Lu Bai chuckled twice, clearly in a good mood, and continued, "Then, neither the old lady nor the madam wanted to get involved, so the wedding arrangements were handed over to the third madam. No matter how unwilling the third madam was, she had no choice but to accept it."
After saying that, she turned to look at Song Zhiyu, "Besides the matter concerning the Marquis, another major event has occurred in the manor."
Seeing that Song Zhiyu was interested, Lu Bai stopped keeping her in suspense and said, "The second branch of the family wants to move out of the Marquis's mansion, but the old lady disagrees. The two sides are still at an impasse."
Lu Bai couldn't understand why the old lady was unwilling to let the second branch of the family leave, since they were practically invisible in the Marquis's mansion and it didn't matter whether they were there or not.
Moving out of the Marquis's mansion doesn't mean cutting ties with it forever. The second branch of the family will still fulfill its responsibilities, but the old lady just won't agree.
“The old lady will agree. Once they’ve made up their minds, no amount of her attempts to stop them will work.” Song Zhiyu smiled. Shen Jinyi took her words to heart and offered to move out of the Marquis’s mansion. It was the best choice for both the second branch of the family and for her.
With such a huge scandal just occurring at the Chengen Marquis's residence, the old lady wished she could hide in the capital and wait for the storm to pass before making any further moves.
Making a big fuss about the second wife now is not a wise move.
Moreover, the people have memories. They all saw that Shen Jinshu intended to make Shen Jinyi take the blame for her.
If the second branch of the family were smarter and made a good use of this matter, they wouldn't have to worry about the old lady not compromising.
After all, when faced with the choice between a second branch of the family that was of little use and the reputation of the Marquis of Chengen's mansion, the old lady would naturally weigh the pros and cons.
It wasn't that she couldn't bear to part with the second wife, but rather that she had become accustomed to controlling them and couldn't tolerate the second wife, who had always been obedient and easy to manipulate, starting to rebel and even disobey her.
Song Zhiyu understood Old Madam Shen's personality; she only cared about the glory of the Marquis's mansion, and the second branch of the family was merely something she could control.
Thinking of this, Song Zhiyu was no longer worried. As long as Shen Jinyi was determined, it was only a matter of time before she moved out of the Marquis's mansion.
If she softens her heart, she will be manipulated for life. But whatever choice she makes, she will have to bear the consequences herself.
Lu Bai nodded as if she understood, thinking that Miss had already been more than kind to the second branch of the family.
As for what they will decide in the future, that is none of Miss's business.
*
The following day, at Shokei-in Temple.
Song Zhiyu got up as soon as the sky began to lighten.
The construction at Lishan is complete, and the hot spring resort will be officially open to the public in a few days.
However, during this period, she still needs to be careful and wary of the people of Li Wang. She plans to go to Lishan again today.
As soon as she stepped out of the hospital, Song Zhiyu's smile froze. She forced a smile and calmly watched as Shen's mother walked towards her step by step, showing no intention of speaking.
"Zhiyu, are you going out?" Mother Shen asked with a smile on her lips, glancing at Song Zhiyu's attire out of the corner of her eye.
"What brings you here, Madam?" Song Zhiyu didn't answer her question directly, but instead asked her a question in return, without beating around the bush.
Upon hearing the word "Madam," Madam Shen swayed slightly and closed her eyes sadly.
She originally thought that Song Zhiyu spoke up for her that day because he felt sorry for her, her mother, who was isolated and helpless, and chose to stand by her side.
She waited and waited, for several days in a row, and even the news of her falling ill spread, but Song Zhiyu still didn't come to her door to apologize and ease their mother-daughter relationship.
Chen's mother thought that perhaps the little girl was too shy to admit it, even if she wanted to.
Therefore, she humbled herself and personally went to Songxi Courtyard, which could be considered as giving Song Zhiyu a way out.
But now it seems that Song Zhiyu has no intention of easing tensions with her; it's all just wishful thinking on her part.
Mother Shen felt a little embarrassed, but when she thought of the scene that day, her heart softened a bit. "That day, why were you willing to speak up for me, and even scolded your father and brothers until they couldn't lift their heads because of me?"
Song Zhiyu chuckled. For her?
It seems that her behavior that day did indeed cause everyone to misunderstand.
"Madam Shen, there are some things I didn't explain clearly, which caused you to misunderstand. This is indeed my fault." Song Zhiyu straightened her expression, her face serious as never before seen.
Seeing Song Zhiyu's expression, Shen's mother suddenly had a bad feeling; she instinctively knew that what was about to be said would not be what she wanted to hear.
"I scolded Shen Yuzhou and the others simply because I couldn't stand them. I just wanted to scold them, and I did it without any reason. Just like how they wrongly pinned the blame for bullying Shen Jinshu on me before."
Besides, such a huge scandal has occurred in the Marquis's mansion, and instead of standing by their own mother, they've sided with outsiders. Such heartless behavior would make me side with any mother, not you.
Song Zhiyu was telling the truth; she was just deliberately trying to muddy the waters and make things difficult for the Marquis's mansion.
She didn't want Ye Rou to marry into the Marquis's mansion so easily; how could she not create some obstacles?
"You..." Mother Shen covered her mouth in disbelief, unwilling to believe Song Zhiyu's words.
Song Zhiyu looked up at the sky, realizing that too much time had been wasted. "Madam, your beloved husband, son, and daughter are not on your side. So why do you think that I, a daughter who is not valued by you and even annoyed by you, will speak up for you?"
People are all made of flesh and blood. You know what you've done; do I really need to remind you?
After saying that, Song Zhiyu ignored Chen's mother's expression and walked away, passing over her shoulder.
"Madam, are you alright?" The maid Qiuyue carefully supported Madam Chen, even softening her breathing, afraid of upsetting her.
"She's my own daughter, whom I carried for ten months! How could she treat me like this?" Mother Shen knelt down, heartbroken, tears streaming down her face. She was truly hurt by Song Zhiyu's words.
"Madam, perhaps the Second Miss was just saying that in anger..." Qiu Yue moved her lips, unsure how to comfort her, and saying this was already against her will.
She knew that Song Zhiyu was telling the truth, and she could also see that Song Zhiyu no longer had any motherly affection for the lady.
Anyone would feel resentful if treated with such favoritism, let alone the second young lady.
Look at the young lady whom the madam dotes on so much; when it comes to the crucial moment, she completely forgets the kindness the madam has shown her and stands directly against the madam.
But Qiuyue dared not say these words aloud. She was just a maid, and her mistress was the lady. There were some things she shouldn't say.
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