Dou Zhao sighed quietly as she listened.
For Song Han to end up in this state was truly a tragedy.
She told Song Mo about it.
Song Mo sneered, “He brought this upon himself. Who else can he blame? If he had told me about my mother’s situation from the beginning, would I be treating him like this now? No, even if he was too afraid to tell me about my mother at first, he could have told me after I gained the upper hand in my conflict with my father. I wouldn’t have held it against him then. But instead, he only gave me misleading fragments of information. When I found out, he made all sorts of excuses. Can you say he didn’t have ulterior motives?”
He probably had too many schemes in mind.
Dou Zhao smiled bitterly.
Song Mo let out a long sigh and said gently, “Let’s not talk about him anymore. Thinking about him ruins my mood. I’ve already arranged everything with Magistrate Huang of the Shunyi Prefecture. Tomorrow morning, the father can go with the Miao family to handle the paperwork. Once the ancestral hall is opened, Song Han will be immediately thrown out…”
What would happen after he’s thrown out?
Dou Zhao looked at Song Mo’s icy expression and wisely refrained from asking further. She let Song Mo help her to bed to rest.
Perhaps because a great weight had been lifted from her mind, Dou Zhao slept exceptionally well. When she opened her eyes, the sun was already high in the sky, and Song Mo was no longer by her side.
She couldn’t help but scold, “Why didn’t you wake me up?”
Miao Ruosu and Qixia were temporarily staying in the Yizhi Hall, and they were supposed to open the ancestral hall today!
The maid on duty was Ruozhu. She smiled and said, “It’s not that we didn’t want to wake you up. The young master said you’ve been working hard these past few days and told us not to disturb you.” She added, “The Duke and the Miao family went to the Shunyi Prefecture and haven’t returned yet. The second madam had breakfast and then went to Miss Qixia’s room. The two of them have been walking and talking by the lake all morning.”
The two of them must have had a lot to reflect on.
Dou Zhao had breakfast with Ruozhu’s assistance, then went to check on young master Yuan, who was playing seesaw with the little maids in the back courtyard. After that, she headed to the back garden.
From a distance, Miao Ruosu saw Dou Zhao coming. She whispered something to Qixia, who glanced in their direction before they both came to greet Dou Zhao.
Dou Zhao asked them, “What are your plans for the future?”
Although there weren’t many people in the Song family, one was Song Han’s wife and the other his servant. Now that they had testified against Song Han at the ancestral hall, their reputations were ruined. Dou Zhao hoped to offer them as much protection as she could.
Miao Ruosu smiled and said, “Last night, my brother’s servant came to see me and told me everything the young master said. Being able to leave Duke Ying’s mansion like this is already a great blessing. I dare not ask for more.” She added jokingly, “Before, I had nothing when I married into Duke Ying’s family. Now I have land and property, and the protection of the young master and his wife. How could I not be better off than before?”
She was quite optimistic.
Qixia, on the other hand, wanted to return to life at the Cui family estate in Zhending: “The Thirteenth Master told everyone at the estate that my husband died protecting the madam, so everyone there treats me very well. I’ve grown accustomed to the routine of rising with the sun and resting at sunset.”
Moreover, people there never looked down on her for being a widow. Several older women often encouraged her to remarry. The son of Widow Du at the village entrance, who worked as a peddler, would always bring her bright-colored silk threads whenever he returned from his travels. This time, when he heard that the madam was calling her back to the mansion, he thought she might not return and followed her carriage out of Zhending County…
Thinking of this, her face flushed slightly. She quickly glanced at Dou Zhao, but seeing that Dou Zhao was talking to Miao Ruosu and hadn’t noticed her reaction, she let out a sigh of relief.
Wuyi came running to find them: “Madam, Second Madam, Miss Qixia, the masters, and the uncles have all arrived. The young master requests your presence.”
The show was about to begin!
Dou Zhao smiled as Wuyi led them to the ancestral hall.
The Song family elders and the uncles from the Lu family were seated in the main hall of the ancestral hall. The women waited in the side room next to the main hall.
Soon after, Song Yichun and Song Mo entered the ancestral hall one after the other.
Everyone stood up to greet Song Yichun and Song Mo.
Song Mo’s demeanor was gentle, but Song Yichun looked as if someone owed him three thousand taels of silver and refused to pay. He nodded curtly to everyone and sat down in the central armchair. He said, “I’ve already informed you all about why I’ve called you here today.” His gaze swept over the Lu family members. “I’ve asked you all to come as witnesses so that if anyone asks in the future, they’ll know that from this day forward, Song Han is no longer a descendant of the Song family.” Then his gaze darkened, and he barked, “Bring Song Han in!”
Song Han was on the verge of madness!
Dou Zhao had him locked in the woodshed, where he was well-fed and cared for, but no one spoke a word to him. There were no reprimands from Song Yichun and no questioning from Song Mo. Everyone seemed to have forgotten he existed. Even if he wanted to defend himself, there was no one to listen. He had no idea what awaited him next. One moment he imagined the door of the woodshed creaking open, his father standing there with a gloomy face, coldly saying “Come with me,” while Song Mo could only watch silently as he followed his father away. The next moment, he imagined the door being kicked open, himself being dragged out like a dead dog, his clothes torn by the gravel on the ground as people snarled at him, “You’ve eaten and drunk well today, but your next meal will be in the underworld…”
So when Xia Lian arrived with several servants carrying hot water and clothes, Song Han fell to his knees in front of Xia Lian, hugging his legs and crying, “It wasn’t me! I didn’t do it! I’ve been wronged… Let me see my brother, just once…” When he saw that Xia Lian remained unmoved, with a hint of mockery on his face, he quickly changed his tune, “Please, just give my father a message. I won’t mistreat you. You know my father likes me very much. If he finds out who harmed me, even if he can’t do anything to them directly, it would be easy for him to deal with those who carried out the orders… This is our family matter, you shouldn’t get involved. Throughout history, servants who got caught up in succession disputes never came to a good end. The same goes for you all…”
No wonder people said the second young master and the young master weren’t born of the same mother.
How could someone so weak-willed be the brother of the young master, who was so determined and unyielding?
Xia Lian barely resisted the urge to kick Song Han aside.
“The second young master has misunderstood,” he said respectfully. “It’s the Duke who wants to see you. That’s why the young master ordered me to bring people to help you wash up.”
“What did you say?” Song Han was both surprised and delighted. “My father wants to see me?”
“Yes!” Xia Lian couldn’t help but smirk. “Second young master, you’d better get ready quickly and come with me to see the Duke. We shouldn’t keep everyone waiting.”
It was like seeing a glimmer of hope after facing a certain death.
Song Han kept saying, “Good, good, good.”
Xia Lian didn’t even bother to help Song Han up. He just shook off Song Han’s hand and walked out.
Several servants came forward with smiles to help him dress and comb his hair.
Song Han was overjoyed and didn’t even mind that he didn’t recognize these servants. He asked, “Where did you all work before? Do you know where my father is waiting for me? Is my brother with him?”
The servants just smiled without saying a word, their movements quick and practiced, clearly experienced in serving others.
Song Han knew the strict rules of the household, so he didn’t ask any more questions. He let the servants tidy him up and then walked out of the woodshed.
Outside, the sky was a clear blue, as if it had been washed, giving people a refreshing feeling.
He took a deep breath but then saw that Xia Lian was accompanied by seven or eight burly guards.
Song Han’s smile froze on his face.
Xia Lian, however, acted as if he hadn’t noticed and smiled, “Second young master, please follow me!” He turned and headed towards Xixiang Courtyard.
Song Han’s face lit up again, and he wasn’t as wary of the guards surrounding him as before.
They passed the main hall and continued forward, ascending a bluestone path lined with cypress trees on both sides.
Song Han suddenly stopped, showing signs of fear: “Where are we going?”
“To the ancestral hall,” Xia Lian said casually. “The Duke and the young master are waiting for you there!”
“Waiting for me?” Song Han’s eyes darted around. “What for?”
“It seems they have something to say,” Xia Lian replied. “As for the specifics, this humble servant doesn’t know.”
Song Han hesitated.
Xia Lian smiled, “Second young master, it’s only about a hundred paces to the ancestral hall. Whatever it is, you can ask the Duke yourself when you see him. It would be unwise to anger the Duke by being late.”
His tone was very gentle, with a hint of persuasion, which put Song Han somewhat at ease. Besides, he was surrounded by guards; even if he wanted to run, he couldn’t.
Song Han followed Xia Lian to the ancestral hall.
As soon as he entered, he saw Song Yichun with a gloomy expression and Lu Chen, the eldest of the Lu family, with an indifferent look.
Then he noticed Song Mo sitting below Lu Chen.
Song Han’s heart sank.
Calling him to discuss matters, not in the study but in the ancestral hall, and even inviting the Lu family…
He quickly looked towards the seat below Song Yichun.
Song Maochun and the others were either lowering their heads to drink tea or sitting with their eyes closed. No one greeted him.
His face instantly turned pale.
“No, no, no!” Song Han stepped backward. “I didn’t collude with Prince Liao! It was my father who sent me to the Xiangshan Villa! I don’t know anything…”
At this point, this unfilial son was still spouting nonsense. No wonder Dou Zhao said they could only take preemptive action and expel him from the family.
Song Yichun was furious. He glared at Zeng Wu, who was standing nearby.
Zeng Wu shuddered and quickly went forward to cover Song Han’s mouth: “Second young master, this is the Song family ancestral hall! You can’t speak recklessly, or the ancestors of the Song family will be displeased.”
Song Qin only frowned as he watched.
No matter what mistake Song Han had made, how could Zeng Wu, a mere servant, treat Song Han like this?
His lips parted slightly, about to reprimand Zeng Wu, when his younger brother Song Jin tugged at his sleeve and whispered in his ear, “Don’t interfere, or you might bring trouble upon yourself.”
While Song Qin was still hesitating, several burly servants had already stepped forward and efficiently stuffed a cloth into Song Han’s mouth, pressing him to the ground.