Song Zhiyuan naturally knew that, no matter how much he disdained and underestimated Song Zhiqing, he still had to clean up after him. After all, the family hadn’t split yet; with shared glory comes shared loss.

Regardless of him, just looking at Song Lingzhou and the others, he still needed to handle this affair properly.

"Mother, rest assured, now that Mistress Bai and Aunt Quan are dead, this matter will pass. Outsiders will only assume they buried together under the ruins of that guest courtyard." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Song Ci nodded: "That’s good. If the third brother can learn from this incident, it’s still fine. If not, then you should shift his position; promote him overtly but demote him covertly, move him to an insignificant spot."

Song Zhiyuan looked at her in surprise.

"It’s not that, as the primary mother, I want to suppress an illegitimate child, holding him back from emerging. In fact, you’ve seen his nature—soft-eared, easily manipulated, and when he loses his mind, who knows what he’ll do." Song Ci started to criticize: "If not for your father’s presence, unwilling to leave behind a few children, I would have considered bringing someone to witness and separate him."

"Mother, as long as the parents are around, the family doesn’t split."

Song Ci waved her hand: "I don’t care about that. As a tree grows, it branches out, which is inevitable. It’s not necessary to eat from the same pot to have a good relationship. True affection is maintaining contact even after dividing the family; enjoying a reunion meal during holidays is beneficial. If faced with adversity, not the whole family would be affected."

Song Zhiyuan chuckled: "Mother, if a serious matter arises, the nine clans could indeed be exterminated."

"Unless it is treason. But some small things, accumulating, also have an impact," Song Ci said. "The third brother sometimes acts without thinking. I’m just afraid he might bring disasters upon the family. If positioned in unimportant roles, others would measure if it’s worth the trouble to manipulate him."

Song Zhiyuan smiled faintly: "Mother, you truly plan ahead."

Song Ci sighed: "I have limited wisdom, definitely don’t understand strategies. Sometimes, when I can’t sleep, I worry and ponder more. Make up your own mind, right?"

"Mother’s intentions are for the benefit of the Song Family; there’s no mistake in it. In fact, I share the same thoughts and have already swayed the Emperor. It’s impossible for him to get a good position." Song Zhiyuan gently played with his youngest’s hand, saying: "But this current position, he hasn’t held it for long, and there isn’t a suitable lateral move right now, so it remains unchanged for now."

He paused, lowered his eyes, saying: "If he’s mindful, retiring honorably from this office is no issue. But if, as you mentioned, he doesn’t progress, once Jie’er passes the exam, he should step down."

Song Ci understood the implication—that Song Zhiqing should yield his position to the younger generation.

Only a leader like Song Zhiyuan could so easily decide someone’s future. Tsk tsk, that wastrel better not provoke downfall; otherwise, the future is uncertain.

"Indeed, brothers serving together in the court is a fine tale. But if brothers, fathers, sons, and nephews are all in court, it attracts too much attention, let alone Zhao’er is in the military; as long as you are aware, that’s enough," Song Ci said.

Song Zhiyuan nodded with a smile: "There’s no need for you to worry much; just enjoy your old age."

"Naturally, as the old Madam, playfully watching over grandchildren, enjoying every day, not concerning myself with outside affairs." Song Ci cheerfully changed the subject: "It’s almost New Year. Now with this spy incident, when Su’er returns, you should send extra people to pick him up."

Song Zhiyuan stiffened—was this a precaution against the remnants of the Xia family’s revenge?