The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 2)

Chapter 21 - Fracture

Winter in the South is still much harder to endure than in the North. Song Chuning stepped onto the somewhat slippery stone path, and before long, she felt her toes freezing together.

However, she was no longer as flustered as before. The feeling of being led around by the nose was unbearable. She had already indulged Lady Fang's controlling tendencies long enough; now it was time for her to take the initiative.

If things continued this way, Lady Fang would truly believe she was a puppet who could be controlled and used at will. A slight arc appeared at the corners of her mouth, and a sense of confidence and excitement surged within her, making her walk noticeably faster than before.

Lady Fang stood under the eaves, coldly watching her walk further away, her expression inscrutable.

The little maid holding the box stood behind her for a while. Noticing that Lady Fang had remained silent for a long time, she anxiously asked, "My Lady, this Eight Miss Song doesn't seem as easy to control as we thought... She even seems to know everything about the young master..."

Wei Yanzhao was Lady Fang's biological son. If his identity were revealed, it would be impossible for him to remain in the Wei family— the Wei family would definitely not let him off! If Wei Yanzhao wasn't their legitimate son, what right did he have to rely on their family's influence to join the Yulin Guards?

However, this secret, which had always been well hidden, somehow came to be known by Song Jue—Song Chuning had an uncanny ability to foresee things, and her predictions had never been inaccurate. Since she said Song Jue already knew Wei Yanzhao's identity, it meant that he truly did.

Lady Fang's expression shifted from indifference to severity. Though this shift was fleeting, it still sent a shiver of fear through the little maid beside her.

"My Lady, should we...?" The maid made a motion across her throat and looked at Lady Fang. "This Eight Miss Song is unpredictable and crafty. If one day we really don't follow her instructions, it may lead to a bad outcome regarding the young master. But the fact that she knows about the young master is a permanent handle against us... It's hard to imagine what she might force us to do with this information..."

Indeed, Song Chuning was quite eccentric and crafty. Lady Fang had been teaching her for over half a year, thinking she had a firm grasp on her, believing she had everything under control. But now, she suddenly realized that it was actually this little girl who had her firmly in hand, holding her greatest weakness while remaining composed, biding her time until now to reveal her cards...

Such a smart and fortunate person was only lacking opportunities and experience. Once she stabilized herself, her destructive power and lethal impact would be truly unpredictable.

But now, she couldn't risk moving against her. Even if she wanted to kill to silence her, this wasn't the right moment. She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them again, she regained her usual calm demeanor. She lightly shook her head at the little maid, saying, "No, not yet."

The little maid lowered her head and fell silent, then asked, "So we really have to do as she says and eliminate Young Master Song for her?"

Did Song Chuning have any other options for her? By bringing up that Song Jue already knew Wei Yanzhao's identity, wasn't she effectively adding leverage to force her hand in killing Song Jue?

"I will write to the prince to discuss this myself." She glanced back at Song Chuning's courtyard and paused before instructing the little maid, "From now on, keep an eye out. Be more attentive regarding her affairs. Isn't she going to add two maids to her entourage? It would be best if our people were chosen by her..."

The little maid nodded in understanding and lowered her voice to ask, "Should I have that little servant from the study come to you later?"

Lady Fang smiled and nodded. When the maid brought her large cloak, she walked through the long corridor and out the moon gate.

In the study, upon seeing Song Chuning, Song Yi smiled affectionately. Noticing that she was dressed warmly enough, he nodded in satisfaction and instructed her maids, Cui Guo and Lu Yu, "In a few days, someone will come to tailor clothes for the young lady. You both be attentive and ensure the maids stay out of the way."

This was the difference between being outside and in the capital; the marquisate had dedicated seamstresses. In the countryside, one could not afford to keep a tailor for such luxuries.

After Song Chuning waited for Lu Yu and Cui Guo to leave, she turned to gaze at Song Yi, her eyes sparkling as she asked, "Father, what did you call me for?"

She had resolved the long-standing bandit issues in Changsha and had organized matters in the government office's backyard to such a degree that Song Yi felt thoroughly at ease. As a result, their relationship had improved tremendously, much better than it had been while they were in the capital.

Seeing her inquire like this, Song Yi smiled, softening his voice even more, "The capital has sent a reply. Your grandparents are not forcing you to return..."

Song Chuning couldn't help but sneer coldly in her heart, but on the surface, she wore a look of heartfelt gratitude, her round, bun-like face flushing, tears pooling in her eyes, ready to spill.

After spending more than half a year together, Song Yi doted on Song Chuning even more and he no longer believed that such a considerate, gentle, and lovely daughter would do something like arson as Old Master and Old Lady Song had said.

Perhaps it was because of the matter involving Li Shi, and the Cui family had applied pressure, causing her parents to shift their anger onto this little girl who was only six years old.

This thought made Song Yi feel even more pained. After a long moment, he sighed, "You've suffered this past half year... It's all the father's fault, making you and your mother endure such hardship..."

A teardrop the size of a mung bean slid down Song Chuning's eyelashes, and she shook her head vigorously, gripping her handkerchief tightly. "No... It's not Father's fault; it's Mother who did something wrong... that made Grandfather and Grandmother angry. It's also my fault; I caused Father to have a rift with Sixth Sister and Fourth Brother..."

Speaking of this, Song Yi felt a pang in his heart.

He had been in Changsha for over half a year, and while he received many letters from home, not one was written by Song Chuyi or Song Yan—the two siblings. He knew he might not have done enough back then; he hadn't even thought to ask how Song Yan was doing after the incident and had left quietly with Song Chuning. But he was the biological father of Song Chuyi and Song Yan, after all. Did they really hate him for this?

Or perhaps they had already started to resent him after the matter with Li Shi? They must think of him and Li Shi as murderers who drove their mother to her death...