Chapter 164 Settling Accounts with Them
Shen Yiqiu fell silent.
She looked into Xiao Yongjing's eyes and saw the deep pain in them, a pain so similar to how she felt when facing the Song family.
She could no longer blame him for concealing the truth.
His tone also softened unconsciously:
"……sorry."
Xiao Yongjing shook his head and forced a smile:
"It's nothing."
Shen Yiqiu nodded slightly, then turned to leave again.
Xiao Yongjing instinctively grabbed her wrist again, his brows furrowed, and asked in confusion:
"I...I've already told you my biggest secret, why are you still leaving?"
Shen Yiqiu stopped in her tracks, without turning back:
"What Your Highness told me was your family matter, your secret. But that's not something I, Chen Yiqiu, absolutely have to meddle in."
Xiao Yongjing instantly understood her intention:
"You want to go to the Song residence?"
"Can't I go? They've brought me to this state, almost killing me. Am I supposed to just swallow my anger and stay here in the Eastern Palace to recuperate? This time, I'll make them pay for their crimes in blood!"
"Your Highness, rest assured, I will handle this matter thoroughly and will not implicate the Eastern Palace or damage the Crown Prince's reputation in the slightest."
Xiao Yongjing abruptly turned her around to face him, his eyes burning with anger, but not at her:
"I'm not worried about them, I'm worried about you! Look at yourself, you can barely stand, how are you going? Mo Yu! Hong Lan!"
Before he finished speaking, two figures gracefully descended from the roof beam; it was Mo Yu and Hong Lan.
The two, still embarrassed by being caught eavesdropping, scratched their heads and greeted Shen Yiqiu:
"Hey, General Shen..."
Shen Yiqiu frowned and glanced at Xiao Yongjing.
Mo Yu quickly explained:
"General Shen, last time... last time it was all Honglan's fault! She insisted on meddling in other people's business and chasing after a few petty thieves, which prevented us from following you the whole time. We didn't realize something serious had happened until we saw the Cloud Piercing Arrow! She got a good scolding from the boss afterwards!"
Honglan also chimed in with a guilty expression:
"General Shen, we are so sorry! If we had known the situation would be so urgent, we would never have left your side!"
Shen Yiqiu withdrew her gaze and said calmly:
"No need. I have white plum blossoms and green bamboo, that's enough."
Xiao Yongjing forcefully interrupted:
"The two of them will protect you from the shadows. If you don't take them with you, you won't be able to leave the East Palace today."
Shen Yiqiu's eyes turned cold:
"Is Your Highness threatening me?"
Xiao Yongjing met her gaze and said, word by word:
"Yes. I've already been late once, and watched you fall into dire straits, on the verge of death... I don't want to, and absolutely cannot, be late a second time!"
She looked into Xiao Yongjing's bloodshot eyes.
Finally, after a moment of silence, he gently relented:
"never mind."
Xiao Yongjing's expression was solemn as he repeatedly gave instructions:
"Be careful in everything you do. Remember, as long as you're alive, you can always make a comeback. Your safety is paramount."
Shen Yiqiu nodded, said no more, pushed open the palace door, and resolutely left with Bai Mei and Qing Zhu.
...
Standing before the gates of the Song residence once more, Qingzhu instinctively shrank back, and whispered fearfully:
"Miss...we...we really shouldn't bring more people?"
Bai Mei, her face contorted with indignation, gripped the short blade at her waist and gritted her teeth, saying:
"What's there to be afraid of? Last time it was a despicable sneak attack. If it were a real fight, even if ten more came, Miss and I could handle them. This time, we'll make them pay back their debts, principal and interest!"
As she spoke, she glanced around sharply, her brows furrowing slightly.
"However... Miss, for some reason, I feel like there are eyes watching us from the shadows today."
Upon hearing this, Mo Yu and Hong Lan, who were hiding in a secluded spot, immediately shrank their necks and held their breath.
Shen Yiqiu glanced indifferently in the direction where they were hiding, and said to Bai Mei:
"It's nothing, don't worry about it."
Bai Mei thought of something else and asked in confusion:
"Miss, why don't you ask His Highness the Crown Prince to send men to arrest this whole Song family of snakes and rats? The evidence is conclusive that they plotted against an official of the court; not one of them will escape!"
Shen Yiqiu gazed intently at the plaque of the Song residence, and calmly analyzed:
"Since they dared to do it, and managed to escape from the dungeon right under the Crown Prince's nose, they must have had a backup plan and found a stronger reliance. The Crown Prince holds a prestigious position, but he cannot easily take action against an official's family without solid evidence, lest he invite controversy. Besides..."
"This is ultimately our own feud, and I don't want to drag too many innocent people into it."
Bai Mei and Qing Zhu nodded solemnly upon hearing this.
Without further hesitation, the three of them stepped straight into the Song residence.
When the maids and servants in the mansion first saw Shen Yiqiu, they were terrified, as if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight. They were so frightened that they almost dropped what they were holding.
"Young Miss... no, Marquis Yongjia!"
The maidservant screamed, dropped the broom in her hand, and scrambled to hide behind a pillar.
"My lord, spare my life! I know nothing!"
The servant's face turned ashen, and he knelt down with a thud, kowtowing.
"Quickly, go and inform the master and madam!"
Ignoring the group of startled birds, Shen Yiqiu fixed her gaze on Song Sangyu, who was leisurely sipping tea and chatting with Fu Langxing in the garden pavilion.
She drew her long sword from her waist, moved like the wind, and stepped into the pavilion, placing it directly against Song Sangyu's neck.
"ah--!"
Song Sangyu screamed in fright, and the teacup in her hand fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.
Her face paled, but she forced herself to remain calm and shouted:
"Shen Yiqiu! Are you out of your mind? What are you trying to do in broad daylight?"
Shen Yiqiu mocked:
"Miss Song seems to have quite the leisurely pace, enjoying flowers and tea here. It seems she has forgotten what happened in the storeroom?"
Seeing this, Fu Langxing was both shocked and furious, and stepped forward to try to deflect the longsword:
"Shen Yiqiu, you are utterly lawless! How dare you commit murder with a sword in full view of everyone?"
Shen Yiqiu sneered, her sword remaining motionless, but her gaze shifted to Fu Langxing with disdain:
"Young Master Fu, is this the backer you've found? A vicious woman with a heart of stone, who attempted murder? Miss Song, have you forgotten all about the torture and murder in the storeroom? Should I help you recall it?"
Song Sangyu's heart was pounding like a drum, but she forced a straight face and vehemently denied it:
"What nonsense are you spouting? I don't understand a word! What warehouse? What torture? Don't you dare make false accusations!"
"Slanderous accusations?"
Shen Yiqiu used her free hand to tear open the collar of her clothes, revealing crisscrossing whip marks underneath, new wounds overlapping old scars, a shocking sight.
"This! And this too!"
She pointed to her back, "These whip marks, and my injuries, did I inflict them myself just to frame you, Miss Song?"
Bai Mei and Qing Zhu immediately stepped forward, rolled up their sleeves, and revealed the bruises on their arms from being tied up and beaten.
"And what about the injuries on our bodies? Did we inflict those injuries on ourselves just to put on a show for Miss and frame you? Song Sangyu, have you forgotten the ferocity with which you whipped Miss that day?"
"And what about the blood I vomited after being kicked by the Fourth Young Master? Was that all fake too?"
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