The sycamore leaves were blown off the tree in rge clusters, drifting to the ground in the wind. The palm-sized leaves piled up on the stone table, soon covering the chessboard and table alike as if ying a yellow carpet over them.
There was no chance of drinking tea or continuing the chess game, so Song Chengru brushed off the fallen leaves from his clothing and led them into the study. His first question was directed at Song Ren: "I heard there's a banquet in the pace the night after tomorrow to entertain the foreign envoys. Have you already spoken to them?"
Song Ren shook his head. "Not yet. This assignment seemed strange to me, so I thought I'd consult you first, Father."
Though he cked agility in adapting, his cautiousness was commendable—enough to keep him steady. Old Master Song nodded approvingly and said, "Go, of course. Just py dumb and act as if you're unaware of the implications. Since it was assigned from above, simply do as you're told."
They could accept the benefits, but they weren't about to recognize the favor as a debt.
Consort Fan was, after all, just a woman and had oversimplified the matter. Did she think that by extending a small courtesy, they could pretend the entire matter of aiding Grand Secretary Chen's escape never happened? Things weren't that easy.
When it came to a csh of wits, Grand Secretary Chen and their own grandfather were likely well-matched. Song Jue and Song Chuyi couldn't help but ugh, and Song Ren, after a moment of reflection, joined in with a ugh and cheerfully replied, "Understood, Father. I'll visit the guest residence and speak with the Japanese envoys tomorrow."
Song Jue then asked Song Chengru, "Grandfather, when will it be the right time for revenge?" Surely they couldn't just wait idly for the Chen family to slip up. With Grand Secretary Chen's cunning and patience, it might be years before he made a mistake, if ever—and he was clever enough to avoid getting caught.
Song Chengru sighed, shaking his head. He pointed to Song Jue and then looked at Song Chuyi. "That's where you differ from your sister. This opportunity isn't something you wait for; you create it yourself. Waiting could take forever. Opportunities must be seized."
Song Jue quickly grasped his grandfather's meaning. Seeing the sly smile on Song Chuyi's face, he realized that this pair of foxes had already anticipated Grand Secretary Chen's escape and surely had a follow-up pn. Unable to suppress his curiosity, he asked, "Then how do we create this opportunity?"
Song Chengru shook his head, unwilling to expin, and sent them off to tend to their own affairs. "I still have a mountain of work to finish here. If I get deyed any further, who knows how te it'll be tonight. Go to Ningde Hall and let the Old Lady know that tonight's feast will be held in Chuzhou Pavilion. It's the sixteenth, so we might as well enjoy the moon."
Song Ren stayed back in the study with Song Chengru, but Song Jue walked alongside Song Chuyi, trying to coax the pn out of her as they approached Ningde Hall. "Good sister, just tell me what you're pnning... Otherwise, I'll be too restless to sleep tonight."
Zhang Tianhe had already hung himself, signing and sealing his confession before his death. Meng Jiming and Feng Yinglong were in collusion, and even Tao Dinghu, usually known for his fairness, had surprisingly pyed deaf and blind in this matter, maintaining silence. Knowing how difficult it would be to implicate the Chen family further, Song Jue became more curious after hearing that both Song Chengru and Song Chuyi seemed to have a strategy. He followed closely as Song Chuyi stopped, then tapped her on the head. "Stop keeping me in suspense, or don't expe
Song Chuyi, who was always wary of Song Jue's pyful threats, immediately raised her hand to shield her head, stepping back as she looked at him like a cautious rabbit. "If you hit me again, I'll go tell Grandmother." Yet, despite her compints, she didn't hold back the pn. "Brother, have you forgotten that besides Zhang Tianhe, someone else also suffered? Wang Ying lost his position in Taiji Hall and was promptly thrown into prison."
Wang Ying? Song Jue paused, pondering for a moment before hesitantly asking, "Do you mean Wang Ying could bite back at Grand Secretary Chen and the others before he dies?"
But even if he did, it wouldn't matter. Meng Jiming and Feng Yinglong were all in agreement and understood the importance of concealing the truth. They would never allow Wang Ying's words to reach Emperor Jianzhang.
In the distance, Yushu approached carrying a ntern; she now worked under Song Yan. If she was here, Song Yan would surely follow close behind. Not wanting to discuss this in Song Yan's presence, Song Chuyi quickly expined to Song Jue, "Brother, how could you be so muddled? Wang Ying doesn't have the courage or ability to retaliate, and he's already dead. Even if he tried, Meng Jiming and the others would handle it. But he has a retive by marriage—Fang Xiaoru."
Fang Xiaoru has followed Grand Secretary Chen for many years, serving tirelessly and even getting his family entangled in the process. Yet when the time came, Grand Secretary Chen let go without hesitation, showing Fang Xiaoru that he had been prepared all along, sending others—like himself and Wang Ying—to the forefront. Even if trouble arose, Lord Chen would remain secure, with backup pns in pce.
No one would truly act like a loyal pdog unconditionally, constantly at someone's beck and call without something to gain. Fang Xiaoru only followed Lord Chen because there was a benefit in it, but once he realizes he's not only losing those benefits but also risking his head, and that Lord Chen treats their lives as dispensable, would he still be so loyal?
Retionships between people are delicate. Fang Xiaoru once threw himself wholeheartedly into serving Grand Secretary Chen, but that might no longer be the case. Though he may have abandoned his own in-ws, daughter, son-in-w, and nephew to save himself, such people rarely think they're in the wrong; they simply pce the bme on others. Add to that his cowardly, self-preserving nature, and he will never trust Lord Chen as he once did.
At this point, just a small nudge—someone offering him a bit of an advantage and whispering the right words in his ear—will turn him away from Lord Chen.
Grand Secretary Chen thinks he can walk away unscathed, but he doesn't realize that once you strike, it's not so easy to retract your cws and pretend nothing happened. As she had said before, if anyone dared to reach out, Song Chuyi would have no problem cutting off that hand!
The Chen family not only reached out but also held a knife. If she didn't show them a bit of resistance, they'd truly think the Marquis of Changning's family was an easy target.