“Let her go.”
As Su E’huang was being dragged to the threshold, Wei Shao suddenly spoke.
The aura of fury around him had dissipated, replaced by an icy demeanor.
Su E’huang sat crumpled on the ground, her hair disheveled, her clothes in disarray, and her face streaked with tears. She looked utterly defeated and pathetic. Her hand, once as flawless as jade, now clutched the doorframe desperately, the blue veins beneath her skin visible like a spider’s web.
“Zhonglin! My nephew, during last year’s Deer Hunt Assembly, acted despicably. When I scolded him afterward, he harbored resentment. Later, I ordered him to kill the wife of Earl Li, but he was seduced by that woman. The two engaged in an illicit affair, and he refused to carry out my orders. Only when I forced his hand did he reluctantly kill her, surely adding another grudge against me. Recently, I discovered that one of my maids was consorting with him. That wretched servant, emboldened by this connection, not only showed disrespect towards me but also cursed me behind my back. In a moment of anger, I punished her too severely, ending her life. He showed obvious resentment then, his hatred for me must have grown even deeper. I don’t know how you learned of my alleged plan to harm Grandmother, but when you captured Su Xin for interrogation, he, harboring hatred towards me and seeking to save himself, naturally followed your line of questioning and pushed all the blame onto me! How wrong I am!”
Wei Shao looked on without responding.
Su E’huang’s mouth gaped like a fish out of water, her breath coming in rapid gasps, her chest heaving violently. Yet her mind was racing.
She knew that in moments like these, she couldn’t let fear cloud her judgment. The slightest sign of weakness would lead to her downfall.
She hadn’t done those things!
None of those matters had anything to do with her!
She repeated this to herself over and over in her mind, gradually convincing herself that this was the truth. The strength that had been rapidly draining from her body suddenly surged back.
“I admit that I ordered Su Xin to kill the wife of the Earl in Yuyang City. I don’t deny this. Do you know why? Because I hated her to the bone! She used to live in Luoyang, and for a time, we were close friends. I considered her my confidante and shared everything with her. Little did I know she was deceiving me, secretly having an affair with Liu Li. When I found out, I was furious and confronted her, but she humiliated me instead. I broke off our friendship after that. But she didn’t stop there; she continued to meet with Liu Li in secret. I had no choice but to pretend I didn’t see. What I never imagined was that this harlot, to enhance their bedroom activities, had been feeding Liu Li aphrodisiacs for a long time. While these drugs heightened pleasure, they also consumed one’s vitality. By the time I learned of this, Liu Li was beyond help, and no medicine could save him. That’s how I lost my husband. How could I not hate her? Moreover, on his deathbed, Liu Li finally regretted his actions and implored me to kill that harlot to avenge him. It was for my late husband’s dying wish that I had no choice but to kill her!”
She finished in one breath, swallowing hard to moisten her mouth and throat, which had suddenly become dry due to this unexpected turn of events. She raised her eyes to meet Wei Shao’s, which remained cold and expressionless.
“I admit to killing the Earl’s wife, but my connection with that wretched woman ends there! As for what you said about her association with Lady Jiang, and how Lady Jiang obtained poison from her to harm Grandmother, I truly know nothing about it! Zhonglin, I beg you not to believe one-sided accounts! As for my nephew…”
Her gaze swept over Su Xin, still lying on the ground, with disgust.
“Though he is my nephew, his character is despicable, without loyalty or honor. I didn’t realize this before, but having him by my side recently, I’ve gradually seen his true nature. He only seeks to save himself and speaks nonsense, following your questions to falsely accuse me of these crimes…”
Su Xin had awakened from his intense pain, pretending to be unconscious on the ground. But hearing Su E’huang’s words defaming him, with every bone in his body still aching as if being butchered, and remembering Wei Shao’s earlier brutality, he shuddered and could no longer keep up the act. He cried out, “My Lord… I’m not speaking nonsense… Though she didn’t tell me directly, I could see it… She desperately wanted to marry you… She hated that the Old Madam disliked her…”
Su E’huang’s teeth itched with hatred. She regretted her momentary lapse in judgment in keeping such an incompetent person by her side.
Just moments ago when she was lost in thought before the mirror, the idea of eliminating Su Xin had crossed her mind again.
Su Xin knew too much. And it had become increasingly clear that he was not a reliable asset. Keeping him around would only be a potential threat to herself in the future.
This thought has surfaced several times recently.
But she had hesitated, unable to make a firm decision.
Now, at this moment, she finally regretted it. Regretted not getting rid of this nephew earlier.
Why couldn’t he understand that only by protecting his aunt could he have a chance to continue living well?
It was all because she wasn’t ruthless enough, which had now led her into this desperate situation.
Su E’huang lunged forward, striking Su Xin hard across the face, and shouted furiously, “How did I end up with such a nephew who twists the truth and confuses right and wrong!”
She raised her head, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Zhonglin! I admit that I still harbored old feelings for you. That day when I came to see you, I told you that my entire life had been constrained by the fortune-telling at my birth, leading me to my current state. I deeply regret it! Those were truly my heartfelt words; I didn’t deceive you in the slightest! In our youth, you were the one I loved, and I gave you my heart sincerely. In the end, I couldn’t overcome my family’s arrangements and married Liu Li instead. But you know the torment I suffered in my heart then, how painful it was! You must remember how beautiful my voice used to be. You once praised me, saying, ‘Sister, your voice is enchanting.’ I promised then that I would sing for you for a lifetime. After marrying Liu Li, I used medicine to ruin my voice, telling others I had accidentally taken the wrong medicine when ill. Why did I do this? It was because of your praise for my voice and the promise I made to you. Though I couldn’t marry you as I wished for the rest of my life, I would never sing or make music for another man…”
“Silence!” Wei Shao suddenly roared.
But Su E’huang seemed to have been moved by her own words. Her snow-white shoulders shook with sobs, tears flowing uncontrollably, quickly soaking the red bodice on her chest. She continued, “If you don’t want to hear about the past, I won’t speak of it. But I told you very clearly that day, though I am unworthy, I know my place. I knew long ago that the past couldn’t be reclaimed. The fact that you still show me mercy now, protecting me and saying you will shelter me for life, already makes me content. How could I be so foolish as to plot against the Old Madam? Even if she were gone, would you marry me? When I was young and visited your home, Grandmother treated me extremely well, with great kindness and love. I have no grudge against her, so why would I suddenly become so vicious and insane as to want to harm her life? Every effect has a cause. I have no reason to harm the Old Madam! And just now, Zhonglin, you said I instructed Lady Jiang to poison her. She has been by your mother’s side for decades, constantly at her service, while I can hardly enter the gates of your Wei family. How could I possibly persuade her to act on my behalf?”
Wei Shao coldly replied, “My mother’s brother once harmed Lady Jiang’s son. My mother’s handling of the matter was unjust. Lady Jiang lost her child and harbored hatred since then, suppressing it without revealing it. Later, you used her, helping her seek revenge, so she willingly followed your instructions to plot against my grandmother and frame my mother! You vicious woman, to have schemed to such an extent, and yet you still dare to speak to me of our youthful past!”
Su E’huang’s eyelid twitched, and her heart, which had gradually calmed down, began to race again at Wei Shao’s words.
“Zhonglin! I don’t know where you heard all this! You can always find a pretext if you’re determined to punish someone! If you have real evidence, I am willing to die by your hand today without a word of complaint! But if you condemn me based only on others’ groundless slander, even in death, I will not close my eyes!”
She raised her chin and cried out hoarsely.
Wei Shao stared at her for a moment, his eyes dark and unfathomable, impossible to discern his thoughts. Suddenly, he ordered the two Tiger Warriors outside, “Lock her in the dungeon,” and turned to leave.
Su E’huang let out a cry of shock.
She could hear that his voice held no emotion, not even a trace of disgust. It was like a blood-soaked sword, still ice-cold without a hint of human warmth.
She knew he meant what he said.
She knew all too well what the dungeon was like.
In the darkest, most gloomy underground of the Luoyang mansion, there was also such a dungeon.
No one locked in there, no matter how strong-willed, could last more than half a year.
She still remembered when she had Liu Li’s favored concubine, who had ruined her voice, locked up there. After just three months, when she went down to see the woman, she had become unrecognizable, so mad that she grabbed her excrement and stuffed it into her mouth.
The color drained from Su E’huang’s face once again. She crawled a few steps and grabbed Wei Shao’s leg from behind, refusing to let go.
“Zhonglin! You can’t do this to me! I didn’t harm your grandmother! I didn’t!”
She screamed at the top of her lungs, tears streaming down her face in strings.
Wei Shao raised his foot and shook off her hand. Su E’huang fell to the ground.
“Who was it? Who told you such things? Was it that Qiao woman? Yes, it must have been her! Zhonglin! How can you believe her words! Have you forgotten how your father and brothers died? They were killed by the Qiao family! Have you also forgotten the heavy oath you swore in the family temple, to exterminate the entire Qiao clan? How can you now be fooled by this Qiao woman, believing her one-sided account and not trusting me? The Qiao family has a vendetta against you! They sent her over because they fear your future revenge, to guard against you and scheme against you!”
She had originally fallen to the ground, weeping pitifully, but suddenly she crawled up and shouted at Wei Shao’s retreating: “In this world when it comes to women and men, it all boils down to schemes. Either schemes of the heart or schemes for profit! Think about it, Zhonglin. She and Liu Yang from Langya were originally childhood sweethearts, deeply in love and even betrothed. How is it that as soon as the Qiao family sent her over, she became so gentle and alluring towards you, willingly submitting to your desires? Zhonglin, you’ve always been wise. Think about it, and you’ll know she can’t possibly be sincere towards you! With such deep schemes, she must have other motives! Now, because you couldn’t bear to see me persecuted by Xing Xun and offered me protection, she slanders me in front of you…”
“That’s it!”
Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she scrambled to her feet.
“Lady Jiang must have been bought by her, working for her without a doubt! The Qiao and Wei families are sworn enemies. The Qiao family sending a woman over is certainly not as simple as an alliance through marriage! The underlying purpose, Zhonglin, you must be on guard against—”
Wei Shao, who had already stepped out and was walking away, suddenly stopped in his tracks.
After a moment, he abruptly turned around and strode back towards Su E’huang.
He stopped in front of Su E’huang, hands behind his back, looking down at her. At first, his gaze was cold and his expression blank.
Su E’huang was gasping for breath, unsteady on her feet. She fell back to the ground, looking up at him with a pitiful expression. “Zhonglin… you must believe me… the Qiao woman can’t be trusted… I’m the one who truly has your best interests at heart…”
“You wretched slave!”
In an instant, Wei Shao seemed to explode. He stepped forward, grabbed Su E’huang by the throat with his outstretched hand, and lifted her entire body off the ground.
His face was contorted, his eyes blazing with fury, looking terrifyingly fierce.
“You plotted against my grandmother! Even so, in her letter, my grandmother still told me not to act against you yet! If you had honestly confessed to your crimes, for my grandmother’s sake, I might have let you leave unharmed! I didn’t expect you to be so obstinate, and in the end, you even dare to slander my wife with such vicious words?”
The veins on his temples throbbed visibly, his knuckles protruding as his fingers gradually tightened. Su E’huang’s neck was gripped so tightly she couldn’t breathe. Her face turned red, her eyes rolled back, and her hands flailed wildly in the air, making strange, harsh sounds from her throat.
Just as one of her hands desperately grabbed Wei Shao’s sleeve, he released his grip. Su E’huang collapsed to the ground, coughing painfully.
“What is the military punishment for attempted murder?” he asked the Tiger Warriors behind him coldly.
The Tiger Warrior lowered his head and replied, “Cutting off the nose as a warning.”
Wei Shao said, “Carry out the sentence.” His voice was emotionless. After speaking, he turned and left.
Behind him, a piercing, disbelieving scream of anguish rang out.
Then it was abruptly cut off.
…
By the middle of the Hai hour, Wei Shao had not yet returned.
Though it was late, Xiao Qiao couldn’t sleep at all. She lay on her pillow, eyes closed, thinking about Wei Shao’s furious expression when he left, feeling a vague sense of unease.
She tossed and turned until the end of the Hai hour when she finally heard familiar footsteps outside.
The door wasn’t latched. Wei Shao pushed it open and entered.
Xiao Qiao quickly got out of bed, put on a robe, and went to meet him. Seeing his grave expression, as if his anger hadn’t fully subsided, she didn’t dare ask for details. She only softly asked if he wanted a late-night snack. Wei Shao shook his head, so she helped him prepare for his bath.
After he came out of the bathroom, they both got into bed. After lying down, Xiao Qiao closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them to see him lying on his back with his eyes closed, his brow furrowed with fatigue. After a moment of hesitation, she placed her hand on his stomach, caressing it gently, and asked softly, “What’s wrong, my husband?”
Wei Shao opened his eyes and turned to look at her for a moment. Suddenly, he reached out and pulled her to his chest, answering a different question: “Manman, have you ever kept anything from me?”