Chapter 307: Wolf-dog Den, Tiger’s Rump
The silver hairpin fell onto the white jade tiles with a CLINK.
Blood splashed all around, like plum blossoms that had yet to bloom.
Then, as if drained of all strength, Su Daiyue collapsed onto the couch, gasping for breath.
Ji Qingwu sighed softly. She stepped forward to examine Ma Pozi’s body, checked for breath under her nose, and said, "She’s dead."
A single tear slowly trickled from the corner of Su Daiyue’s eye. "Do you think I’m cruel?"
Ji Qingwu chose not to comment on the dispute between them.
Su Daiyue continued, speaking as if to herself, "I’m not the daughter of the primary wife. My birth mother was a concubine. In that man-eating den of wolves that is the Su family, I had to be cruel to survive this long."
’The Su family... a den of wolves...’
Ji Qingwu furrowed her brow but still said nothing.
Her silence provided Su Daiyue with the perfect outlet to pour out her emotions.
"Everyone says I’m Prime Minister Su’s most beloved youngest daughter."
Su Daiyue scoffed. "Beloved?"
Just as she was about to reveal the Su family’s secrets...
The door to the room was pushed open. Su Fengyue and Song Wei froze in place when they saw Ma Pozi in a pool of blood on the floor.
Along with shock, a trace of wild joy bloomed in Song Wei’s heart. ’Now there’s truly no one left to testify against me.’
He strode forward and shook the old woman’s body. "Nanny, what happened to you? What’s going on..."
Su Fengyue’s gaze fell on the silver hairpin. It was an old piece, and he knew who it belonged to.
He said calmly, "Have the body taken away."
Song Wei immediately called for servants to carry the body away.
The maids at the door, carrying buckets and rags, began to clean the bloodstains from the floor. They trembled with fear, not daring to look up at Su Fengyue.
For a time, the only sounds in the room were those of the servants cleaning up.
The white jade floor was quickly restored to its pristine state. Even the blood that had seeped into the cracks between the tiles was washed away.
After sitting down, Su Fengyue’s eyes gleamed with a sharp light as he asked, "Little Yue, what happened here?"
By now, Su Daiyue had sat up, her body half-supported as she leaned against a stack of pillows.
Under Su Fengyue’s interrogating gaze, she said timidly, "Father, that treacherous wretch tried to harm me. My miscarriage... it was all her doing."
Before Su Daiyue could explain why Ma Pozi had harmed her, Song Wei quickly interjected, "Father-in-law, I was just telling you! There must have been someone pulling the strings behind Doctor Huang. Otherwise, he never would have dared to harm my wife."
"Unfortunately, while I was investigating yesterday, Doctor Huang committed suicide to escape justice."
Ji Qingwu, who had been sitting at a round table to the side, hadn’t moved an inch. Her breathing slowed. ’Huang Zhitang from Qingchun Hall is already dead?’
’Just a few days ago, he was holding Le Xi’s medical text, passionately arguing with me.’
Ji Qingwu pressed her lips together and gave a slight shake of her head.
"To think that the one to commit such a wicked act was my wife’s own wet nurse!" Song Wei said, looking utterly heartbroken. "Thankfully, my wife is perceptive and noticed something was wrong with Nanny Ma."
Hearing his talent for telling such bald-faced lies, Su Daiyue simply closed her eyes and turned her head away.
Seeing her look of disgust, the affection in Song Wei’s eyes only deepened.
"Little Yue and our child were harmed by a villain. Though it’s hard to guard against a thief within one’s own home, I cannot shirk my responsibility. It’s only natural that Little Yue harbors some resentment toward me."
Song Wei then turned to Su Fengyue. "This was all due to my negligence. I ask Father-in-law to mete out punishment as you see fit."
Su Fengyue remained composed, but his expression was grim. He was clearly unsatisfied with Song Wei’s explanation.
He asked, "Little Yue, have you suffered any other wrongs in the Song family? Tell me, and Father will see that justice is done for you."
Hearing this, Song Wei broke out in a nervous sweat and humbled himself even further.
"My dear, it is all my fault, every last bit of it. I can’t live without you. If you leave me and go back to the Su family, what will I do? Please, forgive my careless mistake."
He stressed several of the words, as if to show his desperation and sincerity.
Listening from the side, Ji Qingwu’s face scrunched up in a frown.
’When a man puts on such an act of devotion, he can even fool himself.’
’If I didn’t know the truth, I might actually believe Song Wei was a good husband who doted on his wife.’
Having been an official for many years, Su Fengyue naturally wouldn’t just take one person’s word for it. He asked, "Little Yue, have you been wronged?"
Su Daiyue lowered her eyes and said, "No. My husband... is very good to me. This wasn’t his fault."
Su Fengyue’s gaze swept over the two of them. After a long moment, he said, "Little Yue, even though you are married, there will always be a place for you in my heart. When I named you myself, it was with the hope that you would be as noble and pure as the moon."
His words carried the tone of a loving father, but Su Daiyue’s throat tightened.
She covered her mouth and hunched over slightly, suppressing a strong wave of revulsion.
She said slowly, "Father, I’m fine. I’m sorry to have worried you."
Ji Qingwu carefully observed Su Daiyue’s reaction. ’This is... a post-traumatic stress response.’
Su Fengyue withdrew his gaze from his now gaunt and haggard daughter and let it fall upon the woman with the delicately furrowed brows and a face like a ripe, pink peach.
"Lady Wei, I hope what just happened didn’t frighten you."
Ji Qingwu was still watching the drama unfold between the three of them and was caught off guard at being addressed. She wasn’t yet used to the title "Lady Wei."
She saw Su Fengyue looking at her with a kindly expression, while Song Wei was staring at her, lost in thought.
Ji Qingwu said in a clear voice, "I was."
"So—"
She stood up. "I’ll ask both of you gentlemen to apologize for this, along with the matter of slandering both me and my clinic."
*
Zhaoyang Hall was still surrounded so tightly it was like an iron fortress. Not even a mosquito could hope to fly inside.
Inside the hall, with the warm glow of lanterns making it as bright as day, it was impossible to tell what time it was outside.
Emperor Wu Su’s long fingers held a secret report delivered by the Hidden Guard, Si Hai, while his other hand rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Li Yuzong was well-trained. The moment he saw Emperor Wu Su rub his brow, he knew that particular expression was because of Ji Qingwu.
"Holy Emperor, please do not worry."
Zhao Mingyan stated, "She’s been taken to the Song family residence."
Chief Li added considerately, "Mr. Duan has already sent a man to report that Mr. Lu is on his way to the Song family residence."
Zhao Mingyan placed the secret report into a hidden compartment.
He raised an eyebrow. "What is Lu Juan doing there?"
The Emperor had not been informed of this beforehand; he was only just now learning of it.
Li Yuzong studied Emperor Wu Su’s expression. ’Why does he seem displeased?’
He ventured cautiously, "The Holy Emperor cannot make an appearance at this time, and this matter concerns Prime Minister Su’s daughter. Miss Ji might be at a disadvantage, so it is perfect for Mr. Lu to go and offer support."
Lu Juan’s status was indeed the most suitable for the task.
First, he and Su Fengyue were peers of opposing factions in the Central Secretariat. Second, he was Ji Qingwu’s brother-in-law.
He was the perfect person to go and lend his weight to the situation.
Zhao Mingyan’s gaze was icy. "Who gave him permission to act on his own authority?"
Li Yuzong stealthily raised his head to glance at the Emperor.
’Did I just tread on the tiger’s tail?’