The large red lanterns under the veranda swayed in the night breeze, casting flickering light on Song Mo’s face, making his expression difficult to discern.
Song Yichun watched nervously and called out to Song Mo, “What have you done to Tian’en?”
Song Mo remained silent.
The courtyard was quiet, with only the sound of wind rustling through the treetops.
With so many people watching, could Song Mo kill him?
Song Yichun hesitated for a moment, then walked over.
“Where’s Tian’en?” he asked, his tone somewhat fierce.
Song Mo took a step forward.
Song Yichun retreated three steps.
The bright lamplight illuminated their faces.
Traces of fear still lingered in Song Yichun’s eyes.
Song Mo sneered and said in a low voice, “Take Song Han and get out of the upper courtyard!”
Song Yichun’s eyes widened, “What did you say?”
Song Mo smiled, “I said, take Song Han and get out of the upper courtyard!”
His voice was clear and bright, carrying far in the quiet summer night.
All the guards lowered their heads, both Song Yichun’s and Song Mo’s.
“How dare you speak to me like this?!” Song Yichun was immediately enraged with embarrassment. “The upper courtyard belongs to the Duke Ying’s mansion. I decide who stays there. Don’t think that just because you can stand tall before the Emperor, you can boss people around at home…”
Song Mo smiled and interrupted Song Yichun’s words, “If you’re not afraid of ghosts, then by all means, stay in the upper courtyard with Song Han. I have no objections!”
Song Yichun’s words caught in his throat.
“I’ll give you half an hour,” Song Mo’s smile was cold, his gaze sinister, as if surrounded by dark clouds. “If you haven’t gotten out of the upper courtyard in half an hour, I’ll show you just how straight my back is before the Emperor!”
With that, he strode away.
Song Yichun jumped up and down at his retreating figure, “You monster! You unfilial son! How could I have raised such a thing!”
Guard Chang lowered his eyes and quietly advised Song Yichun, “My Lord, we should quickly go in and check on the Second Young Master!”
Song Yichun finally came to his senses and hurried into the inner chamber.
Song Han was slumped on the ground, leaning against the leg of the armchair, gasping for breath. The red marks on his neck were particularly noticeable.
Guard Chang carefully helped Song Han up and seated him in the armchair. He reported to Song Yichun, “I’ll go fetch a doctor for the Second Young Master,” and withdrew.
“Father!” Song Han said pitifully to Song Yichun, “Big Brother wants to kill me! Am I not Mother’s son?”
Song Yichun’s expression froze, and then he scolded Song Han harshly, “How can you be so gullible, believing everything you hear? Your brother has committed a grave offense and fears I’ll strip him of his position as heir, so he opposes me at every turn. How can you believe his words? Do you think I don’t know whether you’re my son or not?!”
Hearing this, Song Han lowered his head and mumbled, “Big Brother said Li Dasheng by my side didn’t return to his hometown, that I killed Li Yiaoniang. I don’t even know Li Yiaoniang… But no matter how I explained, Big Brother wouldn’t believe me. He even had his guards torture me, so I had to admit that I killed Li Yiaoniang, but then Big Brother said I was lying.” He looked up at Song Yichun, his face full of tears, “If I don’t admit it, it’s not right; if I admit it, it’s still not right. I don’t know what to do anymore…”
Song Yichun was stunned, “Li Dasheng is missing?”
Song Han nodded with a pout, “Big Brother said Li Dasheng is missing.” Then he asked curiously, “Father, is Li Yiaoniang Jiang Yan’s birth mother? Are Jiang Yan and I twins? Jiang Yan looks exactly like Mother, so how can she be Li Yiaoniang’s daughter? Does that Li Yiaoniang look very similar to Mother?”
Song Yichun felt agitated by Song Han’s questions. He impatiently said, “Your brother has been fooled, and you’re joining in the commotion. How did I end up with two such stupid sons?!”
“Oh!” Song Han hung his head in shame.
Song Yichun then asked him, “What did your brother ask you just now?”
Song Han stammered, “He asked if I knew Li Yiaoniang. If I knew Li Liang? Where did Li Dasheng go? Did I order Li Dasheng to kill Li Yiaoniang…” As he spoke, he tugged at Song Yichun’s robe, “Father, Big Brother is so scary. Can I stay with you in Xiangxiang Courtyard?”
If Song Mo dared to harm Song Han while he was at home, what would he do to Song Han if he wasn’t around?
Song Yichun looked at the room, still arranged as it was when Madam Jiang was alive, feeling oppressed. Song Mo’s words from earlier echoed in his mind. He nodded and said, “It’s good for you to move in with me. At least with Guard Chang protecting you, your brother won’t dare to act recklessly.”
If Guard Chang could protect you, how could Song Mo ignore you like that?
Song Han thought to himself, but he sighed with relief and smiled joyfully, “That’s great! Now I won’t be afraid of Big Brother bullying me!”
Hearing this, Song Yichun cursed “fool” in his heart.
When Song Mo was his age, he could already handle things independently. But Song Han still understood nothing. Song Mo was about to kill him, yet he thought Song Mo just wanted to bully him. Different origins led to different mindsets, and no amount of teaching could change that!
Song Yichun curled his lip in disdain and called for guards to help Song Han move his things.
Song Mo stood on the steps of Yizhi Hall’s main room, listening to the commotion in the upper courtyard.
Dou Zhao urged him, “Don’t be angry anymore. Come inside and have a cup of tea! Watch out for mosquitoes.”
Song Mo took a deep breath and followed Dou Zhao into the inner chamber.
The room was filled with the faint scent of burning mugwort, giving it a cozy atmosphere.
Dou Zhao personally brewed a cup of Biluochun tea for Song Mo.
Song Mo took the teacup and sighed, “You sit down and rest too. All these troublesome family matters have disturbed your peace as well.”
Dou Zhao sat down beside Song Mo and smiled, “Which family doesn’t have some unpleasant issues? Compared to favoring concubines over wives or neglecting legitimate children for illegitimate ones, brothers fighting each other isn’t a big deal in my eyes!”
Song Mo couldn’t help but laugh, “You don’t know, at that moment I wanted to slap that little bastard to death. But then I thought that would be too easy for him, so I forcibly swallowed my anger.”
He usually maintained a calm demeanor in front of others, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t angry inside. Now that he was willing to complain to Dou Zhao, she naturally hoped he would speak his mind freely and vent all his frustrations.
Once all the frustrations were vented, his mood would calm down.
She held his hand, quietly listening to his complaints.
“Others say I’m ruthless, but that’s towards outsiders. To my family, I’ve always been lenient. As long as it’s not a major mistake, I turn a blind eye. Look at Uncle, Third Uncle, and Fourth Uncle. When Father wanted to remove me from the family, they remained silent. I thought that seeking advantage and avoiding harm is human nature, and although I didn’t like it, I didn’t do anything to them.”
“Song Han caused A’yan to become like this. Although I can’t love him like my own brother as I did before, I never thought of driving him out of Duke Ying’s mansion or ruining his reputation. At most, I would stop managing his affairs, use some money to redeem Mother’s dowry for A’yan, and when he’s older, let him live separately. After all, Father was the instigator of this matter. It was Father who caused them to become like this. Even when I later learned that he might have killed Li Yiaoniang, I could understand his worries and fears… But he knew it was a poisoned drink and still served it to Mother… Whenever I think of Mother drinking the poison while being touched by his filial piety and obedience, I just can’t tolerate him anymore.”
“I intentionally helped him conceal from Father what I had asked him, just to let him taste what it’s like to live in suspicion and fear every day, to see if he likes the taste of living in doubt and terror. Even if he wants to die quickly and cleanly, it depends on whether I allow it or not.”
In his previous life, Song Mo had even killed him with his own hands.
Dou Zhao raised Song Mo’s hand to her lips and gently kissed it.
His expression immediately became peaceful, and he said, “Song Han thinks that if he keeps his mouth shut, I’ll turn my suspicions towards Father to find out who poisoned Mother. He underestimates me too much!”
“The reason for Mother’s death is simply that Mother was grateful for Father’s strong support in Uncle’s matter and wanted to repay Father. She proposed bringing Li Yiaoniang and her daughter into the mansion. Father feared that Mother would discover the old switcheroo, so he bribed Xingfang by Mother’s side to put poison in Mother’s medicine. Fearing that Mother would notice the poison in the medicine, he had Song Han, who was attending to her illness, personally serve it to Mother.”
“Mother would never suspect her son.”
“She drank the medicine without any suspicion.”
“Later, when Father refused to let Li Yiaoniang and her daughter enter the mansion, it aroused Mother’s suspicion. Father decided to go all in and told Mother the truth.”
“Uncle’s death had already left Mother heartbroken and full of self-blame. Learning that the son she had cherished and raised was the child of a concubine, while her daughter was being raised outside the family as an illegitimate child, how could Mother not be furious to the point of coughing blood and dying?”
“Song Han fears that revealing the truth would expose that he had long known he wasn’t Mother’s biological son. He doesn’t realize that his lies, nine truths mixed with one falsehood, only make me more furious.” At this point, he gave a cold laugh, “It’s good now. We’ve torn off our masks. From now on, I’ll go my way, and they can walk their tightrope. I want to see how many rounds they can last under my hand!”
It seemed that Song Mo wasn’t planning to let Song Yichun and Song Han off easily.
In his previous life, he had been driven out by Song Yichun and had nothing to lose. Killing his father and brother only earned him a few curses. But in this life, he was still the heir of Duke Ying’s mansion. As a son and a brother, he couldn’t act as recklessly as he did in his previous life.
Dou Zhao couldn’t help but worry, “If you want to deal with these two scoundrels, it’s best to come up with a foolproof plan. Otherwise, if you ruin your reputation, it would be a loss that outweighs the gain.”
“I know!” Song Mo smiled, “Uncle once said, to hunt wolves, you must be fiercer than the wolves; to catch foxes, you must be craftier than the foxes. If I let myself get trapped because of these two scoundrels, wouldn’t that be laughable? They killed my mother and caused my sister to be unable to return home. If they think they can just bluff their way through this, they’re dreaming! Just watch, I’ll make sure they suffer silently.”
Dou Zhao believed Song Mo could do it.
She couldn’t help but silently mourn for Song Yichun and Song Han’s future for a moment.
A servant came in to report, “Young Master, the Second Young Master has moved to the Duke’s Xiangxiang Courtyard.”