Song Chuyi knelt in the courtyard of Old Madam’s quarters with a cold expression, the emerald bamboo planted beside her swaying in the wind. The branches and leaves that had already extended beyond the courtyard walls were lush and vibrant with green.

So full of life and vitality.

Nothing like the courtyard she had occupied in Duke Yingguo’s estate in her previous life—withered flowers and defeated willows, with only broken walls and ruins remaining.

First Madam emerged from Old Madam’s room and happened to see Song Chuyi staring blankly in one direction, her somewhat hollow eyes rarely showing an expression resembling anticipation—toward the retreating figures of Second Master leading Song Chuning by the hand.

The anticipation in Song Chuyi’s eyes vanished in just an instant, returning to that hollow gaze. Her body knelt on the ground ramrod straight, refusing to relax for even a moment.

In that moment, First Madam suddenly felt somewhat heartsick. As if possessed, she crouched before Song Chuyi and gently touched her head: “Why are you so stubborn? Actually, it’s just a small matter. If you admit your mistake it will pass. Why won’t you just admit it?”

Nanny Huang came over with small hurried steps. She first paid respects to First Madam, then bent down to help Song Chuyi up: “Sixth Miss, Old Madam requests that you go inside.”

First Madam couldn’t say much more to Song Chuyi. She held her hand and patted it: “Go on, don’t make Old Madam angry.”

“I didn’t know before that your tongue was so sharp and your mouth so clever,” Old Madam Song looked at Song Chuyi who stood with pressed lips in silence, frowning as she spoke. “Just a few days ago I said you’d become much more sensible. How is it that today you’re being so willful again?”

Song Chuyi kept her head lowered without speaking. The jade disc hanging at her waist gleamed brilliantly in the lamplight.

After waiting a while without hearing her speak, Old Madam hummed and said: “Come here, let me look at you!”

Song Chuyi stepped forward several paces to stand before Old Madam.

Though her hair was somewhat disheveled, her face at least hadn’t been injured like Song Jie’s. Old Madam Song breathed a sigh of relief in her heart, then asked with a stern face: “Do you know your mistake?”

Song Chuyi still didn’t speak, but from her eyes fell a tear the size of a bean with a soft plop.

Old Madam Song was startled. She could no longer maintain her stern expression and pulled her close to scold: “Crying! You still know how to cry! Now you know to be afraid? Where did that fierce ruthlessness go when you charged forward to bite someone? After the matter with your Fourth Sister last time, I thought you’d gained some sense. Who knew you’d still be so rash and reckless.”

Those servants were ultimately afraid of Fifth Madam and didn’t dare use deadly force to restrain her. Fifth Madam, accustomed to throwing tantrums, charged straight through to reach Song Chuyi.

But this time she truly didn’t get the better of it, because Song Chuyi opened her mouth and bit down viciously on her wrist.

She bit extremely hard, biting Fifth Madam’s hand until it was a bloody mess. If Song Chuyou hadn’t come over crying to pull them apart, Fifth Madam’s hand would likely have been bitten clean through.

Old Madam Song didn’t know where her granddaughter’s hatred came from. By all rights, though Fifth Madam was detestable, she had nothing to do with Song Chuyi.

“Grandmother…” Song Chuyi fell to her knees with a thump, her voice low and her gaze confused: “I had a dream.”

Yushu had already swiftly led the young maids out, leaving only Nanny Huang standing to the side in attendance.

“In the dream, I was annoying, had a bad temper, did many things that made people roll their eyes at me, and even threatened death to force Father to marry me to Seventh Young Master Shen…”

Old Madam Song looked at the kneeling Song Chuyi, her expression complex.

Last time when the Song sisters went to visit the Li family’s maternal relatives’ home, Song Chuyi had gotten into an argument with Princess Yunxiu of Prince Zhennan’s estate because she wanted to follow Seventh Young Master Shen, and in the end had made Princess Yunxiu cry all the way home.

Now what Song Chuyi was saying sounded like an Arabian Nights tale, but Old Madam Song knew in her heart that it was possible for it to happen.

“After I married into the family, you and Father wouldn’t acknowledge me anymore. Seventh Young Master Shen didn’t like me, yet pretended to like me… Later, the child I gave birth to also died…”

Song Chuyi stumbled forward and threw her arms around Old Madam’s legs, finally crying without restraint: “Grandmother, I’m so afraid… I don’t understand—I never did anything bad, so why did they treat me this way…”

Actually, Song Chuyi did understand. She had long understood why.

A man is innocent, but possession of jade makes him guilty.

Being the descendant left behind by Lady Cui, occupying the position of legitimate daughter—that was her original sin.

Old Madam Song didn’t react for a long moment, but was made anxious by her granddaughter’s mournful crying. The elderly woman of accumulated years hadn’t felt this way for many years.

“In your dream, did something also happen to your eldest brother?”

After quite a while, Old Madam Song finally found her voice again.

Song Chuyi’s sobbing gradually stopped. She raised her head to look at Old Madam Song, her tear-filled eyes harboring several parts fear: “Yes… Grandmother, how did you know?”

Old Madam Song smiled slightly. Having lived so many years, she could still tell truth from falsehood. Setting aside that a seven-year-old girl didn’t have the capability to fabricate such a lie, the fear and despair in Song Chuyi’s eyes just now couldn’t deceive anyone.

And the reason Song Jue was so treasured by the Song estate naturally couldn’t only be because he was promising—it was also because he was a more than qualified heir, kindhearted and benevolent, with an extremely deep sense of responsibility.

If Song Jue hadn’t met with misfortune in Song Chuyi’s dream, Song Chuyi wouldn’t have fallen to such a state. Moreover—thinking back now, Song Chuyi’s suggestion the other day that she send Song Jue to Qingzhou was indeed too strange.

“Tell me in detail about what happened in your dream,” Old Madam Song helped her up and personally took the handkerchief from Nanny Huang’s hands to wipe her face.

Just now Song Chuyi had spoken intermittently and not very clearly, but this time she picked out everything she could say and told Old Madam the entire story.

Finally, she stared into Old Madam’s eyes, earnest and panicked: “Grandmother, I’m not lying… When I woke from the dream, I thought it was all just a dream, but in the blink of an eye, Third Aunt said exactly the same words as in the dream. In the dream she also questioned me this way… I was truly terrified…”

Old Madam Song’s expression was grave, her hand holding Song Chuyi tightening several degrees. She seemed to find it somewhat unbelievable, yet also felt these matters had vague precedents to follow.

“You just said that in your dream, not long after, your aunt would… pass away?”

Old Madam Song tried her utmost to suppress her emotions, yet still couldn’t conceal the trembling in her voice.

Song Chuyi nodded, her expression gloomy: “In the previous life, the person who went to Qingzhou was Steward Lin. When he returned, he reported that Aunt’s health wasn’t very good. After more than three months passed, someone came from Qingzhou to report her death…”

Old Madam Song let out a heavy breath: “So that’s why you suggested to me to send your eldest brother to Qingzhou? To have him avoid this calamity?”

Song Chuyi’s hands couldn’t help trembling. She leaned against Old Madam Song and shook her head: “Grandmother, I don’t know if it will work. I didn’t dare bring up what happened in the dream. I knew First Mother wouldn’t believe it—no one would believe me… Grandmother, you must believe me. I haven’t deceived you.”