She still remembered the night before her wedding, when she lay in bed with her mother, her heart filled with both longing and fear for the future.

Their Lai family had long since fallen into decline, living even worse than some country gentry. To marry into a prestigious household like the Earl of Changning’s manor in one step was, in the eyes of her sisters, no different from a sparrow transforming into a phoenix, and congratulations poured in from all sides.

Her mother held her hand and carefully instructed her: “You are the eldest legitimate daughter of our Lai family, representing the reputation and honor of our Lai family. We don’t have a generous dowry or powerful maternal relatives, but we do have a clean family foundation and a clear conscience. After you marry over, you must be filial to your parents-in-law and kind to your sisters-in-law. Since the Earl of Changning’s manor disregarded social status to seek your hand from our family, they won’t mistreat you. As long as you treat them with sincerity, they will surely return your sincerity.”

At that time, the bright moon hung perfectly and colorful clouds surrounded them. Her heart was completely immersed in joy, and she secretly made a vow that she must not tarnish the reputation of the Lai family and would properly fulfill her duties as the Song family’s principal wife.

But circumstances had changed. She didn’t know if it was because the prosperity and wealth of the capital over these years had blinded her eyes, or if the loneliness of being at the top had made her fearful, but these teachings that she used to keep in her heart at all times had long been cast behind her.

Cold sweat broke out on First Madam Song’s back, her inner garment clinging to her back, damp and uncomfortable.

Old Madam Song stopped looking at her and let out a cold laugh, telling her to leave: “Think carefully about these words. If you can understand them, that’s good. If you can’t…”

She didn’t continue, but First Madam felt the pressure multiply suddenly, her legs trembling violently.

“Bullying a motherless child and threatening her with her younger brother—you’ve really developed quite the skill.” Old Madam Song gave her one last look: “I’ve already written to your parents in detail about this matter. If you won’t accept what I say about right and wrong, you should at least listen to a word or two from them.”

First Madam struggled to stand up with Yushu’s support, no longer possessing the commanding attitude she had when going to Song Chuyi’s room. She understood Old Madam Song’s meaning—after so many years as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, she believed she understood Old Madam Song.

Biting her lip, she looked at Old Madam Song sitting in the seat of honor with all her momentum gone, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz: “This matter was this daughter-in-law’s fault, letting Sixth Miss suffer grievances…”

Old Madam Song waved her hand: “There’s no need to say these things anymore. We both know how much is true and how much is false. Sixth Miss is not a confused child, and she has clear eyes and ears. I don’t expect you to treat them as your own, I only hope you can fulfill your duty as the Song family’s principal wife. I will handle Sixth Miss’s matters. As for Consort’s affairs in the future, you need not concern yourself too much. I will explain things clearly to her when I enter the palace this time.”

First Madam gave a bitter laugh, acknowledged with a word, and left the courtyard enduring the soreness in her knees.

But when she returned to the main courtyard and saw her husband, her already frightened heart couldn’t help but tremble once more—Song Ren stood in the room with an ugly expression, and she didn’t know how long he had been standing there.

“My lord…” She forced a smile and opened her mouth to say more, but saw that Grand Master Song had already turned around sharply to look at her, the shock and impatience in his eyes immediately blocking all her following words in her throat.

Song Ren stood with his hands behind his back, staring at her for a while, then suddenly let out a cold laugh.

If Old Madam Song only made her afraid, her husband’s manner made her both afraid and despairing. First Madam Song felt that the panic of things being out of her control—a feeling she hadn’t experienced in many years—all surged into her heart, and she was so worried she almost cried.

“Just now, Sixth Miss sent a maid to find you, but you weren’t there.” Grand Master Song’s low voice slowly sounded, seemingly devoid of emotion yet also appearing extremely disgusted: “She wanted the maid to tell you that she agreed to your demand that she go before the Empress Dowager to apologize, only hoping you wouldn’t make things difficult for Brother Yan.”

First Madam Song turned back in shock to look at Nanny Jin and Nanny Zou, and seeing them both shrinking their necks and hiding to one side, her heart instantly turned gray—she didn’t want her husband to know about these matters, but Song Chuyi’s maid came at the worst possible time, happening to run into Grand Master!

Grand Master Song felt his throat suddenly blocked and aching, as if he couldn’t control the urge to cough. He cleared his throat before continuing: “I never knew that the lives of our Song family’s children were so worthless, that Brother Yan’s life and death actually had to be exchanged for Sixth Miss’s life. Aying, you truly terrify me.”

“No! No!” First Madam Song’s tears finally fell in her anxiety. She stepped forward and grabbed Grand Master’s hand: “My lord, it’s not like that…”

She wanted to explain, but where should all this even begin? Should she say she was trying to get her own daughter out of trouble? Should she say she truly wanted to push Song Chuyi to her death and really used Song Yan to threaten Song Chuyi?

She knew what kind of person her husband was—how could she dare say such things?!

Grand Master Song abruptly threw off her hand, feeling all the blood in his body rushing to his head: “You used such words to deceive a nine-year-old girl—don’t you have any conscience?! How can you face my second brother?! How can you face our Song family?! Aying, I’ve lived with you for so many years and never imagined you were this kind of person… How can I have the face to see my second brother, how can I have the face to worship my deceased sister-in-law?!”

Luyi pushed open the door and poked her head out. Seeing Song Chuyi look toward her, she stuck out her tongue and came in cheerfully: “Miss, Miss, the first household really did start fighting!”

The schadenfreude smile was still on her face before she could restrain it, and she gestured excitedly with her hands and feet: “Grand Master was so angry, his face turned completely red! Later everyone was driven out, I could only hear First Madam’s crying…”

Ziyun and Qing Tao exchanged glances, both couldn’t help but smile.

Song Chuyi had indeed been right—dealing with someone like First Madam, using force was completely useless. Only by making everyone around her disgusted with her and despise her could she be made to see clearly her own position and where she was wrong.

“Serves her right!” Qing Tao said while putting away the box Madam Cui had given Song Chuyi, turning her head to spit: “First Madam truly went too far this time, using someone as a scapegoat and still expecting that scapegoat to take the fall for her! Even a clay figurine has some temperament, did she really think our miss was easy to manipulate?”

Song Chuyi smiled but didn’t speak, continuing to read her travelogue.

People are all selfish. She could understand First Madam wanting her own daughter to live more comfortably and trying to push someone else to die in her place. But when that someone else became herself, she had no choice but to make plans for herself.

Someone like First Madam couldn’t be moved by either soft persuasion or hard pressure. Only when she realized that doing such things lost face for both the Song and Lai families, lost her parents-in-law’s trust, and her husband’s affection—only then would she firmly remember that such actions were unacceptable.