Chapter 253 What a clever scheme!
Deathly silence.
Only the rustling of leaves in the breeze outside the window made the humble room feel even more oppressive.
Song Jiyun's mind went blank, then was filled with countless chaotic thoughts.
Didn't they discover the other half of the cushion that I hid in the lining?
That was her last chance to survive, the irrefutable evidence she used to frame the masked man and clear her name!
Song Jiyun's mind was racing, but he tried his best to remain calm.
But her slightly trembling eyelashes betrayed the turmoil in her heart.
Meng Shilan looked at her quietly.
After a long silence, she finally opened her lips, her voice devoid of any warmth.
"Isn't that surprising?"
"Are you wondering where you slipped up?"
Meng Shilan slowly walked forward, each step feeling as if she were stepping on Song Jiyun's heart.
"I'm wondering why the half-sheet of paper you hid in the cushion couldn't save your life?"
Meng Shilan looked at her face, which turned deathly pale, and a mocking smile curled at the corner of her lips.
She slowly and deliberately took something out from the wide, plain sleeves of her dress.
It was that torn, creased half of the letter.
"What a brilliant plan."
Meng Shilan waved the thin piece of paper lightly in front of Song Jiyun, her tone contemptuous.
"Shedding one's skin like a cicada, framing someone else, killing two birds with one stone."
"Song Jiyun, if you had used your brain for the right purpose, the Song family might not have ended up in this state today."
She paused, her eyes growing even colder.
"Unfortunately, your petty tricks are nothing to me."
"However, I should thank you."
Meng Shilan leaned slightly closer to Song Jiyun's ear, her voice low but clear.
"The 'gift' you sent me gives me a perfect reason to kill my enemy without tarnishing my reputation."
"Tell me, if I were to execute you on the spot, you traitorous spy who has been colluding with the enemy, would the world say I'm ruthless, or would they praise me for upholding the noble character of the Duke of Zhenguo's family and eliminating a scourge for the country?"
The color drained completely from Song Jiyun's face in that instant.
She finally understood that Meng Shilan had no intention of settling things privately with her.
She wanted to turn all her scheming into achievements for Meng Shilan!
She wanted her to die, and to be condemned for all eternity, to die a meaningless death!
After the extreme fear and despair, there came overwhelming madness.
For a moment, the expression on Song Jiyun's face cracked.
"Oh……"
A dry laugh escaped her throat.
"Ha, ha ha ha ha ha—!"
She suddenly threw her head back and burst into laughter. The laughter was shrill and piercing, echoing in the small space and sounding particularly eerie.
"Meng Shilan, Meng Shilan, do you really think you've already won?"
Song Jiyun stared at her intently, his eyes bloodshot.
"Let me tell you, you can't kill me now! You can't kill me!"
Her voice carried a sense of resolute determination, as if she were willing to fight to the death.
"I am now the most trusted person by Prince Bucha!"
"If I can pass on a message to someone who is unaware, then I can pass on a false message to him!"
“My life is now worth a fortune! It is related to the victory or defeat of the Great Sheng in the border war! Even Zhou Congxian has to think twice about this value. Would he dare to touch me?”
"Who do you think you are, Meng Shilan?!"
She screamed, as if she wanted to reveal all her cards and use her last chip to fight for her life.
However, the slight ripple on Meng Shilan's face quickly subsided.
She looked at Song Jiyun with amusement, as if she were looking at an ant jumping around.
"value?"
She chewed on those two words softly, her eyes filled with an unyielding coldness.
“You’re right. Someone who can spread false information to the unsuspecting is indeed very valuable.”
"Can--"
Her tone shifted abruptly, becoming utterly sinister, "Why does that person have to be the real Song Jiyun?"
"Anyway, it's all fake news. What's the difference between a living Song Jiyun and a 'Song Jiyun' under my control?"
"Your value is worthless in my eyes."
Song Jiyun's laughter abruptly stopped.
The madness and smugness on her face froze, then shattered.
Meng Shilan's words were like a sharp knife, precisely severing her last hope.
She is completely replaceable.
No! You wouldn't dare!
Song Jiyun completely broke down. She twisted her body wildly, and the ropes cut deep bloody marks on her wrists.
With bloodshot eyes, she grasped at the last straw and screamed at the top of her lungs.
"My marriage to Zhou Congxian was personally approved by His Majesty in front of all the officials at the autumn hunting grounds!"
"If I die at your hands, can the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion escape responsibility? Can your Meng family bear the guilt of deceiving the emperor?!"
Seeing Song Jiyun's powerless and furious state, Meng Shilan's mockery deepened.
She slowly drew a dagger from her sleeve; a flash of cold light illuminated her icy profile.
"Song Jiyun, you are now both pathetic and laughable."
Her voice regained its calmness, but it was more chilling than ever before.
"You always claim to be a noblewoman, but deep down you're nothing more than a bully who preys on the weak."
“Back then, I was just a concubine in Zhou Congxian’s household, while you were about to become the wife of the heir apparent. You clearly loathed me to the core, yet you insisted on putting on a magnanimous and virtuous facade in front of him, only to turn your back and use the most insidious means to try and kill me.”
"And now?"
Meng Shilan gently patted Song Jiyun's cheek with the flat of her dagger; the cold touch made her tremble uncontrollably.
"The Song family has fallen on hard times, and you are living under someone else's roof. You are just an orphan girl with a wretched fate, yet you are not at peace and always think that you can still stir up trouble like before."
"Look at you, besides using His Majesty and the Zhou family to intimidate me, what else do you have?"
The tip of the dagger was pressed against Song Jiyun's throat.
A sharp pain came.
Song Jiyun froze. The cold dagger sliced through the skin on her neck. If it had gone any further, she would have been bleeding profusely.
The fear of impending death made her weak all over.
Just when she thought she was doomed, Meng Shilan suddenly laughed.
The laughter was soft, yet it sent chills down Song Jiyun's spine.
"However, you have reminded me."
Meng Shilan sheathed the dagger and slowly wiped away the non-existent bloodstains.
"You are still somewhat useful now."
"I'm not in a hurry to take revenge or silence witnesses."
She looked up at Song Jiyun, whose face was ashen, and said, word by word.
"I've waited all these years, can't I... wait a little longer?"
Song Jiyun clenched his teeth, his forehead already covered in fine beads of sweat.
What is she going to do to herself?
Suddenly, a figure flashed through Song Jiyun's mind.
She laughed wildly, much to Meng Shilan's astonishment.
I laughed so hard that tears streamed down my face.
"Meng Shilan, do you think you have everything under control?"
Her voice was hoarse, yet it carried a strange sense of smugness.
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