"Miss, something terrible has happened!"

"Speak slowly. What is it?" Song Yunzhao put away the letter and silver notes in her hand, frowning slightly as she looked at Qiancao.

Qiancao took a breath to calm herself before speaking. "I went to the laundry to fetch something and overheard Hong Yingniang telling someone that the Mistress wants to send you to the Cai Family to accompany the old matriarch of the Cai Mansion to a temple for prayers. She said you’d have to stay for at least ten to fifteen days. Miss, if you really go, how will you participate in the selection? If this is true, the Mistress is truly too cruel."

Song Yunzhao was also stunned. She hadn’t expected Mrs. Cai to come up with such a scheme.

Before she could even come up with a countermeasure, Nanny Zhao, who served Mrs. Cai, arrived with a wide smile. "Third Miss, the Mistress requests your presence."

Song Yunzhao hadn’t thought Mrs. Cai would act so quickly. Upon hearing this, Qiancao couldn’t hide the look on her face.

But Song Yunzhao wasn’t one to indulge Mrs. Cai. Knowing she meant no good, why would she walk right into a trap? ’Isn’t this just throwing myself into a net?’

’Filial piety?’

’A daughter is only filial if the mother is kind!’

"Nanny Zhao, you’ve come at an inconvenient time. My father just tasked me with something. Please go back and tell my mother that I will pay my respects as soon as I am finished." Song Yunzhao was directly dismissing her.

The smile on Nanny Zhao’s face froze. She hadn’t expected the Third Miss to say such a thing, and she couldn’t tell if it was true or not. However, she still remembered the last time the Master had reprimanded the Mistress over the Third Miss, so she didn’t dare force the issue.

"Third Miss, the Mistress just has a few words of instruction for you. Why don’t you come over first?" Nanny Zhao wasn’t ready to give up.

Yun Zhao glanced at Nanny Zhao, her smile gone. She spoke slowly and deliberately, "Since they are just ordinary instructions, they can’t be that important. We can discuss it when I return. Nanny Zhao, you may go back."

Nanny Zhao left, seething with anger. Back with the Mistress, she would inevitably add fuel to the fire.

Meanwhile, Song Yunzhao immediately left without pausing, telling Qiancao as she walked, "Go tell Mrs. Luo to have her son find my father. I’ll be waiting in the teahouse on the street outside his government office."

’Only her own father could suppress Mrs. Cai.’

’If Mrs. Cai was determined to send her to the Cai Mansion and had a few old maids drag her there, she really wouldn’t be able to resist.’

’Later, if Mrs. Cai were to put on a false pretense in front of her father, saying the old matriarch of the Cai Family missed her, the weight of filial piety would make it difficult for even her own father to object.’

Song Yunzhao moved as if she had wind-fire wheels on her feet. By the time Mrs. Cai’s second wave of people arrived to take her by force, she was already in a carriage and gone.

Speaking of which, if it were Song Jinxuan, she wouldn’t be able to take a single step out of the inner courtyard’s gate without Mrs. Cai’s approval. But Song Yunzhao was different. With the prior orders from the Third Master, she could pass through unhindered.

’Power, what a wonderful thing. Whoever wields it reaps the benefits.’

Just thinking about Mrs. Cai and Song Qinghan stomping their feet in anger at home made her feel gratified.

She wasn’t some brainless side character. ’Am I supposed to just wait until things spiral out of control?’

Mrs. Luo’s son was swift. Song Yunzhao had just ordered a pot of tea at the teahouse and had barely taken a few sips when her father arrived.

As soon as the Third Master saw his daughter sitting there perfectly fine, he first let out a sigh of relief. Then, he had his attendant close the door to their private room before putting on a stern face and scolding her, "Didn’t the messenger say you were on death’s door? You look perfectly fine to me."

’Never a moment’s peace, just knows how to scare me!’

’Being a father to a house full of children isn’t as tiring as being a father to just her.’

Song Yunzhao hadn’t realized Mrs. Luo’s son was so capable. No wonder her father had arrived so quickly.

"Father, I’m just holding it all in. If you keep talking like that, I might just start crying for you to see."

The Third Master was speechless.

’Oh, give me a break.’

"Go on, what is it now?"

"Listening to you, one would think I’m such a handful. Tell me, have I ever caused you any trouble all these years?"

Third Master Song sighed. He says one thing, and this child has a hundred retorts ready for him.

"I know you’re a good girl. Can you tell me now?" Seeing his daughter’s eyes turning red, Third Master Song’s heart softened. The child had just gotten over a fright a while ago and had only been feeling better for a few days.

Song Yunzhao lowered her gaze slightly, her voice tinged with a sob she seemed to be struggling to suppress. "Father, Mother wants to send me to the Cai Mansion to stay at a temple with my maternal grandmother for a while."

"What?" Third Master Song didn’t quite understand this nonsensical statement.

"Father, you know that the court has announced the palace selection."

Of course, Third Master Song knew, but he hadn’t paid it much mind. Now, looking at his daughter’s expression and recalling what she had said earlier, he finally understood.

However, Third Master Song said nothing, only watched his daughter.

Song Yunzhao could feel her father’s eyes on her. Pretending not to notice, she spoke softly, "Ever since the news spread, I haven’t taken a single step out of my courtyard. I had no intention of participating in the selection, and I thought that by doing so, Mother and my older sister would understand my position. But... I never imagined that to guard against me, they would actually think of having my grandmother hold me at a temple. Father, I feel so wronged. I just want to ask you, what am I to Mother?"

Third Master Song’s chest heaved with anger. He truly couldn’t believe his wife would do such a thing.

Song Yunzhao buried her face in the table and wept softly. In Third Master Song’s eyes, his daughter looked so small, helpless, pitiful, and forlorn, and his anger toward his wife and eldest daughter grew even stronger.

"Zhaozhao, tell me, what are your own thoughts? Do you want to go or not?" Third Master Song asked, looking at his daughter.

Song Yunzhao shook her head. "I don’t want to go. The palace isn’t some wonderful place. But being pushed into a corner step-by-step by Mother and my older sister has given me a surge of courage. Why shouldn’t I be allowed to go? The more they try to stop me, the more I’m determined to go."

Third Master Song didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at his daughter’s words. He took out his own handkerchief and handed it to her. "Stop crying. You’re a grown girl now. People will laugh if they see you. Wipe your face. Let’s have a proper talk, just the two of us."

Song Yunzhao looked up and took the handkerchief from her father. She glanced down at it. ’Isn’t this Aunt Che’s needlework?’

TSK. ’No wonder Aunt Che is still standing strong even after her child is grown. She really knows what she’s doing.’

She dabbed at her face with the handkerchief in a convincing manner, her words still laced with a breathy tone. "What did you want to talk to me about, Father? If you’re going to tell me not to participate in the selection, then you might as well not say anything. I’m not doing this for the prize, but for my pride. Even a clay Bodhisattva has a bit of an earthy temper when pushed too far."

’A clay Bodhisattva?’

Third Master Song recalled the times his younger daughter had clashed with his wife. ’If she’s a clay Bodhisattva, then I won’t dare look at the word "Bodhisattva" ever again.’

"I don’t want you to enter the palace. Just as you said, it’s not a good place. Your older sister wants to go, firstly because she herself is willing, and secondly because she has a calmer and more patient temperament than you. Even if she can’t secure a future of wealth and honor, she can still protect herself. But with your temper, I just can’t rest easy."