Chapter 53 Old Madam Song’s Insight

Although Madam Song told her daughter to keep it from Old Madam Song, within a few days, Deng Zongqi’s unknown background still came from the capital. Looking at the letter saying that Deng Zongqi was protected a lot by the Honored Consort, Old Madam Song frowned tightly. She raised her head and told Madam Song, “Since Deng Zongqi has ulterior motives, it’s necessary to add more staff in his yard.”

Madam Song nodded, “I will tell the manager in the outer courtyard.”

“He saved Changying, and it was our family who sent Changfeng to invite him to come home to recuperate. Though we have found that he has ulterior motives, it’s not good for Changying’s reputation if we drive him out like this.” Old Madam Song thought for a moment and said, “Keep an eye on him. Don’t fall into his trap carelessly.”

Old Madam Song added when Madam Song was about to continue to promise, “Well, keep an eye on Zaishui.”

Madam Song was nervous and said with a forced smile, “Don’t worry. Zaishui is good these days. Now she has known that Zaitian is coming and has promised to wait for Zaitian to leave together. Although she does not want to marry in the Eastern Palace, she is not ignorant. The matter on the Little Bamboo Hill…. She was already regretting having made trouble for Changfeng and Changying….”

“I’m not talking about this,” Old Madam Song said lightly, “The matter of the Little Bamboo Hill is over. As a child, who wouldn’t get into trouble? I mean, Deng Zongqi probably came to Zaishui. In short, no matter what he thinks about, our family is not suitable to be involved in trouble because Changfeng is young. So he must not have any chance to contact Zaishui.”

“This… ?” Madam Song was shocked. She knew that Old Madam Song had always been shrewd and now had guessed Deng Zongqi’s intention. She did not dare to lie to Old Madam Song, because she found out that Old Madam Song would find out sooner or later what she and her daughter had hidden from her. After some reflection, she said, “Since you suspect him, now that he’s in our house, why don’t you just ask him… what he wants to do?”

Old Madam Song snorted and said, “Does this need to be asked? He has already lived in the front courtyard for a few days. He already spoke if he wanted to say something to our family. He must not come for our family but for the person living in our family that he doesn’t take action all the time.” Speaking of this, Old Madam Song frowned slightly and said, “Does he want to make an accomplice of our family quietly? Honored Consort Deng has been quiet these years, but after all, she is the Honored Consort… and comes for Zaishui. Could it be that Honored Consort is secretly competing with Empress Gu?”

Madam Song lowered her head and said softly, “If so, what will our family do?”

“The Honored Consort doesn’t have a prince.” Old Madam Song didn’t answer immediately. As if deep in thought, she gently turned the bracelet on her wrist and said, “She is inferior to the Empress in status and favor. How dare she compete with the Empress…. Last time, you said the new Lady Zhong was favored by His Majesty. Did His Majesty even send Standby Guards to Qingzhou for her words?”

Madam Song said, “Yes, those Standby Guards…”

But Old Madam Song raised her hand to stop her and said calmly, “I see. Honored Consort Deng and Empress Gu are already at enmity with each other. Now I am afraid it is time to be critical…. And the Honored Consort is in a weak position, so she tries to find a way from Zaishui!”

Seeing Madam Song stunned, Old Madam Song explained patiently, “Empress Gu takes charge of imperial harem for many years and her position is always stable. But since this year, we have heard the rumor that His Majesty loves the new favorite Miao Jieyu and the Empress has been neglected for a few months, so that the position of the Empress and the Crown Prince have been shaken. And Miao Jieyu also adopted the sixteenth and the seventeenth princes.”

Madam Song was surprised and said, “Yes!”

“The Empress has a good way to take charge of imperial harem, and has the Crown Prince. How can Miao Jieyu come out if she has no support?” Old Madam Song said contemptuously, “This must be done by Honored Consort Deng! Adopting the sixteenth and the seventeenth princes is not necessarily what Miao Jieyu wants to do. It’s probably the meaning of Honored Consort Deng! After all, Honored Consort Deng’s sixth prince has passed away. Miao Jieyu is young and gets favored now, but she hasn’t had a son yet. Just in case, she has to adopt the sixteenth and the seventeenth princes.”

“It’s just that Honored Consort Deng underestimated Empress Gu. Although Miao Jieyu’s momentum is strong, it is suspicious that the Empress will follow the footsteps of the previous Empress, Mrs. Qian…. However, now Lady Zhong has appeared. Did Lady Zhong suppress Miao Jieyu’s momentum?” Old Madam Song sneered and said, “Honored Consort Deng wanted to use Miao Jieyu to deal with the Empress, but the Empress brought Lady Zhong…. So Miao Jieyu’s advantage is gone. No wonder Honored Consort Deng would send Deng Zongqi here.”

Madam Song changed her face slightly. Wei Changying told her the news from Song Zaishui’s bodyguard, but she didn’t think of Miao Jieyu and Zhong Xiaoyi….

“Mother, what about our family?” Madam Song calmed down and asked softly.

After concentrating for a long time, Old Madam Song said slowly in the anxious gaze of Madam Song, “Just pretend to know nothing. Anyway, the Empress gains the upper hand. But Honored Consort Deng might be able to fight back! Let’s talk about it later.”

“What do you mean by that?” Madam Song was both surprised and pleased and asked tentatively.

“If the Empress’s status in the palace is as stable as before, what’s the use of Lady Zhong?” Old Madam Song said disdainfully, “It has been a long time since there was an upstart in the palace. Miao Jieyu has shaken the status of the Empress. Otherwise, why did the Empress support Mrs. Zhong, the maid of the palace, to save the disadvantage? Moreover, His Majesty favors Lady Zhong now, but Miao Jieyu is still well. I haven’t heard what happened to the sixteenth and the seventeenth princes she raised. So Honored Consort Deng has the advantage of fighting. And Miao Jieyu… already has a place in the palace!”

She glanced at her first daughter-in-law and said with implication, “It was the news at the beginning of the year that Miao Jieyu was favored by His Majesty. Has your brother never told you?”

Madam Song smiled bitterly, “He did not mention it in his letters, but kept urging Zaishui to go north.”

“Maybe the Empress needs help,” Old Madam Song thought for a moment in squinting and said, “Although there is an engagement, Zaishui is not married yet and the Song Family is not a fool! Moreover, although the one in the Eastern Palace is the Empress’s son, he is not as clever as the Empress! If the Empress watches the Eastern Palace all the time, how can she have spare time and concentration on fighting Honored Consort Deng and Miao Jieyu? If Zaishui got married, at least she could protect the Eastern Palace even if she couldn’t help the Empress to deal with Honored Consort Deng.”

Madam Song couldn’t help but said, “Since it is so, why did the Empress let Zaishui stay in Fengzhou for so long? Although brother wrote several letters to urge her to go north, would she not leave if he sent someone earlier?”

Old Madam Song frowned and said, “Maybe she was stuck by Honored Consort Deng. Didn’t we make an appointment that Zaishui would marry in the Eastern Palace after she turned fifteen? What time is it now? How did the news get out of the capital three years ago? I don’t remember if there were any excuses.”

“That’s it.” Madam Song murmured, “We were not in the capital and didn’t pay much attention at that time…. It is strange to think about it now. The courtiers should mention it even if the royal family does not mention it.”

Old Madam Song said, “Maybe someone mentioned, but we failed to get the message.” Wei Changying was only one year younger than Song Zaishui. She was fourteen years old three years ago and it was time to prepare for the hair-pinning ceremony. Old Madam Song and Madam Song had been preparing this important event since she was thirteen years old, and the hair-pinning ceremony was done grandly. They did not have other energy to care about other things in those two years.

In addition, it was known that Song Zaishui was engaged to the royal family. But nothing happened when she turned fifteen. Everyone could guess that there might have been an accident. For example, the royal family took a fancy to the other young lady as the Crown Princess. After all, when Gold Ruyi Jade was handed over to Song Zaishui, Empress Gu was just Lady of Bright Deportment Gu.

Due to this possibility and the Wei Family who had always been close to the Song Family, was it embarrassing the Song Family if they got to the bottom of the matter? And they were not in the capital. Now that the Song Family did not explain, the Wei Family pretended to be confused so as not to embarrass the Song Family.

Madam Song sighed in her heart at this moment. She would never have been so isolated if she had been still in the capital. Although the rest of the Wei Family was not suitable to ask, at least as Song Zaishui’s aunt, she could ask Song Yuwang in person. Then she wouldn’t have to speculate now.

But for Old Madam Song’s shrewdness, she wouldn’t have thought of the new concubines, Miao Jieyu and Lady Zhong. Nevertheless, she still did not dare to confess Deng Zongqi’s matter completely, and could only draw the secret out of Old Madam Song, “Listening what you have said, I’m afraid the Song Family… is in trouble this time.”

“Anyway, Zaitian will be here in a few days. Ask him about the matter that is inconvenient to mention in the letter.” Old Madam Song frowned and said for a long while, “But Empress Gu is the daughter of the Gu family in Hongzhou. Isn’t Hongzhou just in Jiangnan? When Empress Gu was Lady of Bright Deportment, wasn’t it because the hometown of the Gu Family was close to the Song Family that she tried to make the engagement with Zaishui? Not only did she take a fancy to the influence of the Song Family, but also the Gu Family would inevitably grow quickly with the support of the Song Family nearby when they get married. For Hongzhou is in Jiangnan, Empress Gu will not take any action to the Song Family.”

That was under the premise that Empress Gu didn’t know that Song Zaishui disliked her son!

Now the Empress and the Crown Prince both knew that Song Zaishui didn’t like the Crown Prince and wanted to break the engagement intently!

Madam Su gave Wei Changying the cold shoulder at once when her rumor of wanting to discipline her husband spread to the capital. The Shen family was equal to the Wei Family! Let alone the royal family.

Besides, Wei Changying never thought of breaking the engagement!

If it had been Madam Song herself that her son, Wei Changfeng, had such an unmarried wife who disliked her son and did not want to marry, she also wouldn’t have wanted this kind of daughter-in-law. And she would even have wanted to kill her! Her son was excellent. How dare a woman disliked him and did not keep her word! Even if her son had to marry this woman due to the situation, Madam Song would bide time for revenge definitely! What difference would there be in the mind of mothers?

Madam Song endured for a long time. Although she didn’t dare to say it all, she asked tentatively, “Mother, if Empress Gu already knows that Zaishui is unwilling to marry the Crown Prince?”

As soon as she said that, she found Old Madam Song glanced at her like lightning!

Madam Song immediately lowered her head in shame and sat tamely.

After a while, Old Madam Song said lightly, “The Empress will naturally be unhappy, and so will the Crown Prince. But the Empress is reasonable as the motherly model of the nation.”

Of course, Madam Song understood the meaning of “being reasonable”. She couldn’t help biting her lip and said, “If so, is it probably a hidden danger to the Song Family after Zaishui marries the Crown Prince?”

Old Madam Song said lightly, “In this case, wouldn’t it be good not to marry?”

Madam Song froze, listening to Old Madam Song continued, “You wrote a letter to your father two days ago. Is that what the letter is about?”

“…” Pinching the handkerchief tightly, Madam Song didn’t know what to say!

Old Madam Song continued, “Of course I won’t read your letter, but… this matter. Anyway, Deng Zongqi is in the Wei family. In my opinion, if Honored Consort Deng really has a perfect solution, it will be better to let the Deng Family handle this matter.”

“Why?” Madam Song subconsciously said this and felt inappropriate. Old Madam Song glanced at her and said lightly, “It’s not good for her reputation to break the engagement. Even if it can be handled on the surface, doesn’t someone with certain intention know what’s going on in private? But if the Song Family has no intention of breaking the engagement, they are broken up by someone else’s trick…. Then there is no way.”

“…!”

“Tell the manager in the outer courtyard. From now on, keep an eye on Deng Zongqi’s yard… and to see how his injury is. If he can get up, let him come to the rear courtyard when no one is paying attention!”

Granny Shi said hastily, “I’ll tell them.”