Madam Xiao waited until the sun set, waited until the moon reached its zenith, waited until dawn broke white—but still Xiao Ding didn’t return.

She comforted herself over and over that nothing would go wrong. After all, Xiao Ding had taken sufficient men with him. As long as they captured Song Chuyi and eliminated Song Jue and those women completely, leaving no survivors, then afterward they could push forward a few scapegoats to take the blame and await death. The Xiao family could continue their wealth and glory. Prince Duan would help them clean up all traces by then.

But she waited until the sun set again, and still Xiao Ding didn’t return.

Even a fool would now sense something was wrong. Panicked and flustered, she shouted for servants to dismiss her eldest daughter-in-law who had come to ingratiate herself, and repeatedly called for people to go to Fang Deng’s household to find Madam Fang.

Now Marquis Pingyang’s household and Fang Deng were grasshoppers tied to the same rope. Madam Fang had always been more resourceful than herself. Controlling her trembling hands, she waited for Madam Fang to arrive.

But Nanny Chen returned saying that Madam Fang was no longer at the residence.

“Not at the residence?!” Madam Xiao jumped up in shock, asking incredulously again and again, “How could she not be at the residence? If she’s not there, where could she be?!”

A mere woman—could she have flown away?!

Nanny Chen was surprised by her mistress’s loss of composure and lowered her head somewhat at a loss.

Madam Xiao’s mind was in complete chaos like a tangled mess of hemp. She couldn’t understand where else Madam Fang, also a woman of the inner quarters, could go besides the Fang household. Especially under these special circumstances, with Xiao Ding and Fang Deng’s situation unclear, the ally she thought she could rely on had suddenly disappeared.

She sat woodenly for a long while before finally reacting—now she should be gathering intelligence. But feeling guilty like a thief, she didn’t dare go to the Song household herself. Fortunately, fortunately there was still one person. She breathed a sigh of relief and had servants summon Song Chuxuan, wanting her to return home for a visit.

Previously, mentioning returning to her maternal home would earn a lecture from Madam Xiao, but now Madam Xiao was actually initiating her return. Song Chuxuan was utterly bewildered, taking a long time to react.

The Princess Consort of Marquis Pingyang’s heir felt rather aggrieved. Today she had heard that Madam Xiao had somehow not slept all night, so she had prepared ginseng soup early to send for her health, only to receive a cold reception and even be scolded for no reason.

Now Madam Xiao was also ordering her to prepare carriages and horses to send Song Chuxuan back to the Earl’s residence. Her heart full of pent-up frustration, feeling her abdomen dragging painfully, she forced herself to see Song Chuxuan off before huffing back to bed to sulk.

If something had happened to the Song household, it couldn’t possibly be without any commotion. But now was a sensitive time—she couldn’t directly send people out to inquire everywhere. She could only have Song Chuxuan return to her maternal home to feel out the situation.

Madam Xiao rubbed her forehead as she sat on the couch, feeling her heartbeat accelerating, making her restless whether sitting or lying down.

Having been busy worrying and in chaos all last night, she had actually forgotten that Song Chuxuan was still at Marquis Pingyang’s residence. When Old Madam Song heard the nanny report that Song Chuxuan had returned, her head felt somewhat dizzy and heavy.

By now, Marquis Pingyang’s household had completely torn relations with the Earl’s residence and was certainly doomed. But this would be hard on Song Chuxuan.

The Old Madam held her daughter and only wept, looking at Old Madam Song with pleading eyes.

Money couldn’t buy foreknowledge. If only they had known the Xiao family harbored such intentions. If only they had known Madam Xiao was this kind of person. If only they had known Xiao Ding would dare involve himself in succession matters…

Old Madam Song closed her eyes, finally deciding to steel her heart and tell Song Chuxuan the whole story.

“You know what kind of person your mother-in-law is, but I didn’t expect her to be so bold.” Old Madam Song personally pulled Song Chuxuan to sit beside her. Seeing her trembling with fright, her heart also ached. “But if she had succeeded this time, your mother and even your brother—all would have suffered disaster.”

Song Chuxuan’s tears fell like broken strings as she clutched Old Madam Song and wept.

She hadn’t expected Madam Xiao to strike so viciously, actually targeting her own birth mother and blood brother.

“Grandmother, please say no more,” she said, wiping her tears, feeling as if she had already died once. “Such a heartless and ungrateful family isn’t worth my returning to. I beg Grandmother to decide for me—let me divorce Xiao Yan.”

She had been married into the Xiao family for over two full years, respectful to her elders above and friendly to siblings below. Who knew that in the end, not only did this not earn a single kind word, but it made them intensify their abuse?

Xiao Yan was usually a dissolute young master, not only keeping many concubines in the residence but also being restless outside. All this she could endure. But to set their sights on her maternal family…

A cold laugh rose from the depths of Song Chuxuan’s heart—they had truly targeted the wrong people.

Hearing Song Chuxuan say this, Old Madam Song’s heart eased with relief.

She had been worried this granddaughter was too weak to withstand such a shock, even more worried she would be foolish enough to accompany Xiao Yan into exile and hardship. Now it seemed that while Song Chuxuan was weak, she could still distinguish between what was advantageous and harmful.

The Old Madam also nodded repeatedly, looking up at Old Madam Song. “There’s no time to waste, Mother. I’ll go to Marquis Pingyang’s residence right away.”

“No need,” Old Madam Song said, shaking her head slightly with a full smile. “We don’t need to handle this matter ourselves. Naturally, someone will come forward to uphold justice for us.”

On the fifth day of the fourth month, Minister of Revenue Song Chengru removed his official cap and belt in the Golden Hall, personally submitting a memorial of self-reproach to request retirement from office.

All officials were in an uproar.

On the fifteenth day of the fourth month, the case of Marquis Pingyang Xiao Ding broke open. The Court of Judicial Review discovered that Xiao Ding and Fang Deng had abused their authority to mobilize garrison troops without authorization and attempted to harm the women of the Earl of Changning’s household in the suburbs of the capital. Moreover, the nature of this case was extremely vile—Xiao Ding had also colluded with Wang Jinsi, the orphaned descendant of the late Duke Chengguo, attempting to frame the Earl of Changning’s household.

For a time, storms raged through the court, with countless memorials impeaching Xiao Ding and Fang Deng piling up before the throne.

On the nineteenth day of the fourth month, His Majesty personally issued an edict: Marquis Pingyang Xiao Ding and Vice Commander of the Five Cities Military Commission Fang Deng had abused their authority to entrap high officials and unauthorized mobilized troops to commit violence—they were to be executed after autumn.

The assets of the Xiao and Fang families were confiscated into the national treasury, male descendants exiled to Lingnan, and female family members sold into slavery.

At the same time, he repeatedly summoned Song Chengru to console him.

On the twenty-first day of the fourth month, His Majesty issued an edict promoting Song Chengru to Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Hall, admitting him to the Grand Secretariat, and concurrently transferring him to Minister of Personnel.

Simultaneously, the Empress took charge and ordered Song Chuxuan to divorce Xiao Yan, personally bestowing Song Chuxuan one hundred taels of gold and one thousand taels of silver as consolation.

Only now did the Old Madam truly believe Old Madam Song’s words. She sat in a daze for a long time, worried about her daughter’s future yet ultimately happy that her daughter had escaped the tiger’s den. With mixed emotions of joy and worry, she exhaled a breath.

Hearing of this matter, Madam Li was so shocked she nearly bit off her tongue. That day she had gone to the Imperial Awakening Temple with other purposes in mind, but the Old Madam had spoiled everything. She had thought the Old Madam was deliberately making things difficult, never imagining she had actually experienced such heart-stopping danger.

Song Chuning, however, furrowed her brows tightly.

This matter couldn’t be unrelated to Song Chuyi. She recalled how Song Jue and the Old Madam had shown her unusually warm attitudes at that time. Her heart skipped a beat.