Though crying out her innocence with her mouth, Madam Liang’s facial expression didn’t change in the slightest. Toward the end, there was rather a sense of smiling without warmth reaching her eyes. Before leaving home, Liang Shoufu had already communicated with her. The husband and wife pair didn’t harbor much reverence toward the Crown Prince and Crown Princess Consort who had come to take advantage of them.

In fact, they truly didn’t need any reverence. The current court in its state of wind and rain swaying—if the court still had any will or strength, would they have let Yangzhou submit half the usual taxes this year without any response? And since the court now couldn’t even take care of itself, their deceiving those above wasn’t anything too sensational.

Still, the prefect’s wife was somewhat inexperienced. She retreated two steps and inconspicuously tugged at her mother’s sleeve, giving her a difficult look, signaling her not to speak carelessly.

Song Chuyi turned a blind eye to these small movements of theirs, staring fixedly at Madam Liang for a good while. Only after she’d looked until Madam Liang shifted her eyes away did she say softly: “Madam, what time did you leave home today?”

Madam Liang was asked without the slightest clue. Seeing her daughter also had a bewildered face, she first tentatively glanced at Song Chuyi. Seeing she couldn’t make anything out, only then did she honestly answer.

Song Chuyi made a sound of acknowledgment, as if pondering: “I heard that your household’s young master should be at the age to attend school by this time? He studies at Instructor Li’s place, doesn’t he?”

The young master in her mouth was currently the only child of school-attending age in Liang Shoufu’s household. Just nine years old, he was the eldest grandson of the Liang Shoufu couple. Because they placed high hopes on this grandson, they’d specially sought out Instructor Li, the retired Vice Director of the Imperial Academy who had returned home for honored retirement, to be his teacher. However, Instructor Li was impatient and unwilling to teach only the Liang family’s child alone. When the mood struck him, he simply opened a school. Therefore this Young Master Liang also attended classes together with other children just the same.

Instructor Li was elderly, held a high position, and had a reputation abroad. The school gradually built up its fame. Quite a few prestigious Yangzhou families felt at ease entrusting their children to his hands. Therefore among the madams who had come today, more than half had grandsons or young sons studying at Instructor Li’s school. Now hearing Song Chuyi’s question, they all pricked up their ears.

Madam Liang was even more momentarily stunned. Only after a moment did she react that Song Chuyi was talking about her eldest grandson. For a time she felt these words came inexplicably, having no connection whatsoever with what had been said before. At the same time, she felt Song Chuyi speaking these words must have some other deeper meaning. After delaying a while, only then did she furrow her brows—Song Chuyi asking this question obviously couldn’t be a momentary whim, but why would she ask this for no good reason?

Song Chuyi didn’t let her guess too long. Very quickly she opened her mouth to ask again: “I heard Instructor Li is quite an old-fashioned person. Unless they’re legitimate sons and grandsons he won’t accept them. Because of this matter, who knows how much trouble there’s been. Those sent from your households must also all be legitimate sons and grandsons, right?”

Of course they were legitimate sons and grandsons. Moreover, Instructor Li wasn’t just old-fashioned but also stubborn. From each family he’d accept at most two, and they all had to be legitimately born without exception. Therefore unless they were children receiving great attention and high hopes, they couldn’t be sent to Instructor Li’s door.

Madam Liang keenly perceived something was wrong, but for the moment didn’t know how to react. It was still a madam from the back who reacted first, asking Song Chuyi one step ahead: “Your Ladyship, for no good reason… why ask about this?”

“It’s not for no good reason.” Song Chuyi had no intention of beating around the bush with them. Her gaze carried some coldness as she looked toward them, her eyes lingering especially long on Madam Liang’s face: “From entering the city, I took the trouble to inquire.”

From entering the city… Madam Liang’s complexion changed drastically. She almost couldn’t maintain her composure. She never imagined Song Chuyi would say such a thing. She was still thinking about how to keep Song Chuyi longer without tearing off the veneer, so that her husband’s side could proceed more smoothly. But Song Chuyi clearly had no intention of engaging in false civilities with them at all. As soon as she arrived, she’d revealed a real blade.

Saying she’d taken the trouble to inquire from entering the city meant she’d become suspicious of those estate managers? Madam Liang gripped her daughter’s hand tightly, her mind momentarily too chaotic to react.

Song Chuyi had no intention of giving her time to react either. As if knowing what she was thinking, she singled out her name specifically: “Why is Madam Liang so nervous? Do you also feel this Yangzhou city is rather unstable?” She didn’t even look at Madam Liang again. From afar she glanced at the pavilion in the center of the lake and said softly: “That’s right too. On the very first day we encountered refugees—isn’t that frightening? The young masters in your various households are probably all not very old, and all pampered and sheltered. If they also encountered some refugees, what would be done about that?”

These words made all the madams below change color without exception. In an instant, the atmosphere that had previously been lively and bustling plummeted precipitously.

It was still the madam who had spoken before who reacted first. With a thud she knelt before Song Chuyi: “Your Ladyship!”

With this kneeling, the momentum of the others all fell away as well. The prefect’s wife was very much at a loss.

Song Chuyi smiled faintly. She reached out to receive a box from Qing Tao’s hands, and with a snap unhurriedly opened the lid and threw it on the ground.

Madam Liang was startled, thinking Song Chuyi was going to strike her with it. Instinctively she retreated several steps backward. The box fell to the ground with a thud, making a huge sound. She collected her mind to look, only seeing several jade pendants wrapped in extremely exquisite cords. Immediately she couldn’t control the expression on her face, looking toward Song Chuyi with a face full of terror.

Below came exclamations large and small. These jade pendants and these sachets were all not ordinary items. There was even one piece among them with red veins flowing through it—at a glance one could tell it was rare blood jade, absolutely not something ordinary households could possess.

At this point, there was no need for Song Chuyi to say more. Who still couldn’t see that these were clearly the ornaments from their children’s persons? And for these items worn close to the body to reach Song Chuyi’s hands…

Even Madam Liang panicked, flustered and confused as she pounced forward to pick up that flawless, transparent paired-fish jade pendant and looked toward Song Chuyi: “Your Ladyship, you… what is your meaning in this?”

“No particular meaning?” Song Chuyi also answered quickly, looking coldly at Madam Liang with a cold laugh: “Whatever plan you originally had in mind, that’s the plan I have in mind now. Madam, among enlightened people we speak plainly—your plan probably can’t be carried out. Since we can’t discuss what you wanted to discuss, how about we sit down and discuss some other transaction?”

Some other transaction… The handkerchief in Madam Liang’s hand was nearly twisted to shreds. Looking at Song Chuyi, she was rather gritting her teeth. With great effort she suppressed the urge to strangle Song Chuyi on the spot, reluctantly pulling out a smile: “I wonder what transaction Your Ladyship wishes to discuss?”