Old Madam Song had never felt herself lose composure like this before. She almost sharply and sternly shouted for silence, looking at Madam of Marquis Wuning with her mouth agape and face full of shock, sneering repeatedly: “Madam must speak carefully! Who has settled on my Little Sixth? Was there a matchmaker invited from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices? Has anyone heard of any family coming to our home with betrothal gifts? Madam is a reasonable person and should know how important reputation is for a young lady. Without any evidence or proof, how can you so brazenly claim with red lips and white teeth that my Little Sixth has been settled on?! I don’t know who she’s supposedly been settled with—why doesn’t Madam also tell me, her grandmother, about it!”
Old Madam Song had precisely such confidence. Of the three holders of super-rank imperial patents, only two remained, and she was now one of the leaders among the external court ladies during palace visits on the first and fifteenth of each month. Combined with her high seniority and consistently good virtue, even imperial relatives gave her respect.
Madam of Marquis Wuning’s crying abruptly stopped. She looked at Old Madam Song in disbelief, and the anger about to overflow from her chest involuntarily changed into an outpouring: “The Shen family side just said it—they exchanged betrothal tokens with your family and settled on precisely Sixth Miss.”
For the sake of her own child’s reputation, she naturally couldn’t say that Tong Shao had already engaged in improper relations with Shen Qingrang without a matchmaker. She could only say that the Tong family had already begun marriage negotiations with the Shen family, also intending to make the Song family retreat in the face of difficulty. Otherwise, although both were noble families, and although an earl’s manor was still one rank lower than a marquis’s manor, the Earl of Changning’s Manor truly held real power. The entire family had good family traditions with everyone accomplished, and Song Sixth even had the Cui family backing her. If the Shen family insisted on marrying both together, wouldn’t Tong Shao be the one to suffer in the end? After all, Tong Shao first lost to Song Sixth by a wide margin in appearance, and having lost her chastity before marriage, she would inevitably be lower than Song Sixth in the future, let alone think of suppressing her.
Precisely because of this, the Shen family stubbornly refused to relent, insisting on only making Tong Shao a concubine or second wife. She had her husband storm the Shen family’s gates, while she herself decided to come to the Song family to argue things clear, making the Song family retreat in difficulty, or at the very least seize the initiative.
Third Madam exaggeratedly exclaimed and laughed while covering her mouth, nearly falling over: “How peculiar! If the Shen family said they fancied the Ninth Princess, would the Emperor have to marry the Ninth Princess down to them? Our family’s traditions have always been pure and clean—without matchmaker or betrothal, how can we speak of engagement?! My Little Sixth probably can’t even recognize which young master from the Shen family is which—who knows what sort of creature he is. Madam, you’ve probably come to the wrong door.”
Old Madam Song sat at the head seat with an iron-blue expression. Duke Yingguo’s Manor’s eating manner was truly too unseemly—weren’t they afraid of burning their mouths! What scheme Shen Xiaohai was plotting, Old Madam Song had lived long enough to become shrewd—how could she not guess? It was nothing more than calculating that by having Madam of Marquis Wuning make such a scene and spread the word, Song Chuyi’s reputation would be ruined, and she would have to marry Shen Qingrang whether she wanted to or not. What an excellent plan—not only gaining a legitimate daughter from the Vice Minister of Justice’s family, but also wanting the Earl of Changning’s Manor to throw in a Song Chuyi!
Who gave him such audacity?!
Madam of Marquis Wuning was squeezed into speechlessness. Her mind turning it over and figuring it out, she reacted—could it be that the Shen family was deceiving her? Using the Song family to escape?
Yet she herself hadn’t bothered to investigate more clearly and had rashly barged through their door, bringing along so many busybodies.
First Madam Song indeed came in from outside with a very displeased expression, rarely not putting on a smiling face and publicly losing her temper: “What exactly does Madam mean by this?! Out of nowhere—do you think we’re staging a theater performance?! Bringing so many people—those who don’t know would think our Earl of Changning’s Manor invited the entire Marquis Wuning’s Manor!”
Old Madam Song didn’t even raise an eyebrow, looking at the dumbstruck Madam of Marquis Wuning who didn’t know what to do: “I don’t know what Madam is talking about regarding engagements or not. My Little Sixth still has her grandfather and me in the hall—we haven’t become senile yet and wouldn’t misremember whether she’s engaged or not. I’ll treat today’s matter as unheard. In a moment, I’ll have someone accompany you on a trip to the Shen family to clarify things. If the Shen family continues to speak wildly, we’ll all go together before the Empress to tear things clear. Disaster falling from the sky for no reason—my family has truly suffered eight lifetimes of bad luck!”
Only now did Madam of Marquis Wuning fully understand Shen Xiaohai’s plan. She nearly bit through her silver teeth, wanting to say more but too guilty to dare open her mouth, hanging her head momentarily unable to speak—what could she say? Shen Xiaohai clearly felt that someone from Marquis Wuning’s Manor was inferior to someone from Earl of Changning’s Manor. This intention was only a hair’s breadth from being publicly announced to the world. How would A’Shao’s days be in the future?
Old Madam Song didn’t look at her face that had turned the color of pig liver, coldly laughing once: “If half a sentence of today’s words gets out, and I hear tomorrow from any family’s mouth that this matter involves my family, I’ll likewise make a scene before the Empress to ask Her Majesty to return us our innocence. You make your scene—whether your family’s young lady and Duke Yingguo’s young master plan to marry or have done something improper, it all has nothing to do with our family. Madam is a sensible person—don’t do foolish things anymore. If this is exposed, it won’t be our family that looks bad.”
This was clearly hinting to Madam of Marquis Wuning that if she continued to make unreasonable trouble involving Song Chuyi, they would go before the Empress and tear out the shameful deeds done by Tong Shao and Shen Qingrang. Old Madam Song—this person, in her old age, had an even worse temper than before, even stronger than in her younger years. Madam of Marquis Wuning finally didn’t even dare stand any longer, feeling even the floor of the Earl of Changning’s Manor was burning her feet. Face red and ears flushed, she glanced at Old Madam Song at the head seat, nodded hurriedly and randomly, then led the busybodies away to the Shen family.
Old Madam Song also did as she said. Having said she would send someone to Duke Yingguo’s Manor to clarify things, she truly designated someone to go with Madam of Marquis Wuning. Knowing Third Madam’s spirits had been low recently, after thinking it over, she had her lead Nanny Qiu from First Madam’s side along.
Later, according to Third Madam who went to slap the Shen family’s face, He Shi’s face was scratched open by Madam of Marquis Wuning, and even Duke Yingguo’s heir Shen Xiaohai was severely beaten by the Marquis of Wuning and thrown into the courtyard, forced to agree to the marriage.
After Third Madam brought Old Madam Song’s message, Shen Xiaohai didn’t dare open his mouth again to mention anything about engagements or not, stiffly nodding with an iron-blue face.
Third Madam’s words were harsh and sharp, speaking until He Shi’s legs trembled. But when Third Madam dropped the statement that Old Madam Song would go before the Empress to seek justice, she and Shen Xiaohai looked at each other face to face. In the end, they didn’t even dare let out their anger, and had to put on smiling faces saying they had been blinded by lard and momentarily confused to implicate the Earl of Changning’s Manor.