TSNCWEM Chapter 16

Song Yexi was unaware of her mother’s plans. She went to Yunzhao’s room and noticed that her face was still pale. She was beautiful to begin with, and now she looked like a porcelain doll.

“Why is it that everyone in the family is surnamed Song, but only your face is so beautiful?” 

Song Yunzhao found her words to be annoying and laughable at the same time, “Should I peel off my face and exchange it with yours then?”

Song Yexi snorted, “Who cares.”

Song Yunzhao and Song Yexi didn’t interact much when they were in Nanyu. The two branches were separated, and they didn’t have frequent contact except during New Year`s.

Song Yunzhao noticed that Song Yexi was in a bad mood. A quick glance told her that something must have happened at the Count’s mansion. Acting curious, she asked, “Sister Yexi, how did you feel about visiting the Count’s mansion today? A noble family must be different from ours, right? Tell me about it, I’d like to broaden my horizons.”

Song Yexi didn’t particularly like Song Yunzhao before, but now, compared to Song Qinghan, she felt that Yunzhao was truly kind-hearted and pitiful. She unconsciously felt closer to her: “It’s just that their mansion is bigger than ours and they have more servants, there’s nothing much to say. When you recover, I’ll take you to see Jingyuan. Now that’s what I would call grand.”

“Jingyuan…”

Song Yunzhao knew that in the book, Jingyuan was an elegant place, favoured by high-ranking officials and nobles, with flowers blooming all year round and various highly praised gardens. It was no less famous than Sanyuan Tower, a place full of gossip and frequent incidents.

‘Has Sister Yexi been to Jingyuan?’

‘I went there before with my mother when we visited my maternal grandparents. My cousins took me there.’

The two chatted for a bit, and when Song Yexi saw that Song Yunzhao was not feeling well, she got up and took her leave.

After Song Yexi left, Luo Momo quietly came in and said in a low voice, ‘Miss, something definitely happened at the Count mansion today.’

Song Yunzhao looked at Luo Momo: “Momo, where did you get this information?”

Luo Momo recounted  the conversation she had overheard earlier and then said, ‘I took the opportunity to go back to the West Courtyard under the pretense of fetching something, and that’s when I found out what had happened…’

Upon hearing Luo’s words, Song Yunzhao clicked her tongue. Song Jinxuan was somewhat lucky; since she happened to be standing by the lotus pond, the man didn’t have the chance to collide with her.

She hadn’t expected that, even with her absent, Chu Yuying would still make a move.

“Miss, I fear that this matter isn’t over yet. The quieter Concubine Che ist, the more uneasy I feel”

Song Yunzhao nodded slightly, “For the next couple of days, keep a close watch on our people. Don’t go back to the West Courtyard.”

“Yes, Miss, I will take care of it”  Luo Momo nodded quickly. “But, Miss, when do you plan to return to the West Courtyard? You can’t stay here forever.”

“I’ll wait until Father returns to the capital” 

“When he returns, he will definitely seek justice for you, Miss. It will be better to return then”, Luo Momo helped her mistress lie down, blew out the lamp and gently lowered the curtain.

Song Yunzhao closed her eyes and responded softly. She didn’t sleep well that night, with all sorts of chaotic dreams going through her head. She couldn’t remember them after waking up and her head felt heavy.

Song Yunzhao continued to recuperate. After breakfast, the First Madam hurriedly came to see her and then left in a rush. Soon after, Yunzhao heard that the First Madam had returned to her maternal home, taking Song Yexi with her.

Later, several concubine-born daughters from the First Branch, Song Lirong, Song Hongjiao, and Song Yunmei, came to visit her. The cousins exchanged a few words and then left.

Song Yunzhao really had nothing to say to them. Although the First Madam wasn’t particularly kind to the concubine-born daughters, she wasn’t harsh either. Just by listening to their names, it was clear that these daughters were destined for arranged marriages, and the First Madam managed the concubines well.

Song Hongjiao’s birth mother, Luo Yiniang, a former songstress skilled in singing and dancing, with an oval face and willow-leaf eyebrows attracted Eldest Uncle`s attention and became favoured.

The First Madam, upon seeing this “little enchantress,” immediately chose a talented woman from a family that had fallen into poverty to enter the household.

When the cultured and uncultured clashed, one with beauty and the other with talent, they fought to a standstill. The First Madam quickly secured her position.

The Eldest Uncle had both a literary companion and a beautiful woman, and was highly satisfied with his wife. Thus, the position of the First Madam, the principal wife, became unshakable, no matter how much turmoil the concubines caused.

Sometimes, Song Yunzhao thought that the First Madam was the most successful main wife in this society. With her dowry in her left hand, she wasn’t worried at all. Her status was legitimate and unchallengeable. With her methods to control the concubines and please her husband, as long as she remained emotionally detached, she was practically a winner in life.

It’s the path she aspired to.

The next morning, as Yunzhao was having breakfast, Qian Cao rushed in excitedly and shouted, ‘Miss, the master has entered the mansion!’

Song Yunzhao was stunned. So soon?

Concubine Che’s skills were truly impressive. Based on the timing, her Father must have traveled overnight. Remarkable.

She stopped eating, let her hair down, changed into old clothes, and laid down on the bed. Feeling uneasy, she asked Qian Cao to bring her a palm-sized copper mirror. Looking into it, she found that it was pointless; she had forgotten that copper mirrors aren’t as clear as modern mercury mirrors, and no matter how good or bad her complexion was, it looked the same in the mirror.

Song Yunzhao got up and sat at the dressing table. Several maids served her as she carefully applied a layer of white powder to her face and examined herself in the mirror. Something was still missing.

She took out some black powder, finely scraped some with a small silver knife, crushed it with her fingertips, and gently patted it under her eyes.

Jiang Xiang and Qian Cao were stunned. In such a short time, their Miss’ face looked more haggard than in the morning, clearly showing the appearance of someone who had not yet recovered from a serious illness.

Song Yunzhao was very satisfied with her transformation and laid back down. Calculating the time, she figured her father, upon returning to the capital, would have some matters to handle first. It would take at least an hour before he could see her.

This gave her time to prepare her emotions and make a strong complaint.

She knew that trying to escape Cai Shi’s control by complaining alone was not enough. But she was lucky; with Song Jinxuan’s incident at the Count’s mansion and with Concubine Che’s influence, she had a good chance of success.

As she was happily thinking about this, a deep voice came from outside, ‘Does the young lady live here?’

Song Yunzhao was stunned. It was definitely her Father’s voice, but why was he here so soon?

She hadn’t even prepared herself emotionally.

“This servant greets Master.”

Through the curtain, Song Yunzhao heard Qian Cao and Jiang Xiang’s voices. A moment later, she felt a shadow fall over her- a tall figure was stood before her.

Song Yunzhao looked at her Father. His eyes were bloodshot, his face solemn. But when their eyes met, the sternness instantly disappeared. He bent down to look at her and said, “Zhao Zhao, Father is late. How are you feeling?”