The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 2)

Chapter 86 - Trouble

Seeing the young girl's life nearly ruined at such a young age, all because he had pressured her into acting as an informant, Song Jue, raised as a gentleman and soft-hearted, couldn't bear to see her life destroyed like this. His moment of compassion led him to summon a physician.

But he soon discovered the immense trouble this moment of mercy had brought him.

Three days later, the First and Second Masters of the Li family arrived together, demanding to see their niece. They wouldn't even sip the tea served, let alone listen to what Song Jue had to say.

"I've never heard of such behavior!" The First Master Li spoke hoarsely, looking at Song Jue with visible impatience. "It's been nearly two months since our niece returned, and we haven't seen her once. Every time we come, you all make excuses and refuse to let us meet her. What kind of conduct is that? I know my sister made mistakes, but Ning'er is not only her daughter—she's a child of the Song family, too. Don't you think it's too harsh to treat her this way?"

Compared to his brother, Second Master Li was much more composed. After his brother finished, he looked at Song Jue with a calm expression. "My elder brother may have been a bit blunt, but he has a point. Even if our families can no longer be bound by marriage, we're still old family friends. It's a bit heartless of you to treat a young girl so poorly, not even allowing her outside family a single visit. With the New Year approaching and her illness so severe that she can't even visit us for the holiday, surely there's no harm in letting us see her?"

Outside the Marquis's residence, new lanterns were hung, swaying fiercely in the northern wind. Song Jue glanced out the window and, after careful consideration, used the excuse prepared by the imperial physician. "Please understand, my honored uncles. It's not that we refuse to let you see her. It's simply that Eighth Miss's illness is highly contagious..."

First Master Li finally let out a cold laugh, casting a haughty, elder-like gaze over Song Jue as he remarked, "Whether this illness is real or fake is hard to say. And as her uncles, why would we not see her just because she's seriously ill? The recent fire at the Marquis's residence is already widely known on the streets. Rumor has it the fire started near Ning'er's quarters. What exactly is the Marquis of Changning up to?"

"Oh? And may I ask where you heard that from?" First Master Song entered, still in his formal guest attire, and, after glancing at the two men from the Li family, immediately pressed further. "In fact, I was just about to ask you both about that. We sent people to investigate and found that the rumor about the fire at our residence originated from a storyteller at Juyi Tower. This storyteller claims it was leaked by a steward from your own household's kitchen..."

With a rare hint of aggression, First Master Song sneered and asked, "We'd like to know what's going on, but here you are, arriving first to demand answers from us."

First Master Li, startled, exchanged a glance with Second Master Li, then lowered his head, coughing a few times as he felt a hot flush of embarrassment. However, recalling the Old Master's instructions, he braced himself and tried to defend their stance, "That's only because you've prevented us from seeing her! We don't even know if she's dead or alive, and you go to such lengths to keep us from her. What else could we do?"

"So you thought it reasonable to accuse our family of setting fire to harm our own young lady?" First Master Song interrupted, glancing at them meaningfully. "Careful, such accusations may twist your tongue. Our family has already preserved the Li family's dignity concerning Lady Li's matter. And that fire last time, which stirred up the Capital Patrol, we all know what that was about. If you force us to tear down the pretense, it's true our family might lose some face, but for your family, it would be far more damaging. Don't you agree?"

With both Old Master Song and Old Lady Song currently out of the capital, First Master Song's stance represented the Song family's position. Lacking the courage to escalate things further, the Li brothers left the Song residence, crestfallen.

After all, they had children of their own, with daughters already engaged. If Song Chuning's matter became public, the Song family might be embarrassed, but for the Li family, it would be more than a mere loss of face.

They couldn't afford this risk—especially now, as the Crown Prince's son and another high-ranking prince were soon to select a tutor. Old Master Li was a likely candidate, and if news of Song Chuning's scandal broke, it would ruin any chance.

As they departed, Second Master Li sighed, looking at his elder brother with a hint of disdain as he muttered, "Honestly, she's only suffering due to her own ruthlessness. She never leaves herself a way out. The Song family doesn't even realize she played a part in Song Yi's troubles. If they knew..."

"Shut up!" Old Master Li tossed his brush at him, his beard bristling with anger. "Do you think you can talk like that? If you start spouting nonsense after a few drinks, let's see how many lives you have to spare! What's Song Yi's matter got to do with us? He's being impeached by a censor for his own crimes. How does that concern Ning'er or our family? Others can't distance themselves fast enough, but you're here tossing the blame onto our own heads!"

Second Master Li, who had always been as fearful of his father as one might be of a tiger, felt a flicker of defiance but didn't dare argue further in the face of Old Master Li's fury.

The elder brother stepped in to mediate. "Second Brother knows his limits; he wouldn't say such things outside." Noticing Old Master Li's expression soften slightly, he continued, "Father, I think Second Brother has a point. There's no need to tear things apart with the Marquis of Changning's family over Eighth Miss... You're on the brink of becoming the future imperial tutor..."

Old Master Li cast a dark glance at his two sons, sighing heavily as he sat back in his armchair. "Do you think it's that simple? Eighth Miss connected us with Prince Duan. Our business outside the Pass depends on his favor. Do you really think we can just walk away if we wish?"

Had it not been for Prince Duan's subtle hint to protect Song Chuning, he wouldn't have risked completely severing ties with the Marquis's family by repeatedly causing them offense.

Besides, he'd heard rumors that his chance to be appointed as the Crown Prince's heir's tutor might not be as certain as they thought—he seemed more inclined toward Lu Mengting, the Director of the Imperial Academy.

"Then there's no other solution? Prince Duan may be valuable, but the Crown Prince's health is visibly improving day by day..." Second Master Li said anxiously. "Do we really need to tie ourselves to Prince Duan just for some business interests beyond the Pass?"

The elder brother was equally troubled. "You make it sound simple, but if we back out now, do you realize how much trouble we'll face? Besides, given our family's situation, without that income from the business beyond the Pass, we might barely manage to make ends meet..."