The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 2)

Chapter 1 - Rising Winds

Translator Xiaobai: Book 1 is on my page. This is the continuation of The Battle of the Noble Ladies. Enjoy :)

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"No, now it seems that it's not just a night escape," Song Chuyi's tone was icy, her expression indifferent. "If Fourth Sister hadn't stirred up this incident, we might have genuinely fallen into someone else's trap without realizing it."

She rarely spoke in such a tone; the only time she had been this cold and detached was when she was confronting the Li family.

Old Lady Song recalled how Song Chumi had gone to see her tonight and seemed to sense something. "Did Fourth Sister come to find you today? What did she say?"

Song Chengru and Eldest Master Song also turned their gazes toward her.

A cool breeze wafted through the room, rustling the bamboo outside. Song Chuyi pressed her lips together and recounted her conversation with Song Chumi without holding back, nearly verbatim.

In conclusion, she maintained a serious expression and summarized, "If I'm not mistaken, Fourth Sister is merely a pawn. The Zhang family, along with the Yun family—or at least the matriarch of the Yun family and Yun's uncle—have set a trap to lead our marquisate to its demise."

Old Master Song, usually expressionless, displayed profound shock on his face. He glanced at Old Lady Song, momentarily at a loss for words.

The Yun family had known about Song Chumi's affair with the Zhang family's illegitimate son all along. Not only that, but they had also formed a tacit agreement with the Zhang family!

Eldest Master Song was rooted to the spot, unable to fathom that this matter was so complicated. The Yun family had facilitated Song Chumi's relationship with the Zhang family's illegitimate son while pretending to be unaware, yet behind the scenes, they had received tokens from the Zhang family and even warned Song Chumi's maids not to disclose anything to the Song family.

To think that there was no scheme behind this would be utterly naïve.

Lord Chen was aligned with the Crown Prince's faction and had made significant contributions during the Xingfu incident. Lord Du typically mediated conflicts and was eager to curry favor with Prince Duan. The former prime minister was astute, and given his powerful influence, he couldn't be easily dismissed. Thus, it seemed he was looking to position someone else within the cabinet?

Moreover, there was the Empress Dowager Rongxian, who had her own designs and was still resentful over Wang Jinsi's death, already aligned with Prince Duan.

Song Chengru's thoughts extended even further. He looked up and deeply regarded Song Chuyi, his head bowed as if muttering to himself. "I even feel that the poisoning of the Crown Prince... is a sharp sword aimed directly at our Song family."

Old Lady Song and Eldest Master Song felt a chill run down their spines, their skin prickling with goosebumps. As they pieced together the series of events, it felt as though a thick web was closing in around them, waiting for them to be ensnared.

"I fear that the Empress Dowager has now turned her attention toward us," Song Chuyi analyzed the current situation mercilessly. "The Zhang family has gone to such lengths to connect with Fourth Sister; they can't possibly be doing it just to find a concubine for their illegitimate grandson. If that were the case, why would they risk angering the marquisate? There must be another purpose. Fourth Sister mentioned that they even gave her tokens, which were personally given to the matriarch of the Yun family by Zhang's Young Master..."

She spoke without pausing, continuing in one breath: "Grandfather, Uncle, if the Empress Dowager Rongxian and Prince Duan truly intend to take advantage of this opportunity to eliminate our entire Song family, Fourth Sister might very well be the knife they wield."

But to put it bluntly, it was just a matter between men and women, at most a matter of reputation. Old Lady Song hesitated for a moment before saying, "Is it really that serious? This might just mean that we haven't been strict enough in educating our daughters and will receive some admonishment..."

Old Master Song waved his hand at Song Chuyi, signaling her to continue.

"No, it's unrelated to that. I'm afraid this time the Crown Prince's poisoning is the doing of Prince Duan and the Empress Dowager." Seeing the three of them look startled, Song Chuyi's voice involuntarily took on a heavier tone. "And then, while we're in the palace, they'll pin this incident on us, even implicating the noble consort..."

That sounded just like Empress Dowager Rongxian's style; to her, everyone could be sacrificed except for herself. Besides, her last remaining relative had died at their hands.

Song Chengru felt his eyebrows twitch sharply and nodded toward Old Lady Song, saying, "That's highly likely."

"The arrival of the Zhang family's token is rather strange. They don't give it to us, they don't honestly come to explain to Grandfather and Grandmother, yet they run to the Yun family to ingratiate themselves and even offer a token..." Song Chuyi curled her lip in a cold smile. "It's as if Fourth Sister doesn't have the surname Song, but rather Yun."

The Song family was completely unaware of what that token was. If something really happened when they entered the palace on the fifteenth, and if the Empress Dowager accused Noble Consort Song of poisoning the Crown Prince, the Yun family could easily present the token as evidence, claiming it belonged to the Song family.

That was just one possible scenario.

Eldest Master Song clenched his fists, filled with indignation. "Such a vicious scheme! They truly intend to lead us to our doom!"

Song Chengru, infuriated, laughed in anger; the more furious he became, the clearer his mind was. It seemed there was no waiting for the Yun family to return to discuss Song Chumi's situation.

He instructed Eldest Master Song, "Go tonight and capture Fourth Sister's wet nurse, along with those two maids we've already detained. You and your wife should interrogate them personally. Be thorough; ask about everything regarding the Zhang and Yun families, and get to the bottom of it."

Eldest Master Song agreed and immediately stood up to push the door out into the night.

"Xiao Yi, go check on your Fourth Sister later," he said, looking directly into Song Chuyi's eyes, clearly and distinctly articulating each word. "Tell her you've agreed to speak on her behalf. Ask how she plans to help you avoid the Empress Dowager's traps, and what those traps are."

He wasn't worried that Song Chuyi wouldn't earn Song Chumi's trust or that she wouldn't be able to extract information. Given Song Chuyi's current skill in reading people's hearts, Song Chumi was no match for her.

He turned his head to look at Old Lady Song with a bitter smile. "I'm afraid the real threat lies with Noble Consort Song. The palace is ultimately the Empress Dowager's domain; if she wants to do something, it's all too easy for her."

Yet, they found themselves unable to interfere in palace affairs. Old Lady Song hung her head, her hands unconsciously clenched tightly. "Are we really just going to wait helplessly for death?!"

Handing the entire Song family over to Empress Dowager Rongxian and Prince Duan?!

No!

Song Chengru's eyes darkened, and for the first time, he displayed a murderous intent on his face, revealing an extremely sarcastic cold smile. "Since they think so highly of us, repeatedly targeting us, let's not disappoint them this time."

Let them know that even a cornered rabbit can bite.

"My Changning Marquis's residence has been passed down for six generations. If I let it fall into the hands of these hungry wolves, I would have no face to meet my ancestors underground." He stood up, clasping his hands behind his back, gazing resolutely at the moonlight above.