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Su Fu instructed Xu Jin, "Go and fetch a bowl of clear water!"
Xu Jin promptly obeyed.
Lady Xia, holding Su Yue tightly, shouted at Su Fu, "Master! How can you do this? How will Yue survive with her head held high in the capital after being suspected by her own father?! You're trying to drive us to our deaths!"
Su Li calmly replied, "Auntie, please don't worry. There are no outsiders here. If Sister Yue is truly Father's daughter, this matter won't spread beyond these walls."
Lady Xia bitterly retorted, "Even if it doesn't spread, this will break Yue's heart!"
Su Li smiled coldly, "If I were in her shoes, rather than letting Father harbor doubts and have that thorn in his heart, I'd prefer to prove my innocence through a blood test. Or does Su Yue truly have something to hide… like being a bastard?"
The word "bastard" carried a subtle sneer, causing Su Yue to struggle as she tried to step forward.
But Lady Xia dared not let her go—she had to protect her daughter from having her blood drawn!
Soon, Xu Jin returned with a bowl of clear water.
Su Fu stepped forward without hesitation, pricking his finger with a needle and letting a drop of blood fall into the water.
Looking at Su Yue, Su Fu spoke sternly, "Yue, come here!"
Su Yue trembled, shrinking further into Lady Xia's embrace as she whispered, "Father?"
Su Fu softened his tone, "Yue, be a good girl. Come here—it won't hurt."
Though his voice was gentle, to Su Yue, it felt like a death knell.
Shaking her head, tears streaming down her face, Su Yue pleaded, "Father, I am truly your biological child! You've fed me by hand, spun me around in joy, taught me how to read and write, praised me for being clever while stroking my hair—all because of our familial bond. Father, I've called you 'Father' for over a decade. If I've been disobedient, you can punish me or discipline me—but how could you abandon me?!"
Tears welled up in Su Fu's eyes.
Over ten years! Not just a fleeting moment.
Though his affection for this daughter paled compared to Li-er, the care he'd shown wasn't fake.
Su Li's gaze turned icy.
Su Yue, so you still remember Father's kindness—how could you have done what you did in your past life!
Even if you personally killed Father, perhaps I, Su Li, wouldn't hate you as much. But to let an upright man die bearing the stigma of treason—that deserves death!
Since you look down on being the concubine-born daughter of the Ministry of Works household, why don't you become the daughter of commoners instead?
Stepping forward, Su Li said, "Sister, Father only wants to perform this blood test out of love for you, to silence these rumors. How can you accuse him of abandoning you?"
Su Li signaled Xu Jin, who immediately moved to block Lady Xia and pushed Su Yue forward.
Lady Xia was horrified and tried to intervene, but Xu Jin, skilled in martial arts, easily restrained her.
Miao Yan quickly grabbed Su Yue's hand.
Su Yue struggled, but it was futile. She winced as a drop of her blood fell into the water.
Everyone held their breath, eyes fixed intently on the bowl.
Lady Xia's face turned ashen, despair etched across her features.
Xia Jiang laughed madly, feigning insanity.
"Hahaha! They separated! They separated!! Su Yue really is a bastard!! Hahaha, Minister Su, you've raised someone else's child for over a decade, hahaha... urk!"
Xu Jin struck his pressure points and handed him over to the servants to be taken away.
Madam Su covered her lips, disbelief written all over her face.
Su Li watched the bowl impassively.
Su Yue stumbled backward, collapsing onto the ground, muttering, "Impossible, impossible..."
Su Fu looked at Lady Xia as though she were already dead.
"Lock Lady Xia in the firewood shed. No food or water, and no visitors allowed. At dawn tomorrow, drown her in the pond!"
Lady Xia screamed hysterically, trying to lunge forward.
"Master! Master! I didn't mean to! My parents forced me! I didn't do it willingly!! Master! Yue-er! Yue-er, save your mother..."
The servants dragged her away, her cries growing fainter with distance.
Su Fu then turned his gaze to Su Yue, who lay crumpled on the floor, tears streaming down her face.
"As for you, leave the Su residence. I'll announce that Su Yue passed away due to illness."
Su Yue lifted her pale face, sobbing, "Father, this isn't my fault! I'm also a victim! Father, you've raised me for over a decade—not my biological father, yet more than one. Please allow me to stay by your side for the rest of my life to repay your kindness!"
Su Li sneered inwardly, underestimating this person's shamelessness. Even now, she still wanted to cling to the Su household.
But whether she stays or goes depends on her, Su Li's, approval!
Su Li stepped forward, saying, "Sister? Oh, right—you're not my sister anymore. I shouldn't call you Su Yue either; I don't even know your real surname. For now, let's use the Xia family name. Xia Yue, you're no longer a young lady of the Su household. Are you staying here to serve as a maid to repay Father? But you're incapable of labor—too weak even for servitude. Your mother committed an unforgivable crime, first becoming pregnant before marriage, then scheming against Father, making him a laughingstock. Father has shown mercy by simply expelling you."
Su Yue concealed the hatred in her eyes and kowtowed to Su Li, pleading, "Elder Sister, I was wrong in the past. Please don't cast me out—I won't dare compete with you anymore. Please, Elder Sister, please!"
Her forehead hit the ground repeatedly, soon turning red with blood.
Su Fu barked coldly, "Enough! No more excuses. Xu Jin, throw her out of the house. If she dares claim herself as a Su family daughter again, throw her straight into jail."
"Yes!"
Looking at Su Yue's face, which bore a striking resemblance to Lady Xia, Su Fu felt nauseated each time he saw it.
That he hadn't laid a hand on her was proof of his restraint.
"Father! Father! I am the second young miss of the Su family! Who dares lay a hand on me?! Father! Father..."
Even after she disappeared from sight, her cries lingered faintly in the air.
Su Li glanced at Siqin, who nodded and followed them out.
Seeing that matters were mostly settled, Su Li said, "Mother, let's return to our chambers."
The rest was left to Father.
Xu Jin trailed behind, ahead of him several servants dragging the cursing Su Yue. Siqin quickened her pace.
"Brother Xu."
Xu Jin turned back, asking, "What is it?"
"The young mistress suggests throwing her into the dungeon for a few days before releasing her. Afterward, we'll warn her properly—she'll behave then."
Xu Jin paused, considering. It made sense.
Throwing her out now would only lead to her shouting the truth across the city.
"I understand. Tell the young mistress that I won't give her any chance to tarnish the minister's reputation."
Siqin nodded, curtsied, and returned to the courtyard.
Back in the courtyard, Su Li had just returned, seemingly in a good mood, a slight smile playing on her lips.
Siqin approached, "Young Mistress, the message has been delivered."
Su Li nodded and walked to the window.
"Tomorrow will be a fine day."
Siqin glanced at the darkening sky outside. "Young Mistress, it might rain tomorrow."
Su Li chuckled.
Even if it rains, it'll still be a good day—it's the day Xia Qingzhi drowns in the pond.
"Siqin, bring me a pot of plum wine."
"Young Mistress, the aftereffects of plum wine are strong."
Su Li turned and sat down at the table.
"Just one cup—and you should join me for a drink."
This girl endured far more suffering in her previous life than she did, and her death wasn't any easier.
"Alright, as you wish, Young Mistress."
As they sipped the plum wine, Su Li tapped her fingers lightly against the rim of the cup.
Zhao Huaian, you'll be arriving in the capital soon, won't you?