Chapter 39: The True Culprit Revealed

  Xia Yang's clear and composed gaze stared at him for a long time, until he felt his hair stand on end before she slowly opened her mouth: "All these years, have you truly regarded Tian Er as your younger sister?"

  Xia Feng's eyes flickered as she forced out a unnatural cough, her gaze darting to the side as she said stiffly, "She never treated me like an older brother either! Big brother, have you forgotten how she used to bully us in the past just because father spoiled her?"

  "Third brother!" His eyes were filled with anger, and Xia Yang's tone was slightly cold. "These words coming from your mouth are truly disappointing for me as an older brother! Tian Er may have been a bit willful in the past when she was younger, but now it's different from before. As her older brother, you don't even have half a heart of tolerance and love!"

  Xia Feng's face turned red, and she continued to argue strongly: "Big brother, your words are too heavy! In the past, her cruelty and cunning were not just my nonsense. Last year, she deliberately killed Ninth Aunt's cat in front of Fifth Sister's door, scaring Fifth Sister so much that she was ill for over a month; The year before, she hid a needle in Second Sister's embroidery work when she was sent to the temple to participate in the selection of concubines, causing Second Sister to be unable to enter the palace and be selected as a concubine, which also delayed her marriage. Second Sister doesn't know the details, but you and I are both clear about it! Her harming me and making Father scold me is nothing unusual. If I had spoken up at the time, Second Sister would have married Third Prince, and she wouldn't have even been considered. Who knows, maybe she even faked her own fainting spell to gain Father's sympathy, which made him decide to abandon Second Sister and let her marry instead." Her tone turned accusatory: "I know that now Big Brother only has Xia Tian in his eyes as a good younger sister, but I and Second Sister and Fifth Sister are also Big Brother's younger siblings. Don't be too biased!"

  Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and Xia Yang's eyes deepened. With a cold smile that seemed to sink into the water, she said, "If you say I'm biased, then I really am biased towards Er Mei, not doing justice to Tian Er."

  "What does it mean?" Xia Feng was stunned and didn't understand.

  "On that day, Tian'er was secretly attacked in the garden. Father and I both knew who the culprit was, but neither of us spoke out nor punished them, allowing Tian'er to suffer injustice. It seems that Father is just as biased as I am!"

  "Who is the murderer?" Xia Shuang's eyes widened in surprise.

  Xia Yang didn't make a sound, but instead stared at him inquisitively, with an unfathomable glint in the depths of his eyes.

  "Big brother?" Xia Shuang felt uneasy being stared at.

  "You really don't know?"

  "What do you know?" he shouted in a bad mood. "Big brother, what exactly do you want to say?"

  Xia Yang withdrew his gaze, his tone light: "The person who attacked Tian Er is the maid Yantong beside Second Sister. She personally admitted that it was Second Sister who instructed her."

  "Yan Tong! How is that possible? She wasn't released from the mansion to marry into another family..." Suddenly understanding something, Xia Feng stiffly lifted her head, her breathing unstable as she gritted her teeth and asked: "Was it really Second Sister's doing?" Without waiting for Xia Yang's response, she hastily asked again, as if grasping at a last shred of hope. "Could this be some kind of trick?"

  "I personally investigated this matter and also personally interrogated Yan Tong. Are you suspecting that I framed the two sisters?"

  A sharp pain in his eyes, Xia Shuang's face turned from red to white and then became greenish, he closed his eyes, and with a gloomy tone, lowered his head: "I don't dare."

  Heaving a sigh, Xiaoyang placed his hand on his shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. "Third brother, I know you've always been close to second sister, but Tian'er is also our sister. Although she's the daughter of the first wife and Father's favorite, she lost her mother at a young age. In this regard, you, second sister, and fifth sister are much happier than her."

  "Big brother!" He suddenly understood why his big brother had never said a word about Xia Tian's mischievousness, and now he was being so doting. It turned out that they had both lacked motherly love since childhood, and were sympathizing with each other.

  He suppressed the pain in his eyes, and turned to look at the distant courtyard buildings in the glow of the setting sun. He sighed with emotion: "In the past, although Tian'er was wronged and Second Sister couldn't enter the palace as an imperial concubine, but now it seems that not being able to become an imperial concubine isn't necessarily a bad thing. The path of life is unpredictable, yesterday's misfortune may not be today's calamity, and today's prosperity may not be tomorrow's blessing. You may have always thought that Father only doted on Tian'er, but Father let Tian'er suffer such great injustice for the sake of Second Sister."

  Turning back, a stern look flashed in her clear eyes. "Third brother, you're not young anymore, and you should have your own judgment on right and wrong. Yantong's actions almost took Tian'er's life, and now Tian'er can't speak because of that incident. Whatever Tian'er did back then was just the willfulness of a child, but what Yantong wanted was someone's life! Siblings hurting each other is not acceptable. To be honest with you, Yantong wasn't married out of the house, but secretly put to death. If second sister does anything to harm Tian'er again, I won't forgive her even if father doesn't take action!"

  The sky gradually darkened, and the passing servants all looked curiously and puzzled at the third young master who stood there in a daze. As the sun set and the moon rose, the various courtyards of the Guardian General's mansion gradually lit up. The wind blew fiercely, and the floating clouds in the sky moved extremely fast, with the moon hiding behind them one moment and revealing its face the next. The surrounding trees were blown back and forth, and his sleeves also fluttered in the wind. His heart felt a bit gloomy and cold, he closed his eyes, letting the strong wind slash at his face, lifting up a head of black hair.