Outside the room, the wind howled continuously. The summer heat was swept away entirely by the cool night breeze, yet the three people inside seemed completely oblivious, still maintaining stiff, stern-faced standoffs.

After pondering for a long while, Song Chengru finally slapped the back of Song Yi’s head hard again, angrily rebuking: “It’s late at night! If you don’t need sleep, does your mother not need sleep either?! The filial piety and brotherly respect you learned have probably all been fed to the dogs. Do you know that she hasn’t eaten anything until now?!”

His elderly mother had been angered severely. At this moment her chest was still heaving violently, one hand propping up her head in utter exhaustion. Guilt and self-reproach surged in Song Yi’s heart. He kowtowed three times to the floor before finally withdrawing.

Old Madam Song looked toward her husband somewhat puzzled. “Lüshan from Little Eight’s room came to say that on the night Nanny Yu went out to set the fire, Little Eight had someone send over honey peaches. Later on the day Nanny Yu killed herself by hitting her head, Little Eight again had someone send over clothes. You said at the time that this matter was probably not a coincidence. So why do you now want to let Little Eight go with Second Son?”

Letting the tiger return to the mountain would leave endless trouble behind.

If Song Chuning truly had such deep scheming, if at such a young age she already dared to kill and commit arson and even knew to destroy evidence, then if she followed Song Yi out, who knew what disasters she might stir up in the future?

What was even more frightening was that the second branch had two such incompatible yet both frighteningly intelligent girls—in the future there would probably be no peace.

According to her thinking, Song Chuning naturally shouldn’t follow Song Yi to Changsha. It would be best to find some estate and keep her there properly, or sending her to the family temple would also work.

Comparing the two granddaughters, which was more important and which was closer was self-evident—Song Chuyi was not only clever and quick-witted but also close to herself. More importantly, her younger brother was currently Song Yi’s only son. But Song Chuning—Old Madam Song felt somewhat apprehensive in her heart. Heaven knew what that woman Li Shi had taught her through word and deed.

“Look at how he is now. If we tell him now that his precious daughter probably also takes after her mother, he’ll probably go mad.” Song Chengru felt somewhat disappointed that his son hadn’t lived up to expectations, and was also somewhat vexed. “Let’s wait until tomorrow to talk about it.”

Old Madam Song had been busy with all this for so long and still hadn’t eaten, so she couldn’t help but feel quite hungry. She hastily instructed Nanny Huang to have someone set out the meal. Fortunately the kitchen had been keeping the food warm all along, so it wouldn’t take much more time now.

“Originally I was going to eat dinner together with Xiao Yi and Brother Yan. The maids and nannies in Brother Yan’s room all need to be replaced, and where he’ll live hasn’t been settled either.” Old Madam Song felt somewhat unable to eat and put down her bowl with a sigh. “Who knew that in the time it took Xiao Yi to go to Tingyun Pavilion, Second Son would actually come back. It really gave me quite a fright.”

Song Chengru’s expression also didn’t look very good. Everything else didn’t matter—if Song Yi made Song Chuyi and Song Yan’s hearts turn cold, that would be the real trouble.

Song Yi, his face covered in stubble, stood before the window with his hands clasped behind his back. Hearing a sound, he turned sharply around and saw little Song Chuning standing pitifully at the doorway with tears in her eyes.

“Why don’t you come in?” He suppressed the sourness and grief in his heart, trying his best to make his voice gentle, deeply afraid of frightening this poor girl who had just lost her birth mother. “What is there to be afraid of when you’ve come to Father?”

Song Chuning shrank back, and a tear the size of a bean suddenly splattered on the ground. Her soft, sweet voice carried a crying tone: “Father…”

Li Shi had suddenly died. Even Nanny Yu and those always-loyal servants had either died or were now imprisoned. Who knew how Song Chuning, the daughter of the criminal in their eyes, had spent these many days?

Song Yi thought of Li Shi’s usual gentleness and consideration, and also remembered when Song Chuyi had a high fever, Li Shi had cared for her for several days without eating or drinking, and later had even gone to Qingliang Temple to pray for a peace talisman for her, neglecting her own biological daughter in the process.

His heart suddenly softened. He strode over several steps to pick her up, coaxing her gently: “What’s wrong? Don’t recognize Father anymore? Why won’t you come over when you see Father?”

Song Chuning wrapped both hands around Song Yi’s neck and suddenly buried her head in his embrace, crying so hard she couldn’t catch her breath: “Father… Mother is dead… They all say I’m a calamity… I thought Father didn’t want me anymore either…”

The little daughter’s tears flowed down along his collar into his neck, making his heart shatter with her crying.

At this moment, he had no way to continue hating Li Shi for Cui Shi’s death. Even if it were true, even if Li Shi had indeed schemed and plotted to cause Cui Shi’s death, Li Shi had after all been his pillow companion for seven or eight years, had after all borne him a daughter, had after all done everything for his sake!

He held his daughter tightly in his arms, not wanting to think anymore about Song Yan and Song Chuyi. Whenever he thought of the children Cui Shi had left behind, his heart felt both sour and bitter, along with indescribable guilt and fear. Instinctively he felt repelled.

“Don’t be afraid.” He patted his daughter’s head, repeating gently once more: “Don’t be afraid. Father will take you to Changsha. The scenery there is beautiful. The courtyard where Father lives even has a big persimmon tree. You’ll definitely like it there.”

From the moment she had Nanny Yu go burn Song Yan to death, she knew she absolutely couldn’t stay in the capital. If she succeeded, Song Chuyi would definitely retaliate madly, and the Cui family would also apply pressure. If she failed, Old Madam and Old Master would also develop aversion toward her.

Now Song Yi was indeed, as she had hoped, going to take her to Changsha. A small sense of pride surged in her heart—although many things were different from the dream, although Song Chuyi had indeed gained considerable advantages recently, the future would certainly be different, and would definitely be different.

She cautiously revealed half her head, both frightened and aggrieved: “Will Sixth Elder Sister and Fourth Elder Brother go too? Father, why did Mother die? Why won’t Sixth Sister and Fourth Brother pay any attention to me anymore? My nannies have all disappeared too. At night I’m all alone in the courtyard… I’m so scared…”

The fickleness of the world, the coldness and warmth of human feelings. Li Shi had died not long ago, yet the daughter she left behind was already so unwelcomed.

Song Chuyi and Song Yan were so cold-hearted toward their innocent weak younger sister—so what about their attitude toward this father who already had unclear, ambiguous entanglements? They probably hated him too, didn’t they?

He shook his head, not daring to think further, but in his heart he felt even more resistant to becoming close to Song Yan and Song Chuyi. He wished that when dawn broke he could leave the Earl’s Manor with Song Chuning and go to his post in Changsha.

“Don’t be afraid.” He forced himself to gather his spirits to comfort his overly frightened daughter. “Father will find you a new nanny then to serve you well. As for your Fourth Brother and Sixth Sister, since they don’t like you, you don’t need to be close to them in the future either. Just avoid them from afar.”

Song Chuning’s birth mother had killed Song Yan and Song Chuyi’s birth mother. Even if they wanted to be close, it was impossible now. It was better for everyone to avoid each other from afar and try to see each other as little as possible.