Chapter Forty-Six: Reunion at the Poetry Gathering with the Little White Rabbit

Song Haochu felt a pain in his arm, but upon receiving a look from Song Yiqiu, he realized that this was the method she had mentioned earlier.

He immediately turned around and knelt back down in front of Madam Song, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Mother, I beg you, save Ying'er! Save your unborn grandson, he is my own flesh and blood! If you don't agree to let her into the manor and take good care of her, I will kneel here forever, I don't want to live anymore!"

He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, and suddenly pulled a dagger from his sleeve, pressed it against his own neck, and drew a gash, roaring at the top of his lungs:

"There are rumors circulating that you mistreat pregnant women and are ruthless. Do you really want to force my son and me to our deaths?"

"If you don't agree, my son will die right here in front of you today, so that the whole capital can see how you forced your own son to his death!"

Madam Song was so angry that she trembled all over, her fingers gripping the armrests of the chair tightly. She wished she could immediately send someone to the villa in the west of the city to strangle that troublemaking bitch!

She had clearly kept the news strictly under wraps, so how could it have spread so quickly and in such a nasty way? In the past two days, several ladies she was on good terms with had indeed come to inquire about the matter indirectly, causing her to lose face completely.

This prostitute is definitely not someone to be trifled with!

Seeing this, Song Sangyu was both anxious and angry:

"Third brother! Are you confused? Can't you see it? This is all that bitch's conspiracy. She'll use any despicable means to get into the manor, even at the cost of damaging Mother's reputation and disgracing the Song family."

"If the Song family's reputation is ruined, what will happen to my other brothers' futures? What about my marriage? Are we all going to be dragged down by her?"

Song Shenshi held her forehead, her temples throbbing. She didn't speak immediately, clearly weighing the pros and cons.

Seeing this, Song Yiqiu stepped forward at the opportune moment, her tone worried:

"Mother, now that this has happened, the rumors will be hard to stop. We need to resolve this as soon as possible, otherwise..."

She gave Song Haochu, who looked like he had gone mad, a meaningful look.

As if receiving a command, Song Haochu thrust the dagger in further, blood seeping out, and he roared:

"Or I'll die! I'll die now! I'll die right now! I'm dead! I'm really dead!"

Looking at her son's foolish appearance, Song Shen felt utterly hopeless.

How could she have given birth to such a fool who's blinded by greed!

She closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, all that remained was resignation.

"Okay...okay...I promise you. Bring her in, settle her in the most secluded wing of your courtyard, and have someone keep a close watch on her!"

"This is just a temporary measure. After she gives birth, whether she stays or leaves is not up to you to do. If she dares to cause any more trouble..."

Her tone suddenly turned fierce, "I'll throw the child out too!"

Song Haochu only cared about Ying'er entering the manor and receiving care; he didn't care about anything else. Overjoyed, he wept and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Thank you, Mother! Thank you, Mother! I will keep a close eye on her and never let her cause any more trouble!"

Song Sangyu was shocked:

"Mother! How could you let that prostitute into the manor? What will become of my reputation? What about the rules of this manor?"

She was even more afraid. She had been involved in framing Qingzhu last time and had already broken ties with Ying'er. Now that this bitch had entered the manor, who knew what she would think of to take revenge on her!

Song Shen scolded irritably:

"Stop howling!"

She took a deep breath and instructed her trusted nanny:

"Wang Mama, you need to do two things immediately: First, secretly bring Ying'er in and settle her in as I just told you. Second, immediately suppress the rumors circulating outside. Whether you use money to keep her quiet or other means, I don't want to hear any more gossip about this matter for the next three days!"

She looked wearily at Song Sangyu again, her tone softening slightly, but still carrying a hint of persuasion:

"Sang Yu, she doesn't live in your yard, so it's none of your business. Just turn a blind eye and behave yourself!"

Song Sang's face turned pale as she spoke, but she dared not contradict her mother any further.

Song Yiqiu stood aside, smiling as she watched Song Sangyu's ever-changing expressions, feeling quite pleased with herself.

The east wind has been borrowed, and the fire has been delivered to the mansion.

Next, she waited to see how fiercely this dog-eat-dog show would burn.

...

After Ying'er entered the manor, she was surprisingly well-behaved.

Third Brother also kept his promise and brought her to the poetry gathering.

At his urgent urging, the carriage stopped on the bamboo path a hundred meters away.

The carriage curtain was suddenly flung open, and he jumped down as soon as the carriage came to a complete stop. His face showed unease and anxiety, and he kept glancing around, looking like a guilty thief.

"Yiqiu, that's enough, I'll leave you here. The poetry gathering is just ahead, you can walk there yourself."

His eyes darted around, avoiding Song Yiqiu's gaze.

"If... if Sang Yu sees that we came together, I'm afraid she'll overthink it and make her unhappy for no reason."

Upon hearing this, Bai Mei was utterly speechless and immediately couldn't help but speak:

"Third Young Master! So what if Miss Sangyu is thinking this? Our young lady is your own sister! It's only natural for them to ride in the same carriage. What's so shameful about it? Your attempts to avoid suspicion make our young lady seem like some kind of plague!"

Third Brother's face instantly turned bright red. He was so embarrassed that he didn't know what to do and could only mutter:

"No...that's not what I meant...it's just that Yiqiu...her reputation in the capital...we should always be careful about her..."

Song Yiqiu raised her hand and gently stopped Bai Mei, who was about to argue.

Her face remained expressionless; her third brother's words had no effect on her whatsoever.

"It's alright, I understand. Please do as you please, Third Brother."

Upon hearing her words, Third Brother's face immediately broke into a relaxed smile:

"Yiqiu, you're the most sensible one! Well then, I'll head over now!"

After saying that, he practically jumped onto the carriage and urged the driver to leave quickly.

Qingzhu stomped her foot in anger as she watched the figure flee in a near panic.

"This third young master is really something... He even despises his own sister like this, as if the young lady would eat him up!"

Song Yiqiu's gaze swept calmly over the surroundings. This place was halfway up the mountain, shaded by lush bamboo. A gentle breeze rustled through the bamboo leaves, and the faint sound of mountain streams flowing could be heard. The environment was quiet and elegant, indeed a place favored by literati to indulge in their refined tastes.

"Let's go,"

She spoke calmly, taking a deep breath, "The scenery is nice, a walk won't hurt."

The three, master and servant, walked slowly toward the location of the poetry gathering.

Just as I approached the edge of the venue, before I could even see the whole thing clearly, a deliberately loud, coquettish laugh rang out.

Not far away, a group of noble ladies adorned with jewels and jade were surrounding a figure.

The girl surrounded by people wore a light dress that looked like smoke and mist from afar and like flowing water up close, reflecting a soft glow in the sunlight.

Song Yiqiu squinted and recognized that it was the priceless Yanmiao Silk from Longsha Pavilion.

The craftsmanship was extremely intricate, and an inch of it was worth a thousand pieces of gold. Even someone as extravagant as Song Sangyu could only beg her father for a long time to get a small piece to make a handkerchief. The girl in the middle was actually cut from the whole body.

"Who is that...?"

Song Yiqiu tilted her head slightly, searching her memory.