Angry and anxious with no one to turn to, Song paced back and forth in the room, her constant tearing of tattered handkerchiefs revealing her inner turmoil.
Suddenly, her raised foot stopped in mid-air, then slowly fell back down, parallel to her other foot.
She frowned in thought, and after a while, her brows relaxed, and her eyes sparkled with excitement.
Then, she suddenly turned to the maid and ordered in a hurried voice, "Go, quickly go and find Madam Lin."
The maid was dumbfounded. "Master, didn't you say she's a servant of several surnames? Can't you trust her?"
Madam Song glared at the maid and said angrily, "Do you think you can just go whenever I tell you to? Who do you think you are, the master or me?"
The maid's face turned pale. She couldn't accept such disrespectful words, so she hurriedly replied, "This servant, this servant wouldn't dare, this servant will do it right away."
Upon hearing this, Madam Song snorted coldly and then fell silent, letting the matter drop.
As for the fact that Lin was a servant of several surnames, she didn't disbelieve it. However, this was just right, as she was confident that she could control Lin to do things for her and that Lin wouldn't dare to reveal her identity.
Once the matter is settled, the identity of the Lin family as slaves will be an excellent cover-up.
Hehe, when they investigate Lin, they'll find out who's connected to her.
With so many people involved, who is the mastermind? As long as Lin doesn't implicate him, who will know that he was the one who did it?
Song's idea was rosy, but in reality, when Lin was summoned, she initially tried to shirk her responsibilities, saying, "Fourth Prince is the master, and I am just a servant. How dare I do such a rebellious thing as what you ordered me to do? This is treason. How could I dare?"
"Lin, how dare you! Do you think that by submitting to another master, I can't do anything to you?" Although Song already knew that Lin was a slave to several families, Lin's attempt to use this as an excuse still enraged her.
Lin really thought that Song couldn't do anything to her, so she secretly curled her lip, unconvinced.
After all, she wasn't under Song's jurisdiction. If she were the Fujin (wife of the emperor), the latter would hold power in the inner court and could deal with her.
However, Song was not a Fujin (a high-ranking official's wife); she was just a Gege (a lower-ranking concubine), who could only manage her own small courtyard and had no right to manage the affairs of the mansion.
Moreover, they have taken precautions against their own weaknesses, keeping them very well hidden, so no one can truly control them.
As she thought about it, a smug look flashed in her eyes.
She had already thought it through; at most, she would just help pass on messages.
However, serving only one master and receiving only one reward, or sometimes none at all, is clearly not in her best interest.
She had a clever plan in mind: by sending more messages to the ladies in the inner quarters, she would receive many more copies of the message.
Although she thought this way, she couldn't afford to break off relations with Song Gege on the surface. Of course, if she were willing to give up Song Gege's share of the reward money, she could ignore Song Gege and even break off relations, but she couldn't bear to.
There's no other way. The sons in the family need money to get married and start their own careers, and when I get old and leave the Prince's Mansion, I'll need a lot of money to live comfortably.
For various reasons, Lin didn't want to fall out with Song, so she quickly knelt down before Song and spoke very kindly, giving Song a way out: "This servant wouldn't dare. That's the Prince's little prince. If the Prince finds out, this servant will be dead."
Unfortunately, Madam Song refused to back down. She sneered, "This is something you can do whether you want to or not."
Lin was suddenly speechless, her face stiffened, and she said awkwardly, "It's really not that I'm trying to shirk my responsibility."
The methods used to deal with the servants in the manor recently terrified her; just thinking about them filled her with dread. But seeing Song Gege's still piercing gaze, her will to resist was suddenly ignited. "If the master finds out, I might not be able to bear his methods and expose you, then..."
The threatening tone in her words immediately provoked a cold laugh from Madam Song. "You don't want to do it, huh? Fine, but," she deliberately drew out the last syllable, stood up, looked down at Madam Lin, and said in a soft, almost whispered tone, "that little courtyard house in Donkey Alley and the people inside are probably in a very bad situation."
The gentle words struck Lin like a bolt from the blue, leaving her dizzy and her limbs weak and cold.
She gripped the ground tightly with both hands, her lips moved slightly, and she finally managed to hold on, "This servant...this servant doesn't know what you're saying?"
"Oh, really?" Seeing that Lin was still struggling, Song pressed further, "Isn't he your son?"
Lin forced a smile and denied it: "No, isn't my son, no, isn't he at your estate, Princess?"
Song was getting impatient with Lin's endless chatter. She moved her lips and uttered a few words, "Heh, since he's not your son, then his life or death is none of your concern."
Upon hearing this, Lin realized that Song Gege had already grasped her weakness; she knew that Song Gege had already switched her own son and gotten rid of her estate.
As Song had hoped, things unfolded exactly as she had planned. In the end, to protect her own son, Lin had no choice but to bow her head respectfully and compromise, asking, "My lady, how do you intend to deal with the Fourth Prince?"
Song gestured for Lin to come closer.
Lin respectfully followed the instructions and approached Song.
Song whispered something in Lin's ear.
After Lin left, Song looked in the direction of Taoyuan and smiled strangely. At the same time, she muttered to herself, "Guarjia, something happened to the Fourth Prince. You, as his mother, must be extremely anxious and worried after hearing the news."
"Hehe," Song chuckled eerily, continuing her low murmur in a strange tone, "How can I let you have a natural and safe delivery? It would be better if you were scared and anxious enough to have a premature birth! Is it a case of losing one thing and gaining the other, or losing both? I really can't wait to find out!"
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