21

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For Song Jiyun, Song Tao was just an ordinary relative, and she of course wouldn't go out of her way to pay special attention to Song Tao.

Song Jiyun stood by Madam Qian, at the foot of Madam Zeng's bed, listening to Madam Zeng cry and make a fuss for half the day until Song Daliang and his brother, Song Sanliang, repeatedly promised to be filial to her and to listen to her words; only then did she calm down, drink the decoction that a maid brought in, and told Madam Qian, "You stay by my side to serve tonight!"

The room fell silent.

Everyone knew what Madam Zeng intended to do.

Madam Qian's expression shifted slightly.

Madam Zeng sneered.

Normally, one should stabilize the inside before fending off outside forces. If it hadn't been for the eldest today, things wouldn't have turned out this way. She should have first pacified the eldest and drawn him to her side.

But unless she agreed to give all of the second son's inheritance to him, he would still make trouble.

Could she dare hand over the second son's inheritance to the eldest?!

Back then, it was her misplaced trust in the eldest and letting him manage the family that led all the ancestral properties to be squandered by him.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have had her three sons separate the family assets, nor would she have chosen to live with the second son.

Rather than placating someone who would never be on the same path as her, she would rather give the defiant mother-daughter pair a taste of their own medicine.

Musing on this, Madam Zeng felt gratified.

Not to mention her being a widow without a son—could she even shed the large cap of "filial piety" if she had one?

Song Jiyun quickly held down her mother's fidgeting hands and said with a smile, "Mother is pregnant, having stayed up days and nights attending to father's funeral. It's just right for you to rest well tonight. I will keep watch over father."

Madam Qian calmed down, gave Madam Zeng a curtsey, and meekly bowed her head, responding as usual with a "Yes".

Madam Zeng smiled with satisfaction.

Song Jiyun then instructed Nanny Zheng, "Take a few people with you, bring over the bedding and bamboo mats mother usually uses, and pick out a few clever maids to serve here tonight along with you. We don't want Grandmother needing something and having to disturb Mother herself."

Nanny Zheng respectfully replied with a "Yes".

Madam Zeng's eyebrows shot up and she scolded, "Is this taking care of a sick mother-in-law? Or is it an excuse to be lazy instead of keeping a vigil for my son?"

Without needing Madam Qian to act, Song Jiyun immediately said, "Does Grandmother mean that my mother should go without sleep and serve you like a maid or nanny?"

Madam Zeng said, "What? She is so precious—who is she marrying? She might as well marry into our house!"

Madam Qian was an only child.

With that comment, Madam Zeng had insulted not just Song Jiyun but also her maternal family.

Even though Madam Qian had resolved not to tear her face with Madam Zeng in front of the clan elders, she could no longer bear the humiliation and began to cry.

Song Jiyun embraced her mother and coolly said to Nanny Zheng, "Go and call a servant boy at once, and have him invite Doctor Huang over. Tell him Grandmother wants my pregnant mother to stay up all night by her bed without sleep. Since mother is already six months into her pregnancy, to be cautious, please have him stay the night at our home."

Nanny Zheng didn't hesitate for a moment; she agreed and turned to leave.

Everyone in the room was stunned.

The clan elders were all sitting in the Baoxia!

Such a call would imply mistreating a daughter-in-law, especially one widowed and pregnant. Madam Zeng could forget about her reputation.

It was Song Sanliang who reacted the fastest, promptly pushing Madam Li and saying, "Quick, stop her!"

Madam Li uttered an "Oh" and rushed out.

But it was too late; Nanny Zheng was already calling out loudly for a servant boy to invite Doctor Huang over.

The people sitting in the Baoxia thought something had happened to Madam Zeng; they filed out, and Old Master Zeng, her nephew, even came running over, asking anxiously, "How is my aunt faring?"

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What could Madam Zeng do?

She could only close her eyes and pass out once again.

*

Song Tao watched the drama unfold, cursing Madam Zeng silently as a "fool" several times.

In her past life, it was the same. Madam Zeng thought that with her third uncle in charge, she could mistreat people at will and do whatever she pleased with Madam Qian, who lost her husband and had a personality like dough.

The outcome? All those claims of loyalty and righteousness were deceiving.

People listened to whoever fed them.

Song Jiyun, using the excuse of her second uncle's death, sold all the people who helped Madam Zeng, and freed those she did not sell. Later on, even if Madam Zeng wanted to drink water, no one dared give it to her without Song Jiyun's permission.

Now her third uncle wasn't even in charge yet, and Madam Zeng dared to give Madam Qian attitude, just wait till she gets dealt with!

She swiftly and quietly pulled her mother outside the room, whispering, "Mother, please do not interfere with the matters between grandmother and second mother-in-law. It has nothing to do with us."

Madam Wang touched her daughter's face, which had been cooled with ice for a long time and finally looked normal, and smiled, "Do you think your mum is a fool? I wouldn't do something so strenuous and thankless. It's you who should stay away from your father. These days, he's like a madman; you never know what might set him off. We can't afford to take that loss!"

Song Tao smiled and nodded, looking across the lake at the brightly lit Water Pavilion.

With Madam Zeng unconscious, they could only continue to wait here.

But they couldn't let the clan elders wait without food or drink.

Her father clearly didn't want to serve the old lady, making the excuse that it was too late, and that he had to entertain the new son-in-law, Yuan Yunzhong. Making quite the fuss, he had a banquet set up in the Water Pavilion in the back garden, and a crowd went there to eat and drink.

Her third uncle seemed keen to follow, but he feared the old lady would wake up and be angry at not seeing him—he still needed the old lady to help suppress his own father and the second branch, so he dared not leave. Instead, he stayed and continued the vigil with the womenfolk in Madam Zeng's room.

Old Master Zeng, after hearing what happened, also found an excuse to go home.

What kind of person was Yuan Yunzhong?

Ninth Grand Master was a scholar. In his youth, he had traveled far and wide and had connections with both Prince Ning's Mansion and Prince Huai's Mansion. He was a well-traveled and learned man among the Song family's clan elders.

Who knew if this Yuan Yunzhong would become timid and quiver in front of Ninth Grand Master, unable to speak a word?

Song Tao's eyes whirled, pondering how to devise a plan to find out more about Yuan Yunzhong.

She watched Nanny Zheng instructing the maids to set the evening meal in the small tea room.

The maids carefully and quietly went about their work, with only the faint sounds of porcelain clashing.

And without being told, the maids lit mugwort incense in all four corners of the small tea room to ward off mosquitoes.

She began to bite her nails again.

Song Jiyun was very capable in managing her household. In her previous life, even during her lowest times, her surroundings were as sealed as a barrel, and no one could find out any news about her.

The maids by her side were certainly not to be messed with.

Who could she send to gather news from the Water Pavilion?

Song Tao racked her brains and finally thought of someone.

A cleaner by the old lady's side.

In her past life, the old lady had bribed this cleaner to send a message to her third uncle father, hoping he would take her in to live with him in his old age. Later, Song Jiyun found out and sent both the old lady and the cleaner to her third uncle father's place.

Her third uncle father dared not refuse the old lady, but sent the cleaner back to Song Jiyun.

This incident left a deep impression on her.

Song Tao called for Ding Xiang, her trusted maid from her previous life, and whispered instructions to her.