Song Chengru frowned as he looked at Song Chuyi, his brow creased with unresolvable worry and concern: “He still has A’Yan’s sachet in his hands. Having something like that is a tremendous piece of leverage. With this constraint, even if you go, you probably won’t gain any advantage. Rashly agreeing to meet him is truly unwise.”

First Master Song glanced at Song Chuyi and chimed in: “Old Master is right. He’s so utterly conscienceless—who knows what he might do?” Song Yan was at least male-bodied; at worst he’d just have dirt thrown on him. But Song Chuyi was a precious young lady. If she truly ended up like Song Yan, having something casually stolen from her person, the consequences would be truly unthinkable. Her entire life might be ruined.

First Master Song thought it over carefully again, pacing around the room with his hands behind his back, then said to Old Master Song: “Why don’t I go instead, and see exactly what tricks he’s trying to pull!”

But with someone like Han Zhi, if First Master Song went instead, he might just empty the Tongzhou residence and avoid meeting him entirely. Then he could spread word about the sachet matter, and Song Yan would truly be ruined.

Han Zhi was capable of such things. Song Chuyi looked at Old Master Song and First Master Song with clear eyes, slowly shaking her head: “None of this will work. Han Zhi said he wants to see me. If he can’t, he’ll definitely make things desperate. He’s a madman who’s willing to sacrifice everything. I’m not. I cannot gamble with A’Yan’s entire future.”

First Master Song grew anxious: “But you’re a girl after all!” No matter how capable, still a girl. There were many inconvenient aspects, and she was much easier to deal with than a man. When men went out socializing, what methods didn’t they have for dealing with girls? If Han Zhi truly used such despicable tactics against Song Chuyi… he was certainly capable of it.

Old Master Song looked at Song Chuyi. He knew this granddaughter of his had never been an ordinary person. She surely had no shortage of people at her disposal—and she had Lai Chenglong backing her. At this moment, Lai Chenglong was the absolute helmsman within the Imperial Guard. With him there, Han Zhi’s dirty tricks would be useless. After thinking for a while, he finally nodded: “I’ll have your eldest and second brothers accompany you.”

Song Jue had recently been overwhelmed with羽林卫 affairs, and Song Jie was busy studying to prepare for next year’s examinations. Song Chuyi sighed somewhat helplessly: “Grandfather, just have Lin Hai and Uncle Qin follow me. If eldest brother and second brother go and confront Han Zhi, it would actually be worse.”

Old Master Song was still uneasy. After much deliberation: “Since you insist on going yourself, I’ll write you a letter to take with you. When things get critical, find someone to deliver it to the Tongzhou Prefect.”

Though spreading news of Song Yan’s gambling addiction would certainly damage his reputation, Han Zhi, who ran illegal gambling dens behind the scenes, wouldn’t fare well either. If he splattered Song Yan with filth, he could expect to lose a layer of skin himself—Grand Lady Fan was insatiably greedy; perhaps these gambling dens even had her shadow behind them. When Han Zhi stirred up trouble and implicated her, who knew if she would protect this nephew of hers?

An old fox was still an old fox. Song Chuyi’s eyes brightened, her brows and corners of her eyes carrying a smile. She nodded lightly in agreement, then went to Ningde Court to fetch Song Yan.

Old Madam Song had already summoned Song Yan to Ningde Court last night for a thorough scolding. But when she heard that his original intention had been to help someone, her anger subsided—after all, he was only a ten-year-old child. Academic learning could be taught, but life experience couldn’t be learned from books alone. When people were determined to scheme against you, even if you avoided it this time, there would be a next time. Might as well let it be a lesson learned.

Hearing that Song Chuyi and Song Yan were going out, she pressed her lips together, somewhat displeased. After Nanny Huang helped her change her forehead band, she sighed with worry: “Poor Sixth Girl. What sins must she have committed to be reborn into our family?”

She had originally forgotten Cui Zhanmei’s face, but as Song Chuyi and Song Yan grew older, their features increasingly resembled Cui Zhanmei. Thinking of Cui Zhanmei in those days, then thinking of Song Chuyi now, she couldn’t help but shed tears: “She’s only twelve years old!”

Only twelve years old, yet she had to live in constant fear, always holding her breath and her heart in suspense, as if she wouldn’t rest until she had exhausted this last breath for Song Yan’s sake. But the Song family members who should have been protecting Song Yan were all useless, leaving everything for a young girl to shoulder.

She grasped Nanny Huang’s hand, seeming to speak to her yet also to herself: “When they return this time, send them to the Cui family.” The Song family not only wronged the Cui family, but even more wronged the innocent Cui Zhanmei, preventing her from closing her eyes peacefully even in death, still having to worry for her children.

Lady Cui had said she would select a suitable young man from within the Cui clan for Song Chuyi. She had originally been hesitant, feeling that Jinzhong was too far away. But thinking about it now, what did distance matter? If she could truly live this life peacefully and prosperously, what did it matter if she was far from the Song family? Better to be far away, forever removed from these open struggles and hidden schemes.

Old Madam Song rarely displayed her emotions so openly. Nanny Huang, holding her hand while kneeling on the footstool, responded: “Sixth Miss is a good person. Good people will be rewarded. Don’t worry, Old Madam.”

Song Yan gripped Song Chuyi’s hand tightly, telling her about the rules in the Tongzhou gambling den: “For cockfighting, you select your own bird. There’s also dog fighting and hawk fighting—you have to pick your own to compete against the house’s selection.”

The tricks and techniques involved were numerous. In her previous life, she had witnessed such scenes at Duke Yingguo’s manor—back when she hadn’t yet become a discarded wife, when she and Shen Qingrang were still deeply in love, Shen Qingrang had taken her to watch at the military training grounds. Except back then, cockfighting and dog fighting were no longer fashionable in the capital. Instead, they would drag out criminals already sentenced to death to fight. Whoever won could escape death; the loser would immediately be dragged off to feed the dogs. That was when, after the Crown Prince’s death and the throne newly established, the situation was still very chaotic. Because Shen Qingrang had backed the right horse, he acted quite tyrannically. With Prince Duan’s deliberate indulgence, those who had stood with the Crown Prince’s faction mostly suffered such fates.

Just as she was lost in thought recalling these things, the carriage suddenly shook violently. From ahead came the driver’s sharp shouts and the horses’ neighing. She immediately gripped Song Yan’s hand.

Then she heard Qin Chuan’s voice quietly speak from outside: “Miss, there’s a dead body. Our horses were startled.”