Chapter 90: Heart-to-Heart Talk
“Heh, it seems you want to be a ghost who knows everything.” Consort Song laughed somewhat wildly. “Actually, you shouldn’t have returned. If you had endured in that bitter place called Shuangxi, you might have lived a few more years.
But you came back, and I know you’re not resigned to it. You want revenge on me, don’t you?”
Consort Song slowly squatted down, meeting Wen Mingqian’s gaze.
Granny Yang quickly brought over a prayer mat. “Little Madam, please sit down. Your condition is not suited for exertion.”
“If you don’t want to die with regrets, I can grant you that,” Consort Song said, sitting on the prayer mat and taking out the small porcelain bottle. “As long as you drink this, I’ll tell you anything you ask.”
Wen Mingqian stared at the bottle in her hand, motionless, remaining silent for a long time.
Consort Song didn’t rush her, even enjoying the silence.
Finally, Wen Mingqian reached out and took the porcelain bottle. Her expression was so calm it was almost blank, as if she had been so tormented by fate that she had no strength to fight back, and didn’t even need to feel resentment or anger anymore.
“Don’t worry, this is a potent poison. Just one sip and you’ll be dead within fifteen minutes,” Consort Song said softly. “It won’t hurt for too long.”
“As long as I drink it, you’ll answer truthfully whatever I ask?” Wen Mingqian uncorked the bottle.
“I’m not afraid of retribution, and there’s no need to lie to someone who is about to die,” Consort Song could be sincere at times, but only when the person opposite her posed no threat.
“Alright, I’ll drink it.” Wen Mingqian was decisive. She tilted her head back and drank the medicine from the bottle.
“Granny Yang, you can go out first! My sister and I have some intimate talk to share.” Consort Song’s heart finally settled after seeing Wen Mingqian drink the poison.
“How did you bribe Sang Er? To make her help you do such an evil deed.” Wen Mingqian’s dark eyes held a stubbornness.
“Does a mere girl need to be bribed? As long as you have leverage over her, you can control her like cattle,” Consort Song’s tone was cheerful, but then she frowned slightly. “However, she’s too timid; she didn’t dare to put the poison in.”
“It wasn’t her who poisoned it?!” Wen Mingqian appeared extremely shocked.
“Yes! She’s truly useless. It was just a packet of abortion medicine, and she didn’t even have the courage to put it in. But it doesn’t matter, as long as she admits she put it in, that’s enough.”
“Then the medicine… you put it in yourself?!” Wen Mingqian’s finger pointed at Consort Song, trembling slightly, whether from anger or fear.
“Heh, you’re not stupid. After the Old Madam’s people delivered the nourishing soup, I added the medicine to it. Do you understand now?” Consort Song spoke to Wen Mingqian intimately, like a patient elder sister. “But it doesn’t matter who put it in; what matters is that I truly miscarried. And your maid also admitted that she put the powdered medicine into the soup under your orders.”
“But… but even if you wanted to frame me, you only needed to say the soup was poisoned, why did you have to drink it? Why did you have to cause the child to miscarry?!” Wen Mingqian placed her hand on her lower abdomen, as if the poison had already begun to take effect.
“You pressed me step by step, how could I just wait to die? If I hadn’t drunk it, it would have left you with room to maneuver.
With the Gong Family’s habit of making peace, they might have spared you. Especially the First Madam; she would surely say it’s good that nothing serious happened, that her sister-in-law was just momentarily confused, and that it wouldn’t happen again.
When two tigers fight, neither can survive. How could I go easy on you? Moreover, this child might not have been saved anyway. It’s better to let him go quickly; it’s also considered him fulfilling his filial duty to me, his mother.”
“You… how can your heart be so cruel?” Wen Mingqian looked at Consort Song as if she were a monster. “That was your own flesh and blood!”
“So what?! It was just a mass of flesh and blood that never saw the light of day! I gave him his life, so why can’t I take it away?!
You call me cruel and vicious, hmph! Wen Mingqian, you are actually very foolish. Back then, if you had been sincere, would you have ever received sincerity?! Now you want innocence, but you are destined to bear slander your entire life!
And I never wanted those superficial things; I only wanted tangible wealth and glory! I want everything in this Gong Family to belong to me! I don’t want sincerity, I don’t want a conscience.
I only care about results when I act, and I have achieved my results. As for you, you won’t even see tomorrow’s sun.” Consort Song looked at Wen Mingqian proudly, like a victorious general looking at a defeated prisoner.
“Yes, I was truly too foolish. I thought that by treating people with sincerity, I would receive sincerity in return. I didn’t expect my sincerity to be treated as worthless weeds, and though I was framed, I was still seen as a vicious woman.” Wen Mingqian let out a bitter laugh, tears sliding from the corners of her eyes.
Consort Song, however, felt incredibly elated. The more Wen Mingqian suffered and despaired, the more triumphant and excited she became!
“Do you remember the first time we met? You didn’t even look at me directly. Back then, you were the high and mighty main wife, and I was a promiscuous slut who eloped and gave myself to someone!”
From then on, I secretly vowed in my heart that one day, I would drag you down from your high position and trample you under my feet!” Consort Song became more agitated as she spoke, and she stood up.
“Back then, you used my personal maid to frame me, and you’re still doing it now.” Wen Mingqian closed her eyes and gave a bitter smile, as if she had accepted her fate.
“Yes, who told you you have a past record! The Gong Family had already lost patience with you after the old incident repeated itself.” Consort Song raised her hand and touched the floral hairpin at her temple.
The fine filigree scratched her fingertip, cold and heavy, just like the secret she hid in her heart, concealed and triumphant.
“Ugh…” Wen Mingqian bent over and spat out a large mouthful of blood, but she still endured the pain and asked, “But I still don’t understand. If this child wasn’t fully formed, and moreover, showed signs of miscarriage, you wouldn’t have much maternal affection for him, so you used him to frame me.
But what about Kang An? He’s already one year old. So cute and well-behaved, he called you Mother every day while you held him. How could you bear to take his life?”
“You can’t figure it out, can you? Let me tell you, everyone else can’t figure it out either.” Consort Song’s eyes seemed larger and darker than usual, and her expression was indescribably strange, as if she were possessed by some spirit. “That’s why when he died back then, no one suspected me; they only suspected you. This was a dead end, and no one who entered could escape.”
“You… can you explain it clearly?” Wen Mingqian gasped for air and spat out another mouthful of blood.
“That child couldn’t be kept; he was a root of disaster!” Consort Song’s expression was a mix of tears and laughter. “Do you think I could bear it? He was flesh and blood from my own body! But I had no choice; he couldn’t grow up!”
“Why… why is it?” Wen Mingqian looked at her unwillingly. “Don’t let me die with regrets…”
