"Bamboo? Why are you cutting down those bamboos? Aren't they your elder brother's favorite?"
Song Yanrou's eyes darted around, sensing something was amiss. "What are you hiding from us? Are my aunt and I no longer part of the Song family? An illegitimate daughter dares to stop us? Absolutely not! We must go to Pingyang Courtyard and see what's happening!"
She pulled her second aunt and started to move forward.
Song Chaoyu stepped forward again, blocking their path. "Second Aunt, Third Sister, perhaps it's best not to go. Father and Mother are in Pingyang Courtyard now, and Elder Brother is unwell and needs to recuperate. It's likely they won't tolerate any disturbances. You two should return and wait. If Elder Brother recovers, Father will surely inform you."
"Get out of the way!"
Song Yanrou was blocked again, and she glared at Nie Pingshu with narrowed eyes. "Who do you think you are? To block my aunt and me? Do you think you can go to Pingyang Courtyard, but we can't? Guards! Pull her away from me!"
Song Yanrou's demeanor was fierce, and the nannies and maids beside her stepped forward to pull Song Chaoyu.
"Presumptuous!"
However, before Song Chaoyu could resist, a stern voice from the Old Madam came from behind.
Song Chaoyu knew the Old Madam wouldn't stay in Pingyang Courtyard for long. Otherwise, she wouldn't have blocked Song Yanrou and her mother herself.
As expected, the Old Madam walked forward, shielding Song Chaoyu behind her, and then glared sternly at the second aunt and Song Yanrou. "I could hear your voices from afar. What are you making such a fuss about?!"
The second aunt quickly pulled Song Yanrou to bow to the Old Madam. "We heard that something seemed to have happened to Eldest Brother, so we wanted to see if we could help."
"Hmph!"
The Old Madam snorted unhappily. "Didn't Fourth Sister just tell you? It was merely about some bamboos being cut in Pingyang Courtyard. Why are you still making such a scene?"
Her sharp gaze fixed directly on Song Yanrou. "Fourth Sister is your sister, and Concubine Liu is now a member of the Song family. You keep calling her the daughter of an outside consort. Is this how you behave as an elder sister?"
Song Yanrou, reprimanded by the Old Madam, could only lower her head and remain silent.
The Old Madam then frowned at the second aunt. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to! I've lived for so many years, and I can see your intentions. But rest assured, nothing is wrong in Pingyang Courtyard. Eldest Brother is also doing well. However, if you dare to barge in and disturb Eldest Brother's recovery, don't blame me for being impolite!"
"Scram!"
It was rare for the Old Madam to speak to the second aunt with such a harsh tone. "Go back to your rooms and stay put for two days without running around. I will speak to the Minister on your behalf. If Eldest Brother's recovery is disturbed, it won't be me holding you accountable!"
Although she didn't explicitly say "house arrest," that was the implication.
No matter how resentful Song Yanrou was, she dared not show it in front of the Old Madam.
The second aunt could only dejectedly lead Song Yanrou back. Only after they left did the Old Madam look at Song Chaoyu with a gentler expression. "You did very well. Yang'er is the only legitimate eldest son of the Song family. Those who want to watch a spectacle should be stopped. Come, let's go sit with me for a while. I'll have Granny Yin prepare some pastries for you to take back to your aunt."
***
From that day on, Song Yuan seemed to rely less on Doctor Zhou.
Instead, he began to trust Fan Jiangyue and entrusted his health to her care.
Regarding the poisoning within the household, after discussing with the Old Madam, Song Yuan ultimately decided not to conduct a high-profile investigation, opting for a covert inquiry instead.
Although no news was leaked, the servants in Pingyang Courtyard were replaced from top to bottom starting that day, and they were personally selected by the First Madam and Madam Nie. Others in the Song family could somewhat guess the implications.
As the Qixi Festival approached, the weather was still so hot that Song Chaoyu found even her afternoon naps bothersome.
Concubine Liu, being pregnant, had a harder time. Fortunately, with the Old Madam's care, their Painting Academy never lacked anything.
One day, Song Chaoyu was too restless to sleep. As she sat up, she saw Xun Lu enter excitedly. "Miss, news has arrived from outside! The Lin family has come calling!"
The Lin family?
Song Chaoyu looked up at Xun Lu. "Are you referring to Prime Minister Lin's family? What are they here for?"
Xun Lu brought Song Chaoyu an ice-cold cloth. "Naturally, it's good news! Our household is about to have a celebration!"
At the previous palace banquet, she hadn't seen Lin Muyang show any particular favor towards Song Yanjiao!
However, the Song family had always had a good relationship with the Lin family. Song Chaoyu wiped her face with the cool cloth, feeling a bit more refreshed. "Are they here to propose marriage to my second sister?"
Xun Lu blinked. "Yes! And they are also here to propose marriage to you, Miss! They say it's a double blessing!"
"What?!"
The cloth in Song Chaoyu's hand fell to the ground.
She stood up in shock. "Propose marriage to me? How could it be my turn?!"
Seeing Song Chaoyu's frightened expression, Xun Lu looked puzzled. "Miss, why aren't you happy? The Lin family is a good family. Wouldn't it be a good thing if you could marry into the Lin family's esteemed household?"
Song Chaoyu's heart sank. She then took Xun Lu's hand. "Tell me carefully, what exactly is going on? It's understandable that they fancied my second sister, but why is it about me? My third sister's marriage prospects are still uncertain, what does this have to do with me?"
The scenarios Song Chaoyu could imagine were all grim.
Xun Lu, thinking Song Chaoyu hadn't fully grasped the situation, quickly explained. "The eldest son of the Lin family is to be engaged to the second young lady. This engagement was arranged some time ago. At the palace banquet that day, the eldest son of the Lin family also saw our second young lady. He said he was quite impressed, so they decided to finalize the marriage."
She smiled at Song Chaoyu. "As for you, Miss, you are to be matched with the Lin family's second young master! Although the second young master is of concubine birth, he passed the imperial examination last year and is now working under the Prefect of the Capital. I heard that the second young master also saw you save the Crown Princess at the palace banquet, and was thus infatuated with you. He returned home and requested this marriage from Prime Minister Lin!"
The second young master of the Lin family...
Song Chaoyu had never had any impression of this second young master of concubine birth before!
She only knew that the most outstanding person in the Lin family was the eldest son, Lin Muyang. Even in her previous life, Song Chaoyu didn't know the ultimate fate of the Lin family's second young master, which showed how insignificant he was.
In this life, everything had changed, and Song Chaoyu was caught off guard. She could only say to Xun Lu, "Has Aunt woken up? This matter must be discussed with Aunt!"
Seeing that Song Chaoyu was still unhappy, Xun Lu felt a sense of confusion.