Since there was already a first one to yield, and Song Chuyi had spoken so absolutely, very quickly there was a second, a third. Everyone cherished their silver—after all, it didn’t blow in on the wind. But compared to lives, silver became less important again.

People had always been like this. Song Chuyi found it nothing strange—she’d long ago had Chen Ping investigate thoroughly, knowing these people couldn’t fail to value the children they placed at Instructor Li’s to study. She glanced at Qing Ying. Qing Ying immediately understood, stepped forward a few paces to help up Madam Wang who already had almost no strength left, smiling as she patted her hand: “Madam needn’t be like this…”

Song Chuyi’s teacup had already been gently placed on the stone table. The corners of her mouth held a smile as she looked toward Madam Wang: “Madam just said, how much silver?”

Madam Wang’s voice trembled severely, yet rarely without a single stutter: “A hundred thousand taels! A hundred thousand taels!” At the same time, fearing Song Chuyi would think it too little, she begged her with a tearful voice: “Your Ladyship, last year’s harvest was poor. We truly can’t produce more… Let me go back and discuss with my mother, scrape together a bit more… Hundred and fifty thousand taels! Hundred and fifty thousand taels!”

The Wang family truly couldn’t be counted as particularly remarkable in Yangzhou, yet they could still produce a hundred and fifty thousand taels. Song Chuyi looked meaningfully at the crowd with their complex expressions, lightly nodding: “Madam is charitable and kind. Your young master also has good fortune…”

When she said this, Qing Ying looked at Madam Wang with even more of a smile: “You can rest assured. When we returned, we saw the young master at Wuli Pavilion accompanying Master Li in composing essays. Probably by the time you return home, you’ll be able to see him.”

These words couldn’t be clearer. Give silver and pledge donations, then you could see your child. Don’t give, and you couldn’t see them. This method was truly somewhat too shameless. Madam Liang was so angry her face went a bit pale. After a long while she let out a cold laugh: “Your Ladyship is truly worthy of being imperial nobility. Indeed you feel yourself superior to others. When the court wants silver, imperial commissioners at least know to bestow rewards on wealthy households. Your Ladyship directly uses children’s lives to coerce…” She’d made up her mind, her words growing faster and faster: “In your eyes, these children’s lives aren’t lives at all. Those soldiers in Xibei probably are far more precious in your heart than our children…”

She truly hadn’t expected Song Chuyi was not only not as soft and easy to talk to as she appeared on the surface, but even more hadn’t expected Song Chuyi would be this difficult to fool and ruthlessly merciless—without a sound she’d first grasped their family’s children in hand, then acted as if nothing had happened in coming to attend this flower appreciation banquet.

Song Chuyi stared at her for a good while, until she’d stared until she involuntarily shifted her eyes away, only then did she find it somewhat funny. Since she found it funny, she really did laugh aloud with a snort, looking at Madam Liang who suddenly raised her head and asked: “Don’t you think this way?”

She stood up: “In others’ eyes, in your eyes, whether those soldiers in Xibei’s lives can compare to your wealthy young masters’ lives I don’t know. But in my eyes, those brave warriors fighting the enemy at the front lines are naturally worth far more than your young masters’ lives. Do you know how many people are fighting the enemy in Xibei? Has Madam calculated? Those soldiers altogether number over two hundred thousand. So many people’s lives—in your eyes they’re probably not worth a penny…” Her head lowered, her voice growing increasingly cold: “Otherwise you wouldn’t, just upon hearing of our purpose in coming to Yangzhou, first give us such a great lesson—if I’d been in the carriage that day, if His Highness the Crown Prince and I had both been in the ceremonial procession, we’d probably either be dead or injured, wouldn’t we? In your eyes, it’s never been that those fighting warriors’ lives aren’t valuable. Even my life and His Highness the Crown Prince’s lives are equally worthless!”

She advanced two steps, forcing Madam Liang to retreat step by step, nearly stepping into empty air and falling down the stairs, her imposing manner overwhelming: “So the pot shouldn’t call the kettle black. For Madam to speak to me now about valuing or not valuing, whose life is more important than whose—don’t you feel it’s too hypocritical? Our lives still aren’t lives. My life in yours and these Yangzhou officials and merchants’ eyes is only a chip to threaten His Highness. So why can’t your children be held in others’ hands to decide their life and death? To put it unpleasantly, with me accompanying them, even if they died, it wouldn’t be unjust. Don’t you agree?!”

Song Chuyi’s entire speech was righteous and stern, clearly irrefutable. Madam Liang was spoken to until she couldn’t even raise her head, finally discovering this Crown Princess Consort not only had deep scheming, even her verbal skills were this formidable. Her mouth was like a knife, giving you absolutely no room to breathe.

Since she had nothing to say, the words she’d said before about Song Chuyi not valuing people’s lives obviously became a joke—Song Chuyi was completely right. Her life could still be used as a chip to coerce the Crown Prince, so why couldn’t their children? Discussing status and position, whose life among those present was more precious than the Crown Princess Consort’s?

The prefect’s wife felt her legs going weak. She hadn’t expected Song Chuyi to tear off the veneer so decisively. She’d already discussed many times with her mother and father how to delay the Crown Princess Consort, but now, the initiative wasn’t in her hands at all. She couldn’t even speak now—her son was also studying at Instructor Li’s…

Everyone was silenced, unable to speak. Madam Liang was also somewhat dizzy and disoriented. Only after thinking for a long while did she force out a laugh: “If you do this, aren’t you afraid…”

Song Chuyi laughed derisively: “Afraid of what? Afraid you’ll act desperately like cornered dogs? Haven’t I spoken clearly enough? If it’s not clear enough, I’ll say it again. Right now your children are all in my hands. If I don’t leave through this door after another hour, do you believe not one of your precious young masters will return home?”

She spoke these words completely without emotion. The lives of these people in her eyes seemed truly to be only stones, not worth half a penny, not even able to be called human lives. Everyone couldn’t help but shiver thoroughly.

Silver donated could be earned again, but if a child’s life was gone, it was truly gone.

Qing Ying had never seen Song Chuyi deliberately speak so absolutely. She herself couldn’t help feeling somewhat frightened, shrinking back before reacting again, hastily supporting Song Chuyi’s words: “From the moment estate managers disguised themselves as refugees, there was no question of face or not face anymore. Some matters everyone mutually knows is enough. You could do the first day of the month, we naturally can also do the fifteenth. You also needn’t feel Her Ladyship is being alarmist. Just as Her Ladyship said, her life is worth far more than these young masters’ lives. Just based on those incidents that occurred before entering the city, having these people accompany her in death, no one could say anything about the Crown Princess Consort. You madams might as well think about it—isn’t that right?”