei has moved at the city gates, attempting to forcibly seize Shi Tongzhou and Ye Jingchuan. Someone from the Ministry of War has died."

What you fear will come true; who would have thought that it would actually lead to a death?

Old Lady Song looked at Old Master Song in shock, and saw him already asking Song Jue, "Someone died in the Ministry of War? Who?"

Could it be that Chen Xiang had really gone to such lengths, daring to kill someone from the Ministry of War?

"It was the people from Xing'an who struck first... An outer minister from the Armory Department under Lord Cen has died." Song Jue succinctly recounted the events to Old Lady Song and Old Master Song: "Lord Cen was extremely furious, and both sides got into a fierce fight. There were probably around five or six casualties... The Yulin Guards and the Jinwu Guards of the Five Cities Military Affairs Department heard the news and rushed over. I stayed at the scene for a while, but when I saw that I couldn't help, I slipped back."

So it was that Xing'an, this incompetent character, had caused such a mess. Song Chengru immediately realized and couldn't help but let out a wry laugh. If Xingfu knew that it was this nephew, whom he regarded as a successor, who had sent him to his death, he wouldn't know what to think.

Old Lady Song didn't understand why Old Master Song was laughing and looked serious: "The Jinyiwei are numerous and skilled; how could the people from the Ministry of War be their match? I'm afraid the Ministry of War is going to suffer losses."

Since this incident had already alarmed the Yulin Guards and the Jinwu Guards of the Five Cities Military Affairs Department, it was only a matter of time before the Shuntian Prefecture would rush over as well. Whether things would escalate or not was still uncertain. Moreover, since it had gotten this big, the Prime Minister could not possibly remain completely uninvolved.

I'm afraid the emperor will hear the news soon.