When Song Ke returned, the young ladies scattered like startled birds and returned to the inner courtyard. Zheng Jingxian deliberately slowed her pace and asked Yue’er, “How did the Lin family’s young lady end up arguing with that maid from the study?”
Yue’er gave her a meaningful look, and after seeing that everyone ahead had walked far enough away, she spoke with a pout, “Those two Lin sisters have lost their minds. They heard from Fangsi that Young Master Song had bought a new maid he intended to favor and how much he valued her. They became agitated, and with Miss Xiu’s instigation, Miss Ling went looking for trouble. But unexpectedly, that maid turned out to be formidable – Miss Ling and Miss Xiu together couldn’t get the better of her alone.”
Zheng Jingxian pressed further, “How was she formidable?”
Yue’er vividly described how Xiang Lan had argued with the two Lin sisters, laughing as she said, “It was truly remarkable – every word she spoke was reasonable. It was incredibly satisfying to hear.”
Zheng Jingxian raised her eyebrows, “Oh? She certainly put on quite the act of being a master, not even backing down before proper young ladies.”
Yue’er dismissed it carelessly, “Just look at how Young Master Song dotes on her, and you’ll understand. With someone powerful backing her, of course, she has courage. Besides, if Young Master Song elevates her status in the future, she’ll be a second-tier mistress and won’t need to swallow her pride anyway.”
Zheng Jingxian paused without speaking, seemingly lost in thought as she picked up a handful of tree leaves and played with them while walking back slowly.
To briefly continue, after the young ladies spent time chatting at the Song residence, enjoyed lunch, and composed some poetry, they each departed in their carriages.
Juan Hua helped Song Tanchai see the guests off at the entrance. Upon returning, the maids cleared away the remaining feast and thoroughly cleaned the tables and chairs. Juan Hua lit a piece of agarwood in the large lotus leaf jade incense burner and brewed fresh Dragon Well tea. Seeing Song Tanchai lying on the bed with her hand against her forehead, she quietly walked over, placed the tea on the small table by the bed, and said softly, “If Miss is tired, at least change your clothes before resting.”
Song Tanchai waved her hand saying, “It’s fine.” Then she sat up and asked, “This morning when I went to the kitchen to check on the dishes, why was everyone gone when I returned? I heard there was trouble at the front – did you find out what happened?”
Juan Hua replied, “Oh, what else could it be? Miss Ling heard that Young Master had taken a liking to a maid, got jealous, and stormed into the study. Who would have thought that though Xiang Lan looks delicate, she’s like a rose with thorns? She left Miss Ling speechless. Miss Ling became so angry she almost destroyed Young Master’s study – it was unseemly. That little minx Junxi has quick legs and went to watch all the excitement. I’ll call her in to tell you about it.” She then called Junxi in.
Junxi had a child’s mischievous nature. Although she had been serving in the inner quarters, when she heard a commotion in the front courtyard, she had eagerly gone to watch the excitement. Though she only saw half of it, when Song Tanchai asked, she elaborated extensively, adding her embellishments. Having gotten along well with Xiang Lan recently and resenting Lin Dongying for damaging Song Ke’s study, she exaggerated the two Lin sisters’ faults tenfold, causing Song Tanchai to repeatedly furrow her brows. Finally, she waved her hand, and Juan Hua rewarded Junxi with some copper coins and sent her away.
Song Tanchai’s face turned pale as she sighed, “It’s true that kindness invites bullying. What’s so great about the Lin family? As the saying goes, ‘If not for the monk’s sake, then for Buddha’s sake’ – we’re all relatives, yet they show such disregard for our dignity. If my father were still alive, they wouldn’t dare make such a scene here.” The more she spoke, the more agitated she became, until tears rolled down her face.
Juan Hua patted Song Tanchai’s back consolingly, “Miss has been wronged, but fortunately Xiang Lan is sharp-tongued and didn’t suffer many disadvantages.”
Song Tanchai wiped her tears and said, “How can you say she didn’t suffer? They destroyed my brother’s study!”
Juan Hua knew that Song Tanchai was proud and meticulous in everything she did, absolutely refusing to hear the word “no” from others. Being beautiful, clever, and sensible, she received much praise. Often, the noble ladies of the capital would tell their daughters, “Look at the Song family’s young Miss Tan – she’s the model of a refined young lady. You should learn from her!”
After Song Fang’s death, their branch of the family’s influence steadily declined, especially after they separated to live independently. Some of the young ladies who used to play with Song Tanchai became snobbish and dismissive, often making sarcastic remarks: “What refined young lady? Now she’s just from a fallen household!” Whenever Song Tanchai heard such words, she would cry alone, with only Juan Hua to console her.
Now this incident with Ling and Xiu had struck Song Tanchai’s sore spot, causing her to cry. Juan Hua consoled her, “We won’t invite those two sisters to our home anymore. The summer heat is strong – Miss shouldn’t cry and harm her health.”
Just then, the door curtain lifted and Song Ke entered. Seeing Song Tanchai crying on the bed, he was startled and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Juan Hua explained, “The two Lin young ladies damaged Young Master’s study. Miss is upset, saying ‘The guests I invited today have embarrassed me and caused trouble for my brother – I shouldn’t have done this.’ She’s crying precious tears as if they cost nothing. Young Master, please help console her.”
Song Ke said, “Sister, please don’t be like this. We both know Third Miss Lin’s temperament – it’s not your fault, why take it upon yourself?”
After some consolation, she finally calmed down. Song Ke looked at Song Tanchai’s red eyes and silently sighed. Too much pride invites humiliation – his sister’s excessive concern for face might not be a good thing. He recalled his first meeting with Xiang Lan when she was slapped twice by Cao Lihuan without rhyme or reason, along with harsh scolding. Xiang Lan had endured it all. When she later told him about her past at the Lin residence during their leisure time, he learned she had been patient only to find the right moment to strike back and escape that hellish place forever. He felt secret admiration – if his sister had been the one slapped and scolded, she probably would have taken her own life right then.
However, today’s incident, though the Lin young ladies were clearly at fault, showed that without internal traitors, external enemies couldn’t cause harm. This needed to be properly addressed. After pondering for a moment, he said, “I have a favor to ask of you, sister. I’d like to request someone from you.” He then had a discussion with Song Tanchai, which we’ll set aside for now.
Meanwhile, Fangsi had instigated Lin Dongying and Lin Dongxiu to make trouble for Xiang Lan, intending to use them as weapons to diminish Xiang Lan’s influence and vent her spite. Unexpectedly, the situation had spiraled out of control – not only had Lin Dongying caused a scene in the outer study, but she had also smashed things on the table, and Song Ke had witnessed it all.
Fearing Song Ke had seen her, she had quickly slipped away. Later, she heard that Song Ke had simply glossed over the matter, which gave her some hope that the incident would be forgotten. However, when she just now went to the front study on the pretext of delivering something, Song Ke hadn’t even glanced at her, showing an uncharacteristically cold expression. Her heart sank – Song Ke was usually as warm as spring sunshine to everyone, so this behavior must mean he was angry with her…
Fangsi remembered when the master had just passed away, Song Ke was barely more than a boy, and everyone took advantage of his youth. Despite his handsome face, some bold servants would steal household items to sell, while others were bought off by other branches of the Song family to leak information about the household’s situation and assets. When Song Ke learned of this, he dragged out a prominent old servant who had been leaking information and flogged him with a cane until he was covered in blood.
Later, some hereditary servants, relying on their seniority and wanting to crush the young master’s spirit, were instigated to kneel en masse at the main hall’s entrance, wailing dramatically about how “since you don’t care about the face of your old servants, we request to leave!” They even brought up how the late master’s spirit in heaven would be troubled, and so on.
Everyone had crowded around the entrance to watch the spectacle. Unexpectedly, Song Ke simply let these people kneel, from morning until night, until several fainted from exhaustion. The next morning, he took out the roster of those who had caused trouble and brought in a slave trader. With lightning speed, he had those servants dragged out of the courtyard and sold, severely punishing a whole group. No one had expected such methods from a scholarly youth who hadn’t even reached twenty – everyone was stunned, and various discussions ensued. However, this branch of the Song family became peaceful afterward. The serving staff either quietly requested transfers to other branches or took the money and asked to be sold – Song Ke didn’t stop them. After two months, people left one after another until barely anyone remained. Song Ke then doubled the monthly allowance of the servants who had stayed. When Aunt Song advised him to buy more servants, Song Ke simply said quietly, “Fewer people are better – it makes the household simpler and more peaceful.” Not long after, Song Ke suddenly announced that their branch would separate and live independently. Only then did she realize that Song Ke had quietly accomplished such a significant matter on his own?
Her mother had pulled her ear and said, “Our Young Master will be extraordinary in the future – he’s bound to achieve great things. If you’re fortunate enough, serve him for life, and you’ll eventually live a life of luxury as someone above others.”
In her heart, she had long harbored feelings – Song Ke appeared in her dreams constantly, and she felt that as long as she could be with him, she would gladly eat chaff and vegetables every day even without fine clothes and food. She knew the Young Master would eventually take a proper wife, and she had long prepared herself to serve the future mistress with humility. But who could have expected Xiang Lan to appear out of nowhere and take her place? How could she not hate her?
As Fangsi sat distracted doing needlework in her room, someone suddenly bumped her arm. The needle pricked her finger, causing her to cry out in pain. She quickly put it in her mouth to suck on it. Madam Guo scolded, “What are you thinking about? I called you several times but you didn’t hear. The Madam will wake from her nap soon – go cut some fresh fruit into small pieces.”
Seeing Fangsi sitting motionless, still looking lost, she asked, “What’s wrong with you? You look like you’ve lost your soul.”
Seeing no one else in the room, Fangsi grabbed Madam Guo and said quietly, “Mother, I… I’ve made a terrible mistake…” She then explained the whole situation.
Madam Guo was shocked and angry, repeatedly poking Fangsi’s forehead while gritting her teeth and trying to keep her voice down, “You muddle-headed thing, how could you cause such trouble! And why didn’t you tell me earlier after causing it!”
Fangsi shrank her neck and said quietly, “Maybe… maybe Young Master hasn’t guessed it was me… After all, there’s no proof.”
Madam Guo angrily said, “Do you think the Young Master is like those muddle-headed men? This is karma coming back to bite us – hurry up and come with me to kneel before the Young Master and beg for forgiveness. You’re going to ruin all the faces I’ve earned in my lifetime!”