Mother and daughter tore at each other in the room. Madam Song’s head of dark hair was cut into a jagged, chaotic mess.

Qiushui tried for a long time to pull them apart but could not separate them, and even injured herself in the struggle.

Tanzhou did not participate. She had already run to the outer courtyard to find Song Fu.

“Enough, stop this.”

When Song Fu and Ming Xiang entered the room, they saw the entire floor covered in severed hair mixed with bloodstains scattered everywhere. He reached out to shield Ming Xiang behind him, then pointed to the servants behind him, ordering them to separate the two women.

“What is this commotion? Do you wish to defy the imperial decree?”

Song Fu’s face was dark as he looked at Song Yao. Seeing her tearful appearance, he said coldly, “When did you learn these tricks of threatening suicide? As a Song family daughter, where has your integrity gone?”

“Integrity?”

“What integrity do Song family daughters have?”

Song Yao looked at the chaos covering the floor. Not only did she not restrain herself, she became even more frenzied. “The Song family’s eldest legitimate daughter, to seek fame and fortune, did not hesitate to carry on an affair with the Crown Prince under the name of being a wife of the Marquis Chengyang’s household. Now that she has climbed to a high branch, she tramples on her sisters in the mansion. Is this the integrity of Song family daughters?”

She had only wanted her mother to enter the palace and ask Song Wan to help her reject the Qi family marriage, yet Song Wan had turned around and had His Majesty issue a decree for the arranged marriage. A Song family daughter who could do such vicious things—what integrity could she speak of?

“A widow remarrying can still become Empress of a nation. Laughable, how laughable.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

Ming Xiang sternly rebuked her, so angry her cheeks burned.

What Song Yao said today was enough to destroy the reputations of both Song Wan and the Song household.

She came from the Song household. Once these words were spoken, whether true or false, people would believe them and they would be exploited by those with ulterior motives.

Song Wan becoming Empress had already invited much criticism. If not for His Majesty forcibly suppressing the opposition voices at court and their father’s desperate plea, how could Wan’er have achieved today’s position? Moreover, Wan’er was currently pregnant. If Song Yao caused trouble that disturbed her peace of mind, if anything happened…

Ming Xiang was angry. Just as she was about to speak, Song Fu stopped her.

Song Fu walked into the room, looking down at Song Yao from above. “What do you want?”

Song Yao said, “I want to break off the engagement with the Qi family.”

Seeing Song Fu speak, she relaxed slightly in her heart.

Song Fu valued Song Wan most highly and would never allow anyone to speak ill of her. Naturally Song Yao would not be foolish enough to actually blacken Song Wan’s reputation. She knew that whether the Song household or herself, they all needed to rely on Song Wan’s influence to climb higher.

But to achieve her current goal, she could only use this to threaten Song Fu.

Song Yao cried, “Elder Brother, Yao’er truly does not want to marry into the Qi family. If Elder Brother insists on forcing Yao’er to marry into the Qi family, Yao’er would rather die.”

Hearing this, Song Fu frowned. “Your meaning is that you wish to defy the imperial decree?”

“His Majesty cherishes Elder Sister. As long as Elder Sister speaks a few soft words for Yao’er, His Majesty will agree to withdraw the decree.”

Years ago when Song Wan returned to the mansion, the Crown Prince came to bestow many gifts upon Song Wan, and even mocked her and Nian’er for being presumptuous, showing that even then the Crown Prince was deeply attached to Song Wan.

This was such a small matter. If Song Wan spoke up, His Majesty would surely agree.

Song Yao raised her head, repeatedly beseeching Song Fu.

“Elder Brother, please grant Yao’er this favor.”

Song Fu stood in place without speaking. After a moment, he turned to look at Madam Song. “What is Mother’s intention?”

“I…”

Madam Song slumped weakly on the floor in a disheveled state. She stared at Song Yao for a long time before murmuring, “You and Wan’er are her elder siblings. Can you not grant Yao’er this one favor? Marriage is a major matter, concerning a daughter’s entire life. I beg you, Fu’er, please grant Yao’er this favor.”

Song Fu lowered his eyes slightly. After a moment he spoke to Nanny Song behind him. “Mother, due to excessive grief over Father, has cut off her own hair and wishes to become a nun and cultivate herself. The clan has approved.”

“This old servant understands.”

Before Madam Song could react, she was dragged out by Nanny Song and several other servants.

“You truly wish to break off the engagement with the Qi family?”

Seeing her mother dragged out, Song Yao felt somewhat at a loss. She stared blankly at Song Fu, her heart filled with fear.

For some reason, at this moment Song Yao seemed to see her father. Fear tightened her throat until she could not speak a single word.

“I understand.”

After Song Fu finished speaking, he turned and left. Seeing this, Ming Xiang followed closely behind him.

“Is the master still in the study?”

“Yes.”

The small maid beside Ming Xiang nodded gently.

After leaving Madam Song’s room, Song Fu had remained in Song Lan’an’s study for a long time without emerging. Ming Xiang worried in her heart, dismissed those around her, and went to the study entrance alone.

Inside the room, Song Fu was holding a book, lost in thought.

His expression was solemn, not knowing what he was thinking about. Ming Xiang stood outside the window, quietly watching him.

The sky went from bright to dark. For as long as Ming Xiang stood outside the window in the eaves corridor, Song Fu remained lost in thought inside the room.

Not until the third watch drumbeat sounded did Nanny Song come to report.

“Madam.”

Ming Xiang’s voice was hoarse. “Everything has been handled?”

“Yes.”

She nodded faintly. “You may go.”

Nanny Song walked forward a few steps. When she was about to enter the study, she suddenly turned back and walked to Ming Xiang’s side.

“When the master first took over the clan affairs, there was once a scene like today’s.”

“At that time, the young master had already been born. The young miss also sat like this in the study, accompanying the master without saying a word.”

“The young miss said this was an inevitable matter, sooner or later.”

Ming Xiang raised her head. “Who was it?”

Nanny Song said, “Three brothers from a branch family.”

“Why?”

“At that time, the master had just entered the Secretariat, his reputation flourishing. Those three brothers were addicted to gambling. After losing their ancestral property, they set their sights on the master and went to find Xu Shicheng, who was then competing most fiercely with the master.”

“They fabricated some deadly things that caused no small damage to the clan.”

Hearing this, Ming Xiang smiled faintly.

The Ming family had many descendants—legitimate and concubine branches numbering over a thousand. What sort of character did they not have among their children?

Such matters, for someone like her and Song Fu who came from prominent families, might not be called common but they had often heard of such things.

But when this matter fell upon Song Fu, she felt it particularly painful.

Ming Xiang looked at Nanny Song and smiled gently. “Nanny need not worry about me, nor worry about my husband. He is only walking the path Father walked.”

“What Father cared about, what he wanted to protect—this responsibility will be borne by my husband in the future. Whether it is the Song household’s good name or the Song clan’s safety, my husband will protect them with his life just as Father did.”

Nanny Song’s eyes reddened. “This old servant is happy for the young miss. If the young miss were still here and saw the young master and young young miss like this, she would surely be immensely comforted.”

Ming Xiang nodded, gripping her handkerchief even tighter.

Her husband was now master of the household and patriarch of the clan. She too must become even more resilient going forward.

Ming Xiang stood outside the window, watching as Nanny Song spoke a few words with Song Fu. Song Fu looked up at her in surprise, and she smiled faintly, raising her hand to wave gently at him.

The couple’s eyes met, both smiling gently.

After Nanny Song finished reporting, Song Fu came out from the room and removed his outer robe to drape over Ming Xiang. “You have worked hard. I made you worry.”

“Xiang’er is not tired. Xiang’er will always accompany you.”

Song Fu nodded with a slight smile. The couple returned to their room together.

Early the next morning, Song Nian was still in her room, not yet risen, when Yinsu came running in hurriedly and shook her awake.

“Did Song Yao cause more trouble?”

Though she knew Song Yao had made another scene yesterday, she was truly too lazy to bother and had not asked Yinsu to inquire about yesterday’s events. Seeing Yinsu’s appearance today, she guessed Song Yao must have caused some disaster again.

“Second Miss…”

“Madam…”

Yinsu swallowed, then said calmly, “Yesterday when Second Miss was escorting Madam to the family temple, she fell down the mountain and… and… on the spot… she’s gone.”