Clearly, Marshal Yan was also examining it.
“Eldest daughter-in-law, this is the evidence you mentioned?”
Liu Xiyin said softly, “Yes, this is the evidence.”
Marshal Yan frowned. “Explain.”
Liu Xiyin said, “Father, I would like to ask Cousin again. Does she truly remember that I tried to snatch her necklace, accidentally pushed the Third Young Master down, and tore off her necklace?”
At first, Song Shiyun had thought Liu Xiyin really had evidence, and her expression stiffened. But seeing that Liu Xiyin had only taken out a gramophone toy, her guilty gaze immediately became firm again.
“Sister-in-law, Yun’er has received the Marshal’s kindness. I cannot lie.”
[You took the bait! You’re the one refusing to repent, so don’t blame me.]
Liu Xiyin looked troubled. She shook her head, bit her lip, then finally seemed to make up her mind and said to Marshal Yan,
“Father, your daughter-in-law grew up in the countryside and doesn’t understand great principles. But I heard that when a record is placed on a gramophone, it can play a singer’s song from a month ago. Does that mean the gramophone keeps the singer’s voice from a month ago?”
Marshal Yan was a rough man and understood even less about such principles.
“That should be the idea.”
Liu Xiyin said, “Earlier, when your daughter-in-law was in the countryside, I met a yellow-haired foreigner who had been bitten by a snake. He said he had invented something similar, but it didn’t need a record. It could play sounds it had captured from the past. I saved him, and he gave it to me as repayment.”
“Your daughter-in-law found it very interesting. Tonight, I wanted to see whether Father had returned and hoped to give it to Father as a gift early. But as soon as I stepped outside, I ran into Cousin and the Third Young Master. I got nervous and pressed the switch…”
At this point, all color drained from Song Shiyun’s face, and her whole body swayed unsteadily.
Yan Changye and Marshal Yan, however, looked solemn.
They had seen gramophones before.
But something that did not need records, could replay captured sounds, and was only the size of a palm—only people in the military government would understand what that meant.
Yan Changye looked at Liu Xiyin.
Marshal Yan also sat upright.
“Is that true?”
[Haha, old fossils, now you’ve gained some knowledge, haven’t you? If only I had the conditions to make chips and didn’t have to settle for a primitive recording needle, what you’d be seeing wouldn’t be this little horn but a recording pen!]
[I, a dignified scientific genius, couldn’t make a recording pen. I’m so mad!]
Pressing down the regret in her heart, Liu Xiyin first glanced at Song Shiyun’s ugly expression before respectfully saying,
“The button on the left captures sound. The button on the right plays it. Father only needs to press the button on the right to restore the truth of what happened. Please decide, Father.”
Half believing and half doubting, Marshal Yan pressed the button.
A crackling sound came from the little horn.
Then, a clear voice rang out, startling Marshal Yan so much that he almost threw the little horn away.
Fortunately, Marshal Yan had fought his way up through real blades and guns. In just an instant, he tightened his grip on the little horn again.
“Zzz… Third Cousin, hold me.”
Swish—
Everyone turned to look at Song Shiyun beside the Second Concubine.
Song Shiyun’s face was as pale as paper. Her body swayed, her eyes widened, and Liu Xiyin could clearly see the terror inside them.
[Since I couldn’t make a recording pen, of course I had to make the little horn as good as possible. Anyone can tell from this voice that it’s Little Cousin.]
Liu Xiyin felt extremely pleased inside.
Yan Changye suddenly turned to look at her.
Marshal Yan’s eyes also lit up as he looked at Liu Xiyin.
The difference was that Yan Changye was shocked this thing had been made by his little bride.
Marshal Yan did not know Liu Xiyin had made it. He merely thought she had discovered something remarkable.
Compared to these two points, the sounds coming from the little horn were not important to either Marshal Yan or Yan Changye.
After Song Shiyun’s voice, another male voice followed.
It was Yan Changyue, who had fallen down the stairs.
“Cousin Yun’er, you’re drunk. I’m not Eldest Brother.”
[Too exciting, too exciting! Wahaha!]
Liu Xiyin excitedly clenched her fists in her heart.
[Forbidden romance will always be my favorite! Little Cousin, if you hadn’t provoked me, I definitely would’ve helped you keep this secret.]
Song Shiyun said, “Cousin, Yun’er feels so uncomfortable. Listen to my heartbeat. Is it beating fast?”
“No, Cousin Yun’er, don’t do this…”
A rustling sound came from the recording.
Yan Changyue’s breathing grew heavier and heavier.
“Cousin Yun’er… Who’s there?”
That was Yan Changyue discovering Liu Xiyin.
“Ah!”
Then came Song Shiyun’s scream, accompanied by the thudding sounds of a body rolling down the stairs.
Liu Xiyin’s timid voice was clearly some distance away from Song Shiyun and the others.
“C-Cousin, I won’t say anything. I didn’t see anything!”
“Zzz…”
The little horn played the sound of hurried movements, as though Liu Xiyin had realized it was still on and was scrambling to turn it off.
Thud.
Song Shiyun finally collapsed to the floor, her face completely bloodless.
Marshal Yan did not turn off the little horn, so it began replaying the recording again.
“Zzz… Third Cousin…”
The servants, adjutants, and concubines in the main hall all stared silently at Song Shiyun.
Liu Xiyin “fearfully” shrank behind Yan Changye, her voice trembling.
“C-Cousin, you insisted on falsely accusing me. I… I didn’t want my leg to be broken…”
[I already said I didn’t see anything, but Little Cousin, you insisted on driving me to my death. This is self-defense…]
[And the recording was played by Marshal Yan. If you want to blame someone, blame the Marshal. It has nothing to do with me!]
Her expression and her thoughts were completely different.
Yan Changye glanced at her pitiful little hand clutching his sleeve as though she were terrified, but he did not shake her off.
The Third Young Master’s birth mother, the Third Concubine, trembled with anger.
The way she looked at Song Shiyun seemed as if she wanted to devour her alive, yet she did not speak to Song Shiyun. Instead, when she turned to Marshal Yan, tears had already appeared on her face.
“Marshal, you must seek justice for Ah Yue! You heard it. He did not want it. The person who pushed him down the stairs was also Miss Cousin…”
If Liu Xiyin had never approached Yan Changyue and Song Shiyun, then the necklace Song Shiyun had used as evidence had clearly been torn off when she shoved Yan Changyue down the stairs in panic, and Yan Changyue, standing too close to her, had instinctively grabbed it.
But Song Shiyun had thrown the blame onto Liu Xiyin.
Obviously, she had been afraid Liu Xiyin would tell others and wanted to strike first while Liu Xiyin had just married into the family and had no firm footing.
The Second Concubine’s face was also extremely ugly.
The charm and allure she usually carried had been completely washed away by the recording. Her mouth opened several times, but she could not say a word.
Marshal Yan remained silent.
The Marshal’s wife, Qin Wan, spoke instead.
“Yun’er, do you have anything to say in your defense?”
She was gentle and graceful, giving everyone a chance to explain themselves.
Only then did Song Shiyun seem to come back to her senses.
She crawled forward on her knees and knelt at Marshal Yan’s feet.
“Marshal, please forgive me. Yun’er was only drunk. I don’t remember what happened at the time. Yun’er didn’t do it on purpose…”
“Hmph.”
Yan Changye let out a cold snort.
“Is that so? When Young Madam asked you earlier, you confirmed everything with absolute certainty. What? You hadn’t sobered up then, but you’re sober now?”
[Exactly, exactly. Little Cousin, you sure sobered up quickly.]
[No, wait. It’s better that Cousin has sobered up. Hurry and struggle some more. A villain can’t exit the stage this easily! You have to stay in the Marshal’s Mansion and keep causing trouble!]
“…”
Yan Changye pulled his sleeve out of Liu Xiyin’s hand.
[Ah, I forgot. The great villain belongs to the Ninth Concubine. I can’t touch him.]
Realizing this, Liu Xiyin carefully smoothed Yan Changye’s sleeve back into place.