Chapter 680 - 458: Reprimanding Mrs. Cai

Chapter 680: Chapter 458: Reprimanding Mrs. Cai

Feng Yi comforted Yun Zhao for a while, but then Xu Sixi arrived to summon the Emperor to a meeting. The courtiers were already waiting.

Yun Zhao gathered her spirits and urged Feng Yi to go. After the Emperor left, her expression slowly calmed. Before long, Madam Ning Anbo arrived with the Marchioness Wenxin.

The moment Yun Zhao saw Mrs. Cai, she sneered and said bluntly, "The Cai family must have gotten their nerve from you."

Hearing her daughter’s words, Mrs. Cai’s expression turned ugly. She tried to hold her tongue but failed. "I truly knew nothing about this matter," she said.

"Knew nothing?" Song Yunzhao stared at her, a cold smile playing on her lips. "Since you were ignorant of it before, you can remain ignorant of how it will be dealt with now."

Mrs. Cai was speechless.

"But he is your uncle, after all..."

"What uncle? I doubt I would even recognize any of the Cai family if they stood right in front of me. How dare you even say such a thing?" Song Yunzhao was disgusted by the Cai family. Otherwise, given her current disposition, she wouldn’t have spoken so cruelly.

Her daughter’s words struck a fatal blow. Mrs. Cai’s face paled, and she had to forcefully suppress her anger, not daring to utter another word.

Their mother-daughter relationship was abysmal; the sight of each other was grating. Mrs. Cai had never taken Yun Zhao with her on visits to her maiden home, so naturally, Yun Zhao didn’t know anyone from the Cai family. After returning to the capital, she had immediately entered the palace selection and had even less opportunity to meet them.

Madam Ning Anbo sat to one side, silent. She knew this matter wouldn’t be over until Yun Zhao had vented her anger.

’Besides, why should Yun Zhao have to clean up the Cai family’s mess?’ ℴℴ𝘮

’What has the Cai family ever given Yun Zhao?’

The Madam was furious as well, but as the matriarch of her household, she couldn’t say it aloud and cause Mrs. Cai to lose face.

Mrs. Cai sat there with a grim face, utterly silent. But Song Yunzhao knew her mother’s nature. ’Her silence doesn’t mean she thinks she’s wrong,’ Yun Zhao thought. ’In her eyes, this is probably just a trivial matter.’

She couldn’t be bothered to waste any more words on her.

Turning, Yun Zhao looked at her aunt. "This matter has troubled you, Aunt."

The Madam sighed. "It’s no great trouble for us. Your uncle no longer holds an official post, and your cousin is serving away from the capital, so they are not affected. But your father’s position in the Ministry of Revenue is already coveted. He has always been so cautious that others could never find fault with him. Now that this has happened, I fear it will be a difficult trial for him."

Hearing this, Mrs. Cai’s head snapped up. "It was just a few high-interest loans. How could it be that serious?"

Song Yunzhao looked at Mrs. Cai in disgust. "You profit from predatory lending, and on top of that, have you forgotten that a life was lost?!"

Mrs. Cai’s lips trembled. She wanted to say it was just the life of a worthless commoner and that some silver would be enough compensation, but seeing the thunderous look on Song Yunzhao’s face, she didn’t dare.

"Were you about to say it was just a worthless life?"

Mrs. Cai’s expression froze, and her face went pale.

Song Yunzhao sneered. "Then you should know, Madam, that in my eyes, the lives of the Cai family are just as worthless!"

Mrs. Cai felt her vision go dark, and even the Madam shuddered.

"Since you don’t value the lives of others, you should get a taste of what it feels like." Song Yunzhao despised Mrs. Cai’s dehumanizing attitude. ’To be blunt,’ she thought, ’my father was merely a Sixth-rank Chief. Where did she get the arrogance to treat human life as worthless?’

The Madam’s heart pounded in her chest. It was the first time she had ever heard Yun Zhao speak with such vicious, cutting words. She clamped her mouth shut, not daring to plead for Mrs. Cai or the Cai family.

Staring at Mrs. Cai’s face, Yun Zhao stated impassively, "This matter has already alarmed the Emperor. His Majesty sent someone to reprimand me, and I have already pleaded for my punishment before him. I asked His Majesty to handle this impartially."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Cai’s body went limp, and she collapsed to the floor.

Song Yunzhao didn’t even spare her a glance. "Xiangxue!" she called out sharply.

"Your servant is here."

"Escort the Marchioness back to her estate."

"Yes, my lady." Xiangxue immediately stepped forward to help the limp Mrs. Cai to her feet. Seeing that Mrs. Cai was about to speak, and fearing she would anger the concubine further, Xiangxue spoke loudly, "Marchioness, please come with me. You must think of the young masters and ladies of your estate."

Mrs. Cai thought of her son, still studying in the south, and her eldest daughter, whose future had just begun to look promising. All the words she wanted to say caught in her throat, and her expression twisted in despair.

After Xiangxue had all but dragged Mrs. Cai away, Song Yunzhao finally let out a small sigh. She looked at the Madam and said, "I’m sorry to have worried you and Uncle over this."

The Madam shook her head. "That’s nothing to worry about. But you have been through such a fit of anger, my lady. You must take care of your health. Don’t let people like that make you ill."

Song Yunzhao looked at the Madam. "From now on, the family must keep our clansmen in line. If anyone breaks the law, do not blame me for being unforgiving."

The Madam quickly agreed. "You and the Eldest Prince live such careful lives in the palace. We would never cause you trouble or add to your worries, my lady."

Song Yunzhao knew this was only the beginning. As Feng Ze grew older, more and more people would gravitate toward the Song family. By making an example of the Cai family, she was reminding everyone else to stay in their place.

"With you and Uncle here, I can rest easy. But the Song family’s influence is growing. This is partly because the Emperor wants to support the Eldest Prince’s maternal family, and partly because Father and my cousin have won his favor through their work. The Song family does not need to curry favor with anyone or form self-serving factions. Remain loyal to His Majesty and serve the people with all your heart. That is the way to ensure our peace and prosperity."

The Madam committed her words to heart. "Rest assured, my lady. I will relay your instructions exactly as you’ve given them when I return."

A faint smile touched Song Yunzhao’s lips. She looked at the Madam and asked, "I heard someone came to the capital to offer a lavish gift to Princess Fuke. Do you know of this, Aunt?"

"You’ve heard of it as well, my lady?" The Madam was surprised at how quickly the news had spread. "Princess Fuke didn’t accept it. In fact, she sent the person away without even granting an audience. Although our family is connected to the Princess Mansion by marriage, it isn’t our place to meddle in their affairs, so we’ve only heard rumors."

Song Yunzhao nodded. "Princess Fuke is a clever woman. How could she dare accept such blood-stained silver? Those people offering gifts to the Princess are only trying to probe the Emperor’s intentions. The Song family must not get involved. Stay far, far away. If the Princess ever asks the Song family for assistance, you must think it over very carefully, Aunt. Don’t agree to anything lightly."

The Madam nodded gravely. "Rest assured, my lady. Your uncle also instructed me to stay home for the time being and decline all invitations to banquets. The Princess Mansion hosted a tea party, but I did not attend."

Song Yunzhao sighed softly. "I just hope my cousin can accumulate enough experience and achievements to enter the imperial court soon."

Song Buran’s temperament is the complete opposite of her father’s. The two of them would complement each other perfectly, allowing them to form a bulwark in the court. Only then would the Song family’s position be truly secure.

The Song family’s reputation might seem splendid and prosperous now, but it’s fragile enough to shatter with a single blow.

If the Song family were stronger, this incident with the Cai family wouldn’t have become such a public scandal, with all blame pointed directly at her and Feng Ze.