Chapter Fifty-Three: Atonement for Crimes or Another Purpose?

Just as Song Yiqiu and Aunt Yun finalized their preliminary plan, Wang Mama's voice came from outside the door, clearly indicating that she had come on the orders of the mistress:

"Young Miss! Madam requests your presence!"

"Even in broad daylight, the courtyard gate is still closed. This old servant sees that you haven't closed it tightly. You must be feeling much better now, right? Since you're well, don't pretend to be sick and lazy anymore, and don't deliberately make things difficult for Madam."

"Hurry up and come with this old servant! Stop putting on airs like a young lady!"

Upon hearing this, Bai Mei's anger flared up instantly.

"That old hag is asking for it!"

She flung open the door and, before Wang Mama could utter another sound, slapped her hard across the face.

Snap!

Granny Wang was so struck that she staggered, covered her face in shock, and then trembled with rage:

"You, you wretched slut, how dare you hit me?"

Bai Mei shook her slightly reddened palms, put her hands on her hips, and scolded:

"I'm beating you, you old scoundrel! How dare you fabricate stories about your master? The young lady just woke up from serious injuries, and in your mouth it's all just feigning illness and causing trouble? I think your eyes are on your ass... all you do is spew filth!"

"If you can't speak human language, go back to your mother's womb and learn again. If you dare bark in front of my young lady's courtyard again, believe me, I'll break your legs!"

The old woman was furious, her face turning ashen, but seeing Bai Mei's fierce appearance, she ultimately dared not force her way in and could only utter a single sentence.

"Wait here! I'll report back to Madam right away!"

He then ran away in a fit of rage.

Bai Mei turned and went back into the house, blew on her palm, and muttered:

"What a blind fool! Does he think that just because you're injured, Miss, you can be bullied like this? Don't forget my dog-beating palm technique, which is specially designed to deal with those arrogant lackeys!"

Lying in bed, Song Yiqiu chuckled, amused by Bai Mei's feisty manner, and asked:

"Does your hand hurt?"

Aunt Yun watched with a pleased expression, and cautiously said:

"Young Miss, the mistress's invitation is probably for Miss Ying'er's sake... Perhaps I should accompany you?"

Bai Mei immediately chimed in:

"How dare she ask someone for help! What's there to say? That Ying'er almost killed Miss; she should just be strangled with a white silk ribbon!"

"Miss is still Madam's biological daughter. If you didn't know better, you'd think that Ying'er was the real eldest daughter of the Song family!"

Qingzhu also raised her fist:

“Young Miss, Bai Mei’s words may be rough, but her reasoning is sound. Miss Ying’er has really gone too far this time; she truly wanted to kill you! And you even helped her so much before… If it weren’t for His Highness the Crown Prince…”

As she spoke, she couldn't help but touch her chest in lingering fear.

Song Yiqiu's eyes were icy as she said to Aunt Yun:

“Aunt, please do as we just discussed. As for Mother… I’m also quite curious to see just how much influence they have to ask me to go and talk to them.”

...

Song Family Ancestral Hall.

Song Yiqiu walked over with the help of the two people, and the ancestral hall was surrounded by people.

Upon seeing Song Yiqiu, the third brother immediately stepped forward and knelt down with a sorrowful expression:

"Yiqiu, you've come. It's all my fault! I failed to keep a close eye on Ying'er, which led her to commit such a terrible crime! I'm willing to accept the family punishment, I just hope you can calm down and forgive Ying'er this time!"

Song Yiqiu looked at him coldly:

"Third Brother's act of apologizing is quite impressive. If it were Miss Wang Feiran who was pushed into the water today and suffered a bloody head injury, I wonder if Third Brother would still be so righteous? I'm afraid Miss Ying'er would have been beaten to death on the spot by Lord Wang's orders?"

The third brother was so choked up that he couldn't speak for a moment.

Seeing this, Madam Song quickly tried to smooth things over, her tone biased:

"Yiqiu, say less! Haochu knows he was wrong. Besides, Ying'er... she's still carrying our Song family's child! We can't let the child be born without a mother, can we?"

Song Sangyu also chimed in softly, speaking with kindness and generosity:

"Sister, please forgive Ying'er this time. She was just confused for a moment; she loves Third Brother so much that she lost control like that. If you're still not satisfied, I'm willing to take the punishment for her!"

Watching this scene of maternal love, filial piety, and sisterly affection, Song Yiqiu felt only disgust and nausea.

Too lazy to continue with the pretense, she said directly:

"This matter can be resolved. The death penalty can be avoided, but punishment will not be escaped."

Her gaze swept over Ying'er, and she said coldly:

"I want her slave registration document. From this day forward, she is no longer a respectable woman, but a servant of the Song family. Even if she stays in Third Brother's courtyard, she will only be a nameless and unranked maidservant."

"What?!"

Third Brother suddenly looked up and glared at Song Yiqiu.

"Song Yiqiu! Don't push your luck! How can you do this!"

"Can't?"

Song Yiqiu raised an eyebrow.

"Then we'll deal with it according to family rules. Qingzhu, according to family rules, what is the punishment for plotting against your master?"

Qingzhu immediately answered loudly, each word clear:

"Reporting to Miss, according to the family rules, if a servant plots against his master, the lightest punishment is thirty strokes of the cane and being sold to a desolate place; the heaviest punishment is... being beaten to death with sticks, or being sold to a filthy place like the Red Willow Brothel!"

Hearing this, Ying'er trembled with fear, her face turning deathly pale. She gritted her teeth, abruptly grabbed her third brother who was still trying to argue, and whispered:

"Haochu! Stop talking! Just... just listen to Miss..."

Compared to being beaten to death or sold into a brothel, the maidservants could at least stay in the Song family mansion and stay by Third Brother's side.

Third Brother looked distressed and resentful:

"Ying'er! This is too unfair to you!"

Song Yiqiu, too lazy to watch their affectionate display, turned her gaze to Song Sangyu, who was trying to keep a low profile, and slowly spoke:

"As for Song Sangyu today..."

Madam Song's heart skipped a beat, fearing that Song Yiqiu would reveal that Song Sangyu had informed Ying'er, and she immediately interrupted her:

“Yiqiu! Sangyu knows she was wrong! How about this, since your father's birthday is approaching and the household affairs are busy, I will entrust the preparation of the birthday banquet to Sangyu to practice. This will be a way for her to make amends for her mistake. What do you think?”

She forcefully changed the subject to save Song Sangyu.

Qingzhu, who was standing nearby, immediately whispered in Song Yiqiu's ear to add:

"Young Miss, I've heard that Madam has already sent a private invitation to the Earl's wife, probably intending to use this birthday banquet to confirm the relationship between Second Miss and Young Master Fu..."

Bai Mei also lowered her voice and said angrily:

"Bah! What marriage proposal from them! I think they're just trying to pull a switcheroo, trying to get the engagement transferred from you, Miss, to that adopted daughter! They're really mistaking a fish eye for a pearl, are they blind?!"

Song Yiqiu sneered inwardly, but remained outwardly calm, even agreeing readily.

"Alright. Since Mother intends to train my younger sister, then let Sangyu take full charge of Father's birthday banquet. Just make sure nothing goes wrong."

Seeing that she agreed so readily, Song Shenshi and Song Sangyu felt somewhat uneasy, but since the words had already been spoken, they had no choice but to agree.

Thinking the matter was settled, the group prepared to leave.

Song Yiqiu suddenly spoke:

"Ying'er, stay."