Song Jiyun sneered coldly, rose to her feet, and dodged Song Sanliang, questioning, "You say I framed and incriminated you? Wasn’t Wong Dahai found underneath the floorboards of your house?"
Song Sanliang, his eyes reddening with urgency, responded, "I never kidnapped Wong Dahai! It was only you and me who made a bet and signed the deed!"
"So it was me who framed and incriminated you?" Song Jiyun’s face suddenly turned frosty, "Previously when Wong Dahai disappeared, you said it was because I am a woman, which brought bad luck to the kiln factory, preventing us from producing the sacrificial white porcelain. Now that Wong Dahai has been found, you again say it was me who framed you. Is it that whatever happens to the kiln factory in the future will always be my fault?"
As she spoke, she glanced around at everyone and scoffed, "Am I really here to take the blame and scheme against you, Uncle?"
Some people averted their eyes from hers, some nodded in agreement, and others glared at Song Sanliang.
Song Jiyun then pointed at Wong Dahai, "The involved party is still here. Why not ask him directly instead of wrongfully accusing me like this?"
The freshly unbound Wong Dahai, hearing this, immediately knelt in front of Ninth Grand Master Song and Great Master, "Third Old Master wants to kill me! Ninth Grand Master, Great Master, you must stand up for me!"
Everyone was taken aback.
Song Sanliang was on the verge of madness.
This damned fool, he dared to falsely accuse him.
It was evident that Wong Dahai had either been bought by Song Jiyun or was a spy Song Jiyun had planted close to him.
He was capsized in the gutter. If he couldn’t prove his innocence, he feared that even jumping into the Yellow River wouldn’t cleanse him.
"When did I ever want to kill you?" he shouted furiously at Wong Dahai, "How dare you spout such slander here?"
Wong Dahai flinched a bit and looked towards Ninth Grand Master Song and Great Master.
The two, rarely seen together, both smiled awkwardly at the same time, internally cursing Song Sanliang like mad.
Who knew it would come to this.
If they sided with Wong Dahai, wouldn’t they be siding with Song Jiyun as well?
Great Master tightly clamped his mouth shut, not intending to speak.
Ninth Grand Master, left with no choice but to stroke his beard, pondered aloud, "Dahai, murder is no trivial matter; evidence is needed. You can’t be considered guilty just by your word alone."
Wong Dahai looked up, his shoulders shrinking back in fear; he cast a veiled glance at Ninth Grand Master Song and Great Master, then at Song Sanliang. With gritted teeth, he knelt before Song Jiyun.
"Miss, I was wrong! I was wrong!" He kowtowed to her, crying, "I beg you to overlook my minor faults and save my lowly life! I will light eternal lanterns for you, and erect a longevity tablet!"
Song Jiyun frowned, saying, "Stand up and speak your piece, what kind of behavior is this?"
"I’m a sinner, I dare not stand!" Wong Dahai shook his head, kneeling there, sobbing, "I was bewitched and accepted a bribe of one hundred taels of silver from Madam Wang’s glaze shop. Somehow, Third Old Master found out.
"He threatened me, asking me to forge a delivery note for goods shipped to Prince Ning’s Mansion and Prince Huai’s Mansion in August.
"I thought it was a minor issue, so I agreed.
"Later, Third Old Master asked me to steal a piece of Imperial Burn Porcelain for him.
"I didn’t dare! But Third Old Master coerced me, saying if I didn’t help him, he would expose my acceptance of the bribe and the leakage of the Imperial Kiln Factory delivery note, making it impossible for me to stay in Jingde Town.
"I was scared. After much contemplation, I helped him steal a Blue and White Dragon Pattern Sea Waist Mug!"
"Who knew he would become more demanding and ask me to burn the delivery notes and account books in the main accountant’s office and storehouse the day before the goods were to be shipped to Prince Ning’s Mansion and Prince Huai’s Mansion."
"I didn’t dare! Wasn’t this forcing the Song Family Kiln Factory down a deadly path?" Wong Dahai cried out in distress, "But Third Old Master said if I dared disobey him, he would sink me into the Changjiang River.
"I reluctantly agreed to Third Old Master at first. After returning to the storehouse, I quietly tore up the delivery note for Prince Ning’s Mansion and messed up the ledger, hoping someone would notice.
"But I waited several days and no one noticed. I started getting anxious."
"Just when Third Old Master came to me again, asking when the sacrificial white porcelain would be fired?"
"I said I didn’t know. Third Old Master was very angry. We had a quarrel, and in a moment of fury, I said he could tell whoever he wanted about my bribery; I would not help Third Old Master anymore."
"Third Old Master didn’t say anything at the time, but taking advantage of the day I was at the eldest daughter’s banquet and had drunk too much, he tied me up and locked me in the secret room of his study in the inner courtyard."
"I was only moved to the attic this morning."
The crowd was shocked, their voices buzzing like a market.
Madam Li sat quietly, motionless for a long while, belatedly realizing that Song Sanliang and Song Jiyun had lost their bet. Not only were the fortunes of the second branch irrelevant to their family, but Song Sanliang had also been outmaneuvered by Song Jiyun. Song Sanliang had become the person who kidnapped Wong Dahai, the one wanting to kill Wong Dahai, and Song Sanliang had no evidence to defend himself.
Doesn’t that mean Song Sanliang is...
She shivered involuntarily, lowered her head and silently left the hall with her two children.
Song Sanliang finally saw clearly that Song Jiyun was trying to crush him completely.
"You, who manage the storeroom, do you have authority over the kiln factory?" he fumed, his eyes bloodshot, "Do I need to ask you when to fire the kiln?"
Compared to Song Jiyun who had always been against him, Wong Dahai’s betrayal and false accusations infuriated him even more.
Silent till now, he suddenly stepped briskly towards Wong Dahai, lifted his foot, and kicked towards Wong Dahai’s chest: "You traitor, when have I ever harmed you?"
Caught off guard, Wong Dahai cried out in pain, clutching his chest as he fell to the ground.
The young men who had untied him earlier immediately restrained Song Sanliang.
The crowd whispered among themselves, looking at Song Sanliang with a hint of fear.
Wong Dahai lay on the ground, crying loudly: "Miss, I have elders above and children below. Please remember that since I entered the kiln factory at twelve, I have been a crucial support to the owner, and the kiln factory wouldn’t be what it is today without my hard work. Please forgive me this once, save me!"
Song Jiyun looked hesitant.
Wong Dahai knocked his head on the floor loudly in front of Song Jiyun.
His sincerity was evident.
He truly hoped Song Jiyun would spare his life.
"I will surely be loyal to the miss from now on," he declared resolutely, "If you ask me to go east, I will not go west; if you ask me to move forward, I will not retreat."
Song Jiyun had Steward Wu help Wong Dahai up, saying: "Under the bright daylight, in this open world, no one dares to truly take your life. I only hope that from now on, you think carefully before acting. Only if the kiln factory prospers, can everyone thrive!"
Hearing this, Wong Dahai realized that Song Jiyun was willing to give him another chance and immediately thanked her profusely with several more kowtows.
The people of the kiln factory also breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that she, like the deceased Song Youliang, was generous and kind, yet she was not without principles.
Seeing Song Sanliang’s desperate situation, and recalling their previous indecision between Song Sanliang and Song Jiyun, they felt a chill down their spines.
Fortunate! Fortunate!
Song Sanliang, watching everything unfold, was so frustrated he wished he could perish along with everyone else.
"Song Jiyun, it’s clear that you deliberately framed me, set me up," Song Sanliang burst out in anger, breaking free from the people restraining him, and charged at Song Jiyun, "and here you are pretending to be a good person! Acting all virtuous and humble, who are you fooling?"
Steward Wu shouted loudly and dashed out from the side, blocking Song Sanliang with his body, and sternly questioned him: "What are you doing?"
He didn’t even show respect by calling him ’Third Old Master.’
When Song Sanliang couldn’t get close to Song Jiyun, he simply started cursing at Song Jiyun: "You son of a bitch! You dare to plot against me, to frame me, I’ll fight you! See if I don’t beat you to death!"
Song Jiyun clutched his chest and staggered back a few steps, his face a mask of panic, and instructed Steward Wu, "Go to Yamen and say that Head Shopkeeper Wong has been found..."
"No!" Suddenly, Madam Zeng’s voice came from outside the hall, urgently interrupting Song Jiyun.
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