Cui Shaoting hadn't told Lady Yu about this Yangzhou courtesan! Song Chuyi suppressed her shock, though her grip on the railing trembled slightly. Could he really be blinded by beauty? Or was there something more hidden in this matter?

  First Lady Cui sensed something amiss and raised an eyebrow at Song Chuyi. "You're still just a child, asking your elders about such matters? We've been far too lenient with you." First Lady Cui assumed Song Chuyi's curiosity had been piqued by Shen Xiaohai's well-known flirtations and had casually asked out of suspicion, so she didn't think much of it.

  However, doubts surged within Song Chuyi's mind. She felt as though she was on the verge of grasping a vital clue, but that fsh of insight quickly vanished amidst her jumbled thoughts, leaving her lost.

  Who held such deep-seated hatred toward the Cui family that they would stop at nothing to bring down the noble Cui cn of Boling? In the previous life, they targeted Cui Yingshu—Cui Yingshu was a decorated schor, so they used typical schemes against schors, bribing the servant of a prominent northern schor to expose exam leaks, leaving Cui Yingshu and the schor defenseless against the accusations. But now, with Cui Shaoting, the situation was different. Cui Shaoting wasn't as easy to bring down—he had connections and was adept at navigating political waters. He had steadily risen to become the Governor of Fujian and now held one of the four powerful provincial posts.

  What weakness could the shadowy hand behind the scenes have found to entrap someone as formidable as Cui Shaoting? And what audacity did they have to target a distinguished man with real power and strong backing?

  Song Chuyi recalled Lai Chenglong's brief, cryptic warning, feeling as though she were enshrouded in impenetrable fog, unable to discern the path ahead.

  The news Qingying brought back that evening left her even more unsettled. She had asked Qingying to write to Ye Jingchuan, requesting he inquire with Guo Yantang's mother whether Guo Huaiying's retionship with Cui Shaoting was still as close as before.

  In his reply, Ye Jingchuan mentioned that Guo Huaiying also found it odd—Cui Shaoting hadn't contacted him in over three months, even failing to reply to his st letter.

  Three months! Another gap of three months!

  Staring at the letter, Song Chuyi sat there for what seemed like an eternity before finally rising resolutely. "To the study in the front courtyard!"

  When Song Chengru saw her, he raised an eyebrow in surprise, then chuckled. "A little fox like you coming to see me at this hour? I doubt it's good news. But everything has its limits—The Shen and the Marquis of Wuning have learned their lesson. There's still more trouble ahead for them, but don't overdo it."

  The longer he spent with his granddaughter, the more he liked her. She could be patient, and even if she harbored grudges, she never acted beyond her means, always exercising caution and restraint.

  Song Chuyi shook her head, looking earnestly into her grandfather's eyes. "Grandfather, I didn't come about the Shen family."

  She knew she couldn't dispel the looming fog on her own. Old Master Song's experience and insight into court affairs ran deep. To help the Cui family, she couldn't rely solely on herself, or even on Zhou Weizhao or Ye Jingchuan—she needed her grandfather's assistance.

  Old Master Song pced his white jade paperweight on the rice paper, showing he was ready to listen seriously. "Tell me, what's the matter?"

  Song Chuyi liked speaking with her grandfather. He never treated her as a mere child but also didn't entirely treat her as an adult. Every conversation with him felt like a breath of fresh air. After a moment's thought, she raised her eyes and looked at him directly. "Sir Lai Chenglong sent me a letter about my uncle."

  Lai Chenglong, the newly appointed commander of the Jinyiwei and a trusted aide of Emperor Jianzhang, was currently in high favor at court. Old Master Song was visibly startled, propping himself up on the desk, stunned that Song Chuyi would speak Lai Chenglong's name without hesitation. After a long pause, he finally spoke, "Lai Chenglong?"

  He hadn't even registered her mention of Cui Shaoting. He was shocked to discover her connection with Lai Chenglong. The Jinyiwei was the emperor's eyes and ears, and now Song Chuyi had a line of communication with the commander of the Jinyiwei. The implications were enormous—almost beyond belief.

  Song Chuyi realized there was no point in hiding it anymore and told him everything about Cui Shaoting's agents and Lai Chenglong. "Uncle told me if I ever couldn't manage them, I should go to Lai Chenglong. Luckily, they've all been obedient so far, and I've only needed Lai Chenglong's help once... that was the time he warned me about Chen Xiang and Prince Duan's pn at the hunting grounds. The information came directly from him."

  She deliberately omitted mentioning how Ma Wangkun and others had intercepted Song Chuning and her involvement with Han Zhi.

  Old Master Song regarded her with a complicated gaze for a long moment, pacing back and forth before finally coming to terms with the news.

  Cui Shaoting secretly had ties with Lai Chenglong? Lai Chenglong wasn't just any official. He was a loyal aide elevated by Emperor Jianzhang himself, clean in background, untainted by factional ties. Yet he had reached out to help Cui Shaoting and now risked warning Song Chuyi about Cui Shaoting's peril...

  "Does anyone else know about this?" Old Master Song's face darkened, his tone gravely serious. If there was even a chance someone knew of the connection between Lai Chenglong and Cui Shaoting, it would be catastrophic. If they were exposed, it could be used as a charge against them—collusion with the emperor's inner circle was a mortal sin that no one could escape.

  Song Chuyi shook her head. "This matter is extremely secretive. According to my uncle, even my aunt doesn't know about his connection with Lai Chenglong."

  Song Chengru's tense heart rexed a little. He no longer pursued why Cui Shaoting had given Song Chuyi a group of people or what she had used them for. The Cui family and the Song family were now bound together, and if the Cui family fell into a mire, the Song family wouldn't escape unscathed.

  He had worked hard to maintain a neutral, loyal stance and would not allow such a crisis to erupt again.