The letter reached Song Wei’s hands, but Granny Song’s coffin had already arrived in Ningzhou and was placed in the house that Wen Wan had arranged last month.

The sudden news caught Father Wen and the Song Family members from Upper River Village completely off guard.

Just last month, she was perfectly fine, and now she’s just gone?

Father Wen helped to rearrange the memorial hall.

At this moment, the head of the Song Family stood with several clan elders in front of Granny Song’s coffin, all looking rather grim.

The Clan Leader pulled Song Wei aside and asked, "Third Son, what exactly happened to your mother?"

Before Song Wei could speak, a cry of pain was heard from behind. Turning around, he saw Song Erlang dragging Song Qi, her hands bound, from the woodshed, gripping her hair tightly. When they reached the memorial hall, without a word, he kicked the back of her knees, forcing her to kneel.

Facing the pitch-black coffin, Song Qi trembled uncontrollably, "Father, I was wrong, I truly realize my mistake."

From the Capital to Ningzhou, the whip wounds on her back had not been treated, beginning to fester and suppurate. Her undershirt was stuck to her skin, and Song Qi could even smell the stench from her body, surviving only by the fear of death.

Her pleas now were weak and feeble.

The Clan Leader widened his eyes, "This girl is...?"

Facing the Clan Leader’s inquiry, Song Erlang was at a loss for words. He clenched his fist and finally had to confess all the deeds this little wretch, Song Qi, had done in the Capital.

He had long promised the Third Son an explanation for their deceased mother, Jiaojiao, and the Song Family. Song Erlang dared not hide even a single word.

The Clan Leader listened, his old face unsure how to react.

If he remembered correctly, wasn’t Song Qi just fourteen this year?

A young girl not yet reached adulthood; could she really have killed her own sister and grandmother with a mere ’thoughtless remark’?

Though he had never left Upper River Village, the Clan Leader had some understanding. He knew that wealthy families in the Capital often established family schools, hiring teachers to educate their children.

Given the prestige of the Song Mansion, and Song Wei’s rise to the rank of Imperial Tutor, the children, even without a dedicated teacher, should have received more refined education than ordinary families.

But not only did Song Qi lack these qualities, she could also shirk responsibility after causing the deaths of her sister and grandmother, thinking it had nothing to do with her, that it was just an unintentional joke.

Was it a case of the young girl’s moral decline, or failing parenting?

The Clan Leader was torn, and his brows knitted together.

"From the day my mother died, I no longer consider her to be my heartless daughter." Song Erlang was filled with rage, "As for her punishment, Third Son and the Clan Leader can decide; even if it means taking this wretched creature’s life, my wife and I will not utter a word of objection."

If it had happened in Upper River Village, the Clan Leader might have had the authority to speak, but the incident took place in the Capital. Given Song Wei’s status, the Clan Leader could not take the initiative to point fingers.

He could only look at Song Wei.

Song Wei’s gaze was slightly cold, sweeping over Song Qi, "After Mother’s coffin is buried, send her to the grave to stand guard, offering her just enough food to survive. Whether she survives will depend entirely on herself. If she dares to flee, bring her back, break her legs, and have her kneel there until she dies."

The weight of his final words made Song Qi feel faint.

The Clan Leader’s hairs stood on end. The girl was covered in wounds, with her purulent back, and he could smell it from a distance. Sending her to guard the grave, she would likely die in agony in just a few days.

Such a punishment for a fourteen-year-old girl was indeed cruel, but remembering her transgressions, the Clan Leader silently cursed: Serves her right!

With the First-rank Imperial Decree Lady’s coffin returning home, the Ningzhou government naturally had to show respect.

Therefore, for the past few days, Song Wei had no time to read the letter Wen Wan sent; he was busy with the funeral arrangements. Only after the Magistrate, Prefect, and county magistrate had paid their respects did the bar bearers lift the coffin to proceed in grand fashion to the burial grounds. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

The funeral, stretching from the Capital to Ningzhou, was grandly organized following Emperor Xuanjing’s decree. On the return journey, Song Wei’s students, colleagues, and even prestigious families held roadside ceremonies. On the day of the burial, it even attracted much of the county’s populace to witness the event.

On the burial grounds, firecrackers resounded for over a quarter of an hour.

Once the coffin was interred and the tomb completed, the path-leading rooster, previously held by Song Wei, flapped its wings abruptly and jumped onto the tombstone, crowing loudly.

"The golden rooster crows to dispel misfortune, bringing good fortune to three generations."

The Clan Leader was filled with excitement, "I have witnessed many being sent to the mountains in my lifetime, but this is the first time I’ve seen a path-leading rooster crow unusually. This is the old lady knowing from the afterlife, blessing her descendants, and Third Son will have a change of fortune."

Song Wei’s lips pursed slightly, his expression showing no change from the Clan Leader’s words.

Not far from Granny Song’s grave, there were two old graves; they belonged to the Da Lang couple.

He walked over, cleared away the weeds, burned some paper money, and lit an incense stick, then sat among the grass beside the graves, the exhaustion of these days washing over his brows and eyes in that moment.

Song Yuanbao recognized that these were the graves of his biological parents.

Seventeen years, and this was the first time he knew they were buried here.

Grabbing a handful of paper money from the bamboo basket and holding six incense sticks, Song Yuanbao slowly walked over, burned the paper, lit the incense, and finally knelt down, bowing three times each to his father and mother.

Song Wei knew Song Yuanbao had come, but he did not intend to speak.

Song Yuanbao didn’t say anything in front of his parents’ graves. After getting up, he quietly walked over to Song Wei and sat beside him.

Song Wei saw that he was even more silent than himself. "First time at your biological parents’ graves in all these years, and you have nothing to say to them?"

Song Yuanbao turned his head, meeting Song Wei’s tired eyes, and shook his head. "You raised me well. Father and mother in heaven see it all. Additional words are unnecessary."

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Song Wei’s lips. "We’re about to leave the mountain; let Ah Yao come and burn some incense too."

"Alright."

...

On the way back, Ye Ling looked at Song Wei’s thin, solitary back ahead, feeling a bit uneasy, and said to Song Yuanbao, "When we return, husband, go to your father’s room and talk to him. Today, with his biological siblings and their spouses present, he buried his birth mother; he must be heartbroken."

Song Yuanbao was also full of melancholy. "Seventeen years ago, my biological parents died tragically, and he was depressed for seven years. It wasn’t until the Commandery Princess entered the family that he gradually changed. It was hard for him to emerge from that shadow, and now this happens again. When he was at his lowest, the Commandery Princess proposed divorce, hitting him not just once. To hold on until now, father really hasn’t had it easy."

...

After the clan and the spectators descended the mountain, Song Erlang took advantage of the dim light to escort Song Qi to the grave mountain, untying her.

"All the roads down the mountain are guarded. Unless you sprout wings, you won’t escape. Stay here and watch over your grandmother’s spirit. If I catch you running away, I’ll break your legs!" Song Erlang’s voice was filled with anger and hatred.

Song Qi looked at the newly piled grave in front of her, as if seeing her grandmother’s restless death, and instantly burst into tears. Seeing Song Erlang about to leave, she clung to his leg, sobbing, "Father, don’t leave me. I’m scared, so scared! Wuwu..."

"Weren’t you scared when you committed those sins?" Song Erlang kicked her hard.

Song Qi, already weak, was kicked in the festering wound on her back, causing her to writhe on the ground in pain.

"Ah! Ahhh!!! Father— Father, I was wrong. I really was wrong. Save me, it hurts so much, so much!"

Song Erlang’s eyes reddened.

This was his biological daughter. To say he didn’t feel pain seeing Song Qi like this would be a lie. But even if he pitied her, who would pity Jiaojiao? That second house’s most obedient and gentle child, she could have peacefully given birth and lived a happy life for decades, but in the despair of her labor day, she died hopelessly.

Wasn’t Jiaojiao deserving of pity?

Thinking of this, the contradictions and self-blame in Song Erlang’s heart faded, and gritting his teeth, he descended the mountain without looking back.

The sky grew darker and darker. Song Qi curled up at the base of the pine tree, just a few meters away from her grandmother’s new grave.

She didn’t dare approach, nor could she escape. Her untreated wound on her back became more severe, the pain tunneling into her, leaving her unable to stand, and she just curled under the tree and spent the night there.

When she awoke the next day, the sun was high, and Song Qi was dizzy with hunger, lying half-dead under the pine tree, eyes fixated on the offerings before Granny Song’s grave, swallowing involuntarily.

After a moment of inner conflict, she decided to crawl over and get some food.

Hardly had she crawled a bit when she felt something moving on her back. She reached back and grabbed, withdrawing her hand to find two white maggots between her fingernails.

It was the site on her back, festering and crawling with maggots!

"Ah——!!!"

In an instant, Song Qi’s scream echoed throughout the grave mountain.

...

On the third day, the young servant in charge of bringing food to Song Qi returned to report, "The Second Young Lady is no more."