The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 2)

Chapter 67 - Connections

Lady He stood somewhat dumbfounded before her mother-in-law, suspecting her ears were playing tricks on her, and was momentarily unable to react.

It wasn't until Old Lady Shen called out to her that she snapped out of it, frowning as she repeated, "Mother, what did you say?"

Old Lady Shen glanced at her with a hint of displeasure, though she didn't scold her as she usually would. With a cold expression, she said, "I just said that you should visit the Changning Marquis's estate. Their Eighth Miss has returned, and if there's any way you can be of help, do lend a hand."

Lady He's eyes widened in shock—everyone had long been aware of the true circumstances behind Eighth Miss Song Chunian's mother, Lady Li's, death, and it certainly had something to do with the Cui family.

Now, both Shen Xiaohai and herself were hoping her son could establish a connection with Song Chuyi, possibly even make a good match. And yet, Old Lady Shen was now asking her to get close to Eighth Miss Song Chuning? Had she lost her mind? Even if Eighth Miss had the support of the Li family, she was hardly favored within the Changning Marquis's household...

Seeing Lady He's prolonged silence, Old Lady Shen, a bit annoyed, raised a hand to her lips and coughed twice to regain her attention. Then she continued, "It's nothing major. Besides, a family matter shouldn't be disregarded, especially since a niece personally asked me for assistance. As her aunt, am I to ignore it?"

Lady He understood the implication. Instinctively, she felt a trace of disdain, but as she processed it, she looked at Old Lady Shen in shock, hesitating as she asked, "Mother, this niece you speak of—is she perhaps that...?"

Back then, being able to conduct business under Prince Duan's favor was indeed thanks to this very connection. Lady He felt conflicted, uncertain how to respond if this request truly came from Qin Shi.

The old lady nodded. "These days, Lady Rui's health has improved quite a bit. She even mentioned that she'll be returning to the capital with Prince Duan to celebrate the New Year this year."

Lady He gasped, realizing she couldn't afford to offend any of these figures, whether it be the Qin family's eldest daughter-in-law, Lady Rui, or Princess Duan. Still, she couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled—why, out of the blue, would the Qin family's eldest daughter-in-law send a message inviting them to visit Song Chuning?

Instinctively, she felt there was more to this than met the eye, but she smiled at her mother-in-law to reassure her. "Yes, and with the young master's first full month celebration at the Marquis of Changning's residence approaching, I'll find an opportunity to visit Eighth Miss Song as well."

Old Lady Shen nodded and solemnly advised her, "Don't think that our family only rose through marriage connections. At least the Third Branch has truly prospered on its own, with no reliance on the Dowager Consort in the palace—they've made their way entirely by their own efforts."

Lady He dared not underestimate this Qin eldest daughter-in-law, so she forced a smile and replied humbly, "Of course, Mother-in-law. I'm well aware that Third Master Qin is a fierce and strong warrior, feared by enemies on the battlefield in the past."

But inwardly, she couldn't help but roll her eyes—if it weren't for the Dowager Consort whispering sweet nothings to Emperor Chenghua back then, would Third Master Qin even have made it to the battlefield? And would the eldest wife of the Fourth Branch have become Prince Duan's wet nurse? Now the Qin sisters practically control everything around Prince Duan, with another Dowager Consort in the mix. Who are they kidding when they claim the Qin family hasn't relied on marriage ties?

After appeasing Old Lady Shen, Lady He left the room and headed to the front study with Meixiang to look for Shen Xiaohai.

Just as she rounded the long corridor, she saw Shen Qingyun emerging from the study, looking proud and full of confidence. She returned Shen Qingyun's greeting with a smile but couldn't help gritting her teeth once he turned away.

These days, Shen Qingyun had become more favored by Shen Xiaohai, while Shen Qingrang seemed to be out and about constantly, busy with who knew what—truly a headache.

Shen Xiaohai seemed surprised to see her and set the book he was holding back in its place before asking, "What's going on? Why have you come looking for me?"

Lady He, sharp-eyed, caught sight of a thick stack of account books on the desk, feeling a surge of jealousy she dared not reveal. She smiled and relayed Old Lady Shen's earlier remarks to Shen Xiaohai.

Finally, she couldn't help but add with some confusion, "I've never heard of any close connection between this Qin eldest daughter-in-law and the Li family. Why would she suddenly speak well of Eighth Miss Song and even suggest we support her? How are we supposed to support her?"

Shen Xiaohai's expression darkened in surprise. After thinking carefully, he couldn't help but say, "My mother mentioned that this came from the Qin's eldest daughter-in-law?"

The words of the Qin's eldest daughter-in-law were essentially the voice of Prince Duan himself. Whatever she said represented Prince Duan's intentions, didn't it? Prince Duan actually showed interest in a young girl for no apparent reason and even personally mentioned that they should look out for her?

Lady He nodded. "That's what Mother said—that Eighth Miss Song just returned to the capital, and we should look after her and help wherever we can."

But inwardly, she was indifferent. If it were up to her, she'd naturally favor Song Chuyi—her status and family background were evident, with support from the Marquis of Changning's residence.

Shen Xiaohai shared her sentiments. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Let's set this matter aside for now. You should focus on preparing for the Marquis of Changning's young master's full-month banquet."

"The gifts have already been selected, and I even discussed them with the Princess of Zhennan," Lady He nodded. "It's just a pity that Old Master and Old Lady Song won't be there, leaving it to First Master Song and Lady Song to manage everything."

"That's nothing to worry about—they'll be back eventually. Once the gifts are delivered, do you think Old Master and Old Lady Song won't find out?" Shen Xiaohai chuckled and leaned comfortably against the back of his chair. "That Eighth Miss Song is rather peculiar, though. She's captivated Qingrang's mind. Last time, he almost made a serious mistake because of her. Better not tell him that Eighth Miss Song has returned this time, or he might cause another mess."

These words resonated with Lady He. Her initial hesitation had been precisely out of fear that her son might lose his sense of priority and start getting close to Eighth Miss Song, risking an inevitable offense to Song Chuyi.

She hastily agreed but hesitated again, saying, "But what about Mother and the Qin's eldest daughter-in-law..."

Old Lady Shen had always valued her natal family highly, especially the accomplished Qin family members. She often boasted about the two Qin girls who became Princess Consort Duan and Lady Duan, never failing to praise them. Whatever tasks they entrusted her with, Old Lady Shen would spare no effort in completing them.

Shen Xiaohai had once felt the same way, but now he no longer wanted to follow this path. Leisurely, he placed his hands behind his head and yawned, saying, "We'll see. It's just a young girl. You can simply say you paid her a visit, and that's that."

All he sought was wealth and prestige, but several times he'd almost been dragged into the vortex surrounding Prince Duan, barely escaping. If not for his quick thinking in sending Old Lady Shen and Lady He to plead with Dowager Consort Zhuang, who knows what disaster might have struck? He had no desire to continue these risky, profitless ventures.

Following the Song family, on the other hand, posed far less risk, especially if they became in-laws. Wouldn't that open even greater opportunities?