Ever since the sixth concubine entered the household, Song Yuan had not visited any other woman.
Regardless of how much the First Madam and the Fourth Concubine hoped, he wished to spend every night in the sixth concubine's room.
It wasn't until Concubine Liu was almost out of her confinement month that he visited the Painting Scroll Courtyard once, only to be turned away by Concubine Liu.
Song Chaoyu keenly sensed that Concubine Liu seemed different towards Song Yuan than before.
She also felt that Concubine Liu seemed to be in a bad mood.
On this snowy day, Song Chaoyu also found time to enter Concubine Liu's room.
Little Qing'er had been unwell for the past two days, crying incessantly. She had just been coaxed to sleep by her wet nurse, and only Concubine Liu was in the room at the moment.
When Song Chaoyu entered, she saw her lying on the bed with her back to her and thought she had already fallen asleep.
Unexpectedly, just as Song Chaoyu turned to tiptoe away, Concubine Liu spoke, "Yu'er, I'm not asleep. Come in quickly, it's cold outside."
Concubine Liu had not yet completed her confinement month, and the inner room was kept warm by a charcoal brazier.
Song Chaoyu took off her snow-covered outer coat but did not approach Concubine Liu, merely warming her hands by the charcoal brazier. "Concubine."
After all, Concubine Liu was Song Chaoyu's mother. How could she not see that Song Chaoyu had something to say?
She set aside the hot water bottle in her hand and looked at Song Chaoyu with a smile, "Yu'er, do you have something to say?"
Song Chaoyu warmed her hands and nodded, "I just feel that since Little Qing'er was born, Concubine seems different than before."
"That's natural."
When Little Qing'er was mentioned, Concubine Liu's eyes filled with more smiles. "I also watched you grow up from such a young age. Now that I have him, it's inevitable that I overlook you. But it's not intentional. If there's anything that makes you unhappy, tell Concubine directly, and I will change."
Was that what she thought?
Song Chaoyu felt a little amused. After her hands were warm enough, she walked closer to Concubine Liu. "Concubine, I'm not talking about myself. I'm talking about... Father. I always feel that Concubine has been very cold towards Father recently."
As expected, when Yuan was mentioned, the smile in Concubine Liu's eyes gradually disappeared.
Song Chaoyu was her child, and she did not hide it from her. "I heard everything he said outside on the day Little Qing'er was born."
Heard?
So she heard Song Yuan say that he would risk the child's life to save the mother?
No wonder she was so cold towards Song Yuan.
Concubine Liu sighed. "Actually, I've been thinking about it these days. On that day, to return to the Song family, I used some means and became pregnant with Little Qing'er. I thought that as long as I could bring you back to the Song family, we could live a good life. But the reality is not like that."
Her hands slowly clenched into fists at her side. "From the day we returned, you have been working hard. You have to protect me, protect our Painting Scroll Courtyard, and protect Little Qing'er who was not yet born. I watched the Second Miss and the Third Miss do many wicked things to you, but I was powerless. Yu'er, if I had known that returning would make you so tired, I would never have made the decision to return."
She covered her face as if in pain. "When I heard your father say that that day, all I felt was despair. We mother and daughter are people he can abandon at any time. Then this Song family is meaningless to me, and meaningless to you!"
Concubine Liu finally understood!
In fact, Song Chaoyu felt happy for her. "Concubine, now that you understand what kind of person he is, don't rely on him for everything in the future. People must live, and roads must be walked. The three of us will work together, and life will go on!"
Concubine Liu never knew that Song Chaoyu thought this way.
She looked up in confusion, feeling for the first time that she didn't seem to recognize this child whom she had raised. "Yu'er, you are so insightful. It's laughable that I couldn't see clearly for so long. Now that I see clearly, I can no longer lead you out of this abyss."
Song Chaoyu smiled and lowered the sadness in her eyes.
She wasn't insightful; she had exchanged those three years of her previous life and her own life for this clarity.
She took a deep breath and finally dared to look at Concubine Liu. "Concubine, it's not that terrifying an abyss! This is still the Minister's Mansion after all. Now that we have Little Qing'er, your life in the mansion won't be too difficult."
"What about you?"
Concubine Liu frowned, worried about Song Chaoyu. "I'm afraid they will treat you like they treated me. If they casually marry you off to someone in the future, wouldn't your life be ruined?"
"It won't be, Concubine."
Song Chaoyu could now comfort Concubine Liu very calmly. "Grandmother is still protecting me. She won't casually marry me off to anyone! Concubine, please rest assured and don't worry about this anymore. As long as we protect Little Qing'er well, and when I manage my own life well in the future, Concubine will be able to sleep soundly and without worry."
"Alas—"
Concubine Liu sighed again, but knew that anything more she said would be useless.
She finally managed to pull herself together a little. "Yu'er, don't worry. Your father and that sixth concubine are very close these past two days, which has also given me time to calm down. After I'm out of confinement, even for you and Little Qing'er, I will continue to be good to your father. Our lives will surely get better and better!"
Seeing her spirits lift, Song Chaoyu was also happy.
The mother and daughter talked privately for a long time, and only then did Song Chaoyu leave Concubine Liu's courtyard.
Remembering that she had to visit the Second Concubine's courtyard in the afternoon, as Grandmother had asked her to deliver some things to Song Yanrou, she immediately had Tiao Hong get the items, then walked through the back courtyard towards the Second Concubine's room.
The Song mansion was covered in silver after the snow, and the scenery in the back garden was breathtaking.
Song Chaoyu walked slowly, admiring the snowy landscape.
"Miss—"
Suddenly, she heard Tiao Hong behind her exclaim, followed by the sound of the items falling from her hand!
Song Chaoyu turned her head, but before she could react, a cold dagger was pressed against her neck!
Her heart startled, but she did not panic. She merely looked at Tiao Hong and realized that Tiao Hong was also being controlled.
And the person controlling Tiao Hong was the chief maidservant of the newly arrived sixth concubine.
Then the scent of Western regions on the person behind her...
Song Chaoyu didn't need to turn around; she spoke coldly, "I don't know what I did to offend the sixth concubine to warrant such a deadly attack?"
"Heh heh!"
A cold, chilling laugh came from behind her. "They said you were smart, and it's true."
Song Chaoyu, however, was puzzled. "What is the sixth concubine doing?"