Song Yuan shot a glare at Song Chaoyu, and the second concubine wailed even louder, "My poor Rou'er! She's about to be harmed to death! Master, you must seek justice for our Rou'er!"
Recalling Song Chaoyu's generous and innocent demeanor at noon, Song Yuan pulled the second concubine, "Stop crying. I'll ask you, how do you know that the third young lady was poisoned by something the fourth young lady sent?"
The second concubine wiped away her tears and stammered, "After Rou'er returned at noon, she knew she had done wrong and stayed in her room to copy scriptures obediently. She didn't even go to eat dinner. I thought she must be hungry and went to ask her what she wanted to eat. She said she remembered that the fourth young lady sent a box of plum cakes when she entered the manor. She wanted to eat those plum cakes. If they were delicious, she would go to the fourth young lady's place tomorrow to praise her craftsmanship, as a gesture of sisterly reconciliation."
As she spoke, her crying intensified. The first madam stepped forward and continued from the second concubine, "Not long after the third young lady ate them, she suffered from severe abdominal pain. We called a doctor, and the doctor said she had eaten something poisonous. I thought that the third young lady hadn't eaten anything else since noon, so it could only be the plum cakes' fault."
To solidify the accusation, she added, "I specifically asked the kitchen today and the small kitchen in Tingfengyuan. Indeed, nothing was sent to Tingfengyuan. This is enough to prove that the third young lady only ate those plum cakes all afternoon."
In the previous life, because of this matter, Song Yuan, instigated by the first madam, was going to send her back to the estate.
Later, it was the pregnant Concubine Liu who pleaded bitterly, and Song Yuan relented, punishing Song Chaoyu by making her kneel in the ancestral hall for ten full days! Furthermore, she was only given the worst food, causing her to fall seriously ill after leaving the ancestral hall.
At this moment, Song Yuan looked at Song Chaoyu with deep eyes, as if he had already decided it was her.
However, with so many people present, he did not lose his temper with Song Chaoyu immediately. He merely said coldly, "Come in with me!"
Upon entering the main hall of Tingfengyuan, Song Yanrou's cries grew louder: "Father! Concubine, save me! Rou'er is in unbearable pain! Is fourth sister trying to kill Rou'er?"
At the same time, Granny Zhao, who was serving Song Yanrou, walked out from the inner room.
She frowned, as if the matter were very serious, and said to Song Yuan, "The third young lady has been poisoned by Caojie poison. This poison is not fatal, but it will cause the person who consumes it to suffer from severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. It appears that a considerable amount of the poison was administered. I recognize Caojie poison; this kind of low-class substance is not common in our city, but it is abundant in the villages and estates below!"
"Bang—"
Upon hearing this, Song Yuan slammed his hand heavily onto the nearby table.
Then he pointed at Song Chaoyu, "Caojie poison, a vulgar substance that only people from the estates below can obtain! Do you hate your third sister so much that you must take her life?"
He dismissed the irrelevant maids and servants, his eyes filled with rage.
The first madam seized the opportunity to approach Song Chaoyu and said sternly, "At such a young age, you have learned nothing good. As soon as you entered the manor, you fought with your sister and implicated the second young lady, and today you dare to poison your sister? What are your intentions?!"
She turned and said to Song Yuan impatiently, "Master, our Song family has always had a clean family reputation. How can we tolerate such a vicious person to ruin our family's reputation? Why not send her back to the estate and suppress this matter, so as to avoid people making jokes about our Song family if it gets out?"
"Hmm."
Song Yuan actually nodded.
Song Chaoyu's eyes grew cold, but she still straightened her back, "Father, can you give your daughter a chance to speak?"
"What else do you have to say?"
The first madam stepped forward and rebuked Song Chaoyu, "It's all sophistry!"
However, Song Yanjiao, standing beside her, tugged at her sleeve and shook her head, signaling her not to be so hasty.
Song Chaoyu gave a bitter smile and looked at Song Yuan mournfully, "Father, for years, my concubine and I have depended on each other on the estate. Although I haven't received the teachings of the Song family, I still know principles and rules. I would never do something like harming my own family. Even if you want to send me back to the estate, you should at least give me a chance to defend myself, right?"
She deliberately mentioned their lonely years with Concubine Liu Shi. As expected, a flicker of softening appeared in Song Yuan's eyes.
The second concubine stepped forward and roared angrily at Song Chaoyu, "What else do you have to explain?! Besides you and your mother, who else could bring that Caojie poison to the Song family?"
Song Chaoyu raised her eyes, her gaze becoming more pitiful, "But why would I poison my third sister?"
The second concubine cried and looked at Song Yuan, "Master, pity our Rou'er, she has such a bitter fate!"
The first madam could not help but say, "That is naturally because you had a dispute with the third young lady at noon. You were resentful in your heart, and that's why you wanted to poison her!"
In the previous life, how could she not have realized that the first madam was so foolish?
Even Song Yanjiao sensed something was amiss and tugged at the first madam's sleeve again.
Song Yanjiao wanted to explain for the first madam, but Song Chaoyu spoke to Song Yuan one step ahead of her, "Mother's words are unreasonable! After my concubine and I entered the manor, we presented gifts to all the households. At that time, I had not yet clashed with third sister! Moreover—"
"Fourth sister, my mother didn't mean it that way."
Before Song Chaoyu could finish speaking, she was interrupted by Song Yanjiao.
She stepped forward, facing Song Yuan's suspicious gaze, and explained for the first madam, "Father, I'm afraid you don't know, but third sister told me. She said that before fourth sister entered the manor, the second concubine gave fourth sister a set of brocade clothes. Fourth sister did not accept them. Third sister always felt that perhaps she had offended fourth sister somewhere when she went to the estate before, causing fourth sister to hold a grudge. This is what led to today's disaster!"
They had always been in cahoots like this.
Song Yuan glared at Song Chaoyu again, "What else do you have to say?!"
Song Chaoyu looked at Granny Zhao, "Granny, can you be sure that third sister was poisoned by Caojie poison? Should we wait for the doctor to come before making a conclusion?"
"I can be sure!"
The old woman patted her chest and guaranteed, "I also came from the estate. My son was mischievous when he was young and ate something he shouldn't have, and he was poisoned by this. The third young lady's symptoms are exactly the same as my son's back then, there's no mistake!"
Song Chaoyu nodded and continued to question, "Is it possible that this Caojie poison was not ingested orally?"
"Impossible!"
The old woman replied without thinking, certain, "Caojie poison can only cause poisoning if it is eaten. Even if your hands or feet touch it, it can be washed off!"
Song Chaoyu understood inwardly, but she looked at Song Yuan with a calm gaze, "Father, why don't we wait for the doctor to come and make a conclusion? Perhaps, third sister is not poisoned?"
"You still want to use this as an excuse, are you treating everyone in the Song mansion as an idiot?!"
The second concubine lunged forward, about to grab Song Chaoyu's clothes, "How can there be such a vicious person in this world?"