Chapter 489 — Forced

Song Yan gave a cold laugh.

Song Han staggered back several steps before he found his footing, his gaze darting about as he rubbed his wrist, red from the grip.

Miao Zhi bit her lip and shrank slightly behind Dou Yan.

Exposing Song Han was easy; the consequences of exposing him, however, were grave.

Was what she had done right, or was it wrong?

She felt at a loss.

Yet Song Cen muddied the waters, scolding Song Yan: "What do you think you're doing? You're brothers—how can you come to blows over a woman..."

Song Yan could not be bothered with him. He turned and said to Dou Yan in a gentle voice, "It's getting late, and my father's inner court is a mess, with not a decent soul to be found. You and our sister-in-law should go and rest first. Once I've finished dealing with matters here, I'll take my rest in the study in the outer court."

Dou Xin murmured her assent and signaled Ruotong to support Miao Zhi. Surrounded by a crowd of maids and serving women, they left Xixiang Court without so much as a glance at Song Cen.

Miao Zhi felt a little reassured. She said to Dou Yan, "I have a maid named Ji Hong, and I don't know where she is now. Might I ask sister-in-law to help me find her? Without her, I could never have warned the heir apparent..."

Dou Xin said, "Rest easy. I'll have someone look for her at once."

She gave the order, and once they had returned to Yizhi Hall, while the maids were tidying the guest rooms, she asked Miao Zhi, "Tell me—what exactly happened?"

She had been waiting anxiously in her room for word from Duan Bing when Liu Zhang suddenly arrived with Miao Zhi, saying, "This is the heir apparent's wish—that you keep the Second Madam safe and sound."

Only then did Dou Xin learn of Song Cen and Song Han's treacherous scheme.

She was frantic with worry. Fearing that Song Cen and Song Han, once their plot was exposed, might still refuse to let Song Yan be, she decided to take Miao Zhi to Xiangxi Court, so that whatever needed saying could be said face to face, and under no circumstances would Song Yan be dragged into such a scandal. She had not even had time to ask how it had all come about.

At these words Miao Zhi's tears fell. "Song Han is no man! To frame the heir apparent, he cast aside all regard for husband and wife and schemed against me as well..."

Choking back sobs, she told how she had noticed something amiss with Liu Hong, how she had sent Ji Hong to investigate and, finding nothing, refused to give up—not only setting watchers on Liu Hong but spending a great sum of silver to buy over the servants who attended Song Han. She had discovered that Song Han was secretly in league with the Prince of Liao's household, and that his manner and speech had grown imperious, as though he would soon show Yizhi Hall what was what.

Miao Zhi did not know what was afoot, but she knew that Song Yan greatly disliked Song Han.

She had thought to use Song Yan's hand to curb Song Han, yet was too ashamed to ask him a second time. So she sent someone to tell Song Yan of the matter.

In the end, Song Yan uncovered Song Han's plot against him.

Dou Yan was astonished.

She had never imagined that a matter so ordinary—a jealous squabble, no less, confined to the inner court—could give rise to such a monumental affair.

She could not help saying, "Thank goodness you were so careful and told the heir apparent. Otherwise he and you would have had no choice but to stand there and be beaten!"

"Be beaten, nothing," Miao Zhi said. At the mention of it, her heart felt as though it had been pierced through, blood streaming from the wound. "He meant to destroy me utterly—the heir apparent could always claim he had drunk too much and gone into the wrong room, but I would never have been able to clear my name, not even if I jumped into the Yellow River."

She thought of Liu Hong, beaten within an inch of her life, and of Du Ruo, ruined beyond repair.

Had she not had the foresight to secretly tell Song Yan of the matter, Liu Hong's and Du Ruo's fate today would have been hers!

She could not help saying, "At first the heir apparent didn't know what they were planning—he only told me to keep my eyes open. But when I was settled in Du Ruo's back chamber and Song Han forcibly kept me from leaving, the heir apparent seemed to guess what Song Han meant to do..." Even now Miao Zhi could not fathom how Song Yan had guessed that Song Han would make an issue of her and Song Zhi's identities. A look of perplexity crossed her brow. "He had Ji Hong stay by my side without leaving me for a moment, and told me not to eat or drink anything from Xixiang Court. But I was unwilling to let that ungrateful wretch Song Han off so easily, and begged the heir apparent to punish him. So the heir apparent told me to act as circumstances allowed and find a way to deceive Du Ruo and the others.

"I noticed Du Ruo's hand trembling when she served me tea, so I secretly poured it away, while pretending that I had drunk it and was growing sleepy.

"She fell for it, just as I'd hoped, and waited on me as I lay down, beside herself with delight.

"Then I put on a show of finding fault with Liu Hong, picking at everything she said and did, and drove her out.

"Du Ruo went to comfort Liu Hong.

"And I told Ji Hong to find a way to keep Liu Hong and Du Ruo occupied, while I slipped quietly out of the back chamber and made my way to the warm pavilion behind the flower hall..."

She was still speaking when footsteps sounded outside, and a young maid came in to report that Liu Zhang had arrived with Ji Hong.

Miao Zhi broke off at once and, lifting the curtain, went out of the sitting room.

Mistress and maid, eyes brimming with tears, fell into each other's arms and wept.

After a long while, Miao Zhi pushed Ji Hong away and asked her, "Are you all right?"

Ji Hong nodded again and again, her eyes red. "I did as you instructed and stayed by the bed the whole time, never letting them lift the bed curtain. Then Liu Hong started shrieking outside, playing her tricks, and I was just worrying that I had no excuse to slip away when that maid who shares a room with Du Ruo dragged me out..." She hastily told Miao Zhi what had happened afterward. "I hid in that maid's room with her the whole time, until this young man came looking for me." She nodded gratefully at Liu Zhang, then turned back and said, "My lady, are you all right? Did the Second Master harm you?"

"I'm fine too," Miao Zhi said with a tearful smile. "The heir apparent's people found me and brought me to the Madam. But when the Madam and I hurried over, the ones sleeping on the couch had become Song Han and Du Ruo!"

She laughed aloud, greatly gratified, and told Ji Hong to kowtow to Dou Yan.

Dou Yan listened quietly from the side, piecing together most of what had happened; as for the finer details, she supposed she would have to wait until tomorrow to ask Song Yan.

She told Ruotong to attend the two of them and take them off to rest. "Reunited after such peril, you must have a great deal to say to each other. I won't keep you. The heir apparent has always repaid kindness and grudges alike in full. You have done him a great service, and I daresay he has long since made arrangements for what is to come. Rest easy here for now, and whatever there is to be settled can be settled tomorrow, when you see the heir apparent."

The two of them bowed gratefully to Dou Yan and withdrew.

When the night had grown deep and quiet, Ji Hong asked Miao Zhi in a low voice, "Second Madam, when all is said and done, we belong to Four Lanes. The heir apparent can protect us for a time, but not for a lifetime. Now that we've torn all pretense with the Second Master, what are we to do?"

She had been against meddling in the affairs of Song Yan and Song Han.

But Miao Zhi had made up her mind, and she could only grit her teeth and follow her.

Miao Zhi sighed softly and said nothing.

Ji Hong's heart was in turmoil.