The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 2)

Chapter 116 - A Thorny Situation

Shen Huiyi sniffled and sobbed her way back to her room, where she cried alone and thought things over. Ultimately, she decided to give in—Lady He wasn't wrong. Even her second brother, Shen Qingrang, a favored legitimate son cherished by Old Lady Shen, had to show some humility before Song Chuyi for his future prospects. How could she, who wasn't particularly favored, be any different?

This thought rekindled her resentment toward Shen Qingrang. If he hadn't mocked Song Chuyi in front of her when they were younger, telling her how insufferable and annoying Song Chuyi was, perhaps her own dislike wouldn't have grown so deep. She certainly wouldn't have become a pawn for Chen Mingyue, forming such a serious grudge against Song Chuyi. Now, who knew how much effort and how many apologies it would take to mend things. The more she thought about it, the more wronged and miserable she felt. She wrote an invitation to Han Yueheng, hoping she would come and cheer her up—during the national mourning, she'd been closely confined, and with no events or gatherings, her circle of close friends had only been able to communicate through letters.

However, Han Yueheng had plenty of frustrations of her own. When she received the invitation, she didn't even glance at it, tossing it aside in a huff. "If she weren't as touchy as a firecracker, would she have provoked that troublesome Sixth Miss Song? If it weren't for that mess with Sixth Miss Song, I wouldn't be in this situation now!"

At her outburst, all the maids in the room looked at each other nervously, then subtly gestured toward the door, signaling for her to lower her voice.

Han Yueheng followed their gaze, and her defiance melted instantly, like an eggplant left out in the frost. She dared not raise her voice—outside, her strict nanny was seated, the epitome of discipline, quick to brandish her switch if needed.

Ever since the flower festival incident, Lady Fan had washed her hands of Han Yueheng's affairs, bringing in a nanny from the Eastern Palace from Consort Fan's branch to manage her. It was as if they had brought a deity into the house to be worshiped. Constant lessons in etiquette, reprimands for walking too quickly or speaking too loudly, and a tightly managed environment had turned even her once lively maids into meek, obedient figures.

Han Yueheng had rebelled several times, but Lady Fan didn't so much as bat an eye, simply instructing the nanny to continue her teaching without worrying about her daughter's status.

Having received such instructions, the nanny seemed as though she had been granted ca golden branch, standing even taller before Han Yueheng. After two years under her care, Han Yueheng had suffered considerably.

Though Han Yueheng immediately quieted herself, she'd still alerted the nanny doing needlework outside. The nanny pushed the door open, her gaze sweeping over them like a calm, deep well. Noticing the discarded invitation on the floor, she asked, "What's this? Which young lady has displeased ours, to be treated with such disregard?"

Han Yueheng had spent two years under rigorous training, constantly reminded to neither speak nor listen to offensive words. Realizing the trouble, she glanced at her head maid, signaling for help, though her heart pounded with anxiety.

Qiu Yue, well aware of the nanny's temperament, smiled slightly as she stepped forward, picking up the invitation and brushing it off theatrically. "Oh, nanny, you've misunderstood our young lady. It was my fault; I was chatting with Qiu Yu and accidentally knocked over the invitation sent by the Duke's second young lady."

The nanny glanced at them, then turned and left.

Qiu Yu, shaken to her core, approached to lay out a blanket for Han Yueheng and urged her gently, "Miss, please don't let your temper get the best of you again. They were just discussing at the spring hunt that the Ninth Princess's companion selection must be finalized soon. If there's another incident, it'll be hard for the Lady to explain. Even the heir is treading cautiously."

But it wasn't fear of offending Lady Fan that troubled Han Zhi; it was his own frustration.

He had arranged everything meticulously with his cousin, the Prince, to ensure that a certain person would be quietly transported and hidden at the family estate in Suzhou, only for the plan to be disrupted halfway through. Not only disrupted but also resulting in the loss of Wei Yanjun.

The officials investigated for days, unable to find the killer, and even turned their suspicions toward him, claiming he was somehow connected. Because of that, Lady Fan had barely looked at him since.

Losing Wei Yanjun, with whom he shared a close bond, wasn't the real problem—it was losing Song Chunning. He'd gone to great lengths to neutralize the poison in her body, used a death-simulating drug to extract her from the Song household, devised an intricate plan to secretly transport her out in a disguised funeral procession, and had nursed her back to health. Yet, at the final moment, everything fell apart.

Song Chunning was someone even Prince Duan desired fiercely, and after encountering her a few times in Changsha, Han Zhi had been thoroughly impressed. His aunt and cousin believed that if the Crown Prince had a destined figure by his side, they, too, should have one. Driven by this conviction, Han Zhi had wrestled Song Chunning from countless layers of influence, only for it all to crumble in an instant, slipping through his fingers like smoke.

Recalling the matter, Han Zhi ground his teeth audibly, clenching his fists tightly. Whoever had sabotaged his plans had left him swallowing this bitter pill in silence, without even a target for revenge. The frustration had festered in him for two years, nearly choking him.

His already gloomy temperament had grown even more frightening, so much so that Han Yueheng often avoided him, as though he and Lady Fan were both dangerous tigers ready to pounce.

Wei Yanxi stood before him, holding a stack of letters. When Han Zhi finally returned to his senses and moved aside the wine table, Wei Yanxi, expressionless, reported, "We've found a lead. A hunter from that time mentioned seeing several strangers lurking around, described their appearance, and even drew sketches. Recently, our contacts in the capital spotted someone matching the description."

The gloom around Han Zhi intensified. His hand, which held a chess piece mid-air, froze, and he turned sharply toward Wei Yanxi. "You truly found them?"

Wei Yanxi nodded, his expression unchanged. "They caught a glimpse from afar, but locating them will still require some effort."

With a decisive smack, Han Zhi dropped the chess piece onto the board, shattering the game he'd been playing. Standing with his hands clasped behind his back, he sneered, "So, they've finally shown themselves. I'd thought they might never resurface. Track them carefully—don't rush to capture anyone. Follow the trail and expose everyone behind them."

Anyone daring to disrupt his plans and harm his people would pay a price.

His face darkened further as his thoughts drifted unexpectedly to Song Chuyi. His brow furrowed as he added an extra instruction to Wei Yanxi, "Keep a close watch on that girl from the Song family."

The more he thought about it, the more he suspected that only Song Chuyi, aside from his cousin and himself, might have known the plan to send Song Chunning to Suzhou. If she truly had the cleverness and ruthlessness he suspected, then his original perception of her might need to change.