Chapter 299 - 123: There’s Always Someone Obtuse
This incident kept Song Yunzhao amused for several days. In the blink of an eye, it was the end of the eleventh month. Before the twelfth month began, the snow disaster had finally come to an end. It was inevitable that some of the old, weak, women, and children would not survive, but overall, the death toll was much lower than expected.
The Right Minister, Grand Tutor Qin, and Song Nanzhen—who had once again been involved in disaster relief—all received high praise from the Emperor in court.
But this time, the stingy Emperor offered only verbal praise with no substantive rewards.
Song Yunzhao wasn’t surprised. Her father was being watched by Grand Tutor Qin and the Right Minister. The Emperor certainly didn’t want to promote either of them. They could rise no higher in their official posts, but there were still Merit Official titles—honorary titles bestowed upon courtiers who had made significant contributions to the court.
The conflict between the Emperor and his courtiers ran deep, so he would never be willing to grant them Merit Official titles under these circumstances.
As a result, her father was implicated and would receive no reward this time either.
Others might see this as a loss for Song Yunzhao, but she didn’t think so. ’It would be a hidden danger if Father were promoted too quickly,’ she thought. ’It’s better to proceed steadily like this.’
The only one who truly benefited from this affair was the Right Minister. He had been disgraced by the cheating scandal, but now he had finally redeemed himself.
Grand Tutor Qin was just as unlucky as Song Nanzhen. The Grand Tutor had also put in real effort this time, but the Emperor merely offered a few hollow words of praise in court. This was a far cry from what he had originally hoped for.
Especially after his son, Qin Yuanjing, was dismissed from office for accepting bribes, Grand Tutor Qin had been particularly active in distributing porridge for disaster relief, hoping to secure another official position for his son. But judging by the Emperor’s current attitude, that was unlikely to happen.
Grand Tutor Qin was simmering with rage. After toiling for over a month, he had ended up just paving the way for the Right Minister. The more he thought about it, the more suffocated he felt. He managed to suppress his anger in court, but he flew into a terrible temper after returning to his residence.
When Qin Xiyue received the news in the palace, she was stunned for a long time. She had gone to such great lengths to make this happen, only for the result to be so unsatisfactory.
’I just don’t understand,’ she thought. ’Why is it so hard for me to get anything done?’
But on second thought, Song Yunzhao’s father hadn’t been promoted either. Disaster relief was different from distributing porridge; it was a much more arduous task.
Qin Xiyue had initially thought that Song Yunzhao might be displeased by this outcome. If Song Yunzhao were to cause a fuss with the Emperor, it might create an opportunity for her. But she waited and waited, and even as the twelfth month began, there was no news of Song Yunzhao making any move.
Song Yunzhao was unaware of Qin Xiyue’s frustrations. Song Yexi and Song Jinxuan were both to be married before the new year. It hadn’t been so urgent at first, but the Yang Family wanted to send their son south to study after the new year and hoped Song Jinxuan could accompany him. Therefore, they consulted with the Song Family about moving the wedding date to before the year’s end.
Since Song Yexi’s wedding was scheduled before Song Jinxuan’s, the Song Family had to broach the subject with the matchmaker, who in turn inquired with the Yue Family. The Yue Family was very satisfied with the match and certainly wouldn’t make things difficult. They took the initiative to visit and formally request a date, and so both Song daughters’ weddings were set for before the new year.
The First Madam had mentioned this to Yun Zhao once when she visited the palace. Now that the weddings were set, Song Yexi was to be married. The already married daughter, Song Guiyi, had just arrived at her husband’s new post a month ago and couldn’t possibly rush back, so she could only send a wedding gift.
Song Lirong was not too far away and would definitely return for the two- or three-day carriage journey. Song Hongjiao, who was closest, could also come back. With the addition of Song Qinghan, the Song residence was quite lively.
The First Madam was in high spirits. Seeing Song Lirong and Song Hongjiao return, she called them over to ask about their lives after marriage. When she learned they were living comfortably with their husbands’ families, she nodded in satisfaction.
She then let them go back to their respective mothers—the concubines—to have private conversations. In the evening, a family banquet was held, allowing the married daughters to sit together and liven things up.
On the other side, with Song Buran posted away from the capital, Song Buchang was now the leading young man of the house. He brought Song Bu Yue and Song Buming along to join the festivities. Song Buming and Song Buchang were both sons of concubines, and with their similar temperaments, they got along well. However, Song Bu Yue had barely taken his seat before he was called away by Song Qinghan. It wasn’t clear what the siblings went to discuss.
Seeing Song Buming’s calm and untroubled expression, Song Buchang felt a sense of admiration.
’The third branch of the family looks harmonious on the surface,’ he mused, ’but internally, the lines have long been clearly drawn.’
Song Buchang certainly wouldn’t meddle in the affairs of the third branch. The main wife had treated him with immense kindness, his full-blooded sisters had also married well, and his own mother, a concubine, had lived a stable life in the residence for many years. Aside from a time long ago when he was still small and his mother, not knowing her place, had angered the madam and been punished, nothing of the sort had happened in recent years.
Besides, Song Buchang’s birth mother had been a singer, the lowest status a concubine could have. In his years of study at the academy, he had heard the private affairs of many families, and no concubine from a singer’s background had ever been as fortunate as his mother to encounter a main wife like the First Madam.
Thinking of this, Song Buchang remembered the First Madam’s instructions. He looked at Song Buming and said softly, "After Ms. Xuan gets married, what are your plans?"
Song Buming’s heart stirred at these words. He looked up at Song Buchang and asked, "Second Cousin, what do you mean by that?"
Song Buchang smiled faintly. "I hear the Yang Family is selecting a renowned teacher for our cousin-in-law. Have you ever thought about going away to study?"
Song Buming’s heart tightened. Meeting Song Buchang’s smile, he slowly relaxed and, turning his head slightly, asked in a low voice, "Second Cousin, is this First Aunt’s idea?"
Song Buchang nodded slightly. "I’m just giving you a heads-up. Continuing your studies here in the capital might not lead to much more progress. The tutor who teaches us is planning to resign from his post, so you should start preparing early."
Our tutor fell gravely ill during the big snow at the start of winter. He’s getting on in years, and the idea of returning to his hometown has taken root.
Song Buming’s heart skipped a beat. Ever since his full sister had married out, his stepmother had become increasingly harsh with him. Especially when he and his elder brother went to pay their respects, she would always find deliberate fault with him and use it as an excuse to punish him. This often made him late for his lessons, earning him repeated reprimands from their tutor.
He couldn’t tell the tutor it was his stepmother’s fault, so he could only swallow his grievances.
’It would be for the best if I could leave the capital to study,’ he thought, ’but my stepmother would never agree.’
"Thank you, Second Cousin. I’ll keep that in mind," Song Buming said gratefully.
Song Buchang smiled slightly. There wasn’t much he could do. As a junior from a side branch and the son of a concubine, he dared not comment on the affairs of the third branch. But Bo Ming had a good mother. Once Aunt Che learned of this news, she would surely find a way to help her son.
Besides, Yang Shu was Bo Ming’s own brother-in-law. Aunt Che would naturally think of a way.
As Song Bu Yue reached the doorway, he saw Song Buming and Song Buchang speaking intimately. The smile on Song Buming’s face was jarring to his eyes. Remembering his eldest sister’s words, he felt a surge of irritation and, in that instant, lost all desire to enter.