Chapter 155 The Substitute Must Die

Song Qingming, holding a dagger, approached step by step.

The tip of Bai Mei's sword pointed straight at him: "Let's see who dares to step forward!"

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Song Tianhan suddenly threw a handful of white powdery incense at Bai Mei.

Caught off guard, Bai Mei inhaled most of it and immediately felt weak in her limbs, her vision blurred, and her sword clattered to the ground.

Shen Yiqiu: "Bai Mei!"

She exclaimed in surprise, pulled out the sharp hairpin from her hair, and stepped forward to support the swaying white plum blossom.

"Miss! Bai Mei!"

Qingzhu was about to help when Song Tianhan kicked her in the stomach. She curled up, blood slowly flowing from the corner of her mouth.

The Song family members exchanged a vicious look, like wolves eyeing prey, and slowly surrounded them from all directions.

Bai Mei, enduring the dizziness brought on by the intoxicating fragrance, bit her tongue to maintain a sliver of clarity, and immediately thought of taking everyone down with her.

She shoved Shen Yiqiu behind her abruptly and hissed:

"Miss, run!"

At the same time, he flipped his foot, and his sword landed steadily in his palm. He then twirled the sword in a sharp flourish and thrust it towards his eldest brother, Song Tianhan, who was charging at the front.

Her swordsmanship was swift and ruthless, with each move aimed at vital points. It was a fighting style that required soldiers to risk their lives. For a moment, Song Tianhan was forced to panic and his arm was slashed open.

"You lowly servant girl, you're asking for death!"

Seeing this, the second brother, Song Wenbin, grabbed a heavy door latch from the corner of the warehouse and smashed it hard against Bai Mei from the side.

Hearing the sound of the wind, Bai Mei parried with her sword, resulting in a loud bang and sparks flying everywhere.

Her limbs were already weak, and the shock caused her to split her hand, nearly dropping her sword. She staggered back several steps.

The third and fourth brothers took the opportunity to bypass them and rushed straight at Shen Yiqiu, who was being protected by Bai Mei.

Despite the excruciating pain in her abdomen, Qingzhu rushed forward without hesitation, clinging tightly to her fourth brother's leg, and screaming:

"Don't touch the young lady!"

"Get out of my way!"

Fourth Brother cursed angrily and kicked Qingzhu hard in the already injured abdomen.

Qingzhu was in so much pain that she almost fainted, but she still refused to let go and bit his calf hard.

"ah!"

Fourth Brother let out a miserable howl and kicked and punched Qingzhu even more frantically.

On the other side, Third Brother had rushed to Shen Yiqiu and reached out to grab her hair.

Shen Yiqiu's eyes were icy cold. Instead of retreating, she crouched down and lunged forward, her sharp hairpin aimed straight at Third Brother's wrist.

The hairpin pierced deeply, and the third brother cried out in pain as he pulled his hand away.

Without pausing, Shen Yiqiu pulled out the hairpin and slashed at Song Sangyu, who was trying to approach from the other side. With just a glance, Song Sangyu screamed and retreated in fright. Her sleeve was not able to dodge in time and was slashed with a long mark.

"All of you, get her! Hold her down!"

Song Qingming, standing to the side, gave stern instructions, then took a few steps back, his face contorted in a ferocious expression.

Bai Mei, on her side, was fighting her eldest and second brothers alone, and was already at her last gasp.

As the effects of the drug continued to rise, her movements became increasingly sluggish. In a moment of carelessness, she was struck in the side by her second brother's door bolt, and with a muffled groan, she fell to the ground.

The eldest brother immediately stepped forward, pressed his knee firmly against her back, took her sword, and tied her hands behind her back.

With Bai Mei dealt with, all the pressure from the Song family suddenly fell on Shen Yiqiu.

Shen Yiqiu leaned against the cold wall, holding a blood-stained hairpin, breathing heavily.

Her gaze swept over Bai Mei, who had been knocked to the ground and whose life was unknown, and Qing Zhu, who was still being abused by her fourth brother, and she was consumed by rage.

"Attack together!"

Song Tianhan spat out the blood and roared fiercely.

The five men pounced on them simultaneously.

Shen Yiqiu forced the two men back with her hairpin, but Song Qingming grabbed her wrist from the side. Her third brother took the opportunity to hug her waist, and her fourth brother also broke free from Qingzhu. Together with Song Sangyu, they held down her legs tightly.

No matter how much she struggled, kicked, or even banged her head against the ground, she couldn't break free from the grip of those hands.

They were like vines that had wrapped around her, gradually draining all her strength.

After struggling for a while, his wrists were roughly twisted behind his back, and he was pinned to the ground, unable to move.

The hairpin fell to the ground.

Song Tianhan deliberately walked towards the limp Bai Mei, kicked her with all his might, and grinned maliciously:

"Look! This is what happens to your loyal lackeys! This is what happens when they follow you!"

Qingzhu struggled to get up, but was kicked hard in the chest, spitting out a mouthful of blood. She crashed into the wall, slid down, and was powerless to move.

Shen Yiqiu's eyes were bloodshot with rage. She regretted leaving herself a way out and not completely eliminating these wolves and tigers, who had tried to kill her time and time again.

She forced herself to calm down and quickly looked around.

This secret room is hidden deep inside the storeroom, completely sealed off. If the Cloud Piercing Arrow given to her by the Crown Prince is released from here, the signal will not be transmitted at all. She must find a way to get out to have any chance of survival.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm:

"I am now the rightful Marquis of Yongjia, and also the Crown Princess personally acknowledged by the Crown Prince. If you kill me, aren't you afraid that His Highness the Crown Prince will be furious and have your entire family executed?"

Song Tianhan laughed disdainfully, feeling utterly confident:

"Crown Princess? What use is a dead Crown Princess? We've already planned this out, to fabricate a story that you committed suicide in the storeroom because of the unbearable rumors!"

"We'll just burn this warehouse to the ground, leaving no one to testify. Even if the Crown Prince suspects it was us, the law won't punish so many."

"If he can't produce any evidence, does he think he can just kill every single one of the hundred members of the Song family? Does he still want his position as crown prince?"

Song Qingming added nonchalantly:

"Moreover, we have the Fu family's son-in-law by marriage, and Sang Yu is carrying the Fu family's precious grandson. Would the Fu family just stand by and watch us get into trouble? Even if the Crown Prince doesn't care about us, he'll have to consider the Fu family's importance!"

As Shen Yiqiu listened to their meticulous plan, her heart sank lower and lower.

Just when she was in despair, she suddenly looked up and burst into a mournful laugh. The laughter echoed in the empty warehouse, sounding particularly terrifying.

Song Sangyu felt uneasy at her laughter and shouted sharply:

"why are you laughing?!"

Shen Yiqiu stopped laughing, her gaze fixed on Song Sangyu's face:

"I laugh at myself. My biggest regret is that I didn't kill you with a single blow that day in the palace!"

Her tone shifted, as if she had resigned herself to her fate:

"I lost. But even if I die, I want to die with a clear conscience. Tell me, did you kill my grandmother, Marquis Yongjia, Shen Zhaohua?"

The older brothers looked impatient:

"Stop wasting your breath on her! Let's get this over with!"

Song Sangyu raised her hand to stop them, and became smug:

"Since you want to know, then I will mercifully tell you, so that you can be a conscious ghost. Even if you become a vengeful ghost and seek revenge, don't come looking for me, because from beginning to end, the person who wanted your grandmother to die the most was Consort Zhao."

"Back then, His Majesty summoned the old Marquis of Yongjia to the palace for a meeting, but by a twist of fate, he favored a palace maid who was serving nearby. That person was Consort Zhao, my mother Zhao Xuan's younger sister, Zhao Mengrou. As a result, she rose to prominence and enjoyed the Emperor's favor for a time!"

Zhao Mengrou is actually Zhao Xuan's younger sister!

Shen Yiqiu frowned: "What does this have to do with my grandmother?"

Song Sangyu gloated:

"It's all because your grandmother's face bears a striking resemblance to Consort Zhao. It's precisely because of this face that Consort Zhao is so wary of her."

"How could she tolerate a substitute, a true heroine, occupying His Majesty's attention and heart? As long as the old Marquis of Yongjia lives, she will never escape the shadow of being a substitute. Therefore, she must die!"