Once the idea popped into He Yunze's mind, it couldn't help but grow and spread.
What a coincidence!
When he was on duty, the damaged vase was a congratulatory gift from Song Xizhi, and Song Xizhi also eagerly sent over the large lacquer mother-of-pearl inlaid piece that he had painstakingly obtained.
As He Yunze thought about it, a sudden, tearing pain welled up inside him.
He raised his head slightly, looking slowly in Song Xizhi's direction, a hint of sorrow in his heart.
He Yunze didn't know why, even though he had clearly decided to let bygones be bygones, to reconcile with Song Xizhi, and to stop targeting her, she was still targeting him so viciously.
It even escalated to the point of a life-or-death struggle.
He Yunze took a deep breath and looked away from her again.
He felt that the slight sense of guilt he had painstakingly cultivated in his heart had become utterly ridiculous. Thinking this, he then addressed Emperor Guangqi before him:
"Your Majesty, please understand... This humble subject... is truly innocent..."
He Yunze's eyes were dark and unfathomable, and even his voice was somewhat hoarse: "Why are all the things that happened today related to me? Why is all the blame being directed at me? The only explanation is that someone is deliberately framing me."
Emperor Guangqi pondered He Yunze's words, frowning slightly: "If what you said is true, who do you think is deliberately framing you?"
He Yunze's Adam's apple bobbed, and finally he uttered a few words in a deep voice: "Song Xizhi, today's events were all a deliberate frame-up by Song Xizhi!"
He Yunze's words caught everyone present off guard.
The younger brother-in-law sued his sister-in-law, and the younger brother-in-law sued his elder sister-in-law. This is unprecedented!
Consort Li blinked, looking on with anticipation, while Consort Liang's previously agitated heart finally calmed down.
Upon hearing this, Song Ruoan snapped back to her senses, her eyes lighting up instantly. She hurriedly stood up, walked to the center of the hall, and knelt beside He Yunce.
The moment she opened her mouth, she recklessly shifted all the blame onto Song Xizhi: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. My sister's jealousy led to such a grave mistake. It is a disgrace to the Song family and has caused my father to fail our ancestors..."
Song Ruoan shook her head and wept, her voice trembling as she cried, "My sister is so cruel. Why did she do such a thing?"
She was determined to drag Song Xizhi down with her. As long as she could firmly pin the charges against Song Xizhi, she would not only be safe, but she could also crush Song Xizhi.
The emperor had seen many women with tears streaming down their faces, and he was unmoved. He glanced indifferently at the large group of people kneeling in the hall, took a deep breath, and then looked in Song Xizhi's direction.
"They say you did it, Song Xizhi, how are you going to explain that?"
Upon hearing the emperor's question, Song Xizhi showed no panic. She rose from her seat with composure and spoke calmly:
"Although I do not know why my sister and brother-in-law want to pin the blame on me, since they say that I did it, I will naturally provide evidence to the Empress Dowager and His Majesty."
"However, I have a question..."
As Song Xizhi spoke, he looked at He Yunze's retreating figure, meeting his gaze from afar. When their eyes met, it felt as if they had traversed time, a lifetime stretching out before them:
"Did I beg you to auction off that vanity case? Or did I tell you that the craftsmanship of this lacquer and mother-of-pearl inlay is unparalleled and unique in the world? Or did I present this item to His Highness Prince Yu?"
He Yunze felt a sudden jolt in his chest as he listened to Song Xizhi's words, but she left him speechless and unable to refute them.
Song Xizhi never said that, because he relied on his memories from his previous life, so he was determined to succeed and did it resolutely.
He was cautious in everything he did, did not listen to anyone's words, and did not tell any other unrelated people about the matter.
But at the birthday banquet in my previous life, nothing unexpected happened, and there was never such a breathtaking screen presented by Prince Xiu as today... The minor official who presented the gift in my previous life did not commit the crime of deceiving the emperor.
What exactly happened?
He Yunze bit his lip, listening to his heart pounding like a drum, and felt his teeth chattering.
Could it be... could it be that Song Xizhi has really been reborn?
Only because she possessed memories of her past life could she have gone to the restaurant where the lacquer mother-of-pearl was being auctioned at that time. However, due to his and Zhao Qianlan's obstruction, Song Xizhi did not obtain the lacquer mother-of-pearl.
So he racked his brains and made one himself...
Is the purpose to deliberately take revenge on oneself, to avenge everything one did in one's past life...?
When He Yunze thought of this, he felt a chill run down his spine, and a coldness almost shot through his entire body.
And the birthday gift was the same; she deliberately destroyed Master Yuanhui's calligraphy, intending to make him die without a burial place!
As He Yunze thought about it, he trembled all over. He became even more certain that everything in front of him was done by Song Xizhi, and that Song Xizhi was going to destroy more than just that vase.
He wanted to destroy her!
He Yunze gritted his teeth and stared coldly at her: "You really have a cruel heart!"
"I can't provide evidence regarding the lacquer and mother-of-pearl inlay, but what about Master Yuanhui's vase? How do you explain that?"
"Why did Princess Jingyue want to take your vase for no reason? Why did she choose you out of so many people?"
"Why was the vase broken as soon as it was taken out? You must have done it on purpose. You know I work at the Ministry of Rites, and you hate me so much that you deliberately did so many vicious things!"
He Yunze now understood completely.
He was reborn, but so many things happened that were different from his previous life. It was not an accident, not a coincidence, and not because he was not careful enough. It turned out that everything was a despicable person's deliberate trap!
He Yunze's eyes were red and swollen, and his fists were clenched so tightly they made a cracking sound.
It's ridiculous that he still wants to live peacefully with this bastard!
Song Xizhi then understood why He Yunze suspected him.
So it turns out that he suspected that everything was his own conspiracy because of the calligraphy that Master Yuanhui had damaged?
Song Xizhi, for some unknown reason, suddenly felt like laughing:
“I did not do what you said. If you want to prove your innocence, or if you want to accuse me, then please let Your Majesty investigate. Swear on your official position that you are innocent. Please let Your Majesty find out the truth and give everyone justice!”
Upon hearing Song Xizhi's continued sophistry, He Yunze became enraged and began to kowtow repeatedly to the emperor.
"Your Majesty! Your humble servant is innocent and has worked diligently and conscientiously! I have never done anything to damage the birthday gifts. Your humble servant swears on all the ancestors of the Marquis of Anding's family to plead with Your Majesty to investigate this matter!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
