Chapter 56 Dead Men Tell No Tales
"Mother Zhou has been found."
The constable called out from outside, but his face was extremely grim when he came in.
Wei Yan frowned.
Where are they?
The yamen runner pointed towards the outside of the gate.
A person was lying under the eaves, their head tilted in an extremely bizarre way.
“Mother Zhou”.
Song Hui's expression changed slightly. She quickly stepped out the door, knelt down beside Zhou's mother, and her eyes reddened.
The bailiff handed a letter to Wei Yan.
"When we found her, she had already hanged herself in her room, leaving behind a letter."
Wei Yan's face turned very ugly after reading it.
"Madam Song, in the letter, Zhou confessed that she had been abused by your birth mother in her early years and had many scars on her body."
It was Madam Zhang who didn't mind and even made her the second young lady's steward. Now, Madam Zhang has been wronged because of your arrogant behavior.
The entire Song family was thrown into chaos because of you. She was furious and wanted to vent her anger on her master, so she went to the market, bought some strychnine seeds, and put them in your teapot.
"In the letter, she also mentioned the clinic where she went to buy strychnine, the time she went there, and where she hid the remaining strychnine."
He handed the letter to Song Yi.
Song Yi's fingertips turned white as she held the letter, biting her lip and remaining silent.
Li Nanke turned to look at the shocked Zhang Shi, then at Song Hui, who was standing beside Zhou Mama at the door, shedding tears.
Her small body shivered involuntarily as an unprecedented fear gripped her.
Zhou's mother was clearly Song Hui's confidante, yet she made no mention of Song Hui in her will, only saying that it was to avenge the mistress, Madam Zhang.
She didn't know whether Zhou's mother was willing to die to protect Song Hui, or whether Song Hui had driven Zhou's mother to her death.
Regardless of which one it was, it heightened her apprehension and fear of Song Hui to the extreme.
Song Hui is a reincarnation, so she can foresee many things from her past life, and she is also ruthless.
The thought of someone like that, constantly watching his mother and her family, sends chills down my spine.
She clenched her fists, but still couldn't stop her small body from trembling, and instinctively leaned on Song Yi.
The voice of Vice Minister Song rang in my ears.
"I never imagined it was Madam Zhou who poisoned people. Lord Wei, now that the matter has been investigated, can this case be closed?"
Li Nanke jolted awake from her terror.
He tilted his head back to look at Wei Yan.
"Lord Wei, do you believe what Zhou's mother wrote in her letter?"
Vice Minister Song was furious.
"What do you know, you little brat? We have both witnesses and physical evidence, so the case should be closed."
Get out of the way, stop fooling around here.
Wei Yan frowned, his face looking extremely grim.
He wasn't some greenhorn trying a case for the first time; it was clear that Zhou's mother was being made a scapegoat in this case.
We have testimony, physical evidence, and eyewitness accounts—everything we need.
Unfortunately, there was no way to verify the story since he was dead.
Bianjing Prefecture had encountered many similar cases in the past, and in the end, they could only be hastily closed.
It's utterly disgusting, yet there's no way to know where to begin.
Wei Yan hates this kind of case the most.
He snorted coldly, "It's probably too early to close the case. There are still many doubts in this case. I need to bring all the suspects and those involved back to Bianjing Prefecture for a thorough investigation."
He turned and glanced at Song Hui, who was still crying beside Zhou's mother.
"And Madam Zhao will also be coming along."
Madam Zhang's expression immediately changed, and she hurriedly tugged at Vice Minister Song.
Minister Song tried his best to suppress his anger, but his voice still carried a hint of displeasure.
"It is inconvenient for women to enter the courtroom. Lord Wei has already asked all the questions he needed to ask. Is he going to disrespect the Song family by insisting on arresting people and taking them back to the yamen for interrogation?"
"Although I, Song, am of low rank and insignificant status, but..."
Before he could finish speaking, Shen Cong, who was sitting at the head of the table, suddenly stood up impatiently and patted Xue Ying on the head.
"They're gone."
Snow Eagle glanced at Li Nanke, wagged its tail, and followed behind him with its head drooping.
As Shen Cong passed by Vice Minister Song, he paused slightly and glanced at him with a raised eyebrow.
Minister Song's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly bent down.
Even though the boy in front of him was not as tall as him, no one dared not bend down.
A cold snort sounded from above.
"Vice Minister of Rites? Nothing special."
Minister Song suddenly looked up, his face drained of color.
What did Your Highness mean by those words?
"Your Highness..."
Shen Cong had already crossed the threshold and left.
Even as they passed by Zhou's mother's body in the corridor and Song Hui, who was still weeping, they did not pause for a moment.
Minister Song staggered two steps to the door, barely managing to stand up by holding onto the door frame. He was drenched in cold sweat, and only two words filled his mind.
It’s over!
Coupled with the pain from the broken porcelain shards embedded in his back, he could no longer bear it, his vision went black, and he collapsed headfirst.
"master."
"Father."
Song Hui stepped forward to help Song Shilang up, and asked Zhang Shi to help him down to find a doctor.
Then he stood up and bowed to Wei Yan.
Although his face was filled with sorrow, he spoke calmly and composedly.
"Although Mother Zhou did something wrong, she is still my stewardess, and I am willing to go with the adults to Bianjing Prefecture for questioning."
I earnestly request that you return Zhou's mother's body to me after the case is closed, so that I can arrange her burial.
Wei Yan gave her a deep look and nodded.
Song Hui bowed to Song Yifu again.
"I apologize to my sister on behalf of Zhou's mother. I really didn't know she would do such a thing."
She is, after all, someone close to me. Whether my sister resents me or hates me, I will accept it all.
"Once this matter is resolved, I will visit my sister in person to apologize."
He looked like he was sincerely apologizing and asking for forgiveness.
Song Yi looked at her and forced out three words.
"No."
She didn't want to see Song Hui.
Song Hui looked somber. "I know my sister resents me, and I have nothing to say about it. She will understand in the future that I never intended to harm her."
Song Yi pursed her lips, not believing her words.
Song Hui lowered her eyes, but met Li Nanke's gaze and was startled.
"Why is Ke'er looking at her aunt like that?"
Li Nanke stared at her intently, his hands clenched into small fists at his sides as he suppressed his anger.
She knew that Song Hui was the one who harmed her mother, but since Zhou's mother was dead, there was no evidence to prove that Song Hui was the one who harmed her.
But one day, she will avenge her mother.
She swore!
Li Nanke sniffed and said loudly, "I'm checking if Auntie is feeling guilty."
"Was it really not my aunt who instructed Zhou Mama to harm my mother?"
Song Hui was surprised that she would ask directly, her face stiffened, and she quickly waved her hand.
"You child, you really speak without thinking. How could your aunt possibly harm your mother?"
If my aunt had such intentions, how could she dare to go to the yamen with Lord Wei?
Li Nanke remained silent.
She realized once again that compared to Song Hui, a reborn woman, her power as a child was far too weak.
Wei Yan waved his hand.
"Take everyone away."
The constables stepped forward and took away the two old women who had been guarding Song Yi, several servants of the Song family, the body of Zhou Mama, and Song Hui.
Li Nanke and He Shi, Song Yi also left the Song family.
Upon exiting the gate, I saw a large vermilion sedan chair parked at the entrance.
The sedan curtain was lifted, and Shen Cong, who was sitting diagonally inside, opened his eyes slightly upon hearing the noise.
Then he bent his index finger and beckoned to Li Nanke.
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