The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 1)

Chapter 190 - Humiliation

Old Lady Song, in her advanced age, no longer wished to argue with a granddaughter who clearly couldn't see reason. No matter what they said, Song Chumi would only view them as villains standing in the way of her path to happiness.

But the Song family could never allow it. For her future and for the reputation of the Marquis's household, they absolutely couldn't! To give a marquis's daughter—the granddaughter of the current Grand Secretary and Minister of Personnel—as a secondary wife to the grandson of another Grand Secretary? What would people in the capital think of the Marquis's household? What would the Emperor think? And what would the Crown Prince think?!

They had just recently shown goodwill to the Crown Prince's faction, and now, to suddenly marry their granddaughter into the faction of Prince Duan, and as a secondary wife no less, would make it appear as if they were double-dealing, especially with the Crown Prince in poor health.

Song Chumi screamed defiantly, unwilling to relent. She glanced at Song Chuyi, who sat quietly by the side as if she were invisible, a strange look flashing in her eyes. Then, crawling forward, she clung to Old Lady Song's leg. "Grandmother! You have more than just Little Sixth as a granddaughter—I'm one too! You drove Second Aunt to despair for her sake... Why can't you show a bit of kindness for me? I just want to marry someone I love! When Auntie was the eldest legitimate daughter, the only daughter, she was still allowed to—"

"I told you not to bring up your aunt!" Old Lady Song, infuriated as Song Chumi's words grew increasingly outrageous, motioned for Nanny Huang to pull her up. After a sigh, she spoke with a heavy heart, "I had originally intended to wait for your mother to return to discuss this with you, hoping you'd listen better that way. But now, it seems you've completely misunderstood me. Yes, your aunt chose her own husband. And what came of it? How many times has she returned to the capital? Have you even met your cousin? Aside from returning every three years to report to the Emperor, when has your uncle ever visited our home? Is that the kind of person you consider ideal?"

Not to mention that the young master of the Zhang family already had a wife and was still fooling around—his character was already in serious question.

After what happened with Song Chuxuan, the Song family had become even stricter in selecting husbands for the children. They not only investigated prospective families but also inquired about the boys' reputations and conduct. Yet here was Song Chumi, rejecting all these well-chosen, honorable young men to play the role of Zhuo Wenjun... Watching her now, Old Lady Song felt nothing but disappointment. 

But Song Chumi, clouded by infatuation, refused to hear a word. She shook her head again and again, clinging stubbornly to her stance. "No, he's different from Uncle..."

She kept repeating variations of the same argument, and Song Chengru's patience finally wore thin. With a stern face, he turned to Old Lady Song and said, "Since her mother hasn't returned yet, let her stay here for now."

Old Lady Song immediately understood Old Master Song's meaning—he wanted to keep her from trying to contact that young master of the Zhang family. But she still couldn't help but wonder. The young ladies of the Song family rarely went beyond the household gates. When on earth did she even meet that Zhang family boy?

She glanced at the First Lady, who immediately caught on and nodded. It was time to interrogate Song Chumi's personal maids. She couldn't believe they knew nothing about her movements.

Once the First Lady left with Ziwei, Old Lady Song looked down at Song Chumi and then took Song Chuyi's hand. "Originally, we planned to wait until you'd paid respects to the Empress Dowager before having you move out, but now we'll advance the timeline."

Although Ningde Courtyard had the Blue Gauze Screen for separation, Old Lady Song, unwilling to listen to Song Chumi's inevitable daily cries, intended to settle her in the small wing.

Fortunately, Song Chuyi's courtyard and Song Yan's had nearly been prepared. Moving them soon would be for the best.

Hearing Old Lady Song mention moving her to the small wing of Song Chuyi's courtyard, Song Chumi burst into even harder sobs. Clearly, they intended to watch over her and had no intention of granting her wish. To her, Old Lady Song's words sounded empty and superficial. Grandfather and Grandmother both wore cold expressions from beginning to end... Her heart grew heavier, knowing they must see her as a disgrace to the family's reputation. But she and her beloved Zhang had done nothing improper! Grandfather and Grandmother didn't even want to hear her side.

Kneeling on the ground, tears silently streaming down her face, Song Chuyi felt both pained and powerless to intervene. She finally stood up, bowed, and excused herself to Old Master and Old Lady Song. "Grandfather, Grandmother, Yan'er mentioned wanting some lotus pastries from Nanny Xu's kitchen. I'll bring some to him and show him the new courtyard."

Both Old Master and Old Lady Song nodded their approval, and Song Chuyi bowed her head as she left the room.

Outside, the autumn sunlight filtered through swaying bamboo, casting a comforting coolness. But her hands felt ice-cold, especially as she noticed the First Lady instructing Nanny Jin and Nanny Qiu to escort Song Chumi's two senior maids outside. The two maids, pale and teary-eyed, wore expressions of sheer terror.

"The mistakes of the master often bring even harsher consequences upon the servants. In her previous life, it was just the same. How many maids and attendants suffered because of her?"

Qingtao sighed, shaking her head with regret. "For now, Yushan and Yuyan are managing well enough, but once Third Lady returns, they'll be in real trouble..."

Third Lady Song has always liked to push the blame onto others, and in a matter like this—one concerning her daughter's reputation and lifelong happiness—she will definitely take her anger out on those two head maids. When that time comes, even if Yushan and Yuyan survive, they'll be stripped of their dignity. And with Third Lady's vengeful nature, she certainly won't stop at punishing just them; even their parents may be implicated.

This is the outcome of serving under a master without clarity of mind. When a master makes a mistake, it's the servants who suffer first. Qingtao couldn't help but feel both sympathy and relief, grateful that Song Chuyi was someone reliable and level-headed.

"Go remind those young maids to keep their mouths shut," Song Chuyi instructed, watching the clusters of young maids gossiping nearby and shaking her head. "Better safe than bringing trouble upon themselves."