“What are you wailing about? Reporting a death?”

Lady Song’s brows turned severe as she glared at the rough serving woman. “Crying and howling in broad daylight—what kind of propriety is this?”

“Madam, the master is gone. The master is no more.”

Upon hearing this, Lady Song’s face involuntarily twitched. “What nonsense are you spouting? How could the master be gone?”

“It turns out the master’s journey to Nanqing this time was not to defect.”

Explaining the Nanqing matter to Lady Song, the rough serving woman sobbed. “His Highness the Crown Prince has already attacked Nanqing’s capital city and occupied Nanqing’s imperial palace. Soon the Dongning army will return to the capital.”

“It’s just that the master, Minister Shang, and all the officials from court who went on this defection mission have all… all…”

“Nonsense, nonsense!”

Lady Song shoved the woman aside and hurried toward the main hall to find Song Fu and Ming Xiang.

Behind her, Song Yao stood with the banknotes in her hand, her gaze dazed. Song Nian, however, stood to the side, large tears falling continuously.

After learning this news, Ming Xiang had already cried herself to exhaustion and was now resting in her room. Song Fu, however, held back his tears as he followed the steward and Nanny Song to arrange Song Lan’an’s funeral affairs.

“What are you doing? All this overwhelming white—are you cursing the master to have gone with no return?”

Snatching the white lantern from a servant’s hand, Lady Song threw it on the ground and stomped on it forcefully.

“The master went to Nanqing to defect perfectly fine. How could he suddenly meet with such misfortune?”

Lady Song cried as she spoke. “Didn’t he say that when he returned, he would arrange a marriage for Yao’er?”

Song Yao and Song Nian followed behind Lady Song. Song Yao still wore a bewildered expression, but Song Nian immediately understood Father’s painstaking efforts upon hearing this.

Father, Minister Shang, and the others must have discussed it early on with the court and the Crown Prince, using defection as a pretext to approach Nanqing’s new ruler. From the very beginning, this group of people had gone with hearts prepared never to return. That Father would speak thus clearly showed he knew that after this matter, the Song residence would soar to great heights.

When His Highness the Crown Prince ascended the throne, all the envoys who had gone to defect would be heavily relied upon.

Quickly calculating in her mind those officials she knew of in that group, Song Nian suddenly burst into loud wails.

Those families were either the Crown Prince’s trusted confidants or, like the Shang and Song residences, had outstanding descendants in their clans. Those old ministers who went with Father did so both for the country and for their clans and families.

Father…

He had offered himself as a sacrifice to pave a path to glory for everyone in the clan.

At Father’s age, if he had survived, after the great war he would surely have been heavily relied upon. But Father was already in a high position—if he didn’t step aside, Elder Brother would have no opportunity to advance further.

The Song residence still had a palace consort in the palace. Though Eldest Sister’s status was flawed and she couldn’t be made empress, after this matter, surely no court officials would object. With Elder Brother at the forefront outside and the mother of the nation providing support behind, as long as the Song clan didn’t harbor treasonous thoughts, they would surely have a hundred years without worry.

And Father’s repeated admonitions to Mother to wait for his return to the capital before arranging Second Sister’s marriage—this too was for this purpose.

Who would dare bully a daughter of such a Song residence? Even with her eyes closed, Second Sister could select the best match.

But she…

Song Nian looked at Song Yao’s bewildered face and cried until she couldn’t stand.

Father had arranged a way forward for everyone, but Mother and Second Sister had utterly failed his intentions.

“Send Madam back to her room.”

Song Fu’s expression was solemn, not bothering with Lady Song’s deranged appearance.

He still had important matters to attend to—how could he have the mind to watch her throw a tantrum?

Nanny Song and two other old servants helped Lady Song back to her room. Song Fu went to the study and, with reddened eyes, took out the letter Father had given to Wan’er before departing.

When news arrived from Su River, Song Wan was in Shang Rong’s bedchamber playing chess leisurely with several others.

Song Wan and Shang Rong’s chess skills were evenly matched. Wu Xixiang pulled Qi Qingling along to crush flowers to make flower pillows. Zhao Nanzhang and Zhang Baozhen silently peeled tribute oranges, collecting the orange peels bit by bit into gauze bags, though their eyes held no mirth.

Lu Youjun was not present. With no news from Su River, though they appeared to gather together, they were actually each doing their own tasks, merely seeking companionship to avoid the loneliness of being alone in their chambers.

Ji Rong returned from outside, clutching a letter from the Song residence. With the news that had arrived today on his mind, he stood in the corridor for a long time, unable to take a step forward.

“What are you standing there for?”

Shang Rong looked up and saw Ji Rong, beckoning him over.

“What’s happened? You don’t look well.”

Song Wan looked up, her heart tightening.

Everyone saw that Ji Rong’s face was deathly pale, with a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.

“News from Su River…”

Qi Qingling and Wu Xixiang both clutched their handkerchiefs tightly, biting their teeth and not daring to breathe loudly. Ji Rong looked at Shang Rong and Song Wan, his voice choked. “Dongning has won, but Minister Shang, Minister Song, and everyone who went to Su River are all… all gone.”

Telling them how the group had brought the fire weapon boxes that the court had specially prepared for Nanqing and perished together with the enemy state, Ji Rong said, “His Highness has already returned to the capital and will arrive soon. This letter… was left by Minister Song for Your Highness before he departed.”

Both Shang Rong and Song Wan stood frozen in place. Upon hearing the circumstances at that time, the others’ eyes all reddened, yet they could not shed tears.

As imperial consorts, they could not wear mourning for their family members, could not make sacrifices or attend funerals for them. They could only hold back their tears and swallow all the bitterness back into their bellies.

Shang Rong remained silent for a long while before saying with tears in her eyes, “Grandfather’s lifelong wish was to see Dongning prosper. Now his wish has been fulfilled. I rejoice for him and for Dongning.”

Song Wan, however, clutched the letter in her hand and rose in a daze, leaving with Heng Zhi’s support.

Wu Xixiang wanted to step forward to comfort her but was stopped by Zhang Baozhen, who gently shook her head at her.

Returning to Laiyi Pavilion, Song Wan sat alone on the daybed, recalling Song Lan’an’s entry into the palace and those words he had spoken: “When your father returns, I will send you a great gift to celebrate your wedding joy.”

By now, what was there left for her not to understand?

What Father had done was for country, for family, and also for her.

Song Wan clutched her skirt and wept silently in pain.

For a very long time, until the sky had darkened, she finally gathered enough spirit to open the letter Father had left for her.

The letter was not long, and the words did not mention anything important—just a few brief sentences telling her to be cautious in word and deed in the future and not to bring shame to the clan. The remaining few lines mentioned Su Yi and Song Wan’s childhood.

When Song Wan saw the line “My daughter resembles her mother, which brings this father great joy,” she could no longer hold back and cried again, biting her teeth.

From that day forward, good news continuously arrived in the capital from the court. Accompanying the capital’s first winter snow, Shen Qianyu, Wan Xiao, Ming He, and other generals who had not remained garrisoned in Nanqing finally returned to the capital.

Song Wan stood before Laiyi Pavilion. Seeing Shen Qianyu, who after countless trials and tribulations seemed reborn, she smiled faintly.