Chapter 16: With Tricks Like Yours, Shao Xiu
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“Eldest Miss, it truly is a misunderstanding.” Madam Qin was both furious and frantic. “Second Miss has always respected Master. She was simply so hungry just now that she said such things.”
No matter how aggrieved and enraged Song Shilan felt inside, she still appeared delicate and weak on the outside. “Eldest Sister, what Madam Qin says is true. I was so hungry that my mind—ah!”
“Slap!”
Song Shiwei raised her hand and struck her across the face, then slapped her several more times with the back of her hand. “So you were hungry, and that gave you the right to curse the father who raised you?”
She gripped Song Shilan’s chin tightly with one hand, her gaze savage. “Song Shilan, you and Madam Qin had better remember this.”
“We are on the road to exile. I can take your lives whenever I please.”
Her appearance struck terror deep into Song Shilan’s heart. She knew all too well that Song Shiwei was truly capable of saying such things and carrying them out.
Over the years, every time she had plotted against Song Shiwei, she might have succeeded at first, but Song Shiwei had always dealt with her in the end.
“Eldest Sister, you… you…”
She had even resorted to using an honorific, yet she could not manage to utter a complete sentence.
Song Shiwei flung her away in disgust. A trace of coldness curved her lips. “Song Shilan, do you really think that because you and Madam Qin have gotten in touch with the Qin family and can use them to approach Princess Anning, you will be able to return to Mingdu and continue enjoying your comfortable life?”
Song Shilan and Madam Qin were both stunned. They stared at Song Shiwei in horror.
How had she found out?
“Eldest Sister, don’t make things up.” Song Shilan abruptly lowered her head, her hands repeatedly twisting the sleeves of her clothes.
“Madam Qin and I have no such ability. Someone must have misled you.”
Why had things turned out this way?
According to her plan, once the Qin family established contact with Princess Anning, the princess would send people to fetch her and Madam Qin. At that point, she would take advantage of the opportunity to deal with Song Shiwei.
Song Shiwei did not need to guess what she was thinking. “Song Shilan, do you really believe that Princess Anning alone can get you and Madam Qin back to Mingdu?”
She let out two cold chuckles and turned to leave.
“What do you mean?” Song Shilan moved to follow her.
Madam Qin seized her by the arm and scolded her, “Are you stupid?”
“You believe everything Song Shiwei says.”
Her face darkened. “Somehow, word of this must have leaked out, and Song Shiwei is trying to use it to threaten us. She wants to take advantage of us to get herself back to Mingdu.”
Song Shilan suddenly understood. Slowly, she regained her composure. “Madam, you have opened my eyes.”
“Song Shiwei wants to return to Mingdu to find Cui Jing, but she has no way to get back. That is why she wants to use our mother and daughter.”
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Madam Qin gave a heavy snort through her nose, her face filled with disdain. “Song Shiwei is dreaming.”
Song Shilan smiled darkly. “Madam, why don’t we give Song Shiwei a false hope? That way, we can use her to accomplish a few things.”
“And in the end, we will get to see the most splendid expression on her face.”
Madam Qin considered the proposal briefly before agreeing. “We will do as you say.”
Song Shilan let out a long breath, her expression one of complete confidence.
It would not be long before she returned to Mingdu and resumed her comfortable life. She would also trample Song Shiwei completely beneath her feet.
Meanwhile.
When Song Shiwei returned to the room, she found Madam Song and the others waiting for her.
“Are you finished, Shiwei?” Madam Song did not ask what she had been doing.
She pointed at the three large bundles on the bed and smiled faintly. “We have not opened them yet. We thought we would wait until you came back so we could look through them together.”
Song Shiwei detected the smell of medicine in the room and asked with a slight smile, “Mother, has the physician treated all of you?”
As she spoke, she walked over and sat down on the stool beside Madam Song.
Madam Song confirmed that they had all been treated. “Mingxuan and the others have blisters on the soles of their feet as well, so I asked the physician to treat them too.”
“The physician said we must be more careful from now on and take care not to let the wounds become infected.”
But they were on the road to exile. How could they possibly be careful about so many things?
Song Shiwei glanced over the bare feet of Madam Song and the others, then nodded in understanding. “I bought some durable shoes. Mother, each of you should take a pair.”
She picked up the bundle containing the shoes, opened it, and handed them out one by one.
They were the sort of shoes worn by ordinary commoners: resistant to dirt, hard-wearing, and equipped with relatively soft soles.
For Song Shiwei and the others, however, this was the first time they had ever worn shoes like these.
None of them complained. Instead, they were delighted.
“At last, we have some sturdy shoes. Walking in embroidered slippers these past two days has been agony.”
“The soles of embroidered slippers are too soft and thin. We have never traveled such a long distance before, so naturally we could not endure it. Things are better now. With these shoes, we do not need to worry so much.”
Song Shiwei took in the expressions of Song Shiyue and the others, then pulled several packets of medicine from the bundle. “These are medicines for foot injuries, colds, and other ailments.”
“There is not much, so we must use it sparingly.”
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Song Shiyue raised her hand at once. “Eldest Sister, how about this?”
“Unless we truly cannot bear it any longer, we should not use the medicine.”
She did not intend to ask where Eldest Sister had obtained the money to buy these things. She only needed to understand that she should obey.
The others had no objections. They all knew one thing very clearly: on the road to exile, medicine could truly save lives.
“Eldest Miss, I have a little money here.” Madam Liu removed a golden leaf from her hair.
She handed it to Song Shiwei, looking somewhat embarrassed. “Please do not blame me, Eldest Miss. I secretly kept one golden leaf, thinking it might prove useful on the journey.”
If Eldest Miss had not bought so many things, she would not have taken it out so soon.
After Madam Liu took the lead, two other concubines also brought out ten taels of silver each. They had hidden the money in secluded places, which was why it had escaped the search.
Song Shiwei accepted it.
She placed the golden leaf and silver on the small table and explained her thoughts. “It may look like we have a great deal of money, but in truth, it is not much.”
“Not to mention the medicines, food, clothing, and daily necessities we will need to buy later, we will also have to spend a considerable amount on arrangements along the way.”
Madam Song and the others understood this perfectly. The people they needed to appease were not merely the guards, but also the various courier stations where they would stay.
“Madam Liu.” Song Shiwei broke off half a tael of silver and handed it to her, instructing, “Go and ask the station master about matters concerning Mingdu.”
“Most importantly, find out whether anything has happened in Mingdu over the past two days, and whether there have been any changes.”
Madam Liu had once been one of Madam Song’s dowry maids.
Years ago, after the old madam had forcibly made Master take Madam Qin as a concubine, Madam Song had arranged for Madam Liu to be elevated to concubine as well, purely to make Madam Qin uncomfortable.
After accepting the silver, Madam Liu put on her shoes and hurried out to find the station master.
Song Shiwei continued organizing the supplies. She made sure Madam Song and the others knew exactly what they had, as well as how everything was to be distributed.
Only by doing so could they prevent the family from quarreling over the supplies as much as possible.
When she had nearly finished sorting everything, Song Shiwei heard someone calling her name from outside.
“Eldest Miss Song, someone has come to see you.”
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