The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 2)

Chapter 43 - Human Relations

Old Lady Song reclined on a soft couch, her body sinking into the plush cushions, her eyes half-closed as if she were asleep.

Outside, the sky was overcast, almost obscuring everything from view. The occasional howl of the windswept fallen flowers across the courtyard, swirling them through the corridors. The gusts were so strong that the kitchen maids holding trays had to raise their hands to shield their eyes. Yet, even in the biting wind, none of them dared make a sound. Only after leaving the courtyard did one of them sigh softly, "Nothing has been touched again... If it keeps going like this..."

If this continued, once Master and the Lady found out, they'd certainly blame the kitchen staff. After all, Old Lady Song was elderly; eating so little could hardly be good for her health.

Yulan, standing in the wind to meet Song Chuyi, couldn't help but shake her head slightly. "Though the Old Lady claims she's done caring about the lady, how could she truly let it go? Just overnight, she seems to have aged even more..."

Braving the cold wind, Yulan hurried Song Chuyi up the steps and lifted the curtain, whispering a warning, "The Old Lady is upset, Sixth Miss; do be mindful."

Having lived in Ningde Hall for nearly a year now, Song Chuyi had grown close to the senior maids, which allowed her these kinds of warnings. She smiled and nodded, then turned to Qingtao and Luyi. "The wind's strong here. You two can head to Sister Yulan's room and warm up for a bit instead of standing in the draft."

Inside, the brazier was burning warmly, instantly banishing the chill from outside. Song Chuyi shivered as she adjusted to the heat, then saw Old Lady Song seated at the head, beckoning her over.

"What brings you here at this hour?" Though Old Lady Song looked pale, she seemed in good spirits. She reached out to feel the warmth of Song Chuyi's cloak and shook her head. "This one isn't warm enough. When it gets even colder, it won't do." She called for Yushu to fetch a fire-fox cape that Noble Consort Song had gifted last year. "Go get that firefox cape and send it with Chuyi."

Beside her, Nanny Huang chimed in with a smile, "I heard this was a gift from His Majesty when Noble Consort was newly conferred her title. Fire-fox fur as intact as this is a rarity. It's been so many years, and no more firefoxes have turned up in the hunts since then. The Old Lady truly dotes on Sixth Miss."

"We old folks have one foot in the grave already; what do we need with such bright things?" Old Lady Song checked the warmth of Song Chuyi's hands. Satisfied that they were warm and dry, she relaxed, instructing Nanny Huang, "Tell the kitchen that a dozen dogs came in from the estate. Send two to Jue'er wife, and two to make nourishing soup for Chuyi. Winter's coming, and young girls can't risk catching a cold." 

(Translator Xiaobai: Eating dogs is a sensitive subject in our modern world but please remember this is the ancient time)

A few days ago, Song Jue's classmate, Wei Yan, had brought over some wild mountain goats he hunted, and Song Chuyi had been practically forced to eat quite a bit of it. Now, hearing they'd be having dog meat, she couldn't help but frown.

Old Lady Song chuckled when she saw her reaction. "You don't want to eat it, but whether you want to or not, you must have a bit. It'll warm you up; otherwise, when you head all the way to Jiangnan, how will you manage with that delicate frame?"

Nanny Huang laughed in agreement. "Exactly! I've heard that eating this is common in the South during winter. Even if you don't like it, some soup would do you good."

At that moment, Nanny Cai lifted the curtain and gave a signal to Nanny Huang, who stepped out briefly before returning with a slightly more serious expression. "Old Madam, Yunshang is here. She's waiting outside."

Old Lady Song's smile faded, and she subconsciously tightened her grip on Song Chuyi's hand. After a moment, she finally said, "Bring her in."

In her moments of deep despair, Old Lady Song had thought of simply becoming deaf and blind, resolved never to hear any news from Qingzhou again. But now that news had truly come from Qingzhou, she found herself unable to ignore it. She felt as though she owed Song Linlang a debt in her previous life, and now Linlang had returned to collect.

It had been over ten years, and the little girl from back then was now married with her hair pinned up. As soon as Yunshang entered the room, she dropped to her knees, choking back tears as she greeted Old Lady Song.

Old Lady Song sat up straight in agitation, her lips pressed together as she remained silent for a long time. After a while, she let out a sorrowful sigh and waved for Yunshang to stand.

"If she wasn't completely desperate, she wouldn't have thought to come back to her family for help," Old Lady Song said, looking at Yunshang, barely able to hold back her emotions. "What happened to push her to such an extreme?"

With Song Linlang's stubborn nature, she would never willingly show weakness to her family unless she was out of options. Even the letter she'd sent was incredibly vague, clearly attempting to gloss over everything unpleasant.

Tears welled up in Yunshang's eyes as she cried, explaining to Old Lady Song, "Young Master caught a cold that keeps coming back, and he just isn't getting better. Mistress brought in a shaman to treat him, but the shaman insisted that the Eldest Miss's birth characters are inauspicious and are causing harm to the Young Master. He said she's a 'cursed star,' bringing misfortune to anyone close, and would eventually bring disaster to her parents... Master actually believed him! He even followed the shaman's advice and locked up the Eldest Miss..."

The underhandedness was obvious to anyone who thought about it for a moment. Did Xiang Yunzhang really think everyone else was foolish?

Yushu's face darkened, and she exchanged a glance with Nanny Huang, her expression angry.

Seeing Yunshang's tear-streaked face, Song Chuyi asked, "Did Aunt have no way to intervene?"

Old Lady Song also wanted to ask if Song Linlang truly had no options left. She had provided her with numerous servants and funds when she married, so was she really so helpless that she had to let Xiang Yunzhang have his way? Or had she become so muddleheaded that even as her daughter was branded as a cursed star, she remained unmoved, unwilling to confront Xiang Yunzhang?

"Mistress managed to take Eldest Miss back from the shaman and even destroyed his house..." Yunshang sobbed harder, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "But the shamans in Qingzhou all caused an uproar, saying Mistress had been bewitched by the 'cursed star' and had shown disrespect to the shaman... Master was furious with Mistress, storming into her quarters to take Eldest Miss away himself. He even said he would open the family's ancestral hall to disown Eldest Miss and hand her over to the shamans to be burned alive... It was only thanks to Nanny Zheng  and Nanny Wang, who risked their lives to stop him..."

To hand his own daughter over to be burned... Such a person dared to call himself a father, dared to call himself a husband.

Old Lady Song felt a chill in her bones, thinking how blind she'd been to have once thought this man was at least decent in character.