The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 2)

Chapter 85 - Destiny

Song Chuning hadn't anticipated that her meticulously crafted plan would fail so utterly—she'd even released numerous carrier pigeons beforehand to mislead everyone, counting on this fire to burn spectacularly, enough to alarm even the Imperial City.

The dry branches, soaked in kerosene, should have ignited instantly. The northeast wind blew strongly, yet, somehow, the fire just never took hold.

The useless Song family's servants seemed genuinely afraid of her, bowing their heads and murmuring as softly as mosquitoes, "Miss, it's time to take your medicine."

In truth, it had only been a month and a half since returning from Changsha, but Song Chuning had already lost a noticeable amount of weight. Her once rosy and radiant face, nurtured during her time in Changsha, had grown thin, her cheeks sunken, making her cheekbones stand out even more. She looked significantly more haggard than she had in Changsha.

She glanced at Cuiguo, frowning slightly. The young girl had even arranged for her to stay at Hexiang Pavilion—like Chuzhou Hall, it was surrounded by water on three sides. The Song family had prepared in advance, putting out any flames as soon as they sparked, all rushing to douse the fire entirely.

Song Jue had even forcibly taken away all the servants she had brought back from Changsha, along with the nannies sent from the palace. Those were her last bargaining chips—these servants weren't ordinary laborers but had some martial skills. She had specifically requested them from Prince Duan's wetnurse for this reason.

Cuiguo entered quietly with a bowl of medicine. After a few coughs that finally cleared the metallic taste from her throat, Song Chuning sneered and asked, "What is this medicine?"

Cuiguo lowered her head further, casting a quick glance at Lushan, who was ironing clothes with no interest in the world outside the window. Trembling, Cuiguo replied, "It... it's an antidote made by Nanny Sun..."

The smile vanished from Song Chuning's face, replaced by a cold, forced smirk as she looked at her. Suddenly, she reached out and beckoned her closer, "Cuiguo, come a bit closer."

Following orders, Cuiguo took a few steps forward, feeling a chill seep from her feet straight to her heart, making her shiver despite the thick autumn trousers she wore.

"This medicine is an antidote made by Nanny Sun?" Song Chuning's lips curved as she looked at her, appearing quite pleased.

Song Chuning took the medicine bowl from Cuiguo's hands, leaving her feeling empty-handed and uneasy. Cuiguo clasped her hands behind her back, nervously pulling out a smile as cold sweat dripped down her back. "Yes... yes, it's the antidote..."

Song Chuning stopped smiling. She stared straight at Cuiguo's face, then suddenly overturned the entire bowl of medicine onto Cuiguo's face.

Though it was the dead of winter, the herbal medicine in the bowl was still scalding hot. Cuiguo let out a sharp, piercing scream, clutching her face in agony as she rolled on the floor.

Lushan, unable to ignore it any longer, hurriedly stepped forward, yet she dared not help Cuiguo up, only standing anxiously nearby, frozen in place.

Song Chuning, holding onto the bedpost, sat up. Her eyes remained cold as ever, showing no trace of anger—only emptiness.

But Cuiguo, terrified out of her wits, paid no mind to her face, now red and even beginning to blister from the burns. She quickly crawled to Song Chuning's bedside, pleading, "Please, miss, have mercy on me... please spare me..."

Song Chuning remained silent for a moment, watching with interest as Cuiguo frantically wiped at her eyes, her face rubbed raw where the scalded skin had peeled under her sleeve. Only then did Song Chuning feel a slight lessening of the hatred in her heart.

But only slightly. Grabbing Cuiguo's chin, she forced her to look her in the eye, each word squeezed out as if through gritted teeth, "Why did you betray me?!"

Why use the very tactic she once used against Song Chuyi against her now?!

"Why did I make the same mistake that Song Chuyi once did?! Why, after preparing everything so meticulously, did I still lose?!"

Her grip tightened as she coldly watched Cuiguo struggle, itching to scratch her face but unable to. She demanded again, with icy disdain, "I asked you, why did you betray me?! Why did you go out and inform those guards outside the courtyard that there would be a fire? And why did you lie to me that this bowl of medicine was the antidote made by Nanny Sun?!"

Lushan, terrified, clutched the hem of her clothes tightly, watching Cuiguo's agony with a face so pale she looked on the verge of fainting, biting her lip hard to keep from crying out.

Cuiguo struggled to open her mouth, her voice filled with sobs as she begged, "I... I had no choice, miss, I had no choice... My father was in Changsha, but now, with Second Master in trouble, he's returning... The eldest young master... the eldest young master said if I didn't do this, he'd sell my father to the mines..."

With all her strength, Song Chuning kicked her to the ground, bracing herself against the bed, panting heavily with fury.

Cuiguo knelt on the floor, trembling uncontrollably, the pain on her face combined with overwhelming fear nearly causing her to pass out on the spot.

The room had descended into chaos.

Finally, there was movement outside. A stern-looking, flat-faced nanny entered, frowning as she took in the scene, casting a glance at Cuiguo's burned and disfigured face. She bent down, lifted Cuiguo, and began to lead her out.

"Wait!" Song Chuning called out, her voice loud and commanding, her gaze sweeping over them. She lowered her tone, saying, "Tell the eldest young master to come see me."

The stern-faced nanny looked back at her, expression unchanged, and continued out the door with Cuiguo.

The door closed with a loud clang. Song Chuning leaned back against her pillow, feeling a wave of exhaustion and helplessness wash over her like a tidal wave, overwhelming her completely.

"Close the window," she said after a while, finally mustering enough strength to speak. Only after Lǜshān had closed the window did she slump back against the pillow, slowly closing her eyes.

Lushan stepped forward to tuck the blanket around her, hesitating a moment before nervously asking, "Miss, Cuiguo won't... because of her parents..."

Without opening her eyes, Song Chuning turned to lie on her side, easing the pain in her chest. After a pause, she finally spoke, her voice cold and faint, "If she doesn't care about her brother's life, she can try again."

Lushan shivered—Song Chuning had placed Cuiguo's parents under Song Yi's service, while her younger siblings studied elsewhere, a location known only to Song Chuning herself.

Song Jue was startled by Cuiguo's miserable state. Although he had heard of Song Chuning's ruthlessness, he had never witnessed it firsthand. Now, seeing it for himself, he understood why everyone feared her.

The young maid's face was now unrecognizable from the scalding hot soup, with blisters even forming on her neck. Feeling a hint of pity, Song Jue sighed and instructed someone to fetch a physician for Cuiguo.