Chapter 17: I Sever All Ties with Cui Jing'en
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Song Shiwei wondered who could possibly be looking for her at a time like this.
“Shiwei, could they be here to cause trouble for you?” Madam Song asked anxiously.
She took Song Shiwei’s hand, unease coloring her voice. “Why don’t you say you’re not feeling well and stay here?”
If this had happened before, when nothing had yet gone wrong for the family, she would have had nothing to fear.
But things were different now.
Song Shiwei gently patted her hand and said softly, “Mother, please don’t worry too much.”
“If they truly came to make trouble for me, they wouldn’t have been so courteous.”
“I’ll go out and see what this is about.”
Madam Song was still uneasy and hurriedly said, “Have Third Sister go with you.”
Song Shiyue immediately rose to her feet, looking utterly obedient. “Big Sister, I promise I’ll only follow you. I won’t say a single inappropriate word.”
Knowing her mother’s concern, Song Shiwei did not refuse to let Song Shiyue accompany her.
The sisters left the room and saw one of the inn’s stewards standing at the door.
“May I ask who is looking for me?” Song Shiwei asked politely.
The steward pointed toward someone standing not far away and said with a broad smile, “Miss Song, that person is waiting over there. You can go straight to him.”
Song Shiwei followed his gesture and saw a familiar face. Her eyes narrowed at once.
“Big Sister, that’s Zhengwen, Cui Jing’s attendant,” Song Shiyue whispered, her voice filled with fury and hatred.
“How dare Cui Jing send someone to look for you?”
Whenever she thought of how Cui Jing had joined forces with Princess Anning to frame their family, causing them all to be exiled, she wanted nothing more than to tear him apart with her bare hands.
At the mention of Cui Jing’s name, Song Shiwei’s heart stirred, and a faint ache spread through it.
Yet the pain was not as sharp as it had been two days ago, nor did she care as deeply as she had then.
Perhaps the exile had dulled her grief.
She gave a faint hum. “Let’s go back.”
She did not want to have anything more to do with Cui Jing.
But—
Zhengwen hurried over.
“Miss Song, Third Miss Song.”
He bowed respectfully before handing the bundle on his back to Song Shiwei. “Miss Song, my young master prepared these things for you.”
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Song Shiwei’s expression was cold, her voice colder still. “There’s no need.”
If Prince Ding had not been involved, she might have accepted the things Cui Jing had sent for the sake of her family.
Zhengwen looked anxious, his speech quickening. “Miss Song, things aren’t as they appear. My young master had no choice in many matters…”
Song Shiwei raised a hand and cut him off, displeasure faintly audible in her voice. “You don’t need to say any of that.”
“From the moment Cui Jing made his choice, he and I were destined to fight until one of us died.”
Song Shiyue let out an angry snort. “How can you even bring yourself to say such a thing?”
“If Cui Jing hadn’t provided those so-called pieces of evidence, would my family have been arrested and exiled?”
“And now he comes here pretending to be some kindhearted man?”
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Zhengwen’s forehead. He said desperately, “Miss Song, Third Miss Song, you don’t understand. That was the imperial family and Princess Anning.”
“My young master did think of resisting, but how could he possibly resist them?”
No one understood his young master’s pain and suffering.
Song Shiwei gave a derisive laugh. “That is no excuse for forging evidence and harming my family.”
A trace of hatred entered her voice. “Do you know that on the first night of our exile, all the women in our family nearly suffered assault?”
“Big Sister!” Song Shiyue clutched her sister’s arm, tears glistening in her eyes. “Cui Jing is utterly despicable.”
“Big Sister, you must never forgive him.”
Whenever she thought of what had happened that night, she was terrified.
If their father had not woken in time, something truly terrible might have happened to every woman in the family.
Zhengwen looked as though he had been struck by lightning, his face turning deathly pale. “How could that be?”
“My young master had made all the arrangements and bribed every official escort.”
Song Shiwei mocked him coldly. “Made all the arrangements?”
“If Cui Jing had truly bribed them, none of this would have happened.”
“Besides, if Cui Jing could bribe the escort officers, couldn’t someone else do the same?”
She did not believe that Cui Jing had really made arrangements with the officials. More likely, he had simply instructed Zhengwen to say those words in an attempt to win her favor, so that he could continue to manipulate and scheme against her.
Zhengwen staggered back several steps.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but not a single word came out.
His young master had believed that he had bribed the escorts, and that the Song family would not suffer too much along the road to exile.
Who could have imagined that things had not gone as his young master expected at all?
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Song Shiwei showed him no mercy.
Her expression was as cold as frost, her voice filled with loathing. “Go back and tell Cui Jing that all ties between us are severed!”
Though it appeared to come from her sleeve, she actually took the betrothal jade pendant from her hidden space and tossed it at Zhengwen’s feet. “Tell him never to call himself my fiancé again. It disgusts me!”
When Zhengwen saw the pendant, his mind rang with a loud buzz. He finally understood that matters were not as easily salvaged as his young master had believed.
He hurriedly fell to his knees before Song Shiwei and pleaded desperately, “Miss Song, things truly aren’t as you think.”
“Please, listen to me.”
He was nearly in tears. “My young master truly had no choice. He was forced to do it in order to protect your family.”
Song Shiwei looked down at him from above, her expression icy. “Did Cui Jing frame and harm my family?”
Zhengwen was rendered speechless.
Song Shiwei continued, “If not for Cui Jing, would we have suffered all this?”
Again, Zhengwen could not answer.
Song Shiwei said, “After harming my family, Cui Jing still expects my forgiveness? He still wants to continue our engagement? How ridiculous!”
The moment she learned that Cui Jing had destroyed her family, she had decided that he would pay the most terrible price.
“Just shut up!” When Song Shiyue saw Zhengwen about to speak, she angrily kicked him.
“Cui Jing has brought such misery upon my family, and now he comes here pretending to be pitiful.”
“He enjoys an honored life in the capital, protected by Princess Anning, while our entire family suffers along the road to exile, living in misery and facing the danger of losing our lives at any moment.”
“That’s enough, Third Sister. Don’t waste your breath.” Song Shiwei pulled her back into the room and slammed the door shut.
Zhengwen knelt dejectedly outside, at a loss for what to do.
Just then, curses drifted out from within the room.
“That scoundrel Cui Jing actually has the nerve to come looking for our eldest miss? He couldn’t possibly think that if he tossed her a few scraps, she would be willing to follow him without a name or status, could he?”
“Disgusting wretch! Calling Cui Jing a hypocrite would be an insult to the word.”
“Cui Jing has climbed onto the high branch of Princess Anning. He’s no longer one of us.”
Zhengwen could not stop himself from smiling bitterly.
His young master had believed that by sacrificing his own dignity, he could save the Song family and rekindle his relationship with Miss Song.
The truth was that from the moment his young master had been forced to frame the Song family for rebellion, there had been no possibility of reconciliation between him and Miss Song.
“You still have the nerve to come here?” Auntie Liu had just returned from gathering information. The moment she saw Zhengwen kneeling outside the door, anger surged through her.
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