Luyi got up to help Song Chuyi dress. Because Nanny Huang had come yesterday to speak about the move, she hadn’t been able to sleep all night. Just thinking about how they would no longer have to live cautiously and timidly in the Second Branch’s quarters made her heart overflow with joy.

This joy came mostly from being happy for Song Chuyi.

Heaven still had eyes. She recalled how Song Chuyi had knelt with such devout expression before Cui Shi’s memorial tablet last time, and became even more certain that this was Cui Shi protecting them from beyond.

Once the heart relaxes, the mind wanders more. She pointed toward the room where Huang Yao stayed, pursed her lips somewhat disdainfully, and asked, “Miss, now that we can go to Old Madam’s quarters, can we dismiss her? Last night when I came down to relieve Hong Yu in the middle of the night, Hong Yu said she went to the main courtyard again.”

Song Chuyi smiled slightly, her chin appearing even more pointed due to her considerable weight loss, and tilted it up: “No, we won’t do anything.”

Luyi felt somewhat unwilling: “But she has ill intentions! Every day she instigates you to do things that would displease Old Madam. Who knows if her boldness will grow even greater in the future?”

“That’s exactly why we need to let her boldness grow greater and greater.” Song Chuyi finished dressing and lifted the beaded curtain to glance at the small round table outside. Seeing that breakfast was already laid out, she sat down and first took a sip of porridge: “Wait a few more days and you’ll see.”

Why should she lift a finger herself?

In her previous life, what she learned most was how to win without bloodshed and kill with borrowed knives.

Although she had already gained Old Madam’s favor, she was after all just a seven-year-old little girl—truly doing anything with real destructive power wasn’t very likely.

Even if in the end she managed to deal with Huang Yao, Nanny Wang, and that whole group, she would inevitably be left with a reputation for youthful cruelty.

Public opinion melts metal; accumulated slander destroys bones.

Song Chuyi had already experienced too clearly in her previous life the harm of gossip—even the scumbag man and cheap woman who secretly hooked up behind her sister’s back could be whitewashed in the end as true love, while she, the legitimate wife, became the villain obstructing their sincere feelings.

Lowering her head to scoop up another spoonful of porridge, she smiled with curved lips. In this life she would cherish her reputation well—no one would have a chance to splash dirty water on her.

While she was calmly drinking her porridge here, Huang Yao rashly burst in from over there, her expression quite panicked: “Miss, Miss, this is terrible!”

Luyi glared at her irritably: “What’s so terrible? What nonsense are you spouting so early in the morning?!”

Although Huang Yao felt somewhat guilty because of yesterday’s incident, she still relied on the face Song Chuyi had given her these past few days. She glared back at Luyi and went straight to report to Song Chuyi.

“Second Madam, Second Madam went to Old Madam’s quarters!”

Song Chuyi turned her head to glance at her, her face still bearing a slight smile: “Going to Old Madam’s quarters to pay respects is proper, isn’t it? What’s so surprising about that?”

She didn’t ask about why Huang Yao had instigated her to go to the Fifth Branch yesterday, nor did she seem to know that she had gone out to the main courtyard last night. Observing that Song Chuyi’s expression seemed quite pleased and showed no other abnormalities, Huang Yao’s panic subsided somewhat, and her heart returned to her belly—that’s right, she shared a room with Qing Tao, and although that girl was quite wooden, she didn’t have the guts to inform on her. Nanny Wang was even more Second Madam’s person—how could she not cover for her?

Thinking this way, she felt even more relaxed inside, and her performance became more natural, almost ready to dance with joy: “No, no, Second Madam didn’t go to pay respects—she went to plead guilty!”

Song Chuyi indeed immediately showed concern, turned to look at her, and repeated her words: “Plead guilty?”

Qing Tao took a blue-and-white porcelain soup spoon to ladle another bowl of jade-grain porridge for Song Chuyi. Her elbow jabbed into Huang Yao’s stomach as she moved past her, steadily placing the porridge in front of Song Chuyi.

Huang Yao hadn’t expected Qing Tao to suddenly do this. The pain made her bend over clutching her stomach, and forgetting that Song Chuyi was still beside her, she angrily said: “Are you seeking death?! How can your hands and feet be so clumsy?!”

Song Chuyi looked at Huang Yao, then swept her peripheral vision toward Qing Tao, smiling meaningfully.

This Qing Tao was truly even cleverer than she had imagined.

Qing Tao hadn’t expected Huang Yao to be so obtuse. She had intended to take the opportunity to give her a hint, telling her not to say anything else that might invite trouble, but who knew Huang Yao couldn’t read the situation at all. She couldn’t help feeling somewhat discouraged. When she turned back and saw Song Chuyi’s ambiguous smile, her heart skipped a beat, and she truly became flustered and at a loss.

However, Song Chuyi acted as if nothing had happened, turning her head away. She then stood up and directly called out both her and Huang Yao by name: “You two come with me to take a look.”

Huang Yao hadn’t finished what she wanted to say and couldn’t help feeling somewhat unwilling. She wanted to say more but feared being too eager would expose her intentions, so she could only follow behind Song Chuyi to Ningde Courtyard.

As soon as they entered the courtyard gate, they saw several maids sitting idly in the corridor enjoying the sun. Seeing them arrive, they quickly stood up to pay respects.

Song Chuyi smiled as she passed through the covered walkway into the main courtyard. Ziwei already said with a smile, “Sixth Miss has arrived? Please come in quickly.”

The atmosphere inside seemed somewhat oppressive. Song Chuyi immediately noticed that Old Madam Song’s complexion didn’t look good, then saw that Li Shi seated on the left below also had reddened eyes, and understood the situation.

Seeing her arrive, Li Shi already rose first and grasped her hand, falling to her knees with a thud, choking as she tearfully complained to Old Madam Song: “Mother, all these years I’ve considered myself to have fulfilled my duty toward Little Six. Whatever Nanny Xu didn’t think of, I thought of first. As long as she wanted it, as long as I had it, I never failed to satisfy her—even Ning’er fell behind. Today you want to keep her by your side to raise, your daughter-in-law doesn’t dare have an opinion, but… but how will outsiders view me in the future? What will Second Master and the Cui family think of me? How will I face people in the future?”

“Moreover, I truly regarded her as my own daughter. If she leaves my side in the future, how can I feel at ease?”

Old Madam Song looked at Li Shi without speaking.

To be fair, after Li Shi married in, she truly had nothing but good treatment for Song Chuyi—at least on the surface there was indeed nothing to criticize. Song Chuning had indeed been neglected for a long time.

Old Madam also recalled one incident: when Song Chuyi was four years old and developed a high fever, she herself had kept vigil at Song Chuyi’s bedside, and Li Shi had also stayed by her side for just as long. Later, hearing that Qingliang Temple had an eminent monk who could drive away evil and resolve disasters, she had personally gone to Qingliang Temple to request the high monk to perform rituals—yet didn’t even notice when Song Chuning had a high fever for two or three days.

It was from this one incident that she had completely let down her guard regarding Li Shi.

Now, without any warning, she wanted to keep Song Chuyi by her side to raise. For Li Shi, this was indeed somewhat cruel. After all, being a stepmother was difficult.

But of course Song Chuyi couldn’t reveal the reason about having such dreams.