The three stood beneath a verdant ancient tree. A short distance away, on the roadside, several stone lanterns were set up. By the time the firelight reached them, it had been dimmed considerably, obscuring their expressions, making them appear hazy and indistinct.
Tang Zhirou waited for a moment, but no one spoke. She pointed at the person in front of her and said, “You speak!”
Gu Fengjian chuckled, “Little County Princess, you called me out, but you want me to speak first? What should I say?”
Tang Zhirou was taken aback and turned to Song Shiwen. by carpreads.pages.dev
Song Shiwen said, “Third Sister, what happened before was all a misunderstanding. Your elder sister wants to apologize to you in person and explain everything clearly. I hope you won’t hold it against me.”
Gu Fengjian’s voice was devoid of any emotion, yet it carried an undercurrent of sarcasm. He said, “We are sisters, there are countless opportunities to explain. It’s remarkable that you could endure for so many days and wait until now.”
Song Shiwen swayed slightly, her eyes filled with helplessness as she looked to Tang Zhirou for help.
Tang Zhirou was furious, “Do you think that by apologizing, she’s absolved herself of all blame? The capital has been in turmoil these past few days. Shiwen was confined to the house, unable to even find a chance to go out. Not to mention the streets were filled with hurtful and vulgar words, making it impossible for her to find you and explain. Don’t tell me you don’t know about all this?”
Gu Fengjian asked, “What should I know?”
Tang Zhirou confronted him, “Don’t play dumb! Those outrageous rumors, do you dare say you have nothing to do with them? You actually staged such a scene in broad daylight, showing no regard for anyone’s feelings. Don’t forget, you also bear the Song surname! In the end, you only hurt General Song’s heart. Do you feel no guilt for doing such a thing?”
“Rumors? Oh.” Gu Fengjian chuckled softly, “When the capital was abuzz with rumors about Third Miss Song, I didn’t see the little County Princess come out and say anything about bearing the Song surname.”
“I don’t even know who spread them, whether they are true or false. What would I say?” Tang Zhirou quickly retorted, “Don’t try to deceive me. I’ve investigated, the person the Imperial Insignia Guards caught earlier was not a servant of the Song Mansion. Without evidence, don’t falsely accuse our Second Sister!”
“So, rumors can be spread about me, but not about her?” Gu Fengjian said, “If that’s the case, little County Princess, you should go find those gossiping people in the capital and give them a good lesson, teach them to be obedient. Don’t come here to argue with me. After all, the people of the capital don’t listen to me either.”
“You’re just making excuses!” Tang Zhirou was exasperated, then quickly realized, “No, I’m not here to argue about the rumors.”
“You’re using the word ‘rumors’ incorrectly.” Gu Fengjian glanced at Song Shiwen and sneered, “Did she really tell you that it was all my doing? That everything everyone saw was fake, that the Song family didn’t mistreat me, and that they didn’t use those broken pieces of wood to make furniture for the side courtyard? Ask her again, if she has the guts, to say it clearly, don’t come up with other excuses later.”
Song Shiwen’s face turned pale, and she said in a mournful tone, “Third Sister, you have a great misunderstanding about our Song family. Grandmother has been seriously ill because of this, and she even mentioned your name in her delirium. If you’ve calmed down, go back and see her.”
Tang Zhirou frowned upon hearing this, “How could Old Madam Song possibly treat her own granddaughter so unfairly? You just keep pushing her, and that makes it right?”
Gu Fengjian said, “According to you, General Fu is also a master of acting, playing along with me in that scene. If you have doubts, why don’t you go ask General Fu first?”
Tang Zhirou waved her hand dismissively, indicating she didn’t want to believe him, “Don’t try to use General Fu to pressure me! General Fu is only being kind to you because of the favor owed to the He family, otherwise, how could he be so unfair!”
“How is it unfair?” Gu Fengjian paused, then said with a deep meaning, “I’m curious, what exactly did Song Shiwen tell you in private? If she truly feels so wronged, why doesn’t the Song family speak out publicly?”
Tang Zhirou said, “If you are truly innocent, why are you afraid of her speaking? The Song family is remembering old times, so they give you some face. Unlike you, who constantly stirs up trouble between General Fu and the Song family. The two families used to have a close relationship, but now that the Song Mansion is in trouble, even a small favor, General Fu repeatedly refuses.”
Gu Fengjian seemed to understand, “If the Song family can’t even handle a small matter themselves, aren’t they just useless? If it was me, I wouldn’t want to bother myself anymore.”
Tang Zhirou was stunned.
Song Shiwen’s voice was shrill, “Third Sister! How can you say such a thing?”
Gu Fengjian didn’t care, “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, don’t. So tell me, isn’t that right? Is the trouble the Song family is facing now caused by General Fu? If not, then it should be handled by them. If they can’t solve it, instead of admitting their incompetence, they blame others for not helping. What kind of logic is that? They receive the emperor’s salary, they should be loyal to the emperor. The court fears most those who hold positions but do nothing, those who are merely filling a seat. Little County Princess, why don’t you explain clearly where we went wrong? Just tell me one thing, and I will go to the emperor to plead guilty, and personally denounce General Fu. What do you say?”
Tang Zhirou was confused by his words.
She treated Song Shiwen like a close sister, so she didn’t think deeply about what she said. After listening casually, she felt there was no fault, and it seemed reasonable, so she naturally believed it.
Now, following Gu Fengjian’s line of reasoning, she realized that the differences in their positions were too great, and the situation was not as simple as she thought.
Fu Changjun would never secretly suppress the Song family. He was always just and strict, and he wouldn’t use such despicable methods. Third Miss Song in front of her also seemed to have a clear conscience, not like she was forcing herself to lie.
Then who was it?
Tang Zhirou’s heart was already wavering.
Once she began to doubt something, all the inconsistencies she had previously ignored surfaced one by one, leading her to harbor another unsettling suspicion.
But Gu Fengjian’s gaze pierced her with such discomfort that she couldn’t focus her thoughts. Tang Zhirou’s pride flared up again, refusing to be humiliated in front of him. So she temporarily put aside her doubts and continued to press on, saying stubbornly, “Everyone has their own private affairs. I’m telling you about just private affairs, don’t bring up those big matters to pressure me.”
Gu Fengjian sneered, “The He family is mindful of Madam Song and my mother’s relationship, so they have shown much favor to the Song family. They have helped for over a decade, and it seems they have helped too much. Now that they are unwilling to help, it’s considered wrong. Little County Princess, in the future, you must never do good deeds, because there are too many ungrateful people in this world. They would rather devour your flesh and blood, seize your belongings as their own. I hope you can listen more and observe more. I absolutely despise fools.”
Song Shiwen said, “Third Sister, can you calm down? I haven’t said anything bad about General Fu to Qingping County Princess. I’m also deeply sorry for what happened to the Song family. Second Sister just wants to apologize to you…”
Gu Fengjian didn’t pay any attention to them. Before she could finish, he turned and tried to leave.
Tang Zhirou was eager to get some clarification and instinctively reached out to stop him. Their positions were awkward, so Tang Zhirou had to step sideways and grabbed Gu Fengjian’s arm.
Unexpectedly, Gu Fengjian’s reaction was too intense. As soon as he was grabbed from behind, he immediately and instinctively flung his arm away, as if he had encountered something he utterly detested.
Song Chuzhao’s body possessed extraordinary strength. Gu Fengjian’s impulsive fling, fueled by his reaction, lacked control. By the time he tried to stop halfway, it was too late.
Tang Zhirou was lucky, her position happened to avoid the blow. Song Shiwen wasn’t so fortunate, she was struck directly in the face.
A crisp sound of a slap echoed through the night on the small road.
Tang Zhirou froze, Second Miss Song froze, even Gu Fengjian’s figure stiffened. The three of them stood rooted in place for a while, unable to move.
The “slap” sound, though already dissipated, its silent echo continued to reverberate in their minds.
Then Song Shiwen, covering her face, let out a whimper of grievance, pulling Tang Zhirou out of her daze.
Tang Zhirou exclaimed in astonishment, “Third Miss Song, that’s going too far! You weren’t trying to hit me, were you?”
Gu Fengjian pursed his lips, remaining silent.
This was the first time he had hit a woman, or rather, the first time he had hit anyone. He was a little unaccustomed to it.
Tang Zhirou took his silence as confirmation and said with a hurt tone, “N-no, it couldn’t be. We can just talk it out… How could you just resort to violence?”
Gu Fengjian felt there was really nothing more to say. He turned his head coldly and continued to leave.
Tang Zhirou reached out again to grab him, but this time her movements were more cautious, “Hey…”
“Let go!”
The loud male voice that suddenly came from the darkness made all three of them tremble.
Song Chuzhao, her face dark, rushed over, pulled Tang Zhirou’s hand away, and threw it aside unceremoniously, her voice gloomy, “What are you trying to do?”
Tang Zhirou was startled by her, stammered for a moment before saying, “I wasn’t doing anything. I just wanted to call her back.”
“Since he wants to leave, what are you calling him back for?” Song Chuzhao pressed, “Who was it that got hit? I heard it!”
She observed Gu Fengjian’s face for a while. She could tell he was in a bad mood, but she couldn’t tell if he was injured.
Song Chuzhao fumed, “You dare hit him?”
“Who hit her!” Tang Zhirou said, “The one who got hit is crying right now, you didn’t see?”
Song Shiwen immediately cried even more pitifully. Her emotions were genuine.
Song Chuzhao felt relieved when she saw that it was Song Shiwen who had been hit.
She had said it, one punch for each little kid, absolutely no issue.
The paths in the garden were winding and intricate. When she got up to chase after him, she couldn’t keep up. She circled the ring-shaped corridor several times before finding him. Upon arriving, she saw this scene and couldn’t help but feel anxious and confused.
However, she hadn’t expected Gu Fengjian to actually hit someone.
Look at what Song Shiwen has done! She’s driven him to this!
Gu Fengjian was suffering from a headache. He urged, “Let’s go.”
“Fifth Son Gu!” Tang Zhirou had calmed down from her shock. She called out, “She hit someone and didn’t even apologize. How can you just walk away without saying anything?”
Song Chuzhao could only stop and ask, “Then tell me, why did he hit someone?”
Gu Fengjian replied calmly, “It was an accident. I lost control.”
Tang Zhirou pointed at Gu Fengjian, her anger bubbling over. “You hear that? She won’t even give a decent excuse. She did it on purpose! She wanted to hit me, but Second Miss Song took the brunt of it!”
Song Chuzhao hesitated and said, “What if he wasn’t being deliberate? Sometimes the truth can be absurd.”
Tang Zhirou was already on the verge of losing her composure. Seeing her beloved standing up for another woman in front of her, her emotions erupted like a raging torrent.
“Fifth Son Gu!” Tang Zhirou stammered, “What do you see in her? I heard that Third Miss Song is rude, disrespectful, and quick to resort to violence, but I didn’t believe it. Now I see it’s true! She hits people without a word and then gives such a flimsy excuse, not even bothering to cover it up. Fifth Son Gu, are you bewitched by her or have you lost your mind? Are you crazy?”
The frost on Song Chuzhao’s face grew thicker with each word, threatening to freeze into a thick layer of ice.
Tang Zhirou glanced at Gu Fengjian from the side of Song Chuzhao’s shoulder. She saw him with a slight curl of his lips, a strange smile that sent a jolt of anger through her. She cried out, “Look! She’s still smirking at me!”
Song Chuzhao turned her head to look as well. Gu Fengjian tilted his head in confusion and shook his head at her helplessly.
Song Chuzhao couldn’t help but emphasize her words, saying, “Little County Princess, you have a prejudice against him. Even when you see him smile, you think he’s smirking. What else can he do?”
Tang Zhirou, chastised by her, felt her eyes welling up with tears. She said, “What do I want to do? I just want to uphold justice!”
Song Chuzhao said, “I know what you want to say. You claim to uphold justice, but your stance is biased. Even if Third Miss Song admits it, I won’t. You can tell this to others and see who agrees with you and who agrees with me!”
Tang Zhirou said, “You don’t even know what we were talking about! Fifth Son Gu, you’ve become unreasonable!”
“It’s just a small matter,” Song Chuzhao said. “It’s about how Third Miss falsely accused Second Miss, tarnishing the Song family’s reputation, right? Or perhaps she angered Old Madam Song and was disrespectful. Is there anything else?”
Tang Zhirou was surprised. She hadn’t expected the other person to know everything. For a moment, her desire to complain vanished.
Gu Fengjian added a few more words, nothing unexpected to Song Chuzhao, but enough to make her furious.
Song Chuzhao chuckled coldly, “I’m truly curious. What kind of power does Third Miss Song possess? She’s only been back in the capital for a month, and she spends most of her time at home, not wanting to cause trouble. How can she be burdened with so many bad reputations? Even other people’s affairs are blamed on her!”
Tang Zhirou was speechless. “I…”
Song Chuzhao said, “I don’t know where you heard these rumors. You only listened to one person’s words and decided everyone else is wrong. I suppose no one in the world is as clever as you, able to judge right and wrong without any need for discernment.”
Those words were harsh, and Tang Zhirou’s tears finally spilled over.
Although Gu Fengjian was usually cold and distant, he had never lost his temper or become angry in public, let alone as sternly as he was now.
Tang Zhirou was a little flustered.
Song Chuzhao said, “I can also tell you that Third Miss Song has been practicing martial arts since she was young. If she really wanted to do something to someone, she could knock them unconscious with a single slap. Why would she need to resort to underhanded tricks? As you said, she has General Fu and Master He backing her up. She doesn’t care about the Song family. If she wanted to, she could just hit someone and cause chaos in the Song Mansion. Why would she need to move into the He Mansion? Such contradictory evidence, don’t you find anything amiss?”
Tang Zhirou wiped away her tears, feeling deeply wronged. “I’m not involved in the situation. How would I know all that?”
Song Chuzhao said, “Since you know you’re not involved, then you shouldn’t interfere. You know only half the story, yet you claim to uphold justice. What will others think? If they truly believe you, what does your behavior say about you? What’s the difference between you and those gossiping fools who spread rumors?”
Tang Zhirou did not know how to retort.
Song Chuzhao picked up the conversation, “Oh, no. You are a County Princess. Your words are much more powerful than theirs, naturally people will believe you.”
Tang Zhirou hurriedly said, “It’s not as serious as you say!”
Song Chuzhao said, “I only said a few words to you, and you’re already crying in distress. How many people have said things to Third Girl Song, and for how long? Yet you say it’s not serious. He is now standing before you calmly and speaking to you, but according to your logic, if he were to cry, his tears would fill the entire pond in front of us!”
Tang Zhirou sobbed, unable to speak, “Why are you so harsh to me? You could have asked me if I knew I was wrong first, then you could have scolded me!”
Song Chuzhao said, “You pushed him!”
Tang Zhirou was eager to defend herself, “I didn’t mean to push her!”
Song Chuzhao said, “Then you should know now what it feels like to be wrongly accused without any basis.”
Tang Zhirou covered her face with her arm and said, “…It’s not the same at all!”
Others could say whatever they wanted about her, she could ignore it, but if Fifth Son Gu said a single bad word, she couldn’t help but take it to heart.
She would never like Fifth Son Gu again. How could this man be so terrifying when he was angry?
Song Chuzhao wasn’t intentionally targeting Tang Zhirou.
In the military camp, right and wrong must be clear, punishment must be in place, and “forget about it” or “face” were the most taboo things. Once military regulations are relaxed, it was difficult to enforce them again. This was especially true when dealing with rumors and gossip. Even she had been punished many times.
Song Chuzhao had no way to deal with Song Shiwen, who didn’t come out in the open but liked to play petty tricks. But when the little County Princess argued with her, she couldn’t help but argue back and make things clear.
After the argument, Song Chuzhao felt it was pointless. Two beautiful young girls, one crying more miserably than the other…
Oh, Song Shiwen was crying alone, because two people didn’t know how to be gentle and compassionate, and Tang Zhirou had already forgotten about her.
If someone saw this scene, what would they think?
Song Chuzhao softened her tone and said, “Alright, stop crying.”
The two girls ignored her.
Just then, a burst of music came from afar, the sound of the gong was particularly loud. Gu Fengjian said, “The banquet must be starting.”
Song Chuzhao said helplessly, “How can we go now? I’ll find someone to send you two home, it’s not good to be seen by others.”
Tang Zhirou quickly stopped crying, listened for a while, and said, “This music… it doesn’t sound like the music the Ministry of Rites originally prepared.”
An Imperial Insignia Guard appeared silently, it was unclear whether he had just arrived or had been eavesdropping for a while. He hid in the shadows and reminded them, “Gentleman and ladies, His Majesty has arrived, please go to the banquet hall quickly.”
Song Chuzhao: “…”