“I have been away from home for so long, and even after returning a few times, I found no trace of anything. I can’t help but wonder if she had hidden away a large sum of money from the Song family back then.”
“Song Yichun harmed her to this extent, and while giving her some silver as compensation is understandable, she was unwilling to accept it, which is also quite normal. I didn’t pursue the matter. However, my wife was displeased and often made veiled remarks. One time, she angered my wife so much that she shouted at her, warning us not to look down on her, or we would regret it later. But when my wife confronted her, she merely sneered.”
“When it came time for the Yi family to marry off their daughter, she didn’t provide any dowry for the child. I confronted her, and she shouted back at me.”
“My wife, unable to contain her anger, searched her room with her maid.”
“They even got into a fight over it.”
“Aside from her usual clothing, we only found a few pieces of broken silver and three hundred taels in silver notes.”
“In the end, she gave a few gilded ornaments as a dowry for the Yi family.”
“Everything else was provided by me, costing me a year’s wages.”
“Because of this, my wife still complains that I always protect her. She is my sister; I know her well.”
“She must have some sort of backing to act this way.”
Li Liang said, casting a vague glance at Song Mo, lowering his eyes as he continued, “I heard that the second son of Duke Ying’s residence is the same age as Yi Gui. At that time, my sister was heavily pregnant, and I thought, could it be that she was having twins? The Duke Ying’s family kept a son but not a daughter… But the second son of Duke Ying is a legitimate child, and when the Duke’s wife gave birth, there were layers of servants around her. It’s impossible… Unless the Duke’s wife had a miscarriage, and the matriarch of the Duke’s family decided to raise the child under the Duke’s wife’s name…”
“But this thought only crossed my mind occasionally when I couldn’t make sense of things; I never dared to think deeply about it… That’s why when I met the heir, I blurted out whether he was the second son or the heir…”
He appeared quite frustrated.
Song Mo took a deep breath, suppressing the anger boiling within him, resisting the urge to kick this scoundrel to death.
In the end, he was still secretly calculating how his sister’s child had secured a place in the Song family, all while claiming to treat Yi Gui well! If Yi Gui were not a child of the Song family, would he treat her so kindly?
Thinking of Yi Gui’s plight, he felt a sharp pain in his heart, and his gaze darkened.
Chen Jia noticed the tension in his heart.
He quickly helped Li Liang up and said, “Heir, would you like a cup of hot tea to catch your breath? Yi Gui still knows nothing. When Lady Li comes later, should we let Yi Gui listen in? We wouldn’t want her to mistake enmity for kinship and let Lady Li take advantage of the situation.”
Song Mo, feeling suffocated, nodded in agreement and called out, “Duan Gongyi, send Liu Zhang to inform Du Wei to find out who delivered Lady Li’s child back then.”
He had a vague feeling that most of the people present when his mother gave birth, were likely no longer around. It would be more reliable to find out who had delivered Lady Li’s child back then.
Duan Gongyi left in response.
Chen Jia accompanied Song Mo out of the tea room.
Looking up, he saw Xia Lian hurriedly entering the courtyard.
“Where is Lady Li?” Song Mo’s expression suddenly turned extremely stern, causing Chen Jia’s heart to skip a beat.
Xia Lian spoke urgently, “Heir, it’s bad! Lady Li has hanged herself… A woman from the neighboring Li family was picking eggplants and saw a person hanging from the beam in the east wing of the Li house. She was so frightened that she almost fell off the ladder and hurriedly reported it to the authorities. When we arrived, the coroner was already examining the body.”
Chen Jia was horrified and asked repeatedly, “Which head constable from Shuntian Prefecture is handling the case? What are the neighbors saying? Has Shuntian Prefecture discovered anything?”
Song Mo sneered.
Perhaps having spent too long in the yamen, he had developed the habit of questioning men first when seeking justice. He hadn’t expected someone to be watching the Li family, taking advantage of this opportunity.
This might be a good thing.
As long as there was movement, there would be traces left behind; what he feared most was a stagnant situation.
Xia Lian took a breath and said, “The case is being handled by Constable Qin from Shuntian Prefecture, and they are currently examining the body. The results are not yet out. I have already sent someone to wait for news. The neighbors believe it was a crime of passion, saying that Lady Li often attracted attention, and it’s likely someone, out of jealousy, killed her and then hung her to make it look like a suicide.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a young servant rushed in.
He hurriedly bowed to Song Mo and Xia Lian, saying, “There’s news from Shuntian Prefecture. They say the young lady from the Li family committed suicide.”
Xia Lian frowned, wanting to say something, but Song Mo coldly interjected, “That’s easy enough; just find someone to hang her from the beam and watch her take her last breath.” With that, he headed toward the tea room.
Chen Jia thought that if it were him, he would do the same, so he naturally had no objections and followed Song Mo into the tea room.
Song Mo raised his chin slightly, looking arrogantly at Li Liang, “Your sister was killed before our people found her. Do you have anything to say to me?”
“What did you say?!” Li Liang’s eyes widened, his voice sharp, “My sister is dead? No, that’s impossible! She was still at Jinxiu Xuan yesterday, ordering two autumn dresses…”
Song Mo couldn’t be bothered to look at him, calling out “Chen Jia” before turning to leave.
Chen Jia sighed and squatted down in front of Li Liang…
Outside, Xia Lian asked Song Mo, “Heir, what do you think we should do about this matter?”
Song Mo smiled, “Could it be that even Duke Ying is dead?”
He said it so casually that Xia Lian felt as if a cold wind had swept past him.
He lowered his head, bowed, and took his leave.
Song Mo went to the side room.
Dou Zhao was speaking softly with Yi Gui.
Compared to earlier, Yi Gui appeared much calmer. However, upon seeing Song Mo, she still nervously stood up and hid behind Dou Zhao.
Song Mo sighed inwardly.
Fortunately, Dou Zhao was there; otherwise, this sister would truly be a handful.
Dou Zhao smiled reassuringly at Song Mo.
With a sister like this, he must feel both sad and helpless!