Family Hexagram (Lower Hexagram)
Chapter 37 Family Hexagram - Lower Hexagram - Confrontation
The atmosphere inside the room was completely different. Xie Chengzhi's indifferent yet somewhat cold voice was like a sharp blade, cutting through the silence.
"When did she sign the agreement?" Xie Chengzhi asked again.
"Only five days after the young mistress married into the family, I was so desperate that I went to the young mistress to borrow money. That's when we made a written agreement. The young mistress had already set up this matter. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to get away, so I made the young mistress write down what happened for me."
After speaking, Madam Fang knelt at the Marquis's feet, not daring to raise her head.
After listening, Xie Chengzhi smiled slightly. "Such a clumsy little trick, and you still dare to put it on the table to slander the young mistress? Do you really think that the people in my Runan Marquis's mansion are all shallow, that the young mistress would leave you with any dirt on her?"
While Mrs. Fang's words seemed perfectly reasonable, the obvious facts made it seem more like a frame-up.
It's like she's about to do something bad, and she's so afraid of leaving anyone with evidence that she spills everything in detail.
Everyone then realized that what the eldest son said seemed to make sense, so why did the eldest daughter-in-law remain silent just now?
Those watching dared not say a word, partly for fear of getting caught up in the controversy, and partly to wait and see who was right and who was wrong.
At this point, it was Wang who spoke up, "Then why did she frame me?"
"Because the mistress wanted to take Princess Yongqing as a secondary wife, she held a grudge."
Wang was greatly alarmed, as if Fang's mother had revealed her secret.
Everyone present reacted with a variety of expressions to her words, glancing at Madam Wang and then at Rong Yan.
Du Chunhong was breathing heavily, her chest heaving. Xie Qisheng quickly grabbed her wrist, afraid that she might say something inappropriate in a moment of impulse and cause an uncontrollable situation.
He whispered to Du Chunhong, "Let's wait and see."
The Marquis and the others were unaware of this matter before, but now everyone knows. The fact that Princess Yongqing had come to the mansion for a banquet that day and secretly sought out Lady Wang has now been exposed.
The Marquis, for reasons unknown, was furious. Even at this point, he still mocked her, saying, "As a mother-in-law, how could you, so newly married, want to take a concubine, and a noble Princess Yongqing at that? Only a fool like you could come up with such a thing!"
Wang was not to be outdone, "Hmph, Lord Marquis, you don't seem to be much better. Thanks to you, my sister and I are fortunate enough to share one husband."
Grandma Xie pursed her lips into a thin line, and it was unclear whether she was enduring something.
The two of them were older than her combined, yet they behaved so rudely in front of a younger person.
After Wang retorted, she didn't bother to look at the Marquis anymore and turned her gaze to Rong Yan. She held her breath and stared at Rong Yan, her brows furrowing even deeper.
The group was momentarily distracted by the interruption from the Marquis and Madam Wang, but Xie Ningling's words to Rong Yan brought them back to their senses.
Xie Ningling shook her head and wept, saying, "I was so foolish. Only I believed you. You thief, you're crying 'stop thief' while being the thief yourself. This trick is truly brilliant. You're using the matter of entering the palace to cover yourself up. It's a shame that my brother and I trusted you so much. Even now, my brother is still defending you. I want to hear how you're going to defend yourself. Don't use my brother as a pawn!"
Rong Yan remained calm and composed, but he was pondering the underlying interests and consequences.
She ignored Xie Ningling and instead asked Fang's mother in a very calm tone, "You said this agreement was written by me, so which hand did I use to write it?"
Madam Fang didn't dare look at her, but instead looked up at the Marquis and said with great confidence, "It's naturally the left hand."
Since the young mistress entered the manor, she has always written with her left hand, a fact that has long been known among the maids.
Rong Yan smiled, and using the tea on the table as a starting point, she casually lifted the cup, dipped her finger in the tea, and wrote a phrase from the document with her right hand.
Everyone stood up and took a look, and found that the words were nine-tenths similar to those in the written agreement.
Everyone was shocked; she could actually write with both hands?!
Mrs. Fang was kneeling on the ground and obviously hadn't seen the words, but she could guess from the expressions on everyone's faces. She stammered a few times and explained, "I must have remembered wrong. It was your right hand. It's only natural that I didn't notice which hand you used to write it."
Rong Yan smiled and said, "You may not remember which hand I used to write the words, but you can always remember how much money I promised to keep, right?"
Xie Zhezhi: "Aunt Fang, think carefully before you speak, or you'll make a fool of yourself. This lady is a senior member of the family."
Xie Zhezhi, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke up to help Rong Yan.
Rong Shu remained calm and spoke softly, "Husband, it's not right of you to speak like this at this critical juncture. Those who know the truth will see that you are kind-hearted and are speaking up for my sister, while those who don't might think you are pressuring or threatening Madam Fang. I know you are thinking of me and don't want me to be sad. I also believe in my sister; she couldn't have done this. I believe she can prove her innocence."
After hearing this, Xie Zhezhi patted Rong Shu's wrist and sighed.
After hearing what Rong Shu said, Fang's mother calmed down a bit.
The written agreement was now in Rong Yan's hands. She hesitated for a moment, and Rong Yan immediately urged her, "What, feeling guilty? Can't you remember? This is life-saving money! How could you not remember? Aunt Fang, today you went against your conscience and slandered me. I believe you must have something you can't say. If you tell me, I believe that both your father and mother can save you from this predicament. If you can let the real murderer control you for a while, they can control you for a lifetime."
Rong Yan seized the opportunity to reason with him and appeal to his compassion.
She didn't write the agreement, so it couldn't have been received by Mrs. Fang. Mrs. Fang only received the document as a prop; how could she possibly remember the specific details inside?
Mrs. Fang couldn't remember the exact amount, and she didn't dare to answer randomly, since she had already answered incorrectly which hand Rong Yan used to write the words.
If she makes another mistake, her testimony will most likely be invalidated.
“Young Madam has excellent eloquence. Of course, I cannot lie against my conscience. If Heaven has eyes, it will bring the real murderer to justice. I have already done something against my conscience and caused the death of a person. I hope that Young Madam can also turn back from the endless sea of suffering.”
Seeing that Fang's mother was determined, Rong Yan knew that someone must have taken control of her life.
Xie Chengzhi snorted coldly, "If that's the case, why didn't you mention the young mistress at all in your confession? Did you volunteer to be the scapegoat and become the one who drugged her when you learned the situation was serious? Or is it because you panicked when the investigation started and began to lie and frame someone?"
Xie Chengzhi's voice wasn't loud, but it was very authoritative, and even Fang's mother was a little frightened when she heard it.
Because she knew that Xie Chengzhi was not easily fooled.
"I thought I could get away with it, so my testimony was all false."
Xie Chengzhi then asked in a calm voice, "Where did the young mistress instruct you to put the medicine?"
"It is naturally a dish on the table."
Which plate?
"The dish closest to Aunt Zhou's is the one that would kill an ordinary person if they took this medicine, because the dosage is extremely high."
What dish?
"This old servant doesn't remember, because which dish it was added to was entirely decided by the young mistress's divination. Since it happened so suddenly, how could I possibly remember the mistress's divination?"
Rong Yan: ? ? ?
She thought that what Fang's mother said was outrageous, utterly outrageous, that someone could have their reputation ruined just by doing a fortune telling.
Rong Yan laughed. After glancing at Xie Cheng, she said to her, "You mean I could deduce that Consort Rong summoned me to the palace, and then instruct you to harm my aunt while I was away, and then frame Mother to clear my name? Oh, not entirely. I also had to use copper coins in the palace to calculate that Mother would decide to have everyone eat at Liushang Courtyard. Madam Fang, have you forgotten how many large meals we get each month? It's all up to the mistress of the house. Do you still want to argue with me, or do you want me to reveal who the real culprit is? You can still recant your testimony now, but if you wait for me to reveal who the murderer is, it will be too late, and you will be an accomplice too."
Mrs. Fang looked very pale, her face drained of color, as if she was carefully considering the truth or falsehood of her words.
Rong Yan's voice was firm and resolute. She slightly raised her head, looking down at the kneeling Fang Mama with a disdainful gaze. Her eyes were authoritative yet cold. "If you hesitate any longer, I'll have a chance to let you know whether what I said is true or false."
When Madam Fang caught a glimpse of Rong Yan's gaze, her hand suddenly trembled. After a quick glance around, she gritted her teeth and said, "I will not hesitate. I may not remember which dish the young mistress cooked, but I will definitely remember who arranged all of this."
Rong Yan gave a soft snort and slowly straightened up.
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