The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 2)

Chapter 30 - A Clever Person

It's quite rare for a guest to be honored with the title of "esteemed guest" at the residence of the Marquis of Changning. As Song Chuyi stepped down from the carriage, tightening her cloak, she asked, "Which esteemed guest is it?"

Luyi and Qingtao followed closely by her side, instructing a little maid to collect the foot warmer from the carriage. Upon hearing Song Chuyi's question, they couldn't help but glance over at the old woman.

"It's your cousin and your cousin's wife," the old woman replied, not daring to play coy in front of her. She made sure to show proper respect to the young girl. "They arrived this morning. Our Old Master and Old Lady insisted that they stay for dinner before heading back."

Song Chuyi paused for a moment, seemingly a bit surprised. Once she processed the information, she nodded. "Nanny is very thoughtful; thank you for the reminder."

She then turned to look at Qingtao.

Qingtao, understanding the situation, discreetly handed over a pouch, suggesting she take it to buy some wine and snacks, which would surely please the old woman.

As they entered the garden and crossed the arch bridge, they saw Ziyun already waiting at the courtyard gate, holding a glass lantern. Upon seeing them, she smiled and came over, saying, "When you left, you mentioned you wouldn't be back until tomorrow. I was startled to receive the news that you'd be home tonight."

"It's nothing serious; it just so happens that the young master from the King of Zhennan's residence was also here, and we returned together," Song Chuyi said as she walked on the snow. "Why did you come to wait outside in person?"

"Old Lady just called Sister Yushu over to send a message, asking you to change your clothes and come over," Ziyun replied, helping her take off her visiting attire and smiling. "Both of your aunts are in Old Lady's room talking."

Sure enough, First Lady Cui had come along with them. Song Chuyi nodded, changed her clothes, took a sip of hot tea, and headed to Ningde Courtyard with Ziyun and Qingtao.

The young maids were gathered around the fire; upon seeing her, they all stood up cheerfully to greet her and scrambled to lift the curtain, shouting in unison that Sixth Miss had arrived.

Upon entering, Song Chuyi noticed First Lady Cui sitting to the right of Old Lady Song, along with an unfamiliar noblewoman—she hadn't met this cousin-in-law during her previous visit to the Cui residence, so she didn't recognize her.

However, in the adjacent room, Song Chubin came out with sisters Huaying and Huayi, cheerfully calling out, "Sixth Sister!"

"Finally back!" Old Lady Song smiled and waved her over, scrutinizing her closely. "The wind is strong on the road; you rushed back so quickly in this cold."

She watched as Yushu helped her remove her cloak and instructed, "Quickly go greet your two aunts."

First Lady Cui held her back with a smile, turning to look at Lady Yu: "Haven't you always been eager to meet Tingting's daughter? Now that you've met, what are you going to do about it?"

While she spoke, Song Chuyi had already curtsied to Lady Yu, who quickly helped her up, not minding First Lady Cui's teasing. She smiled at Old Lady Song first: "Old Lady has indeed raised her well. Just one look, and it's as if I'm seeing the little Tingting from years ago..." Then she turned to complain to First Lady Cui, "Stop scheming in front of me; otherwise, my niece will think this aunt is inferior to you."

At a glance, Lady Yu was clearly a proper Southern woman, slender and delicate, with exquisite brows and eyes. She looked just like the two sisters, Hua Ying and Hua Yi, a perfect match. After expressing her admiration, she hurried to present a meeting gift to Song Chuyi: "I really don't know what would be appropriate. These two items were given to me by my grandmother as a wedding gift. Take a look and see if you like them."

Hua Yi quickly smiled, "It's true! Our mother spent two or three days picking out your meeting gift. We were so envious of these two sets that my sister and I just couldn't resist. Please, open them up and take a look!"

Following her advice, Song Chuyi opened the intricately designed brocade box, which surprisingly opened in a fan shape. Inside, a row of more than a dozen uniquely designed gemstone hairpins was displayed, each one exquisite and delicate, overwhelming the senses.

"This is too precious!" Old Lady Song looked at Lady Yu and said, "She's just a child; we shouldn't spoil her like this."

Lady Yu waved her hand dismissively, "Does the old lady not know me? These things just sit at home gathering dust; it would be a waste for me to keep them. Xiao Yi is young; it's just right for her to wear these. Isn't it better for her to use them when she comes of age rather than letting them collect dust at my place?"

First Lady Cui also opened another brown box, revealing a set of green gemstone headpieces. She closed it and handed it to Song Chuyi while smiling at Old Lady Song, "What she said is true. Anyway, she won't wear them if we keep them. Please don't feel sorry for her."

Old Lady Song instructed Yu Shu to put them away and smiled, calling Hua Yi and Hua Ying forward, "Since your mother is so generous, as an elder, I shouldn't be stingy either. I'll also give you two some trinkets." She nodded toward Nanny Huang.

Nanny Huang smiled and entered the back room with Yu Shu, bringing out two brocade boxes to present to Old Lady Song.

"This is a double fish jade pendant carved from Hetian jade, perfect for pressing into a skirt," Old Lady Song said as she handed the first brocade box to Hua Ying. She then smiled and opened the other box, "This is a set of ruby headpieces, kept for Yi'er to use for adornment."

Lady Yu's sharp eyes noticed that the double fish jade pendant clearly contained a yellow jade, and she quickly exclaimed, "This is truly something of great value that is hard to find! Old Lady, you are too extravagant!"

"Just keep them for the children to play with." Old Lady Song was unconcerned and, seeing that Lady Yu was still trying to decline, joked with a smile, "Besides, this also counts as a thank-you gift for you."

The First Lady chimed in, "That's right! Thank-you gifts should be more elaborate, shouldn't they? Sister-in-law, you really shouldn't refuse."

Thank-you gift? Song Chuyi raised an eyebrow, feeling something was off. She glanced over and happened to see Song Chubin's cheeks flushed red, which made her turn back to look at Old Lady Song—Song Chubin had a soft temperament, and marrying into a noble family in the capital would surely be overwhelming for her. Since she couldn't inherit the title as the second wife of a noble family, Old Lady Song worried she might be mistreated, so she simply entrusted her to Lady Yu. The Yu family was quite reputable in Jiangyin, and with her facilitating the match, marrying Song Chubin off to a scholarly family in the South would ensure her well-being and spare her from the worries of household management. Scholarly families usually had fewer members, which would be a much better situation than the complicated dynamics of several noble families in the capital.

"Please don't tease me, Old Lady and First Lady Song," Lady Yu quickly shook her head with a smile. "I'm just doing my best."

Both sides were sharp-witted, and this marriage brought their relationships closer together, making the atmosphere in the room even more lively and joyful. It was a moment of shared happiness and warmth.