While Cui Yingshu was discussing with Chief Minister Chang how the future path should go, Song Chuyi left through the back gate of the Cui residence. As always, she turned into the house she owned near the Huang Daxian Temple. The house was always maintained, and the deep-rooted, leafy parasol trees blocked out large swaths of sunlight, leaving only dappled light and shadows. Song Chuyi walked through the long corridor all the way to the pavilion in the center of the rear courtyard lake and sat down. Only then did she first meet with the wives of Ma Changjiang and Ma Wangkun, warmly asking how they had been recently and such matters. After exchanging pleasantries for a while and after they went down to prepare tea and refreshments, did she instruct Qing Yīng to bring Ma Changjiang and Ma Wangkun in.
Ma Changjiang and Ma Wangkun had been extremely cautious in carrying out this assignment. Song Chuyi hadn’t entrusted them with tasks for quite a long time. Previously, on the return journey from Jinzhong, Song Chuyi had also left them on His Highness the Grand Prince’s boat to help. They hadn’t been able to exert their strength when Song Chuyi encountered danger and felt extremely ashamed. Now that Song Chuyi had them investigate the Chen family’s fish that slipped through the net, they were naturally exceptionally dedicated.
“It was the Chen family’s great-aunt who took her along on the journey,” Ma Wangkun spoke first. “This Miss Chen didn’t have much in the way of belongings. In total, they hired two boats—one to transport goods and one for her and the Chen family’s great-aunt to use together. We followed along for several days, disguised as passing merchants. When they went ashore to rest, we had Cuiqiao go chat with Miss Chen’s maids. Those maids knew limited things and didn’t divulge any useful information. So we kept following for several more days, just saying we were traveling merchants transporting a batch of goods to Xingyang, coincidentally going the same way. We didn’t arouse any suspicion.”
Ma Changjiang immediately followed up: “Later, when they went to stay at an inn, Ma Fucai and I eavesdropped outside their room door. This time we finally heard some useful things.” He looked at Song Chuyi and told her word for word the conversation between Miss Chen and Great-Aunt Chen, then said: “From what they meant, they gave Liangdi Fan quite a lot of things—it’s estimated that all of the Chen family’s nest egg is in there. I heard it was originally prepared as a dowry for when Chen Mingyu was to marry Prince Dongping. Now it’s all been given to Liangdi Fan first, just to exchange for this marriage alliance with Liangdi Fan’s elder brother.”
Old Madam Chen had truly exhausted her mind and energy for Chen Mingyu, actually taking out all of the Chen family’s capital just to exchange for such a marriage for Chen Mingyu. Thinking about how Old Madam Chen had repeatedly thrown out big fish like Tang Mingzhao and the Shen family for the repeatedly erring Chen Mingyu, Song Chuyi felt that Old Madam Chen making such a decision wasn’t really anything remarkable.
But Song Chuyi couldn’t help but curl her lips in mockery, not for any other reason but for Old Madam Chen’s devotion to Chen Mingyu—since she loved Chen Mingyu so much, why didn’t she think a bit more about it?
What kind of person was Liangdi Fan? She was someone who could personally torture her own younger sister to death, could scheme to send her own niece to a marriage alliance, and regarded her own nephew like pigs and dogs. Expecting her to keep her word because of money was less believable than trusting that wild beasts wouldn’t eat people.
Her guess was completely correct. Liangdi Fan had never planned to fulfill the transaction according to the agreement—truly letting a criminal official’s descendant marry into her family to become the principal wife? Was she stupid or what?
Nanny Qi knelt before Liangdi Fan, dutifully and responsibly, with her face showing some difficulty and helplessness, telling Liangdi Fan: “The family back home sent a reply saying that since ancient times, no one has heard of such a thing. They said our eldest young master already passed the scholar examination at seventeen. Next he still has to take the provincial examination and the metropolitan examination. Even if he can’t pass any of those, the family still has hereditary ennoblement. Finding connections to get him an actual position wouldn’t be difficult. If he were to marry a criminal official’s daughter as his legitimate wife, how would life go on in the future? Just spreading the word would make the Fan family lose face, and would also bring shame to Your Ladyship.”
Actually, back home, Madam Fan had put it even more harshly. Although she loved and valued her eldest daughter, and the eldest daughter indeed related to the honor and disgrace of the entire family, over these years the Fan family had suffered plenty following behind her. Going to Xibei to engage in trade was even more a matter of risking their heads to work for the Crown Prince, Liangdi Fan, and Prince Dongping. But what was the result? Although the Fan family had obtained some benefits, hadn’t the greater benefits still gone to Her Ladyship, His Highness the Prince, and His Highness the Crown Prince? This time she was even sacrificing a son! Just thinking about Second Master Fan’s matter made Madam Fan’s head spin and her heart bitter. Although her eldest daughter had repeatedly instructed her not to let her second brother handle such important matters, in the end hadn’t he still died for Liangdi Fan? With great difficulty she had emerged from the grief of losing a son, but now Liangdi Fan was saying something about having Miss Chen come to be the principal wife for her eldest grandson. She was truly so angry she almost fainted on the spot.
There was no way to conduct affairs like this. Previously, when Little Madam Fan and Han Zhi and Han Yueheng suffered disaster, Old Master Fan was furious, feeling that his eldest daughter was inhumane and not someone who would think of her family. She had still said a few good words on her eldest daughter’s behalf. After all, Little Madam Fan hadn’t come from her own belly, so ultimately it didn’t matter much either way. But now she herself couldn’t help but complain to Old Master Fan: “This is truly a case of elbows turning outward after marrying out. Who knows what benefits she received from others to just sell out her own nephew like this! Our Achong is good in every way. How can he marry such a woman?! If he marries her, his entire life will be ruined!”
Old Master Fan deeply agreed and turned to glare at his wife: “Do you even need to say this? I saw through it long ago—she won’t put our family in her heart. Women who have married out, which of them don’t make plans for their own children? There’s another layer of separation between us now. The way she handled this matter is truly too underhanded. What does she take her elder brother for? What does she take her nephew for? Old Master Chen’s matter caused an uproar throughout the city. Even we in this place heard the news. If we truly married the Chen family’s daughter as the principal wife, and as the eldest legitimate daughter-in-law at that, our Fan family won’t be able to establish ourselves in Xingyang in the future!”
Madam Fan kept nodding as she listened. Although both the palm and back of the hand were flesh, her son was the fundamental support she would rely on in the future. Moreover, her eldest daughter was truly a rather heartless person. She frowned at her husband: “You write a letter to the capital and say we cannot agree to this matter.”
The Fan family had to rely on the Crown Prince and had placed their bets on the Crown Prince, but there was no need to trample on their own family members like this, was there? Otherwise, the Fan family probably wouldn’t even wait until the Crown Prince rose to glory and ascended to that position before they would already be trampled into the mud.
Old Master Fan nodded in agreement. In his heart, he harbored some resentment toward his daughter, along with some worry. With his daughter’s brain, he didn’t know what she was thinking, turning a perfectly good situation into what it was now—starting from tormenting Little Madam Fan and killing Han Zhi, Liangdi Fan hadn’t done a single normal thing!