Xiao Lingzhao’s gaze was icy cold.
No one could remain calm when facing the person who had forced their own father to take his life.
He watched coldly as Song Suihuan approached step by step, his thin lips curling into a hint of mockery.
“What business is it of you if I marry? I love my wife, why wouldn’t I dare marry her?”
“Moreover, who said I can’t live without begging you?”
“You’re not the only one in this world who can save me, and I’ve never valued your method of saving. I don’t want to be saved by someone who stands high above and forced my father to die. I’d rather die mad than owe you any favor!”
Xiao Lingzhao’s coldness and disgust made Song Suihuan even more heartbroken and furious.
Her family had suffered tragic deaths because of the Xiao family, yet she was still willing to give Xiao Lingzhao a chance to live. Why was Xiao Lingzhao treating her like this just because she had forced Xiao Zhen to take his own life?
Xiao Lingzhao simply didn’t deserve her deep affection!
Song Suihuan sneered coldly.
“You resent me?”
“Your father isn’t even dead yet, and you already resent me so much. When your Xiao family caused the deaths of all the male members of my Song family, should I have killed your entire family to vent my anger?”
“It was your father who wronged our family back then. He disregarded the friendship between our families and exposed my father, causing him to be executed by death by a thousand cuts, my grandfather, my second uncle, and my three older brothers to be beheaded, and even my infant nephew to die. You know all this!”
“Your father owes our Song family so many lives. He is my enemy. How should I save the son of my father’s killer who actually wants me to save him?”
“How could I disregard the tragic deaths of my father and brothers to save you, the son of the enemy who caused their deaths?”
Her eyes red, she stared fixedly at Xiao Lingzhao, enunciating each word clearly, “You have no right to resent me. I wanted your father to pay with his life for my father and brothers before saving you. Where did I go wrong? With him, this enemy, standing between us, I could never save you!”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Lingzhao let out a scornful laugh.
He shifted slightly to the side, revealing the Emperor seated high above behind him.
While cupping his hands in salute to the Emperor, he said to Song Suihuan—
“Whether you were wrong or not, Miss Song, you should ask yourself. However, when my father exposed your father for killing innocent people and falsely claiming their achievements back then, he was not at fault! The Emperor is here. Your father’s case was personally investigated by the Emperor. Miss Song, why don’t you ask the Emperor whether your father deserved to die and where my father went wrong?Song Suihuan abruptly looked toward the high and mighty seat.
Seeing Xie Junlin in casual attire seated there, Song Suihuan was utterly shocked.
Why was the Emperor here?
Oh no!
Meeting Xie Junlin’s inscrutable eyes, Song Suihuan panicked inwardly and quickly stepped forward, bowing her head to kowtow to the Emperor.
“This commoner, Song Suihuan, pays respects to Your Majesty!”
Seeing Song Suihuan kneeling before the Emperor, Shen Yuanwei, who had been watching the scene with curiosity, tightened her grip on her fan and moved closer to Xiao Lingzhao.
Hiding behind her fan, she whispered, “Young General, who is this Miss Song who won’t allow us to hold the wedding ceremony? Could she be the Successor of the Ghost Doctor you mentioned before, the Miss Song who once took your pulse and touched you a few times?”
Xiao Lingzhao was still staring at Song Suihuan, his expression remaining cold, with ferocity visible in his eyes.
But hearing Shen Yuanwei’s soft voice beside his ear, the ice around him completely melted away. He immediately adjusted his emotions.What annoyed him was someone else, and he didn’t want to bring his bad mood to his newlywed wife.
After tightening his grip on Shen Yuanwei’s arm, he retreated a few steps and hid aside to secretly gossip about others with his little wife.
“That’s right, she is the Successor of the Ghost Doctor whom everyone in the capital admires, and she is also the one who tried to force my father to take his own life.”
“Yuan Wei, don’t misunderstand that there is any affection between us just because she suddenly barged in and caused a scene. Although we grew up together, I have no romantic feelings for her. We only got along well before the age of seven. After not seeing each other for over ten years, the moment we met, she demanded my father’s life—how could I possibly like her…”
Just as Xiao Lingzhao reached this point, Xie Junlin’s voice came from the main hall.
Xie Junlin looked at the young couple hiding and whispering to each other.
“Ling Zhao, are you telling your wife about the Song family? It’s no secret, no need to whisper. Speak up and let Miss Song hear about what happened back then as well.”
He lowered his gaze to Song Suihuan kneeling before him, his tone cold and detached. “I see she only remembers the hatred of her father and brother’s tragic deaths but has forgotten what evil deeds her father committed back then!”
Upon hearing this, Song Suihuan abruptly looked up at Xie Junlin, her face instantly turning as pale as paper.
She had saved Prince Rui and helped regulate the health of the Emperor and Empress Dowager, so the Emperor had always treated her well.
Suddenly being treated so harshly by the Emperor, she knew that her earlier words had truly angered this ruler.
If she had known the Emperor was here, she would never have mentioned how tragically her father and brother died…
After all, it was this Emperor who had executed her father and brother…
Seeing the Emperor speak this way, Xiao Lingzhao stopped whispering to Shen Yuanwei.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
He cupped his hands in acknowledgment and, staring at Song Suihuan’s back, began recounting the events of the past—
“Fourteen years ago, a group of bandits occupied Jingyang Mountain. They were audacious enough to attempt robbing the imperial tax silver. Though they failed, they challenged the court’s authority, so the court decided to exterminate them.”
“Miss Song’s father thought they were just a bunch of weak petty thieves and volunteered to lead the mission to suppress them.”
“However, after several days of attacking, General Song realized the bandits were formidable. His troops suffered heavy casualties while the bandits remained largely unscathed. They even used a trick to divert him and escaped with their followers right under his nose.”
“After days of pursuit, he couldn’t track down the bandits. Fearing punishment from the court for his incompetence in letting them escape, he lost his senses and came up with the idea of killing innocent people and falsely claiming their achievements!”
“He ordered his men to select over a hundred innocent civilians with fierce appearances, gathered them under the pretense of joining the army to suppress the bandits, but halfway, he slaughtered all of them, cutting off their heads to present as the bandits’ trophies…”
“Upon returning to the capital, General Song was praised by the Emperor. He lived lavishly for half a year, but the bandits he had let escape went on to occupy Yonglin City and set up their stronghold there. Over the next six months, they committed over twenty murders and robberies. Merchant caravans passing by fell victim to them unprepared, and nearby villages suffered from their plundering, burning, and killing—more than three hundred people tragically lost their lives at their hands!”
“And Yonglin City happened to be where my third brother was stationed. My third brother discovered the bandits’ traces and spent a month leading troops to exterminate them. During the interrogation, he was shocked to learn that these bandits were the very ones who had escaped from General Song’s hands half a year earlier!””My third brother immediately reported this matter to my father, who sent people to investigate discreetly. Thus, General Song’s crime of killing innocent people and falsely claiming their achievements came to light.”
“The Song family learned of this and came to our house late at night, kneeling and begging my father not to expose them. But my father, who abhorred evil, resolutely went to court and exposed General Song’s crimes.”
“The next day, the court dispatched troops to arrest the entire Song family and imprison them. As the Songs passed by our Xiao family’s gate, they wept, each one spitting at our residence and cursing my father for being heartless and treacherous, wishing him a miserable death and our family line to be cut off.”
“From that day on, the Song and Xiao families became mortal enemies.”
“Later, General Song was executed by death by a thousand cuts, all male members of the Song family were beheaded publicly, and the female relatives were exiled a thousand miles away.”
“However, Miss Song was fortunate. She escaped during the exile journey and was taken as a disciple by the Ghost Physician. Over fourteen years, she mastered exceptional medical skills.”
“Two months ago, Miss Song descended the mountain and saved the critically ill Old Prime Minister. She also rescued Prince Rui when he slammed into a wall in a suicide attempt, stopping his severe bleeding. She even claimed she could cure Prince Rui’s autism and gynophobia. The Empress Dowager, who dotes on Prince Rui, pleaded on Miss Song’s behalf, stating that the Song family’s male line had been wiped out and the female relatives had been exiled for years. She requested the Emperor to show mercy and pardon the Song women—”
“Therefore, the Emperor pardoned the Song female relatives, allowing them to return to the capital.”
After recounting the events, Xiao Lingzhao bowed to the Emperor.
Xie Junlin looked down at the pale-faced Song Suihuan.
He said coldly,
“Song Suihuan, did you hear that clearly?”
“You keep saying Old General Xiao caused the deaths of your father and brothers, but your father wasn’t killed by Old General Xiao. He brought it upon himself—it’s no one else’s fault.”
“Back then, he failed in his duties. Incompetent yet insisting on taking charge, he caused the court to lose troops and let those vicious bandits escape to Yonglin City, where they slaughtered over three hundred people. Afraid of imperial punishment, he even killed innocent people and falsely claimed their achievements to deceive the throne. Didn’t he deserve to die?”
“You say your Song family died unjustly, but I ask you: Were those hundred-plus innocent civilians your father killed unjust or not?”
“They merely looked fierce but were honest farmers tilling the land for food. They never harmed anyone, yet your father cruelly beheaded them, leaving their bodies incomplete. As a court official, he was more depraved than notorious bandits!”
“You only know your Song female relatives were exiled and suffered greatly, but have you ever considered the wives, children, and elderly of those hundred-plus tragic souls? What impoverished lives do they lead?”
“You only see your own suffering, but are they not suffering too?”
“You resent Xiao Zhen for exposing your father. Let me tell you, he wasn’t wrong. Your father harmed civilians and deceived the throne first. Since Xiao Zhen enjoyed the emperor’s favor, it was his duty to remain loyal. Respected by the people, he had to seek justice for the slain civilians.”
“Song Suihuan, you lost your family, and your heart aches. You can cut ties with the Xiao family forever. You can refuse to save Xiao Lingzhao. But you cannot say Xiao Zhen caused your Song family’s downfall or that he wronged your family. He harmed no one; he is righteous before all under heaven. Your Song family deserved its fate.”
“If you must hate someone, perhaps you should hate me. Because it was I who decreed the execution of your Song male relatives, not Xiao Zhen!”
The Old General’s eyes reddened.
For a subject, there is no greater comfort than serving a wise and just ruler.He stood up and cupped his hands toward Xie Junlin, choking up as he said, “This old minister thanks Your Majesty!”
Shen Yuanwei also looked at Xie Junlin with some surprise.
This Emperor seemed to be a righteous and fair-minded ruler.
Even though his own younger brother Prince Rui needed the Miracle Doctor Song Suihuan for treatment, and perhaps he himself was unable to have children and would need to rely on the Miracle Doctor’s help, he did not show favoritism toward Song Suihuan because of this.
Instead, he chose to uphold justice for the common people who had died tragically many years ago. He was defending fairness and righteousness, standing up for his heroic general.