She was certain that Song Chuyi must have struck some sort of deal with Lady Fang; otherwise, Lady Fang had no reason to act against her, given that she had leverage over her and that they were both working for Prince Duan. How could she have overlooked the fact that Song Chuyi also had detailed knowledge of the events in the dream? It was likely that when Song Chuyi had someone investigate in Changsha, she discovered Lady Fang's role and used her knowledge of Wei Yanzhao's situation to threaten her. Otherwise, this situation made no sense.
Hearing this, Cuiguo became anxious, nervously asking, "But if not even the pigeons can escape, doesn't that mean we'll..."
... be left here to die? Since their return, neither First Lady Song nor any members of the Li family had visited them. The odds were stacked against them, and with Song Chuning poisoned without any certainty of a cure, if they couldn't contact Song Yi or Prince Duan, they truly might be left to die here.
Song Chuning gnced around the room. Cuiguo and Lushan's faces showed panic, while the other less conspicuous servant women appeared calm and expressionless. Luckily, Prince Duan had sent these extra people; otherwise, she really would be out of options.
"After you release the pigeons tomorrow, the nannies will almost certainly leave to report back." Song Chuning kept her voice low; even in the bitter cold, Cuiguo and the others, close as they were, had to strain to hear. "Taking advantage of that moment, Cuiguo and Lushan, you two will set a fire in the courtyard... Thankfully, we still have kerosene in our belongings. With the recent gusts of wind, the fmes will spread quickly..."
The word "fire" made Cuiguo flinch, her mind fshing back to the time Song Chuning ordered Nanny Yu to set fire to kill Song Yan. However, having served Song Chuning for a long time, she quickly understood her intention—if a fire broke out, even if the Song family wanted Song Chuning dead, they couldn't just let her burn alive. After all, she was still publicly the Song family's eighth young dy, selected as a companion for the princess.
Lushan, equally pleased, let out a small ugh before covering her mouth to stifle it. She gave Song Chuning a thumbs-up, admiration shining in her eyes. "Miss, you're brilliant. Once things are in chaos, sneaking out will be much easier."
Song Chuning looked at the dappled shadows by the window, her misty eyes lighting up again: "Not only that. With a bzing fire at the Marquis of Changning's estate, the news that their eighth young dy nearly perished will definitely cause a stir in the capital. Even if my aunt doesn't want to, the Li family will be forced to send someone to check on me. And the attention of everyone in the capital will turn toward me, at least for a while."
Once this commotion spreads, Prince Duan's contacts in the capital should receive word.
Rumors are difficult to quiet quickly, so at least during this period, she would be safe from any immediate threats, avoiding a silent death.
But despite having everything in pce, with her life temporarily secured, the burning anger within her hadn't lessened one bit—when did that fool Song Chuyi become so ruthless, going straight for her life? She couldn't swallow this indignation. One day, she would ensure Song Chuyi's downfall would be a hundred times more humiliating than her current plight!
___
Song Chuyi, whom Song Chuning had been silently cursing, was in a notably better mood than her rival. She tossed the letter in her hand into the brazier, watching as it turned to ashes, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
Ziyun, though, had her concerns. While she knew Song Chuyi to be exceptionally clever and self-reliant, the volume of recent correspondence was somewhat worrying.
"Miss..." Ziyun tentatively addressed her, hesitating slightly. "Perhaps you should let the Old Lady know about your correspondence with that side. After all, this isn't a minor matter..."
Ziyun rarely intervened in Song Chuyi's decisions, only doing so now because she was genuinely uneasy. Although she was Nanny Huang's granddaughter, she had always focused solely on her duties with Song Chuyi and had never reyed any news back to the Old Lady.
Song Chuyi's smile widened, her expression far more composed than Ziyun's. "No need. This is my business, and I can handle it."
Reluctantly, Ziyun sighed, acknowledging her concerns but letting the topic drop. "Just be cautious, Miss. Lady Fang is not to be underestimated. Remember what happened at Huangjue Temple... She managed to escape to Fujian early on a warning and even secured a position as the Eighth Young Miss's instructor. She's not simple."
Indeed. If Lady Fang were straightforward, she wouldn't have aligned herself with Prince Duan while secretly reaching out to Zhou Weizhao.
Zhou Weizhao's recent letter mentioned that Lady Fang had discovered Qingzhuo and Hanfeng's identities yet deliberately withheld this information from both Song Chuning and Prince Duan. If she had truly been loyal to Song Chuning, she would have reported her findings immediately. The implication was clear: she, too, wanted Song Chuning gone.
Knowing Lady Fang's weakness, Song Chuyi quickly deduced her motives. Song Chuning was a votile force who, if displeased, could easily destroy Wei Yanzhao, Lady Fang's son. And Lady Fang, as a mother, would never leave her child exposed to such danger.
Thus, she subtly left clues for Qingzhuo and Hanfeng, using them to establish contact with Zhou Weizhao. Everything else fell into pce: Lady Fang secretly poisoned Song Chuning's food, coordinating with Nanny Zhao and Qin Shi to earn her trust by pcing people within Song Chuning's circle.
Still, Ziyun's concern was not unfounded. Lady Fang's treacherous nature was evident—fearing Song Chuning would expose her secret, she betrayed her by allying with Zhou Weizhao. What guarantee was there that she wouldn't one day turn against Song Chuyi for the same reason?
Even though Lady Fang likely believed her actions were concealed, it was almost certain that Prince Duan would catch on eventually. It would only be a matter of time before she, too, had to be eliminated.
