Seeing Ye Rou's pale face, Mother Shen hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over, "Alright, if you don't want to go, then don't go. What kind of behavior is this, making a scene at the door?"

Although she felt that Ye Rou and her Shu'er were somewhat similar, she didn't think much of it.

There are many people in this world who look alike; it's not surprising.

Besides, Shu'er is the daughter of the Marquis's benefactor. What relationship could she possibly have with Ye Rou? The slight resemblance is at most a coincidence.

As soon as Chen's mother finished speaking, Song Zhiyu turned and left without hesitation.

Was sending her to visit Shen Jinshu intended to upset her?

Only after Song Zhiyu's figure disappeared did Ye Rou discreetly observe Chen's mother's expression and carefully explain, "Madam, I only felt that I had a connection with the eldest young lady, so I thought of accompanying you to visit her. It's not like what the second young lady said."

Now is not the time to reveal her identity; she cannot ruin the Marquis's plans.

"I know, you don't need to take it to heart. Zhiyu and Shu'er don't get along, and she's the kind of person who won't let things go when she's in the right. Just avoid her from now on." Mother Shen patted Ye Rou's hand and sighed deeply.

Zhiyu is her daughter, and Shuer is also her daughter; they are both her flesh and blood.

She was also upset that the two of them had argued like this.

Ye Rou lowered her head guiltily, her knuckles turning slightly white as she gripped the handkerchief. "I understand. I will try my best to avoid seeing the Second Miss in the manor in the future."

"It was my oversight today. I had intended to ease the tension between the two sisters, but I didn't expect the second young lady's prejudice against the eldest young lady to be so deep. This has even implicated Madam; I have overstepped my bounds."

Seeing her deeply remorseful expression, the last trace of displeasure in Madam Chen's heart completely dissipated, and her tone softened, "You meant well but ended up doing something wrong, so it's no wonder. Alright, let's put this matter behind us. Shu'er must be getting impatient, let's go."

The moment Chen's mother turned around, the guilt on Ye Rou's face vanished, and the gloom in her eyes was undisguised, her nails digging deep into her flesh.

She's Song Zhiyu's elder, after all. Expecting her to hide from Song Zhiyu like a thief? Dream on!

*

On the way back to Songxi Courtyard, Lu Bai followed closely behind Song Zhiyu, occasionally complaining, "That Madam Ye, she knows you and the eldest young lady don't get along, but she still insists on dragging you to visit the eldest young lady. Who does she want to annoy?"

"How could she not know? She's just deliberately trying to disgust me." Song Zhiyu sneered, her tone unfriendly.

When you've had a good life for too long, you forget your own limitations.

Lu Bai rubbed her hands together, already impatient. "Miss, when do you plan to expose Ye Rou's identity? I really can't stand her arrogance. A mistress, openly dancing in front of Madam, she's really tired of living."

Song Zhiyu had her own plans and didn't mind letting Ye Rou cause trouble for a few more days. "No rush, it's not time yet. I won't make a move unless I'm absolutely certain I can crush them, lest I alert them."

“That’s true. If the Marquis and his men are on guard, they’ll be difficult to deal with.” Lu Bai nodded solemnly.

When dealing with shameless people, either don't take any action at all, or when you do, strike decisively and permanently, nailing them to the pillar of shame so they can never rise again.

A father like that is better off without.

The young lady hasn't changed her surname yet, which suggests she's long wanted to leave the Marquis's mansion, but the time isn't right.

Neither the Marquis's wife nor the young masters paid any attention to the young lady, failing to notice such a significant problem.

In particular, the third young master once tried every means to prevent the Marquis's mansion from holding a family reunion banquet to recognize the young lady.

Now they deserve this trouble!

Wait, Third Young Master?

Thinking of Shen Mingyi, Lu Bai suddenly smiled mischievously and leaned close to Song Zhiyu mysteriously, "Miss, I heard from the gatekeeper yesterday that the Third Young Master... has gone missing."

Although she deliberately lowered her voice, the drawn-out ending still revealed a hint of schadenfreude.

"Missing? What happened?" Song Zhiyu paused slightly. No wonder she hadn't seen Shen Mingyi for the past few days.

"I heard that after the Third Young Master chased the Jiangnan merchant's carriage into the woods that day, there has been no news of him since. The Marquis has sent people to search for him, but they still haven't found any trace of the Third Young Master. This is all the information I have."

Song Zhiyu frowned and pondered. First, Shen's clothing store had an accident, then a merchant from Jiangnan breached the contract, and then Shen Mingyi disappeared. One thing led to another.

This was too much of a coincidence, making her think too much.

Remembering the words Zhou Xingzhi had said to her before he left, Song Zhiyu immediately turned around and said, "Let's go to the Duke of Ling's mansion."

*

The simple and unassuming carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the Duke of Ling's mansion. The gatekeeper was immediately alert when he saw Song Zhiyu getting out of the carriage and hurriedly went forward to greet him.

"Miss Song, you've arrived."

The servant led Song Zhiyu into the mansion with a beaming smile and a respectful tone.

This Miss Song is not only their young general's savior, but also someone the old lady values, so they naturally have to take good care of her.

"Is Minister Ling at home?" Song Zhiyu came today mainly to ask Ling Chen about some things.

The servant was taken aback. Although he didn't know what Miss Song wanted to see the Second Master about, he still answered honestly, "The Second Master and the young master and young lady should be at the Crane Water Pavilion right now. This servant will take you there."

As Song Zhiyu walked across the long covered walkway and arrived at the Crane Water Pavilion, she saw Ling Chen raise his glass and smile at her, seemingly unsurprised by her arrival.

Ling Yuan and Ling Wushuang sat on his left and right sides, and the group was enjoying tea around the stove, chatting and laughing happily.

"Zhiyu, I was just thinking of sending you an invitation to talk to me, but I didn't expect you to show up before I even sent the invitation." Ling Wushuang was pleasantly surprised to see Song Zhiyu and got up to greet her.

She liked Song Zhiyu from the bottom of her heart and felt that the two were destined to be together.

Ling Wushuang is always enthusiastic towards people he likes, and he becomes much more talkative when he sees her.

Since neither of them were outsiders, Song Zhiyu didn't mince words and got straight to the point, saying, "Excuse me, I've come today to inquire about some things from Lord Ling."

"Is the matter that Miss Song wants to ask related to His Highness the Crown Prince?" Ling Chen sat opposite Song Zhiyu, his narrow, almond-shaped eyes slightly raised as he looked at her with a smile.

Song Zhiyu nodded slightly and then said, "Was it His Highness the Crown Prince who intervened in Shen Mingyi's matter? Was he avenging me?"

Ling Chen smiled without saying a word, but his expression said it all.

Having received confirmation, even though she had suspected it beforehand, Song Zhiyu couldn't help but feel a warm current flowing through her heart.

"Is he still alive?" The identity of the "he" in Song Zhiyu's words is self-evident.

"I won't die," Ling Chen replied casually as he poured Song Zhiyu a cup of tea.

"I understand, thank you for your explanation, Lord Ling."

Song Zhiyu took a sip of tea. As long as he's alive, that's good.

She didn't care about the process; she only cared about the result.

At least Shen Mingyi cannot die now.