Chapter 50: Lady Yuan

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Madam Sun was puzzled but caught a whiff of the meat aroma from the large bundle Yun Zhao carried. She swallowed hard and decided to open the door. Though there was some profit to be made in the kitchen, only the stewards could partake; the kitchen maids like her had no chance.

Madam Sun had been a kitchen maid in the Song household for several years, with family to support, living a tight life. The others inside the room were baffled to see Madam Sun leading Yun Zhao in, unsure of her purpose.

Yun Zhao smiled warmly and said, “Aunt Sun, and all of you ladies, today is my birthday. I bought some fine wine and delicacies to celebrate. Unfortunately, my elder sister and younger sister don’t drink…”

Madam Sun replied, “So you want us to keep you company?”

Yun Zhao set the food and wine on the table. “That’s right, Aunt Sun.”

She then arranged the dishes and brought out five wine cups, while Madam Sun and the others eyed her warily.

“Little Yun,” Madam Sun said distantly, “we are no kin to you. It’s better if you go back.”

Who would just give them food and wine for no reason? Despite the temptation, they held back.

Seeing their guardedness, Yun Zhao sighed and said, “Aunt Sun, to be honest…”

“I actually want to hear the gossip you mentioned at noon about the Second Young Master.”

Yun Zhao’s eyes lit up instantly. “You don’t know, I love gossip the most. You only told half of that story, and it’s been itching my mind like a cat’s scratch.”

Madam Sun relaxed. So that was it.

In that case, they could not accept Yun Zhao’s wine and meat offerings.

She had only overheard by chance and couldn’t hold it in, so she shared the gossip with her roommates, who kept it tight-lipped. If Yun Zhao spread it, her life would be doomed.

“Little Yun,” Madam Sun said with difficulty, “Steward Fu forbids us from talking about the master. You should just go back.”

Yun Zhao groaned, clasped her hands in pleading. “Aunt Sun, please, tell me. If I don’t find out, I won’t sleep tonight.”

She promised, “I swear I won’t tell a soul!”

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Yun Zhao pestered them for a long while before Madam Sun reluctantly agreed, partly because of the food and wine.

They lit a lamp and sat around the table. Yun Zhao poured the wine from a jar. “Ladies, try this pear blossom wine. It won’t get you drunk, so it won’t affect tomorrow’s work.”

After pouring, she invited them to eat. With wine and meat, there had to be stories. Madam Sun quickly relayed the gossip she had heard, and others shared what they knew.

Yun Zhao was an excellent audience, occasionally gasping in surprise, which encouraged them to talk even more freely, spilling their tales joyfully.

In truth, Yun Zhao only wanted to hear about Song Qingyang, the Second Young Master of the Song family, but since the women’s gossip was scattered and unfocused, she had to listen along.

The more she heard, the more intrigued she became. She didn’t want to leave.

Meanwhile, five people waiting inside wondered: Why hadn’t Zhao Zhao (the junior sister) returned yet?

Just as Yun Zhao was about to find an excuse to leave, Madam Sun mentioned the Second Young Master of the eldest branch.

“Aunt Sun,” Yun Zhao’s eyes flashed, “who is this Second Young Master? The eldest branch only has one young master, right?”

The Song family had few legitimate heirs. Besides Song Zhiyuan, the others were girls.

That night, when Yun Zhao caught Song Qingyang secretly meeting with the matriarch, he spoke to her with great care.

After all, the matriarch was carrying his child, a boy as the doctor had diagnosed.

Madam Sun lowered her voice mysteriously. “You don’t know? The Second Young Master is the patriarch’s illegitimate son.”

“Back then, the patriarch divorced the young master’s mother, the former madam, because of the Second Young Master and his mother, Lady Yuan.”

Yun Zhao feigned surprise. “What happened next? I’ve been in the household so long but have never seen this Second Young Master.”

“Ah,” Madam Sun sighed, “Lady Yuan was deeply favored at first. The divorced madam poisoned her into madness to prevent the Second Young Master from surpassing the young master.”

“Men are heartless. Lady Yuan became like a three-year-old child, and over time, the patriarch grew to despise her.”

“Later, Lady Yuan and the Second Young Master were sent to live in a courtyard in the southwest. The mother and son were both foolish and weak, bullied daily.”

Madam Sun sighed again. “I did have some dealings with the Second Young Master. When he was born, the patriarch doted on him. After Lady Yuan lost favor, he was reduced to scrounging like a stray dog.”

“I have children at home too, and though we had no money or influence, I could at least bring him a few buns each day.”

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Yun Zhao clenched her hands. “Aunt Sun, but when I went there to deliver food, I never saw Lady Yuan or the Second Young Master.”

Madam Sun waved her hand. “Of course not. Lady Yuan passed away long ago, and the Second Young Master disappeared. No one knows where he went.”

Yun Zhao frowned. “So that’s how it is.”

That Second Young Master must be Qi Yan. After Lady Yuan died, he was imprisoned in the dungeon. The patriarch used secret arts to bind him to Song Zhiyuan, making him a scapegoat to shield Song Zhiyuan from misfortune.

Yun Zhao subtly inquired about the old nanny, but Madam Sun didn’t know, so she gave up.

When Yun Zhao returned, Qi Yan and the little boy could hardly wait to find her.

Seeing her safe, both exhaled in relief.

Without much ado, Yun Zhao shared what she had learned.

Apparently, Song Qingyang had caught the patriarch in some compromising position and was using it to demand the patriarch’s position.

But the patriarch had anticipated this and arrested Song Qingyang first.

The madam was not spared either. The patriarch knew about the younger brother’s affair for a long time and had been patient to trap them all at once.

“So that’s how it is,” Qi Yan said, speechless. “I thought Song Qingyang had grown smarter, but he’s just as foolish as before.”

Yun Zhao asked curiously, “Ah Yan, you seem very familiar with this Second Young Master.”

Qi Yan sneered. “Very familiar. When I was in the Song family before, he often acted like a superior elder, making me serve him.”

In the previous life, under the patriarch’s orders, Song Qingyang arrested him but was outwitted eighty-one times. On the eighty-second, he still fell for a trap—what else could that be but stupidity?

Yun Zhao frowned. “How did he bully you?”

Seeing her expression, Qi Yan knew she wanted revenge.

He patted her head. “I wasn’t bullied. He just wanted to dominate me, to make me bow low. After all, he’s a loser with no real power in the Song family, so he tries to regain status by oppressing those weaker.”

Qi Yan laughed. “As long as I respectfully call him ‘Second Master,’ he’s pleased as punch.”