After seeing off Ye Jingchuan, Song Yan didn’t immediately turn back to find his sister and aunt—boys always had their own ideas when dealing with matters. Although his relationship with his sister was extremely close, he didn’t want to always hide behind her.
He turned back to find his uncle. As soon as he entered the door, he sat down with a swish directly across from Cui Yingshu, staring until Cui Yingshu felt uncomfortable all over before asking: “Uncle, why did Auntie deliberately send me away today? What did she need to discuss with my sister?”
Cui Yingshu felt that both of these siblings were worrisome—each one sharper than the last. He set down the official documents about the Hubei disaster he was holding, propped both hands on the desk, and looked at him: “Out with it. What have you heard?”
Song Yan felt somewhat dissatisfied. No wonder Cui Yingshu had been urging him out of the blue to be more ambitious and cautious—it turned out they had known all along that something would happen, that things wouldn’t be peaceful recently. But he also understood it was because everyone still worried about him, so he didn’t waste words: “Auntie didn’t come to plead Princess’s case, did she?”
This boy’s reaction was quite quick—must be like a dog, always alert. Since he had guessed it, Cui Yingshu didn’t hide it from him: “She didn’t come to plead anyone’s case. She just came to remind your sister and help her prepare, to have a response ready in advance. Since you already know, you should understand even more that your future brother-in-law is now a highly sought-after prize—everyone wants to take a bite. You just behave yourself and don’t cause trouble for your sister. Once this storm passes, things will settle down.”
But when exactly this storm would pass, no one could say for certain. Emperor Jianzhang was currently strong and healthy, and Zhou Weizhao and Song Chuyi still had a long road ahead. To maintain stability below, some sacrifices had to be made—this was precisely why he had Princess Duanhui persuade Song Chuyi to be more accepting of the situation.
Song Yan’s expression darkened. The marriage hadn’t even taken place yet, and these people were already thinking about biting off as much flesh as they could from the Song family. Ambition only grew with time—right now they wanted a statement from the Crown Grandson, but in the future, once they actually sent their girls in, what they coveted wouldn’t be limited to the Crown Grandson’s favor and support.
Song Yan understood all these principles. He was no longer that child who only cared about his preferences without understanding interests. He knew that in the adult world, there was no such thing as loyalty or disloyalty, right or wrong—family interests were what mattered most.
He couldn’t blame anyone. After a moment of silence, he looked up and asked his uncle: “Who started it?”
Cui Yingshu was most afraid of seeing these two siblings wear such lifeless expressions. He reached out and rapped his head again: “Don’t you dare do anything foolish! This has nothing to do with Prince Zhennan’s manor. This matter truly couldn’t be avoided. Having reached this point, anyone with some discernment would naturally start looking for backup routes or pursuing their prospects. People die for wealth, birds die for food—it’s nothing extraordinary. You and your sister should both be more accepting. This is actually a win-win situation.”
But Song Yan didn’t think so. He nodded: “I know it wasn’t Prince Zhennan’s manor that started it. They had no need for it originally. They probably heard some rumors from somewhere…”
And where could they have heard rumors that would move even Prince Zhennan’s manor to action and make them feel that placing people around the Crown Grandson was highly promising? Song Yan didn’t need to think to guess—besides Empress Lu, who else would have such influence?
After all, Song Chuyi had caused the downfall of the Empress’s two sons. That Empress Lu was wary of her and wanted to cultivate several useful granddaughters-in-law close to herself was perfectly normal.
Thinking this through, Song Yan understood. With a stern face and without saying another word, he returned to the back courtyard. He no longer had the heart to first beg Song Chuyi about going to Hubei—even if they tried to chase him away now, he wouldn’t leave.
When they returned to the Song residence, Old Madam Song kept Song Chuyi for dinner. Song Yan slipped away in a flash, as if something was chasing him from behind. This left Old Madam Song quite frustrated: “Usually when I don’t want him to come accompany me for meals, he insists on coming. Now it’s good—tomorrow is Mid-Autumn Festival and he’s still running outside.”
But it was just a joking complaint. Song Yan wasn’t a child anymore—how could she manage to worry about so many things? She pulled Song Chuyi to sit beside her and patted her head like when she was little: “I heard the Empress has fallen ill again?”
It was news sent out by Consort Song, who also asked Old Madam Song to counsel Song Chuyi—that as the Crown Grandson, it was extremely normal for Zhou Weizhao to have secondary consorts by his side.
Song Chuyi had just nodded when she heard Old Madam Song let out a cold laugh: “What a coincidence today—the Du family sent someone to deliver betrothal gifts.”
Not only did they send substantial betrothal gifts, they also proactively offered to serve as the bed-making lady. The two families originally had only a mediocre relationship, and now the Du family was suddenly showing favor. How could Old Madam Song not understand the deeper meaning here: “This really is something—the fire over there hasn’t even been extinguished yet, and they’re already impatiently wanting to stoke this fire nearby. Aren’t they afraid that fire will spread?”
Song Chuyi also smiled. How interesting.
Prince Gong’s consort Lady Yang wanted to place people around Zhou Weizhao to cause trouble, so the Du family showing favor now—wasn’t that a slap in Prince Gong’s face? However, they probably had nothing to fear, since Prince Gong now appeared to have no hope of restoration. Their switching allegiance to Zhou Weizhao was actually not a bad strategy.
Seeing her only smile without speaking, Old Madam Song inevitably felt some pain in her heart. If they had chosen Ye Jingchuan back then, at least there would be fewer troubles—she wouldn’t have to worry about other women around her husband before even getting married.
But anger aside, regarding Elder Du’s move, both Old Madam Song and Old Master Song felt it might not be a bad thing—after all, Elder Du was Prince Gong’s greatest support in the capital. If he was willing to submit to the Crown Grandson’s command, among the five Elders, Elder Song need not be mentioned—he was the future Crown Grandson Consort’s own grandfather, how could he distance himself? Then there was Chief Minister Chang, who was a sensible man. If even Elder Du joined in, Zhou Weizhao’s position would be extremely secure.
Therefore, Old Madam Song had to counsel Song Chuyi: “This will be unavoidable in the future. Xiao Yi, it’s not that Grandmother wants to discourage you, but you must be more accepting.”
“This is not a good thing,” Song Chuyi shook her head. “Grandmother, let’s not even talk about how in the long run Elder Du will definitely oppose us—I’m the principal consort and his granddaughter would be a secondary consort. Will he truly be content to remain under Grandfather in the future? Will he truly be willing to have his granddaughter under my authority? This would only bring temporary peace with endless future troubles. Even if Elder Du truly pledges loyalty to the Crown Grandson, and the Crown Grandson and I truly agree, that would be foolish.”
“How do you mean?” Old Madam Song didn’t quite understand. “Although Prince Gong’s reputation is now completely ruined, if even Elder Du switches to the Crown Grandson, he would be thoroughly finished.”
But Master Qingfeng was also just then speaking with Song Jue and Song Yan: “Shrewd his whole life, how could he be confused for a moment? If he truly does this, the first one who won’t forgive him will be His Majesty.”