The two arrived in front of the Song residence.
The gap in the main gate of Songfu has not yet been replaced with a new gate; it is simply covered by a few screens. The gleaming gold plaque above it has not been repaired; it has been replaced with an ordinary plaque.
Only a few guards with gloomy faces remained at the entrance.
Ai Cao said, "They're quite fast."
She had initially thought that the servants of the Song family would run away from difficulties just like the master of the Song family. At the very least, this little bit of time wouldn't be enough for them to make up for the loss of face represented by this door.
But looking at it now, they've done a pretty good job.
Song Tang chuckled softly. She said, "When Madam Song and Master Song moved out, they did it just as quickly."
Artemisia shrugged.
They only move this quickly when they want to embarrass others or save face.
They stopped at the entrance of Song Mansion.
The guards' expressions darkened further when they saw them.
Song Tang took two steps toward the main gate of the Song residence and called out, "Are Master Song and Madam Song here?"
The guards exchanged glances. One of them quickly ran further into the Song residence, while the other approached Song Tang and whispered, "Go and fetch the steward, then take Miss to see Master and Madam."
Song Tang raised her chin and nodded slightly: "I'll wait here."
She looked up at the sky and said, "If no one comes in a quarter of an hour, I will go in and look for them myself."
The guard wiped his sweat and stammered in response.
It was no longer Song Tang who was anxious. She and Ai Cao chatted idly by the simple gate of the Song residence, while the guards next to them glanced at the sky every few seconds before looking back into the depths of the Song residence.
The guard didn't torture himself for too long.
An elderly woman dressed simply, lifting the hem of her dress, hurried over from the side door. As soon as she saw Song Tang, tears welled up in her eyes, and she choked back sobs as she wiped them away.
Ai Cao narrowed her eyes, took half a step forward, and prepared for the opponent to launch an attack at any moment.
Songtang sighed softly.
She raised her hand to shield the mugwort behind her and calmly greeted her: "Wet nurse?"
Her wet nurse—now a housekeeper—nodded, her voice choked with emotion. She wiped away her tears and said, "Is this your friend? Come in."
Songtang explained softly to Aicao, "This is my wet nurse who took care of me when I was a child."
Ai Cao asked, "What's the relationship like?"
Song Tang smiled slightly: "Wet mother relationship." Her tone was flat, "I haven't seen her for many years, I didn't expect her to be a housekeeper now."
The woman's sorrowful expression froze on her face. She wanted to speak again, but after hesitating for a few moments, she swallowed back all the joy of their reunion and only asked, "Miss, shall we enter the mansion through the side gate?"
Song Tang shook her head. She pointed to the door and said, "I'll go this way."
She had never used the side entrance, and only knew from books who used it. Although she did not acknowledge the master and mistress of the mansion as her parents, she still did not believe that she should use the side entrance.
She didn't consider herself to be of low status, especially since she was a guest of Master Song and Madam Song.
An uninvited "guest".
The butler hesitated, glancing at Ai Cao. But ever since she discovered that Song Tang could handle the matter on his own, Ai Cao drooped her eyelids, looking at the positions of the other male supporting characters in this world that the system had provided for her.
She didn't respond to the housekeeper's gaze at all.
The butler had no choice but to consult with Songtang again: "Miss, look, this is the main entrance..."
Song Tang looked at her calmly. Song Tang asked, "If you can't make a decision, then I'll go in myself and have a good talk with the master and madam."
She raised her hand and slowly pointed to the newly installed plaque: "I don't like it, so let's change it—"
"Miss!" the butler interrupted her urgently, "I'll have the guards move it right away!"
She turned and sternly reprimanded the guards at the door. The guards lowered their heads and moved the screen blocking the door, making way for them to enter.
The butler turned back and smiled at Songtang, saying, "Please come this way with Miss and your friend... I will return to the mansion through the side gate and arrive shortly there."
Song Tang looked at her and asked, "Why didn't you go through the main gate?" She asked slowly, "Oh, you're a servant too—you're a servant of the Song family, how pitiful."
The housekeeper's smile froze. Large tears welled up in her eyes, but she had no time to wipe them away.
She simply lowered her head, said "Yes," and turned to head towards the side door.
Artemisia and pine trees passed through the main gate together.
Song Tang stood inside the main gate. She turned her head and glanced at the main gate, which was now blocked by a screen again, and said, "Entering the Song residence from here is no different from entering my own home through the main gate."
Artemisia nodded and said, "It's just a road that can be found anywhere."
She had just located a male supporting character in the Song residence and was considering how to deal with him. This male supporting character was Song Tang's cousin and was currently living in the Song residence.
The system said, "I don't recommend that you kill this male supporting character."
Ai Cao raised an eyebrow: "Hmm?"
Having traversed two worlds, the system also knows Ai Cao's attitude towards the male protagonist, male supporting characters, and other incidental men.
The system explained, "This male supporting character will later become a great general, a very powerful one. He also helped the male protagonist stabilize the territory and eliminate foreign enemies from the barbaric lands."
Ai Cao thought for a moment and said, "If he dies, someone else will take his place."
The system nodded: "The person in that position is the next man..."
Ai Cao said, "A man? Find a woman to be the one." Her tone was flat. "Even the emperor is a woman now, so why does the general have to be a man?"
The system fell silent.
Ai Cao and Song Tang stood there for a while, then the housekeeper rushed over again. She looked around anxiously, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the two were still standing there.
The butler wiped the liquid from his face, which he couldn't tell was sweat or tears, and said, "Thank you for waiting here, ladies."
The system, which had been silent until now, spoke up: "I was too concerned about the male supporting character's identity." It said thoughtfully, "The male supporting character can indeed be a woman."
“No,” Ai Cao calmly retorted. “A male supporting character is a male supporting character, and a woman is a woman. Women don’t become male supporting characters—they become themselves.”
She and Songtang followed the steward through the well-arranged pavilions and waterside terraces. When the passing servants and maids saw them, their playful expressions vanished under the steward's stern gaze, and they all hid inside the buildings.
They arrived at the main hall. The guards in front of the main hall silently parted to both sides, and Mr. Song, leaning on his cane, and Mrs. Song, supporting him, slowly walked out together.
Upon seeing Song Tang, Old Master Song's mustache trembled, revealing his gleaming teeth. He seemed to want to smile, but after several attempts, he still couldn't manage a smile.
He said, "...Come in and talk."
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