The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 2)

Chapter 95 - Control

Song Chuyi had heard of the formidable tales of the Fan sisters. It was said that, back then, the Crown Prince nearly drove his already-betrothed Crown Princess Lu to the point of hanging herself, all because of Consort Fan.

However, Lu Shi was the Empress's own niece, a flawless choice for Crown Princess. In the end, the Crown Prince couldn't overcome the authority of his elders and reluctantly agreed to marry Lu Shi as Crown Princess. However, he made a condition to the Empress—that the Fan family's daughter be made Consort Fan.

The Crown Prince's health was poor, and the Empress couldn't push him too far, so she eventually agreed.

Later, Lu Shi gave birth to the Crown Prince's eldest son, Zhou Weizhao, and shortly thereafter, Fan Shi gave birth to Zhou Weiqi the following year.

Those years in the Eastern Palace were anything but peaceful. When Zhou Weizhao was born, an unusual celestial event led many to believe that he was a heavenly blessing, and he was highly favored by Emperor Jianzhang and Empress Lu.

But when Zhou Weizhao was five, he almost died from a severe illness.

Crown Princess Lu personally asked Emperor Jianzhang and the Empress to send Zhou Weizhao to Mount Longhu, which is how Zhou Weizhao ended up spending seven or eight years growing up there.

Song Chuyi carefully combed through her memories from her past life and realized something chilling—Zhou Weizhao died while traveling back for mourning, but both Zhou Weiqi and Consort Fan survived without harm.

Especially Zhou Weiqi—he went on to be granted the title of Prince of Jiujiang and even brought his mother with him to his fief...

She had always assumed that Zhou Weizhao's death in her past life was orchestrated by Prince Duan, but now it seemed far more complicated, causing her to clench her fists in frustration.

Old Lady Song shook her head as she hugged Song Chuyi. "The matter of the Fan sisters back then really caused a stir, even making its way to the stage of the Hongyun Troupe... Fortunately, they eventually toned things down, and it's been so quiet these past years that I almost forgot about them."

Perhaps it wasn't restraint, but rather conserving strength and waiting for the perfect moment to strike?

Song Chuyi smiled and brought up Shen Huiyi. "Speaking of which, I also received an invitation from the Shen family. Duke Ying's household is also hosting a gathering. But even in my dreams, as familiar as I am with Duke Ying's household, I've never heard of them having connections with the Marquis of Jinxiang's family."

Old Lady Song let out a cold laugh. "You might not know this, but the Shen family, Fan family, and Han family are ashamed of their connection, so they rarely mention it. The Marquis of Jinxiang, Han Zhengqing, had a first wife before Fan Shi, and that wife was the sister of the current heir of Duke Ying's household. She passed away due to poor health."

So her cousin—whose origins had been unknown in her previous life—turned out to have such a background.

Duke Ying's household maintained such close relationships with the children of the Marquis of Jinxiang's second wife, which was surprising and, frankly, a bit incomprehensible.

In her mind, Song Chuyi's regard for both the Han and Shen families dropped even further. She frowned at Shen Huiyi's invitation—could it also be tied to Han Yu's influence?

Recalling the letter Ye Jingchuan had delivered in Qingzhou, her brows furrowed even more tightly.

In this life, Song Chuyi had no intention of provoking Shen Qingrang again. However, if Shen Qingrang insisted on clinging to her as he did in the past... Thinking of her son, Ran'er, and Song Yan, all the smile on her face turned into a cold, murderous intent.

Just as Old Lady Song finished explaining the connections, First Lady Song, who had taken Xiang Mingzi to see her new room, returned, holding her hand.

Old Lady Song smiled and explained to Xiang Mingzi, "It's not quite suitable for you to live alone in a courtyard like your cousin does just yet. When the weather gets warmer, we'll prepare a separate place for you. Are you satisfied with the current arrangements?"

Xiang Mingzi, with slightly teary eyes, nodded heavily.

The First Lady had put in the effort, knowing that this cousin could not be treated lightly. She had completely redecorated the small house that Song Chuyi used to stay in, putting in a new huanghuali canopy bed adorned with flowers from the south. Even the screen was a huanghuali carving of the "Immortals Pointing the Way" motif, making the room both elegant and luxurious.

Seeing that Xiang Mingzi was satisfied, Old Lady Song became even more affectionate towards the First Lady. "This year, your father and I were not home for the New Year, so you had to manage the household and take care of the children, which must have been a lot of work."

The First Lady quickly waved her hand with a smile. "It's all part of my responsibilities. What the Old Lady said really flatters me."

As they talked, the topic shifted to Song Yi. "Today, Eldest Son came by to pay his respects, but then he went out to meet with colleagues, so I didn't have a chance to ask him. Do you know what the current situation is with Second Son?"

The First Lady glanced at Song Chuyi, seeing her sitting upright without lifting her eyelids. She sighed before saying, "It's a bit troublesome. This case is being overseen by the Ministry of Justice. Although Minister Cen is an acquaintance, there is a victim and evidence in this case, which makes it quite challenging."

Old Lady Song also knew how difficult the situation was. Even while she was still in Qingzhou, she had sent people to Changsha to investigate—the person framing Song Yi was clearly prepared and had thought of everything, creating an almost perfect trap.

She glanced at Song Chuyi and couldn't help but sigh again. "Chuyi, I know this matter is indeed your father's just deserts—if he hadn't insisted on bringing trouble upon himself, no one could have harmed him."

Old Lady Song paused, rubbing her temples with some exhaustion. "But you're a smart child. You know that if something happens to your father, Yan'er will also be affected..."

Song Chuyi understood that Old Lady Song probably still had some means left; she clearly wanted Chuyi to take action, hoping to use her knowledge from the dreams to secure Song Yi's future at the lowest possible cost. Song Chuyi, too, had no intention of completely crushing Song Yi—if that were the case, dividing the family would have even greater consequences. Allowing Lady Fang to continue with Song Chuning's plan was only to let Song Yi clearly see the truth beneath Song Chuning's obedient facade.

She had understood Song Yi's nature thoroughly, knew exactly what kind of person he was, and knew what it would take for him to fully align himself with her and Yan'er again, even if it meant settling down without any further progress in his career.

No other reason—just finding him a target to hate and blame would suffice.

She had no illusions about the concept of fatherhood, long understanding that even between close kin, there could be distances and divisions. However, she could not allow Song Yi to drag her and Song Yan down.

Other than Han Yu's unexpected appearance and the Ninth Princess, everything else was proceeding as planned. She adjusted her clothes and raised her head to meet Old Lady Song's gaze. "Grandmother, perhaps there is a way worth trying."