The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 2)

Chapter 128 - Hidden Secrets

The First Lady was helping the Third Lady review Song Chumi's dowry ledger. Although she had previously avoided getting involved in other branches' affairs to maintain harmony, she had, over the years, learned to be more understanding. Seeing the Third Lady constantly troubled and empathetic toward her motherly devotion, she closed the ledger and instructed the servants to bring some soup.

After a while, she asked, "Is Fourth Miss upset about today's palace visit?"

The Third Lady paused, then sighed with a bitter smile. "Though she spent these years confined to the estate, her temperament hasn't changed much. She's still as prone to missteps as ever."

She didn't bring up Song Chumi's remarks about Song Chuyi; over the past few years, it had become clear that Song Chuyi was well-regarded in the household. With Song Chuyi in such a favorable position and the Cui family rising as well, opposing her now would clearly be unwise.

The First Lady understood her concerns without needing further explanation, offering a comforting smile. "She's still young and doesn't know better. Once she's married, everything will fall into place."

Third Lady could only hope so. If her daughter's temperament didn't change, even with the Marquis Residence's support, her married life could end in chaos.

After a busy while, the Third Lady remembered that Song Chumi's inner garments hadn't been sent to Ningde Courtyard—she still needed to match birth charts and find a priestess to bless the garments. She sent someone to check whether dinner had been served in Ningde Courtyard so they could join Old Lady Song for the meal if it hadn't yet started.

Soon, a servant returned to report that dinner had already been served, and Song Chuyi and Xiang Mingzi were accompanying Old Lady Song.

The palace visit had left Song Chubin and Xiang Mingzi both visibly drained. They looked weary and subdued. Old Lady Song could tell that Song Chubin had been frightened, and even Xiang Mingzi—although carefully raised by Song Linlang—had not anticipated ever meeting the Empress and had spent the day anxious about making a mistake. Although her face looked composed, she too seemed worn out. After some laughter, Old Lady Song had Yulan and Ziwei personally escort them back to their rooms.

"Earlier, I refrained from asking since I feared they were startled, but surely the Empress didn't summon you just to excuse you from becoming a study companion, did she?" Old Lady Song reclined on the couch, a thin blanket over her knees. She held Song Chuyi's hand, seating her nearby, and watched as she sipped the acacia honey water in small, careful sips.

If the matter was as simple as that, there would have been no need to bring them into the palace personally. Even with Xiang Mingzi and Song Chubin involved, anyone with some insight could guess that this wasn't just a casual invitation.

Song Chuyi set down her soup bowl and nodded. "Though the Empress did say in front of the Ninth Princess that I wouldn't be her companion, she later asked me privately about the Han family."

The tea lid in Old Lady Song's hand clinked sharply, and her face darkened as she stared at the tea leaves floating up and down in her cup. After a long pause, she finally looked up, her brows furrowed in disbelief. "She asked about the Han family?"

Though the Han family had quickly distanced themselves from the Zhang family after the recent scandal, word had still spread through teahouses and theaters. The rumor was that the Han family, ungrateful and ruthless, had abandoned the Zhang family as soon as their fortunes fell—a tale so heartlessly done that it enraged people. Such gossip, with the appeal of a tragic love story, had captured everyone's interest: Miss Zhang, upon hearing of her broken engagement, hanged herself in despair. A loyal woman paired with a heartless man—who wouldn't want to discuss such a story? Now, it was not only all over faraway Yangzhou but also widely known in the streets of the capital.

At a time when everyone was avoiding any connection with the Han family, why would the Empress ask about them now?

Seeing Old Lady Song's surprise, Song Chuyi softened her tone and sighed. "I also thought the question strange. But the Empress truly did ask me how I was connected with the Han family."

Old Lady Song had already set her teacup down, giving Song Chuyi a deep, searching look.

The Empress had specifically asked how Song Chuyi was connected to the Han family, not how the Song family was connected to the Han family, implying it wasn't about Han Zhi's journey with them to the capital from Qingzhou.

But aside from that, what other link could there be between Song Chuyi and Han Zhi? Old Lady Song recalled how, after meeting Han Zhi and his cousin at the villa, Song Chuyi had fallen ill. She also remembered how, over the past two years, Song Chuyi had frequently sought assistance from the Cui family. She furrowed her brow and asked, "So, how did you respond?"

Realizing that she and her grandmother were on the same page, Song Chuyi looked up into her eyes and answered, "I said that aside from the journey to the capital two years ago, there was no other connection with the Han family. The Empress didn't say anything further, only remarked that it was a casual question. But her expression made it clear that it wasn't as casual as she claimed."

If it were just an offhand question, would she have summoned her to the palace just to ask it? The Empress hadn't even gone through Noble Consort Song to make the inquiry.

Old Lady Song grasped Song Chuyi's hand, letting out a cold laugh. "The Han family has its sights set on us."

To be precise, it wasn't just the Han family—it was also Consort Fan and Zhou Weiqi behind them.

Lady Fan, known for her reserved nature, kept a low profile and rarely attended palace banquets, claiming illness nine out of ten times. Her reputation had never been entirely favorable, so she kept a careful distance from others.

In the Empress's presence, however, the only one in the Han family with any influence was her elder sister, Consort Fan.

"I always thought it was too coincidental that Han Zhi came before me like that. Now, I see it truly was." Old Lady Song's tone was laced with sarcasm. "Without so much as trying to foster a connection with us directly, he sought out his dear aunt to appeal to the Empress instead. What audacity."

He had likely realized over these two years that the Song family was not an easy target, so he had decided to forgo even the opportunity of trying his luck with them directly, aiming instead to get a royal marriage decree with Consort Fan's support.

Recalling the recent scandal with the Zhang family from the Yangzhou Weaving Bureau, it all seemed like the kind of thing Zhou Weiqi and Consort Fan would do.

Was this a plan to expose the discord within the Eastern Palace? The Song family had openly sided with Zhou Weizhao, so for Zhou Weiqi to pull a move like this wasn't anything but an attempt to poach allies. But what did the Empress mean by this? Zhou Weizhao was not only her grandnephew but also her grandson. Could she really be inclined to support Zhou Weiqi? Or was her true purpose today simply to probe and see if Song Chuyi had any personal intentions toward the Han family?