As for what Madam Wu may have done, it should have nothing to do with me, Su Xiaoqi.
Other than meeting during the Empty Mountain incident and again briefly during the Lantern Festival escape, they had no other interactions.
Yet now Bai Yuzhu was pinning her death on me, which was preposterous!
Upon hearing Bai Yuzhu later mention that Madam Wu had committed suicide by swallowing gold, a wave of sadness washed over Su Xiaoqi.
She truly wasn't familiar with Madam Wu.
But they had met, after all.
It was a living soul, extinguished by her own hand.
Su Xiaoqi sighed.
She had a rough idea of the cause of Madam Wu's death.
It was likely a lingering consequence of the Empty Mountain affair.
After Bai Yuzhu finished speaking, Su Xiaoqi had a general understanding.
She vaguely recalled Zhang Yu mentioning before that there were suddenly many rumors circulating outside related to the Empty Mountain case.
There was a list.
It detailed all the women who had sought blessings from Empty Mountain.
Including Su Xiaoqi, Madam Wu, and many others.
But because Empty Mountain was dead.
Many who knew the truth had dealt with children of illegitimate origins.
However, the matter involved too many people.
Among them were many who had already become the mistresses of noble households.
The scope was too large; pulling one thread would unravel the whole tapestry. Hence, some people had exerted great effort to suppress the matter.
Moreover, many people had already moved on from the gossip.
After all, with the new emperor ascending the throne and envoys from foreign lands arriving in Liang, there was plenty of new gossip to consume.
How could anyone spend their days fixated on such old matters?
Therefore, those who were pragmatic had put the matter aside, not even wanting to bother with it.
Su Xiaoqi was one of them.
Shen Yun knew her situation well.
Thus, this list posed no hidden threat to her.
But there was an exception.
That was Madam Wu.
After the Empty Mountain incident, she had been filled with anxiety.
Her emotions had somewhat improved with Empty Mountain's death.
But later, such a detailed list emerged.
Her name was also on it.
She immediately felt that life was no longer worth living.
Her reputation and dignity were gone.
A perfectly fine person had become trapped in a spiral of negative thoughts, growing more depressed with each passing moment, and thus indulging in wild speculation.
She finally ended her own life.
These matters originally had little to do with Su Xiaoqi.
But it couldn't withstand the machinations of those with ulterior motives.
Just like this Bai Yuzhu.
She had the audacity to pin Madam Wu's death on her.
Su Xiaoqi would not let her have her way.
With her hands clasped behind her back, she looked at Bai Yuzhu and said leisurely,
"Are you finished, Madam Bai?"
Hearing Su Xiaoqi address her this way, Bai Yuzhu's heart sank.
She was reminding her that she had been divorced, her son sent to the estate, her life ruined!
Bai Yuzhu flew into a rage: "You, you are wicked and depraved, your sins are heavy and beyond recounting."
Su Xiaoqi surveyed the noble ladies and ladies following behind Bai Yuzhu.
These were the same people who had been fawning over the three of them not long ago.
Now, they had transformed into warriors, staring intently at her as if a single wrong word from her would see her nailed to the pillar of shame.
Su Xiaoqi did not wish to say more.
After all, Madam Wu was dead; the departed should be respected. No matter what she said regarding Madam Wu, she felt it would be disrespectful.
But with so many people watching, it was not just her reputation that was at stake.
She and Shen Yun were one body; any damage to her reputation would also be detrimental to Shen Yun.
Therefore, she had no choice but to defend herself.
She said, "As everyone knows, to harm someone, there must be a motive.
Whether for wealth, fame, profit, or power.
But I am not close to Madam Song. Why would I want to kill her?
What benefit would I gain from her death?
I have no reason to do something that brings me no advantage, unless I've lost my mind."
Her words left everyone stunned.
They had not expected Su Xiaoqi to be so composed, even calmly refuting the accusations, rather than panicking when faced with such a situation.
They were somewhat surprised, even astonished, and some were even expectant.
This was because, in many people's minds, when someone was branded with such a name, their first reaction would be fear, followed by a desperate plea of innocence.
But she had not pleaded.
Instead, she was reasoning with them.
Undeniably, Su Xiaoqi's words held much truth.
She had no conflict of interest with Madam Wu, making her death unlikely.
Bai Yuzhu retorted, "It's because of that list. You created that list, and Madam Song found out and exposed it, so you retaliated against her."
Su Xiaoqi replied, "Why would I bother creating such a list? Was I that bored?
This matter had already passed.
Why would I, having lost my mind, revisit old grievances and try to harm someone? And why would I include my own name on it?"
Bai Yuzhu's words were riddled with flaws and falsehoods, lacking any logic.
Su Xiaoqi thought that when Bai Yuzhu plotted to harm her, she probably hadn't anticipated Su Xiaoqi defending herself publicly.
Thus, she hadn't devised a plausible explanation for the obvious loopholes.
Consequently, her accusations couldn't withstand even the slightest scrutiny.
Su Xiaoqi sneered inwardly. Dealing with Bai Yuzhu was effortless for her.
Ever since the Spring Ya Pavilion incident during the Lantern Festival, she had people keeping a close watch on Bai Yuzhu's movements.
Su Xiaoqi was well aware of everything Bai Yuzhu had said, except for Madam Wu's death.
She even knew who the real culprit was behind Madam Wu's death.
Just as she was about to speak, she heard a soft, sweet voice:
"That's right, Sister Bai. Some things can be said as if they were jokes shared between sisters.
But some things should not be spoken of carelessly, otherwise, what difference would that make from the person who drove Madam Song to her death?"
Su Xiaoqi looked up and realized that it was Huang Yaying who had stepped forward to defend her.
Her entire focus had been on the Princess of Ning and her two daughters, and she hadn't noticed Huang Yaying. She hadn't expected her to attend the banquet.
"Exactly, exactly, Madam Bai. You can eat anything you want, but you can't say just anything, or it will cause trouble," added Xu Mei from the side.
Su Xiaoqi was slightly surprised.
But seeing her standing with Shen Mingzhu, she understood.
Perhaps it was her good relationship with Shen Mingzhu that led her to side with her.
This wasn't unexpected.
However, what happened next made Su Xiaoqi's eyes widen in disbelief.
Because Da Wu Shi stepped forward:
"That's right, my sister... her death has nothing to do with Madam Shen. It was... it was that she couldn't bear it herself..."
Da Wu Shi then revealed that Madam Wu had sought her out before her death and left her a letter.
Unfortunately, at the time, she hadn't thought much of it and hadn't managed to stop her.
"I didn't know then that my sister had such thoughts.
However, I can attest that she never mentioned Madam Shen.
On the other hand, Madam Bai, I often heard her mention you. I presume Madam Bai had a close relationship with my sister."
If the occasion were not inappropriate, Su Xiaoqi would have applauded her.
She had been wondering how to find an excuse to bring down Bai Yuzhu, who, despite her own despicable nature, was constantly stirring up trouble from behind the scenes, without drawing too much attention to herself.
At the very least, she wanted to ensure Bai Yuzhu would never dare to cause trouble so casually again.