“I once truly regarded you as my mother.” Song Chuyi’s voice was like winter well water, so cold that touching it made one’s fingertips sting with pain. “But you never truly regarded me as your daughter.”

Accustomed to seeing this stepdaughter act coquettishly and ingratiatingly, having seen her spoiled and arrogant, Li Shi had never seen her with such cold, blade-like eyes and brows, so fierce it was as if she wanted to kill someone. Just looking at her made one’s heart tremble.

At this moment, Li Shi suddenly realized she seemed to have never truly understood this stepdaughter, just as she had never truly understood her own biological daughter—she had always thought these two were one a docile, foolish little lamb, the other a warm, close little cotton-padded jacket. But neither of them had turned out as she expected. One had become a rabbit that would bite, the other a snake without feelings.

Her heart trembled violently. Meeting Old Madam Song’s cold, sneering gaze, then seeing the First Madam’s seemingly mocking lips, she suddenly burst into tears, which flowed down like a breached river.

“How can you say such things?!” She stood up, pointing at Song Chuyi with trembling hands, as if she had never known her before, full of grief and disappointment. “I don’t regard you as my daughter? How could I not regard you as my daughter?! All these years, ask yourself honestly—how have I treated you?”

Li Shi suddenly choked up, unable to say another word. All the grievances from years of carefully treating Song Chuyi surged into her heart. With trembling fingers, she poked Song Chuyi’s forehead. “That you think this of your mother—do you have no conscience?”

When Li Shi wanted to put on an act, she was always better at getting into character than actors on stage.

“During those days when you were ill, I stayed by your side day and night, even leaving Aning behind…” She truly reached her point of heartbreak, even her nose running. “I only… only made mistakes with Huang Yao and Nanny Wang’s matters, and you punish me like this? Bringing these people before the Old Madam and elder sister-in-law to slander me…”

She couldn’t admit it. If she admitted it, everything would be finished—the reputation carefully built over so many years, the mother-in-law and sister-in-law she had worked hard to please, and even Song Yi eventually—all would leave her.

Song Yi was the dream of her entire life. She couldn’t lose him, absolutely couldn’t lose him.

“Yes, I used to think so too.” Song Chuyi looked at her with a smile, though her eyes were already brimming with tears. “I thought Mother’s goodness to me was the same as her goodness to Aning. I thought Mother truly liked me…”

“Was Mother good to me? Was I poor to Mother?” She looked at Li Shi with a bitter smile, the despair and unwillingness of her previous life finally finding release in this one. “I trusted and respected you wholeheartedly. You said my maternal family didn’t like me, so I obediently refused to see people who came from Jinzhong. You told me to distance myself from Grandmother, so I didn’t dare attend to her. In the entire six years before this, whatever you told me to do, I did…”

Song Chuyi’s tears fell heavily to the ground. “You say you don’t know what you did wrong. I also don’t know what I did wrong… I respected and trusted you so much, yet you pushed me into the fire pit again and again. Fourth Sister’s matter—you had Huang Yao tell Third Aunt that I was faking illness. You had Huang Yao instigate me to offend Grandmother, had Nanny Wang lead me to read storybooks and drive away people from my maternal family. You sent someone to Tongzhou to deliver clothes to me, but had that person coordinate from within to inform these people of my residence and try to kill me. Mother, this is the last time I call you Mother—tell me, what exactly did I do wrong that you would treat me this way?”

Song Chuyi’s throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, so heavy and sour it made her eyes completely red.

“I said I didn’t!” Li Shi shrieked. “Why won’t you believe me? Where would I get such capability to find these people to kill you?! Do I not want my life anymore?”

Old Madam Song coughed once, staring at Li Shi with a gloomy gaze, saying in a deep voice, “Enough!”

She knew Song Chuyi wouldn’t make groundless accusations. This granddaughter had never been one to create mysteries. Since she dared come and testify against Li Shi, it proved she had absolute evidence. Yet Li Shi still foolishly hoped to move herself and these people with emotions. How stupid.

“Besides these testimonies, what other evidence is there?” She felt her brain throbbing with pain, buzzing and exploding in her head. “She’s right—she had no opportunity to go out. These thugs and ruffians probably never even saw her. How can they testify against her?”

“They may not recognize her, but they recognize the person who paid them.” Song Chuyi tilted her head to glance at Li Shi, her gaze icy. “Take them around the Li residence once, and everything will be known.”

This matter even involved the Li family! What did they take the Song family for? Where did this place herself, Song Chengru, and Song Yi?! Old Madam Song was furious beyond measure, slapping the table heavily.

But Li Ruzong was the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, with disciples everywhere and numerous students. How would he allow people to bring others to his door to investigate such sordid inner household matters?!

Could this matter just be left unresolved? Old Madam Song felt indignant in her heart, yet suddenly felt she had no options.

Until Song Chuyi coolly dropped another bombshell. “Moreover, that woman who contacted these people and informed them of my residence happened to be caught by Ye Jingchuan, and it just so happens she is one of Madam’s chamber attendants.”

Old Madam Song had once heard Song Jue mention that Song Chuyi’s residence was attacked by Tartar raiders one night. If not for Ye Jingchuan and the Crown Prince’s rescue, the situation would have been dire.

But now it seemed that night wasn’t Tartar raiders at all—they were precisely these thugs and ruffians Li Shi had sent!

Yes, how could she have forgotten this incident!

Li Shi felt as if struck by lightning, collapsing heavily to the ground. Initially, she had thought Song Chuyi would definitely die. Once she was dead, naturally there would be no one to testify, so she had been careless in her thoroughness and forgotten about this woman… Now this woman had instead become a knife stabbing toward herself!

Nanny Huang had already gone out and brought that woman in. The woman’s face was devoid of color, her legs shaking like chaff, soft as a puddle. As soon as she entered, she continuously cried and shouted, begging Li Shi to save her.

What had truly happened was now self-evident.

The First Madam opened her eyes wide in shock, finally unable to help but sigh.

She knew this virtuous and kind second sister-in-law might not be as gentle, courteous, and humble as imagined, but she hadn’t expected her to harbor such vicious thoughts and actually dare to act on them.

For Song Chuyi to make a living under such a ruthless and merciless stepmother—who knew how difficult it must have been? If she made one careless mistake, her life would probably be gone. It was truly like walking on thin ice.

Old Madam Song was finally enraged to the extreme, kicking Li Shi. “How could you be so depraved and immoral!”