The beginning of the Xie family’s sorrow and sin stemmed partly from Xie Yingyue and Jiang Tan’er’s disagreement over poetry, and partly from the humiliation of today.
Thus, today was of great importance to the Xie family.
“Young lady… what do you mean by that? If you say Xie Second Young Master injured you with a sword due to a sibling dispute, doesn’t that imply you are a daughter of the Xie family? Please don’t joke about such matters.” Magistrate Wei found the statement utterly absurd.
“Does Your Honor know my origins?” Songyin calmly looked at him.
“I do not.” Magistrate Wei scoffed.
A physician—who knew where she came from? It was only said that she was the maid of the Seventh Prince’s savior, recommended to treat the Old Imperial Uncle’s esteemed health.
The Seventh Prince’s savior, the Jiang family, were merely commoners. As for the maid of such a family… her status was even less worth mentioning.
Today, he had come to arrest someone under the Old Imperial Uncle’s orders. Neither the Xie family nor the Jiang family could interfere.
“Since Your Honor doesn’t know my origins, why assume my words are a joke? I am the daughter of the Xie family’s original wife. When my mother fled with me during the disaster years ago, I was unfortunately lost. Now, following the clues, I’ve come to find my family. Yesterday, I was about to reunite with them when my half-brother insisted my words were nonsense and refused to believe me. So, we fought. The blows were a bit heavy, but among family, conflicts are inevitable. I don’t mind it myself, so there’s no need for others to intervene on my behalf.” Songyin shamelessly added.
“…” Xie Jiyan was dumbfounded, staring at her in shock.
Nonsense! Who was her brother?!
“Master…” Madam Meng was even more alarmed and quickly looked at Xie Heng.
She knew the Xie family’s original wife had given birth to a son and a daughter—the eldest son, Xie Jiling, and a daughter who died in infancy.
It was said that years ago, when disaster struck the Xie family’s hometown, they fled to survive, only to be separated by rioting refugees along the way.
When the original wife, Madam Yin, was found, she was already dead, and the child in her arms was nowhere to be seen. The master had inquired further, but only heard that a man had snatched the child away, likely ending up as meat in a pot…
Could it be… she hadn’t died?
But an infant, with no means to escape on its own—how could it survive from the jaws of others?!
Xie Heng felt as if his head had been struck, his ears ringing: “Don’t ask me… my daughter was only three months old when she died, barely a few ounces of bones. Back then, corpses were everywhere…”
So, how could he know whether this was true or false?
“Young lady, you are still to treat the Old Imperial Uncle. Now that Xie Jiyan has injured your hand, this cannot be dismissed as a mere sibling dispute.” Magistrate Wei frowned deeply.
It was the first time he had encountered a victim and perpetrator claiming kinship.
“It’s just a minor injury. Tomorrow, I’ll prepare some pain-relief pills and have them delivered to His Highness. My injury should heal in about half a month, after which I’ll naturally be able to cure His Highness’s ailment.” Songyin added.
Magistrate Wei hesitated for a moment. He couldn’t discern the relationship between this physician and the Xie family, but since she wouldn’t delay the Old Imperial Uncle’s treatment for his head ailment, there was no need for him to press the matter relentlessly. As long as he could fulfill his duty, it was enough.
“Release him.” Magistrate Wei ordered.
Xie Jiyan felt the tension lift—he was free.
But the young man’s shame and resentment surged. Looking at Songyin, he felt no gratitude for being rescued. Instead, he despised her even more for her deliberate humiliation and hypocritical act of salvation.
“I said it, I did it! I’ll take the blame! I don’t believe a single word you say! You want me to bow my head to you and Jiang Tan’er? Dream on! If you have the guts, kill me right now!” Xie Jiyan’s face flushed with anger, full of defiance in front of Songyin, an outsider.
“Shut up!” Xie Jiling coldly snapped.
“Big brother! You can’t actually believe her nonsense, can you? This person didn’t just arrive in the capital yesterday. If she were really one of us, why would she only say so now? And why would she poison sister?! Besides, when father’s child was snatched away back then, it was only three months old. Do you really think an infant could escape from those desperate, vicious hands!?” Xie Jiyan was seething inside.
If it weren’t for that poisonous doctor’s medicine, how could his sister’s reputation have been ruined!
How could he have been captured and stuffed into a prison cart today!
Magistrate Wei scrutinized the two brothers for a moment. It had to be said, this Xie family matter was truly quite intriguing.
“You’re so eager to go to prison?” Xie Jiling’s voice lowered a few degrees. “It doesn’t matter if you suffer or endure hardship, but if word reaches His Majesty, it would mean our family is useless. It’s one thing to lack ambition, but to also bring shame and disgrace—how could we possibly repay His Majesty’s grace in bestowing the marquis title and generous treatment?”
If not for His Majesty’s remembrance of his birth mother, the two brothers wouldn’t have the opportunity to study literature and martial arts now, and might not even be able to afford a meal with meat.
Or rather, without His Majesty, the Xie family might not even have Xie Jiyan.
So regardless of this woman’s origins or intentions, for now, going along with her words and acknowledging her would be most beneficial for the Xie family.
Hearing his elder brother’s words, Xie Jiyan gritted his teeth and fell silent.
He knew that their father lived in constant fear and anxiety every day, plagued by guilt toward His Majesty, feeling unworthy of being related to such a noble person.
“Magistrate Wei, I indeed have a missing younger sister. It’s just that after years of searching, we couldn’t find her. Now that my sister has suddenly returned, my younger brother is having trouble adjusting and caused this disturbance. I apologize for the embarrassment,” Xie Jiling immediately clasped his hands toward Magistrate Wei and added.
Magistrate Wei chuckled. The Xie family had acknowledged it.
He had never seen siblings fighting and needing the authorities to mediate justice.
Magistrate Wei had no choice but to lead his men away.
In an instant, the atmosphere grew very quiet.
The onlookers in the distance couldn’t quite understand the commotion, while the Xie family members nearby were all bewildered, momentarily at a loss. After all, this doctor seemed… unwilling to leave… Could it be that she not only wanted to put on a show of recognizing relatives but even… intended to enter the Xie family’s gates?
This… wasn’t quite right…
Songyin didn’t know the Xie family particularly well.
She had only heard Jiang Tan’er talk about how the Xie family had climbed to wealth overnight, how incompetent they were, and how they abused their power.
Even in the novel she read after her death, it only mentioned the hypocrisy and vanity of the Xie family’s stepdaughter Xie Yingyue, Xie Jiling’s rudeness, aloofness, obsession, and unscrupulous methods, as well as Xie Jiyan’s foolish malice.
Of course, what was most unforgettable was how neatly this entire family died.
“Shouldn’t you invite me into your home now?” Songyin looked at the stunned crowd and asked with a smile.
“…” Xie Heng swallowed hard. He felt… this person was fake.
His lifetime’s good fortune had already been used up. For a lowly craftsman who only did menial work to become His Majesty’s cousin was already an unimaginable stroke of luck. How could Heaven continue to favor him by bringing back his daughter who had been… eaten?
That year of great disaster, so many people died, it was only natural that no child survived. On the contrary, this child living felt eerie.
Madam Meng looked at Xie Heng, not daring to make a decision on her own.
Meanwhile, Xie Yingyue seemed to have something to say but hesitated, her expression somewhat anxious, as if she wanted to speak to her family.