Chapter Fifty-One: Pushed into the Water
A flicker of emotion crossed Song Yiqiu's eyes:
Thank you.
She hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help asking anyway.
"You and my third brother...?"
Wang Feiran seemed to know what she wanted to ask, and gave a self-deprecating laugh:
"Don't you find it strange, even ridiculous? How could someone like me fall in love with... well, a man like Brother Haochu?"
Song Yiqiu glanced subconsciously at Bai Mei beside her, her eyes asking inquiringly:
Am I being that obvious?
Bai Mei spoke frankly:
"Miss, you're not just obvious, you practically have 'disgust' written all over your face!"
Qingzhu added in a low voice:
"It's not just disdain, it's utter disdain and complete incomprehension."
Wang Feiran was amused by the interaction between the mistress and her servant, and said wistfully:
"When I was seven, I was punished by my father for mispronouncing a line of the sword technique during practice. I was made to kneel in the courtyard to reflect on my actions. When I was cold and hungry, my brother Haochu came to visit with his father and secretly slipped me a still-warm osmanthus cake." Her gaze drifted into the distance.
"It was from that time on that I felt that he was different from others."
After a moment of silence, Song Yiqiu couldn't help but blurt out a complaint:
"...Hmm, was your family unable to afford osmanthus cake back then?"
What does this mean, Miss, what are you after for such a small favor?
Upon hearing this, Wang Feiran was not annoyed at all; instead, her smile deepened.
"Did General Song ever love anyone? When it comes to matters of the heart, there are no so many reasons to explain them. Perhaps all osmanthus cakes in the world taste the same, but in my heart, the piece he handed me at that moment was the sweetest in the world."
Song Yiqiu nodded knowingly and summarized expressionlessly:
"No wonder. The character '恋' (lian) in '恋恋' (lian lian, love) is composed of the character '变' (bian) in '变态' (bian tai, perverted) and the character '态' (tai) in '变态' (bian tai, perverted)."
Wang Feiran was taken aback at first, then burst out laughing, finding this General Song extremely amusing.
After laughing, Song Yiqiu's expression turned serious, and she lowered her voice to ask:
"Miss Wang, I've heard that your father, Minister Wang, was once a subordinate of my grandmother?"
Wang Feiran also suppressed her smile and nodded seriously:
"Yes. The person my father admired most in his life was General Shen, the Marquis of Yongjia. It's a pity... later the old general..."
She sighed, "My father was depressed for a long time after that."
Song Yiqiu stared intently at her:
"To be honest, I suspect that my grandmother's encounter with the bandits was not an accident, but rather there was more to the story."
Upon hearing this, Wang Feiran showed little surprise, and she replied frankly:
"My father has mentioned many times that with the abilities of the Marquis of Yongjia, who could take the enemy's head amidst ten thousand troops, how could he possibly die so easily at the hands of a small band of bandits?"
“This matter is too suspicious. Over the years, my father has been investigating it both openly and secretly, but unfortunately... the other party is extremely clean, and we still have no clue.”
Song Yiqiu's heart sank immediately.
Even Vice Minister Wang couldn't find any clues? It seems the mastermind behind this is more deeply hidden than she imagined.
"Could you please introduce me, Miss Wang? I wish to personally meet with Vice Minister Wang and inquire about the details," Song Yiqiu asked earnestly.
Wang Feiran readily agreed:
“That’s easy. But my father has been ordered to go to the frontier to inspect the camps and supervise the construction. He won’t be back in the capital for another month. Once he returns, I will personally visit your residence to present him with a formal letter and introduce you to him.”
Song Yiqiu expressed her gratitude sincerely.
The two chatted for a few more minutes and found themselves to have a mutual appreciation for each other, so they drank wine together.
On the other side, although Song Haochu avoided the gaze, his eyes kept glancing at Wang Feiran, appearing distracted.
Wang Feiran noticed his gaze and, thinking he had something to say, apologized to Song Yiqiu and walked over to Song Haochu, wanting to have a few words with him.
Song Sangyu, who had been secretly observing, was already annoyed to see Wang Feiran and Song Yiqiu chatting happily. When she saw that Wang Feiran had taken the initiative to go to her third brother, she was immediately consumed by jealousy and hatched a vicious plan.
She leaned close to her trusted maid and whispered something quickly. The maid nodded and quietly slipped into the crowd.
However, before Wang Feiran and Song Hao could exchange more than a few words, a commotion suddenly arose at the west entrance of the poetry gathering:
"Haochu! Brother Haochu! Where are you? How could you do this to me!"
Everyone looked on in astonishment and saw a woman in a maroon dress, crying her eyes out, staggering towards them. She was barefoot and it turned out to be Ying'er, who should have been in the mansion.
The moment Song Yiqiu saw Ying'er, her brows furrowed instantly.
Her third brother brought her to this place, which was quite remote. If no one had specifically told her, Ying'er would never have been able to find it accurately.
Alarm bells rang in her mind.
"You bitch!"
Ying'er spotted Wang Feiran standing next to Song Haochu immediately; the two were still chatting and laughing.
She rushed over and slapped Wang Feiran hard across the face.
Wang Feiran was completely caught off guard by this sudden attack. She covered her face in shock and stared in astonishment at the woman in front of her who looked like a madwoman.
"Miss Ying'er! You've misunderstood!"
Song Yiqiu immediately stepped forward to stop her.
Ying'er wouldn't listen at all. Pointing at Wang Feiran, she cried out to Song Haochu:
"Haochu! The academy gathering you mentioned, is this where you're having a secret rendezvous with this bitch? I'm already carrying your child! How could you be so heartless as to abandon us, mother and child?"
Song Haochu panicked immediately and hurriedly stepped forward to try to comfort Ying'er:
"Ying'er! What nonsense are you talking about? Things aren't what you think. Fei Ran and I have only known each other since childhood, and it's just a normal brother-sister relationship. I have no romantic feelings for her whatsoever. Please don't get angry, or you might hurt our child."
In his desperation, he spoke without thinking, yet every word he uttered struck a nerve with Wang Feiran.
Wang Feiran stood frozen in place, the words echoing in her mind, her face drained of color, and she remained motionless.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Song Yiqiu immediately called to Bai Mei:
"Bai Mei! Get Miss Fei Ran out of here first!"
However, the next second, Ying'er, who had been provoked, seemed to have completely lost her mind. She screamed and pounced on Wang Feiran, who was about to be pulled away by Bai Mei, as if she wanted to fight him.
Song Yiqiu, who was closest, instinctively stepped aside and blocked Wang Feiran's path without hesitation!
Ying'er couldn't stop in time and crashed into Song Yiqiu.
Behind Song Yiqiu was the clear spring pool surrounding the pavilion, with slippery stones along the edge.
Caught off guard by the force of the impact, she slipped and lost her balance, letting out a cry as she fell backward.
"Young Miss!!"
Bai Mei and Qing Zhu screamed at the same time.
Water splashed everywhere amidst the horrified gazes of the crowd!
Song Yiqiu's head slammed heavily against the sharp, protruding rock cliff beside the pool, and bright red blood quickly spread in the clear spring water, staining the area around her red.
She sank completely into the water and remained motionless.
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