The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 2)

Chapter 35 - Disposal

Second Uncle seemed like a cheerful person, and without discussing who was good or bad, both Second Aunts were well-educated and came from respectable backgrounds. How could they raise a girl who seemed somewhat... strange?

Song Chuning she hadn't met before, but from what her mother had said, she could already glean many oddities. And Song Chuyi was now standing right in front of her—wearing a loose-fitting round-collared red jacket on top, a pale yellow eight-panel skirt below, with a few pearls scattered in her hair. She looked like a well-bred young lady from a prominent family. If one judged by appearance alone, who wouldn't like such a girl? Who could have guessed that she was so clever and resourceful?

"If that's the case, I'm even more concerned about how to deal with the Eighth Sister," she sighed, looking at Old Lady Song. "She committed such a serious crime as arson; according to Grandmother's temperament, she shouldn't be allowed to go to Changsha at all..."
Arson and murder—such acts would seem utterly insane even for an adult, let alone a little girl who was only a few years old. It was chilling to think that a child could possess such a deep and sinister mindset.

Moreover, the one she burned was Song Yan, her half-brother. How could she be so ruthless? After the inheritance dispute, the Song family had always placed great importance on family values, even establishing rules against dividing the family. The brothers were to be treated just like real brothers, and they had always taught their children to cherish their siblings. For Song Chuning to commit such a heinous act, given Old Master Song and Old Lady Song's dispositions, there was no way they would easily forgive her—unless... unless the little girl had some scheme up her sleeve. From her mother's tone, it was clear she was extremely dissatisfied with Song Chuning. The Song family harbored such discontent toward her, and yet Song Chuning could still harm Song Yan. This at least indicated that she held deep resentment toward the Song family. Keeping such a venomous little girl outside was akin to leaving a hungry wolf, poised to pounce, at the doorstep, making it impossible to rest easy.

Old Lady Song glanced at the wall clock, her tone much deeper than before. "It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but your grandfather and I really didn't intend to let her go. Yet she managed to persuade your Second Uncle to leave successfully. We did think of other ways, but the families your Second Uncle went to in Changsha were either won over by her or sent away—none of them could accomplish anything. Even the Cui family sent someone, but it was of no use... This little girl is truly not simple."

The more extraordinary she was, the more dangerous she could become, and thus they couldn't allow her to roam freely outside and cause trouble.

Noble Consort Song rested her chin on one hand in thought for a moment, then looked up to meet Old Lady Song's gaze and said softly, "Grandmother, several princesses in the palace have reached the age of wanting playmates. It's about time to find a couple of companions for them, really..."

Having been immersed in the palace for so many years, Noble Consort Song's sixth sense was often frighteningly accurate. With just a few words from the First Lady, she could almost picture the terrifying aspects of Song Chuning. At only six years old, she could manipulate the forty-year-old Song Yi effortlessly and even play the two elders of the Song family against each other. What kind of deep scheming would it take to achieve that?

She was thousands of miles away, and there wasn't even a whisper of her news in the capital; who knows when she would set her sights on someone else? By the time they realized it, disaster would likely already have struck.

Noble Consort Song was unwilling to take that risk. For both the Song family and herself, it was not an option.

Since even the Cui family couldn't do anything about her, and the two elders of the Song family were always concerned about their reputation and couldn't fully trust Song Yi, it could only fall to her to take action.

The several married princesses had all chosen female attendants as companions, and these attendants were mostly selected from the maternal families of the princesses or from other prominent families, bringing in young girls of a similar age to serve as playmates. 

By taking this opportunity to pull Song Chuning away from Song Yi... the future of Song Chuning in the depths of the palace—whether she would thrive or perish—would no longer be in her hands.

The First Lady felt an inexplicable sense of unease and instinctively shook her head to reject the proposal. "Your Highness, she is not an ordinary little girl... If she is placed beside the Eleventh Princess..."

If she had any malicious intentions, how could the young Eleventh Princess defend herself?

However, Old Lady Song quietly tapped her fingers on the table, deep in thought, before asking Noble Consort Song, "It could also be a good plan. Your Highness, I trust your methods."

Every step in the palace was fraught with traps, and they had to be cautious everywhere. Moreover, even if Song Chuning entered the palace to serve as a companion to the princesses, she would first have to be chosen by them, and there was much to learn about that... Having been in the depths of the palace for so many years, it would be effortless for Noble Consort Song to manipulate the situation.

Noble Consort Song smiled, revealing the deep dimples that most members of the Song family had. "I wouldn't dare place her beside the Eleventh Princess. As long as she gets to the capital first, it will be manageable. If she happens to catch a cold in the palace and falls seriously ill... Second Uncle wouldn't be able to blame me too harshly, would he?"

"Yes, as long as they bring Song Chuning into the capital, the rest won't be a problem."

After Noble Consort Song finished speaking, she looked at Song Chuyi. "Little Sixth, about what happened last time... You know the difficulties your eldest sister is facing. This time, if your eldest sister helps you deal with this terrible younger sister, do you think it could be considered a way to atone for her sins?"

"Eldest sister, don't say that." Song Chuyi caught a glimpse of the First Lady about to speak and quickly interjected, taking over Noble Consort Song's words: "There was no sin to begin with, so how can there be any talk of atoning for sins? As for Eighth Sister, if Eldest Sister is willing to step in, that would be even better."

With such a big hat pressed down, and given that it was communicated through the inner palace's eunuchs, Song Yi probably couldn't be happier for Song Chuning. After being rejected by Old Lady Song and Old Master Song, he might not say anything, but he was already greatly worried about Song Chuning's future in his heart. At this moment, the news from the palace about the princess selecting female officials to accompany her was like a pie falling from the sky—a good thing he had no reason to refuse.

Even Song Chuning, based on Song Chuyi's understanding of her from her previous life, couldn't be completely indifferent to this. Even if she knew it might be a trap, with Song Chuning's personality, she would definitely want to give it a shot. Moreover, even if she had truly changed her temperament and didn't want to fight but just wanted to recuperate, she wouldn't be allowed to do so.

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Translator Xiaobai: Is this even a good idea?