The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 2)

Chapter 31 - Yu Family

When dessert was served a little later, Yu Shu came to urge Song Chuyi and the other sisters to go to the main room: "The uncle is almost ready; Aunt is saying her goodbyes now."

The group hurriedly stood up and followed her outside. Sure enough, as they lifted the curtain, they saw both of the Cui ladies already dressed in their cloaks. Upon seeing them, they smiled and called for them to say goodbye to the elders.

Hua Ying gently pulled Hua Yi forward to bid farewell to Old Lady Song and the First Lady. The flowers on their foreheads didn't sway at all, and Old Lady Song nodded with satisfaction, smiling as she urged the First Lady to help them up.

First Lady Cui pulled Song Chuyi aside to talk: "I've heard you'll be going to the palace soon. Don't be afraid; the Empress is much easier to talk to than... You can rest assured."

The Empress wants to see me? Song Chuyi was surprised for a moment but then nodded.

Meanwhile, Lady Yu smiled again, inviting Old Lady Song and the First Lady to visit their residence in a few days: "Since coming to the capital, I've been so busy tidying up that I haven't had a chance to invite friends and family to gather. So, I'm thinking of hosting a gathering to get to know people in the capital. It would be wonderful if the old lady and the lady could come to my humble home to enjoy a performance and a meal."

Old Lady Song nodded with a smile and asked, "I wonder who you've invited for that day?"

"I've invited the old lady from the Chang family, the lady from the Chen family, and the lady from the Du family as well. I'm just not sure if they'll honor the invitation. Aside from that, I've also sent invitations to Lord Cen, the King of Zhennan's residence, and Duke Ying's residence; other than that, there's no one else."

The ones invited were all people who had helped Cui Shaoting with his transfer, so the Song family mingling among them as both relatives and one of the officials didn't stand out at all.

Old Lady Song smiled at the First Lady, who then laughed, "With so many names reported all at once, are we supposed to have more face than these people? Of course, we should go and share a cup of wine."

She laughed as she personally sent them off.

Once Old Lady Song and the others had left and sent Song Chubin back to her room to rest, she pulled Song Chuyi to sit beside her and turned to ask, "Why did you come back so hurriedly today? Did something happen at the manor?"

In Old Lady Song's view, the matter concerning Song Chumi was ultimately quite troublesome. Moreover, Song Chumi still refused to relent, stubbornly believing that it was the elders who were obstructing her happiness. If she were to meet Song Chuyi, there might be some trouble.

Song Chuyi softly recounted what had happened with the Li woman today, concluding with, "Second Brother thinks the manor is too loose and didn't dare to let me stay there. Also, His Highness the Crown Prince's heir and Second Young Master Ye were returning to the capital, so we came back together."

Song Chuyi's relationship with Zhou Weizhao and Ye Jingchuan had surprisingly become so close—had they especially gone to Tongzhou for a mere baby's full moon celebration?

Old Lady Song stared at Song Chuyi for a long moment, noticing her clear gaze and calm demeanor. She couldn't help but inwardly chide herself for being overly concerned. Although her granddaughter had experienced a lifetime in her dreams, it was still just a dream. At her current age, she was still a child; how could she be thinking about matters of love?

"You did the right thing by sending them away, avoiding any unnecessary troubles or letting someone with ill intentions take advantage of the situation. It would be counterproductive." She patted Song Chuyi's hand and thought for a moment before sighing, "Your Second Brother's worries are not unfounded. The manor is not only housing Lianyi but also your Fourth Sister and Miss Chen. It should be managed more strictly."

After a pause, she asked Song Chuyi, "What impression do you have of your cousin-in-law?"

In truth, she didn't have much of an impression. In her previous life, Song Chuyi's relationship with the Cui family was not close, and even with her direct uncle and aunt, things were not very amicable. Let alone these cousins. She shook her head in response.

Old Lady Song smiled, "Your cousin-in-law is not simple. From the moment she returned, she knew where the family's key interests lay. Everything she says and does earns respect. You should learn well from her in the future."

It is indeed rare to find someone who is both charming and able to consider everyone without inciting jealousy or dislike.

After only a short time with Lady Yu, Song Chuyi noticed her ability to manage people's feelings and reactions, so she was not surprised. Instead, she was curious about why Lady Yu was getting involved in Song Chubin's marriage: "Grandmother, why would she come to be a matchmaker for Fifth Sister?"

"That's what I mean by her understanding the intricacies," Old Lady Song glanced at her. "When a tree stands out in a forest, the wind will surely topple it. Our Song family has been attracting attention for quite some time, so we should always leave ourselves a way out. Your cousin-in-law has taken the initiative to offer to connect Fifth Sister with a suitable match from a family in Jiangyin that has a simple population and strict family values. We will return the favor; her daughter Huaying is set to marry the legitimate second son of the Marquis of Guangping, who will also remain in the capital in the future. Naturally, we will need to take care of her family as well. Most importantly, she has agreed to take Qi'er along to Shaanxi when the time comes—after all, your Second Brother is a branch of the family. Although he can inherit some property in the future, it's still better to pave his own way... and this way, the path will be smoother."

Old Lady Song smiled at Song Chuyi: "The most crucial part isn't about your Fifth Sister; it's about your Second Sister. Your cousin-in-law's connection with your Fifth Sister is merely a personal favor, but her actual intention is directed towards your Second Sister."

Song Chuxuan? Song Chuyi thought for a moment and nodded. This was clearly not just a simple matter of acting as an icebreaker. Lady Yu seemed to want to establish a direct connection with the Marquis's residence... This was evidently not a decision a woman could make alone; it must have been done with the consent of Cui Shaoting. Did Cui Shaoting really trust the Changning Marquis's residence that much?

Although Cui Shaoting shared the same surname with the Cui family and had a familial connection, was the risk not a bit too great? Even Cui Yingshu would not dare to gamble with the entire Cui clan, maintaining relations with Prime Minister Chang's side...

She came back to her senses just in time to hear Old Lady Song mention Duke Ying's residence: "The Shen family is quite interesting; they tried to get in touch with the Empress Dowager through connections from the Imperial Noble Consort Zhuang but didn't succeed. Now, they've instead managed to connect with Prime Minister Chang..."

She gently patted Song Chuyi's head, looking at her with a hint of admiration: "If you were still just an ordinary child like in your dreams, you really wouldn't stand a chance against such a family that knows how to navigate the winds."

In her previous life, if Duke Ying's residence hadn't been so well-connected, it would indeed have been difficult to maintain their status back then. If judged by this standard, Shen Xiaohai is indeed a rare talent, always able to be in the right place at the right time, and when things go wrong, he knows how to protect himself. With such a big storm in the capital this time, he managed to emerge unscathed—that's truly a rare skill.