Chapter 695 - 473: Forcing Yun Zhao’s Hand

Chapter 695: Chapter 473: Forcing Yun Zhao’s Hand

The First Madam let out a soft sigh of relief at Yun Zhao’s words. She had feared Yun Zhao, out of regard for her friendship with Princess Ming’an, would be more in favor of this marriage.

Bo Chang may be an illegitimate son, but he had been studying diligently in the south for years and stood a very good chance of passing the metropolitan examination this year. Naturally, she didn’t want his future wife to be an unsuitable person who would only disrupt the peace of their home.

It wasn’t that the Ding family’s daughter was a bad person, but there were far too many concerns. If they became in-laws, the future would be fraught with trouble.

Song Yunzhao thought for a moment and said, "First Aunt, since the Ding family is clearly interested, I’m sure this isn’t the last we’ll hear of it. If you and First Uncle don’t approve of this match, you should arrange another marriage for my second cousin as soon as possible to prevent any complications from arising."

The First Madam had the same idea, and hearing Yun Zhao’s advice, she immediately said, "I’ll go home and discuss this thoroughly with your First Uncle. There are a few other young ladies who seem quite suitable. But because Bo Chang is taking the examinations this year, I originally planned to arrange his marriage after the fact. I didn’t expect this complication to arise."

Song Yunzhao understood the First Madam’s thinking. If Song Buchang could pass the examination and become an Advanced Scholar, his marriage prospects would be completely different. He would have a much wider and better selection of young ladies to choose from. But for now, despite his academic promise, he was still an illegitimate son of the Uncle Mansion with an uncertain future. No truly prestigious family would marry their daughter to him.

After consulting with Yun Zhao, the First Madam hurriedly left the palace. She had many matters to attend to, and Bo Chang’s marriage was of the utmost importance.

A day later, Song Yunzhao saw He Lan Yun again.

’These last few days have been my busiest in over a year.’ Upon seeing He Lan Yun, Song Yunzhao immediately noticed she looked unwell and rather haggard, which was very unlike her usual self.

"What’s wrong?" Song Yunzhao asked with concern, momentarily setting aside her thoughts about the Ding family.

When He Lan Yun met Yun Zhao’s concerned gaze, her expression became even more complex. She hesitated, uncertain how to begin.

Song Yunzhao understood instantly. "Is it about the Ding family’s affair?" she asked. "Did it put you in a difficult spot?"

Now that Yun Zhao had asked directly, He Lan Yun stopped holding back. Unable to suppress her anger, she burst out, "I originally thought it was a pretty good match. Governor Ding is a powerful governor, Ding Wei is beautiful and seems gentle, and my sister-in-law, while a bit strict, is kind-hearted and treats her stepdaughter as her own. Who could have known..."

’So I must have gotten some things wrong,’ Song Yunzhao thought. The issue wasn’t a conflict between Lady Ding and her stepdaughter; it seemed the problem stemmed from Ding Xian after all.

She said nothing, waiting for He Lan Yun to go on.

"I just found out that Ding Xian is in trouble."

Song Yunzhao’s heart sank. ’Just as I suspected.’ "Ding Xian is in trouble, and the outcome must be uncertain. So Lady Ding is trying to marry her stepdaughter off first to secure a safe place for her. That’s why she targeted the Song Family. With me here, a favored concubine, Ding Wei would be safe and sound. Am I right?"

Song Yunzhao was furious. ’Lady Ding is such a good stepmother, so wonderfully noble,’ she thought sarcastically. ’But on what grounds should the Song Family be the ones to bail her out?’

He Lan Yun looked at Yun Zhao with shame. "After I learned the truth, I told my sister-in-law in no uncertain terms that this marriage is off. You can rest easy. I came to the palace specifically to make things clear to you, so you wouldn’t be left in the dark to overthink things."

Song Yunzhao hadn’t expected He Lan Yun to be so decisive. "But now you’ve offended Lady Ding," she said with concern.

"Not necessarily. I used to play with her all the time when I was a child, and she always treated me like a little sister. Even if she’s angry now, she’ll get over it in a couple of days. It’s that girl, Ding Wei, who’s truly pitiful. Such a sweet, unfortunate child, to be hit with a disaster like this. I don’t know what family she’ll end up with in the future." Since marrying and becoming a mother, He Lan Yun had grown to have a mother’s tender heart.

"What exactly happened to Governor Ding?" Song Yunzhao felt this was the heart of the matter.

He Lan Yun shook her head. "My sister-in-law was guarded and wasn’t very clear about it, but it seems to be related to her husband’s injury last year."

"Didn’t Governor Ding win the battle against the sea bandits last year in the end?" Song Yunzhao asked.

He Lan Yun sighed softly. "The battle was won, but one of the main sea bandit leaders escaped. This year, His Majesty’s new policies have turned the south upside down, and that man has been stirring up dissent everywhere, uniting local clans and officials to resist the reforms. My sister-in-law’s husband didn’t know they were setting a trap for him. After a banquet, they got him drunk and had him sign some sort of document."

Song Yunzhao was left speechless.

’What kind of document?’

’It must have been a document pledging to resist the imperial envoy.’

Song Yunzhao looked at He Lan Yun. "Does Duke Qin know about this?"

When Yun Zhao asked about her husband, He Lan Yun’s face fell. "He only found out last night himself. He mentioned a bit of it to me after he learned. If he hadn’t, and I’d come here today to speak on the Ding family’s behalf, I would have dragged you into this mess."

That was precisely why He Lan Yun was so upset—furious with Lady Ding. But when she remembered how her sister-in-law had always protected her, she couldn’t bring herself to vent her anger, leaving her to stew in it. It was no wonder she looked so awful.

"So you still don’t know exactly what was in the document Governor Ding signed?"

He Lan Yun shook her head. "But judging from my sister-in-law’s actions, I’m afraid it’s something very serious."

’She’s rushing to marry off her stepdaughter to ensure her safety. The situation must be dire.’

Song Yunzhao asked again, "And you don’t know Governor Ding’s stance on this either?"

Once again, He Lan Yun shook her head.

Song Yunzhao fell silent. ’You don’t know anything at all. Aren’t you just getting angry for no reason?’

"At this point, this matter is certainly beyond our ability to resolve. You should go back for now. If you ask me, you should have Duke Qin confess everything to His Majesty. It might be Governor Ding’s only chance of survival."

He Lan Yun’s face went white. She trusted Yun Zhao completely, and her words struck a chord. "Can his life be saved?" she asked subconsciously in a hushed voice.

’Just what kind of mistake did he make,’ Song Yunzhao wondered, ’for the bottom line to simply be saving his life?’

"That will depend on how Governor Ding chooses to atone for his crimes with new merits," Song Yunzhao said.

He Lan Yun grew pensive, then stood up. "I’ll go tell my husband now. We have to try, no matter what. My sister-in-law’s husband is a good man, he was just careless for a moment and fell for a wicked scheme."

He Lan Yun rushed out of the palace, but Song Yunzhao couldn’t help but feel that this entire affair had likely been a ploy from the start.

’Lady Ding used the marriage proposal for her stepdaughter as a pretext to connect with the Song Family, then leaked this information. It was clearly a way to use the Song Family to get the message to me.’

’And once it reached me, the favored concubine, it would naturally reach the Emperor’s ears.’

’Perhaps Lady Ding’s goal from the very beginning was to have this matter reach the Emperor. I can’t tell if it was a plan cooked up by both husband and wife, or her own scheme alone.’

’All in all, Yun Zhao’s impression of this Lady Ding was not a good one.’

’She had to admire the woman’s daring and resourcefulness, but she detested being forced to get involved through such manipulative means.’