In Cui Die Xuan, the crying was endless.
Mrs. Liu dabbed the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and looked at her husband, stammering, "I know she hates me, and I don't expect her to ever see me as a mother, but she can't harm my daughter and me like this! Lan'er is already seventeen, old enough for marriage talks. Since you, her father, don't care, it's up to me, her mother, to worry about it. I just wanted her to make a good impression on the noble ladies today, but who could have imagined..."
Song Xingfeng sat with his brow deeply furrowed, his mind replaying the moment Song Lianhe brought out her mother's memorial tablet.
'Come to think of it, how long has it been since I've visited my late wife?'
'How many of her death anniversaries have I missed?'
'A day like that isn't so easy to forget. It was simply a matter of turning a blind eye.'
'He, Song Xingfeng, was a man of iron, who had never known fear while charging on the battlefield. Yet today, when his younger daughter had berated him in front of everyone, he had been so humbled he couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.'
Mrs. Liu was still crying.
She lamented how he had once promised her father he would treat her well, only to make her a mere concubine who wasn't even allowed to enter the ancestral hall.
"...I can accept my own fate, but my poor Lan'er! What does it matter how clever and obedient she is? She's still just a concubine's daughter! What prominent, noble family would take her as a proper wife? She'll just end up like me, as someone's concubine!"
Song Xilan had just seen Zhou Junlin off and heard her mother's lamentations as she walked in.
Her heart tightened. She approached slowly and, seeing her father's grim expression, spoke before he could. "Mother, what are you saying? I am proud to be your and Father's daughter. I've never cared about my status as a concubine's child."
Mrs. Liu met her daughter's gaze, and no matter how indignant she felt, she had to swallow her resentment.
After hearing his daughter's words, what little guilt Song Xingfeng had felt toward his late wife transformed into pity for the daughter before him.
He let out a long sigh. "Lan'er, you have suffered."
"Father, don't say that. It was my own thoughtlessness that upset my younger sister." As she spoke, her expression turned mournful. "If you and Mother hadn't taken pity on me, I wouldn't have even been worthy of a birthday celebration. Instead, I've caused you to become the subject of gossip."
She took all the blame on herself. With such a kind and obedient daughter, what more could Song Xingfeng say?
He rose and patted his daughter's shoulder. "I will handle this matter."
After a pause, he said, "Your mother is right. You are seventeen, and it is time we discussed your marriage."
Song Xilan grew anxious. "Father, I..."
Song Xingfeng raised a hand, cutting her off. He said slowly, "In my opinion, the youngest son of Prime Minister Zhao would be a fine choice."
Song Xilan's fair face went ashen. 'How could Father not know that Prince Ling has feelings for me? Yet he deliberately brings up Prime Minister Zhao's son... This has to be a warning for me to give up any ideas about Prince Ling!'
Mrs. Liu was having none of it. She shot to her feet. "Husband! I refuse to believe you can't see that it's our Lan'er whom Prince Ling fancies..."
"Silence!" Song Xingfeng snapped. "It doesn't matter who Prince Ling fancies. He is already betrothed to Lianhe. Is that an engagement you should be scheming for?"
Song Xilan bit her lip, her eyes instantly turning red.
After Song Xingfeng had gone, Mrs. Liu couldn't help but burst out cursing, "A marriage decreed by the Holy Emperor, so what? I spent my entire life being pushed down by that bitch Lin Shuniang. Now that she's dead, her daughter thinks she can come and ruin my daughter's life?! I'll never allow it!"
She turned to Song Xilan. "Don't listen to your father. As long as those two aren't married, we still have a chance!"
Song Xilan quickly calmed down and said slowly, "The other day, remnants of Prince Yongdong's rebel army were discovered outside Qi Guan City. Prince Ling has already volunteered in court to lead the campaign against them. He intends to earn military merit so he can petition the Holy Emperor to annul his engagement to Song Lianhe."
"Is that true?"
Mrs. Liu was overjoyed. "Prince Ling's feelings for you are truly sincere!"
Some color returned to Song Xilan's face. "He does treat me very well."
Mrs. Liu added, "I always thought that wretched girl Lianhe was a fool, but it seems I've underestimated her! Or perhaps... someone is advising her from the shadows?"
Song Xilan frowned as she thought about the change in Lianhe's behavior today.
'Bringing out General Li Hua's memorial tablet... a crude but highly effective move. It didn't just shock everyone there; it also put me in an impossible position!'
'General Li Hua earned great military merit, and her prestige protects her child even in death! How could Father ignore his late wife's memory to celebrate the birthday of a mere concubine's daughter?'
'Then, at this critical juncture, Prince Ling gives me a keepsake from his late mother. What right do I have to vie with General Li Hua's daughter for her fiancé? Prince Ling's gesture will bring him nothing but criticism!'
'Well played, Song Lianhe. Killing two birds with one stone. Truly brilliant!'