Madam Cui and Old Madam Song listened as Yulan relayed everything Song Chuyi had said. They looked at each other, both somewhat at a loss for words—for such a young girl to take matters of love and affection too seriously wasn’t good, but to completely disregard them, even treating them as worthless trash beneath consideration, was even worse.
No wonder Song Chuyi was so averse to the topic of marriage. Previously, because they’d always felt there was no urgency and could keep her around for a couple more years, they hadn’t noticed. Now that they were arranging marriage prospects for her, they discovered this little girl seemed to have grown somewhat crooked.
Ordinary young ladies—who among them would avoid talk of marriage like Song Chuyi did, as if it were a snake or scorpion? At the very least, they should have some expectations for the future, some anticipation for their future husband. But Song Chuyi had none of that whatsoever.
This was a serious matter. No matter how clever or capable a girl was, she ultimately had to marry. While there were indeed precedents in this world of women who remained unmarried and kept their hair bound, none of those were good examples.
Old Madam Song sighed, her tone full of disgust when mentioning Duke Yingguo’s household: “In the end, it’s all trouble caused by that family. Previously, I thought He Shi was at least someone sensible, but now it seems she only knows how to blindly obey her husband, without any opinions of her own. The family fortune Duke Yingguo worked so hard to establish is going to be ruined in their hands.”
When one’s abilities cannot support one’s ambitions, such an outcome is inevitable. Madam Cui didn’t even want to mention them, but since Old Madam Song had brought it up, she followed with a cold laugh: “It won’t be long now. Duke Yingguo’s household currently only has a title that sounds impressive, but in reality has no real power whatsoever. If Shen Xiaohai wants to climb up through scheming and opportunistic tricks, he’d better see whether he has that ability.”
Just Marquis Wuning’s household alone would be enough to give them plenty of trouble.
When the Changning Earl’s household was about to set up the banquet that evening, sure enough, Nanny Huang brought news. She stood before Old Madam Song, suppressing her laughter, her expression quite peculiar: “Today when delivering the invitation to Earl Guang’en’s household, I unexpectedly ran right into Madam of Marquis Wuning. A whole group of people charged furiously into Duke Yingguo’s household, apparently saying that Seventh Young Master Shen had beaten Miss Tong.”
Although Tong Shao had grown up with Marquis Wuning and had some martial skills, when compared to a man with real fighting ability, she would definitely be at a disadvantage. Seventh Young Master Shen was probably driven to desperation, harassed by Tong Shao until his temper flared. Afraid that the matter would become public, he could only make up an excuse saying he’d gotten injured fighting over a woman in a brothel, hoping to placate Tong Shao and be done with it.
Who knew this would stir up a hornet’s nest? Whether Miss Tong had been wronged somewhere before, she actually flew into a rage and attacked him, taking a whip and beating Seventh Young Master Shen until his face was covered in blood.
According to the servants of Duke Yingguo’s household, she really beat him, and truly showed no mercy. Miss Tong’s whip still had bloodstains on it.
Seventh Young Master Shen was truly beaten into desperation. He’d never suffered such grievance before. He endured and endured, but Tong Shao kept going on and on without end. Finally unable to bear it any longer, he jumped up, grabbed Tong Shao’s hand, and viciously yanked her by the hair, smashing her against the bed post.
Miss Tong’s appearance was already barely passable to begin with, and being smashed left her scalp broken—this would leave a scar. She was also beaten senseless, sitting on the ground sobbing and weeping. After crying for quite a while without anyone from the Shen family coming to console her, Miss Tong went straight to Marquis Wuning’s household. She didn’t even return to the Tong family first, but went directly to bring her maternal grandfather and grandmother, uncle and aunt, and a whole group of people to file a complaint.
First Madam Song listened in complete shock, even forgetting to instruct Jin Huan to add another sweet dish of coconut milk red date stewed snow clam. Her mouth hung open for a long while before she shook her head: “This really is… what an embarrassment…”
This wasn’t the first scandal Duke Yingguo’s household had created in the past half year, only each one was bigger than the last. This time Seventh Young Master Shen had actually laid hands on Miss Tong—it would be strange if Marquis Wuning’s household would let this go. Normally Marquis Wuning’s household would make trouble even when they had no reason; now that Shen Qingrang had disfigured Miss Tong, it would truly shock those watching this spectacle with amusement if Marquis Wuning’s household didn’t turn Duke Yingguo’s household upside down.
Old Madam Song calmly ordered the banquet to be set up in the covered corridor, while unable to suppress her laughter: “Xiaoyi is too mischievous.”
Although this wouldn’t hurt the Shen family’s foundation or expose the Shen family’s involvement in various matters, it used this method to make the Shen family lose face while also offending Marquis Wuning’s household.
Most importantly, it indirectly destroyed Duke Yingguo’s household’s path to currying favor with Prince Dongping—neither Grand Consort Fan, Prince Dongping, nor even Master Yuanhui were fools. The Shen family had neither money nor people to begin with, and now they’d even completely offended Marquis Wuning’s household, a marriage connection that was somewhat useful. What would they want such a burden for?
Xiang Mingzi’s foot injury had long since mostly healed. Hearing this, she also reached out to pinch Song Chuyi’s face: “How did you even think of this? Dealing with Seventh Young Master Shen this way is truly more unbearable for him than immediate death.”
Miss Tong and Marquis Wuning’s household didn’t care about face, but Duke Yingguo’s household, Shen Xiaohai, and Shen Qingrang did. With such a huge scandal, how were they supposed to conduct business in the future? Moreover, Marquis Wuning’s household wouldn’t let this rest. The father and son must now be exhausted from running around trying to deal with things, probably ready to vomit blood from frustration.
Song Chuyi lowered her eyes. Those who understand you best know exactly where to hit you to cause the most pain. In her previous life, she’d been completely controlled by Shen Qingrang and had accumulated enough lessons to know how to make every member of the Shen family hurt.
Shen Xiaohai was just a toothless tiger—all bluster and bluff. As for Seventh Young Master Shen, he was even less worth mentioning. A pampered young master who would probably scare himself to death with a few strong gusts of wind, he was still far from cultivating the calm, insidious, and venomous nature of his previous life. Right now he was just a fish in someone else’s jar.
She wouldn’t let the Shen family fall to ruin so quickly. Just one Tong Shao and one Marquis Wuning’s household were enough to both ruin their reputation and make them live in hell every single day.
Killing with one strike would be far too easy for these people who time and again refused to give up on her, who would try to kill her to advance their prospects when they couldn’t win her over. They should live on for a long, long time. At the very least, they should live to see Duke Yingguo’s household completely decline and become lost among the masses.
Madam Cui’s worry deepened. Song Chuyi had calculated the interests and relationships within marriages so clearly and thoroughly. Such rationality would do no good for her future marriage and life.
But fortunately, the day Song Yi’s second wife would be formally welcomed into the household on the nineteenth was fast approaching. Once this matter was settled, as soon as the new year began, they would have Song Chuyi and Song Yan immediately set out for Jinzhong, without delaying even a moment.
Old Madam Cui had lived long and experienced much—perhaps she could change Song Chuyi’s temperament. Even if she couldn’t, perhaps after Song Chuyi went out and relaxed her mind, her heart would naturally open up.