The First Madam turned her head away. Even at this moment, she seemed unwilling to admit that although Madam Liu was an actress, many things should not have been done to her.
The First Madam instead said, "When she entered the Song manor as an actress, she should have known this day would come. If she hadn't insisted on returning from the estate, how could I have..."
"First Madam!"
This was Song Chaoyu interrupting the First Madam for the first time: "You also know she was an actress? And I am a concubine's daughter. What harm could we possibly do to you?"
Song Chaoyu gave a bitter smile, "She was only planning for my future. She just wanted to marry me off to a decent scholar, and live a stable life. How can you not tolerate my mother and me?!"
The First Madam knew that at this point, no matter what Song Chaoyu said, she could only "accept" it.
She nodded, "But now that she has you, and little Qing'er, her status in the Song manor is already stable. Isn't this all she wanted?"
"No."
Even Song Chaoyu herself didn't know why she was saying so much to the First Madam today.
She just had some things she didn't want to hide: "So this is the difference between my姨娘 and you. She once thought this was what she wanted, but later realized she was wrong. So now she wants to leave the Song family and live her own peaceful life."
Song Chaoyu understood Madam Liu, and many words naturally came out: "As for what you said about me and little Qing'er. The current me is not just the daughter of the Song family, but also the Princess Consort of Prince Chang. Prince Chang cherishes me, and I no longer need my姨娘's protection. Instead, I can become my姨娘's protection, so she doesn't need to worry about me. Living a good life is the greatest repayment for my姨娘's nurturing grace."
"Yes, yes!"
Suddenly, the First Madam mumbled what Song Chaoyu had said: "Living a good life is the greatest repayment. If Jiao'er had known this, would she not have met such a tragic end?"
If only there were ifs in this world.
Song Chaoyu sneered and continued, "As for little Qing'er, besides eldest brother, he is the only male in the manor now. Would father and grandmother really mistreat him? Moreover, if my姨娘 leaves the manor, it will be in broad daylight. She is little Qing'er's mother, would father not allow her to see little Qing'er?"
"That's not right."
At this moment, the First Madam also reacted slightly: "Even so, I understand the Master. He is not that magnanimous. Moreover, everything in the manor is currently controlled by Madam Liu. The Master would never let Madam Liu leave so easily. The Master must be very angry, right?"
"Yes."
Song Chaoyu nodded, not hiding even this: "Father is very angry and has already imprisoned my姨娘. He said he would imprison my姨娘 for seventeen years before granting her freedom. But now my姨娘's heart is set on freedom, and she said she doesn't care about these seventeen years."
"Seventeen years..."
The First Madam looked up in disbelief: "How many seventeen years does a woman have? How can she not care?!"
But soon, the First Madam seemed to realize: "I understand, I understand everything. Liu Shiyi Niang, she is more insightful than anyone else! She saw through the Master, saw through this Song manor. She is the truly smart one, knowing she shouldn't have returned to the Song manor, and should have left the Song manor. She is the truly smart one!"
After such an感慨, the First Madam gave a bitter smile.
Perhaps for her own future, her eyes were filled with bitterness and desolation: "Even Liu Shiyi Niang has found the life she wants, but what about me? If your father were to divorce me now, I wouldn't be afraid, but I'm afraid it would ruin your brother's future! Your brother is my only concern now. If he is also ruined by me, what then?"
She suddenly remembered the original intention of her visit to Song Chaoyu today.
She stepped forward and earnestly took Song Chaoyu's hand: "Yu Yatou, I know I have wronged you and your mother. But now that you have both found the lives you want, I beg you to help me too! Even if it's a divorce, I absolutely cannot be divorced by the Song family, otherwise, Yang'er will be ruined! I have ruined Jiao'er's entire life, I cannot ruin Yang'er's entire life!"
Song Yanjiao's entire life had indeed been deeply influenced by the First Madam.
The fact that she could realize this made Song Chaoyu feel gratified.
However, Song Chaoyu still coldly pushed away the First Madam's hand.
In the First Madam's increasingly desperate gaze, Song Chaoyu smiled: "Don't worry, Father will not divorce you, nor will he cast you out."
The First Madam was surprised.
Song Chaoyu continued, "His greatest punishment for you will probably be to confine you to this dark and sunless courtyard, never to see you again in this life! But you will still be the Madam of the Song family, the First Madam of the Song family, and this will not change. Because eldest brother is also the Master's child, and the future pillar of the Song family. So Father will not allow eldest brother to have a mother with a bad reputation, especially since the Song family already has a daughter with a bad reputation, and cannot be dragged down by the word 'reputation' again."
Even from within, Song Chaoyu could calmly analyze the current situation: "The Song family is not just Father's Song family, nor anyone's Song family. It is a lineage, and Father dares not ruin the reputation of the Song family with his own hands. He has dedicated his life to making the Song family more glorious. So even if your mistakes are irreversible, Father will still retain your title, you can rest assured of this."
A cold smile played on Song Chaoyu's lips: "From now on, you will still be the First Madam of the Song family, you will still be our mother."
It was this cold smile that made the First Madam shiver.
She suddenly understood half of it, her eyes widening in terror: "So... I am to be forever trapped in this Song family?! Trapped by your father's cold face, forever unable to escape, is that it?"
"Yes."
Song Chaoyu still nodded calmly: "Perhaps you will know later that this is more painful than death. But there is no turning back, you have no turning back, and Father has none. For the entire Song family, this is the best outcome. Everyone will forget Song Yanjiao, and you can only forever bear the title of Madam Song, but be trapped in eternal loneliness and solitude, until death brings it all to an end."
For the sake of Song Jiayang, Madam Song would not choose death.
Her hands suddenly dropped.
Her voice grew increasingly aged: "How cruel... you are indeed all Song family members, truly cruel! From the beginning, many things were wrong. Perhaps... I should not have made those decisions. It's too late, entirely too late!"
She sat down on the ground dejectedly, the last flame in her heart extinguished, leaving only despair: "Everything is too late! My Jiao'er, and myself. Our lives, everything is too late!"
She was heartbroken, yet helpless.
She could only accept all the "gifts" that fate had in store for her.