Mrs. Cai entered with a dark expression on her face. Without so much as a glance at Song Yunzhao, she immediately began scolding all the servants in the room.
Song Yunzhao knew Mrs. Cai was unhappy and was just trying to spite her. Scolding her maids right in front of her was a deliberate attempt to humiliate her.
Song Yunzhao swallowed her anger. Without her father here to back her up, she had to endure what she could. 'One day, I'll hold my head high and make Mrs. Cai regret this.'
'Favoritism, neglect, and oppression... These tactics are just as disgusting in this life as they were in my last.'
Mrs. Cai ordered the servants to be dragged away for a beating. Just as Song Yunzhao was about to protest, the Eldest Madam spoke.
"Third Sister-in-law, the child is sick, yet you aren't rushing to see her. Why are you punishing these servants first? If you punish them, who will serve Yun Zhao? Better to let them redeem themselves through their service. Besides, our visit to the Uncle Mansion today is the priority. We shouldn't delay."
Jiangxiang and Qiancao, being quick-witted, immediately began to kowtow. "It is all our fault. We failed to take proper care of you, Young Miss. We swear we will serve you diligently so you can recover quickly."
Song Yunzhao breathed a small sigh of relief. The Eldest Madam's words had come just in time; otherwise, she might not have been able to save her maids from a beating on her own.
She hadn't expected Mrs. Cai to be so utterly shameless, seizing any opportunity to humiliate her.
'I really underestimated how low she would stoop.'
The Eldest Madam took a step forward, her face full of pity as she looked at Song Yunzhao's flushed face. "You poor child, how could you fall ill at a time like this? You poor thing. Just focus on getting better. Don't worry about anything, and recover quickly."
"Thank you, Eldest Aunt." Song Yunzhao's voice was low and hoarse, her words faint. A look of frustrated regret crossed her face. "It's all my fault. I was enjoying the cool air and lingered under the eaves for too long yesterday."
The Eldest Madam was, of course, pleased. She hadn't wanted Song Yunzhao to go anyway. 'The girl is far too beautiful. With her there, who would even notice Ye Xi?'
'I can't believe she'd be so careless with her own luck. What an unfortunate girl, to fall ill at this exact moment.'
Watching the Eldest Madam play the part of a loving mother right in front of her, which in turn made her, the birth mother, look bad, Mrs. Cai's expression darkened. Her mood soured, and looking at Song Yunzhao only made her more frustrated. "You've been nothing but trouble since the day you were born. Such a wonderful opportunity, and you don't even know how to cherish it. You really are an unlucky girl."
Song Yunzhao: ...
'I'll just have to hold my nose and endure it!'
Song Qinghan fixed her gaze on Song Yunzhao, feeling that something wasn't quite right. After a moment, she spoke. "Mother, Third Sister didn't want to get sick. You said yourself that this is a rare opportunity. I think we should let Third Sister come with us. She can simply make an appearance at the banquet to greet the elders of the Uncle Mansion, and then we can ask our aunt to arrange for her to rest. What do you think?"
'I can't believe it. Even now, Song Qinghan won't let me off the hook. Just how much does she hate me?'
'Is she in such a hurry to use me as cannon fodder?'
Song Yunzhao coughed weakly and said in a faint voice, "Eldest Sister, have you forgotten? One shouldn't be exposed to the wind when one has a cold. If I go out like this, I'm afraid I'll lose half my life."
"Your sister is only doing this for your own good, thinking of your future! What's with that sarcastic tone? Is this how you repay your sister's kindness?" Mrs. Cai scolded, displeased.
Song Yunzhao had endured and endured all day, gritting her teeth when she thought she could bear no more. But now, she truly couldn't take it anymore. 'So, even Song Qinghan's farts smell sweet, but when I tell the truth, I'm being malicious and sarcastic?'
"You're right, Mother. In your eyes, I'm worth less than a blade of grass beneath Song Qinghan's feet. You find fault with everything I do. Even though I'm sick, if your precious elder daughter tells me to go out, I must go. Even if I die, I'd deserve it. If I'd known my life was so worthless to you, why did you even bother giving birth to me?"
'Gritting my teeth, digging my nails into my palms... I can't fucking take this anymore.'
"You little wretch, I'll beat you to death!" Mrs. Cai grabbed the teacup from the bedside table and threw it at her.
Song Yunzhao ducked her head, dodging the cup. 'If I hadn't moved, that cup would have hit my face and disfigured me!'
"You want to beat me to death? You'll have to ask the ancestors of the Song Family if they agree! I am a legitimate daughter recorded in the family registry! I am my father's most precious pearl! When Father returns, I'll tell him I'm going to cut my hair and become a nun! This family has no place for me! My own mother is trying to kill me!
"Ever since I was born, you've never loved me. I know you wanted a son, but you got me, a daughter. I couldn't help you gain an advantage over Aunt Che, so you resent me, loathe me, and hold me down in every way. You are the elder and I am the junior, so I endured it all. I was trying to be a filial daughter, thinking that if I just obeyed you in everything, you might eventually treat me a little better.
"I was wrong. Since you hate me so much you could kill me, I won't be an eyesore to you any longer. Don't worry. When Father returns, I will explain everything to him clearly. The bond between us as mother and daughter is severed!"
Even a sharp-tongued woman like the Eldest Madam was stunned by Song Yunzhao. 'Good heavens, this girl has truly gone mad!'
The Eldest Madam immediately shooed all the servants out of the room, then stood and pulled Song Yunzhao into her embrace. "Hush now, child. You're sick and talking nonsense. Your Eldest Aunt knows you're unwell. You're just delirious."
Song Yunzhao was pressed into the Eldest Madam's embrace. 'I didn't want to cry, but I couldn't help it. The original owner of this body was prone to tears, the sense of injustice was overwhelming, and they just wouldn't stop.'
'I know the Eldest Madam is trying to cover for me, to pass this off as the ravings of a fever. But now that I've caused a scene, I won't back down until I get what I want.'
Mrs. Cai's deepest, ugliest secrets had been thrown out into the open by Song Yunzhao. Shocked and furious, her vision went black, and she nearly fainted.
Song Qinghan rushed forward to support her mother. Looking at Song Yunzhao, she said, "Third Sister, how can you speak to an elder like that? Apologize to Mother at once, or even I won't be able to protect you."
Song Yunzhao pulled away from the Eldest Madam's embrace and sneered at Song Qinghan. "What a shameless thing to say. We've been sisters for years, yet I've never once seen you protect me.
"We are both legitimate daughters. But for years, I've never had the things you possess, while you always have whatever I'm given. When you receive nice things, have you ever once asked Mother why I have nothing?
"When she scolds me for no reason, do you ever defend me? When she takes you out on visits and leaves me at home, do you ever speak up for me? Has this only happened once or twice over all these years? Are you blind? Me, defying an elder? If you have the guts, go report me to the government for defiance! I'll tell the magistrate everything about how I've been treated in the Song Family all these years. Let the officials decide who's right and wrong. Whether they kill me or cut me to pieces, I'll accept it! I dare you. Do you and your mother dare?"
Song Yunzhao knew Mrs. Cai and her daughter wouldn't dare. It wasn't that they couldn't win the case. The problem was that once word got out that Mrs. Cai was a cruel mother and Song Qinghan had no sisterly affection, they wouldn't come out unscathed, even if Song Yunzhao was found guilty of defiance.
In this day and age, a reputation is a weapon. What family isn't a mess on the inside while maintaining a pristine facade for the world?
Song Yunzhao was counting on precisely that. People are fragile when they're sick; their grievances feel magnified. Although she wasn't the body's original owner, she had transmigrated into it at birth, so she remembered every single word Mrs. Cai had said to her as a child.
She hadn't wanted to cause such a huge scene, but now that it had come to this, she would not retreat.
Since the scene has been made, there's only one way forward: to the very end.
Who will outlast whom!