Chapter Twenty-Three: Third Brother's White Lotus Has Arrived
She took a sudden step forward, picked up the jade pendant, and examined it carefully. After confirming that it was indeed her, she raised her head and stared intently at Aunt Yun:
"Aunt Yun! Where did you get this jade pendant?"
Aunt Yun was startled by her sudden change in demeanor, sighed, and whispered:
"It was found on... Hongxiu."
"Hongxiu?"
Song Yiqiu frowned. "Song Sangyu's former personal maid?"
"yes."
Aunt Yun nodded.
"She was imprisoned in the woodshed for framing you, Miss. That night... she hanged herself."
"Dead?!"
Song Yiqiu was greatly surprised.
"Hanging?"
She was right there in the main courtyard and knew nothing about it. Given Hongxiu's cowardly and power-hungry nature, how could she choose to commit suicide?
Aunt Yun whispered:
"Yes. When the servants dragged her body to the mass grave, this jade pendant fell out of her bosom. I noticed that this thing was extraordinary, with a rare color and inscriptions, so it must have a great history... I dared not make a fuss, so I secretly kept it."
Warning bells rang in Song Yiqiu's mind.
She gripped the jade pendant tightly, her eyes blazing, and tentatively asked:
"Aunt Yun...do you know the true origin of this jade pendant?"
Aunt Yun shook her head blankly:
"I don't know. I just feel that it is no ordinary object, so I dare not handle it without authorization."
Song Yiqiu continued to probe, softening her tone:
"Then...why didn't Aunt give this to Mother, but instead secretly brought it to me?"
Aunt Yun raised her eyes, her gaze deep, and slowly said:
"Perhaps it's because... I feel that Miss is someone I can trust."
Song Yiqiu couldn't figure out what Aunt Yun was up to, but she could sense that Aunt Yun's actions were not as simple as they seemed.
She quietly put the jade pendant away.
"Thank you very much, Aunt. Please accept this money so that Ziyu and her sisters can have some food and other necessities. Also,"
She paused.
"At the flower viewing tea party three days from now, I will have someone send visiting cards to Sister Sanchun and Sister Ruoling, so that the two sisters can make good preparations and attend together."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Yun's eyes were filled with gratitude.
As a concubine, she naturally had no right to attend banquets in the manor, and her daughters had almost never been formally invited. Song Yiqiu's actions undoubtedly gave them a rare opportunity.
She immediately bowed deeply to Song Yiqiu:
"This humble servant...thanks for your kindness, young lady!"
Song Yiqiu offered a helping hand:
"No need for such formalities, Aunt."
After seeing off the profusely thanking Aunt Yun, Bai Mei watched her disappearing figure in the distance and couldn't help but mutter:
"This Aunt Yun is really strange. She usually stays in that godforsaken Hibiscus Garden and doesn't utter a sound. Today she came here and started rambling on and on, and I didn't understand a word of it!"
Qingzhu rushed over quickly:
"Miss! This, this is the old lady's jade pendant; she never takes it off!"
Song Yiqiu nodded heavily:
"You still remember?"
Qingzhu said urgently:
"How could I forget! The old lady cherished her like a treasure and repeatedly said that she would give her to the eldest daughter as part of her dowry. How could it have fallen into Hongxiu's hands?"
Song Yiqiu traced the small characters on the jade pendant with her fingertips, her eyes as cold as ice:
"Yes, I'd also like to know... how this jade pendant ended up in the hands of my dear sister's maid."
Just then, there was a rapid knocking at the door from Granny Li:
"Young Miss! Young Miss! Are you there? This old servant has something urgent to report!"
Qingzhu instantly darted to the side, reverting to her dazed state, and squatted in the corner to continue playing with the ants.
Seeing this, Bai Mei stepped forward and opened the door. Granny Li hurriedly squeezed in, disregarding proper etiquette, and gave a hasty curtsy, her breathing unsteady.
"Young Miss, something terrible has happened! The front hall... something terrible has occurred in the front hall!"
Song Yiqiu quickly put the jade pendant into her sleeve, her face regaining its composure, and looked up at her:
"Granny Li, don't be anxious. Take a breath and tell me slowly. What exactly happened?"
Granny Li patted her chest, caught her breath, and looked embarrassed.
His voice was lowered even further, as if he were talking about a most disgraceful scandal:
"It's...it's the Third Young Master! The Third Young Master suddenly returned from the academy. And...and he brought back a woman! That woman looks...looks like she's five or six months pregnant, she's crying and sobbing, and she's kneeling in the front hall right now!"
Song Yiqiu frowned slightly.
It's here! And it's here even earlier than in my previous life!
She remembered clearly that her third brother's romantic entanglement in her previous life only came to light after the flower-viewing tea party.
In this life, some things did indeed change because of her rebirth.
Bai Mei stared in astonishment, her eyes wide with surprise:
"Good heavens! The Third Young Master? Isn't he supposed to be living at the academy studying diligently all day? How could this be..."
Granny Li looked distressed.
"Who says otherwise? The master and mistress were furious on the spot and lost their temper. The front hall is now in complete chaos."
"Madam...Madam sent this old servant to invite you over, saying...saying that you should uphold justice."
Upon hearing this, Song Yiqiu's lips curled into a barely perceptible cold smile.
Upholding justice? She's not some government official.
She slowly picked up the slightly cool tea beside her, took a sip, and spoke indifferently:
"If you want justice, you should go to the government to handle the case. Why are you coming to me?"
I can only uphold the 'mother' way.
Seeing that she remained unmoved, Granny Li became even more anxious, her wrinkles furrowing as she pleaded:
“Young Miss! Madam specifically requested this old servant to come and invite you. If we cannot get you here… this old servant is too old to endure Madam’s troubles…”
"Please, young lady, have mercy on this old servant... I have no other choice..."
As she spoke, her eyes reddened, clearly terrified of being blamed.
Looking at Li Mama's frightened appearance, Song Yiqiu recalled that Li Mama had spoken up for her during the family discipline, and also remembered that she had drunk Li Mama's breast milk for two months when she was a child. Her heart softened.
She put down her teacup and stood up:
"Fine. I'll go with you. Bai Mei, come with me. Lock the door, and Qing Zhu will stay in the courtyard."
Granny Li nodded repeatedly, as if granted a pardon, and said in hushed tones:
"Oh! Oh! Thank you, Miss! Thank you, Miss!"
Bai Mei followed behind Song Yiqiu, muttering to herself:
"Miss, knowing it's muddy water, why do you still go and get involved?"
Song Yiqiu stared straight ahead, her voice so low that only the two of them could hear her:
“Granny Li was kind to me in my early years and spoke up for me last time. This time, I’ll just repay her for the favor.”
"Furthermore, even if we don't go now, they will have countless ways to force us to go. We might as well take the initiative to see how they intend to put on this show."
...
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