"What did you mean by saying someone stole something just now?" Pei Zhiyan fixed his gaze on Song Wanying's face and asked calmly.
Song Wanying's heart immediately leaped with joy. Now that Song Ruotang simply couldn't produce any evidence to prove that the jade bracelet was hers, Pei Zhiyan surely wouldn't side with her.
"Uncle, my younger sister stole the white jade bracelet that my parents gave me. I saw it with my own eyes today, but she still refuses to admit it." Song Wanying glanced at Song Ruotang and said proudly.
Pei Zhiyan looked cold and aloof, narrowing his eyes slightly. "The white jade bracelet?"
"Yes, this is the jade bracelet. It was a gift from my parents." Song Wanying said forcefully, holding the bracelet in front of Pei Zhiyan. Pei Zhiyan glanced at it and said firmly, "Nonsense!"
Song Wanying was startled by Pei Zhiyan's sudden outburst of anger and trembled. Her legs even went weak. She looked at Song Zhen for help.
Song Zhen quickly stepped forward and said with a smile, "My lord Pei, what my daughter said is true."
"You mean this jade bracelet was really given to her by you?" Pei Zhiyan looked at Song Zhen. His tone was imposing but also carried a hint of playfulness.
Song Zhen gritted his teeth. After all, there were thousands of white jade bracelets in the world. Even if Song Ruotang claimed it was hers, as long as they insisted it was a gift for Song Wanying, she couldn't do anything about it.
"That's right!" Song Zhen said firmly. "It was indeed a gift from us. It was a birthday gift for our daughter. Such a special gift, how could we be mistaken?"
"Very well." Pei Zhiyan nodded. Song Zhen let out a slight sigh of relief, while Song Wanying was overjoyed. It seemed that today she would not only get the bracelet but also witness the good show of Song Ruotang being punished by her future father - in - law.
"Uncle, Song Ruotang stole such an important thing from me. You must stand up for me." Song Wanying said in a coquettish tone.
Pei Zhiyan took a step back imperceptibly and said coldly, "I didn't know that your family had such a talent for confusing right and wrong."
As soon as he said this, the surroundings fell silent again. Song Zhen's heart skipped a beat, and he asked carefully, "What does my lord Pei mean by this?"
"Coincidentally, I've also seen this special 'birthday gift'." Pei Zhiyan turned around, walked slowly in front of Song Ruotang, and helped her up.
Song Zhen and Nie Rong exchanged a look, both looking a bit guilty.
Wen Fang finally spoke up, breaking the strange silence. "My lord Pei, what's going on?"
"Some time ago, a good friend of mine got a piece of excellent white jade. He asked a craftsman to make it into a jade bracelet and said he would give it to a family member. He even specially engraved a begonia flower inside the bracelet." Pei Zhiyan said calmly, his gaze falling on Song Wanying, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.
Song Wanying's hand holding the bracelet trembled. She felt the sweat soaking her palm.
"Oh? That's easy. Let Miss Song take out the bracelet and see if there's a begonia flower inside. That'll do." Wen Fang suggested with a smile.
Everyone's eyes were on Song Wanying. She looked at Song Zhen and Nie Rong nervously, not knowing what to do.
Nie Rong took a deep breath and tried to smooth things over. "My husband and I have both seen it. There's no begonia flower on this bracelet. We're sure it was a gift from us. How could we lie?"
"Since it's not, why not show it generously? This matter has caused quite a stir today. We should let everyone around see clearly, shouldn't we?" Pei Zhiyan slightly curved his lips, but his words were non - negotiable.
Nie Rong pursed her lips and said nothing. She then looked at Song Zhen, who had no choice but to pretend not to see.
Song Wanying hesitated to take out the bracelet. Since everyone here was from official families, they naturally knew what was going on. For a moment, their looks towards the Song family turned disdainful.
A six - or seven - year - old little boy couldn't hold back any longer. He ran straight up to Song Wanying, snatched the bracelet from her hand, felt inside the bracelet, and shouted, "It's a begonia flower!"
The little boy took a few steps back and looked at the Song family with disgust. "They lied."
The little boy's words were like a hand that tore off the fig leaf, exposing the Song family to everyone's disdainful looks.
Song Wanying was a bit flustered and wanted to grab back the bracelet. "What are you talking nonsense about? There's no begonia flower at all! Give the bracelet back to me!"
She grabbed the little boy's collar and reached out to grab the bracelet, but the little boy refused to hand it over. While dodging her hand, he said, "Liars! You're liars!"
"Shut up!" Song Wanying was so angry that she roared and even raised her hand to hit the boy.
Song Ruotang wasn't far away. She quickly pulled the little boy aside. Song Wanying's hand just grazed the boy's cheek and then hit the white jade bracelet in his hand.
The jade bracelet was immediately knocked into the air, hit a stone lamp post in the distance, and shattered into pieces.
Song Ruotang fell back to the ground with the child in her arms. The little boy let out a pained cry. Song Ruotang looked and saw a long bloodstain on his fair face. The bright red blood flowed down, making his skin look even fairer.
Song Ruotang quickly took out her handkerchief and gently wiped the blood off his face. Seeing his own blood, the little boy bit his lower lip tightly to hold back his grievance. Song Ruotang comforted him softly, "Don't be afraid. It's okay. It's okay."
"Che'er!" A clear female voice sounded. Everyone quickly made way. A young woman in a golden winter coat walked quickly over. She was extremely beautiful, with slender willow eyebrows, snow - white skin, a pair of phoenix eyes filled with worry, and slightly pursed red lips. The white fox fur around her neck fluttered gently with her movements.
As soon as the little boy heard the woman's call, he looked up at her, stood up, and ran towards her. He threw himself into the woman's arms with a sob in his voice. "Mother, Che'er hurts..."
The woman lovingly held the boy's face. Seeing the still - bleeding wound on his face, her eyes darkened. She looked up at Song Wanying not far away. "Is it you who hurt my son?"
"Madam Jiang, I didn't mean to. I just..." Song Wanying was visibly shaking and stammering.
"Song Wanying is in big trouble this time. Why did she have to provoke the wife of the Marquis of Guangping? Everyone knows that the marquis's wife dotes on the young heir, Xiao Che, the most. How dare she hurt him..."
Someone beside them gasped in amazement. Song Ruotang looked at Madam Jiang and saw her ordering the maid to treat Xiao Che's wound. Then she turned to look at Pei Zhiyan. "My lord Pei, such a thing happened right under your nose today. What should be done to the person who committed violence in public?"
"Punish according to the severity of the crime." Pei Zhiyan said calmly.
"Good." Jiang Xueran swept her eyes over the three members of the Song family. "How should this matter be judged today?"
"Madam Jiang, our daughter is ignorant and offended the young heir. It's our fault for not teaching her well. Please be kind - hearted and spare her this time, considering it's her first offense." Song Zhen had no choice but to step forward and kneel in front of Jiang Xueran, pleading.
But Jiang Xueran was not a kind - hearted woman. She sneered. "First offense? The fact that she hurt my son is undeniable. So, according to you, should I forgive her for hurting my son the first time?"