Chapter 22: The Fate of the Song Father and Son

The next day.

Xu Wanyin and Madam Xu went out to select items for the wedding.

On their way home, their carriage was stopped by someone.

Mother and daughter exchanged puzzled glances when they heard a young man’s voice from outside.

“Aunt, I am Lin Xu, and I would like to speak with my cousin Wanyin alone.”

The mother and daughter looked at each other, noticing that Wanyin seemed uneasy. Madam Xu patted her hand, then lifted the curtain to look outside.

“Young Master Lin, you are being too polite. My sister and I are not from the same mother, and we have little contact. I cannot accept being called ‘aunt’ by you.”

When their marriage was discussed years ago, it was supposed to be her marrying into the Lin family. But her younger sister went to their father, crying and begging to marry the young master of the Lin family.

Since childhood, her sister had always competed with her, and she was already thoroughly tired of it, so she let her sister have her way.

In the end, her sister got what she wanted, and she married into the Xu family, which at that time was not as prestigious as the Lin family.

She had thought that she had escaped her sister’s shadow, but now, her son had latched onto her daughter.

Fortunately, Wanyin was already betrothed to Fang Xunli.

Madam Xu came back to her senses. “Wanyin is already engaged, and the wedding is only two months away. How can she meet with a man alone? Young Master Lin, coming from a noble family, should understand proper etiquette. Please do not say such things again.”

Madam Xu lowered the curtain. “Coachman, return to the manor.”

Lin Xu nodded, watching the carriage leave. His gaze slowly changed, turning into one of madness and malice.

He licked his back teeth and spoke grimly, “Xu Wanyin, you will ultimately be mine.”

He had just met with Fang Xuze and adjusted his original plan.

The useless Song Guangyan would not cause them trouble, which would make their movements easier.

With the commotion surrounding the Song family, the matter of Fang Xuze being sought after by several women was slowly forgotten.

They decided to wait for a month, until Fang Xuze’s matter had settled and the child had not yet been born, before taking action against Fang Xunli.

Lin Xu’s lips curled into a faint smile, his heart filled with confidence as he turned and walked back to the Imperial Academy.

In the evening, as the students left, they gathered around Fang Xunli to ask him questions they didn’t understand.

The results of the day’s exam had been released, and he had come in first.

Cao Ran, who had been squeezed out of the group, worked hard to maneuver back to Fang Xunli’s side, pushing through the crowd with his back.

Seeing that Cao Ran seemed to want to say something, Fang Xunli gestured to the group, “We’re in a hurry. You probably won’t be able to listen in detail. Why don’t you write down your questions and bring them to me tomorrow? I’ll answer them for you on paper.”

The group nodded in agreement, and after a while, they dispersed.

Fang Xunli asked, “What happened?”

He had heard that Cao’s sister had woken up and thought that everything should be fine now.

Cao Ran immediately replied, “It was thanks to Brother Fang’s request for embroidery techniques that we were able to find my sister. So, I want to thank you.”

“When she’s feeling better, I’ll have her dictate the techniques to me, and I’ll write them down and give them to you.”

Fang Xunli smiled and waved his hand, “This is nothing, just a coincidence. It was your own sharpness.”

Cao Ran didn’t agree.

He was now a bit afraid—if they had discovered it any later, would his sister still be alive?

They had overlooked it, thinking that with her maternal family backing her and her own skills, she wouldn’t be at a disadvantage.

But who could have expected that the hypocrite would start taking action against his sister when she was pregnant and unable to move around easily?

Even though his sister knew some techniques, while pregnant, she couldn’t compete with a man.

After that, the beast even hurt the child. To protect the baby, his sister had to bear everything on her own.

Thinking of this, the young man, as strong as a mountain, had tears in his eyes.

“And the statue your younger sister gave us—my mother asked for it for a short time, and my sister woke up shortly after. Before that, five doctors had all shaken their heads and told us to prepare for her death.”

Fang Xunli walked with his hands behind his back, thinking that this matter must be related to An’an. To protect her, he said, “That must have been the work of a divine being. It has nothing to do with our family.”

Cao Ran slightly pressed his lips together.

He had known that if he said this, Brother Fang wouldn’t accept the Cao family’s gratitude.

He decided not to let his parents visit to thank Fang Xunli tomorrow, to avoid putting him in an awkward position.

For the Fang family now, the most important thing was to find out the whereabouts of Uncle Fang.

Cao Ran immediately decided to have his father secretly send someone to help look for him.

Fang Xunli knew that the Cao family had always repaid kindness, and seeing him silent, he assumed it was because of his refusal, leaving him unsure of how to explain it to his family.

Thinking of something, Fang Xunli said, “If you must thank me, then buy me ten sugar figurines.”

Cao Ran froze for a moment, then remembered the quirky young girl from the Fang family and smiled softly, “Alright!”

After walking a few more steps, Fang Xunli asked with concern, “Has there been a verdict on the Song family?”

Cao Ran nodded. “Master Song was sentenced to prison for killing his wife, and after twenty-two years, he was executed.”

Noticing the confusion between Fang Xunli’s brows, Cao Ran explained, “The Dali Temple has investigated, and it turns out that Master Song began to abuse his wife shortly after they were married, continuing until her death—altogether, it lasted twenty-two years.”

“Because my father reported this matter to the Emperor, His Majesty personally made the ruling, not strictly following the existing regulations. The Emperor said that Master Song should experience the pain of being beaten every day, enduring it for twenty-two years before his death.”

Fang Xunli sighed softly, with some sorrow in his eyes. “Lady Song, she was truly pitiful.”

Cao Ran gave a bitter smile. “Brother Fang, do you know what kept Lady Song enduring all that suffering for so long?”

During the interrogation, an old servant from the Song family, who had once been favored by Lady Song, revealed the truth he knew.

Fang Xunli shook his head.

Cao Ran sighed deeply. “It was her children. If she had left, her children would have been the ones to endure the torment.”

Fang Xunli’s fist, which had been loosely clenched, tightened slightly. “But her children grew up, and not only did they fail to protect her, they became just like their father.”

Cao Ran snorted. “Song Guangyan is the same. He used the life of his child to threaten his sister. If we hadn’t found out, who knows how much longer she would have had to suffer. So, even if your request was a coincidence, we are immensely grateful that we discovered it sooner, even if it was just a day earlier.”

Fang Xunli felt a pang of guilt for this sincere gratitude, as his ultimate goal had always been to save himself.

If gratitude were to be given, it should naturally be to An’an, but he couldn’t speak of his sister, so he could only request her favorite sugar figurines on her behalf.

He asked, “And what about Song Guangyan?”

“He… Some court officials initially did not support a harsh judgment, and there was debate about the injuries on his body. My sister, despite being ill, insisted on being a witness, and she was carried into the court to demonstrate why Song Guangyan had those injuries.”

Cao Ran’s voice took on a mysterious tone. “My sister said that from the past few days, whenever Song Guangyan laid a hand on her, those injuries would appear on him. Brother Fang, when I first heard this from my family, I couldn’t believe it, but they saw it with their own eyes.”

Fang Xunli understood, but still played along. “Such a strange occurrence?”

Cao Ran frowned slightly, nodding seriously. “Song Guangyan even shouted that it was black magic, but the fact that Lady Song was killed by Master Song made most people believe my sister’s version, thinking it was divine punishment.”

“At that point, the Emperor could no longer ignore it. In the end, Song Guangyan was sentenced to twenty-four years in prison for injuring his wife and daughter, nearly causing their deaths, for sheltering his father, and for being unfilial to his mother. He will endure various punishments every day.”

Fang Xunli was puzzled. “Twenty-four years?”

Cao Ran kept his gaze forward. “Lady Song was married to Master Song for twenty-two years, plus the two years my sister was married to him.”