Chapter Forty-Five: Wound the enemy eight hundred, but suffer a thousand of your own.
Song Yiqiu stood up, surveyed the simple courtyard, and spoke with a piercing gaze:
"The truth has long been revealed. It's a pity that all the blame has been placed on you alone. Throughout this whole affair, you are the only one who has been confined here, never seeing the light of day."
“I heard that Song Sangyu ordered a batch of new clothes from Longsha Pavilion a few days ago. The money for that batch of clothes alone is enough for your whole courtyard to eat and drink well for three or four months.”
Ying'er's breathing suddenly quickened, and her eyes turned venomous:
"Why are you telling me all this? Humph! I was careless this time, and that's why I fell into that bitch's trap. Now that something's happened, she's trying to pin it on me. How despicable!"
Song Yiqiu immediately echoed this exaggeratedly, fanning the flames:
"That's right! Look at this, what did you do wrong this time? It was Third Brother who stole the things, and it was Song Sangyu who found the bracelet and made a big fuss, trying to push things to the extreme, but in the end, you're the one who gets punished? Where is the justice in this world? Where is the fairness?"
These words struck a nerve with Ying'er. She grabbed Song Yiqiu's arm tightly, as if she had found a kindred spirit, and exclaimed excitedly:
"Yes! Why? Why was Song Sangyu able to get away unscathed? I clearly did nothing wrong!"
"Not everyone is as lucky as Song Sangyu, who was adopted by the madam and became the second legitimate daughter of the Song family!"
"And what about me? I'm pregnant with the Song family's child, yet I can only be hidden away in this dark place like a rat, as a mistress! All I want is a better life, what did I do wrong? What did I do wrong!"
Seeing the jealousy in her eyes, Song Yiqiu sneered inwardly, but her expression remained increasingly sincere:
“Sister, even I, your own daughter, can’t stand it for you.”
Having been through the motions of love and pleasure, Ying'er, after the initial excitement, suddenly became wary:
"Young Miss, you've come here today, stirring things up in every way, just to make me deal with Song Sangyu and be your pawn? You've miscalculated!"
"I fell for the same trick once, but I'll never fall for it again. Besides, I'm being watched so closely now that I can't even relieve myself freely, what can I possibly do?"
Song Yiqiu shook her head:
“Sister Ying’er, I truly feel indignant for you. What Song Sangyu has seized isn't just yours; she's taken even what rightfully belongs to me. Both of us…”
Her gaze swept over Ying'er's belly,
“What flows in our veins is the bloodline connected to the Song family. She is just an outsider. What right does she have to possess all of this?”
"The blood of the Song family..."
Ying'er suddenly lowered her head and subconsciously touched her slightly protruding belly.
Song Yiqiu knew the time was right, so she said no more and stood up, saying:
“Miss Ying’er, you are a smart woman. I believe you will have your own ideas. It’s just… a man’s heart is so fickle. After not seeing you for three or four days, he might have already forgotten about you, his sister.”
"So, if you're going to take action, you'd better hurry. It's getting late, so I won't disturb your rest any longer."
She walked to the door, then, as if suddenly remembering something, turned around and left behind a final, meaningful sentence:
"Mother values her four older brothers' future and the Song family's reputation most. Sister, don't miss this opportunity."
After saying that, she gracefully departed with Qingzhu.
Inside the courtyard, Ying'er sat alone on a stone bench, repeatedly pondering Song Yiqiu's last words.
The future of my four older brothers... the reputation of the Song family...
Suddenly, as if she had figured something out, a crazed smile appeared on her face, growing louder and louder until she was almost insane:
"Hahahaha! That's right! That's right! No one can stop me! No one can stop me from living a better life! Haochu... Madam... Song Sangyu... you just wait and see!"
A bold and crazy plan quickly took root in her mind.
She paced back and forth in the courtyard, then suddenly stopped and whispered an instruction to her personal maid, Cuirui:
"Cui Rui, find a way to get me some medicine from Hongliu Tower. It has to be the kind that can cause a little spotting and abdominal pain, but won't actually harm the fetus."
Cui Rui was so frightened her face turned pale. She could handle other things, but this could be fatal:
"Miss! You...you wouldn't be going to...that's your own flesh and blood!"
Ying'er's eyes were ruthless:
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I'll only take a small amount to create some symptoms, which won't affect the child. But only in this way can I force that old hag to give in."
"Once I'm in the Song family, everything will be much easier. What is Song Sangyu anyway? Just an adopted daughter. The child in my belly is the true heir of the Song family. Let's see who can outlast whom!"
Cui Rui dared not say anything more and could only respond in a trembling voice:
"...Alright, I...I'll think of something..."
The following evening, a heart-wrenching wail suddenly erupted from the front hall of the Song residence.
The third young master, Song Haochu, seemed to have gone mad. His eyes were bloodshot, and ignoring the servants' attempts to stop him, he rushed into the front hall, knelt down, and began to wail and shout, beating his chest and stamping his feet.
"Mother, Mother, please save Ying'er, save your unborn grandchildren! They're going to die! They're being driven to their deaths!"
The main courtyard is not far from the front hall, so the commotion could be heard clearly.
Bai Mei was pouring tea for Song Yiqiu when she was startled by the howling:
"Huh! What's wrong with this third young master? Is he possessed? He's howling like a pig being slaughtered!"
Qingzhu, well-informed, whispered:
"Sister Bai Mei, you don't know yet, do you? In just the last two or three days, rumors have started circulating outside the manor. They're quite detailed, saying that our third young master is keeping a mistress outside the manor, and she's pregnant. But the mistress found out and is mistreating and torturing him. It looks like he and his unborn child are about to die! The rumors are as horrible as they can be!"
Song Yiqiu slowly blew on the tea froth, a slight smile playing on her lips:
"Ying'er is quick on her feet. She's managed to make such a big fuss in such a short time. We really shouldn't underestimate her. Mother must be in a real mess right now."
Qingzhu was a little curious:
"Miss, shall we go to the front hall and take a look?"
Bai Mei immediately perked up:
"Agreed! Only a fool wouldn't watch a show! Let's go!"
Unable to dissuade them, Song Yiqiu put down her teacup and walked towards the noisy front hall.
Upon entering the front hall, he saw his mother, Madam Song, sitting in the main seat with a livid face and her chest heaving violently, clearly very angry.
Song Sangyu stood to the side with an impatient look on her face, her eyes full of disdain.
When Song Haochu saw Song Yiqiu enter, it was as if he had seen a savior. He actually crawled over on his knees, grabbed her legs, and begged her, crying:
"Yiqiu, my dear sister, please beg Mother for your third brother to save Ying'er! She's dying, and only you can help him!"
Song Yiqiu slowly squatted down, held his shoulder, and lightly pinched the inside of his arm with her fingernail, her voice implying:
"Third brother, don't rush, tell me slowly. Mother is the most kind-hearted, she won't abandon us."
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