Chapter 532 - 310: Threatening Ming Fei

Chapter 532: Chapter 310: Threatening Ming Fei

Although Song Yunzhao was unwilling to see Mrs. Cai, today was a joyous occasion for her and her son, so she held her nose and accepted it.

The First Madam and Mrs. Cai arrived shortly after. Yun Zhao rose and went to the outer hall to receive them.

She wore the formal regalia of Ming Fei, her hair styled in a high coiffure. The most striking ornament in her dark tresses was a three-tailed phoenix hairpin. It was crafted from red gold and inlaid with rubies, each gem the size of a thumbnail. Tassels dangling from the phoenix’s beak brushed against her ears, swaying with each step and glittering magnificently.

As Mrs. Cai gazed upon this resplendent Song Yunzhao, she thought of her eldest daughter, who was suffering in the Marquis Wuxin Mansion. Her already somber expression grew even colder.

The First Madam didn’t notice Mrs. Cai’s expression. Her eyes were on Yun Zhao’s formal robes and her healthy complexion. It was clear she was recovering well in the palace after childbirth, which finally set the madam’s mind at ease.

Once Song Yunzhao was seated, the First Madam led Mrs. Cai forward to pay their respects. "This subject greets Lady Ming."

Song Yunzhao noticed the reluctance in Mrs. Cai’s eyes but paid it no mind. After a brief sidelong glance, she smiled at the First Madam. "Please, rise. Let’s sit and talk." Then, addressing the First Madam exclusively, she said, "Aunt, you’ve been so busy with my eldest cousin’s wedding. You must take care of yourself. It seems to me your complexion isn’t what it used to be."

The First Madam smiled at Yun Zhao’s concern. "Princess Fuke places great importance on this marriage, so our family must not be remiss. It’s just a pity your cousin couldn’t make it back in time for the Eldest Prince’s full moon banquet. He asked me to deliver his gift to the Eldest Prince."

The First Madam produced a palm-sized brocade box from her sleeve, and Xiangxue quickly stepped forward to accept it.

Song Yunzhao took the brocade box from Xiangxue and opened it. Inside was an exquisitely polished Lu Ban Lock. She fell silent for a moment.

’This kind of brain-training toy really is standard issue for ancient children, huh.’

’Giving a Lu Ban Lock to a one-month-old baby... that’s definitely something my eldest cousin would do.’

The First Madam hadn’t known what was inside the box. When she saw Yun Zhao take it out, she craned her neck for a look and immediately wanted to hide her face in embarrassment.

Song Yunzhao put it away with a delighted expression. Seeing her aunt’s slight embarrassment, she smiled and said, "He’ll be able to use this in a little while. I was just thinking of having the Six Departments make one for him. This is perfect. It seems my cousin and I are on the same wavelength."

Mrs. Cai’s lip twitched. ’She can make a simple Lu Ban Lock sound like a priceless treasure.’

Song Yunzhao paid Mrs. Cai’s sour face no mind and inquired in detail about the wedding preparations, learning that everything was ready and they were simply waiting for her eldest cousin to return to the capital to get married.

Reporting back to the capital for duty had a time limit, so Song Buran would not be staying for long. The wedding had to be arranged with some urgency.

"So after they’re married, will Princess Duanjing stay in the capital or follow my cousin to his post?" Song Yunzhao asked. This was an important matter.

The First Madam sighed softly. "Princess Fuke wishes for the Commandery Princess to remain in the capital, but the Commandery Princess herself wants to accompany your cousin to his post. I’m not in favor of her going, either. Her health is delicate and requires constant, careful attention, and the place where your cousin is stationed is hardly ideal."

’She was worried that if anything happened to Princess Duanjing, would Princess Fuke take out her anger on her son for failing to look after her?’

Song Yunzhao thought of Princess Duanjing. ’I didn’t expect her to be so devoted. As long as both parties in a marriage are sincere, their future together will be much smoother.’

"If that’s the case, Aunt, you should simply prepare a larger retinue of servants to attend to her. Princess Duanjing is the apple of her mother’s eye; she shouldn’t suffer any hardship, even by my eldest cousin’s side. Tending to her health is the utmost priority."

But the First Madam frowned. "If the entourage is too ostentatious, I’m afraid it will attract gossip, which could reflect poorly on you, Your Ladyship."

Song Yunzhao understood. She looked at the First Madam and said, "Aunt, it’s no secret that my eldest cousin has me as his cousin. Furthermore, the Commandery Princess hails from a Princess Mansion, so a grander retinue is to be expected. These are circumstances attached to my cousin that he cannot escape. He can only learn how to navigate them as he moves forward."

The First Madam considered this and saw the logic in it. "I suppose I was overthinking things."

’She had been worried that the extravagance of Princess Fuke and the Commandery Princess would damage her son’s official reputation, which would then implicate Yun Zhao.’

’But she couldn’t very well have Princess Duanjing living on scraps with her son, either. The Commandery Princess’s constitution was already weak; she couldn’t endure such an ordeal.’

’It would be better to be open about it from the beginning. Everyone knew the Commandery Princess was in poor health and required diligent care, so it would be perfectly justifiable.’

Watching Song Yunzhao and the First Madam speak with an intimacy that made them seem more like mother and daughter, Mrs. Cai felt a surge of resentment. She interjected, "Eldest Sister-in-law, what is there to worry about? She is a Princess’s daughter; who would dare to gossip? Now that Bo Ran has such a wife, he’ll have nothing to worry about in the future."

Hearing the passive-aggressive sarcasm in Mrs. Cai’s tone, Song Yunzhao refused to indulge her. She turned her cold gaze upon her mother and said, "Song Qinghan also married into a high-ranking family. I assume you have nothing to worry about either, Madam."

The mention of her eldest daughter pained Mrs. Cai. Hearing Song Yunzhao’s sarcastic retort, her face instantly darkened. "Qing Han is your biological sister!" she snapped. "She is struggling in the Marquis Wuxin Mansion. You should be the one to help her."

At these words, the First Madam thought, ’This is not good.’ Just as she was about to intervene and soothe the tension, she heard Yun Zhao say, "You are truly something else, Madam. What does Song Qinghan’s situation have to do with me? For that matter, what does anything concerning you or your daughter have to do with me? Have you forgotten the kind of life I led in the Song Family all those years? Or would you like me to give you a thorough reminder?"

"What is that supposed to mean? Now that you’re a concubine, you’ve grown to despise your own mother?"

"That’s right. If children could choose their parents, I would have made sure not to choose you. A pity that heaven and earth didn’t grant me such a right."

"If word of what you’ve just said gets out, you can expect to be impeached by the Imperial Censors. It’s hard to say whether you’ll even be able to hold on to your rank as a concubine then."

Upon hearing this, Song Yunzhao had a sudden realization. ’No wonder Mrs. Cai has been so brazen today. She thinks that now that I’m a concubine, I have something to lose, which gives her leverage to threaten me.’

’Bah!’

"Third Sister-in-law!" The First Madam was genuinely angry now. "What nonsense are you spouting? If you dare do such a thing, there will be no place for you in the Song Family! I will be having a long talk with Third Brother about this." ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Eldest Sister-in-law, I have been married into the Song Family for many years, been filial to our parents-in-law, and raised my children. Why would the Song Family have no place for me? I think it is *you* who cannot tolerate me. Eldest Brother is serving as an official far from home. It’s not right for him to be without someone to look after him. Your proper duty is to go and attend to him."

Song Yunzhao watched the smug, arrogant Mrs. Cai and understood everything in an instant. ’She thinks that becoming a Marchioness puts her above the First Madam, so now she’s come here to throw her weight around.’

’Back when Feng Yi ennobled her father as Marquis Wenxin, Song Yunzhao knew Mrs. Cai would cause trouble. She just never expected the first blow to fall on the First Madam.’