Song Chengru stood in the flower hall with his hands clasped behind his back, listened carefully to what Cui Yingshu had to say, nodded, and then asked: “Since you’ve found Lianyi and that midwife, I wonder if you could bring them up so I can question them?”
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Cui Yingshu. On the contrary, he completely believed in Cui Yingshu’s character and abilities. But he also knew the Li family’s nature far too well. Without concrete evidence, they would absolutely refuse to admit anything.
And if he had to choose between the Li family and the Cui family, he would of course choose the Cui family without hesitation.
Just then someone came to report that a party from the Li family had arrived. Cui Yingshu glanced at Old Master Song and smiled: “Since everyone has arrived, let’s clarify everything properly. Old Master, how about this—let them all see these witnesses together. What do you say?”
Old Master Song understood Cui Yingshu’s meaning. He had no objections.
If Cui Tingting’s death was truly Li Shi’s doing, he too wanted the Li family to provide an explanation—to force their person into the household, they had dared to bribe a midwife to kill a Song family daughter-in-law. What kind of intentions were hidden behind this? Moreover, if they dared to move against Cui Shi, they might not hesitate to move against other members of the Song family in the future…
Old Master Song nodded and had someone go notify Old Madam Song.
Old Madam Li hadn’t expected that her daughter’s downfall would leave her in such a wretched state. She immediately stood up and rushed forward several steps to embrace her, laughing coldly as she looked at Old Madam Song: “How is it that before even investigating clearly, you can convict someone based on groundless accusations?! This hasn’t even gone through trial yet—how can you treat my daughter as a criminal and torment her into this state?! In-law Madam, the Cui family are your in-laws, but isn’t the Li family also your in-laws?! This kind of favoritism is unreasonable, isn’t it?”
Li Shi had long since thrown herself into Old Madam Li’s arms, crying until she could barely breathe, clutching Old Madam Song’s lapels as she wailed pitifully: “Father, Mother, save me! I’m about to be wrongly accused to death…”
Old Master Li also turned to look at Old Master Song, asking with a stern expression: “In-law, why are you suddenly saying my daughter hired assassins?! She’s merely a woman of the inner chambers who doesn’t step out of the main gate or cross the second threshold—where would she get such great ability?! If there’s something to discuss, discuss it properly. What kind of behavior is secretly detaining and beating people? That’s not the rules of a distinguished household, is it?”
Old Madam Song watched Old Madam Li’s performance with heavy eyes, only wanting to laugh coldly inside—the Cui family held evidence in their hands and had witnesses present, yet the Li family was still so defiant. She truly didn’t know if they were genuinely innocent or simply accustomed to turning around and biting their accusers.
From beginning to end, everyone from the Li family seemed not to have seen the Cui couple at all, not even offering a single greeting.
Madam Cui felt that no wonder Li Shi had grown such a vicious heart—with parents who couldn’t distinguish right from wrong like these, it was only natural she had developed into what she was now.
She clapped her hands, and immediately someone dragged in a woman in her fifties.
Seeing that person, First Madam of the Li family frowned and reflexively looked at her mother-in-law.
Old Madam Li was even more startled, as if she’d seen a ghost. Her eyes widened suddenly, and while holding her daughter, she lost her balance and fell to the ground.
Hadn’t they said this was only about investigating the hired assassination? How had this old woman been brought out?!
Li Shi noticed her mother’s alarm and also stuck her head out to look outside. When she saw Granny Zheng, her entire body panicked as she tried to hide backward, wishing she could burrow into Old Madam Li’s embrace and disappear completely.
Only now did she realize she hadn’t yet told her mother that the Cui family had come to investigate Cui Tingting’s death. She hurriedly tugged at Old Madam Li’s sleeve to tell her: “Mother, they, they came because of Cui Shi…” As she spoke, her voice trembled.
Old Madam Li immediately shifted her gaze to Madam Cui and Cui Yingshu, staring at them with venomous eyes for a while before flicking her sleeve and looking at Old Madam Song, asking in almost harsh and stern tones: “This is truly strange—when Cui Shi died, our Jingshu hadn’t even entered your gates yet. How is it that now you’re saying our daughter harmed Cui Shi?! Can any kind of words be spoken carelessly? Once these words are spoken, how will my daughter conduct herself in the future, how will my granddaughter maintain her position, and how will she get along with her sisters?! I know the Cui family has always resented my daughter marrying into the Song family, but I never imagined you’d be so vicious as to frame her, using such despicable means to throw dirty water on my daughter!”
Although she was looking at Old Madam Song, every word and sentence was clearly saying that the Cui family had ulterior motives and had deliberately bribed the midwife to frame Li Shi.
Behind Madam Cui, Song Chuyi silently curled her lips—this Old Madam Li was as sharp-tongued as ever, able to call black white and white black. With just these few short sentences, she had pushed the Cui family into the position of deliberately causing trouble.
Unfortunately, though she was vicious with her words, Madam Cui was not to be trifled with either. Madam Cui immediately stood up and pointed harshly at the midwife, demanding: “Someone says we bribed you to frame others. You tell us yourself—exactly who bribed you to harm people!”
Granny Zheng had long since been frightened out of her wits. Hearing these words, she immediately pointed at the old nanny following beside Old Madam Li: “It was her, she gave me fifty taels of silver and told me to tamper during the delivery when helping the madam give birth…”
Old Madam Li laughed coldly, looking at Madam Cui without the slightest fear, presenting a very imposing appearance: “The incident happened so long ago, and the dead cannot testify. Of course you can say whatever you want.”
This Old Madam Li was vicious in character and cruel in speech, never yielding to reason. Madam Cui was so angered by her shameless arguments that she laughed and immediately took over the conversation: “We can say whatever we want?! From beginning to end we haven’t said anything—it’s all been you talking!”
Old Master Li coughed once with his hand curled, not looking at Cui Yingshu or at Old Madam Song, but turning to look at Old Master Song: “Just one midwife—how can her words be believed? Could it be that my in-law is using just this one person to determine that my daughter committed such beastly acts?!”
Song Chuyi waved from afar toward Nanny Xu standing outside. Nanny Xu then led people to bring both Lianyi and Li Gui and the others who had been captured from the Li family’s estate by Ye Jingchuan into the flower hall together.
Although Old Master Li didn’t recognize the others, he did recognize Li Gui. He immediately looked toward his wife and daughter with suspicion.
“You can say we bribed the midwife,” Song Chuyi pointed at each of those people for Old Madam Li to see, her voice so flat it held no inflection whatsoever: “But what about Li Gui? He’s followed your family for no less than twenty years—could he also be bribed by us?”
Old Madam Li brushed off her hand and stood up supporting Li Shi, pointing an accusing finger: “When adults are speaking, where is there room for children to interrupt?! Your mother has treated you well all these years—how can you join with others to slander her?!”