Free Web NovelChapter 98: Chapter 54: Dare to Borrow His Power, and Become His Person
Song Qinghan clutched her stomach and doubled over, her face contorting in pain. She glared venomously at Song Yunzhao. "So what if I’m sent out of the palace? Mother will still dote on me when I return to the manor and find me a good match. Do you really think you’ll be the last one standing? With a face like yours, do you think the consorts in the palace will tolerate you? Song Yunzhao, you’re not as smart as you think."
It was no surprise to hear Song Qinghan say this. What did puzzle Song Yunzhao, however, was something else. She looked directly at her sister and asked, "There’s something I’ve always wanted to ask you. We are sisters, born of the same mother, and you are the eldest legitimate daughter. Logically, I should pose no threat to you. Why were you always so wary of me, so cruel, so determined to suppress me?"
Song Qinghan froze, the question seemingly making her forget the pain. She used the wall to pull herself up, took a breath, then eased herself into a chair. She looked up at Song Yunzhao but said nothing for a moment.
Song Yunzhao didn’t speak either, just stared at Song Qinghan’s face. For a rare moment, she could see a dazed look on it.
The two sisters, one standing and one sitting, remained silent. An unknown amount of time passed, and the very air seemed to grow thick between them before Song Qinghan finally spoke.
"No threat? You’re just deluding yourself."
Hearing this, Song Yunzhao’s brow furrowed. "There is an order between elder and younger. You are my older sister. How could I ever surpass you?"
Song Qinghan scoffed. "What do you know?"
Seeing that Song Qinghan had no intention of telling her the truth, Song Yunzhao lost interest in pressing the matter. She stated plainly, "If you don’t want to talk about it, fine. After all these years of rivalry between us, a winner has finally been decided. Song Qinghan, do you really think you’ll be safe and sound once you return to the manor? Your greatest bargaining chip is gone. I’m sure you know what kind of situation you’ll be facing."
Song Qinghan’s head snapped up to look at Song Yunzhao.
Song Yunzhao smiled coldly. "You knew it all along, didn’t you? But you still tried to harm me. Now you’ve only ended up harming yourself. You’ll just have to bear the consequences. You probably have no idea, but I’ve been waiting many years for the day I could finally fight back."
At that moment, the color finally drained from Song Qinghan’s face.
Song Yunzhao turned and left.
After Song Yunzhao was gone, Song Qinghan could no longer support herself and slumped onto the table. She knew. Of course she knew. Song Yunzhao was right. She knew her situation after leaving the palace would not be good.
She also knew how her mother would view her, now that her greatest asset—her value in a marriage alliance—was gone.
Everyone else thought she was the daughter their mother loved and protected the most, but only Song Yunzhao had seen the truth. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
’How ridiculous.’
Song Qinghan forced herself to rally. After leaving the palace, she would still face a vicious battle at the manor; she couldn’t collapse now. She had to find a way to turn things around. At the very least, she couldn’t let her mother give up on her before a good marriage was chosen. She had to make her mother see that she still had value.
Song Yunzhao said her future marriage prospects were ruined, but she refused to accept that fate.
She would wait and see. She wanted to see Song Yunzhao sent home in disgrace, just like her.
The years of resentment Song Yunzhao had harbored vanished in an instant. While things between her and Song Qinghan couldn’t be called completely settled, it was close enough.
In the novel, Song Qinghan had ruined the original host’s reputation. In the end, Mrs. Cai had arranged an undesirable marriage for her, which drove her to take her own life.
She wasn’t vicious enough to force Song Qinghan to her death. But today’s outcome was something Song Qinghan had brought upon herself. If she hadn’t been so intent on harming her, how would Song Yunzhao have ever gotten the chance to make her reap what she sowed?
When Song Yunzhao returned to her quarters, she collapsed into bed. ’A good night’s sleep will fix everything,’ she thought. ’The gloom that has been weighing on my heart will finally disappear.’
The sun would still rise tomorrow. The world wouldn’t stop spinning just because someone was gone.
After Song Yunzhao had breakfast, He Lan Yun and Song Yexi from next door invited her to go to Qiushui Pavilion with them. Once she arrived, she could feel many eyes on her. News that Song Qinghan and a few others had been expelled from the palace had already spread. The various gazes, whether malicious or not, were all irrelevant to her.
Inside Qiushui Pavilion, everyone’s paintings were already on display. This time, several palace maids were standing guard in the hall, afraid that another incident might occur with the artwork.
Song Yunzhao spotted her painting at a glance. It was in a mediocre spot. The paintings at the very front had attracted the largest crowd. He Lan Yun pushed her way into the throng of people but quickly reemerged, a sour look on her face.
’Why get so worked up over nothing?’ Song Yunzhao thought. ’As someone who is neither a top student nor a complete failure—just strictly average—I’m not the least bit curious about the work of the star pupils.’
