As Yu He spoke, Qin Jincheng, who had been crying out, felt his heart lurch.
Before implicating Qin Xinyao, Madam Huang had clearly dispatched the nearby security personnel. It had been a perfect opportunity for a decisive action.
This was done because Qin Xinhong said the pills dug up from his backyard last time were her prenatal medicine, which led the Qin family to intensify their search for the culprit.
Qin Jincheng, with a guilty conscience, remembered that the foolish Qin Xinyao had overheard his conversation with Madam Huang last time. Fearing he would reveal it, he wanted to give him a warning. He had never expected Yu He to suddenly appear and interrupt him.
However, seeing how completely terrified Qin Xinyao looked at the moment, he felt a surge of satisfaction.
But his satisfaction was short-lived, as Yu He's escalating questions nearly scared him out of his wits.
"Then tell me, how did you pretend you couldn't swim and drag Brother Xinyao into the water!" Yu He continued coldly.
"I, I didn't..." Qin Jincheng's lips quivered, his words fumbling under her merciless and indifferent gaze.
Having just survived the ordeal in the water, he was already afraid of Yu He.
This woman truly dared to push him to his death!
Seeing Qin Jincheng falter, Madam Huang immediately chimed in, "Stop your nonsensical lies and distortions! You clearly kicked Jincheng away and dragged him into the water. How can you twist things around!"
"Are you done blabbering?" Yu He turned back, giving her a cold look. "If you're so capable, why didn't you jump in to save him earlier?"
Madam Huang choked up. "You're quick-witted, and I can't argue with you, but don't you dare stir up trouble in my Qin family!"
"Alright, sister-in-law, say less!" Madam Song interrupted her sternly. "How did both of you fall into the lake for no reason?"
"Aunt Pei?" Qin Yonghui looked at Aunt Pei beside her.
She was the sole witness on the scene.
"Young Master Jincheng and Third Young Master had an argument by the lake and accidentally fell in," Aunt Pei said.
"I don't know the specifics of the conflict. At the time, Third Madam said the earrings Third Master gave her had fallen in the back garden, so I was asked to help find them. When I returned, I saw Young Master Jincheng stuffing mud into Third Young Master's mouth, and then they both fell into the lake."
Hearing that Qin Jincheng had bullied Qin Xinyao so badly, Qin Yonghui's eyes reddened, unsure if it was from anger or heartache.
"What about you? Why was there such a long delay in rescuing Yao'er after he fell into the water? The Qin family hired you to ensure the safety of everyone in the Qin household," Madam Song said to the security guards standing nearby.
"We were all helping Third Madam look for the earrings and didn't notice anyone falling into the water," the security captain replied, head bowed.
Seeing all eyes on her, Madam Huang's gaze shifted, and she took a golden earring from her pocket.
"Yes, the earring was found. This is a wedding anniversary gift from Third Master. When one fell, I was very anxious, so I asked everyone to help search. When we found the earring, we heard shouts, and I immediately brought them over."
Madam Huang explained, then, to avoid suspicion, she deliberately added, "Speaking of which, it's strange. Aunt Pei, why did you bring Yao'er here? Where is Aunt Yao?"
Aunt Pei was Qin Xinhong's personal wet nurse, while Aunt Yao was Qin Xinyao's wet nurse and had always been by his side. Her absence today was enough to raise suspicions.
With Aunt Yao gone, Qin Xinyao had such a serious accident, it was hard not to think deeply about it.
Aunt Pei, afraid Madam Huang would frame her, quickly explained, "A Lan took leave today. Her daughter-in-law was hospitalized, and she went back to care for the child. She asked me to look after Third Young Master."
A Lan was Aunt Yao's name.
"Aunt Yao did indeed ask for leave," Qin Yonghui said with red eyes.
Aunt Yao and Aunt Pei were both veteran Qin family servants and fellow villagers, with a good relationship. When Aunt Yao rarely took leave, she would entrust Aunt Pei to look after Qin Xinyao. Madam Song and Qin Xinhong were aware of this, so there was nothing strange about it.
However, Madam Huang's remark seemed intentional.
"I see..." Madam Huang also realized she might have misspoken.
She had initially intended to help Qin Jincheng shift the focus of blame to Yu He, but Yu He had turned the situation around with just a few words.
Instead of helping, she had attracted suspicion, so she quickly shifted the focus back to Qin Jincheng.
"Jincheng, how could you stuff mud into your Brother Yao's mouth?!" she scolded deliberately.
Qin Jincheng was caught off guard. "I, I was just playing with him. I didn't know he would fall into the water."
Yu He sneered, "Is that so? Coincidentally, I was also playing with you just now."
Seeing them take advantage of Qin Xinyao's "foolishness" to bully him, and Qin Xinyao not reacting at all, she couldn't help but feel admiration and sadness for him.
How had he endured this all these years in the Qin family?
Hearing this, Qin Jincheng trembled all over.
Was that playing too?
That had nearly cost him his life!
Madam Huang seized on this point and immediately said, "Playing? What you did just now was playing? You clearly intended to harm the Qin family's offspring!"
"Harm the Qin family's offspring?" Yu He glanced at Qin Jincheng indifferently and said coldly, "He's an adopted son, so he counts as a Qin family offspring? Then can the prenatal medicine buried under the locust tree in his backyard be considered him harming his siblings? Such unfilial behavior?"
Harming siblings was a grave offense in the Qin family!
If this charge were levied, Qin Jincheng's good days in the Qin family would not only be over, but he would also go to jail!
Qin Jincheng instantly panicked. "I didn't bury that! I didn't do it! And that medicine can't be real!"
Yu He narrowed her peach blossom eyes. "How are you so sure that medicine is fake?"
"How do you know?!" Qin Xinhong also immediately asked.
She had received a message from Yu He earlier, asking her to intentionally spread the word that the medicine was real to lure out the culprit.
Only the two of them knew about this. She hadn't even told her mother or husband. How did Jincheng know?
Qin Jincheng: "Because..."
The real prenatal medicine had been flushed down the toilet by him and was probably already rotten in the sewer!
But as the words reached his lips, he choked. If he said it, wouldn't that prove he was the killer?!
"Because what? Why aren't you saying anything?" Yu He deliberately pressed.
Qin Jincheng saw everyone's eyes fixed on him and realized at that moment that he had been trapped by Yu He.
"Jincheng, what do you know?" Qin Xinhong, seeing his hesitation, knew he must know something, and it was hard to believe.
She asked herself, ever since she brought him back to the Qin family, she had treated him like her own son, yet he had been deceiving her!
Seeing Qin Xinhong's suspicion, Qin Jincheng became even more flustered.
"Godmother, I don't know! I really didn't bury it! If I had, I wouldn't have buried it in my own backyard, wouldn't that be like trying to hide something that's obvious?" he said, grabbing Qin Xinhong's hand. "Godmother, you have to believe me! Someone is trying to frame me!"
Qin Xinhong pulled her hand away and, suppressing her heartache, asked, "Did you do it?"
"No! I didn't! It wasn't me!" Qin Jincheng shook his head desperately, trying to grab Qin Xinhong's hand, but Qin Xinhong took a step back, her eyes full of doubt.
"Auntie, please speak up for me! I really didn't do it!" Qin Jincheng turned and grabbed Madam Huang's hand.
It was Madam Huang who had instigated him to switch Qin Xinhong's prenatal medicine. The two of them were in the same boat, and Madam Huang would surely help him.