Chapter 65: The Trouble-Making Pest
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Chapter 65: The Trouble-Making Pest
Yao Yi looked at the girl stepping forward and couldn't help but feel quite surprised: "Ran'er?"
The second younger brother's family had a pair of daughters who were more expressive in their emotions. It was understandable for them to step up and testify, as they seemed to have some relationship with the Chang family. However, his daughter Yao Ran had always been overly obedient, with the etiquette taught by Pei Shi ingrained in her bones. Why would she come forward now?
Was it because she was just saved by the lady of the Chang family?
As Yao Yi pondered, Pei Shi’s cold gaze had already turned towards her daughter.
Yao Ran took a silent, deep breath, not looking at her mother but instead at Yao Yi and Cui Jing.
When Cui Jing looked over with a questioning expression, Yao Yi came to his senses, bowed to the Emperor, and explained, "Your Majesty, this is my daughter Yao Ran."
The holy Emperor gave a slight nod, showing no intention of intervening in the case just yet.
Cui Jing asked, "Miss Yao, you just said you recognized this person?"
"Yes." Yao Ran nodded nervously, trying to make her voice sound clear enough. "I have seen this person with my own eyes at my mother's bridal residence in Changxin Lane!"
Suddenly, the surroundings fell silent.
Everyone looked towards Pei Shi.
Worried that her statement might not be clear enough, Yao Ran gathered her courage and pointed at the burly man, firmly stating, "He is my mother's man! He has secretly worked for my mother for many years!"
The atmosphere shifted from quiet to chaotic.
"Yao Ran... do you know what you are saying?" Pei Shi's face turned pale with rage, looking at her usually gentle daughter in disbelief. "Have you lost your mind?"
"The one who is mad is my mother." Yao Ran looked at her with tears in her eyes, her fingers digging into her palms. "This is the second time my mother has attempted to harm the young lady of the Chang family!"
At these words, gasps of astonishment filled the air.
No one had anticipated such a sudden twist. Wasn’t this supposed to be about disrupting the blessing ceremony? How did it suddenly turn into Yao Ran accusing her own mother, Pei Shi, of plotting to murder the lady of the Chang family? And it was the second time?!
There were too many shocking points, leaving everyone momentarily unable to respond.
Yao Gui was completely stunned.
He had only come forward to testify with his sister, yet suddenly it had escalated to his aunt's involvement... had he inadvertently testified against his own family?!
This was too bizarre!
In the midst of shock and confusion, he tried to communicate with his sister through eye contact, but Yao Xia looked dazed, seemingly unable to engage in any communication.
Chang Suining was also somewhat surprised.
However, her surprise was not due to the truth Yao Ran had just revealed—she recognized the burly man as the one who had killed Zhou Ding that night. She had seen his portrait before, but the words of a swordsman couldn't be used as evidence.
She knew the truth.
What surprised her was that Yao Ran would stand up and personally expose her mother, Pei Shi.
From her expression, this was likely a devastating revelation for Pei Shi, who probably hadn't anticipated such a turn of events—
And in the world, many things have causes and effects.
Ignoring the rage boiling in Pei Shi's eyes, Yao Ran's voice continued—
"I heard everything from the conversation between my mother and Aunt Ye! On the night of the Lantern Festival, my mother already attempted to hire someone to kill, but the lady of the Chang family narrowly escaped!"
"Once failing, I thought my mother, if only out of caution, would not act recklessly again. But who would have thought that she would set up this plot to kill the lady of the Chang family once more!"
As she spoke, tears uncontrollably spilled from Yao Ran's eyes.
She felt heartbroken, angry, and guilty.
She blamed herself for having harbored a sliver of hope, thinking she had been keeping an eye on her mother the day before, when she was simply deceiving herself!
She should have known that her mother would never turn back!
She should have stood up—she should have done so the moment she learned that her mother had murderous intent against an innocent person!
It was her soft-heartedness, selfishness, cowardice, and incompetence that made her an accomplice to her mother!
Her mother could not go wrong any longer, and neither could she!
Pei Shi nearly gritted her teeth in anger: "I don't know her at all! Why would I want to kill her? This is sheer nonsense! I see you are truly insane!"
As she spoke, she scolded the servant beside her: "Mad words and mad thoughts, utterly disgraceful... hurry and take her away from here!"
The servant had already turned pale and, hearing this, stepped forward to take Yao Ran away.
"Clang—"
A sword was half-drawn from its sheath, with Cui Jing holding it horizontally in front of Yao Ran.
His eyes were cold and indifferent, filled with a sense of intimidation like the gleam of the sword in his hand. The servant was startled and instinctively took two steps back.
"You all simply..." Pei Shi was furious, about to say more, when Yao Ran's unwavering voice interrupted—
"Mother and the lady of the Chang family were indeed not acquainted at first! All of my mother’s evil deeds stem from her own suspicions—believing that the lady of the Chang family is my father's illegitimate daughter!"
Yao Ran left no room for ambiguity: "My mother didn't want to see my father bring this person back home, and for that reason, she decided to kill!"
Yao Yi's gaze sharpened.
A gasp arose from the crowd.
What?!
Yao Yi... had an illegitimate daughter?!
Such hidden truths still exist!
Chang Sui'an clenched his fists... It really is because of this!
Yao Xia's dazed expression finally showed a hint of change. She stared blankly at Chang Suining and her uncle, opening her mouth as if about to say, "Is it true?"
Though it might be inappropriate...
This is really important to her!
Yao Xia, inexplicably excited, gripped her brother’s arm tightly, causing the boy to wince in pain.
The most taboo secret was ultimately revealed to the public. Pei Shi was furious to the extreme, but her expression became calm. She looked at Yao Ran and asked each word deliberately, “Do you know what a crime it is to falsely accuse your own mother?”
Did this fool understand that today’s actions would destroy her reputation and prospects for marriage?
“The daughter bears great filial piety, but it is not false accusation.” For the first time, Yao Ran met her mother’s cold gaze without flinching, her voice hoarse yet more determined than ever: “The daughter has made mistakes and is willing to accept the consequences... but Mother must not make another mistake!”
She should have realized by now that her mother had been consumed by a dark heart, becoming a wicked ghost!
This wicked ghost must constantly feast on the blood and flesh of innocent people. There had once been a concubine in the residence, and today there was Chang’s wife. In the future, there would be others... If no one intervened, her mother would never stop!
“How could I have given birth to such a madwoman!” Noticing the strange looks from those around, Pei Shi could no longer maintain her calm facade. She raised her hand toward Yao Ran.
Yao Yi quickly pulled his daughter behind him.
Pei Shi missed her target, her resentful eyes fixed on Yao Yi.
Yao Yi stared back at her, his voice serious: “Is what Ran'er said true?”
Pei Shi suddenly let out a strange laugh upon meeting his gaze.
“Isn’t your question a bit redundant?” She looked at Yao Ran, Yao Xia, and Yao Gui with reddened eyes: “You Yao family truly act insidiously, colluding to frame me like this!”
“Yao Yi, you have put in so much effort to design all this, just to get rid of me and bring back the lowly child born to you and your beloved!”
“I have never done such a thing, and I will never admit it... You will not succeed!”
As she spoke, she looked at Yao Ran: “You foolish girl, do you really think that by following your father’s words and colluding with others to slander your own mother... you will have a good life in the future? Once he brings that lowly child back, there will be no place for you in the residence!”
Seeing her in such a mad state, Yao Yi’s expression darkened: “Pei Shi, at this point, you still want to bite back at others—”
Pei Shi sneered: “Without any evidence, you may be the Minister of Justice, but you cannot arbitrarily frame me!”
As she spoke, her gaze shifted, landing on Chang Suining.
“Today’s events, you are not clean either...” She seemed to sense something and suddenly forced out a sarcastic smile: “Do you really think that just because of this absurd farce, you can slander me?”
This little wretch had clearly been on guard!
But so what?
As long as she adamantly denied it, Pei Shi would handle this matter... She was Pei Shi's daughter, and her father would never allow anyone to trample on her dignity and reputation!
As long as her father intervened, even if the saint had suspicions, he would not dare to ruin her father's reputation for the sake of these lowly people!
She looked down at the girl, her eyes carrying a hint of sickly pleasure: “You must know that I, the legitimate eldest daughter of the Pei family, am not someone you can casually slander and insult!”
Her self-proclaimed lofty status gave her the confidence to look down on everything.
However, the girl did not show the fear, retreat, or helpless anger that she had expected—
The girl merely looked at her quietly and then asked softly, “Is the surname Pei really that impressive?”
Pei Shi frowned slightly, looking at the girl in amusement—what a foolish question!
Having the surname Pei meant being born superior!
“The Pei family is a bit impressive.” Chang Suining took a step closer, calmly saying: “That is because the ancestors of the Pei family produced capable individuals, built a foundation, and maintained it, but this impressiveness belongs to them, not to you—”
As she spoke, the girl narrowed her bright black eyes, revealing a disdain and contempt that Pei Shi had never seen before—
“On the contrary, you have nothing impressive about you; you are merely a parasite that stirs up trouble and implicates your clan, even causing a disaster without the ability to clean up after yourself.”
Pei Shi was enraged: “You’re outrageous!”
“You wild child of unknown origins, what right do you have to speak to me like this!” She was so furious that she raised her hand to strike the girl’s glaring face, but her wrist was suddenly gripped tightly.
“You madwoman still wants to hurt my sister!” Chang Sui'an forcefully shook off the hand that made him feel disgusted.
Pei Shi was frail and was pushed back by the strong youth, nearly falling, and had to be supported by a maid to barely stand firm.
“...This is simply outrageous!” An unprecedented sense of humiliation overwhelmed her, and her gaze searched the crowd for familiar faces, angrily asking: “Pei Xiu, are you just going to stand there and watch others humiliate your sister like this?”
Pei Xiu was Pei Min’s son, her own younger brother, and was also present.
Where is he?!
Unable to see her brother who could support her, Pei Shi was filled with extreme anger.
Where had Pei Xiu gone?
Why hadn’t he stepped up to help her sooner and let her fall to this point of being mocked by others!
Her face was also the face of the entire Pei family!
Seeing her anxious and furious expression, Chang Suining’s gaze began to search as well.
Pei Xiu and his wife...
She seemed to have seen the couple hurriedly called outside by a servant for a discussion.
And the holy Emperor on the altar had also noticed the departure of Pei Xiu and his wife.
It seems today was truly a coincidence.
Chang Suining shifted her gaze to Wei Shuyi, who was walking down from the altar—
A palace servant quickly approached him, holding a long box, and handed it to Wei Shuyi.
As if sensing her gaze, Wei Shuyi looked over and smiled at her knowingly.
“Pei Xiu!” Following another angry shout from Pei Shi, there was finally a response.
“Does sister still think this isn’t embarrassing enough?”
Pei Xiu appeared in front of everyone, his footsteps heavy, his eyes red and filled with despair: “If today’s matter is truly caused by sister, then please admit your guilt decisively! Don’t drag the clan down any further!”
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Pei Shi looked at him in disbelief: “Are you also mad?”
Pei Xiu closed his eyes, saying nothing more.
After a moment, he lifted his robe and knelt in the direction of the sacred book.
His wife, behind him, turned pale and also trembled as she knelt down silently.
Pei Shi’s expression turned into a frown of anger.
What are they doing?
Admitting guilt for her!
Just as she was about to scold, she suddenly heard a young man's voice.
“Your Majesty, it is reported that Minister of Rites Pei Min accepted bribes, manipulated the imperial examination, colluded with former Prefect magistrate of Hezhou Prefect Magistrate Zhao to forge and sell military weapons, and assassinate the imperial envoy. Last night, he confessed to all charges, and he hanged himself in his cell—this is the confession submitted by the Ministry of Punishments, please examine it, Your Majesty.”
Wei Shuyi’s voice was clear and powerful. As soon as it echoed in the silent surroundings, it caused a huge uproar.
Pei Shi’s family head, Pei Min?!
Admitting guilt?
He hanged himself!
In just two days since leaving for Dayun Temple, how could such a huge change have occurred in the city?
Previously, there hadn’t even been a hint of this!
But the case of Prefect Magistrate Zhao had indeed been under investigation for some time...
And Pei Min had recently claimed to be ill at home—
People gradually realized the gravity of the situation.
Looking up at the holy Emperor on the altar, some in the same camp as Pei Shi felt an overwhelming chill.
Choosing to reveal this during the blessing ceremony, while everyone was out of the city, ordering the Ministry of Punishments rather than the Ministry of Justice to secretly investigate the case...
Now that Pei Min had confessed and “hanged” himself in prison, leaving only a confession letter... there was no longer any chance for anyone to save the Pei family.
As soon as the holy Emperor ordered Wei Shuyi to secretly go to Hezhou to find evidence against Prefect Magistrate Zhao... everything had already been arranged.
“Father has already repented for his mistakes; I hope Your Majesty will show mercy... and spare the members of the Pei family!” Pei Xiu pressed his forehead heavily to the ground.
Now that the situation had turned, and the outcome was already irreversible, there was no need for him to hide the truth anymore.
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