He had calculated everything, even going so far as to set aside his aversion to the Chen family and establish a ridiculously distant familial connection with Chen Jinxin through all sorts of convoluted reasoning, yet he alone had failed to anticipate this one point! Chen Xiang’s face turned iron-blue. Even though he was a battle-hardened veteran, for a moment he was somewhat caught off guard—no, this couldn’t be blamed on him. Who would have guessed that a young lady of only fourteen or fifteen years old had actually conceived before marriage?! This was something that couldn’t possibly happen to any noble young lady in the capital, yet it had happened precisely to Chen Jinxin!
First Madam Su! Su Shu! He cursed both of them thoroughly in his heart through gritted teeth, then abruptly stood up and retorted, “If your young lady is already in such a condition, why didn’t you inform me earlier instead of beating around the bush asking me so many strange and peculiar questions?!”
San Niang pulled at the corners of her mouth in a smile. That smile was both sinister and seemed to carry a contempt that suggested she had anticipated this all along. Lowering her head, she responded with a mocking tone, “You came saying you wanted to propose marriage without asking me beforehand.”
Chen Xiang was left speechless. As a grown man, he naturally took it for granted that women in this world should all conduct themselves with propriety. Even if there had been a prior engagement, there was no reason to consummate the relationship before the wedding ceremony. How could he possibly have thought of such a thing? But now that the matter had already occurred, and Chen Jinxin had already lost her virginity and would never be able to bear children in the future, he naturally couldn’t possibly still want to marry her—he wasn’t a fool. Marrying Chen Jinxin might allow him to obtain the secret letter, but afterward there would be endless troubles arriving one after another. After all, Chen Jinxin was the descendant of a loyal minister and martyr, and when Old Madam Su had previously entrusted her to the Song family as an orphan, it had already caused such a commotion that even the Emperor had heard of it. If he married such a wife, he wouldn’t be able to beat her or scold her when the time came, much less offend her or divorce her. No matter what, she would be a hot potato.
The matter of the secret letter could be handled through other methods—there was no need to gamble away his own lifetime. Having thought this through, Chen Xiang also calmed down and looked at Old Madam Song and Old Master Song. “Aunt, Elder Brother, I didn’t know about this matter beforehand.”
No wonder Old Madam Song and Old Master Song both wore shocked expressions—it turned out they had known early on that Chen Jinxin’s maiden reputation was damaged. No wonder they had said they would support her for life. The last bit of doubt in Chen Xiang’s heart also dissipated, and his tone became somewhat somber. “I know this may not have been Miss Chen’s own wish, but after all, I am the eldest legitimate grandson. In taking a wife, one should marry virtue. I can understand that Miss Chen has lost both father and mother, but regarding such matters, please forgive my earlier presumption.”
Old Master Song finally understood why his mother had remained so composed and steady all this time. He glanced back at San Niang, and when he looked toward Chen Xiang again, he already wore an expression of profound sorrow. “Where does one even begin with such words? After all, we are not her proper elders, so it’s not appropriate for us to say much or make decisions on her behalf, much less gossip and make people think we’ve treated her poorly. It’s good that Commander Chen can understand. As for marriage matters, naturally there should be mutual affection and satisfaction on both sides.”
In the adjacent room, Qing Tao couldn’t help but spit in disgust. “Bah! What shamelessness! Wasn’t he acting all confident and determined earlier, as if he absolutely had to have her? Yet upon hearing San Niang’s words, he immediately decided not to marry her.”
Ziyun also sighed. “Speaking of it, the one who’s truly unfortunate and distressed is still Miss Chen. Originally she had finally nursed her health back somewhat, and now this scene has stirred up again, bringing up painful matters. Who knows how grieved she must feel in her heart? The sins committed by Young Master of the Su family have brought misfortune upon a young lady instead.”
Such was the way of the world—people were always indulgent and lenient toward men, yet unbearably harsh toward women. Song Chuyi’s disgust toward Chen Xiang and Young Master Su deepened another layer in her heart. One was the beastly cousin who had brought Miss Chen to such a state, another was the presumptuous distant relative who had stabbed Miss Chen’s heart once more. Both were doing foolish things that treated women as less than human under the banner of righteousness.
Old Madam Song, who had remained silent all along, coughed and looked at San Niang, then at Chen Xiang again. “The reason I didn’t speak earlier was precisely this—there are some things we’re not in a position to mention to you. Actually, we shouldn’t have summoned San Niang either, but I saw that you had truly come with sincere intentions and thought you might be an exception. Never mind, never mind.”
San Niang burst out laughing with a snort, actually laughing in a very cheerful and pleased manner. After finishing her laugh, she replied again with her strange, mocking tone, “Still talking about sincere intentions? Still talking about happy marriages? Our young lady stopped hoping for such things long ago. We also hope that Old Madam and Old Master will worry less about our young lady in the future. With her current condition, the mere fact that she’s alive is already due to the accumulated virtue of our master, madam, and old madam.”
Chen Xiang’s face showed considerable embarrassment. Just as he was feeling awkward, he saw a steward-like person stride quickly into the main hall and report to Old Madam Song and Song Ren, “Reporting to Old Madam and Old Master, several Imperial Guard commanders have arrived at the gate, saying there’s an urgent matter and they need to find Commander Chen.”
Chen Xiang breathed a sigh of relief and immediately took the opportunity to stand and bid farewell to Old Madam Song and Old Master Song. “At such a late hour, I’m afraid there must be some emergency. This nephew doesn’t dare delay official business. I’ll come another day to offer my apologies.”
Old Madam Song and Old Master Song naturally didn’t detain him. Old Master Song personally rose to see him out.
Seeing that he had truly left, San Niang also couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at Old Madam Song. “This commander probably isn’t after our young lady—he’s after the secret letter, isn’t he?”
Old Madam Song nodded, and seeing Song Chuyi enter with Qing Tao and Ziyun, she patted the seat beside her and had Song Chuyi sit down. Then she turned to comfort San Niang. “This time, by speaking so plainly about the matter, you’ve thoroughly extinguished his hopes once and for all. You need not worry. Go back and attend to your young lady properly. There’s no need to tell her about matters here, lest itæ‹› troubles her. In a while, I’ll send you to rest at the Tongzhou estate for a few days so you can both relax properly.”
San Niang curtsied respectfully in acknowledgment, but then wrinkled her brow somewhat worriedly as she looked at Old Madam Song and Song Chuyi. After hesitating for a long while, she finally spoke. “But the matter of the secret letter is ultimately a hidden danger. Holding this hot potato in hand is probably not a long-term solution. You should still make plans early.”
Old Madam Song understood San Niang’s concern and nodded solemnly. “Rest assured about this—we’ve already made plans. Go back quickly now, lest she wake and can’t find you and becomes anxious again. Whatever is needed or lacking, just have someone request it from First Madam. Don’t stand on ceremony with us.”
The secret letter had already been handed over to Old Madam Song, so it should be for the Song family to decide. Though San Niang still felt somewhat uneasy, she knew that Old Madam Song already had her plans and it wasn’t appropriate to say more. She curtsied in salute, cast a meaningful glance at Song Chuyi, then turned and left.