Chapter 165 Taking Back Your Life for Your Grandmother
The servants around the pavilion were stunned by the scene.
Looking at the undeniable scars on Shen Yiqiu and her servant, and then at Song Sangyu, her gaze was filled with suspicion.
Under the questioning gazes of the crowd, Song Sangyu's face gradually turned deathly pale, her lips trembling, yet she still stubbornly argued:
"You, you all...you're all in cahoots. You conspired to frame me, Brother Langxing, you have to believe me! I really didn't..."
As if under a spell, Fu Langxing immediately stood beside Song Sangyu and sternly rebuked Shen Yiqiu:
"Shen Yiqiu! Stop your nonsense! Who knows how these injuries came about?"
"Maybe...maybe it's a ruse you devised to frame Sang Yu!"
He ignored the gruesome whip marks and uttered absurd words.
Upon hearing this, Shen Yiqiu did not get angry but laughed instead, her laughter filled with pity:
"Fu Langxing, you really have forgotten the pain once the wound has healed! Back in the palace, when Song Sangyu was in danger, you were the first one pushed forward to take the blame. Now you're completely devoted to her? You really are just a loyal dog by her side, summoned at will and dismissed at will!"
"you!"
Fu Langxing was hit where it hurt, and his face turned red with anger. In a fit of rage, he stepped forward and raised his hand to slap Shen Yiqiu.
However, before his hand was even in mid-air, Bai Mei swiftly seized his wrist.
Bai Mei's eyes were icy cold. With a forceful twist and push, Fu Langxing cried out in pain and staggered to the ground.
The white plum blossoms looked down from a high vantage point.
"Young Master Fu, do you think we are still the same master and servants who were once manipulated by the Song family? I am the personal guard of Marquis Yongjia, and I hope you will show some respect to our Marquis!"
Song Sangyu quickly pretended to step forward to help Fu Langxing, her eyes welling up with tears:
"Brother Langxing, are you alright? It's all Sangyu's fault, she made my sister misunderstand us..."
Shen Yiqiu interrupted her performance directly, saying with disgust:
"Song Sangyu, stop with your hypocritical act. I still vividly remember your vicious and hideous face in the storeroom. I'm here today for two reasons: first, to reclaim the dowry left to me by my grandmother; and second, to make you pay for the massacre in the storeroom with your blood!"
Song Sangyu was so frightened that she backed away repeatedly, covering her abdomen with her hands, and screamed in a fierce but cowardly voice:
"You, you dare! I'm carrying the son of the young master Fu! The grandson of the Earl's family, how dare you touch me?"
Shen Yiqiu laughed, a cold laugh:
"Why wouldn't I dare? Today, I'll show you whether I dare or not!"
Before she could finish speaking, she had already taken the longsword from Bai Mei's hand. The tip of the sword flashed coldly, and she was about to stab it towards Song Sangyu's heart.
"Wait! Yiqiu! Stop!"
A piercing cry rang out from afar. Song Shenshi stumbled towards them, embracing Song Sangyu tightly, her eyes brimming with tears as she pleaded with Shen Yiqiu.
"Yiqiu, it's all my fault, no matter what. She...she's still your sister! How could you do such a cruel thing!"
Shen Yiqiu laughed as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world, but it only made her look more sorrowful:
"My sister? I'm surnamed Shen, where did I get a sister surnamed Song? You all committed such heinous crimes of murder and death, and not only do you show no remorse, but you can also openly enjoy flowers, tea, and laughter in the Song mansion!"
"Your surname is Chen, and she's from the Song family. Have you forgotten the poison she gave you?"
Song Shenshi dared not look directly into Shen Yiqiu's eyes, and could only weep and cry out:
"Qiu'er... Qiu'er... Leave a way for your family to live."
Shen Yiqiu's gaze was like a knife, scraping across Song Shenshi's face:
“Madam Song, you are mistaken. It is you who have left me no way out. Today, Yiqiu only knows how to pay for blood debts. What they took and what they owe, I will take back one by one!”
Seeing that she was unyielding, Madam Song turned to cursing:
"You unfilial daughter! You unfilial daughter!"
Shen Yiqiu's tone was resolute:
"I severed all ties with the Song Shen family long ago, in black and white, before His Majesty. My only remaining family is Marquis Yongjia, Shen Zhaohua!"
Song Shenshi shouted incoherently:
"Shen Yiqiu, you really are just like your maternal grandmother! Both of you are cold-blooded and ruthless monsters who would kill your own blood relatives!"
Shen Yiqiu's eyes suddenly turned icy cold:
"Shut up! Don't you dare slander my grandmother. Her character is beyond reproach! I was thinking of sparing your life out of consideration for our mother-daughter bond, but your actions now only prove that not a single word you've said in the past can be trusted. Today is the anniversary of your deaths!"
With a flick of her wrist, the longsword swept across Song Shenshi's head, and a strand of hair fell to the ground.
Startled, Song Shen screamed and hastily released Song Sangyu, retreating repeatedly. Seeing the undisguised murderous intent in Shen Yiqiu's eyes, she finally cried out in terror:
"You're insane! You're absolutely insane! Someone help! Someone help me!"
Shen Yiqiu stood holding her sword, her voice echoing throughout the courtyard:
"Let's see who dares to step forward! Kill them all!"
"Oh my, what a boastful tone."
A mocking voice came from behind.
"Anyone who didn't know better would think it was the Emperor himself who had arrived."
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Consort Zhao approaching gracefully, surrounded by a group of palace maids.
As if grasping at a straw, Song Sangyu scrambled to Zhao Jieyu's feet, crying out:
"Auntie! Help me!"
Zhao Jieyu gently stroked Song Sangyu's head, her tone full of affection:
"Good child, what happened to you? Who bullied you? Tell Auntie, and Auntie will stand up for you."
As she spoke, her gaze glanced meaningfully at Shen Yiqiu, feigning surprise.
"Marquis Yongjia? What brings you here, and why are you in such a tense situation? Is there some misunderstanding?"
Zhao Jieyu's evasive manner during the palace banquet, coupled with her seemingly resolute demeanor, left people momentarily puzzled.
Shen Yiqiu stared coldly at her, directly exposing her flaws:
"These people from the Song family, you pulled them out of the East Palace dungeon, didn't you?"
Zhao Jieyu covered her mouth and chuckled, but her eyes held a hint of provocation:
"Lord Yongjia, you've wronged me terribly. How could I possibly have the ability to rescue someone from His Highness the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace?"
She changed the subject, feigning regret.
"I had heard that after the Marquis of Yongjia inherited his title, he was restless and depressed, and suffered from hysteria for a while... Seeing him today, it is indeed true. It seems that the rumors in the capital are not unfounded."
Bai Mei retorted angrily:
"You're talking nonsense! When did our Marquis ever suffer from hysteria? Where did this rumor come from?"
As if she had let something slip, Zhao Jieyu hurriedly covered her lips with a handkerchief, but a smug glint flashed in her eyes:
"Oh dear, His Majesty and the Imperial Noble Consort both told me to keep it a secret... Look at my mouth, I actually blurted it out."
Shen Yiqiu knew she was deliberately slandering him, and suppressed her anger:
“Zhao Jieyu, if you leave now, today’s events have nothing to do with you. If you don’t leave…”
Zhao Jieyu's face darkened, and her voice rose:
"What? You want to kill me?"
Chen Yiqiu sneered:
"Your life was saved from the clutches of bandits by my grandmother back then, so what's the point of talking about killing you? I'm just taking back what my grandmother wrongly saved!"
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