Song Chengru frowned as he looked at Song Chuyi, his brow heavy with worry and concern. "He still has Yan'er's sachet, and having something like that is a huge piece of leverage. With this constraint over you, it's unlikely you'll gain anything by going. Hastily agreeing to his meeting is truly unwise."

  Eldest Master Song gnced at Song Chuyi and echoed the sentiment, "The Old Master is right. He's utterly ruthless—who knows what he's capable of?" Song Yan, after all, is a young man; the worst that might happen is a hit to his reputation. But Song Chuyi is a noble young dy. If, like Song Yan, she ended up losing some possession of hers in this ordeal, the consequences could be unimaginable. This could ruin her entire future.

  After some thought, Eldest Master Song paced the room, then said to the Old Master, "Maybe I should go in her pce and see what tricks he's really trying to pull!"

  However, with someone like Han Zhi, if Eldest Master Song went instead, he might very well empty out the estate in Tongzhou and avoid any confrontation. Then, he could spread rumors about the sachet, and Song Yan's reputation would truly be destroyed.

  Han Zhi was certainly capable of such actions. Song Chuyi looked at the Old Master and Eldest Master with a clear gaze and slowly shook her head. "None of this will work. Han Zhi demanded to see me. If he doesn't, he'll force a destructive confrontation. He's a madman willing to sacrifice anything; I cannot. I won't risk Yan'er's future on this."

  Eldest Master Song was worried. "But you're still a young woman!" No matter how capable, she was still a young dy, and there were countless tactics men could use against her. If Han Zhi resorted to disgraceful methods, there was no guarantee he wouldn't harm her.

  The Old Master looked at Song Chuyi thoughtfully, recognizing that his granddaughter was no ordinary person. She surely had many capable people under her command, and with Lai Chenglong's support—who currently held full command in the Jinyiwei—Han Zhi's foul tricks wouldn't easily succeed. After some thought, he finally nodded. "I'll arrange for your older and second brothers to accompany you."

  Recently, Song Jue had been swamped with matters in the Yulin Guard, and Song Qi was busy with his studies for next year's exams. Song Chuyi sighed, "Grandfather, having Lin Hai and Uncle Qin accompany me will be enough. If my older and second brothers go, it might complicate things with Han Zhi."

  The Old Master, still somewhat worried, thought for a while and then said, "If you insist on going yourself, I'll write you a letter to deliver to the governor of Tongzhou if it becomes necessary."

  If rumors spread about Song Yan's gambling, it would indeed be damaging, but Han Zhi, running an underground gambling den, wouldn't escape unscathed either. If he intended to ruin Song Yan's reputation, he'd better be prepared to suffer consequences as well. And if Consort Fan was indeed implicated behind the scenes in these dens, she might not stand by her nephew when things got messy.

  Song Chuyi's eyes brightened, a hint of a smile appearing on her face as she nodded in agreement and went to Ningde Courtyard to fetch Song Yan.

  Old Lady Song had already summoned Song Yan to Ningde Courtyard the night before and given him a stern scolding. When she learned that his intentions had been to help someone, her anger subsided—after all, he was only ten. Academic knowledge could be taught, but life experience could not be learned solely from books. When someone is determined to trap you, avoiding one pitfall doesn't mean you'll avoid the next. It might be best to let this serve as a valuable lesson.

  Hearing that Song Chuyi and Song Yan were going out, the Old Lady pursed her lips, feeling uneasy. As Nanny Huang adjusted her forehead ribbon, she sighed in worry, "Poor Sixth Girl...what misfortune she must have had to be born into our family..."

  Cui Zhanmei's face was something she had nearly forgotten. Yet as Song Chuyi and Song Yan grew older, their features increasingly bore a resembnce to Cui Zhanmei. Thinking of the past Cui Zhanmei and comparing her to the present Song Chuyi, Old Lady Song couldn't hold back her tears. "She's only twelve..."

  Only twelve, yet forced to live in constant fear, carrying a heavy burden every day, as if she would exhaust her st breath if she didn't fully protect Song Yan. And the Song family members, who should have shielded Song Yan, had all failed to step up, leaving a young girl to bear everything.

  Clutching Nanny Huang's hand, she spoke as if to herself, "When they return, let them go to the Cui family..." Not only had the Song family wronged the Cui family, but they had also failed innocent Cui Zhanmei, leaving her restless even in death, unable to find peace while still worrying about her two children.

  First Lady Cui had offered to find a suitable match for Song Chuyi within the Cui cn, and at first, Old Lady Song had hesitated, thinking that Jinzhong was too far away. But now, what did distance matter? If Song Chuyi could live a peaceful and prosperous life, what harm was there in being far from the Song family? Perhaps it would be better to be distant, away from these endless schemes...

  Old Lady Song rarely let her emotions show like this. Nanny Huang, holding her hand, knelt at her feet and replied, "Sixth Miss is a good person, and good people will be rewarded. Don't worry, Old Lady."

  Meanwhile, Song Yan held tightly to Song Chuyi's hand, expining the gambling den rules in Tongzhou. "For cockfighting, you pick your own bird. They also have dog fights and hawk fights. You have to choose your animal to compete against the ones selected by the house."

  There were many tricks and hidden strategies involved. In her previous life, she'd seen such scenes at Duke Ying's manor—back when she hadn't yet become an abandoned wife and was still deeply in love with Shen Qingrang. Shen Qingrang had taken her to watch at the training ground. But by then, traditional cockfights and dogfights had already fallen out of fashion in the capital. Instead, condemned criminals were pitted against each other in brutal combat; the victor would escape death, while the loser was immediately fed to the dogs. During that turbulent period following the death of the Heir Apparent and the uncertain succession, Shen Qingrang gained power by backing the right side, acting recklessly with the tacit support of Prince Duan. Many who had sided with the Crown Prince suffered such fates.

  Just as she drifted off in thought, the carriage jolted violently, and a sharp yell from the coachman was followed by the sound of horses neighing in panic. She instinctively tightened her hold on Song Yan's hand.

  Then she heard Qin Chuan's voice outside, speaking quietly, "Miss, there's a dead body. Our horses have been frightened..."