【The scariest thing is when the air suddenly becomes silent…】
【Why are all the court officials exchanging strange looks and saying nothing?】
【Minister Zhao, what do you think?】
“Waaah…”
Zhaodi covered her face and ran away.
Song Hailan poked the firewood with a stick, stirring the flames while trying hard not to laugh.
The guards also breathed a sigh of relief.
Great! The Second Miss wasn’t limping anymore.
Soon the large pot of food was ready. Everyone ate heartily except for Zhaodi.
She locked herself inside the carriage and refused to come out.
She hated Old Zhuang.
He had exposed her in front of everyone.
Did he even treat her like his master?
If Song Li knew she was thinking this way, she would probably think Zhaodi had gone crazy.
Old Zhuang was someone Song Yannian had personally invited after asking him three different times!
Who did Zhaodi think she was to call herself his master?
Zhaodi hid alone inside the carriage, but she kept listening to the sounds outside.
Usually, Song Haiming would comfort her.
But today he never came.
Had he hit his head when he fell?
As long as he wasn’t dead, shouldn’t he come comfort her first?
…
Song Haiming was also feeling very depressed.
All these years, he had always considered himself the eldest son of the Song family.
He had always done everything an eldest son was supposed to do.
Song Hailan disliked Zhaodi, so he could ignore her, argue with her, or show her a cold face.
But Song Haiming couldn’t.
As the eldest son, he always had to patiently smooth things over and repair the cracks before they became bigger.
The world was full of holes.
Every day, he was the one patching them up.
But now…
He was suddenly tired.
Being too handsome was also a crime.
If he had been ugly, Zhaodi would never have had such dirty thoughts about him.
Instead, he would have been the one sticking close to her.
Then they would see who made them uncomfortable!
“Hehehe…”
Song Haiming lay on his back inside the carriage, happily daydreaming for a while, and his mood improved.
“Young Wu, go tell the Second Miss that I caught a cold after falling into the river. I’ll visit her after I recover.”
Even though he had decided to stop getting involved, he still made proper arrangements first.
After hearing the message, Zhaodi sadly told Young Wu,
“Please tell Cousin not to worry about me. He must take his medicine on time and recover as soon as possible.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Young Wu left.
As soon as the carriage curtain fell, the tears in Zhaodi’s misty eyes disappeared.
Her face immediately darkened.
What a useless man!
He actually got dragged into the river by a bucket of water.
He carries a sword around every day just to look impressive. He’s probably just as useless in bed.
What’s the point of being handsome?
He’s trash. He’s not worth my effort.
I’d rather spend more time getting close to Brother and Father.
But Brother only wanted her to become a quiet, proper lady.
And Father rarely showed himself unless something important happened.
She needed to carefully plan how to grow closer to them…
…
Five peaceful days passed.
To please Song Hailan, Zhaodi let the maids serve her every day.
If she didn’t have to do something herself, she wouldn’t.
If she didn’t have to walk, she wouldn’t.
At first, she enjoyed it very much.
She finally felt relieved.
She no longer had to pretend to be hardworking.
But after a few days, she noticed a serious problem.
Whenever they stopped to rest, Song Hailan, Song Haiming, and Song Li would take the chance to enjoy themselves together.
They climbed mountains to hunt.
They caught fish in the river.
Every day was filled with laughter.
Meanwhile, she was trapped in one corner because of her identity as a noble young lady, forced to sit properly and behave.
A strange feeling suddenly appeared in her heart.
This wasn’t right.
Song Hailan and Song Haiming should have been standing on either side of her like two loyal hunting dogs, protecting her.
Instead…
Song Li sat in the middle.
Song Hailan and Song Haiming sat beside her.
The three of them happily ate grilled fish together, smiling without stopping.
Zhaodi suddenly panicked.
“This isn’t right… This isn’t right…”
Holding her bowl, she walked over and tried to squeeze between them.
“Brother, make some room for me.”
The smile disappeared from Song Hailan’s face.
“Zhaodi, didn’t Nanny Rong teach you proper manners?”
“You are the legitimate daughter of the Song family.”
“How can you sit on the ground so roughly like a man?”
“But Brother…”
“Song Li can do it. I want to be with all of you too.”
“I’m so lonely by myself…”
As she spoke, two crystal-clear tears rolled down her cheeks.
She pouted pitifully.
Song Hailan sighed.
“I really don’t know what to do with you.”
“We’ll arrive in the capital in two days.”
“The news that you’ve been found has probably already spread throughout the capital.”
“Are you really planning to appear before everyone looking and acting like this?”
Zhaodi was unhappy.
After all, she had watched plenty of television dramas.
Even if she copied what she saw, she believed she could do it well.
“Brother, do you think my manners are crude?”
“I’ve already learned everything Nanny Rong taught me!”
Song Hailan’s face darkened.
“Nanny Rong.”
An elderly woman with sharp, intelligent eyes stepped forward.
“Second Young Master.”
“Tell me honestly.”
“How is Zhaodi’s etiquette training?”
Nanny Rong had been specially invited by Song Hailan in Qingcheng.
She had once served the Empress Dowager in the palace, so she wasn’t afraid of the Song family.
“Forgive my bluntness.”
“She is still far from satisfactory.”
Zhaodi looked as if she had been struck by lightning.
She collapsed onto the ground.
“Nanny…”
“How can you say that?”
“I copied every movement exactly as you taught me.”
Song Li was also confused.
The original novel had never mentioned the Song family hiring an etiquette teacher for Zhaodi.
It was probably another butterfly effect caused by the changes she had already made.
Nanny Rong smiled without warmth.
“So you’re satisfied just because you copied the movements?”
“Then repeat the full ancestral worship ceremony for me.”
“Perhaps there are people in this world with perfect memories.”
“But I can’t assume everyone is like that.”
Zhaodi became emotional.
Her dissatisfaction burst out.
“The ancestral ceremony takes an entire day!”
“There are so many complicated rules.”
“How could I possibly remember everything after doing it only once?”
Nanny Rong said nothing more.
She simply nodded to Song Hailan before leaving.
Song Hailan also remained silent.
He narrowed his eyes and looked at Zhaodi.
Only then did Zhaodi remember that she had just claimed,
“I’ve already learned everything.”
She immediately became even more flustered.
“Brother…”
“I just wanted to play with all of you.”
“When I see Song Li laughing with you every day, I always think about my old life.”
“Back then, I wasn’t the Song family’s daughter, but I lived freely without worries.”
“Now Song Li is still the same…”
“But I’m like a bird trapped inside a cage…”
Seeing that she was about to cry again, Song Hailan quickly interrupted her.
“If you want a certain position, you must also carry its responsibilities.”
“You understand that, don’t you?”
“Zhaodi, you’ve received an education.”
“And your status means you’re destined to be a noble young lady.”
“How can you compare yourself to Song Li?”
“When the time comes, you’ll marry into a noble family.”
“You might even enter the palace as an imperial consort.”
“But Song Li, at most, can marry the son of a minor official.”
“So tell me.”
“How can the two of you be compared?”
Zhaodi’s tears froze in her eyes.
An imperial consort?
No!
She wanted to become the Empress!
She was a transmigrator.
She was destined to become the highest-ranking woman in this world!
My brother was right.
Only by enduring the greatest hardships could she rise above everyone else.
If she wanted to become Empress, she had to learn these rules.
Learning them now was simply extra preparation.
She wasn’t losing anything.
“Brother, I understand.”
She wiped away her tears and became respectful.
“But studying alone is boring.”
“Let Song Li study with me.”
Song Hailan rejected her without hesitation.
“Whether you study or not is your own choice.”
“Don’t try to bargain with me.”
“If you don’t want to learn, I’ll send Nanny Rong home.”
“But when people laugh at you after you return to the capital, don’t blame Father or me.”
Zhaodi ground her teeth in anger.
Why was Song Hailan so annoying?
He wouldn’t even agree to such a small request!
She looked at Song Li with watery eyes, hoping Song Li would volunteer to stay with her.
But Song Li was completely focused on eating her grilled fish.
She didn’t even look at Zhaodi.
Zhaodi had no choice.
She obediently followed Nanny Rong to continue learning etiquette.
However, unlike before, she now studied seriously and worked hard.
Song Li couldn’t help clicking her tongue.
【Brother really knows how to paint a beautiful dream. Zhaodi is completely fired up now.】
【If you’re going to keep making promises like that, make even more.】
【After all, Zhaodi already believes the position of Empress belongs to her.】