As deeply moved as the Xiao family was, Song Suihuan was equally sorrowful and heartbroken at this moment.
When Xiao Lingzhao brought up the tragic events of the Song family’s bloodshed at the execution ground fourteen years ago, her heart felt as though it were shattering.
Xiao Lingzhao!
How could this man hurt her so deeply?
All these years, she had desperately studied medicine under her master, striving to wash away the shame clinging to her name—she never wanted to be labeled the daughter of a disgraced official!
She wanted people, upon seeing her, to think first of her as Miracle Doctor Song Suihuan, not the condemned Song Suihuan!
She had finally achieved it—she was admired by countless people, she had reclaimed her pride. Yet the man she loved most had publicly dredged up her family’s crimes again, heedless of whether it would reopen her wounds or cause her pain.
Could it be…
that all their childhood affection was nothing but a lie?
Song Suihuan slowly turned her gaze to the Emperor seated above.
Her fingers dug tightly into her palms.
Hah.
What a righteous Emperor, willing to bear her resentment himself rather than let her direct it at the Xiao family…
But how absurd—how could she possibly hate The Supreme?
If she had the power to kill the Emperor and escape unscathed, she wouldn’t hesitate. But how could she ever accomplish that?
To hate someone she could never hope to defeat would only trap her in a lifetime of unrelenting bitterness. So, she had no choice but to redirect all her hatred toward Xiao Zhen.
Because Xiao Zhen was someone she could confront—whereas the Emperor was beyond her reach, someone she couldn’t even afford to hate…
Song Suihuan couldn’t voice these thoughts aloud; she didn’t dare show even a hint of hostility toward the Emperor.
She bowed her head and kowtowed.
“Your Majesty, you exaggerate. How could this common woman resent you? As you said, my father committed grave crimes back then. You had to execute him to deliver justice to the victims—you did nothing wrong.”
“But Xiao Zhen is different!”
“Back then, my father considered him his closest friend! Our families even planned to arrange a marriage between our children. My father saw him as a brother, yet he was the one who exposed my father! He upheld his righteous path and moral integrity, but he betrayed his sworn brother!”
“Your Majesty, you may call me unreasonable, you may say I confuse right and wrong, but I stand by this: anyone else could have exposed my father—but not Xiao Zhen. Because our families were so close, he was the uncle I admired most since childhood. I simply cannot forgive him for what he did!”
The Old General looked at Song Suihuan, his fingers trembling, guilt evident in his eyes.
Even now, he couldn’t come to terms with the death of General Song and his family.
From the standpoint of justice, he hadn’t been wrong to expose General Song. But emotionally, he always felt he had failed the Song family.
He often lamented the cruelty of fate—why did he have to be the one to discover General Song’s crimes? Why did he have to personally send the Song family to their doom…
He understood Song Suihuan’s hatred toward him.
Choking back a sob, Song Suihuan turned her tear-filled eyes to Xiao Lingzhao.
Her face was set in stubborn defiance as she poured out her accusations.”And Xiao Lingzhao, you listen to me clearly too. You resent me for forcing your father to take his own life, but back then it was your father who came to beg me himself to save you, his own son! This life-for-life transaction was mutually agreed upon. If he wished to sacrifice himself to save you, I granted his wish. If he had been cowardly and only sought to save his own life instead of rescuing his son, I wouldn’t have forced him either. You see, the choice between life and death was always in his own hands. He clearly could have chosen not to die, isn’t that right?”
“If he chose death, it was because he loved you, his son, too much. He died for you—what does that have to do with me? I never held a knife to anyone’s throat to force them. Your hatred for me is completely unfounded!”
Shen Yuanwei glanced at Song Suihuan.
Sophistry.
She then looked up at Xiao Lingzhao, who was frowning deeply.
This guy was clumsy with words and couldn’t argue well, so she would do it for him.
Shen Yuanwei turned to Song Suihuan and refuted her point by point.
“Miss Song, you are mistaken. You say the Old General had a choice and could have chosen not to die. Well, your father could have chosen not to commit those heinous acts back then. If he hadn’t engaged in killing innocent people and falsely claiming their achievements, the Old General wouldn’t have exposed him either. You claim you didn’t hold a knife to the Old General’s throat to force him to die, but back then, the Old General didn’t hold a knife to your father’s throat to force him to kill anyone either!”
The Old General, who had been wallowing in guilt and self-blame, stared blankly at his daughter-in-law upon hearing this.
It seemed…
It seemed to make sense!
Shen Yuanwei continued.
“You say your elder brother, your grandfather, and your uncle died tragically, but whose fault is that? Is it the Old General’s fault for exposing your father’s crimes? Or the Emperor’s fault for executing so many members of your family?”
“Blaming others is utterly unreasonable. It was your father who brought this calamity upon himself. He was a grown man in his forties or fifties, not a toddler of two or three. Before he committed those murders, didn’t he consider that if his crimes were exposed, he would doom his entire family?”
“He knew full well that once he swung his blade, it would implicate all of you. Yet, blinded by greed, he still chose to do it. So, the one who disregarded your lives was him! The one who personally sent you all to the executioner’s block was him! To borrow your own logic, it wasn’t the Emperor or the Old General who held a knife to his throat and forced him—he chose this path of destruction himself. After the truth came to light, how could he have the audacity to pressure the innocent Old General to compromise his conscience and spare his life?”
Shen Yuanwei cast a disdainful look at Song Suihuan.
“Miss Song, it was your father who committed all those atrocities back then. How can you demand that the Old General sacrifice the lives of his entire Xiao family to cover up your father’s crimes? Are only the lives of your family precious, while others are obligated to sacrifice for you? If others refuse to help, are they deserving of death? Hah, if your family had been loyal and righteous, it might have been worth others risking their lives for you. But with a scoundrel like your father, was he even worthy?”
Upon hearing this, Xie Junlin also looked at Shen Yuanwei in surprise.
This girl was quite sharp-tongued.
But rather endearing.
The Old General, the Old Madam, and Xiao Lingzhao also gazed at Shen Yuanwei with smiles.
They had already liked this girl, but now, they liked her even more.
Only Song Suihuan stared venomously at Shen Yuanwei.
Shen Yuanwei’s sharp words echoed repeatedly in her ears. She couldn’t refute them, and her hatred grew even more intense!
Damn her!
First, she steals my man, and now she attacks and insults me like this? I really want to tear that bitch’s mouth apart!
Hah, what right does this bitch have to speak up for the Xiao family and curse at me? She’s not even married into the family yet, and she already acts like the young madam of the Xiao household?Where did this person come from, thinking she could become the young madam of the Xiao family?
Whether this final bow in the wedding ceremony can even be completed today is still unknown!
Shen Yuanwei was not intimidated by Song Suihuan’s cold glare. With a smile, she continued, “Miss Song, I know you’re the widely praised Miracle Doctor. I know you’ve always carried a unique sense of superiority, believing that saving Ling Zhao despite the deep-seated blood feud between our families is an immense favor to him—that he should be endlessly grateful to you… But have you forgotten? All this time, you’ve only been claiming you could save him. Up to now, you haven’t actually saved him at all. As far as Ling Zhao is concerned, he owes you nothing. You’re nothing more than a despicable person who took advantage of the situation to force his father to his death. So, if you think you can flaunt your superiority here, expecting the Xiao family to praise and indulge you, I’m afraid that won’t work.”
Old Madam secretly glanced at Song Suihuan’s stiff and unpleasant expression, and she was absolutely thrilled.
Her eyes shone brightly as she looked at her daughter-in-law!
She adored her daughter-in-law so much. From now on, she could take her daughter-in-law along to curse at people. If she couldn’t win an argument, she could just hide behind her daughter-in-law, who could take on ten opponents at once!
Having said her piece, Shen Yuanwei, with the demeanor of the lady of the house, gently asked Song Suihuan to leave.
“Miss Song, it’s getting late. If you have no other matters, please take your leave now. Let’s not delay the auspicious moment for Ling Zhao and me—”
As she spoke, she smiled and glanced at Xiao Lingzhao, “After all, your dear Ling Zhao brother is quite eager to marry me.”