What she had originally thought was merely a case of an illicit pregnancy and a woman with somewhat compromised virtue—but otherwise a refined and virtuous lady from a scholarly family—turned out to harbor such malicious thoughts within!
Old Madam Song thought of the days Song Chuyi had endured all these years, thought of how Song Yan’s personality had grown increasingly withdrawn recently, and suddenly felt her heart ache.
Then she suddenly recalled the letters Song Chuyi had sent back from Tongzhou these past days, always reporting that she was safe. Even the letter sent back the day after the attack only mentioned that she herself was unharmed, with not a single word about Li Shi’s involvement. Was this because she feared Li Shi, or because she suspected that Old Madam Song herself would show favoritism toward Li Shi, and therefore wanted to wait until all the evidence was in hand before exposing everything?
As she pondered this, her heart surged with disappointment and a sense of loss at not being trusted, yet when her eyes met Song Chuyi’s gaze, she couldn’t help but turn her head away.
She dared not imagine how anxiously and arduously Song Chuyi had lived her days before being taken in to live at Ningde Court. Even less did she dare imagine whether, each time she fell ill, she had tossed and turned through sleepless nights longing for Cui Shi, yearning for her own salvation.
She must have, mustn’t she? But having been too disappointed, she habitually wore a faint smile, gritting her teeth to endure it all, until Li Shi held the butcher’s knife to her throat. Only then, pushed beyond all endurance, did she dare summon the courage to risk mutual destruction.
Old Madam Song closed her eyes, then looked heavily at Li Shi.
“Take all these people away,” she waved her hand. Immediately someone dragged that group of people out. Then she looked at Li Shi, first snorting coldly before slowly exhaling: “Although your scheme didn’t succeed, you did indeed commit wrongdoing. Our Song family cannot keep a woman as morally corrupt and depraved as you.”
This meant she would be divorced?! Li Shi felt her surging passion instantly turn to ashes. She crawled forward several steps on her knees and clutched Old Madam Song’s legs, crying with heart-wrenching grief: “No! Old Madam, don’t tell the Master, don’t tell the Master!”
She became somewhat incoherent, clinging to Old Madam Song and refusing to let go: “Besides, if you divorce me, what will happen to Aning?! How will she hold her head up in the future? All these years, even if I haven’t achieved merit, I’ve at least worked hard. I’ve lived frugally and managed the household for the Master’s sake, Old Madam!”
Sure enough, she began her routine of seeking death and demanding life again. Song Chuyi sneered silently.
Old Madam Song did indeed begin to hesitate. Song Yi had already lost one wife; if he divorced another daughter-in-law, how would the people of the capital view the Earl of Changning’s household in the future?
Just as she was about to speak, Steward Lin’s wife suddenly rushed in with an urgent expression to report: “Old Madam, Great Madam, the maternal uncle and his wife from Jinzhong have arrived! The Great Master and the Young Master are currently receiving guests in the flower hall!”
The Cui family had actually come at this moment!
Old Madam Song stood up in shock, then immediately looked at Song Chuyi with suspicion.
The timing was too coincidental—so coincidental that she couldn’t help but suspect whether Song Chuyi had notified the Cui family of something, prompting them to send people to seek justice for Song Chuyi.
She then hastily ordered First Madam to personally go welcome the Cui family’s Great Madam—after all, female family members should be received by her. Then she had Li Shi and the others moved to the side chamber behind the screen.
First Madam knew this couldn’t be delayed and hurriedly composed herself before going out to greet them. But even though she presented what she thought was her most amiable smile, she wasn’t met with a Madam Cui in an equally good mood. Madam Cui’s face was as cold as frost, her expression gloomy as she followed First Madam into Ningde Court.
Madam Cui had an extremely distinguished background—she was the legitimate daughter of Prince Zhuang, and moreover a princess personally enfeoffed by the current emperor. In this world, the only princess who could now legitimately address the current emperor as “uncle” was her alone.
First Madam dared not offend her, and Old Madam Song also gave her due respect. Even seeing her cold and frosty appearance, she suppressed her reaction and remained composed, smiling as she beckoned to her: “What’s the matter? Our Thirteenth Lady has never put on such airs as a princess before.”
Madam Cui stepped forward to support Old Madam Song’s hand, glanced left and right, then broke into a cold smile: “Old Madam, why don’t I see Second Madam?”
She had truly come to demand an accounting.
Old Madam Song exchanged a glance with First Madam.
Before Old Madam Song could say anything more, Madam Cui had already begun to laugh coldly: “This time, Old Madam must forgive me, for I must not only assume my airs as a princess, but I’m afraid I’ll also have to borrow my uncle’s authority.”
The current emperor was her blood uncle, who had always doted on this niece who had lost her father.
Old Madam Song’s heart immediately jumped in alarm, and she pressed urgently: “Thirteenth Lady, what do you mean by this?”
“To be frank with you, Old Madam, Tingting is one of only two legitimate daughters in the Cui family, always cherished and protected like the apple of our eye.” Madam Cui’s expression remained poor: “Back when she gave birth to Yan’er, I specially came to the capital to see her and invited many imperial physicians to examine her. They all said she was carrying this pregnancy extremely well, with excellent fetal signs. Yet she still met with disaster…”
Old Madam Song’s expression grew increasingly ugly, and First Madam also uncomfortably curled her hand and coughed several times.
“When she met with disaster, Mother was heartbroken. Yingshu and I personally came to the capital to visit, but all the servants who had been attending to her had completely disappeared.” Madam Cui glanced at Old Madam Song, her lips curling with slight mockery: “Where did the people who served her go? Old Madam told us at the time that they had made mistakes while serving Tingting and were dismissed. Old Madam still remembers, doesn’t she?”
She had come to the capital to settle old scores from years past. Old Madam Song’s face instantly became extremely ugly.
From then until now, Li Shi had never given anyone peace of mind!
“Thirteenth Lady, what are you trying to say?” Old Madam Song tapped the table with her fingers and sighed: “Speak plainly.”
What was destined to come would arrive one day. Li Shi’s marriage into the family had been disgraceful to begin with, and indeed, because of her illicit pregnancy, Tingting’s servants had been dismissed to silence them…
“Yingshu searched for them for a full five years. Quite fortunately, a few months ago, we finally found one of the senior maids who had served Tingting back then, called Lianyi. I wonder if Old Madam and First Madam still remember her?” Madam Cui’s tone suddenly became stern: “But the truth we learned from her mouth is entirely different from what we heard here from you! Tell me, whom should the Cui family believe?!”
The Cui family had actually spent five full years investigating Cui Shi’s death! First Madam looked toward the side chamber in shock, suddenly realizing something. That Li Shi’s hired assassination and the events from years past were being exposed together—was it coincidence, or had it been planned all along?
But whether it was coincidence or the result of Song Chuyi coordinating with the Cui family, Li Shi would be impossible to escape unscathed this time—if the Cui family could spend five years investigating the cause of Cui Tingting’s death, it showed the degree of importance they placed on her. Li Shi would most likely pay a terrible price.