The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 2)

Chapter 199 - Slap in the Face

Old Lady Song had never felt so indignant. She practically barked, "Stop right there!" Fixing the bewildered Marchioness of Wuning with a steely gaze, she let out a cold laugh. "Old Lady, you should watch your words! Who decided anything for my Little Sixth? Was there an official matchmaker from the Bureau of Rites? Did anyone bring a betrothal gift to our family? Old Lady, you're an upright person—you should understand how precious a young girl's reputation is. So on what grounds do you open your mouth to say my Little Sixth has been 'promised'? Promised by whom, exactly? Please enlighten me, as her grandmother, who has apparently not been informed."

Old Lady Song had every reason to be confident. With two surviving titles of First Rank Lady, she was a respected figure among the noblewomen, even leading the protocol processions in the palace. Her high standing and exemplary character earned her the respect of the nobility, including distant relatives.

The Marchioness of Wuning froze, shocked by the fierce response. Her initial fury quickly transformed into reluctant pleading. "The Shen family mentioned it... they said a token was exchanged with your family, specifically for Sixth Miss."

To save face, she couldn't admit that Tong Shao had already had an unmediated affair with Shen Qingrang. She could only say that the Tong family had already started negotiating marriage with the Shen family, implying that the Song family should give up. Although both families were of noble rank, the Changning Marquis's mansion held real power, had a good family tradition, and every member was successful. Sixth Miss Song even had the backing of the Cui family. If the Shen family insisted on marrying both women, wouldn't Tong Shao end up suffering the most? After all, Tong Shao was less attractive than Sixth Miss Song by a large margin, and she had lost her virginity before marriage. In front of Sixth Miss Song, she would always be at a disadvantage and could never hope to outshine her.

It was precisely for this reason that the Shen family stubbornly refused to budge, insisting that Tong Shao could only be a secondary wife. She had her husband storm over to the Shen residence, deciding to come to the Song family herself to make her case, hoping the Song family would back down. If that didn't work, she intended to establish her position before the Shen family claimed it first.

Third Lady exaggeratedly exclaimed, laughing heartily, "Well, isn't that odd! If the Shen family took a liking to the Ninth Princess, does that mean His Majesty would just marry her off? Our family has always adhered to propriety and cleanliness; without a matchmaker or engagement, where's the talk of an engagement? My Little Sixth likely couldn't even recognize which young master belonged to the Shen family. Who knows what kind of person he even is? Old Lady, you must have come to the wrong place."

Old Lady Song sat at the head of the room, her face dark with anger. The conduct of Duke Ying's residence was disgraceful—weren't they worried about biting off more than they could chew? Old Lady Song was no fool; she could easily guess what Shen Xiaohai was plotting. He was likely hoping that the trouble stirred by the Marchioness of Wuning would spread rumors, tarnishing Song Chuyi's reputation so that she would have no choice but to marry Shen Qingrang. What a brilliant plan—gain the legitimate daughter of a Minister of Justice while also trapping Song Chuyi from the Marquis of Changning's family into marriage!

Who gave him the nerve?!

The Marchioness of Wuning was at a loss for words, her face blank as she realized that perhaps the Shen family had been toying with her, using the Song family as a means to back out. She hadn't even bothered to confirm the details and had barged in with such a crowd of gossipy women...

As expected, First Lady Song entered with a grim expression, unusually breaking her composure to reprimand in public, "What exactly does the marchioness mean by this? Did you think you were here for a public show? Bringing so many people here—anyone who didn't know better would think our Marquis of Changning Residence had invited the entire Marquis of Wuning's residence over!"

Old Lady Song didn't even raise an eyebrow as she looked at the stunned Marchioness of Wuning. "I have no idea what engagement talk the marchioness is on about. My Little Sixth still has her grandparents watching over her; we aren't senile enough to forget about her engagements. I'm treating this matter as though I didn't hear anything. I'll arrange for someone to accompany you to the Shen residence and clarify things with them. If they continue with their arrogant talk, I won't hesitate to seek justice from the Empress. A baseless disaster has descended on us; truly, it's as if we're cursed with bad luck!"

The Marchioness of Wuning finally realized Shen Xiaohai's true intentions, nearly grinding her teeth to bits in frustration. She wanted to say more, but guilt silenced her. What could she say? It was clear that Shen Xiaohai believed those from the Marquis of Wuning's residence were inferior to those from the Marquis of Changning's residence. His intentions were almost blatantly proclaimed to the world, and the future for Shao'er was now uncertain...

Old Lady Song, ignoring her flushed face, sneered, "If even a single word of today's events spreads, and I hear anyone mention us, I'll go straight to the Empress and demand our innocence. You all can stir up as much trouble as you like, but whether your young lady or Duke Ying's son intends to marry or has done something, it has nothing to do with us. Old Lady, you're a sensible person; don't act foolishly. If things get out of hand, it won't be our family that looks bad."

This was clearly a veiled warning: if she continued to stir up trouble and involve Song Chuyi, Old Lady Song would go to the Empress and expose the scandalous deeds between Tong Shao and Shen Qingrang. Old Lady Song, despite her age, seemed to have only grown fiercer in temper, even stronger than in her younger days. The Marchioness of Wuning finally lost all courage to remain standing, feeling as if the floors of the Marquis of Changning's residence were scalding hot under her feet. Her face flushed, she glanced at Old Lady Song at the head, nodded hastily, and led her entourage of busybodies straight to the Shen family.

True to her word, Old Lady Song didn't just talk—she indeed assigned someone to go along with the Marchioness of Wuning to Duke Ying's residence for a clear explanation. Knowing that the Third Lady had been rather unhappy lately, Old Lady Song thought for a moment and assigned her to go along with Nanny Qiu, who served the First Lady.

Later, the Third Lady, who returned with news of the Shen family's disgrace, reported that Lady He's face had been scratched up by the Marchioness of Wuning, and even the Duke's heir, Shen Xiaohai, had taken a beating from the Marchioness of Wuning and had been thrown into the courtyard, where he was forced to agree to the marriage.

After the Third Lady delivered Old Lady Song's message, Shen Xiaohai didn't dare to mention anything further about the engagement. His face turned ashen as he gave a stiff nod.

Third Lady's words were cutting and sharp, leaving Lady He trembling. But when she brought up Old Lady Song's threat to seek justice from the Empress, Lady He and Shen Xiaohai could only exchange uneasy glances. They dared not even breathe a word of protest, forced to laugh it off and say it was a moment of clouded judgment that led them to cling to the Marquis of Changning's residence.