Chen Mingyu clutched her handkerchief, her jade-white tender fingers turning red and purple as the blood pooled in one place from the handkerchief being wound too tightly. She sat before Old Madam Chen with an ashen face, restraining herself again and again, but ultimately still exhaled a breath of indignation: “What kind of logic is this?! When Master Yuanhui speaks like this, his meaning is clearly that the person in this world who can suppress Song Chuyi’s fate must be that… that most noble person! Is the Earl of Changning’s household really so arrogant?!”
After the Ninth Princess’s marriage alliance, she had received quite a shock, probably understanding the principle that even one as noble as a princess had no choice but to submit to circumstances beyond her control. These past days she had been well-behaved and law-abiding, her temperament truly settling down, no longer the superficial pretense of before.
But when it came to matters concerning Crown Prince Zhou Weizhao, she couldn’t help getting agitated again—this matter was truly too strange. For no good reason, why did Master Yuanhui have to specifically bring up Song Chuyi after mentioning His Highness the Crown Prince’s marriage?
Old Madam Chen had a bad back and always needed a soft cushion placed beneath her when sitting or lying down. At this moment, she waited for the nanny beside her to arrange the cushion properly before glancing toward Chen Mingyu.
Though nothing was said in that glance, it clearly said everything. Chen Mingyu immediately became somewhat at a loss, blushing as she sat down beside Old Madam Chen, resting her head on Old Madam Chen’s shoulder: “It’s your granddaughter who spoke without thinking because I was too anxious…”
“The principle that disaster comes from the mouth must never be forgotten for even a moment.” Old Madam Chen allowed those serving beside her to remove her forehead band and solemnly admonished her: “The examples of the Han family’s eldest miss and the Shen family’s second miss are right before your eyes. The precedent hasn’t even passed yet—don’t repeat their mistakes.” After sternly reminding Chen Mingyu with a serious expression, she then lightly patted the back of her hand: “As for Master Yuanhui’s words today, why would you think it was the Earl of Changning’s household who said them?”
At Old Madam Chen’s question, Chen Mingyu’s face immediately turned so red it seemed blood would drip out—Grandfather had been constantly instructing her recently, sometimes even deliberately having her listen from the hidden chamber when discussing matters in the study, all so that she could understand the court situation in the future and be able to accompany that most noble person, preserving the Chen family’s generational glory and prosperity.
After listening for so long, through constant exposure she had also learned the Song family’s current plans—after the affairs of Prince Duan and the Crown Prince, the Earl of Changning’s household had clearly made up their minds not to lean toward either side. Last time during the Yangzhou corruption case, Song Chengru’s agreement to serve as chief examiner was precisely to make this point clear to the Emperor.
This deeply calculating old fox at such a time could not possibly lift a rock only to drop it on his own feet, bungling things by creating this matter with Master Yuanhui—once Master Yuanhui spoke these words, everyone under heaven would regard the Earl of Changning’s household as sycophants who would stop at nothing to curry favor with the imperial family. Plus, under Consort Song’s care, there was now a three-year-old little prince…
No matter who did this, it definitely wasn’t the Earl of Changning’s household. She herself had been too concerned and confused.
“I was too hasty.” Chen Mingyu lowered her head in acknowledgment of her error: “I actually complained without thinking it through.”
Although her reaction was fairly timely, ultimately she still couldn’t do without someone to guide her. Now she was by her own side with constant instruction on everything, but what about later if she truly ascended to that position? Old Madam Chen’s gaze was heavy as she looked at her for a long while, then let out a long sigh. After all, she had been raised in the inner quarters with limited experience. Even though Old Master Chen and she had been especially thorough in remedying this recently, ultimately there was still no way to reach the sky in a single step.
By comparison, that little sixth miss of the Song family’s upbringing was truly exceptional. Old Madam Chen hadn’t had much contact with Song Chuyi, but whether it was that time at Duke Yingguo’s residence or that time at the restaurant, Song Chuyi’s actions and words were all clean and decisive, handling matters with measured advancement and retreat, never overstepping boundaries by a single step. Even today with the matter of Master Yuanhui, though even Madam Cui’s face rarely showed anger, Song Chuyi still maintained her smiling appearance.
She had to admit that even herself, who had always been known for her seasoned shrewdness, at Song Chuyi’s age had not possessed such composure to remain unmoved even as Mount Tai collapsed before her eyes. That old lady of the Song family could actually teach such a girl…
Old Madam Chen gripped Chen Mingyu’s hand and stared intently at her: “I once told you that if you lose to Song Chuyi, it means I’m not as good as Old Madam Song at raising girls. Look at her—today she’s the one who should truly be panicking at the center of the storm, yet she manages to maintain such composure. Think it over yourself. With this kind of scheming, if you two both became the Crown Prince’s consorts…”
Chen Mingyu’s complexion instantly turned deathly pale. Previously, Grandfather and Grandmother’s meaning was that if the path with Zhou Weizhao truly didn’t work out, the side of Prince Dongping was also worth competing for.
But now Zhou Weizhao’s standing before Emperor Jianzhang was rising with the tide, while Prince Dongping’s side kept encountering problems one after another for some unknown reason—the mess of bad debts at the Marquis of Jinxiang’s household still couldn’t be sorted out.
The Chen family elders naturally turned their attention back to Zhou Weizhao. But at the same time, they had also calculated the worst possible outcome. If they made appropriate compromises that would let Zhou Weizhao know the Chen family’s advantages, they were willing.
When Chen Mingyu thought about becoming the Crown Prince’s consort alongside Song Chuyi, she felt somewhat humiliated and somewhat wronged—others might not see it, but she could see the extraordinary rapport between Song Chuyi and the Crown Prince that exceeded what was normal.
That kind of rapport simply wasn’t what two unfamiliar people should have. It was more like… more like her grandfather and grandmother, the kind of trust in each other’s intentions that came from a lifetime of adjustment, that absolute certainty.
She let out a heavy sigh and straightened her body, her face full of melancholy.
Old Madam Chen grasped her shoulder and squeezed firmly: “A few days ago, His Majesty even inquired whether it was time to set a date for the Celestial Master and His Highness the Crown Prince’s marriage. Today Master Yuanhui seized the opportunity to bring up this matter as well. You must prepare yourself mentally—it will probably be within these next few days. These coming days I’ll take you to the palace more often to make your presence known. At the Empress’s and Crown Princess’s places… put more effort in. As for other matters, you needn’t think about them for now.”
Chen Mingyu clenched both hands into fists, and only after a long while slowly nodded. No matter how unwilling she felt in her heart, she couldn’t show it at this moment. Grandmother was right—haste makes waste. She needed to maintain her composure and take things slowly. Right now Song Chuyi still had one difficult hurdle and it was uncertain whether she could pass it. There was no need to trouble herself needlessly worrying about things that hadn’t even happened yet.