Chapter 683 - 461: Mother-Daughter Confrontation

Chapter 683: Chapter 461: Mother-Daughter Confrontation

Xu Mingying watched Song Qinghan’s look of refusal, her reluctance practically overflowing when Ming Fei was mentioned. For a moment, she couldn’t tell if Song Qinghan was telling the truth or not.

"Third Sister-in-law, you and I are family now. If my future is bright, wouldn’t that bring you honor as well?" Xu Mingying asked.

Song Qinghan scoffed internally. ’Before she entered the palace, she never treated me well, and even stirred up trouble occasionally. Now she’s trying to play the family card? As if I’d believe that.’

She lifted her gaze and said coolly, "You want my help. If I refuse, Mother-in-law will scold me. I’m not saying I won’t help you, but my relationship with Ming Fei is quite poor. If I end up making things worse, don’t blame me later. I don’t want to be caught in the middle and blamed by everyone."

Song Qinghan’s words put Xu Mingying in a bind, and beside them, Mrs. Pan was inwardly howling with laughter.

’That’s right,’ she thought. ’What if Ming Fei is displeased at the sight of Song Qinghan and takes it out on Xu Mingying?’

’If things go south, wouldn’t Xu Mingying have to blame Song Qinghan?’

’Song Qinghan’s words were flawless. Once a person smartens up, they really do become clever.’

Mrs. Pan was laughing on the inside, but her face was a mask of sorrow. "It’s all our fault for being so useless. We want to help, but we can’t."

Xu Mingying had known her mother wouldn’t come. ’These people are all useless,’ she thought. ’Not only can’t they help, but they actually hold me back.’

Having learned what she needed to know, Xu Mingying was in no mood to entertain them any longer and sent them away.

Outside the Imperial Awakening Temple, Mrs. Pan asked Song Qinghan, "Third Sister-in-law, are you coming back with me, or will you be making a trip to your family home?"

Song Qinghan still had to pass a message to Song Yunzhao, so she couldn’t trouble her eldest sister-in-law. "I’m going to my family’s home," she said. "Eldest Sister-in-law, please don’t let me keep you."

Mrs. Pan nodded, boarded her carriage, and left. Song Qinghan wasn’t keen on returning to her family home. Her relationship with them had been strained in recent years, especially with her father, who looked at her as if she were an enemy.

However, besides needing to pass the message to Song Yunzhao, she also had to mention the Cai Family’s situation to her mother. A couple of days ago, several of her maternal aunts had shown up and blocked her doorway. The memory alone was vexing.

Song Qinghan first went to the Eldest Lady to relay the news and ask her to pass a message to Song Yunzhao. Only after that did she head to her family home.

The two mansions were adjacent, so it was only a short walk.

When Mrs. Cai heard her daughter had arrived, she had her personal housekeeper show her in.

Song Qinghan was startled when she saw how thin and drawn her mother’s face was. "Mother, what happened to you? Did Uncle and Aunt come looking for you?"

Hearing this, Mrs. Cai raised her eyebrows. "They came looking for you, too?" she asked.

Song Qinghan sat down beside her mother and nodded. "They did. The Emperor has already made his ruling on this matter. How could any of us possibly overturn it for them? They should stop wasting their energy."

Mrs. Cai was taken aback by her daughter’s words. "They are your mother’s family, after all. And they doted on you so much when you were little."

Song Qinghan hated hearing this. "Song Yunzhao and I are blood sisters, and even I don’t go around using her name to get things done. Our uncles are certainly bold, using Father’s name to lend out money. And it’s not just that they were lending money—someone died because of it! If it weren’t for Song Yunzhao, Father might have been impeached. Mother, you need to think clearly. If Father falls from power, what will happen to us? Bu Yue hasn’t even passed his exams yet! If you won’t think for my sake, at least think for your son’s! There’s no love lost between Song Yunzhao and us. If Father really gets into trouble because of your family, with her personality, it would be a miracle if she didn’t tear us to shreds."

Wounded by her daughter’s sharp words, Mrs. Cai grew angry. "What, she gives you a few benefits, and now you’re taking her side?"

Song Qinghan sneered. "When I was at the Marquis Mansion fighting tooth and nail with Xu Anxing, I don’t recall my uncles ever coming to back me up."

Mrs. Cai was speechless.

Seeing her mother’s muddled expression, Song Qinghan was suddenly reminded of how she herself had been just a few years ago. Her heart softened, and with a light sigh, she said, "Mother, think about it. How long has it been since you and Father had a proper conversation? He spends most of his time with Aunt Che now. I’ve heard that Buming’s studies are far better than Bu Yue’s. If Buming passes the exams first, Aunt Che’s arrogance will be off the charts. What will you do then?"

"Even if he passes, that Song Buming still has to recognize me as his official mother, and he can only ever call that Ms. Che ’Auntie’," Mrs. Cai said angrily.

"But what if he’s granted an official post, and with Song Yunzhao’s support, he rises step by step through the ranks? What if, at that time, he asks Father to let Aunt Che go live with him? Will you be able to stop it?"

There were precedents of successful sons of concubines taking their birth mothers out of the family compound to care for them in their old age.

Mrs. Cai’s expression turned even uglier.

Song Qinghan said, "Mother, I’ve thought it all through now, so how can you be more muddled than I am? You can’t help the Cai Family now. If you help them this time, they’ll just dare to do it again next time. They need to learn a lesson. Besides, my uncles are not scholarly, nor do they have any proper businesses. Now that Grandfather has been dismissed from his official post, it will be very difficult for the Cai Family to ever stage a comeback."

"What are you trying to say? That we should just abandon them?"

"There are different ways to help. If you just give your private silver to our uncles, it’ll be like throwing meat buns at a dog—gone for good. I’m a married daughter, so I’m not eyeing your dowry. But Bu Yue will have to marry someday, and you’ll have grandchildren. Don’t you want to leave something for them? If you squander all your silver, how can you expect your future daughter-in-law to respect you as her mother-in-law?"

Mrs. Cai clutched her chest and collapsed onto the soft couch. "You just know how to make me angry."

"I’m speaking from the heart, how is that making you angry? If you really want to help, I’d say pick a few of the most talented among our Cai family cousins and use your silver to sponsor their education. The Cai Family will only have hope if one of them passes the exams. What’s the use of giving it to our uncles, who will only squander it all? Besides, even among relatives, the saying goes: you help in an emergency, but you don’t subsidize chronic poverty. Don’t wait until Father truly turns on you."

Mrs. Cai’s head was throbbing. She said to her daughter, "Stop talking. My brain aches from all your noise."

Song Qinghan pursed her lips. "Well, that’s what I truly think. You can think it over yourself. My own life is a complete mess right now; I don’t have the energy to worry about much else."

"Do you have any good news yet?" Mrs. Cai couldn’t help but ask with concern.

Song Qinghan shook her head.

Mrs. Cai’s brow tightened. "Still no news?"

"The doctor said my health has suffered these past few years and I need to focus on recuperating. In any case, I’m not in a hurry. If I can’t produce a legitimate heir, then Xu Anxing can forget about taking a concubine," Song Qinghan said with a cold laugh.

Mrs. Cai felt that nothing was going her way. A stifling feeling in her chest grew heavier. Her life just seemed to get more and more frustrating.

’So it’s true,’ she thought. ’Song Yunzhao and I are destined to clash. The better her life goes, the worse mine gets.’

Seeing that her mother’s complexion was truly awful, Song Qinghan felt a pang of pity and said, "In my opinion, you should go south to look after my brother for a while. If you stay in the capital, I’m afraid your family will come begging every single day. You won’t be able to live like that."

Mrs. Cai nearly leaped to her feet. How could she leave the capital? If she left, wouldn’t this mansion become Aunt Che’s kingdom?

’In her dreams.’