Confrontation with Father
Cheng Qigu's face changed and he wanted to dissuade him, but Cheng's father glared back at him and he shut up in anger.
Although his father was always strict in disciplining his children, he rarely got angry. If he did, others' dissuasion would only add fuel to the fire. Cheng Qi was hesitant to speak rashly, knowing the seriousness of the situation, and he couldn't help but sweat for his sister.
Cheng Yayin walked to the center of the ancestral hall without saying a word, lifted her skirt and knelt down.
Cheng Hongyi asked calmly, "Do you know you're wrong?"
"I know what father wants to say." Cheng Yayin said calmly, "Father wants to punish me, I admit it. But I won't admit my mistake."
Cheng Hongyi was immediately furious. "You don't admit your mistakes? What you wrote brought shame to both the Cheng and Pei families. Do you know what people outside are saying? And you have no remorse at all?"
"I don't care what those people say outside." Cheng Yayin looked at her father, her eyes red. "I just want to ask, father, have you read what I wrote? How can you conclude that what I wrote is unbearable to read just based on rumors outside? Father has always been a rigorous scholar, how can you convict your daughter without trial?"
"You, you..." Cheng Hongyi pointed at Cheng Yayin, his fingers trembling with anger. "I taught you to read the books of sages since you were young so that you would be knowledgeable and well-mannered, not so that you would write these romantic things and bring shame to the Cheng family!"
"The writings of the sages are about truth. I enter the world with my pen, expressing my aspirations through books. Isn't what I write also about truth?" Cheng Yayin stiffened her neck, refusing to give in. "My father taught me to read and write, but he didn't allow me to speak freely. He treated me like a vase, thinking that reading more books would be like putting beautiful flowers in it, waiting for the fragrance to fill the vase so it could be sold at a price?"
"You!" Cheng Hongyi was so angry that he patted his chest and gasped. Cheng Qigu hurried forward to support his father and anxiously advised Cheng Yayin, "Little sister, how could you misinterpret father's painstaking efforts like this? Apologize to father and admit your mistake. Don't write about it again. Let's forget about this matter."
Cheng Yayin hadn't meant to anger her father so much. Feeling guilty, she suppressed a sour taste in her mouth and said, "My daughter's words have failed to live up to your upbringing. You're welcome to punish me." She raised her head, her eyes stubborn. "But I do what I want to do, write what I want to write, and I don't think it's wrong. Even today, in front of all my ancestors, I can say with a clear conscience that everything I think and write lives up to what I learned since childhood. I'm proud of every word and sentence."
"Okay, you're fine." Cheng Hongyi laughed in anger, pointing at Cheng Yayin and nodding repeatedly, saying coldly, "It seems that if I don't teach you a lesson today, you won't understand your mistakes."
After he finished speaking, he reached for the bamboo whip on the altar. This was the Cheng family's family law, something even Cheng Erlang had never experienced. At most, he had used it a few times when Dalang was young and difficult to discipline. Even a strong man like Cheng Qiwang would have trembled at the sight of this bamboo whip.
Cheng Qigu's face turned pale instantly. He stood in front of Cheng Yayin and said, "Father, you can't do that!"
Lan Yue and Yi Xing also knelt at Cheng Hongyi's feet, looking up and crying, "Master, please have mercy. The young lady is weak and cannot be beaten!"
Cheng Hongyi: "It's because we've spoiled her too much since she was a child that she's become lawless. All of you, get out of the way. If I don't give her a beating today, she won't admit her mistakes."
"Father, hit me if you want." Cheng Yayin said resolutely, "Even if you break my bones, I don't think I'm wrong."
Cheng Hongyi became even more furious when he heard this, and waved the bamboo whip at her. The people around him begged and tried to stop him, and the scene was in chaos.
"Father-in-law, please show mercy!"
Suddenly, a voice came from outside the door. Several people paused and turned their heads to look at the same time.
Cheng Yayin turned around and saw Pei Songsheng standing at the door, panting. He seemed to have run all the way here without changing his official uniform. His eyes fell on her, flashing with undisguised concern and anxiety.
Cheng Yayin's heart ached, and tears welled up in her eyes. She didn't know why, but despite the emotional confrontation with her father just now, she had managed to hold it in. But the moment she saw him, she suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of grievance, and tears rolled down her cheeks like beads from a broken string.
Seeing her crying, Pei Songsheng no longer cared about anything else. He strode into the ancestral hall, helped her up, wiped away her tears, and said softly, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
He and Xue Zhi went to Jingzhao Prefecture Prison early in the morning to interrogate Xia Zhoushi. Based on her confession, they drew portraits of several people who spread the rumors and went to the streets to inquire. However, the streets were crowded with people coming and going every day, and no one would pay attention to the appearance of the people they spoke to, so they found nothing.
At this time, Jian Zhu came hurriedly and said that the lady was called back to the mansion by the master of the Cheng family. He felt that asking her to go home at this time was probably not a good thing, so he came to report it.
As soon as he heard it, he rushed over. Fortunately, he arrived not too late and prevented her from getting hurt further.
After comforting Cheng Yayin, Pei Songsheng turned to face Cheng Hongyi and nodded, "Father-in-law, please understand. Ah Zheng was frightened yesterday and has some injuries. She can't stand it anymore. I'm here to take her home."
The incident in front of Zhijin Bookstore yesterday caused a lot of uproar, and Cheng Hongyi had also heard about it. He was naturally indignant that his daughter had suffered such humiliation, and he felt even more distressed when he heard that she was still injured. However, in front of his son-in-law, he couldn't help but feel that it was his fault for not disciplining her properly, which had damaged his reputation.
He immediately said with a stern face, "Moxing, I know you've always protected her, but this matter is of no small importance. Although she has married your Pei family, she is still my daughter, and I have the responsibility to discipline her. She has brought shame to both the Cheng and Pei families. This is unforgivable and she deserves severe punishment."
Song Sheng frowned, "Father-in-law, I've been taught by you and consider you my lifelong mentor. But now I want to ask you something that's truly disrespectful—A Zheng was just writing what she wanted to write, so how did this bring disgrace upon both families?"
"Moxing, you're just blindly defending her and have no idea what she wrote!"
"I know." Pei Songsheng said.
Cheng Hongyi was stunned: "You know?"
"Yes. Not only do I know her, I've read every one of her books," Pei Songsheng said confidently. "Precisely because I've read them, I know how well she writes. To me, every word she writes is as precious as a pearl or jade. I cherish them and never consider them to be heretical, let alone a disgrace to the family."
He spoke with great force and without hesitation. Cheng Yayin stared at his back blankly, forgetting even to shed tears.
Cheng Hongyi also looked at Pei Songsheng in surprise. This was his proudest student, who had come to him three years ago with the same determination as now to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage. The past flashed back to him, and he was filled with mixed emotions and fell silent.
Pei Songsheng put his arm around Cheng Yayin's shoulders and led her out.
"What others say and slander is because they are short-sighted and only know how to judge merit and demerit based on status. Their praise or criticism is not worth worrying about." When they reached the entrance of the ancestral hall, Pei Songsheng turned around and looked at Cheng Hongyi with a gloomy look. "But my father-in-law is A Zheng's closest relative. If you don't distinguish right from wrong and just use rumors to discredit her hard work, it will really hurt her."
This sentence seemed to break through a barrier in Cheng Yayin's heart. She felt relieved amidst the sadness, and tears welled up in her eyes. Pei Songsheng hugged her tightly in his arms, and her tears were rubbed into the clothes on his shoulders. Her heart seemed to fall from a height of thousands of feet into the endless green grass, and all her hesitations were properly caught.
Cheng Hongyi felt as if he was struck by lightning. He looked at the backs of the couple leaving together, feeling disappointed and speechless.
On the way back to the Pei Mansion, Cheng Yayin had calmed down, but she was still unhappy. She wiped the remaining tears from her face and said to Pei Songsheng, "Thank you for saying that for me. But what my father said is also true. What I did did damage the reputation of the Pei family. I am sorry for you."
This was what Cheng Yayin felt most guilty about. Her stubborn self-righteousness wouldn't change her. She didn't believe she was wrong, but she also felt remorse for tarnishing the Pei family's reputation. While she could still rely on her courage to argue with her father, she felt completely insecure in front of Pei Songsheng, who constantly defended her.
Pei Songsheng shook his head: "It's not you who's wronged me, it's me who's wronged you. This time, in the final analysis, it's me who has implicated you."
Cheng Yayin looked at him in confusion.
Pei Songsheng explained, "Xue Zhi and I have interrogated Xia Changan's wife. She was instigated to cause trouble. That person is indeed well-informed. He even knows that you are Lord Songling. His move is just to provoke me. That's why I say that you are implicated by me."
Cheng Yayin shook her head: "Actually, I didn't expect this matter to be kept secret forever. It will be exposed sooner or later."
What confused her was how the murderer knew Song Lingjun's true identity?
Not many people knew about this; only Pei Songsheng, Lanyue Yixing, and Xia Changhuan and his sister. She had always kept secrets, so it was unlikely that the information had leaked from her side. So, the only possibility was...
Cheng Yayin suddenly remembered something. She was beaten for no reason yesterday. She was so dizzy that she even forgot about it!
She said hurriedly, "Boss Xia of Zhijin Bookstore is my friend. She knows everything about my book writing. Yesterday, I heard from her brother that she went to Ganchuan for business and hasn't returned yet. I guess she met someone she likes there. It sounds very similar to the experiences of those missing women... Her parents died young, but she is very ambitious and has great talent in business. Doesn't that just fit the murderer's requirements for a womanizer?"
"She must have fallen into the murderer's trap, and the murderer learned my identity from her." As for how he learned it, if it was through verbal deception, it would be understandable, but if the murderer was ruthless and did not hesitate to resort to lynching... Cheng Yayin became more and more frightened the more she thought about it. She grabbed Pei Songsheng's arm and said anxiously, "She might be in danger. We must find her quickly!"
Pei Songsheng's expression also turned serious. Seeing Cheng Yayin's anxious face, he suppressed the solemnity in his eyes and comforted her in a gentle voice, "I know. Leave it all to me. Don't worry about these things anymore. When we get home, you should have a good sleep. You didn't sleep well last night."
Cheng Yayin nodded anxiously. She was indeed very tired. This day had felt as long as a year. She really wanted to wake up and find that nothing had happened.
But she soon realized that this day would be more difficult than she had expected.
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