Chapter 29: The General’s Little Pampered Wife 29

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: The General’s Little Pampered Wife 29

The conversation in Yue Niang’s private room continued.

One of the men said urgently, "Yue Niang, it was Mr. Zhao who arranged this. We were just following orders. You can’t just leave us high and dry."

Another man chimed in, "Exactly! When it comes down to it, we weren’t the ones calling the shots. Now that you’re pregnant, you have to give us some kind of solution."

Yue Niang snorted coldly. "Hmph. Mr. Zhao sent you here, but now that there’s trouble, he’s nowhere to be found. Why should I be the one to take the fall?"

Another man spoke up. "Yue Niang, you can’t look at it that way. Mr. Zhao has us in his grip, too. Our hands are tied. Besides, if word of this gets out, it won’t do you any good, either."

Yue Niang’s brows furrowed in anger as she snapped, "I never should have listened to Mr. Zhao in the first place! Now look at this mess. And every single one of you comes to pressure me? What am I supposed to do?"

Yet another man spoke, his voice cold. "Mr. Zhao is an Imperial Merchant, and he has the Second Prince backing him. Now that we’re being blackmailed, there’s no way they can just wash their hands of it. Otherwise, if the Song Family discovers the plan we all worked with you on, none of us will escape unscathed."

Just then, the first man to speak lowered his voice. "Yue Niang, why don’t we go to Mr. Zhao together and make him come up with a solution?"

Yue Niang hesitated. "That Mr. Zhao is ruthless. If we go to him, things might only get worse for us."

The group fell silent, and the atmosphere in the room became tense.

Outside the door, Song Yuxi’s expression shifted rapidly from fury to despair, all in the span of a single sentence.

’The Song Family has thrown its full support behind the Second Prince. Were the actions of that Imperial Merchant, Mr. Zhao, carried out on the prince’s orders, or is there another reason?’

But at this very moment, those questions weren’t his priority.

He gave a hand signal, and the attendants at his side left with him.

"Wait here. As soon as that fool and her lovers appear, find any pretext to seize them and bring them back to the mansion. When you take them, be sure to conceal Yue Niang’s face and figure. Don’t let anyone realize this is connected to our Song Mansion."

*

Song Yuxi returned to the mansion and sat in his study, his expression terrifyingly grim.

’I never would have imagined that the Second Prince, whom I’ve supported with all my heart, and the powers behind him would treat the Song Family like this.’

At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside. It was his trusted steward.

"Young Master, the people have been caught. They’ve been brought back to the mansion as you instructed."

Song Yuxi stood up and strode toward the woodshed where they were being held.

When Yue Niang saw Song Yuxi, her eyes filled with terror and pleading. "Princely Heir, it hurts! These witless servants have mistakenly seized me!"

She knew the other men had also been captured, but she was still taking a gamble—betting that Song Yuxi didn’t know what she had done that day, and that he hadn’t overheard their discussion.

Song Yuxi’s eyes blazed, the veins on his forehead bulging. He pointed a trembling finger at Yue Niang, his voice shaking with fury. "You foolish woman, how dare you still try to argue at a time like this! Do you take me for a three-year-old child, to be deceived by such ridiculous lies? I heard everything at the teahouse today, loud and clear! Did you really think your scheming with those lovers could be hidden from the world?"

He was breathing raggedly as he continued to roar, "The Song Family has not been unkind to you, yet who would have thought we were raising such a shameless, treacherous wretch! What face do you have to stand there with your honeyed words?"

Song Yuxi took a step forward, staring daggers at Yue Niang as if his gaze alone could tear her to pieces. "You venomous viper! I will make you pay a terrible price for what you have done!"

With that, he flung his sleeves back, spun around, and roared at the attendants behind him, "Keep this foolish woman under close guard! I need to think long and hard about how to deal with her!"

This matter was too important for him to decide alone.

"Steward, go and call my uncles back to the mansion. Tell them there is an urgent matter to discuss."

The steward accepted the order and hurried off. Before long, the senior men of the Song Family had all gathered in the main hall.

With a grave expression, Song Yuxi looked at them and recounted the entire course of events. When he finished, his uncles were all both shocked and furious.

"How could Mr. Zhao and the Second Prince be so treacherous!" Father Song exclaimed, slamming his hand on the table as he shot to his feet.

"So what is the Song Family to do now?" the third Song uncle asked, his voice fraught with worry.

The men erupted into a flurry of discussion, but for the moment, no one could decide on a course of action.

Song Yuxi thought for a moment before speaking. "In my opinion, we need to plan our next move carefully. We can’t afford to openly break with the Second Prince, but we can’t just sit back and await our doom, either."

The second Song uncle stroked his beard. "Yuxi is right. We must first gather evidence in secret, just in case."

"That’s right. We also need to find a way to sound out the Second Prince, to see if he’s even aware of this matter," the fourth Song uncle added.

One by one, they all chimed in, discussing how to respond.

"Yuxi, years ago, your grandmother developed that poison that ends bloodlines, and the heaviest dose was used on Xiao Shen. But our own family is now on the verge of having no heirs, and because of our prolonged exposure to the drug, the damage is incurable. You are the entire family’s only hope. If not for that, we would never have infuriated Mrs. Ji in the first place. Now she’s pregnant—with multiple children, no less—but as for the Song Family..."

The third Song uncle was so miserable he felt he could cry a river, but there was no point. They had lost Mrs. Ji, who could have given the Song Family heirs, all for a creature like Yue Niang. He was sick to his stomach with regret!

But it was too late for regrets. Mrs. Ji was now a wife of the Xiao family. They were no match for Xiao Shen.

Song Yuxi was also overcome with regret. ’He and Ji Xiaosong were childhood sweethearts. If she had married into the Song Family, they might have had several children by now, all in one go.’

’With Ji Xiaosong’s cautious and virtuous nature, any child she carried would have undoubtedly been his. There would be none of this current headache.’

"Father, send a formal request for an audience with the Second Prince immediately. I’m going to demand an explanation!"

The more Song Yuxi thought about it, the angrier he became. He wanted to go and confront the Second Prince that very instant.

Father Song threw a teacup in his direction. "You idiot! Even if you go and confront him to his face, do you really think he’ll admit to anything?"

"Father, are we just supposed to swallow our anger and do nothing?" Song Yuxi clenched his fists, his eyes blazing.

Father Song heaved a long sigh. "The situation is still unclear. We cannot act rashly. First, we investigate in secret and gather our evidence. When the time is right, then we will counterattack."

"But I can’t stomach this humiliation," Song Yuxi said through gritted teeth.

Father Song clapped him on the shoulder. "One must endure a moment of humiliation to accomplish great things. If you act on impulse now, you will only plunge the Song Family into even greater danger."

Song Yuxi fell silent for a moment before finally nodding. "Father, I understand."

However, the rage in his heart was not extinguished, merely lying in wait for the day it would finally erupt.

「Elsewhere.」

The moment Xiao Shen learned that Song Yuxi had sent men to take away Yue Niang and the others on charges of theft, he had already set the next act in motion.

As long as the Crown Prince did not fall, the Second Prince would never be able to rise.

No matter how much he struggled, he could never escape the Emperor’s grasp.

Previously, when Ji Xiaosong had been wronged at the spring banquet, he had investigated the Song Family’s affairs. Afterward, he also arranged a special finale for Li Wanyu and Consort Song.

After waiting for so long, he had to make his next move a big one.