Sir Song, do you want to pledge yourself to me?

Shen Mingzhu ran away and met the new concubine who was waiting there in the garden.

It was Song Qiuniang.

She was formerly the concubine Qiu of Xu Qing, the eldest son of Xu Tongzhi's family.

Song Qiuniang was also somewhat lucky. At that time, Xu Tongzhi was convicted and his family was raided and investigated. His entire family was escorted back to Beijing, and all the concubines and servants in the mansion were also exiled to the Qingzhou government office, waiting to be retrained before being sold.

Song Qiuniang had just been sent to the imperial garrison, and before she had even begun the harsh training, she was bought by Shen Mingzhu. With her beautiful appearance and her eloquence, she quickly won Shen Mingzhu's trust and became her personal maid. Shen Mingzhu, despite her family's dissuasion, insisted on coming to the Kaiyun Mansion, a move naturally instigated by Song Qiuniang.

When Song Qiuniang saw Shen Mingzhu coming out of the main courtyard with a grim expression on her face, she was secretly delighted and was about to step forward to talk to her.

Shen Mingzhu suddenly stopped, staring at Song Qiuniang coldly with a bad look in her eyes, and said, "What are you doing here? Do you want to laugh at me?"

Song Qiuniang quickly lowered her head, looking respectful and weak. "No, no, I dare not. Qiuniang is the young lady's person. How dare I treat her with disrespect? Is there something bothering the young lady? You might as well tell Qiuniang, and maybe you will feel better."

She used despicable means to get to the top, and now she is not liked by Qi Tongzhi, so many things are not convenient for her to do. It just so happens that Shen Mingzhu is a stupid and easy to manipulate person who can do a lot of things for her. She doesn't mind being humble for a while and coaxing Shen Mingzhu.

Shen Mingzhu was initially furious that she had dared to climb into his bed, but after some sweet talk from Song Qiuniang, she decided it would be a good thing to have someone close to her uncle, who could speak up for her. She blamed her aunt for not wanting to help her and Mr. Song, and for constantly lecturing her, which was incredibly annoying.

Although she helped Song Qiuniang avoid being beaten to death, Shen Mingzhu still despised her deep down in her heart.

"Don't think you can fool me with those little tricks of yours," Shen Mingzhu said coldly, "I let you go because my uncle only has a concubine serving him, and she's my aunt's maidservant. Since you're already a concubine, you should serve my uncle well and stop dreaming about those unrealistic dreams."

When facing someone she wanted to please, Song Qiuniang didn't care about their attitude. She bowed slightly and said softly, "Miss, you misunderstood. Qiuniang truly cares about you. You're in a bad mood right now, and I just want to keep you company and talk to make you feel better. Qiuniang knows that given my low status and my mistakes, it's understandable that I've displeased you."

Shen Mingzhu's expression softened a bit, and she asked, "I heard you're from Taohua Village too. Do you know a woman named Ji Nuan?"

Song Qiuniang rolled her eyes and asked tentatively, "I know her. I grew up with her. Did she offend the young lady in some way?"

Shen Mingzhu gnashed her teeth and said, "She stole the man I liked. Do you know what she has against me? I want to make sure she can't marry into the Song family!"

Since becoming the concubine of Qi Tongzhi, Song Qiuniang has been staying in the backyard. In addition, she is not favored by the master and the mistress, and the servants in the Qi mansion also treat her differently based on her status and are unwilling to get close to her. It is difficult for news from the outside to reach her, so she does not know that Ji Nuan is engaged.

At this moment, I am still wondering why Ji Nuan is not with Meng Ran, but is instead involved with the Song family.

"Which Song family are you talking about, Miss?" Song Qiuniang asked in confusion.

Shen Mingzhu said in surprise, "Aren't you from Kaiyun Prefecture? You haven't even heard of the prefect, Lord Song? That peasant is already engaged to Lord Song. Yesterday, the Song family's betrothal gifts filled the entire street. I don't know what the Song family was thinking, actually agreeing to let a peasant girl marry into their family!"

Song Qiuniang almost doubted her own ears after hearing this. She raised her voice in disbelief and repeated, "What did you say? Say it again!"

"What are you crazy about? How dare you yell at me? Don't you want to live a better life?" Shen Mingzhu was already angry, and when Song Qiuniang called her, she became even angrier.

Song Qiuniang came to her senses instantly, hiding the resentment and jealousy in her heart and replacing it with a flattering smile: "Miss, don't be angry, it's Qiuniang's fault. Ji Nuan used to be childhood sweethearts with a man from our village and they were in love. Suddenly I heard that she was engaged to someone else. Qiuniang was shocked and couldn't believe it, so I lost my composure."

Shen Mingzhu was furious. "You said she has a lover? How dare she do that? She deceived Lord Song, isn't she afraid of being exposed?"

Song Qiuniang was secretly pleased with herself. When she ran away from her marriage, she had considered Meng Ran a lifeline, but Meng Ran had fled because he feared her entanglement. She had harbored hatred for Meng Ran since she became Xu Qing's concubine. Now that she had the opportunity to cause trouble for Meng Ran, she would not let it go.

Song Qiuniang then added fuel to the fire, "Some people will do anything to achieve wealth and fame. Besides, he's just a humble scholar, and it's unknown when he'll ever rise to prominence. How can he be compared to Lord Song, who's already the prefect? Ji Nuan simply wants to climb the social ladder and escape the life of a peasant."

"This bitch is so shameless! No, I'm going to tell Lord Song."

After Shen Mingzhu finished speaking, she was about to leave, but was stopped by Song Qiuniang.

"Miss, don't be so hasty," Song Qiuniang quickly advised. "If you tell Lord Song now, wouldn't that be a slap in his face? When he finds out that he, the prefect, has been toyed with by a mere peasant girl, he'll lose all his dignity and prestige. He'll definitely vent his anger on the person who exposed this, and that won't be worth it."

It’s not that Song Qiuniang doesn’t want to ruin Ji Nuan’s marriage, but she knows very well that there is nothing going on between Ji Nuan and Meng Ran.

Lord Song is not Shen Mingzhu, who believes everything she says. If Shen Mingzhu rashly brings up this matter, Lord Song will know everything if he makes a conscious effort to inquire in the village. Then he can turn her in and, if he falls into the hands of the prefect, it will be all over.

After the house raid, she is now timid and dares not take risks easily. She can only instigate the brainless Shen Mingzhu to make things difficult for Ji Nuan.

Shen Mingzhu didn't have so many twists and turns in her mind. She felt that Song Qiuniang's words made sense, so she asked, "Then tell me, what should we do?"

"Miss, this place is crowded and not a good place to talk. Please follow me."

Song Qiuniang led Shen Mingzhu to the courtyard where she lived. Once inside, Song Qiuniang closed the door and whispered a plan in Shen Mingzhu's ear.

As Shen Mingzhu listened, a satisfied smile gradually appeared on her face, and then she hurried to find Mrs. Qi.

Mrs. Qi, who had just managed to convince herself to stay calm and composed, was almost broken down by Shen Mingzhu's conversation.

What kind of fool is this niece?

He simply hates her life and wants to piss her off to death!

- ??(?????) Thanks to Xuanying Baoer and Weihanliu for the gifts. Thanks to all the Baoers who liked and followed the updates!