The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 2)

Chapter 93 - Scheming

It only took one night for Song Chuyi to recover from her initial shock. By the next morning, when Yushu came by, worried, she found Song Chuyi already seated by the window, calmly sipping porridge.

Today's porridge was nourishing, designed to replenish her strength, with eight different flavors arranged into floral patterns on the table. The spread, along with the blooming narcissus on the table, made the meal even more appetizing.

Seeing that, though Song Chuyi's lips were still a bit chapped and dark circles lingered under her eyes, her appetite and spirits seemed well enough, Yushu finally relaxed. Bringing over a crystal bottle, she sighed, "Last night gave us all quite a scare. If you weren't feeling better today, the Old Lady would have gone to the capital to summon an imperial physician."

Opening the crystal bottle, she poured a full cup of rose nectar into a jade cup and brought it to Song Chuyi with a smile. "Since you've just recovered from a fever, I imagine your throat must still feel dry. The Old Lady specifically had me bring you some rose nectar."

Setting down her bowl, Song Chuyi rinsed her mouth and took a sip, smiling brightly, showing no signs of yesterday's distress. "Thank you, Sister Yushu, for coming by. I'll go pay my respects to Grandmother in a bit."

Yushu handed the crystal bottle to Ziyun, instructing her to serve it to Song Chuyi again after lunch, then shook her head with a smile. "No need. The Old Lady specifically mentioned that you should focus on resting well for now. She'll come by to see you herself in the evening when she has some free time."

"Free time? In the evening?" Song Chuyi's mind raced. They weren't returning to the capital today?

Noticing her curiosity, Yushu readily explained, "The Marquis of Jinxiang's household sent someone to thank our Old Lady. The young marquis is returning to the capital today, so the Old Lady has been busy with that. And by this afternoon, the Guo family is also expected. It seems we'll be staying here another day."

Song Chuyi showed no particular reaction, simply nodding and thanking Yushu for the information, watching as Ziyun escorted her out.

After Yushu left, Song Chuyi stood up and drifted over to the long table, idly holding the ink monkey, lost in thought. The appearance of a child who looked identical to Ran'er from her past life, combined with Han Zhi's deliberate act of bringing the boy over from the villa, clearly pointed to ulterior motives.

Seeing her lost in thought, Luyi couldn't help but speak up. "Miss, what's the matter? Why did that child frighten you so much yesterday?"

This was unlike Song Chuyi, who typically remained calm even in the face of disaster. Her ashen face and wide, fixed stare from the day before still lingered in Luyi's mind, having left her quite shaken.

Song Chuyi shook her head and asked Luyi to fetch her cloak.

Since this villa was managed by people close to her, all the attendants in her courtyard were trustworthy. She felt no need to be overly cautious. After slipping on her cloak and pulling up her hood, she headed toward Ye Jingchuan's courtyard—he always stayed in the same place whenever he visited.

When she arrived, Ye Jingchuan had just finished practicing his swordsmanship. Seeing her, he quickly approached. "How did a little kid manage to scare you into falling ill? People would laugh if they heard."

Song Chuyi wasn't concerned about people laughing. She sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, lost in thought for a moment before turning to ask, "How well do you know Han Zhi?"

Ye Jingchuan frowned, puzzled by her question about Han Zhi. But recalling her reaction yesterday upon seeing Han Zhi and the child, he felt he might understand her concern. Shaking his head, he replied, "Not very well. He's similar to the Crown Prince's heir—always rumored to be sickly. While the Crown Prince's heir was sent to Longhu Mountain, Han Zhi's family followed suit, seeking renowned doctors everywhere, so he's rarely in the capital."

Noticing her somewhat blank expression, he probed cautiously, "What's going on? You seem unusually interested in his family's affairs."

Song Chuyi shook her head. It was clear she wouldn't get much from Ye Jingchuan on this. In her past life, she had known little about Han Zhi as well, as he had spent most of his life away from the capital, leaving many noble ladies with little insight into him.

Seeing her disappointed expression, Ye Jingchuan thought for a moment, then patted his chest confidently. "While I don't know much, my older brother probably does. Don't worry—I'll go ask him. He studied in Taizhou for a few years and spent time with Han Zhi there."

Song Chuyi was well-versed in the family trees of most households in the capital. Yet the Marquis of Jinxiang's household had kept an unusually low profile, with little more than the legacy of generations stationed in Datong. But now, it seemed there was much more to them.

Han Zhi had deliberately chosen to connect with the Marquis's household on their departure date from the Qingzhou relay station, traveling with them all the way, then made a special effort in Tongzhou to bring his young cousin into her view... Clearly, he wasn't doing all this for idle amusement.

He was waiting for her to take the bait. He must have guessed that she wouldn't be able to let go of this child.

Drawing herself out of her thoughts, she nodded to Ye Jingchuan. "Thank you for looking into it for me. By the way, do you know which family's daughter is now married to the Young Marquis of Jinxiang?"

Ye Jingchuan suddenly slapped the table as he recalled, "Right! His mother is actually quite prominent—She is the younger sister of the current Crown Prince's Consort Fan"

Consort Fan?! The same legendary Consort who had once made the Crown Prince defy his family's wishes and refuse to marry a girl from the Lu family?

Song Chuyi felt that her assumptions were veering in the wrong direction. She had thought Han Zhi must have some connection to Prince Duan, but it seemed that wasn't the case after all.

But if he had no connection to Prince Duan, how did he know about her past life? Could it be that he was truly reborn? Or was he simply playing both sides, involved with both Prince Duan and Consort Fan?

She couldn't make sense of it all. Since the truth hadn't been uncovered yet, she decided not to dwell on it further. Smiling at Ye Jingchuan, she changed the subject. "By the way, aren't you supposed to visit Lord Guo after the New Year? We just returned with Lord Guo's legitimate son, Guo Yantang, and he's currently at the villa. You should spend some time with him and get to know him better."

Ye Jingchuan grinned, flashing his bright white teeth. "When I went to pay my respects to the Old Lady yesterday, she introduced us. He doesn't spend much time in the capital, so we hadn't had a chance to develop a rapport before. But after just a few exchanges, I could tell he's not a fool."