"Miss Song Si, back then when you noticed that Concubine Rou was having a difficult labor, did you go and call a doctor to try to save her?"
Gu Yunzheng finally asked the most crucial question.
Song Yihuan replied, "Naturally, I did. That day, I was guarding outside the door, listening to Mother crying and wailing non - stop. She couldn't give birth from morning till evening. I was extremely worried. Ignoring the obstruction, I broke into the room and found out that she couldn't give birth smoothly because the fetus in her womb was too big."
"I sensed something was wrong and planned to go out to call a doctor. I bumped into Eldest Sister, who was about to leave the mansion, at the side gate of the Marquis Mansion. When she learned that I was going to call a doctor, she offered to take me there."
Hearing Song Yihuan mention herself again, Song Nanxin's face froze. She felt a numbness in her chest, and there seemed to be a voice shouting in her ear.
"I was grateful to Eldest Sister for her care, so I got into her carriage. However, as soon as I got in, I don't know how, but I fell asleep. When I woke up again, we had just arrived at the medical clinic."
Song Yihuan looked at Song Nanxin and recounted the events of that year to everyone present.
"However, no matter how many medical clinics we visited that day, the people answering the door all said that the doctors were out on house - calls. We visited no less than six clinics, but couldn't find a single doctor. When we returned to the Marquis Mansion, Mother had used up all her strength. She gave birth to a stillborn baby and then passed away."
Her tone was extremely calm, but as she spoke, two lines of tears slid down her cheeks, wetting her face.
Ji Lingchuan knew that Concubine Rou had a difficult labor on the day of Lesser Fullness four years ago, but he didn't know that she had endured so much in between.
No wonder she couldn't make it to the broken temple to meet him that day. In such a situation, how could she have left her mother to meet a stranger?
He wanted to pull her into his arms to comfort her and wipe the tears from her face, but there were too many people around. He could only restrain himself and maintain a calm appearance:
"On the day of Lesser Fullness, an urgent report came from the border. I was ordered to lead the army to defend against the enemy. But I also know that it wasn't a special day, and there were no grand events in the city. It's impossible for all the doctors in the city to be out on house - calls at the same time. There's something strange about this."
Gu Yunzheng also felt a pang of sadness in her heart and followed up, "Yes, this matter is indeed unusual."
Song Yihuan shook her head. "Didn't I think so too? But after the incident, I went to those medical clinics to inquire. The doctors in those clinics were indeed out on house - calls at that time."
Over the years, taking the opportunity of buying medicine for Song Yixuan, she had visited those clinics several times, but she couldn't find any useful clues.
Thinking about it now, what those doctors told her might not be the truth.
Gu Yunzheng understood this truth well. With a solemn expression, she said, "Anyway, this is a very important clue. Miss Song Si, do you still remember the names of those medical clinics? Later, I will lead people to investigate again."
Song Yihuan replied, "Naturally, I remember."
She not only named those medical clinics but also remembered the names of the doctors who were not on duty in the clinics that day. This made Song Nanxin's breathing become heavier.
The yamen runners wrote down everything Song Yihuan said. Gu Yunzheng looked at Song Nanxin and said, "According to what Miss Song Si just said, the Princess of the Heir Apparent also played a very crucial role in this matter. The Princess of the Heir Apparent also needs to cooperate with our investigation."
Song Nanxin immediately retorted, "Why? I was kind enough to take her to find a doctor. Did I do something wrong? Didn't you just hear her say that I've always been very good to her in the Marquis Mansion and taken good care of her?"
Gu Yunzheng said, "But Miss Song Si also said just now that she fell asleep as soon as she got into the carriage. No one knows what the Princess of the Heir Apparent did during the time when she was asleep."
"After all, who knows if the Princess of the Heir Apparent colluded with the doctors in those medical clinics in advance and told them not to go to the Marquis Mansion to treat Concubine Rou?"
The buzzing in Song Nanxin's ear became louder. She felt her emotions fluctuating violently. She couldn't suppress the irritation. She raised her hand and slapped the table hard:
"Gu Yunzheng, don't make unfounded accusations! I have no feud with Concubine Rou. Why would I stop the doctor from saving her?"
At first glance, this statement seemed reasonable. But when you thought about it, it was such a coincidence that Song Yihuan met Song Nanxin when she went out to call a doctor, fell asleep after getting in the carriage, and couldn't find a single doctor. Her defense seemed rather weak.
She had no feud with Concubine Rou, but her biological mother, Lady Meng, the wife of Marquis Ding'an, always called Concubine Rou a "bitch". When she mistook Song Yihuan for Concubine Rou just now, she even wanted to kill this imaginary enemy.
"Because you wanted the baby in Concubine Rou's belly to become a stillborn completely, so as to make way for the baby in Lady Meng's belly and take the destiny of the God of Literature that should have belonged to Young Master Song Wu."
At this moment, a familiar voice suddenly came from outside the door. It was Master Mingfa, who had just been chanting scriptures to exorcise evil spirits in Lady Meng's room.
Master Mingfa, holding Buddhist beads, walked into the room from outside. She put her hands together and bowed to Gu Yunzheng. "Amitabha. I'm Mingfa, the abbot of Changyue Nunnery on the outskirts of the capital."
Master Mingfa's arrival was completely unexpected to Song Nanxin. When she heard Master Mingfa expose the fates of Song Yixuan and Song Nanzhe, she immediately stood up from her chair, and her expression changed drastically.
Ji Lingchuan frowned tightly. There was a feeling of stuffiness in his chest. "What did the Master just mean by the destiny of the God of Literature?"
He had never heard Song Yihuan mention this matter.
How much more had she been hiding from him?
Master Mingfa said, "Four years ago, I was invited by the Marquis Mansion to chant scriptures and bestow blessings on the noble people in the mansion. Lady Meng asked me to calculate the fate of the baby in her belly. However, the result was not satisfactory. Then she asked me to calculate for Concubine Rou at that time. I calculated that the baby in Concubine Rou's belly had a noble fate. It was the reincarnation of the God of Literature. In the future, the baby might achieve great success and make a name for himself."
"Lady Meng was not willing to accept this. She asked me for a way to change the fate. Greedy for money and blinded by desire, I told Lady Meng that as long as the baby in her belly could avoid being born in that month, the fate would change. After that, I left the Marquis Mansion and never mentioned this matter again."
"Until today, I just realized that my careless words back then actually led to such a tragic incident, causing Concubine Rou to die in difficult labor and Young Master Song Wu to suffer from heart disease. I know that I'm deeply sinful. I only hope to tell the truth this time to gain some peace of mind."
Before everyone could catch their breath, Master Mingfa said something even more shocking:
"I also want to expose the Princess of the Heir Apparent for having an affair. In March, the Princess of the Heir Apparent came to Changyue Nunnery to attend a Dharma assembly. She had an affair with an actor in the nunnery. I heard it clearly outside the door. The actor's voice sounded like a man. He was dressing up as a woman and even called her 'Your Highness, the Princess of the Heir Apparent'."
"A - and I, this servant, also want to expose the Princess of the Heir Apparent for having an affair and hiring assassins to kill people."
Suddenly, a slightly weak voice came from outside the door.