Why are you still pretending to be a good person?
"Sister, I...I really don't know why you could do such a cruel thing, it's just..." Song Tangli walked to her mother's side and gently patted her back.
"You've utterly disgraced the Song family!" Song Tangli gasped for breath, then clutched her chest and collapsed.
Song's mother quickly protected her and pulled her into her arms, saying, "Ali!"
“Our Song family doesn’t have such a heartless daughter!” Father Song retorted, clearly extremely disappointed and disgusted by his daughter’s actions: “She murdered her adoptive parents and opposes her own sister every day.”
"It's such a waste that your family's singing and dancing skills aren't used for opera," Song Tangxue said with a slight smile, watching the servants bring white cloths to cover the two people lying on the ground.
"You're simply stubborn and won't admit your mistakes until you're faced with a fatal blow!" Seeing that Song Tangxue showed no remorse, Song's mother stood up angrily and slammed her hand on the table.
"The evidence is conclusive. Can you still say that you didn't kill these two people?"
Song Tangxue stood up lazily and glanced at the three people one by one: "I really didn't do this, and it has nothing to do with me."
"Then are the gold hairpin and handkerchief on this corpse fake? Are you saying they're forgeries used to frame you?" Song Fu rebuked, "Everyone saw you wearing this gold hairpin a few days ago, and now you're denying it?"
"Using royal gifts to commit murder, what else wouldn't you dare to do!" Song's mother was furious at Song Tangxue's shamelessness.
“These hairpins and handkerchiefs may not grow legs, but this person will.” Song Tangxue picked at her nails and coldly swept her gaze over the servants in the courtyard.
"Besides, there are so many things that can kill, would I be so stupid as to use something that everyone knows to kill someone?" Song Tangxue was really worried about the intelligence of the person who framed her.
She said that the reason she slept so soundly last night was because someone had tampered with her sleep and she couldn't wake up.
Several maids lowered their heads under her gaze, beads of sweat dripping from their foreheads.
"Please forgive me, sir and madam!" A maid knelt down, trembling, before Song Tangxue.
Song Tangxue recognized the gauze on her wrist; it was the one she had wrapped around her wrist last night.
"Last night I saw..." The maid hesitated, her fingers clutching something like a light veil, tears welling in her eyes.
"What did you see? Don't be afraid, tell me, and I will stand up for you." Song's mother's brows were gloomy as she held Song Tangli and leaned against the table.
"This servant dares not speak recklessly. Last night, I saw with my own eyes that Miss went out of her room and into the courtyard next door. I was worried, so I followed her. I never expected..." The maid clenched her sleeves in fear, her face turned pale, and her lips moved as if she had heard something terrible.
"I saw it too, but I... I'm just a nobody, I didn't dare to speak up just now. I also saw Miss committing murder when I came back from outside..."
As soon as she finished speaking, several maids and servants appeared as if spring had just ended, kneeling on the ground and all claiming that they had personally witnessed Song Tangxue kill Wang Zhuzi and the other man.
Song Tangxue was momentarily speechless. She observed the several figures; apart from the first person, the others were all people around her.
The voices of condemnation grew louder and louder. Seeing that Song Tangxue remained unmoved, Haitang became anxious. Looking at the faces of those people who were punishing the good and promoting the evil, her voice seemed so insignificant.
"Miss, you're making baseless accusations!"
In her desperation, Haitang actually knelt down: "Madam, Master, Haitang confesses her sins!"
"I absolutely cannot let anything happen to Miss." Song Tangxue pulled herself out of her chaotic thoughts and looked at Haitang kneeling beside her, feeling moved.
The scene fell silent. Seeing Haitang kneeling down on her own initiative, Song's mother felt somewhat displeased: "I know your masters are of one mind, but the guilt of murder is not something to be casually mentioned."
"It was because I couldn't stand Wang Zhuzi and his wife's aggressive behavior last night that I changed into Miss's clothes in the middle of the night and went to the neighboring courtyard to kill them to vent my anger. It had nothing to do with Miss, and Miss knew nothing about it." Haitang took all the blame upon herself.
Song Tangxue was still pondering how to reply without giving anyone ammunition against her, but she didn't expect Haitang to be so eager to protect her master. Song Tangxue sighed, realizing that Haitang was also sincere.
"Regardless of the truth of this matter, neither of you, master and servant, can remain unscathed. From now on, no one is allowed to leave the manor without my permission until this matter is thoroughly investigated."
As the head of the family, Song's father immediately ordered the mansion to be closed. Song Tangxue looked up at him thoughtfully, wondering if he was afraid she would run away or go to get help.
This matter seems to be more complicated than it appears. Perhaps someone has noticed something amiss and is trying to turn the tables, aiming to escalate the situation.
"I never imagined that my Song family would raise such a thing!" A group of people came in from outside, and the people inside made way for them. The old lady entered, leaning on her cane, and looked coldly at Song Tangxue: "How can such a young lady be the Crown Princess? How can others view our Song family?"
Song Tangxue was tired of hearing these words. These people were just trying to intimidate her with their reputation and their filial piety.
"Are you saying our Song family raised a murderer as the Crown Princess? You may be able to afford to lose face, but our Song family cannot!"
Old Madam Song slammed her snake-head cane heavily on the ground and walked to her father's side. Her father had already stood up and given his seat to Old Madam Song.
Old Madam Song reached out and touched Song Tangli's cheek with a touch of tenderness: "Our A-Li has suffered so much."
"I think you don't need to be the Crown Princess. Ali is more outstanding than you in both appearance and character. Ali should take over as Crown Princess. We can't let the imperial family's trust in the Song family go to waste!"
"Heh." Song Tangxue raised her eyes and sneered: "From the moment I entered this courtyard, everyone here has said that I am a murderer, and they haven't even given me a chance to defend myself."
"Is this how hasty the government handles cases? Is it always right to say the first person to speak?"
The Song family members, seated high above, looked at her coldly. Standing in this vast Song mansion, she felt like a rootless duckweed.
“I didn’t leave my room last night. The maids and servants on night watch aren’t dead. How could I have passed by them silently without them knowing?” Song Tangxue looked at the maids and servants who were testifying.
"Yes, it was our duty to guard the gate, and we didn't see Miss leave." The maids and servants on night watch replied, touching the gauze on their hands.
"As for these people, I don't know if they've been possessed by evil spirits and have seen people who shouldn't be there."
"Furthermore, regarding the cause of death of Wang Zhuzi and Liu Shi, their pupils were wide open, clearly indicating that they were killed while they were awake. How could a weak woman like me possess such strength and ability?" Song Tangxue said firmly.
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