The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 2)

Chapter 195 - Seeking Opportunity

Old Lady Song wasn't surprised that the Ninth Princess and Noble Consort Xian had shown interest in this. After the incident with the Japanese envoys, they probably felt even more urgency to secure the Ninth Princess's marriage. If not Japan, the next request for a marriage alliance might come from Korea. With Japan being pressured by Guo Huaiying, they were likely close to surrendering and could soon send another delegation seeking peace—and perhaps another request for a royal marriage. An arranged marriage abroad was seldom a desirable prospect, and with Noble Consort Xian having recently lost a beloved, dutiful son, and Ninth Princess's once-exalted status with the Emperor now diminished due to her arrogance, it was only natural for them to start planning for themselves.

As for how the news got out... Old Lady Song curled her lips into a mocking smile. There was no mystery there. Old Lady Chen likely intended to use this information to boost Chen Mingyu's reputation but didn't want the Song family to reap any real benefit from it. So, she found a way to leak it to the anxious Noble Consort Xian and Ninth Princess, hoping they would disrupt any chance of the Song and Shen families forming a marriage alliance.

What surprised her was that the Empress would share the news that Noble Consort Xian and Ninth Princess had already begun covertly contacting the Shen family with Noble Consort Song. What did this signify? Was the Empress intensifying her efforts to draw in the Song family? Or did it mean that she also didn't want Noble Consort Xian and Ninth Princess to regain influence by allying with the Shen family and potentially turning Prince Lu into another Prince Duan?

It could very well be both. Either way, being prepared was better than being caught off guard. She smiled and thanked Zhuying, asking her to relay a message to Noble Consort Song: "Please tell Her Highness not to worry. Hastiness won't solve anything, and they won't be too overtly unseemly. Let's wait until the fifteenth when we can discuss matters in the palace. And remind her to take care of herself and not trouble herself over such matters."

With this, Zhuying's concern eased. She nodded in acknowledgment and added with a smile, "Her Highness also mentioned that, if possible, she'd love for Old Lady to bring Sixth Miss Song along to the palace. She's missed her and doesn't mind any concerns about appearances."

But the Ninth Princess would surely care about appearances. Recently, after her serious illness, the Emperor had once again begun indulging her. Who knew if she might seize this opportunity to stir up trouble? Old Lady Song understood, however, that Noble Consort Song had something important to discuss with Song Chuyi, so she agreed. "Once she's feeling better, I'll bring her to the palace to visit Her Highness."

After Zhuying left, Old Lady Song leaned back against her cushion to rest for a moment, then instructed Yushu to invite Old Master Song and Song Jue to join her for dinner in Ningde Court. Since Xiang Mingzi and Song Chuyi usually dined there as well, there was no need to send for them separately.

Once the meal was finished, and dessert of silver ear custard had been served, Old Lady Song shared what Zhuying had told her. "It seems Noble Consort Xian has been frightened out of her wits by the recent events and fears Ninth Princess might be hastily married off without finding a suitable prince consort. That's why she's so keen on the Shen family..."

Noble Consort Xian wouldn't give up easily. Even if Prince Lu was resigned to his fate, she'd push him not to be. Otherwise, she wouldn't be fixating on the Shen family.

Song Jue scoffed, his brow furrowing. "Old Lady Chen truly is crafty. On one hand, she leaks the news to us, acting as if she's rooting for us. On the other, she's terrified we'll succeed, so she runs off to Noble Consort Xian to sow discord, hoping to disgust us."

The concerns of the Ninth Princess were mirrored—and even amplified—for Noble Consort Song and Eleventh Princess. After all, when those so-called Japanese envoys requested a marriage alliance, the Emperor had not intended for the Ninth Princess to be the chosen one but had initially considered the Eleventh Princess.

As Noble Consort Xian feared, if Japan lost this time, the daimyos would likely come to Great Zhou seeking marriage alliances and possibly hoping to leverage Great Zhou's military power to unify their territories by eliminating rival daimyos. Emperor Jianzhang, seeking peace along the coastal regions, might very well grant such requests.

The snow fungus and milk custard in the decorative bowl were bright and sweet, enticingly fragrant. Song Chuyi took a small sip and, noticing Song Jue's comment, as well as Old Master and Old Lady Song, looking her way, stuck out her tongue playfully. Just as she was worrying about what to do with Ninth Princess after dealing with Shen Qingrang, it seemed someone had already found her a path.

"Noble Consort Xian is limited by her place in the palace," Song Chuyi said, setting her bowl down, her bright eyes glinting in the lamplight like precious jewels set in a sword hilt. "But we have more freedom and proximity to act. Perhaps Grandmother could reach out to Princess of Zhennan and Lady Li?"

Lady Li Yu was already close friends with Shen Yang, and the Princess of Zhennan had fostered ties with the Shen and Guo families since Ye Jingchuan started working under Guo Huaiying. Ye Jingchuan himself was almost inseparable from Guo Yantang. If these two ladies could visit the Shen family and make their case, the Shen family would hardly overlook a princess with Song family blood in her veins in favor of Prince Duan's sister, tangled in the Yangzhou scandal.

Old Lady Song's eyes lit up, and she laughed. "You're a clever one, to think of those two!"

She mused for a moment before smiling. "In a few days, I'll have the eldest daughter-in-law send an invitation to bring Princess of Zhennan over. It's been a while since we had a lively gathering here. We can throw a small farewell banquet for our family, make it an occasion for some joy."

With the pretext of a farewell, a gathering of friends and allies from connected families wouldn't raise any suspicions. Old Master Song had kept a low profile for a long time now, even refraining from attending court. Hosting a banquet to send off family should be beyond reproach. It was a perfect chance to discuss this matter with Lady Li and Princess of Zhennan and see what Lady Shen's attitude might be.

In Great Zhou, royal sons-in-law didn't face the restrictions of previous dynasties and could hold office, just as Princess Rongcheng's husband Ye Jingkuan did as an official at the Commandant's Mansion. He would one day inherit his family's duties and command the provincial guards.

The Shen family might very well be open to such a match. Even if they weren't interested in marrying the Eleventh Princess, they certainly couldn't allow the Ninth Princess to seize this advantage.