Chapter 133 The Show Begins
Song Yiqiu's originally nonchalant expression suddenly hardened upon hearing Qingzhu's words.
A glance at the auspicious robe revealed details that had gone unnoticed before, now quite evident.
Not only was the size wrong, but although the fabric used was of the highest quality, it was not the crisp, structured style that noble ladies in the capital sought. Instead, it was a soft, skin-friendly satin with better elasticity.
Why would someone so important as inheriting a title need to be so intimate with their skin? Unless, of course, this dress wasn't meant for her in the first place.
The old women holding the auspicious robes dared not breathe, their foreheads dripping with cold sweat.
They were given a strict order to make the young lady accept the dress, but given the current situation...
Just as everyone's hearts stopped, Song Yiqiu suddenly smiled.
"Thank you for your hard work, Granny Li. This dress... is exquisitely made and made of high-quality materials. I am very satisfied. Keep it as is; there's no need for any alterations."
Everyone was stunned, then breathed a long sigh of relief and quickly put on smiles:
"I'm glad the young lady is satisfied! I'm glad she's satisfied! Then we'll stick with this version and not make any further changes!"
The maids bowed and withdrew, secretly laughing at the young lady who had grown up on the frontier, who indeed didn't understand the rules of the capital.
Even with such obvious tampering, he was completely unaware; he's so easy to fool.
As soon as the door closed, Bai Mei asked impatiently:
"Young Miss, they have ulterior motives. Why don't you expose them on the spot?"
Song Yiqiu chuckled, but her eyes were incredibly sharp:
"There are still two days until the succession ceremony. If we break off relations now, it will only alert them. Since they have already made their move, we should play along and let them think they have succeeded, so that we can make this show even more exciting at the last moment."
The following day, the entire Song family was in a frenzy preparing for the succession ceremony.
The stewards presented Song Yiqiu with the guest list and ceremony agenda, but she simply leaned lazily against the window, not even glancing at them, and casually pointed to Song Shenshi's courtyard:
"I'll leave everything to my mother; I trust her."
She was happy to have some peace and quiet, but some people couldn't sit still.
Fourth Brother Song Yutang sneaked into her courtyard and immediately began pleading:
"My dear sister, you are about to inherit the title and enjoy boundless glory. Please spare a little silver from your fingers to help your brother through this difficult time!"
Song Yiqiu feigned surprise:
"Fourth Brother is joking. Didn't I hear the other day that you were invincible at the casinos and made a fortune?"
The fourth brother immediately turned mournful, pounding his chest and stamping his feet:
"Don't even mention it! I don't know what bad luck I've had lately, my luck has been absolutely terrible, I lose nine out of ten times."
"Not only have I lost all my previous winnings, but I'm also drowning in debt! The Qian family comes to my door every day demanding repayment, threatening to break my leg if I don't pay back the money. My dear sister, you can't just stand by and watch me die!"
Song Yiqiu looked troubled and said helplessly:
"Fourth Brother, Mother manages all the inherited properties, so where would I get any spare money? But..."
"But what?!"
Fourth Brother pressed for an answer.
Song Yiqiu smiled slightly, her expression meaningful:
"I can introduce you to a newly opened money lender in the capital. They're said to have a strong background and quick loan disbursement. However, their interest rates are... a tiny bit higher than other lenders. Don't worry about credit, Fourth Brother; Second Brother is said to have done business with them before."
"A little higher is fine, as long as it solves my immediate problem. Once I break even, I'll pay it back with interest."
The fourth brother, who was already blinded by debt, agreed without hesitation.
Song Yiqiu calmly accepted a pre-prepared IOU from Qingzhu's hand.
Fourth Brother didn't even look at the contents before snatching it away, thanking everyone profusely as he ran off.
Watching his hurried disappearing figure, Song Yiqiu turned to Bai Mei and whispered, "Go and inform Miss Ruan that on the day of the succession, don't forget to put on a good show for us."
Bai Mei: "Yes, Miss."
Just as they had sent Fourth Brother away, Eldest Brother Song Tianhan arrived late, his face full of impatience:
"I was having so much fun, why are you calling me over in such a hurry?"
Song Yiqiu immediately put on a delighted expression and presented a small bag of specially made chicken feed like a treasure:
"Brother, this is a treasure I obtained from a merchant in the Western Regions at great expense. Feeding chickens with this feed will greatly enhance their ferocity and endurance in a short period of time, guaranteeing you victory in every battle."
The older brother asked suspiciously, "Does such a thing really exist?"
"If you don't believe me, brother, go ahead and try it. You'll see how amazing this chicken feed is. Just remember, don't use too much, or even the best fighting rooster will die suddenly."
Hearing her guarantee, Song Tianhan's eyes lit up, and he accepted it with a grin:
"My dear little sister understands me best! Don't worry, on the day you inherit the title, I will definitely prepare a generous gift for you to celebrate!"
He weighed the feed in his hand, his mind already back in the cockfighting arena, and turned to leave.
Watching her elder brother's triumphant figure disappear into the distance, Qingzhu whispered:
"Young Master is truly... utterly naive. I've heard that the son of the Prince, who detests cheating the most, will also be attending this cockfighting competition. If he discovers that Young Master used such methods, I'm afraid..."
Song Yiqiu smiled calmly:
"It's alright, I've already made all the arrangements. Let's just wait and see how these two good brothers will make this play interesting on the day of the succession."
That night.
Madam Song carried a bowl of soup and lovingly entered Song Yiqiu's room.
Song Shenshi:
"Qiu'er, tomorrow is the succession ceremony. Is everything ready? His Majesty will be there in person, so we must not let anything go wrong. We must get up early."
Song Yiqiu raised her eyes and spoke gently:
"Don't worry, Mother, everything is ready."
Indeed, we have prepared every single generous gift for you.
Madam Shen pushed the soup closer and urged:
"It's late at night, have a bowl of calming soup, get a good night's sleep, and recharge your energy."
Song Yiqiu gave a wink, and Bai Mei, who was standing to the side, immediately knocked over her teacup, spilling the tea all over Song Shenshi's skirt.
"This servant deserves to die! Please forgive me, Madam!"
Bai Mei repeatedly apologized.
"Why are all the maids in your courtyard so careless?"
Just as Song Shenshi stood up in shock and anger, Qingzhu, under the cover of wiping the table, quickly switched the bowl of soup she had brought with an empty bowl next to it.
Song Yiqiu spoke at the opportune moment:
"Alright, Mother, this girl is just too sleepy. I'm tired too, so let's have some soup and rest early."
After saying that, she picked up the empty bowl on the table, brought it to her lips, and made a swallowing motion.
Seeing her drink it, Madam Song swallowed back the rebuke that was on the tip of her tongue, forcing a smile instead:
"Then...then you should get some rest."
She left in a hurry, her skirt still dripping water.
The door closed, and Song Yiqiu's expression turned icy.
Qingzhu took out a plain white dress from the cabinet and said worriedly:
“Miss, everything has been prepared as you instructed. But tomorrow is the grand ceremony, and the Emperor will be there in person. Wearing white robes... I fear that would be extremely disrespectful.”
Song Yiqiu looked at that pure white:
"That's exactly the kind of disrespect we want. Tomorrow, we just need to wait and see how this show, which they started, ends."
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