Inside the room it was pleasantly cool. Occasional cicada chirps and frog croaks drifted in from outside. Through the skylight, one could see stars scattered across the night sky. After laughing enough, Song Yi’s face darkened as he stood up.

He couldn’t accept that Li Shi was a deeply scheming, ruthless villain—after all, he had shared a bed with her for six years. He had occupied all of her best years.

No matter what, he couldn’t forget that bowl of hot soup the smiling, blushing young girl had brought him on that freezing, snowy day when he was being punished with copying texts.

He remembered last year during New Year’s when Li Shi had lain in bed speaking softly, saying she truly felt sorry toward Cui Shi, saying that in the future she would certainly treat Song Chuyi and Song Yan twice as well. Suddenly his heart felt somewhat pained.

“Mother, why couldn’t you all just wait until I returned? Even if you had already convicted her, did you really have to force her to death?!” He grew agitated again, wishing he could kick down doors and people to vent his anger. “Now that she’s already dead, of course anyone can pin whatever crimes they want on her!”

Old Madam Song truly wanted to slap him again, but unfortunately even more slaps probably wouldn’t be enough to wake this son up. Beyond her disappointment, she felt somewhat angry—the Li family actually had the audacity to write to Song Yi with their malicious accusations, complaining first to gain advantage.

“What nonsense are you spouting?!” Song Chengru suddenly entered, not even having had time to change his clothes. He strode forward several steps and kicked Song Yi, angrily rebuking: “Kneel down!”

Song Yi was naturally afraid of his father. Upon hearing this command, he didn’t dare hesitate in the slightest and immediately dropped to his knees with a thud.

His son had actually left his post without a word and run back to the capital, not even giving any notice beforehand. After returning, without distinguishing right from wrong, he had questioned his mother and even suspected that Song Chuyi and the Cui family had framed Li Shi. Song Chengru was furious beyond measure and slapped the back of Song Yi’s head. “How dare you speak to your mother like this?!”

After speaking, he was too impatient to continue arguing with his son about Li Shi’s death. He simply and decisively threw all the collected evidence right in Song Yi’s face in one go.

“You think Li Shi was wronged? Then take a good look at all this!” Song Chengru watched him pick up the testimonies and sneered coldly. “Look carefully—see whether she was wronged or whether you’re stupid!”

Faced with the facts before him, Song Yi’s face gradually turned the color of pig’s liver.

He sat back on his heels somewhat dejectedly, looking at the testimonies one by one, his hands trembling.

So it turned out that the young junior martial sister from his teacher’s family whom he had liked back then, who in his memories would always blush shyly when she smiled, had actually harbored such disgraceful intentions from early on, and had even personally orchestrated Cui Shi’s death.

He couldn’t say whether what he felt in his heart was hatred, resentment, guilt, or self-reproach—perhaps all of it. His heart felt like a jar of mixed flavors had been overturned. His entire being felt as if floating in clouds and mist without any stability, as if the next moment he would fall from the clouds and be smashed to pieces.

“Well?” Song Chengru looked at him and somewhat wanted to sigh, but in the end only pulled his lips into a mocking smile. “Do you still think now that we randomly pinned crimes on your wife?! You think we didn’t want to wait for your return? You think I didn’t want to divorce that morally bankrupt, conduct-destroying Li Shi?! If she hadn’t hit her head so quickly, I would have written to have you come back and divorce her!”

The room fell so quiet for a moment that it made one uncomfortable. Old Madam Song looked at her son’s increasingly haggard complexion and finally felt somewhat unbearable. She exhaled heavily and solemnly told him to stand. “I know you had good feelings for her, but you must think of the former Cui Shi. Back then she also treated you with mutual respect and harmony as husband and wife. Li Shi is dead—that’s what she deserved!”

“You also must think of your sons and daughters.” Old Madam Song earnestly coaxed him. “All these years under Li Shi’s control, they haven’t had it easy either, especially Xiao Yi. This time in Tongzhou she nearly lost her life. Li Shi got what she deserved. If you develop resentment with your sons and daughters because of this matter, then you truly don’t deserve to be a father!”

Song Yi stiffened his neck, instinctively wanting to rebut. Everyone had eyes and had seen how well Li Shi had treated Song Yan and Song Chuyi all these years—she had been attentive to the smallest details, one could say.

But now, in such a short time, everyone had changed their story.

He didn’t speak, just hung his head and clenched his fists tightly. His mind inexplicably recalled Li Shi’s tearful pleading at that time: “Even if Xiao Yi is lovable, what wrong has Ah Ning committed…”

Song Chuyi and Song Yan were now treasured by Old Master Song and Old Madam Song, and protected by the Cui family. Everyone around them couldn’t fawn over them fast enough. But what about Song Chuning?

Song Yi felt somewhat heartbroken. The tears and grievance in his daughter’s big eyes just now had made his heart contract painfully.

Whether it was that he didn’t dare face it or whether it was an instinctive desire to escape due to guilt and unease, he made no mention of Song Chuyi and Song Yan. Instead, with a calm expression, he looked at Old Madam Song and Old Master Song, his voice heavy as he said: “This time when I came back, I want to take Ah Ning with me to my post.”

This incident with Nanny Yu might very well be connected to Song Chuning. Old Madam Song couldn’t help but be shocked. “What?!”

“Ah Ning is too young. Old Madam currently also has Little Six to raise and doesn’t have the energy to look after her as well. For her to remain alone in the Earl’s Manor would be inappropriate. If I take her with me, it will be more convenient to care for her.” Song Yi tightly gripped that stack of testimonies, speaking rapidly and urgently, as if he needed no time to think at all. “Moreover, her mother has now died. In her heart, she’s probably both frightened and terrified right now. To let her stay behind alone—I really can’t feel at ease.”

Song Chengru kept his face stern and didn’t speak.

But Old Madam Song’s heart unknowingly grew heavy—clearly Song Yi couldn’t come around for the time being. Who knew how long it would take before he thought things through? If they didn’t permit him to take Song Chuning away this time, who knew what might happen?

But if he really took Song Chuning away while disregarding Song Chuyi and Song Yan, then the resentment Song Chuyi and Song Yan felt toward him in their hearts would probably deepen by another layer.

The night deepened. The wind gradually picked up. The lotus lanterns hanging in the trees swayed slightly in the breeze. In the flickering lamplight, Song Chuning slowly revealed a smile.

She had said long ago that even if Nanny Yu died, it would be a meaningless death. Even if Old Madam Song and even Old Master Song knew that Nanny Yu’s death was connected to her, even if they knew that the fire at Songtao Courtyard couldn’t be unrelated to her—so what? There was nothing they could do.

Li Shi had already died. Someone like Song Yi would only grow increasingly wary and guilt-ridden toward Song Chuyi and Song Yan, and would instead develop enormous sympathy and tender affection for herself.

At this point, forget about getting him to believe that a six-year-old little girl like herself could kill and commit arson—even just mentioning this possibility to him slightly would probably be enough to make him collapse.

Old Madam Song and Old Master Song wouldn’t let Song Yi be destroyed.

She would, bit by bit, make Song Yi and the siblings Song Yan and Song Chuyi grow further and further apart, until finally they would turn against each other as enemies.

Thought they could rest easy just by relying on Old Madam Song? Song Chuning looked at her own plump, tender little fingers, the corners of her mouth slowly curving into a mocking smile.