The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 2)

Chapter 75 - Reputation

Lady Li took a moment to recall who Guo Yantang was, and then, surprised, remarked, "So Guo Huaiying, that notorious playboy, actually requested to leave the capital back then. Now, it seems he's serving as an inspector in Zhejiang..."

Shen Yang, who was close friends with Cui Zhanmei, had even stayed at the Cui family residence for a period as a child.

Old Lady Song set the card aside and instructed Third Master Song, "Ci'er, please invite this Young Master Guo to the study and see what brings him here."

Song Chuyi, equally curious, wondered what this Guo Yantang was doing in Qingzhou at this time. Ordinarily, he should be either in Zhejiang with his family or returning to the capital for the New Year. Why would he suddenly appear in Qingzhou?

Seeing a guest had arrived, Lady Li took her leave, despite Old Lady Song's repeated attempts to persuade her to stay. In the end, Old Lady Song personally escorted her to the door.

Lady Li, touched, quickly stopped her, smiling, "Oh, Aunt, I'm truly flattered. There's no need for you to see me off. I wanted to ask if you'd consider joining us in Jinan for the New Year instead of rushing back to the capital?"

Snow often blocked the roads in the northern regions during winter. Even if they tried to make it back to the capital, heavy snowfall could delay their journey by one or two months. The Song family had already endured a long trip to Shandong, and if they rushed to return, it might be too taxing on their health.

Old Lady Song thanked Lady Li for the kind offer but declined gracefully. "Perhaps after the New Year, I'll bring Xiao Yi to Jinan to see you."

After bidding Lady Li farewell, Old Lady Song instructed Yushu and Yulan to assist her in changing clothes, then turned to Song Chuyi and said, "Xiao Yi, you should change as well. You'll accompany Grandmother on an outing shortly."

Today, since Song Chuyi was heading out to see the commotion, she had already changed into attire suitable for receiving guests. However, Old Lady Song insisted she change once more. Luyi, feeling a bit puzzled, remarked, "It doesn't seem like we're going to the temple..."

Qingtao, who was discussing the clothing change with Ziyun, laughed at Luyi's comment. "Judging by this, it doesn't look like we're headed to a temple. I'd say Grandmother's going to..."

Luyi caught on quickly and stuck out her tongue, a touch of excitement in her voice. "I'd love to go too, just to see if Lady Xiang dares to act arrogant anymore."

By this time, Song Chuyi had changed into her clothes—a pines-and-red jacket with an eight-panel skirt in primrose yellow, gifted last winter by First Lady Song. Standing amidst the snow-covered landscape, she was impossible to miss.

Old Lady Song looked her over approvingly, smiling at the pearls adorning her hair and the delicate, intricately crafted jade hairpins. Taking her hand, she led her onto the carriage.

"Did you see Lady Xiang today?" Once seated comfortably in the soft, well-furnished interior, Old Lady Song's expression turned slightly cold. "What did you make of her?"

Since the marriage arrangements had all been handled by Xiang Yunzhang and his family's elder, Old Lady Song had never met her supposed in-law. Although she'd heard from Yunhe and others that Lady Xiang was rather sharp, she had only imagined it until now.

Song Chuyi coughed lightly and replied honestly, "Quite unlike any of the other aunts or mistresses we've met... when she gets excited, she even sits on the ground and half-talks, half-sings..."

Old Lady Song chuckled, her headscarf adding to her dignified and kind appearance. "Let's hope she's still able to laugh when we see her."

By now, Nanny Huang was likely at Lady Xiang's with the dowry list, pressing her to return every item. Given Lady Xiang's penchant for theatrics, she was probably crying and screaming on the ground as they spoke.

Old Lady Song guessed correctly: the Xiang family was in complete chaos. Lady Xiang sat on the ground clutching her youngest grandson, wailing, "What money? What money?! When did our Xiang family ever use even a penny of hers? She spends money like water, eating bird's nest and fish maw as if it were porridge—don't those cost money?! She's already squandered everything herself, and now you come asking us for money... you're clearly trying to drive this widow and her children to ruin!"

Her son was already in prison, awaiting transfer to the Ministry of Justice, and Concubine Bai was sentenced for autumn execution. Without money, how could she bribe officials for her son's sake? How could she raise these grandchildren? She absolutely could not hand over any of it...

As Song Chuyi helped Old Lady Song into the room, they saw Lady Xiang rolling on the ground. Despite the cold weather, she was dressed warmly enough, but the little boy, who looked only about three or four, was both confused and shivering, his face pale with fear.

The refined ladies Song Chuyi had encountered were adept at taking their daughters-in-law's dowries discreetly, maintaining a veneer of decorum. In her past life, for instance, Lady He had quietly eaten away at her dowry in small, unnoticeable steps, leaving her no grounds to protest. But she had never seen someone like Old Madam Xiang, who believed that being openly unreasonable would get her what she wanted.

Old Lady Song, who had seen all manner of people in her life, had even known noble families who had risen from humble beginnings. But she'd never witnessed anyone who disregarded their dignity so thoroughly, leaving her momentarily stunned.

Lady Xiang, however, released her grip on the child and lunged toward Old Lady Song, clutching her legs and refusing to let go, tears and snot flowing together as she sobbed, "In-law! You can't do this to us! This will ruin the Xiang family... After so many years as in-laws, isn't there some bond between us?"

Old Lady Song, both furious and amused, couldn't help but laugh. With a glance from her, Nanny Qin stepped forward, pried Lady Xiang's hands away, and helped her up.

"Bond?" Old Lady Song's voice rose as she looked at the scowling, squinting Lady Xiang. "Talking about bond with me? My family are the victims here! Your son indulged a concubine to the point where she mistreated my daughter, finally poisoning her with a bowl of poison. And now, you're here talking about 'bond'?"

She let out a cold laugh, her face chilling with disdain. "Moreover, in all these years as in-laws, I've never once seen a proper holiday gift from your family; it was always my daughter who covered up your family's lack of propriety. For all our celebrations and gatherings, not even a ghost from your household showed up. And you want to talk about 'bond'? Pardon me, but I see no bond left between us. I only know that my daughter was killed by your family! And I know that the governor has ruled on this case, granting her a divorce from your son. By all rights, her dowry should be returned to us in full!"

Lady Xiang spat on her hands, her small, wrinkled eyes gleaming with calculation. "In-law, think of it this way: we live far apart—how easy is it to visit each other? And you know Linlang's health was always frail. She couldn't go without ginseng and deer antler, bird's nest, and fish maw. Don't those cost money?"