Marquis An Ding's words were like a final death sentence for Song Ruo'an, plunging her into utter despair.
She gritted her teeth and looked at Song Xizhi in the distance, her heart filled with resentment and anger.
If she were divorced, there would be no turning back, and she would never be able to recover.
But despite giving everything, she watched helplessly as Song Xizhi climbed higher and higher, gaining the favor of the Marquis's mansion and the admiration of thousands, even though she was just pretending!
On what basis?
As Song Ruoan pondered, her eyes suddenly turned fierce, and a plan formed in her mind.
"Grandmother, Grandmother, your granddaughter-in-law knows she was wrong, but she is innocent. Please forgive her this time!"
Madam He frowned, about to speak, when she saw Song Ruoan crawl two steps, kneel down in front of her, and tightly grasp her skirt.
Seeing Song Ruoan's disheveled and wretched appearance, her hair damp with cold sweat, completely devoid of the dignity and composure befitting a noblewoman, she became even more determined to divorce her.
But at that moment, she heard Song Ruoan's voice slowly ringing in her ears, a voice that only the two of them could hear:
“Grandmother, if you want to divorce me, you must return my dowry. But I spent all my dowry on repairing the Marquis’s mansion, secretly hiring servants, and managing the shops. Can you afford to return it now?”
Song Ruoan's words made Old Madam He's eyes widen, and she stared at her in astonishment.
But Song Ruoan continued speaking, word by word, her tone becoming utterly calm, her eyes unusually cold:
"Everything my granddaughter-in-law did was for the sake of the Marquis's mansion. Even putting croton seeds in my sister's food was all to get her to blame the shopkeeper outside the Marquis's mansion so that the Marquis's mansion could get out of its current predicament."
"Your granddaughter-in-law did everything she could to save face for you, and bore the consequences herself."
Song Ruoan's words were clearly a plea for mercy, but they also contained an obvious threat, which made Old Madam He shudder and her eyes narrow sharply.
If she were to divorce Song Ruoan, Song Ruoan would expose everything about how the Marquis's mansion was all show and no substance.
She hadn't expected Song Ruoan to say such a thing, and for a moment she was speechless: "You...you..."
Song Ruoan withdrew her gaze, lowered her eyes respectfully, and said again, "Granddaughter-in-law is innocent. It all depends on whether Grandmother is willing to believe her."
He Yunze nodded in agreement: "Although I don't know what happened, Ruo'an must not have had any bad intentions. She must have been deceived. I beg you, Grandmother, to report this to the authorities and have the renowned physician Qihuang thoroughly investigated."
Hearing He Yunze's words of complete trust in Song Ruo'an, Old Madam He felt increasingly choked up: "Yunze, you still believe her now? She'll ruin you sooner or later!"
For some reason, He Yunze became a completely different person when he was with Song Ruoan; he was no match for her at all.
He Yunze looked at the old lady pleadingly, "Grandmother, you have a prejudice against Ruo'an. This was really an accident!"
Grandmother didn't know that in her previous life, she had risen to prominence and achieved great success with Ruo'an's help. Although Ruo'an's medical skills were fake, she had many other abilities that far surpassed those of any woman in the world.
More importantly... their friendship is genuine!
Upon hearing this, Madam He looked at He Yunce with a deep gaze, feeling a sense of disappointment and frustration.
She held onto the old woman's hand to steady herself: "Then let's send the divine physician Qihuang to the government office first, investigate the truth of the matter thoroughly, and give you all justice."
As she spoke, she glanced at Song Ruoan again, her tone icy:
"As for Song Ruo'an, send her to the ancestral hall to be disciplined according to family rules, revoke her power to manage the household, and then confine her to the courtyard to copy the rules and precepts for women. We will deal with her after we have investigated the truth of the matter."
Implementing family rules?
Upon hearing this, Song Ruoan recalled the bloody tragedy of He Yunce being punished by the family that day. Her eyes widened in horror, and she hurriedly grabbed He Yunce's hand.
"My husband, the matter hasn't been investigated yet. I'm truly innocent. Please, I beg you, ask Grandmother to forgive me!"
He Yunze looked down at Song Ruoan's flustered appearance and felt his heart was in turmoil. He couldn't tell whether he felt heartache or something else.
He should be relieved that he doesn't have to divorce his wife; if An is to be punished by family law, he should stand by her side and plead for her.
But he felt incredibly heavy-hearted, without a trace of happiness, and even a hint of panic.
Just as He Yunze was about to speak, he saw Song Xizhi get up from the round stool and slowly walk towards the crowd.
"Innocence? What do you mean by innocence, sister?"
Song Xizhi spoke calmly, and her glamorous appearance only made Song Ruoan, who was kneeling on the ground, look even more disheveled.
He Yunze glanced at them only once before looking away, refusing to see the stark contrast between them.
All that could be heard was Song Xizhi's voice continuing, "Medical skills either exist or they don't. Ruo'an, the consequences of your actions have already been committed, yet you remain stubborn and refuse to delay, even putting croton seeds in my food. These are all things that are beyond doubt."
"What innocence do you still have to claim?"
Seeing Song Ruoan speechless, He Yunze repeatedly pondered Song Xizhi's words, and a strange emotion arose deep in his heart.
He looked down at Song Ruoan, remained silent for a moment, and finally said:
"In any case, Ruo'an, you have indeed done something wrong. Go and be punished according to family rules."
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Song Ruoan, her face pale, was dragged directly into the ancestral hall.
The ladies and officials watching this scene still harbored resentment towards Song Ruoan and He Yunze.
But seeing the Marquis of Anding and Madam He's appearance, they couldn't help but give them face, so they didn't say anything more.
Those who were cured by Song Xizhi left one after another, while those who were not cured continued to queue up for treatment.
The matter has finally come to an end, and Marquis An Ding and Madam He are still busy cleaning up the mess.
He Yunze looked at the mess in front of him, stood there silently for a long time, and then slowly walked back to his study with heavy steps.
"The old lady is determined to be punished, and I'm afraid the young mistress is seriously injured this time. Why don't you go to the ancestral hall first and take care of her?"
Shuangxi hurriedly caught up with He Yunce. After he finished speaking, He Yunce paused slightly.
But only for a moment, and then he continued walking toward the study, his back looking all alone: "She has a nanny to take care of her, so Grandmother won't take her life."
He Yunze himself didn't know why, but although he was worried, he didn't want to face Song Ruoan's face at the moment.
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