Chapter 1 The True Face of the Song Family
The sky was not kind. The drizzle just now suddenly turned into a heavy rain that splashed water and made a crackling sound as it fell on the corridor.
The atmosphere in the house was cold. Although it was spring, people felt cold to the bone.
"Uncle, please save my father!" Song Ci, dressed in a thin dress, knelt on the cold stone slabs of the hall. The chill on her knees made her shiver. Her eyelashes fluttered as she looked up at the grim faces of the people in front of her.
"Your father has committed a serious crime and is now implicated. The emperor has said that all those who have committed crimes will be thrown into prison, and no one is allowed to visit or plead for mercy."
Song Ci looked at her uncle, his expression impassive, and panicked. She remembered that her father had been imprisoned in the prison for ten days without a trace. What was the prison? It held the most serious criminals of the entire Zhou Dynasty. It was said to be dark and musty year-round, cold and damp. They ate stale rice and water, and at night, snakes, rats, insects, and ants gnawed at her wounds.
Dad has worked tirelessly over the years to manage the Song family's business, doing everything himself. He has exhausted all his energy, and his health is getting worse and worse. How can he bear it!
She endured the needle-like pain in the gap between her knee bones and knelt forward, her eyes full of hope. Her slender fingers tugged at the corner of his robe with gold thread woven on it, "Uncle, you will soon be able to enter the cabinet and hold a high position of power. As long as you speak, my father will definitely be saved! You will definitely save my father, right, uncle..."
"Bang!" The crutch hit the ground hard.
"I think you've lost your mind. Your father is already crippled, are you going to sacrifice your uncle for him? Your uncle is about to join the cabinet! My Song family will also be glorious in the future. He is the hope of my Song family. I will never allow you to mess with it!"
Old Madam Song's expression was extremely cold, and her wrinkled face seemed to be covered in ice. There was also a subtle hint of disgust in her gaze towards Song Ci.
"Grandma, my father is also your son!"
Old Madam Song was displeased. "You uneducated thing! You actually talk back to your elders. Your father has been a businessman all his life! How can he compare with your uncle? I absolutely cannot allow anything to affect your uncle's career!"
These words made Song Ci, who had been brainwashed by the sayings "family should be united" and "family should help each other" for years, feel surprised and sad.
"Merchant? Grandma, have you forgotten? My father was once a scholar and passed the imperial examination! It was you who said that the eldest and second uncles were already famous and that you wanted my father to take good care of the family business. We are all family! Helping the eldest and second uncles is helping ourselves! When they are honored in the future, our third branch will also be honored!"
"So what if I said it? Today is different from the past! Your father did something wrong and he should be punished!"
Song Ci felt it was ridiculous. Looking at the three indifferent people in front of him, his heart gradually cooled. "Did something wrong? This is wrong in every way. It shouldn't be Dad who is in jail! It was my uncle who told him personally that the emperor has opened up sea transportation and the searches are not strict now. Even if there are contraband on the ship, it's not a big deal! After my dad refused, my uncle intervened and arranged for someone to do such a thing! How can it be said that my dad did something wrong?"
Anger welled up on Old Lady Song's harsh face, and she slammed her cane hard, "Shut up! Shut up! You unfilial son!"
After saying that, he began to cough violently.
The eldest and second uncles, who had been sitting quietly, finally showed some expression other than indifference on their faces, and hurriedly said a few words of concern to Old Mrs. Song.
"Song Ci, you are being disrespectful. You should go back first. We have our own way to deal with these matters." Uncle Song drove him away indifferently.
He intended to simply put the matter aside, but Song Ci refused. She knew that if today's conversation ended like this, her father would have no way out.
She steeled herself and stepped forward to grab her uncle's hand. "Uncle, your transfer was made possible by my elder brother marrying the concubine of the Marquis of Ning. Your promotion was made possible by my mother having her leg broken by that concubine! Over the years, our Third Branch has worked tirelessly for the Song family, and my mother is still bedridden and unable to get up! Don't you even care?!"
"Song Ci." Uncle Song looked at her with a strange look. "Isn't this what you, as members of the Song family, should do? How dare you ask for anything in return? You, the people of the third branch, have no talent or virtue, so this is all you can do. As for your mother, your father is destined to die, and your mother has her own place to go, so you don't have to worry about her."
Song Ci raised her head in surprise, her cheeks flushed red with anger and grievance, and tears from the corners of her eyes rolled down her thin chin.
With a "plop", it dripped onto the stone slab in front of him.
"What did you say."
Uncle Song's eyes were deep, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, "Old Prince Qi likes middle-aged women, especially beautiful and delicate ones. He has taken a fancy to your mother. Now that your father is gone, it would be a good place for her to go to Prince Qi's mansion."
He was wearing a sky-blue robe, and he exuded elegance and nobility. The words he whispered made him sound like a ghost from the underworld seeking revenge.
Song Ci's teeth chattered with anger. "You, you sent my mother to that ridiculous prince? His absurdity is known to everyone in the capital. You said it was a good place! If it really is a good place, why doesn't uncle go there himself!"
"You're crazy! How can you speak to your uncle like that!" Old Mrs. Song couldn't help but frown when she saw her like this, and she didn't hide her disgust.
After crying out loud, Song Ci realized that she couldn't convince them; they had no heart. Her parents' fate was already sealed, and she was heartbroken, nearly going insane. She couldn't help crying and laughing, pounding her hands hard on the bluestone, soon leaving bloodstains.
Dad, Mom, it’s my daughter who is incompetent.
Our family has misjudged the people. This is not a family at all. It is clearly an attempt to tear the three branches of the family apart and squeeze out all their value.
"Yes, I'm crazy!" Song Ci said word by word, "I'm crazy because I didn't see through you sooner! You are not family, you are just a bunch of scoundrels! You are destroying the bridge after crossing the river! You are unworthy of being human!"
Uncle Song, who had been silent the whole time, stood up and kicked Song Ci in the chest, "Shut up!"
His face looked gloomy, and there was no trace of his former kindness.
Song Ci immediately understood that this was the true face of the first and second wives.
"Someone, lock up the third young lady." Song Ci was dragged up roughly, but her eyes were still staring at them.
Second Uncle Song raised his foot to kick her, but was stopped by First Uncle Song beside him. "Alright, stop it. Right now, I need to get into the cabinet. Pei Ji has been keeping an eye on me these days, trying to find fault with me. Don't make things complicated."
"He's seriously ill and won't live long. I've planted someone next to him and poisoned him. After these few days, you and I will be free to fly freely."
Song Ci vomited blood while listening to the conspiracy of the two men. At the end of his consciousness, he only heard a loud "...
"Brother is brilliant!"
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