“My dear son-in-law, do not interfere in the affairs of my Song family. This wretched child who caused the death of her own mother, does she intend to cause the death of another mother as well?”
Imperial Censor Song spoke loudly, showing no regard for the fact that he was in public. He was slandering his daughter's reputation, or rather, he was changing the subject to cover up his guilty conscience.
Xie Changlin's eyes narrowed, his blood boiling and his gaze turning fierce in an instant. He stared intently into Imperial Censor Song's eyes, as if he wanted to tear a piece of flesh from him.
Censor Song was intimidated by such a gaze and couldn't help but take two steps back. His eyes were filled with suspicion and wariness.
Xie Changling sneered, "Father-in-law, you keep calling me a wicked child. As far as I know, your own father died when you were born, and your grandmother passed away not long after."
"So, it seems that you, Father-in-law, are the one who brings misfortune to your father and wife, and Xi'er is also being dragged down by you. How could you say such a thing and tarnish her reputation?"
"Furthermore, your second daughter with your stepmother is only a few months younger than Xi'er. Could it be that they had an affair without a matchmaker long ago, which literally angered your mother-in-law to death?"
"That makes sense. Xi'er is so lovely and kind-hearted. She must have been even more adorable and charming when she was little."
"But my father-in-law immediately launched into a tirade of accusations, which didn't seem like he was addressing his own daughter. Instead, he seemed quite guilty and short of breath, making one wonder if he also felt guilty towards Xi'er's mother."
"So much so that whenever I see Xi'er, I can't help but think of that poor, innocent woman. I hate her because of her, and I ignore Xi'er for more than ten years."
Xie Changling's long string of words not only confused Imperial Censor Song, but also left the onlookers stunned, feeling like their brains were about to explode, with so much gossip about to spill out.
"You, you scoundrel, you're talking nonsense!"
Censor Song was so angry that his ears turned red and his neck bulged. He cursed at Xie Changling, pointing his finger at him and racking his brains for something to say. His finger was trembling.
Just then, a weak, aged voice came from a simple carriage. Everyone looked over, curious about who the newcomer was.
"Song Liwen, you killed one of my sisters, wasn't that enough? Do you want to kill my dear niece too?"
Song Liwen was indeed the name of Imperial Censor Song. Hearing someone dare to address him by his full name so directly, Imperial Censor Song was taken aback and had a vague sense of unease.
Sure enough, the next moment, the carriage curtain was lifted, revealing a face he knew all too well—it was…
The widow of the general's family, and Song Lingxi's maternal aunt!
Imperial Censor Song's pupils contracted slightly, a look of panic flashed across his face, and his expression suddenly turned pale: "You, how are you still alive!"
"Ha, isn't it strange? Back then, you took advantage of my General's Mansion's lack of manpower, abused my younger sister, and almost caused her child to die in the womb. Do you deserve to be a father?!"
The woman finally revealed her true face: she was dressed in tattered clothes, her face was sallow and thin, but her hair was neatly combed and her eyes were bright and piercing.
After she finished speaking with Imperial Censor Song, she turned to Song Lingxi and beckoned to her: "Good child, come here and let your aunt take a good look at you."
Song Lingxi was initially puzzled as to why her aunt wasn't coming over. But as she approached, she saw the strangely positioned legs of her aunt and her eyes widened in disbelief.
Aunt, your leg—
Song Lingxi covered her mouth, her eyes instantly reddening. She could see clearly that a normal person's leg could never be twisted like that, so her aunt...
The woman understood her gaze and nodded, tacitly acknowledging Song Lingxi's guess. However, on such a joyous day, she didn't want Song Lingxi to cry; it would be so heartbreaking to see such a beautiful woman weeping.
The woman took her hand and looked her over carefully. Her appearance was so pleasing to the eye.
"That's wonderful. My daughter is alive and well, and she's grown up to be so beautiful. Your name is Lingxi, right? If I could see you, her spirit in heaven could rest in peace."
"Aunt." Song Lingxi suppressed the sour feeling in her heart and showed a sweet smile that seemed to melt everyone's heart.
"Oh!" The woman's eyes also welled up with tears, and a genuine smile appeared on her weathered face. After so many years, relatives had finally met again.
This scene broke the hearts of everyone present. After all, in this era, travel was so inconvenient that many loved ones were forever separated by death, unable to even see each other one last time.
Imperial Censor Song was not moved at all. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, but he dared not wipe them away, for fear of being accused of having a guilty conscience.
Seeing the Imperial Censor Song's restless appearance, the woman snorted coldly, remembering the main purpose of her visit.
“Xi’er, your aunt knows how hard you’ve worked. I thought about taking you with me, but your good-for-nothing cousin is not healthy, and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to support both of you.”
"But I never expected that they would even try to steal your mother's dowry at the Song residence. My aunt brought the dowry list from the General's Mansion, which was left to me by your maternal grandmother before she passed away."
The woman took out an account book from her bosom, inside which was a dowry list. The paper was old, but the handwriting was still clearly visible, showing that it had been well preserved.
At this moment, Xie Changling took Song Lingxi's dowry list from another servant. Comparing the two lists side by side, it was indeed found that more than half of the dowry was missing, and each item was a priceless treasure.
Xie Changling's eyes sharpened, and he said loudly, "Liu Zhuang, go and report this to the authorities!"
How could Imperial Censor Song possibly let him go? He was an imperial censor himself, and if someone accused him and the matter reached the emperor, he might be criticized behind his back during court the next day.
He could only force a smile and say, "My dear son-in-law, why report this to the authorities? We're all family, we can talk things over."
Imperial Censor Song had his servant stopped, and his old face finally broke into a smile for the first time that day. His face was a mix of green and white, making him look both comical and funny.
Imperial Censor Song patted his wife on the shoulder: "Madam, it is your fault in managing the household that you have failed. You must have missed it when you were organizing the accounts. Now you should make up for Xi'er's dowry."
Seeing how quickly his tone changed, from his earlier boastful words to now blaming his wife, not only Song Lingxi but all the onlookers were dumbfounded.
People started whispering.
"This Imperial Censor Song is so irresponsible. When something goes wrong, he only blames his daughter and wife. I really don't understand why someone like him can be an official."
"My goodness, this Imperial Censor Song is such a coward, he knelt down even faster than my three-year-old nephew, hahahaha."
"What a show! What a pity there aren't any sunflower seeds!"
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