Naturally, Marshal Yan was also scrutinizing the object. “Eldest daughter-in-law, is this the evidence you spoke of?”
In a soft, sweet voice, Liu Xiyin said, “Yes, this is the evidence.”
Marshal Yan furrowed his brows. “Explain.”
Liu Xiyin: “Father, I would like to ask my cousin once more—do you truly remember that I tried to steal your necklace, accidentally pushed the Third Young Master downstairs, and even tore your necklace?”
Song Shiyun had originally thought Liu Xiyin possessed real evidence, making her face stiffen. But seeing Liu Xiyin produce what looked like a toy gramophone, the guilt in her eyes instantly vanished, replaced by renewed confidence. “Sister-in-law, Shiyun has received great kindness from the Marshal, so I cannot tell a lie.”
[She fell for it! You brought this on yourself by refusing to repent. Don’t blame me.]
Looking troubled, Liu Xiyin shook her head and bit her lip. Finally, as if making a difficult decision, she said to Marshal Yan, “Father, this daughter-in-law grew up in the countryside and doesn’t understand grand theories. But I have heard that when you put a record on a gramophone, it can play a song sung by a singer a month ago. Doesn’t that mean the gramophone keeps the singer’s voice from a month ago?”
Being a crude man, Marshal Yan understood grand theories even less. “That should be how it works.”
Liu Xiyin: “This daughter-in-law once met a yellow-haired foreigner in the countryside who had been bitten by a snake. He said he had developed something similar, but it can play back captured sounds from the past without needing a record. Because I saved him, he gave it to me as a reward.”
“This daughter-in-law thought it was very interesting. Tonight, I wanted to see if Father had returned so I could give it to you early as a gift. But as soon as I stepped out of the room, I ran into my cousin and the Third Young Master. In my nervousness, I pressed the switch…”
As she reached this point, the color drained completely from Song Shiyun’s face, leaving her swaying on her feet.
However, the expressions of Yan Changye and Marshal Yan turned solemn.
They had seen gramophones before, but a device only the size of a palm that could play back captured sounds without a record—anyone in the military government knew exactly what that implied.
Yan Changye looked at Liu Xiyin.
Marshal Yan also sat up straight. “Is that true?”
[Haha, you old antiques, are you amazed now? If it weren’t for the lack of facilities to manufacture microchips, leaving me with no choice but to build a primitive engraving needle, what you’d be looking at right now wouldn’t be this little horn, but a voice recorder!]
[I, a dignified scientific genius, couldn’t even make a proper voice recorder. It frustrates me to death!]
Suppressing the regret in her heart, Liu Xiyin glanced at Song Shiyun’s ghastly expression before speaking respectfully, “The button on the left is to capture, and the one on the right is to play. Father only needs to press the button on the right to restore the truth of what happened. I leave the decision to Father.”
With half-belief, Marshal Yan pressed the button. A crackling and buzzing sound came from the small horn, followed by a clear voice that startled him so much he almost threw the small horn away.
Fortunately, Marshal Yan had fought his way up through real battles, so he tightened his grip on the small horn again in the next instant.
“Bzzzt… Third Cousin, hug me.”
Swish— Everyone’s eyes swept toward Song Shiyun, who was standing beside the Second Concubine.
Song Shiyun’s face was as white as paper. Her body swayed, her eyes wide with a terror that Liu Xiyin could see clearly.
[Even though I couldn’t make a voice recorder, the little horn had to be made to perfection. Anyone can tell this is the little cousin’s voice.]
Liu Xiyin gloated triumphantly in her mind, causing Yan Changye to suddenly turn his head and look at her.
Marshal Yan’s eyes also shone as he stared at Liu Xiyin.
The difference was that Yan Changye was shocked that his little bride had built this device herself.
Marshal Yan, not knowing Liu Xiyin had made it, merely assumed she had found a valuable treasure.
Compared to these two points, the voices coming from the small horn were not important to either the Marshal or Yan Changye at all.
Following Song Shiyun’s voice, a male voice played. It belonged to Yan Changyue, who had rolled down the stairs: “Cousin Shiyun, you’re drunk. I am not Eldest Brother.”
[This is way too exciting! This is way too exciting! Wah-hah-hah!]
Liu Xiyin pumped her fist excitedly in her mind.
[Forbidden romance will always be my favorite! Little cousin, if you hadn’t provoked me, I definitely would have kept your secret for you.]
Song Shiyun: “Cousin, Shiyun feels so uncomfortable. Listen to my heart, is it beating fast?”
“Don’t, Cousin Shiyun, don’t be like this…”
A rustling sound came from the recording, and Yan Changyue’s breathing could be heard growing heavier.
“Cousin Shiyun… who is there?”
It was Yan Changyue who had spotted Liu Xiyin.
“Ah!” Then came a sharp scream from Song Shiyun, accompanied by the heavy thud-thud of a body tumbling down the stairs.
Liu Xiyin’s timid voice clearly sounded some distance away from them: “C-Cousin, I won’t say a word. I didn’t see anything!”
“Bzzzt…”
Flurried sounds came from the small horn, as if Liu Xiyin had realized it was still on and was hurriedly trying to turn it off.
Thump…
Song Shiyun finally collapsed to the floor, her face entirely devoid of color.
Marshal Yan did not turn off the small horn, so it began to play the recorded sounds on a loop.
“Bzzzt… Third Cousin…”
The servants, adjutants, and concubines in the main hall stared at Song Shiyun in dead silence.
Shrinking “fearfully” behind Yan Changye, Liu Xiyin’s voice trembled. “C-Cousin, you insisted on framing me. I… I didn’t want my leg broken…”
[I already told you I didn’t see anything, yet you insisted on driving me to a dead end. This is self-defense…]
[And the recording was played by the Marshal. If you want to blame someone, blame him! It has nothing to do with me!]
Her outward behavior was completely different from her inner thoughts. Yan Changye glanced at her hand, which was clutching his sleeve pitifully as if she were terrified, but he did not brush her off.
The Third Concubine, who was the birth mother of the Third Young Master, trembled with rage. She looked at Song Shiyun as if she wanted to devour her alive, but she didn’t speak to her. Instead, when she turned to look at Marshal Yan, tears streamed down her face.
“Marshal, you must demand justice for A-Yue! You heard it—he didn’t want to. The person who pushed him down the stairs was also the Young Miss…”
Since Liu Xiyin had not even gone near Yan Changyue and Song Shiyun, the necklace Song Shiyun held as evidence must have been torn off when she pushed Yan Changyue down the stairs in her panic, and he had instinctively grabbed it because they were too close.
Yet Song Shiyun had thrown the dirty water onto Liu Xiyin.
Clearly, she was afraid Liu Xiyin would speak out, so she wanted to strike first while Liu Xiyin was newly married and lacked a secure footing.
The Second Concubine’s expression was also incredibly unsightly. The seductive charm on her body had been swept away by the recording like a leaf in the rain. Her mouth remained open, but she found herself unable to speak several times.
While Marshal Yan remained silent, the Marshal’s Wife, Qin Wan, spoke up: “Shiyun, do you have anything to say in your defense?”
She was very gentle, offering everyone a chance to explain.
Only then did Song Shiyun seem to snap back to her senses. Crawling forward on her knees, she knelt at Marshal Yan’s feet. “Marshal, forgive me! Shiyun was just drunk and couldn’t remember what happened. Shiyun didn’t do it on purpose…”
“Hmph.” Yan Changye scoffed coldly. “Is that so? When the Young Madam asked you just now, you confirmed it with absolute certainty. What, were you still drunk back then, but you are sober now?”
[Exactly, exactly! Little cousin, you sure sobered up quickly.]
[No, actually, it’s better that she sobered up. Hurry up and struggle some more! A villain shouldn’t be written off so easily! Keep staying in the Marshal’s Mansion to cause more trouble!]
“…” Yan Changye pulled his sleeve out of Liu Xiyin’s grip.
[Ah, I forgot. The big villain belongs to the Ninth Concubine. I shouldn’t touch him.]
Realizing her mistake, Liu Xiyin carefully smoothed out the creases on Yan Changye’s sleeve.