Song Yaozhu calmly put down her teacup. "I am a married woman and it is not appropriate for me to interfere in my family's affairs."

Song Chengzhang was taken aback. These were the words he had just used to admonish her, and now she was returning them verbatim.

"He's your older brother! How could you just stand by and watch him die!"

According to the laws of Da Chen, those who buy exam questions to cheat are subject to exile at the very least, and beheading as a public warning at worst!

“If my elder brother isn’t worried, why should Father ask me for him?”

Song Yaozhu looked at Song Qingyuan, only to see him biting his lip and remaining silent, as if asking her for help was something that would make him lose face.

Seeing his state, Song Chengzhang was furious and slapped him on the back of the head. "Quickly ask the Princess to save you!"

Song Qingyuan stubbornly turned his face away. Even though his father had beaten him into a pig's head and he was terrified of his fate, he suddenly became tough again.

"My son cannot betray Wenyue! I will not bow down to her!"

Song Yaozhu remained silent. The Song family's thought process was indeed seriously flawed.

But that's fine, she didn't intend to save him anyway.

"You unfilial son!" Song Chengzhang was so angry he leaned back. He was just a lowly fifth-rank official; what connections did he have? If he couldn't ask Grand Tutor Song to intervene, then he could only ask Xie Liwei to plead with the Emperor for a pardon!

Xie Liwei, as the late Empress's younger brother, and given the Emperor's deep affection for her, could certainly have saved his son if he had spoken up. It's a pity this rebellious son couldn't understand; even at this critical moment, he still dared to act recklessly!

Come to think of it, her daughter is now favored by Xie Liwei, so it's natural for her to whisper sweet nothings in his ear.

"Your Highness, he is, after all, your elder brother. If he becomes successful in the future, you will be proud of him, won't you? If he fails, you will also be disgraced!"

Song Yaozhu found it amusing, thinking that Song Chengzhang, her cheap father, was not only incompetent but also a fence-sitter.

"Father is right, but this matter is of great importance, daughter..."

Before she could finish speaking, Song Qingyuan interrupted her, saying, "Father, why are you asking her for help! If she wanted to help, why would she be so hesitant?"

Song Yaozhu raised an eyebrow. This Song Qingyuan really doesn't know what's good for him! Then let him know what wickedness is!

Song Chengzhang was about to say something more when the gatekeeper announced, "Lord Wang and Madam Wang have arrived!"

Song Chengzhang had no choice but to put the matter aside for the time being and go to receive Lord Wang.

When Lady Wang saw her daughter's weak state, she was heartbroken and tears streamed down her face. After hearing what the maidservant had said, she realized that this son-in-law was not a responsible person, and she angrily tried to pull her daughter away.

"Come on! You come back to the manor with your mother! We're not staying in this Song family anymore!"

Wang was also filled with grievances, and the miscarriage had plunged her into despair. She was very upset, and when her mother said that, tears streamed down her face.

Madam Lin, the eldest daughter-in-law of Song, stood there helplessly, unsure of what to say.

How did things turn out like this?!

When Song Yaozhu went in, Madam Lin was holding Madam Wang's hand, pleading desperately.

“Mother-in-law, how did it come to the point of having to go back? Zhiyue needs to recover from childbirth right now. How can we let her go out in the wind? What if she develops a chronic illness?”

Madam Wang was a woman of her word, and she said, "Get out! If it weren't for taking care of you, you old and sick devil, how could my daughter, with such a healthy body, have miscarried so easily!"

Madam Lin was pulled and dragged out of the room by Madam Wang. Only after she closed the door did she see that Song Yaozhu was still in the room. Even though she knew her identity, Madam Wang still didn't give her a kind look because she was a member of the Song family.

Song Yaozhu wasn't annoyed, but frowned slightly and said with considerable worry, "Sister-in-law, you've suffered so much... If it weren't for my brother's cheating with the exam questions, this child wouldn't have been lost. It's all my fault..."

Before Song Yaozhu could finish speaking, Wang Zhiyue on the bed screamed, "What did you say!"

Song Yaozhu pretended to be surprised and covered her mouth, looking extremely flustered after letting something slip.

"Wasn't this the reason my sister-in-law and brother argued?"

Wang Zhiyue and Madam Wang were both panicked. Normally, a fight between husband and wife could be considered a family matter, but now that it involved cheating in the imperial examinations, it was a serious matter!

"Oh dear, sister-in-law, just pretend I was never here!" she said, and hurriedly left.

Only Wang Zhiyue and her mother remained in the room. Wang Zhiyue grasped her mother's hand and said with unwavering determination, "Mother, I want a divorce. Let me go home!"

Madam Wang was also conflicted. She had just told Madam Lin that she wanted to take her daughter back, but that was to embarrass the Song family and make them beg her to return so that they could treat her well in the future.

But going home after a divorce is a completely different matter!

"Mother, do you want to see your daughter suffer a terrible death?!"

Cheating in the imperial examinations is a serious crime. Even if Song Qingyuan escapes punishment this time, he will never have a chance to recover! She'd rather divorce him and remarry than stay with a husband like that!

"Such an important matter, and the Song family tells us like this? Are they just waiting for you to ask to leave?" Madam Wang asked suspiciously. Thinking about Song Yaozhu's expression just now, it seemed so deliberate.

Wang Zhiyue thought for a moment and said, "The Princess and the Song family are not of one mind. She is probably intentionally reminding me so that I have to make my own choice. Mother, you can't let your daughter jump into a fire pit when you know it's ahead!"

Madam Wang no longer hesitated. Even Song Yaozhu, an outsider, felt a little sorry for her daughter. How could she, as a mother, watch her daughter go into a pit of fire? Without hesitation, she called all the dowry maids into the room, started packing their things, and went back to her parents' home!

Lord Wang, who had been drinking a lot of tea and wearing a cold expression in the main hall, was taken aback when he saw his wife and daughter coming out with bags and packages.

This is different from what was said before we came.

The negotiations have fallen apart?

"Let's go! We can't stay in this Song family anymore!" Madam Wang spat fiercely as she passed by Song Qingyuan, who was bound hand and foot. "I can't afford a son-in-law who laid a hand on my daughter!"

Song Qingyuan was in tears. If he hadn't been tied up, he probably would have already clung to his mother-in-law's leg and begged for her forgiveness.

But he could only watch as his wife was embraced by her mother and father-in-law and left the Song residence.

The house was empty, and Song Chengzhang felt irritated listening to Lin Shi's weeping. Looking at his son only fueled his anger.

Suddenly, he realized that he had more than one son!

He immediately stepped forward, grabbed Song Qingyuan by the collar, and angrily demanded, "Where's the second brother! Does the second brother know about you buying exam questions?!"

Song Qingyuan's face was streaked with tears and snot. Meeting his father's angry gaze, he shrank back and whispered in a barely audible voice, "I know..."

Song Chengzhang, his face ashen, released his grip. His two sons! Both of his sons were gone!

But he still refused to give up any hope and said to his servant, "Call the second young master over!"

Song Yaozhu, standing under the eaves, yawned. This Song family was much more lively than the Prince's Mansion.

In a few days, when Song Wenyue returns from the hunt, things will definitely get even more lively.