After they had eaten some refreshments a bit later, Yushu came to urge Song Chuyi and her sisters to go to the outer room. “Uncle is about finished over there. Aunt is currently saying her farewells.”
Everyone hurriedly stood up and followed her outside. Sure enough, as they lifted the curtain, they saw both Madam Cui and the other aunt had already put on their cloaks. Seeing them arrive, they smiled and told them to bid farewell to their elders.
Huaying pulled Huayi forward to respectfully take leave of Old Madam Song and the First Madam. The flower ornaments on their foreheads didn’t move in the slightest. Old Madam Song nodded with satisfaction, smiling as she quickly had the First Madam help them up.
Madam Cui pulled Song Chuyi aside to speak. “I heard you’ll be entering the palace in a few days. This time, don’t be afraid. Her Majesty the Empress is much more approachable than that one—just relax.”
Her Majesty the Empress wanted to see her? Song Chuyi was surprised for a moment, then immediately nodded.
Yu Shi smiled and invited Old Madam Song and the First Madam to visit their residence in a few days. “Since coming to the capital, I’ve been constantly busy settling in and haven’t had a moment to invite relatives and friends to gather. So I’m thinking of hosting a theater performance, which would also serve as a way to get familiar with people in the capital. At that time, Old Madam and the Princess Consort must honor us by coming to our humble home to watch some opera and have a meal.”
Old Madam Song nodded with a smile and asked, “May I know who will be invited that day?”
“I’ve invited the old madam from Chief Grand Secretary Chang’s family, the madam from Elder Chen’s family, and the madam from Elder Du’s family—all of them. Though I don’t know if they’ll do us the honor. I’ve also sent invitations to Grand Secretary Cen, Prince Zhennan’s residence, and Duke Yingguo’s residence. Beyond that, there are no others.”
Those invited were all people who had helped with Cui Shaoting’s transfer appointment. With the Song family mixed in among them—both as in-laws and also one of the Elders—they wouldn’t stand out at all.
Old Madam Song smiled and glanced at the First Madam, who then laughed. “With so many distinguished names mentioned at once, surely we don’t have greater standing than these people? Naturally we must come and partake of a cup of wine.”
She then personally escorted them out with a smile.
After everyone had left, Old Madam Song sent Song Chubin back to her room to rest, then pulled Song Chuyi to sit beside her, turning her head to ask, “Why did you return in such a hurry today? Did something happen at the country estate?”
In Old Madam Song’s view, Song Chumi’s situation was ultimately still very troublesome. Moreover, Song Chumi refused to relent even now, stubbornly insisting that it was these elders who had blocked her happiness. If she saw Song Chuyi, it was entirely possible she might create some kind of scene.
Song Chuyi softly recounted today’s incident with the Li woman, concluding with, “Second Brother felt the country estate was still too loosely managed and didn’t dare keep me there. Moreover, His Highness the Grand Heir and Second Young Master Ye happened to be returning to the capital, so we simply came back together.”
Song Chuyi’s relationship with Zhou Weizhao and Ye Jingchuan had actually become this good—they had specially made the trip to Tongzhou for a baby’s full-month celebration?
Old Madam Song stared intently at Song Chuyi for a long while. Seeing her eyes clear and expression candid, she couldn’t help but silently scold herself for being oversensitive—although her granddaughter had experienced a lifetime in a dream, it was ultimately just a dream. At her current age, she was still a child. How could she possibly be thinking about matters of romance?
“You did the right thing. Sending them away was correct, lest they do something troublesome later, or give someone with ulterior motives an opportunity to exploit, which would be unseemly.” She patted Song Chuyi’s hand, thought for a moment, and then sighed. “Your Second Brother’s concerns are reasonable too. The country estate now houses not only Lianyi, but also your Fourth Sister and Miss Chen. It should be managed more strictly.”
After a pause, she asked Song Chuyi again, “What impression do you have of this maternal aunt of yours?”
She truly didn’t have much impression. In her previous life, Song Chuyi’s relationship with the Cui family wasn’t close. Even with her blood uncle and aunt it wasn’t very harmonious, let alone these more distant relatives. Hearing the question, she shook her head.
Old Madam Song then smiled. “This maternal aunt of yours is no simple person. As soon as she returned, she understood where our family’s key points lie. Everything she says and does makes people feel comfortable. You should learn from her in the future.”
Someone who could be tactful on all sides, accommodate everyone, and not provoke jealousy or dislike was indeed very rare.
Song Chuyi had only been in contact with Yu Shi for a short while, but had already noticed her ability to control people’s hearts and others’ emotions. Therefore she wasn’t particularly surprised. Instead, she was curious about why Yu Shi would involve herself in Song Chubin’s marriage. “Grandmother, why would she come to act as matchmaker for Fifth Sister out of the blue?”
“This is exactly what I mean by her understanding key points.” Old Madam Song glanced at her. “A tall tree catches the wind. Our Song family has been a conspicuous target for quite some time—not just a day or two. In all things, one should always leave oneself a way out. Your maternal aunt took the initiative to offer to help with Fifth Sister’s marriage, to make connections and find a family in Jiangyin with a simple household and strict family traditions for her to marry into. We will reciprocate in kind. Her daughter Huaying is engaged to the legitimate second son of the Earl of Guangping’s family and will remain in the capital long-term. Naturally, we should look after her more. Most importantly, she also agreed to take Brother Jue along to Shaanxi when the time comes—after all, your Second Brother is merely a son born of a concubine. Although he’ll receive some family property in the future, it’s still not as good as carving out his own prospects. This way, his path will be smoother.”
Old Madam Song smiled as she looked at Song Chuyi. “But the most important part isn’t about your Fifth Sister—it’s about your Second Sister. This maternal aunt of yours is using your Fifth Sister as a favor, but she’s actually targeting your Second Sister.”
Song Chuxuan? Song Chuyi thought for a moment and nodded. This clearly wasn’t simply a matter of being a matchmaker anymore. Yu Shi actually wanted to directly establish a connection with the Earl’s residence. This obviously wasn’t something a woman could decide on her own—it must have been done with Cui Shaoting’s approval behind the scenes. Did Cui Shaoting trust their Earl of Changning’s residence this much?
Although Cui Shaoting also bore the surname Cui and shared common interests with the Cui family, wasn’t this risk a bit too heavy? Even Cui Yingshu didn’t dare gamble with the entire Cui clan, always maintaining relations with Chief Grand Secretary Chang’s side.
She came back to her senses just in time to hear Old Madam Song mention Duke Yingguo’s residence. “The Shen family is quite interesting. They tried to find the Empress Dowager through Grand Imperial Concubine Zhuang’s connections but failed, and now they’ve connected with Chief Grand Secretary Chang instead.”
She touched Song Chuyi’s head, looking at her with some emotion. “If you were still an ordinary child like in your dream, you truly wouldn’t be able to compete with such families who specialize in shifting with the wind.”
If Duke Yingguo’s residence in the previous life hadn’t been so adept at playing all sides, they indeed wouldn’t have achieved their status back then—judging by this standard, Shen Xiaohai was truly a rare talent, always able to side with the right person at the right time and protect himself when things went wrong. This time, with such great turmoil in the capital, he could still emerge unscathed. This was truly a rare ability.