Song Chuyi had just lifted her skirts and stepped through the door when she heard Old Madam Xiang’s coarse voice echoing throughout the inner room: “I don’t care about being expelled from the clan or not! Whether expelled or not, by moral law and propriety, I’m still her biological grandmother! Even if she doesn’t acknowledge me, it doesn’t matter—she must at least acknowledge the marriage contract left behind by her mother and father!”
The room suddenly fell so silent you could hear a pin drop. As she stepped around the screen, she saw Ziwei and Zilan both biting their lips with indignant expressions on their faces. Old Madam Song sat in the seat of honor, her expression relatively calm.
“This must be Sixth Miss?” Third Madam Chen stood up to meet her gaze, a smile blooming on her plump, pale face—neither cold nor overly eager: “You’re truly beautiful. No wonder everyone says Old Madam knows how to raise people properly, with each young lady around her more radiant than the last.”
Old Madam Song’s expression remained indifferent as she nodded toward Song Chuyi: “This is Elder Chen’s clan daughter-in-law, Third Madam Chen.”
Another relative of Elder Chen’s, and she had helped the Xiang family come to the capital. The incident with Xiang Mingzi a few years ago hadn’t been kept quiet—they’d opened the ancestral hall, visited temples and monasteries, and made quite a commotion. Among those who had lived in the capital for years, who was deaf or blind enough not to know about these things? Yet their family had not only helped Old Madam Xiang come to the capital, but had even brought her to the residence without any prior notice.
Third Madam Chen personally removed a red gold bracelet carved with open lotus flowers from her own wrist and warmly handed it to Song Chuyi: “This is our first meeting, so please take this as a greeting gift. Sixth Miss Song, please don’t think it’s inadequate—just take it to play with.”
Before her words had even finished, Old Madam Xiang’s eyes were already staring fixedly at Old Madam Song, her voice rising another eight degrees: “I don’t care! This marriage contract was established when her mother and father were still alive. Now that the other party has come to the door, there’s no reason to call it off! She was raised and brought up in my Xiang family, so could she really refuse to acknowledge over ten years of nurturing grace?”
She spoke with spittle flying, clutching tightly in her hand what she called the marriage contract, almost wanting to rush up to Old Madam’s face: “If she doesn’t acknowledge it, if she doesn’t acknowledge it…” She gave a cold laugh, saliva spraying: “Humph, this old woman will bash her head against those stone lions in front of your Earl Changning’s residence!”
Third Madam Chen seemed somewhat embarrassed as she glanced at Old Madam Song and Song Chuyi, whose expressions had darkened, and hurried to persuade Old Madam Xiang: “Oh my, it’s almost New Year’s—why say such inauspicious things about death? Old Madam, you’re advanced in years. Even if you have something to say, you should speak properly…”
If Third Madam Chen hadn’t taken it upon herself to act today, Old Madam Xiang would never have had the opportunity to enter the Song residence. If Third Madam Chen hadn’t insisted on having Xiang Mingzi come to verify her parents’ names and seals, how could Old Madam Song possibly have let Old Madam Xiang see Xiang Mingzi?
Old Madam Song’s gaze shot toward Third Madam Chen like a sharp arrow, and she smiled meaningfully: “Third Madam seems quite familiar with this Old Madam Xiang.”
Third Madam Chen’s pointed fingers trembled, her eyes involuntarily darting to the right before she quickly covered her mouth and curtsied: “On the road to the capital, I was bitten by a poisonous insect. If it weren’t for Old Madam Xiang’s folk remedy, I truly would have lost my life…” As she spoke, her bright eyes stared at Old Madam Song and she couldn’t help but smile: “I happened to hear that Old Madam Xiang was related to your residence by marriage, so naturally I took on this task of helping…”
Old Madam Song didn’t even glance at Old Madam Xiang, but gave a meaningful “oh,” then smiled: “What a pity that Third Madam Chen’s favor cannot be completed. Our family severed this marriage connection three years ago. Magistrate Xiang—surely Third Madam Chen has heard what crime he committed that landed him in prison?”
Song Chuyi moved forward to sit beside Old Madam Song, also turning her head to look at Third Madam Chen: “Third Madam Chen seems to have gone to Shu with Third Master Chen to take up his post three years ago. Three years ago, my grandmother had just brought my cousin back. At the time, this case caused a huge uproar in the capital. I remember my cousin was registered under my eldest uncle’s name, and when we held the banquet to celebrate, Third Madam Chen was there too. Yet Third Madam Chen forgot in the blink of an eye.”
How could such a thing be forgotten? Anyone managing a household must pay the closest attention to such matters, lest they embarrass others and cause offense. Yet Third Madam Chen, knowing full well the Song family’s position, still brought Old Madam Xiang to their door.
Pressed by Song Chuyi’s words, Third Madam Chen was left somewhat unable to save face, hurriedly lowering her head: “This was several years ago, so I don’t remember very clearly. And seeing Old Madam Xiang so pitiful, I thought that even if Magistrate Xiang did something wrong, the elderly are always innocent. She had the marriage contract…”
Old Madam Xiang immediately spat on the ground, her thin, shriveled face wrinkling together: “Never mind all that useless talk. The marriage contract is right here—this match is hers no matter what! If she doesn’t acknowledge it, today I’ll do exactly as I said and bash my head to death at your Earl Changning’s residence. Let’s see how long you can remain so arrogant!”
Third Madam happened to enter just then, and hearing these words, immediately raised her eyebrows: “Who’s so blind as to come right before New Year’s talking about death and life—don’t you care about taboos?” She had received word from First Madam and hurried over. Sometimes, to deal with unreasonable country bumpkin old ladies like Old Madam Xiang, the cleverness of Old Madam Song and Song Chuyi couldn’t be properly applied.
Third Madam Chen seemed somewhat at a loss, so anxious that even her eyes reddened: “How did things turn out like this… I truly didn’t know that Old Madam Xiang had such a bitter feud with your family.” She turned to pull at Old Madam Xiang: “Please calm yourself! If you’d told me earlier, I… I wouldn’t have dared bring you here. Now look, I’ve done a bad deed with good intentions.”
Old Madam Song reclined against the couch and shook her head solemnly: “I know nothing about any marriage contract, and Linlang never mentioned anything to me. When we discussed expelling her from the clan with your Xiang family’s clan head, no one from your Xiang family stood up to say anything. Now the expulsion documents and the documents registering Mingzi in our Song family are all complete and in order. How does your Xiang family’s marriage contract end up being brought before us Song family members?”
Old Madam Xiang gave several deliberate cold laughs, her eyes revealing a greedy, calculating gleam: “So what if the Xiang family clan head agreed? I didn’t agree, and my son didn’t agree! Moreover, this marriage contract doesn’t just have my son’s thumbprint on it—it also has your precious daughter’s. The other party even has the longevity lock that Mingzi wore at her hundredth day as proof…”
Third Madam gave a derisive laugh, looking at Old Madam Xiang with disdain: “The people who established this marriage contract are all dead—now it’s just whatever you say it is. Even if it was Linlang’s intention, we don’t acknowledge it now. Mingzi is already a Song family girl—what does she have to do with your Xiang family?”