He Had Actually Betrayed Her
“Father.”
“Father.”
The daughter’s voice was soft and delicate, tinged with a sob, while the son’s tone carried a hint of gravity and concealed reproach.
Clan Leader Song was taken aback.
His gaze fell upon his lovely, adorable daughter and his handsome, dignified son. Clenching his fist tightly, he gritted his teeth in anguish, took a step back, and said in a low, heavy voice:
“If we can truly cure The Emperor’s colic, it will be an honor for our Song clan. Everyone, please proceed!”
“What are you doing?”
Madam Song was provoked into a shrill scream by his betrayal, the disappointment and hatred in her eyes erupting all at once.
She could see it now.
This man had chosen that woman, chosen the son she had borne, and was about to abandon their son, to betray her. All these years… all these years of painstaking planning and endurance—for whom had she done it?
How dare he do this?
“Song Bozong, do you realize what you’re saying?”
“Second sister-in-law!” Clan Leader Song rebuked angrily, his face grim. “What else can we do?”
Song Chengyu was already in this state. If they were to tell everyone now, to tell The Emperor that this was all just an act, that it was a feigned death, it would likely take less than a day for their entire Song clan to truly perish, and they would become the biggest laughingstock in the entire capital.
Moving forward meant death; retreating still meant death. Only by moving forward would only Song Chengyu die.
It was just one less son—what did it matter!
Jiang Zhaoying watched coldly as Madam Song had already gone mad, feeling a surge of satisfaction in her heart. These two, who had sworn eternal love and plotted for twenty years, had finally been overturned by her hand.
From now on, when enemies met, their eyes would blaze with fury.
Slowly turning around.
She walked toward the wedding bed and sat down slowly beside Song Chengyu’s corpse. Her long lashes fluttered lightly as she looked at his already deathly pale face and smiled faintly.
See.
He was afraid.
The feigned death potion made his body indistinguishable from a corpse, but his ears could hear, and his mind could think.
So.
He knew he was going to die!
“Husband.”
Leaning slightly forward, Jiang Zhaoying’s warm breath from her red lips gently brushed against Song Chengyu’s cold ear. She smiled so much that her shoulders trembled slightly, but to everyone watching, the scene appeared as Jiang Zhaoying leaning over Song Chengyu’s chest, heartbroken and tragically beautiful.
“Elder Uncle has agreed for you to enter the palace. As long as you save The Emperor’s life, our Song residence will surely rise step by step. The outstanding youths of the Song clan will all bask in your glory and grow better and better. And I… will also select five or six young, clever children to raise under my name. By then, we won’t need to do anything, and we’ll have five or six legitimate sons. Husband, aren’t you happy?”
Looking at Song Chengyu’s increasingly pale face, Jiang Zhaoying was truly very satisfied. This feeling of knowing you were about to die, wanting to struggle but unable to muster even a shred of strength—she had experienced it to the fullest in her previous life. Now, she wanted Song Chengyu to feel it properly too.
“Zhaoying, no matter how reluctant you are, you must let go.”
A cousin-in-law from the Jiang family rushed over, leading her own son, bent down to help Jiang Zhaoying up, her eyes shining with hopeful light as she tightly grasped Jiang Zhaoying’s hand.
“If Chengyu knew of your deep affection, he would die without regrets. Rest assured, we will definitely help you carry on with your life.”
“Zhaoying.”
Clan Leader Song spoke in a deep voice. When he looked at the corpse on the bed, the wrinkles on his forehead suddenly deepened a few degrees. He seemed about to say something to Jiang Zhaoying but then remembered something and turned to give an order.
“Madam Song is currently in an agitated state, surely reluctant to part with Chengyu. You should first help her into the side room to rest properly.”
Upon hearing this, Madam Song’s bloodshot eyes widened. She pulled the hairpin from her temple, her entire body tense with defense, glaring at this man who had suddenly become a stranger with a mixture of hatred, pain, and disbelief.
This man.
She had known and loved him for decades, her feelings genuine. Otherwise, she would not have poisoned and killed her legitimate husband—who had loved and trusted her—after giving birth to Song Chengyu and Song Qinghuan.
At this moment.
A flicker of regret arose in Madam Song’s heart, accompanied by a tearing, searing hatred.
The maids forcibly restrained Madam Song, who was now nearly hysterical. In her frantic struggle, she looked toward her second son and youngest daughter and cried out.
“Mingji, Qinghuan, save me!”
“Song Mingji.”
Clan Leader Song roared angrily. Song Mingji’s face was dark and sinister. Meeting the clan leader’s gaze, Clan Leader Song reached out, pressed down on his shoulder, and squeezed tightly.
“I don’t want to do this either, and I know you have deep feelings for your mother. But think about it—Chengyu is already gone. Shouldn’t you take on the responsibility of the Song household?”
Song Mingji shuddered violently.
It was as if all the blood in his body had suddenly surged, his mind clearer than ever before.
Before this.
He had never entertained any other thoughts because… he was not born to Madam Song, but to her personal maid. Madam Song had taken the initiative to raise him under her name, making him a legitimate son, so he had always been deeply grateful to her.
Once desire worms its way into the mind, it spreads through the body like blood, seeping into every crevice!
Trembling with bloodshot eyes, he looked at the corpse on the bed, then at Madam Song—her hair disheveled, wild like a beast—and nodded.
Turning around.
He knelt before Madam Song, kowtowed heavily, and cried out.
“Mother, stop making a scene!”
Madam Song felt as if her eyes were shattering from the scenes unfolding before her. Things had veered completely off course from their plan. Once again, she stared in shock at this illegitimate son before her.
Although she had always treated Song Mingji like a dog, rewarding him with scraps of food, used items, and a little money to keep him and his mother endlessly grateful, she had never imagined this dog would betray her.
“Take her away!”
When Song Mingji stood up, his posture was straight and commanding, like the master of the Song household. With a wave of his hand, burly maids rushed forward, seized Madam Song, and carried her away. As Madam Song screamed, a plump hand even slapped over her mouth.
Jiang Zhaoying also rose at the appropriate moment, stepping aside.
Xu Zhiyan walked to her side, his gaze still not meeting hers, instead watching as the attendants carried the woman toward the door.
A flicker of satisfaction passed through the clan leader’s wife’s eyes. She stepped forward to bid farewell to the guests, apologizing to each one and promising to invite them again in a few days to personally make amends.
Soon.
The lively Song Marquis’s residence fell silent. The festive atmosphere that had filled the gardens had long dissipated. Servants began hanging white funeral banners everywhere and replacing the lanterns with white ones.
Carriages lined up one after another at the entrance of the Song residence.
Jiang Zhaoying first saw Eunuch Chen and her two senior brothers off into their carriages. Because the eunuch was present, Jiang Zhaoying did not exchange greetings with her senior brothers from start to finish.
Only.
When she unfolded her palm and saw the paper ball Xu Zhiyan had slipped into her hand as he passed by, her heart ached intensely.
There were no words on the paper.
But there was a piece of candy!
Small and fragrant.
Jiang Zhaoying slowly unwrapped the piece of candy and placed it in her mouth. As the sweet, fragrant flavor spread between her lips and teeth, she could no longer hold back, and large tears fell from her eyes.
“Miss.”
Shu Yun and Shu Yu approached her together. Shu Yun climbed into the carriage, lifted the curtain, and glanced at the carriage ahead before saying.
“The carriage has arrived. It’s time for you to enter the palace!”