Chapter 52

Chapter 52: The Testimony Xie Yunting sat on the table, one foot propped on a chair, and raised an arrogant eyebrow at Cui Zeyu. "Brother Cui, this brother-in-law of yours is useless, tsk tsk. Why not have your sister divorce him?" Song Shulan rushed out from the inner room. "Xie Yunting, don't go too far! This is my home, not a place for you to run wild!" "Am I running wild? Am I?" Xie Yunting jumped down. As a military officer, he was a full size larger than Song Shulan, and he pressed forward with his presence. "Marquis Song, which of my words was wrong?" "This is a family matter. Please leave!" Song Shulan pointed toward the door, issuing an order of expulsion. "Family matter? My good brother is your wife's younger brother, which makes me your wife's brother too. So this is also my family matter." Xie Yunting had never cared about appearances. He was a stark contrast to Old Madame Song—she valued reputation more than life itself, while he held reputation in utter contempt. Song Shulan couldn't beat Xie Yunting in a fight and couldn't out-argue him either, so he could only summon his servants. "Xie Yunting, if you don't leave now, don't blame me for being rude." "Come at me then. I've never feared anyone since I started fighting on the battlefield. Even if all your men attack together, you won't lay a finger on me!" Xie Yunting swept his gaze across the room, murderous intent radiating from him. No one dared step forward. Seeing Song Shulan's forehead veins bulging with rage, Xie Yunting continued, "I say, Marquis Song, are you blinded by lard, or has your brain gone rotten? A physician who has served the Rong Prince Mansion for decades—how could he possibly harm the people of the Rong Prince Mansion? Who's putting on a show, and who's doing the harming—you can't tell at all. No wonder you're mediocre as an official, without a shred of ability." Song Shulan was about to explode. Xie Yunting was shameless, spewing filth from his mouth—utterly detestable. Inside the inner room, Prince Rong and his consort wore extremely grim expressions. Neither of them had expected Xie Yunting to be dragged into this. How were they to resolve this now? The couple exchanged a glance—they absolutely could not allow Cui Lingrong to file a petition to the Emperor. Recently, the Emperor had been hesitating over whom to choose as the heir apparent. If this affected the Emperor's view of the Rong Prince Mansion, the loss would outweigh any gain. Prince Rong took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth in a low voice, "What a fine daughter you've raised!" Princess Consort Rong's head throbbed with pain. How had it come to this? To solidify Yu-jie's guilt, Princess Rongjia had not only put on a performance for others to see but had also brought in Concubine Zhao as a witness. If they overturned the accusation now, they couldn't claim she had been unaware. Princess Rongjia's heart pounded wildly—thump, thump, thump. She was already thinking about how to protect herself. Princess Consort Rong was thinking about the same problem. She looked at Wang Shanxi's Wife and He Qingxue, who were kneeling on the ground. Losing one or two servants was nothing; the key was that her daughter must not become estranged from Song Shulan. She walked over to Wang Shanxi's Wife and He Qingxue. Before she could say anything, Old Madame Song had already begun arguing with Xie Yunting. "General Xie has quite the skill, throwing your weight around in my Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion. If you want to file a petition to the Emperor today, you'll have to step over my old corpse first." After saying this, Old Madame Song turned to look at Cui Zeyu. "You think filing a petition to the Emperor will be good for your sister? Does right and wrong even matter? Once she and Yu-jie are dragged into this, the world will only gossip about them. And if the Song family divorces her then, will the Cui family leave her any way to survive?" Cui Zeyu clenched his fists. At that moment, Xie Yunting proposed a compromise. "Since Old Madame Song is threatening with death, how about this—hand all the people over to me for questioning. I'm the most reasonable person there is, and I would never take sides." Old Madame Song said no. If she agreed, the Rong Prince Mansion would blame the Marquis household for incompetence. Song Shulan also refused. If he let Xie Yunting handle it, wouldn't all the household's affairs be laid bare before Xie Yunting? What if Xie Yunting went out and talked about it—where would the Marquis household's face be then? At that moment, Song Shulan thought of Cui Lingrong. It was all her fault—she just had to keep pressing the matter, and now things had spiraled out of control. Song Shulan felt that Cui Lingrong had changed so much. She was no longer considerate and gentle, and she no longer cared about him as her husband. "Since no one agrees, then..." Before Xie Yunting could finish, Prince Rong came out and said he agreed, which surprised him greatly. Prince Rong's gaze wished it could tear Xie Yunting apart, but at this moment, he had no choice but to concede. "Wang Shanxi's Wife and the others—you may question them all. But you must guarantee that today's events remain known only to those in Wutong Court. No one is to spread a word!" Xie Yunting said he didn't care either way. Prince Rong looked at Cui Zeyu. Cui Zeyu voiced no opinion—he would follow his sister's lead. Cui Lingrong came out and said, "Whether word spreads or not depends on the Rong Prince Mansion's attitude after the questioning. Your Highness, since you've agreed, let them proceed with the interrogation. I have plenty of time to wait." Cui Lingrong had more patience than anyone in this life. She bowed respectfully to Xie Yunting. "I am grateful for your help, General Xie. I am deeply thankful for today. In the future, I will surely come with my daughter to express our gratitude." Xie Yunting said it was nothing. He asked Cui Lingrong to give him two of her people, then took Wang Shanxi's Wife and He Qingxue away. The remaining people in the room all fell silent, no one wanting to speak. Cui Lingrong was tired. The day she had endured was not just mentally exhausting—her heart was weary too. From this day forward, her marital bond with Song Shulan was finished. After more than ten years of marriage, it was laughable that she had no desire to salvage it. Old Madame Song was utterly exhausted and had someone help her to the side chamber. Song Shulan sat with his scalp prickling—Cui Lingrong said nothing, Prince Rong and his consort said nothing, and he didn't know what to say. Time passed slowly, until the sky flushed red and the sun sank in the west. Only then did Xie Yunting return with his people. Xie Yunting slapped the testimony onto the table. "Wang Shanxi's Wife and He Qingxue refuse to admit to the false pregnancy no matter what, but they confessed to the matter with Yu-jie. It was indeed the Commandery Princess being angry that Yu-jie didn't show her proper respect and wanting to teach her a lesson. No one expected Princess Rongjia to suddenly start bleeding, and they mistook it for a miscarriage—that's what led to everything that followed." Xie Yunting had used the methods employed in the military camps, but the two women refused to speak no matter what. They were clearly loyal servants through and through; further torture wouldn't pry their mouths open either. In black and white, the testimony was written out clearly. Song Shulan read it with a deeply furrowed brow—how could the Commandery Princess use something like this to vent her anger at Yu-jie? Princess Consort Rong watched Song Shulan nervously. Her daughter was a widow remarrying, and she hoped her daughter could find happiness. If Song Shulan grew estranged from her daughter because of this, her daughter's days ahead would be difficult. Prince Rong also read through the testimony. This was his greatest concession. "Lady Cui, are you satisfied now?" Cui Lingrong went over and picked up the testimony, reading it carefully from beginning to end before she dared to quietly let out a breath. "Old Madame, Marquis, now you know Yu-jie is innocent?" Old Madame Song was too embarrassed to speak. Song Shulan, meanwhile, looked at Cui Lingrong. He felt restless and troubled—why had the Commandery Princess resorted to such tactics as well? "Lady Cui, although Rongjia has erred, she never intended to harm anyone," Prince Rong said. "You are a mother of children, and I too am a father. For this matter, the Rong Prince Mansion will send compensation to you and your daughter. As for Rongjia... let her be placed under house arrest for a month and reflect on her actions properly." He mentioned the children again. Cui Lingrong knew that if she continued to clash head-on with Prince Rong, he truly would make a move against her two sons. Moreover, Princess Rongjia and Song Shulan had been married by imperial decree. Song Shulan would not divorce Princess Rongjia—for the sake of his career, and also for the face of the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion. She understood Song Shulan. But there were some things she needed to raise at this moment. "Your Highness dotes on your daughter, so you must be able to understand my heart all the better. Today when I arrived at Wutong Courtyard, Yu-jie was being forced to kneel in public, and she was even kicked by her own father. All of this grievance was brought upon her by Princess Rongjia." Prince Rong's brow furrowed. "What are you trying to say?" "Your Highness need not worry—I won't ask the Marquis to divorce his wife. I simply feel that a month of house arrest is hardly a punishment." Cui Lingrong had an idea forming in her mind. "Since Princess Rongjia's intentions are improper, let her kneel in the ancestral hall for two hours each day, and copy out fifty copies each of Lessons for Women and Admonitions for Women, so that she may learn how to conduct herself properly. Your Highness has no objections, I trust?" The weather would only grow colder from here, and the ancestral hall was cold and damp. Cui Lingrong was the one managing the household now—she would never allow anyone to light a brazier of charcoal for Princess Rongjia. Princess Consort Rong said with a pained heart, "Kneeling for a whole month—how could Rongjia's knees bear it? What if she only copies Lessons for Women and Admonitions for Women instead?" "My daughter was beaten, and then nearly dashed herself against a pillar to prove her innocence. I almost lost my daughter. Does Princess Consort Rong still think the punishment should be lightened?" Cui Lingrong's attitude brooked no refusal. Princess Consort Rong couldn't refute Cui Lingrong, so she turned to look at Song Shulan, hoping he would speak a few words on her daughter's behalf. "Lingrong, you—" Song Shulan had just opened his mouth when Prince Rong agreed first. "Then it shall be done this way. Wang Shanxi's Wife and those others—do with them as you please. I'm taking Doctor Xu with me." The sky had already darkened. Prince Rong didn't want to stay a moment longer and left immediately. Princess Consort Rong wanted to go in and see her daughter once more, but Prince Rong's people urged her to leave quickly. Old Madame Song didn't want to face Cui Lingrong either, so she left first, leaving Cui Lingrong and Song Shulan to handle things themselves. Xie Yunting saw that everyone from the Rong Prince Mansion had left, and he took his leave as well. Cui Lingrong moved to see him off, but Xie Yunting waved his hand. "As I said earlier, Brother Cui and I are sworn brothers. From now on, I'll follow him and call you Sister Cui. If anything comes up, just come find me—I've always loved righting wrongs. You go attend to your business; we'll gather again another time!" Cui Lingrong had her younger brother see Xie Yunting out, while she and Song Shulan stood beneath the corridor, looking at Concubine Zhao and the other two kneeling in the courtyard, shivering in the cold.