“A murderer—aren’t you one?”

Pang Xiao’s low voice cut off all the words Yao Shi hadn’t yet spoken, lodging them in her throat.

“You… what do you mean by this?”

“Those who kill do so for money, profit, revenge, or passion—there’s always a reason. What’s your reason? You gave your daughter-in-law, who is five months pregnant, safflower to murder your unborn grandchild, and even wanted to take your own son’s wife along with it. What was this for?”

Yao Shi stared wide-eyed, looking completely speechless.

Pang Xiao kept his voice very low, audible only to Yao Shi and the two maids beside her.

But each word rang in Yao Shi’s ears like thunderous drums.

Watching Yao Shi’s dumbstruck expression, bitterness gradually rose in Pang Xiao’s heart. “What are you after? If my son—your grandson—were gone, what benefit would you gain?”

“You… you’re talking nonsense!” Yao Shi snapped back to her senses, straightening her back and loudly retorting, “Who told you this? Am I some heartless monster? How could I possibly harm my own grandchild!”

Her complexion shifted from ruddy to pale as tears streamed down Yao Shi’s face. “What an ungrateful beast who forgets his mother after getting a wife! Dafu, I carried you for ten months through countless hardships to give birth to you, struggled to raise you up, and now that you have a wife, this is how you slander your mother?

“You treat that wife of yours like a precious treasure—does that mean anyone who visits her must be slandered by you two? I kindly sent her chicken soup to nourish her body, but she turned around and accused me! Saying I gave her safflower? Bah! Does that lowly wench deserve to consume safflower! You believe whatever she says—don’t you have a brain of your own? Dafu, I’m asking you: do you still consider me your mother or not!”

By the end, Yao Shi was nearly shrieking. She felt that the son she had raised had completely become someone else’s, that all her hopes for this lifetime were gone, and she couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with grief, covering her mouth and sobbing.

Yao Chenggu frowned deeply—Yao Shi’s performance was excessive.

Listening to Yao Shi’s cutting words, Pang Xiao’s sad expression gradually returned to calm as he sighed lightly. “Mother, if you weren’t guilty, if you hadn’t lost your composure, you wouldn’t have made such obvious mistakes. I was saving face for you, but you insisted on making a scene. If you don’t care about others hearing gossip about you, I have no objection.”

He had lowered his voice to prevent the matter from escalating, but who knew that in her guilt, Yao Shi would make such a commotion.

Yao Shi looked as if someone had grabbed her by the throat. Her crying stopped abruptly, and her face changed from deathly pale to the color of purple eggplant skin.

Yao Chenggu, frustrated by her lack of sense, sighed. “Enough, enough. Don’t air dirty laundry in public. This matter ends here. Dafu, come inside with me.” He turned and headed into the house first.

Yao Shi glared at Pang Xiao through gritted teeth. She couldn’t hit him or scold him—nothing seemed right anymore. Unable to think of any other solution, she followed Yao Chenggu inside.

But Pang Xiao was no longer as obedient as before.

“If Grandfather is tired, please go inside and rest. I’ll deal with the spies who have infiltrated the manor first before I rest.”

Turning back, his sharp gaze fell on the kneeling people, causing the kitchen women and servants to shudder with terror, their hair standing on end.

“Speak up. Who made today’s chicken soup?”

Standing inside the doorway, Yao Chenggu heard Pang Xiao beginning to interrogate the servants outside and couldn’t help stamping his foot in anger.

Pang Xiao was clearly determined not to let today’s troublemaker go, planning to deal with them in front of him. He was Pang Xiao’s grandfather, after all—wasn’t this disrespectful behavior?

Moreover, today’s incident was complicated. If it spread among the servants, they would find it even harder to maintain their dignity in the future.

Yao Chenggu’s mind was in chaos, as if boiling water had been poured over his head, his face burning with shame.

At this point, Yao Chenggu knew this matter would be very difficult to resolve with Pang Xiao.

Standing beside Yao Chenggu, Yao Shi watched the scene in the courtyard through the window, her heart filled with embarrassment and worry.

The angry outburst earlier had indeed made her feel much better. But what now faced Yao Shi was the question of whether her son Pang Xiao would still want her as his mother.

If he did, with Pang Xiao’s current firm attitude, would she as his mother have to apologize to Qin Yining? If he didn’t, what hope would she have left in this life?

After the anger and embarrassment, Yao Shi truly felt the crisis and covered her mouth, crying as if her heart were breaking.

The courtyard was completely quiet. The servants all knelt properly with lowered heads, not daring to say an extra word. Only the continuous chirping of cicadas could be heard.

Pang Xiao walked up to the people in the middle and asked again, “Who made the chicken soup? Who added the safflower? Why did you do this? Whose orders were you following? Stand up now and explain clearly to this king, and I might spare your life. If you remain stubborn and wait for my people to personally investigate who did it, then I cannot guarantee your safety.”

Pang Xiao’s words terrified everyone. Stealing glances at Huzi and the two Jinghu Guards at the courtyard gate, they all trembled in fear.

What should they do?

Could they tell the truth?

If they spoke up, they probably wouldn’t have a place in Pine Crane Hall anymore.

But if they didn’t speak, the Prince could take their lives in an instant.

Weighing the options, their lives were more important.

The kitchen women exchanged glances, momentarily speechless, each showing wavering in their eyes.

Pang Xiao said again, “Will you speak or not?” His voice was already filled with the irritation of an approaching storm, clearly having run out of patience.

Finally, Yao Chenggu couldn’t bear it anymore and called out from behind the door curtain, “Dafu, come here.”

Rather than let Pang Xiao continue the interrogation and drag him out shamefully, it would be better to explain things clearly to Pang Xiao himself, to make him understand his good intentions. This would also prevent their grandfather-grandson relationship from becoming strained for unclear reasons.

Hearing Yao Chenggu’s call, Pang Xiao’s thin lips gradually pressed together, and his fists slowly clenched.

Based on what he had seen and heard since arriving at Pine Crane Hall today, combined with Yao Shi’s guilty bluster and Yao Chenggu’s behavior, what was there that Pang Xiao couldn’t understand?

So the ones trying to harm Yi Jie’er were his own mother and grandfather?

He had to guard against others outside, but did he also have to be wary of his own relatives at home? If he didn’t stay vigilant, would he lose his wife and children?

Pang Xiao’s heart was tangled with grievance and anger as he ordered Huzi in a deep voice, “Interrogate them one by one until everything is clear, then await this king’s judgment.”

“Yes!” Huzi and the Jinghu Guards immediately complied, rolling up their sleeves to call the maids and women to the courtyard gate for individual questioning.

Pang Xiao then entered the main room.

Yao Chenggu withdrew his gaze from the window, his beard trembling as he said, “Stop your people now!”

“To catch spies, interrogation is essential. I know Grandfather is benevolent and can’t bear to see the servants around you suffer, but for the safety of everyone in the manor, we must do what needs to be done.”

Pang Xiao smiled at Yao Chenggu, saying gently, “What did Grandfather want to tell me?”

By this time, Yao Chenggu’s face was completely flushed red. He looked at Pang Xiao and stammered for a long while before saying, “Stop having them interrogated. Don’t air dirty laundry in public. I’ll tell you the truth—today’s incident was my idea, and I instructed your mother to do it.”

Pang Xiao’s suspicions were confirmed by Yao Chenggu, but his heart no longer felt sad or shocked.

“I don’t understand why Grandfather would do this.”

Seeing that Pang Xiao didn’t explode in rage, Yao Chenggu didn’t feel relieved but became even more nervous.

“Dafu, your mother and I are doing this for your own good. Your wife is a good woman—no one can deny that—but she was kidnapped by the Tatars after all. Who knows what she experienced out there? Who can be certain that what’s in her belly is definitely your seed?

“I don’t want to see such a woman by your side defiling you. Even more, I don’t want such a person to contaminate your bloodline.”

Pang Xiao was so angry he burst out laughing. His laughter grew louder, tinged with wildness and mockery.

Seeing Pang Xiao like this, Yao Chenggu and Yao Shi’s worries didn’t decrease but grew even more anxious.

After a moment, Pang Xiao said, “Grandfather, you and Mother are both my elders, so I won’t comment on your character. But I can tell you this: I can determine whether my own wife is chaste. Moreover, she was kidnapped because of the trouble I brought her. Even if something had really happened to her, I wouldn’t despise her. On the contrary, those who would despise her for it are the ones I look down upon!

“As for the children, I’ve already made it clear. How long ago did she and I reunite? How many months pregnant is she? Such simple arithmetic—can’t Grandfather and Mother calculate whether the children are mine?

“Fine, you can choose not to believe me. You can also choose not to believe Yi Jie’er. I cannot persuade you to change your minds. But does this justify giving my wife safflower?

“Grandfather, Mother, if today’s incident hadn’t been done by you two, I would definitely have skinned alive whoever tried to harm Yi Jie’er and my children! But it just had to be you!”

Pang Xiao turned away, no longer looking at Yao Chenggu and Yao Shi.

“Since you look down on my wife, that means you look down on me. Since you wanted to kill my children, I can’t seek revenge or do anything to you, but from now on, I’ll live my own life. Please don’t interfere anymore. Just live your own lives well.”

Pang Xiao gave Yao Chenggu and Yao Shi no chance to lecture him, turning and leaving the main room.

Reaching the courtyard, Pang Xiao pointed at the kitchen women and the maids and servants in Pine Crane Hall.

“These all have the suspicion of being spies. However, the law doesn’t punish the masses, and this king is not a bloodthirsty killer. You people have worked hard serving the Old Master and Grand Madam, so you’ll each receive two taels of silver as settlement for your wages. Leave the manor.”

“Your Highness!”

The servants cried out in disbelief, staring at Pang Xiao. They never imagined he would dismiss all the servants in Pine Crane Hall!

Hearing this, Yao Shi panicked and quickly lifted the door curtain to come out. “Dafu! You can’t do this. Others aside, how long have the maids Xun He and Mi He been with me? And Zhao Kun’s wife, they…”

“They failed to advise Old Madam against doing foolish things. This king hasn’t punished them but only given them silver to dismiss them—this is already showing utmost benevolence.”

Pang Xiao’s eyes were full of distance.

Hearing how Pang Xiao addressed her, Yao Shi staggered back two steps and leaned against a corridor pillar. “You… what did you call me?”