Chapter 490 — Unwilling

At that Miao Anping turned wary at once. "One tenth at most! I must hire men to blacken Song Han's name, and hire more to go with me to demand the silver. And if Song Han takes it into his head to deny it all, he may well have me flung into the Shuntian Prefecture jail with a single calling card. You need only sit comfortably at home and wait for the silver..."

But Miao Zhi wanted more than to see Song Han's name and body ruined.

She haggled with Miao Anping. "Four to six! Otherwise I will not admit that I moved to the estate because Song Han drove me to it in anger."

"Two to eight at most!" said Miao Anping. "Otherwise the accounts will not work out for me."

The two went back and forth for a long while, and at last settled on three to seven.

Miao Zhi and Miao Anping were both well pleased.

Miao Anping did not even stay for the midday meal. Leaving Mother Miao behind to keep Miao Zhi company, he set off at once for Daxing County.

Miao Zhi had a guest room made ready for Mother Miao.

Mother Miao was displeased. "Since my son-in-law will not be coming anyway, is it not the same if I share your room?"

The last time she had visited the house on Si Tiao Alley, she had pretended her hair had come loose and made Miao Zhi's little maid help her redo it. While the girl's hands were busy, she had slipped a pure-gold hairpin of Miao Zhi's and a pair of gold earrings set with jade gourds into her own sleeves and worn them home.

If her mother asked outright why she was living at the Song family's country estate, she would still turn a blind eye and let the old woman stay in her rooms. But this time... this time she was resolved to cut herself off from her mother. Song Han could not be relied upon, and Song Yan could hardly be expected to keep her for the rest of her life. The Miao family saw nothing but silver. If she did not look out for herself now, there would be no way out but death.

Ji Hong thought that Miao Zhi had already fallen this low; if she now offended her own family as well, she would truly have nowhere left to stand.

She urged Miao Zhi, "Miss, why not give the old lady some of your old clothes and old trinkets to take back with her and save face?"

Miao Zhi shook her head. "Greed has no bottom. Besides, I have made up my mind to divorce Song Han. If I do not salvage something while I am still the Second Madam of the Song family, what silver will we live on afterward?" Then she had a letter written and told Ji Hong to deliver it to Dou Yan. "I will ask my sister-in-law to send someone with you to Si Tiao Alley to fetch my trunks. While you are there, take the chance to quietly gather up my valuables and leave them with my sister-in-law to keep. Otherwise, once they are sent over, my brother will search them out and take them."

Ji Hong wept as she listened.

A tiger in front, a wolf behind. The Second Madam's road was bitter indeed.

She went to the Yingzhenguo estate all the way in tears.

Dou Yan was just then turning the matter over in her mind.

Song Han had been caught by the Prince of Liao in a room with the Yingguo Duke's bedchamber maid, both of them half-dressed. This was a fine opportunity!

Song Yan, looking to the larger picture, was unwilling to move against Song Han. But that Song Han should plot against Song Chuhui like this and then walk away unscathed—that she would not allow.

Yet how to deal with Song Han, Dou Yan had not quite decided.

When she read Miao Zhi's letter, she nearly laughed aloud. She at once summoned the two sisters, Jin Gui and Jin Yin, and said to Ji Hong, "Both of these maids of mine are trained in the martial arts. Never mind a woman—three or five strong men could not get near them. I will have them go with you to Si Tiao Alley to fetch your things. Whatever needs doing, just give them your orders."

Ji Hong had been somewhat uneasy before, fearing that Dou Yan might not be willing to involve herself in the affair. Hearing this, she was overjoyed. She dropped a curtsy to Dou Yan and, with a stream of flattery—"elder sister this, elder sister that"—set off for Si Tiao Alley with Jin Gui and Yin Gui.

Song Han was in a foul mood, brooding over how to bring Miao Zhi back.

For her to run off and live at the country estate without a proper reason would invite gossip. Yet the only respectable woman at the Yingzhenguo estate was Dou Yan—and Dou Yan would count herself lucky merely to slander him; to expect her to cover for him was out of the question.

When he heard that Ji Hong had come to fetch Miao Zhi's belongings, the veins in his temples stood out. He lifted his foot and kicked at Ji Hong. "You shameless little wretch, you've turned the world upside down! Have you forgotten whose food you eat and whose roof you live under, that you dare come into this house and move things out..."

But before his foot could land on Ji Hong, a little maid darted out from the side, seized his ankle with one hand, and yanked forward, sending him sprawling face-first into the dirt.

(To be continued)