Song Yuan’s brow furrowed deeply, as if he had other thoughts. "I asked your brother this morning. Your brother’s intention is that sooner or later, others will know that the third girl married a servant. Now that the Song family’s reputation cannot be salvaged, it would be better to send the third girl to Jiangzhou to reflect on her mistakes. From then on, the Song family will have no such person, and people will still say that the Song family governs its household strictly."
Song Jiayang was a clear-headed person.
If he were to consider the overall situation for the Song family, this would naturally be the way. The only sacrifice would be Song Yanrou’s entire life.
Perhaps the people of the Song family were all this cold and heartless.
But Song Chaoyu would not be soft-hearted; in her previous life, no one had ever been soft-hearted towards her.
She also heard the Old Madam agree with Song Jiayang’s statement: "Indeed, sending the third girl to Jiangzhou will solve everything!"
She raised her eyes and looked at Song Yanjiao, "And Jiao’er. Now, whether you are to be betrothed to the Lin family or to Prince Ning, you must also have a clear answer soon. This kind of thing, our Song family absolutely cannot have it happen again."
Song Yanjiao lowered her head, not expecting this matter to be brought up about herself.
She smiled sheepishly, "Grandmother… I have nothing with Prince Ning. Please rest assured, Grandmother, I will definitely not be like the third girl."
"Yes, yes!"
The First Madam chimed in, following her words, "Whether our Jiao’er marries into the Lin family or Prince Ning, she will have a respectable status. She will definitely not be like the third girl, consorting with a servant."
The Old Madam glared at the First Madam, "Enough, let’s settle the third girl’s matter first. You are the mistress of the house, what do you think?"
The First Madam naturally followed Song Yanjiao’s lead.
Song Yuan was overwhelmed. Finally, the Old Madam said, "If you truly cannot bear it, then do as they say! Besides, we don’t know what other tricks that servant might have up his sleeve. The path the third girl chose herself, Yang’er is right. The Song family’s reputation has already been thoroughly disgraced. If you are willing to marry the third girl to a servant, then go ahead and do it!"
"It’s not good, it’s not good!"
As soon as the Old Madam finished speaking, a maid from the Second Concubine’s courtyard suddenly cried out from outside.
Song Yuan sent someone to open the door of the main hall and saw a maid scrambling towards them: "It’s not good! The third young lady has left a letter and committed suicide!"
"What?!"
After all, she was his own daughter, Song Yuan was still startled. Without a word, he ran towards the Second Concubine’s courtyard.
Song Chaoyu supported the Old Madam and followed behind him. A group of people rushed to the Second Concubine’s courtyard.
Before even entering the courtyard, they saw the pale-faced Second Concubine sitting at the courtyard entrance, weeping bitterly, "My girl! If you die, how can I live! It’s one thing if this life is unbearable! If you die, I surely cannot live alone!"
Seeing Song Yuan arrive, she crawled towards him with all her might, disregarding her decorum, "My Lord! I beg you, don’t force our girl to death! My Lord has the second and fourth young ladies, but I only have the third girl! My Lord, I beg you!"
Song Yuan looked at the maids and physicians rushing in and out, feeling a bit of reluctance. He merely asked the Second Concubine, "What happened? I haven’t said anything yet, why did she do such a foolish thing? If she really dies, won’t people point fingers at me?"
Song Chaoyu’s gaze turned cold.
See, even at this point, Song Yuan cared most about was not his daughter’s life.
The Second Concubine saw that Song Yuan’s attitude was much better than yesterday and kept crying, "She left a suicide note, saying she only wants to be with that Zhuzi in this life! My Lord, I know I have failed as a mother! But she has given her whole heart to another. She wants to be with that person for a lifetime, just as I want to be with you for a lifetime! I beg my Lord to grant her wish!"
At this moment, Song Yuan felt like a drowning fish.
Struggling on the shallow surface of the water, not knowing whether to look up at the sun or down at the water for survival.
"Stop the noise!"
It was the Old Madam who, with Song Chaoyu, stepped forward and rebuked the Second Concubine, "What is the third girl’s condition now? Is she dead or alive?"
The Old Madam’s words were, in fact, somewhat cold.
The Second Concubine then wiped away her tears and said in a low voice, "Physician Fan said she was rescued in time. If she is well cared for, she will be fine, but I fear she might do something foolish again, My Lord—"
"Shut up!"
Song Yuan rubbed his forehead, "Why is there no one in this household who doesn’t worry me? Go and tell the third girl that this is the path she chose herself! Since she wants to marry a servant, she must think about how she will live from now on. Moreover, her elder sister is not yet married, so she cannot marry first. If she cannot wait, she can go back to Jiangzhou herself. I don’t want to see her again!"
With that, Song Yuan turned and left.
But in the Second Concubine’s eyes, which had been filled with tears just moments ago, there was now perfect clarity.
She knew that Song Yuan had agreed.
She couldn’t help but look at the First Madam, and Song Chaoyu understood.
It was likely that Song Yanjiao and the First Madam had come up with this idea, and they wanted to use this matter to control the Second Concubine and Song Yanrou.
However… if she truly married Zhuzi, Song Yanrou would completely lose her status and position in the Song family in the future.
The Second Concubine’s position in Song Yuan’s heart would also be greatly diminished.
—
As expected, after a morning of arguments, Song Yuan simply handed over all these troublesome matters to the First Madam.
At noon, she hid in the Huashu Academy to drink her sorrows away.
Liu Shiyi Niang couldn’t drink, but she accompanied Song Yuan, her belly protruding, and sang a few folk songs for him.
Song Yuan was troubled. In the evening, he went to the Fourth Concubine, who was usually inconspicuous.
For several consecutive days, she did not see the First Madam or the Second Concubine.
But the days in the Song mansion finally became a little calmer.
Until the hundred flowers withered and fallen leaves danced in the autumn sky, a matter of moderate importance occurred in the capital: the Crown Prince was reprimanded, while Prince Ning gained favor with the Emperor.
In her previous life, Song Chaoyu also remembered this matter.
The cause was that a retainer under the Crown Prince, after drinking too much at a courtesan house in the capital, actually abducted a maid from Prince Ning’s mansion on the street!
Two days later, the maid’s corpse was found in the moat outside the capital. It was heard that she had been tortured beyond recognition.
The Emperor reprimanded the Crown Prince, but Prince Ning behaved very magnanimously, saying he did not wish for too much to be affected by a mere maid. He buried the maid with great ceremony and gave a large sum of money to the maid’s family. The Emperor naturally praised him for handling the matter properly.
In her previous life, this incident did not happen at this time but about a year later, so Song Chaoyu did not have time to remind the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess this time.