Song Shaoqin sighed, thinking he must have been too anxious and had imagined hearing things.
“Big brother isn’t concerned about the General’s Manor’s reputation, but about you.”
Song Jiuning nodded: “Big brother, rest assured. I already understand that Shen Yunting and I have no fate. From now on, I won’t force it anymore, and I certainly won’t bring trouble upon myself.”
So it wasn’t an auditory hallucination?
Song Shaoqin frowned: “Xiao Jiu, are you giving up on Shen Yunting because you feel you’ve lost your purity and are no longer worthy of him?”
Seeing that Song Shaoqin refused to believe her, Song Jiuning felt rather helpless: “I’ve truly come to understand, and I don’t want to wrong myself anymore. By the way, brother, I don’t want father to know about today’s events. Could you keep it a secret for me?”
A young woman losing her purity is heartbreaking enough; naturally, it shouldn’t be publicly announced.
Song Shaoqin nodded: “Alright.”
The night was deep, yet lights still burned in the General’s Manor, and no one dared to sleep.
All because the Ninth Young Miss Song had not yet returned.
General Song Zhaoran sat upright with a stern expression, a prepared rattan whip placed on the table before him.
Everyone in the room held their breath, not daring to make a sound. Only Song Qingyao in the corner could not hide the delight in her eyes and at the corners of her mouth.
She too was a general’s daughter, yet her treatment was completely different from Song Jiuning’s.
The entire household treated her as if she were invisible, not even comparable to the head maid serving Song Jiuning.
Fortune’s wheel turns; finally, it was her turn to watch Song Jiuning become a laughingstock.
It would be best if she were beaten to death!
Finally, there was movement outside.
Returning to the Song Family, gazing at the familiar bricks and tiles, every blade of grass and tree, and thinking of how this place had become a river of blood in her past life, Song Jiuning’s emotions surged, and her eyes reddened.
“Father!”
Song Shaoqin had just finished paying his respects when he heard a “thump.” Song Jiuning beside him suddenly rushed forward, knelt down, and hugged Song Zhaoran’s leg.
“Father! Your daughter knows she was wrong! I have failed your teachings!”
In her past life, she had stubbornly refused to admit her mistake, even going on a hunger strike to force her will, angering Song Zhaoran to the point of nearly vomiting blood. In the end, unable to withstand her obstinacy, he had no choice but to agree to her engagement with Shen Yunting.
Remembering the tragic state of her parents before their deaths, Song Jiuning felt a heart-wrenching pain.
Song Zhaoran, who had originally been filled with rage, saw his daughter’s tears and felt his anger dissipate instantly.
He quickly helped Song Jiuning up, tenderly stroking her hair at the temples: “Alright, alright. Knowing you were wrong is enough. Don’t cry anymore.”
Song Qingyao was dumbfounded.
She had been anticipating this for so long, and it was over just like that?
No, she absolutely could not let Song Jiuning get off so easily.
Thinking this, she stepped forward, wiping away a tear: “Sister, you’ve finally returned! Mother was nearly worried to death about you!”
Song Jiuning had been crying pitifully, but upon hearing this familiar voice, her expression instantly turned cold.
She turned her head to look at this usually inconspicuous younger sister, Song Qingyao.
Song Qingyao’s mother, Liu Chunniao, was originally just a maid of Madam Song. While Madam Song was pregnant with Song Jiuning, Liu Chunniao took advantage of Song Zhaoran’s drunkenness to climb into his bed.
Madam Song, being kind-hearted, allowed her to give birth to Song Qingyao.
Who would have thought that Liu Chunniao, far from being satisfied, even attempted to kill Madam Song and take her place? Unable to tolerate it any longer, Song Zhaoran had her beaten to death on the spot.
Originally, Song Qingyao was also to be sold off, but Song Jiuning, feeling pity for her, begged her father to let her stay.
Little did she know, she had kept a calamity for herself.
No one approved of her and Shen Yunting, only Song Qingyao had constantly encouraged her.
Thinking about it now, those two had probably been secretly involved long ago.
She hadn’t even gone looking for Song Qingyao yet, and here she was, delivering herself right to the doorstep!
“Sister, although I promised to keep your secret, at this point, I can’t just stand by and watch you continue down this wrong path.”
Song Qingyao wore a look of profound distress, which made Song Jiuning unable to hold back a laugh.
Song Jiuning sneered coldly, “Oh?”
Seeing her laugh, Song Qingyao was taken aback. “Sister, you…”
Song Jiuning released Song Zhaoran’s hand and flexed her wrist. “Go on.”
Song Qingyao’s heart skipped a beat, but she mustered her courage and continued, “The Tenth Prince is not the right man for you. He…”
Song Jiuning nodded. “Mm.”
Song Qingyao frowned. Song Jiuning’s reaction was too calm, as if she had already anticipated this.
“You can’t put the General’s Manor’s reputation at risk just for your own selfish desires—”
Slap!
A crisp slap cut off the rest of Song Qingyao’s words.
Song Jiuning had used all her strength. Song Qingyao was knocked to the ground, her head hitting the table leg hard, blood streaming down.
Her face burned with pain. Clutching her cheek, Song Qingyao stared at Song Jiuning in disbelief.
“Sis…”
Song Jiuning sneered, “So you do remember I’m your sister! When you encouraged me to secretly meet with Shen Yunting, did you ever think about me being your sister?”
She leaned closer to Song Qingyao, a cruel smile curling at the corner of her lips. “Can’t bear to see me go astray? Song Qingyao, who are you performing for?”
Song Qingyao was utterly stunned.
Song Jiuning had always trusted her words implicitly. How could she have suddenly seen through it all?
Once the realization sank in, an overwhelming fear enveloped Song Qingyao. Her voice trembled as she said, “I… I didn’t… Sister, you’ve misunderstood me.”
Song Jiuning slammed her palm down, shattering a porcelain cup on the table. “Misunderstood?”
She picked up a sharp shard and pressed it against Song Qingyao’s face. “Tell me, if I use this shard to cut your face, would that still be a misunderstanding?”
Song Qingyao’s eyes widened in terror. The pain on her face pushed her to the brink of panic, her entire body trembling. “No, please, don’t…”
Song Jiuning pushed the porcelain shard forward slightly. “You incited me to meet someone in secret, then deliberately brought it up in front of Father.”
Bright red blood dripped down the shard. Song Jiuning’s expression turned sinister. “Song Qingyao, you truly are my dear sister!”
Seeing the blood on the ground, Song Qingyao completely lost control, clutching her face and wailing shrilly.
“Ah! My face, my face!”
Song Jiuning tossed the shard aside, watching the hysterical Song Qingyao with satisfaction.
The vengeance for being thrown into the Snake Pit in her past life—she had only repaid a fraction of it so far.
Witnessing this scene, the members of the Song Family instantly understood the whole story.
Song Zhaoran, furious, pointed at Song Qingyao and scolded, “You traitorous wretch! Xiao Jiu treated you like a true sister, yet you were so vicious! Guards, throw her out of the manor!”
Although she hated Song Qingyao, keeping her alive still had its uses.
She turned to Song Zhaoran and requested, “Father, may I take charge of her?”
Song Zhaoran naturally agreed. “You decide.”
Song Qingyao couldn’t fathom how the situation had escalated to this point.
Now that Song Jiuning had seen through her, and she had fallen into her hands, what good outcome could she possibly expect?
Better to go all the way.
At that moment, she ignored the injuries on her face and head, lunging fiercely toward Song Jiuning.
Her second brother, Song Chongshan, who was closest to her, reacted first and kicked Song Qingyao away.
Song Chongshan shielded Song Jiuning, glaring furiously at Song Qingyao who lay on the ground: “What are you doing!”
Song Chongshan’s kick was not light; Song Qingyao’s face turned pale, nearly fainting from the pain.
She endured the intense agony, pointing at Song Jiuning: “She’s pretending, she has long… long been secretly involved with someone. Father, it’s sister who has brought shame upon the General’s Manor!”
Song Jiuning had been dosed with Yihuan Powder, such a potent aphrodisiac—it was impossible for her to return unscathed.
Song Qingyao trembled as she crawled toward Song Zhaoran: “Father, Qingyao only acted for the sake of the General’s Manor’s reputation. It is sister who maliciously framed me! If you don’t believe it, you can have Mother examine sister’s body—there must be… traces of her illicit relations with a man!”