The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 2)

Chapter 17 - Deep Schemes

Outside, icicles clattered down with a light tapping, while the narcissus and plum blossom screen inside faintly reflected sparks from the crackling brazier. Song Chuning's expression contrasted sharply with the occasional spark. She raised her arm slightly, propping her chin with one hand as she gazed at Lady Fang, suddenly letting out a cold laugh.

Grasping a handful of game pieces in her right hand, she lifted her hand and let them slide from her palm one by one, scattering across the game board and disrupting the entire layout. Her tone was as icy as her gaze: "So, you never truly considered my input—you just wanted to use me to get rid of Empress Dowager Rongxian?"

Lady Fang was not angered. She patiently picked up each piece, placing them back in their containers, and only after a long pause did she adjust her clothing and look up at Song Chuning across from her. "You're clever, and your foresight is indeed startling. But you're still lacking..."

Song Chuning slapped away the container Lady Fang handed her with such force that Lady Fang nearly lost her balance. The black pieces scattered with a loud clatter.

The room fell into a tense silence. Luyu and Cuiguo exchanged glances but, after a quick peek, retreated—Song Chuning had never allowed them to be present while she studied with Lady Fang.

"Lacking?!" Song Chuning's fury twisted her young face into something disturbingly fierce for her age. "What exactly am I lacking?! If you had followed my plan, if you hadn't gone mad halfway through and let that idiot Song Chumi ruin everything, could it have failed? Do you think I'm a fool, that I'm cut off from knowing what's happening in the capital?"

One of the game pieces struck Lady Fang's face, but she calmly rubbed her cheek and, just as before, remained seated, unbothered. But her quiet scoff nearly cracked Song Chuning's composed expression.

Lacking? So what if Song Chuyi could dream and had memories—what difference did it make? Under similar circumstances in her own dreams, she could crush Song Chuyi like an ant. In reality, though Song Chuyi had secured the support of the Old Master Song and the Old Lady Song, she herself still held Song Yi firmly in her grasp.

Song Chuyi had the Cui family and the heir apparent behind her, yet she too had followed her dream memories to connect with Prince Duan through the Li family.

Song Chuyi had caused Lady Li's death; she had nearly ensured that Song Yan's bones would be buried in an inferno. So no matter the situation, where had she truly fallen short?

"You lack perspective. You're foolish enough to think we'd still risk targeting the Song family now!" Lady Fang fixed her with a sharp gaze, placing a hand on her shoulder and forcing her to sit, her tone steady as though instructing a child. "Think about last year. From the matter of the Zhiyuan Escort Agency onward, how many times did we stumble? Though the blame for the Tongzhou incident may lie with Xingfu, even the wily old foxes at court can sense there's something deeper lurking beneath. If they know, do you really think the Emperor doesn't? Do you honestly think we'd take a gamble on the Minister of Personnel at a time like this?"

With a hoarse voice, Song Chuning struggled to understand. "But if the Crown Prince were to die, we could pin this on the Song family! It would be a win-win situation!"

"If the Crown Prince dies, there's still Prince Gong and the heir apparent," Lady Fang shot her a cold glance. "As long as the empress's position remains secure, her son and grandson will retain their status as legitimate heirs. On the contrary, it's the Empress Dowager who's grown increasingly troublesome. She wants us to eliminate the Song family. If it were so simple, why did the Xiao and Fang families suffer misfortune back then? Have you ever thought about that? Prince Duan is already under heavy criticism for strengthening his personal guard, and your Song family has been wary of him for some time. If you push the Song family too hard, have you thought about the consequences if they decide to fight back with everything they have?"

She crouched down to look Song Chuning in the eye, letting out a soft sigh. "The court is not a children's playground where you bite and chase your enemy until they're done for. What is an enemy? Do you guard against them or suppress them? Do you retaliate openly or secretly? There's a method to it. Do you understand?"

Song Chuning's shoulders trembled slightly, and after a long pause, she looked up with a bitter, forced smile. She didn't understand a word Lady Fang was saying, nor did she want to.

"Then why did you come to me and help me so much?" Song Chuning's gaze bore into Lady Fang, scrutinizing her for any hint of expression. "If you didn't need my so-called foresight or predictions, why seek me out? Why listen to my advice?"

The two old ones in the Song family were eager for her demise, intent on dragging her back to the capital. If it hadn't been for the protection of Prince Duan and Lady Fang, she wouldn't have been able to stand so firmly in Changsha.

"Who said we didn't need you?" Lady Fang smiled softly, her scarlet attire only enhancing her vibrant presence. "Though we didn't use your ideas to target the Song family or Song Chuyi, we did successfully remove the hindrances of Empress Dowager Rongxian and the Zhang family."

Song Chuning suddenly realized that she'd never truly grasped Prince Duan's intentions. After all, in her dreams, Empress Dowager Rongxian was supposed to remain comfortably in her position as Grand Empress Dowager, seeming to have a harmonious relationship with Prince Duan...

But now it seemed that Prince Duan was wary of Empress Dowager Rongxian and even intended to use the Emperor's hand to remove her, conveniently clearing any suspicion from himself...

Why did some things in her dreams align with reality while others diverged entirely? Why were certain events identical to those in her dreams, while some were so drastically different?

She clenched her fist, struggling to suppress the rage bubbling up inside, and gradually softened her expression.

Lady Fang nodded approvingly, a hint of admiration in her smile. "In this, you resemble your Sixth Sister a bit... no matter how hard the blow, she always manages to regain her composure quickly."

Song Chuning didn't take it as a compliment. She sneered, turning her head away with a mocking tone. "You mentioned the Fang family just now... if I recall correctly, wasn't your husband, Fang Deng, killed by the Song family and the King of Zhennan? Yet, from what I can see, you don't seem to hate them at all."

Lady Fang poured herself a cup of tea, lifting it elegantly to her nose for a sniff. "I just reminded you that in official circles, there's a method to revenge, and you've already forgotten. When the time isn't right, one must lie low and bide one's time. A true man knows when to yield and when to rise; haven't I already taught you this?"