Chapter 18: From That Moment On, There Was No Possibility Between Her and Him
How kind the Song family had been to Cui Jing and the Cui household. Without the support of the Song family, could Cui Jing have risen so early to the rank of Sixth Rank Officer at the Ministry of Rites? Could the Cui family have grown more prosperous? Yet, in the end, the Song family had nurtured a thankless wretch.
Zhengwen lowered his head, guilt-ridden. “Aunt Liu, there must be some misunderstanding…”
“No misunderstanding!” Aunt Liu snapped angrily, cutting him off. “No matter the reason for Cui Jing’s actions, from the moment he made his choice, he must have known everything—and should have realized that our family would sever all ties with him. The eldest miss would no longer be with him.”
With that, she went into the room.
Zhengwen waited a moment longer, and seeing no one come out, placed a bundle by the door. “Miss Song, I have left the bundle here.”
“Please believe, Miss Song, that our young master will seek justice for the Song family.”
He kowtowed several times before leaving.
Inside the room, Song Shiwei showed no expression upon hearing this. She went to the door, took the bundle inside.
“Big sister, Cui Jing is truly disgusting,” Song Shiyue’s words resonated with everyone present.
“I refuse to believe that Cui Jing couldn’t have avoided framing our family back then. Clearly, he overthought and believed he had everything under control.”
“If we had known Cui Jing was such a beast, we should never have helped him enter officialdom.”
Their mother glanced at her daughter with concern and sighed. Until now, she had been very pleased with Cui Jing as a prospective son-in-law.
Who would have known such events would unfold?
But perhaps this was for the best.
Better to see Cui Jing’s true nature early, sparing Shiwei future suffering.
Song Shiwei unpacked the bundle.
Inside were dry provisions, a water pouch, a bag of silver coins, clothes, and other items.
At the very bottom lay a letter.
Song Shiwei didn’t even need to open it to know it was from Cui Jing.
She stared at the letter for a few seconds before fetching a fire striker and burning it, showing no desire to read it.
She looked coldly at the burning flames; the faint pain and sorrow in her heart vanished with the fire.
She and Cui Jing were like this fire—nothing left.
“I heard someone came looking for Shiwei?” At that moment, Song’s father pushed open the door and entered.
He immediately noticed the almost completely burned letter and guessed who had come.
He remained calm. “Is Cui Jing trying to rekindle things with Shiwei?”
Song Shiwei nodded slightly, then turned to her mother. “Mother, please take Aunt Liu and the others to the post station to see if there’s anything useful for our journey.”
Her mother understood she wanted to speak privately with her father and left with Aunt Liu and the others.
After confirming the letter was completely reduced to ashes, Song Shiwei swept the remains into a crack in the room, leaving no trace.
Only then did she sit down face-to-face with her father.
“Father, there’s no need to worry—I hold only hatred for Cui Jing,” she said calmly.
Her father patted her shoulder with sympathy. “As long as you know what you’re doing.”
Song Shiwei said with composure, “Father, I am fully aware of my actions.”
“I’m not acting out of spite, nor am I seeking to torment Cui Jing this way.”
Seeing this, her father said no more on the matter, just hoping she understood her own decisions.
“Very well.”
Seeing his acceptance, Song Shiwei changed the subject, speaking about Prince Ding’s recent visit.
She recounted the event in detail, sharing her thoughts and suspicions.
“Father, I feel that Prince Ding’s sudden approach isn’t so straightforward.”
Her brows furrowed, and her tone darkened. “With his power, he could control any family he wished—so why does he seek cooperation with ours?”
Her father hadn’t anticipated such developments.
He drummed his fingers on the table, pondering for some time. “Prince Ding is a man I cannot easily read.”
“People say he’s a reckless playboy, only interested in pleasures.”
“But from what I’ve observed, everything he does is to confuse the emperor and others, securing his own survival.”
Formerly a chancellor with power and influence, he habitually gathered information about all princes and court officials for his and his family’s future.
Though not knowing everything, having some knowledge was beneficial.
The more Song Shiwei thought, the more uneasy she became. “Father, why do you think Prince Ding came to me of his own accord?”
Her father replied, “Perhaps, as he said, our family has no other path left.”
“Other families may have ways out, even stepping on Prince Ding to gain greater benefits.”
“But it’s also possible he seeks to use and scheme against us.”
Song Shiwei asked, “Father, what do you intend to do?”
Her father countered, “What do you think?”
She answered honestly, “I haven’t decided yet.”
“Though this matter seems advantageous for us, we cannot guarantee Prince Ding won’t harm us.”
Her father stroked his chin and said, “I think we can cooperate with Prince Ding.”
Song Shiwei looked at him with doubt.
He squinted, explaining, “Before he approached you, I had already written to some old friends of mine.”
“I’m confident these friends will lend us a hand.”
“With such support, even if Prince Ding tries to scheme against us, we can protect ourselves.”
Song Shiwei felt uneasy. Having experienced the destruction and exile of her family, she found it hard to trust outsiders again.
Even her former fiancé, Cui Jing, had been willing to frame her family for gain. How much less could she trust those with no vested interest?
“Father, we shouldn’t place too much hope in others.”
Her expression was grave. “I suggest having leverage or shared interests.”
“Leverage…” Her father’s mind stirred. “I do have many people’s secrets, but since we are currently considered criminals, those might not be effective.”
Coldness crept into Song Shiwei’s eyes. “Father, it’s not for us to use this leverage.”
Her father’s eyes brightened, lightly tapping the table. “You’ve reminded me!”
“Indeed, it shouldn’t be us wielding these secrets, but they should serve as conditions for cooperation, used by others.”
Having served decades in court, he knew full well the undercurrents and how some officials sought to harm their peers.
The first person Song Shiwei thought of was Prince Ding.
“Father, do you have any leverage on the princes or other families?”
She added, “It doesn’t need to be much—just a little bit will do.”
Her father smiled mysteriously. “Yes, especially on a few princes’ families, and also the family of Princess Anning.”
“Just revealing a small portion could sow panic and strife among the princes.”
Song Shiwei knew her father was far more skilled in court affairs than she.
“Father, specifically, how do you plan to proceed?”
He extended a finger. “We’ll start with Princess Anning’s family...”