Old Lady Chen was reclining on her pillow, dozing with her eyes half-closed. A young maid was rhythmically tapping her legs with a beauty hammer. The faint, drifting green smoke from the censer filled the room, leaving a delicate tea fragrance on their clothes.

  Chen Mingyu moved close to sit beside her grandmother, gently resting her head on her shoulder as she sweetly called, "Grandmother."

  Old Lady Chen's eyes opened, and with a single gnce, the maid holding the beauty hammer quietly withdrew, leaving the room to the two of them.

  "What have you so pleased, coming back from the study like this? Did your grandfather tell you something?" Old Lady Chen took a sip of the tea Chen Mingyu handed her, and seeing the rexed smile on her granddaughter's face, she couldn't help but smile too. "Did he promise you some rare treasure?"

  "Oh, even better than a rare treasure," Chen Mingyu murmured, lowering her voice and resting her hands on Old Lady Chen's p before slipping to her knees beside her. "It's about what I mentioned to you st time. Just as I was leaving, I saw Lord Fang come to see Grandfather, and I overheard that Cui Shaoting has indeed submitted his proposal for open trade..."

  Emperor Jianzhang was undoubtedly angered by now, and once Cui Shaoting's proposal reached him, death was almost certain for him. Even the Song family would not escape unscathed, likely tarnished with a charge of corruption and collusion.

  Old Lady Chen thought of Noble Consort Xian and the Ninth Princess, who had recently been in frequent contact with the Shen family from Shangqiu, and a smile tugged at her lips. She'd once worried that Old Lady Song wouldn't give up easily, but now, what was there to worry about? In half a year, or perhaps just a few months, the Cui and Song families would be facing ruin. By that time, Old Lady Song would be no different from the te Old Lady Su—a useless relic unable to protect even her most beloved granddaughter and grandson. She wondered if, at that time, Old Lady Song would still put on the imposing airs of her rank as she had that day in the teahouse.

  "Stay in more for the time being," Old Lady Chen advised after her moment of satisfaction. "Once this situation escates, it will implicate many. You're young and may find it hard to keep calm; don't let slip anything that could give us away."

  Chen Mingyu felt a twinge of disappointment. She would have loved to see Song Chuyi's downfall in person, to witness her and her sisters paraded through the streets, bound together like pigs on a rope, when their family's assets were confiscated. Traditionally, family members of convicted officials were either sent to the Imperial Music Bureau (brothel) or sold as servants to meritorious families. Smiling at the thought, Chen Mingyu suppressed her regret and nodded obediently.

  What would Zhou Weizhao and Ye Jingchuan's reactions be, she wondered, when they saw Song Chuyi treated like livestock? She imagined it, resting her chin on her hand, unable to hold back a chuckle.

  The Song family, in the Chen family's eyes, was already a fish in a jar, doomed to perish. Yet, from the perspective of the Song family, it was the Chen family stepping steadily toward a jar already afme.

  In the Song household, after paying respects to Old Master Song and Cui Yingshu in the study, Song Jue spat angrily to the side. "We're at this point, and they're still clinging to us like stubborn flies. If it weren't for risking exposure, I'd teach them a lesson."

  This, in fact, only highlighted the Chen family's cautiousness. Even believing the Cui and Song families were trapped and doomed, they didn't rex their vigince. Lord Chen would never have risen so far if he weren't this cautious.

  Old Master Song chuckled at this and shared, "Li Ru reports that Wang Ying is fully convinced, without the slightest suspicion."

  It was no surprise. After all, Cui Shaoting's situation in the northwest was shored up by officials like Zhang Tianhe and Han Zhengqing, plus Cui Shaoting's confidant Yang Xuan and the 'Yangzhou Courtesan' in his inner circle. Since none of these people reported anything unusual, Lord Chen couldn't possibly imagine Cui Shaoting had submitted two entirely different memorials.

  Cui Yingshu let out a sigh of relief, but his heart was immediately on edge again. They had merely passed the first hurdle; a tough battle still y ahead. Sitting in his chair, he pondered for a while before speaking up, "Tomorrow, Teacher will submit the memorial to the Emperor, and His Majesty is sure to be furious. By then, the evidence from Ye Jingkuan and Lai Chenglong will be crucial. I'm not too worried about Ye Jingkuan—he's a prudent man, and since His Highness says he's trustworthy, then he is. My concern is actually with Lai Chenglong."

  If the evidence chain in Yangzhou is fully prepared, implicating Cui Shaoting in close ties with the former Yangzhou Prefecture, accepting bribes and beauties, it will be difficult for him to escape.

  He had already expressed this concern to Song Chengru before. Upon hearing it, Song Chengru gnced at Song Chuyi, undecided about whether to contact Lai Chenglong privately once again.

  Though Lai Chenglong had a life-and-death bond with Cui Shaoting, he had already done his utmost in a righteous manner. Without his warning, both the Song and Cui families would still be in the dark. Whether he would continue to help Cui Shaoting was unknown.

  Song Chuyi understood immediately and slowly shook her head at Song Chengru and Cui Yingshu. "Lai Chenglong sending us a message is already a huge risk. If anyone besides us learns of this, we'll all be dead, Lai Chenglong included. Associating with someone close to the Emperor isn't a game, and it's too dangerous to seek him out again now. If anyone with ulterior motives finds out, all our previous efforts will be for naught."

  This was why Cui Shaoting repeatedly instructed that they should only seek out Lai Chenglong when people like Ma Changjiang were completely out of control and on the verge of causing trouble.

  Song Chengru and Cui Yingshu exchanged a gnce, realizing Song Chuyi was right, and nodded solemnly.

  "There may still be another way," Song Chuyi continued. "I've thought about why Uncle would knowingly accept a beauty from the Yangzhou magistrate, even knowing he was up to no good. It's likely that Uncle wasn't simply blinded by her beauty or moved by pity. He probably suspected something about her and decided to keep her close by."

  Otherwise, they would have devised another way, taking every possible precaution. A mere beauty was no challenge for someone as capable as Cui Shaoting to keep under control.

  Song Jue's eyes lit up, and he chuckled, "Xiaoyi is right. Since Uncle is already accusing Zhang Tianhe of corruption, he surely won't hesitate to pile on the charge of colluding with the Yangzhou magistrate to send him a beauty."