His Highness the Grand Prince’s status was extraordinary. Song Ren, Song Jue, and the others dared not show any negligence and hurriedly arranged their attire to go greet him alongside the Prince Consort.
Nanny Xu clutched her collar, looking somewhat nervously toward Song Chuyi. Earlier, she had heard Luyi mention that Song Chuyi had once encountered trouble when going out, and it was this Grand Prince who had resolved the situation for her.
However, Song Chuyi showed no particular reaction and instead lowered her head thoughtfully.
This Grand Prince appeared at times and places that were always so coincidental—it was hard not to overthink it. The trouble was that in her previous life, this Grand Prince had died young. While she knew the past and present lives of others, she truly knew nothing about this Grand Prince, and at this moment couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
Ye Jingchuan had caused such tremendous trouble. By all rights, the Prince Zhennan’s manor should be scrambling to suppress the matter—how could others have learned of it? And the matter of Tartar raiders appearing in Tongzhou had only just been reported. Why had the Grand Prince arrived so quickly and so timely?
The last time with the escort agency and Qi Shengyuan had also been…
When coincidences were too numerous, they ceased to be coincidences.
The moon had quietly hidden behind the clouds. Outside, the night sky was dotted with countless stars, and the cool night air was like water.
Taking advantage of a free moment, Song Jue specifically slipped in to call Song Chuyi back to rest. “It’ll be a while yet. The Grand Prince said there are also scattered Tartar raiders roaming the outskirts of the capital, and they nearly startled the Crown Prince’s procession. Right now, Father and the Prince Consort are discussing matters with His Highness the Grand Prince. They definitely won’t finish anytime soon. You’ve been busy all day and must be tired—go back and rest quickly. Whatever needs to be said can wait until tomorrow.”
Whether it was her worthless self from the previous life or her useful self in this life, to Song Jue it seemed to make no difference.
He had never determined his attitude toward her based on how much value she had.
Song Chuyi smiled and nodded, instructing him to drink less wine, then led Qing Tao and Hong Yu toward the back courtyard.
Nanny Xu had already been waiting anxiously for quite some time. Only when she saw Song Chuyi did she finally release the breath caught in her throat. Though Song Chuyi wasn’t as close to her as she was to Nanny Xu, she was truly good to her. Having served Old Madam Song for so many years, she knew how to distinguish good from bad.
“The bed is all made up. After you bathe, rest early—it’s almost the third watch already.” Nanny Xu glanced at her, and seeing her complexion was as usual, the unease in her heart gradually settled somewhat. She added, “Tonight I’ll keep watch in the outer room.”
Song Chuyi nodded. Though their side had held the advantage in tonight’s battle, it was after all the first time she had witnessed so many casualties with her own eyes. To say she wasn’t shocked or frightened would be a lie—she had actually broken out in a cold sweat from fear.
Only now that Nanny Xu mentioned it did she realize the sweat on her back felt rather uncomfortable.
Qing Tao brought soap, towels, and a change of clothes. After testing the water temperature, she served Song Chuyi in her bath, asking somewhat puzzled, “Why does it seem Nanny Xu still hasn’t made her position clear?”
Song Chuyi’s attitude this morning had been so explicit—why did it seem that by evening she no longer cared much about it?
This was the philosophy of someone who had served Old Madam Song for decades. Being loyal to you didn’t necessarily mean kneeling before you to bare one’s heart.
Song Chuyi smiled and shook her head. “She has already made her position clear.”
With the situation so unstable right now, Nanny Xu saying she would keep watch for her tonight already demonstrated her willingness to stand with her through thick and thin. This was Nanny Xu’s response.
Bringing this up inevitably made Song Chuyi feel somewhat dejected again. After all, her maternal family was truly too far away—a thousand miles distant. Distant water couldn’t quench an immediate thirst.
Everything she currently possessed was dependent on the Song family. If she didn’t quickly grow stronger, she wouldn’t even have anyone to send word to Jinzhong for her.
Qing Tao heard the melancholy in her voice and quickly tried to comfort her. “Miss, don’t worry. Hasn’t Second Master Ye already agreed to help? Once my father goes to Jinzhong tomorrow to deliver the letter, everything will be fine.”
Yes, as long as the Cui family learned the truth, as long as the Cui family was willing to step forward and take the lead, everything would be fine.
Song Chuyi emerged from the washing room dressed, only to see Nanny Xu approaching with a rather displeased expression. “Miss, Miss Chen has come, saying she wants to thank you.”
Nanny Xu rather disliked this Miss Chen’s manner. There had been plenty of opportunities to give thanks earlier, yet she hadn’t mentioned a word. Now, hearing that the Grand Prince had arrived, she came rushing over. Who did she think she was fooling about her intentions?
Hong Yu had also figured out the scheme and couldn’t help but laugh through gritted teeth. “This Miss Chen is also from a prominent family—how can she be so ignorant of propriety? When we received her this morning, she didn’t say a single word of gratitude. Why has she come to give thanks at this hour?”
One wasn’t supposed to visit others’ doors in the afternoon or evening—didn’t she even understand this basic rule of etiquette?
Nanny Qian also looked toward the door somewhat angrily, her face stern. “Should we just tell her you’ve retired for the night? It’s almost the third watch—if this continues, will anyone get any sleep tonight?”
Song Chuyi didn’t hesitate and waved her hand with a smile. “See her. Since she’s been so kind as to come, of course we should see her.”
It didn’t matter who she came for. What mattered was that her grandfather was the current Second Grand Secretary, overseeing the Censorate.
This Elder Chen would need to take the stage later—how could she not properly receive his granddaughter?
“Coming to disturb you so late is truly my fault.” Miss Chen looked like a beauty from a painting—her brows were naturally dark without drawing, her lips naturally red without rouge. Between her brows was a spot of vermilion, and her almond-shaped eyes sparkled as they moved, making one feel close to her at first sight.
Song Chuyi also quickly rose with a smile to welcome her, gesturing for someone to serve tea while smiling. “I should have sent someone to find you this morning to ask if you needed anything. But then one matter piled upon another, and I completely forgot. Please don’t blame me for it.”
Upon hearing this, Miss Chen couldn’t help but look Song Chuyi over again discreetly.
The upbringing of young ladies from the capital’s prominent families was generally good, and they all knew how to speak properly—there was nothing particularly remarkable about that. What was remarkable was that this Sixth Miss Song emanated an entirely different air from ordinary noble daughters. Though still so young, she handled matters with seasoned care and precision, appearing neither overly enthusiastic nor excessively modest. She advanced and retreated with proper measure and spoke with interest—unlike any young lady she had ever met.
Moreover, she had a pair of glass-like eyes, and when she looked around, her lashes fluttered like small fans, making her especially beautiful eyes even more striking. One couldn’t help but feel favorably disposed toward her and grow even fonder of her.
They said that Old Madam of the Marquis Changning’s manor was skilled at educating daughters. Seeing her now, one discovered this reputation was truly well-deserved.
Miss Chen suppressed her thoughts and maintained an appropriately warm smile on her face. “Not at all. Your generosity in taking in my brother and me has already filled us with gratitude. It’s just that without elders present, I didn’t dare rashly visit to give thanks, fearing I might presume upon you, miss. Just now I heard that Uncle Song had also arrived and thought I should come to give thanks, but unfortunately the timing was poor—I happened to arrive just as Uncle went to discuss matters.”