The Xu couple, upon hearing the news, felt that things were about to turn for the worse. They couldn't understand why their fate had looped back to their own doorstep. They barely had time to bid farewell to their second son before the constables arrived.
Upon reaching the courtroom, Mei Ping initially refused to confess. This time, the county magistrate showed no leniency, ordering the immediate application of the rod. The pain of the blows was real. Even as the rods fell, Mei Ping stole glances at the second young master, whose expression remained indifferent. A wave of despair washed over her. After all these years in the Xu family, her youthful bloom had faded, and she had only a daughter. It seemed they were ready to abandon her.
She had initially thought that twenty strokes would be the end of it, a pain to be endured. However, she had underestimated the magistrate's determination to resolve this case.
Seeing that the woman remained stubborn, he quickly summoned her family. They were ordinary folk, unaccustomed to such spectacles, and began to tremble before the interrogation even started.
The magistrate, observing their fear, felt a flicker of hope. "Mei Ping," he threatened, "your family is here now. If you don't speak the truth, you will implicate them. Harboring a criminal is a serious offense."
Mei Ping dared not look back at their pleading eyes. She knew without a doubt that her parents and siblings must be begging her with their gazes. She didn't want to burden her maternal family, but if she spoke, the Xu family would despise her, and her daughter would have no peace. She was caught between a rock and a hard place.
Seeing her silence, her maternal family understood. They were deeply disappointed, believing she had chosen the Xus over them. Her parents felt their own misfortune was bearable, but they couldn't let their innocent sons suffer along with them. After much soul-searching, they decided to disown their daughter.
Mei Ping's father bowed to the magistrate and said shakily, "Your Honor, perhaps I know something. Our family was indeed not ill at the time. The medicine my daughter took was secretly passed to the Xu family. She knew the second young master of the Xu family before she even entered their household."
Mei Ping's entire body went limp upon hearing this. At the same time, a sense of relief washed over her. She had wronged them first, so their desire to protect themselves was understandable. Perhaps she should not have defied her parents and associated with the second young master of the Xu family.
If she had followed her parents' wishes and married someone of equal standing, she might now have children and be living a peaceful life. Instead, at just over thirty, she looked as old as fifty. The Xu family's second young master's courtyard was a place of constant intrigue, and the scheming had consumed most of her energy, leaving her utterly exhausted.
Mr. and Mrs. Xu were displeased. While they suspected foul play in their son's death, they didn't want their second son implicated. He was their last remaining son. If he were found guilty, the Xu family would suffer a devastating blow, with no one to carry on its legacy. Call them selfish or partial, but their eldest son was gone, an irreversible loss. They couldn't bear to lose their youngest as well.
They quickly shouted, "Nonsense! What does your daughter buying medicine have to do with us? If, as you say, she knew my son before entering our home, wasn't she merely trying to seduce him for our wealth?"
Mei Ping remained unmoved by the Xus' words. She unconsciously looked at the second young master, only to see an expression of tacit agreement. The tears she had held back for so long finally streamed down her face. It was he who had been captivated by her beauty, relentlessly pursuing her. She had told him her parents opposed her becoming a concubine, but he had solemnly promised to treat her well and shield her from any grievance. Alas, she had been young and naive then, believing his words.
She heard her parents and the Xu couple hurling accusations at each other, slinging mud. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her gaze was one of unwavering resolve. "Your Honor, this commoner is willing to confess. I know I am guilty of the gravest offense. The reason I refused to admit it earlier was my concern for my daughter, who still lives with the Xu family. I beg you, in consideration of my voluntary confession, to offer her some assistance should she encounter any trouble in the future."
The magistrate breathed a sigh of relief. "I am a just official," he stated calmly. "I will keep an eye on your daughter's situation. If they overstep their bounds, as her parent official, I will certainly intervene."
"Thank you, Your Honor," Mei Ping said, bowing sincerely this time.
The second young master of the Xu family looked at her in disbelief. He had thought that, for her daughter's sake, she would shoulder all the blame herself. To his surprise, she had chosen to betray him. Even in front of the magistrate, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Do not try to frame me. Think of our daughter."
The magistrate slammed his gavel, his voice stern. "This is a courtroom. Silence!"
Mei Ping hesitated no longer. At this point, he was still threatening her. Utterly disappointed and heartbroken, she said, "Your Honor, my father speaks the truth. I knew him before I entered the Xu mansion. I must emphasize that he was the one who pursued me. My mother strongly opposed it, but I believed him. I went to the medical hall to buy medicine for wind-heat, and he instructed me to do so. The medicine was delivered to him. Naturally, the fewer people who knew about such matters, the better."
"Don't talk nonsense. You can't just ruin us because you've had a difficult time in the Xu family for so many years," Mrs. Xu sobbed, unwilling to let her continue.
Mei Ping remained unfazed, her expressionless. "He wanted to get rid of his brother because he was consumed by jealousy. He couldn't stand seeing his brother excel in everything since childhood, nor could he bear the thought of his brother inheriting the Xu family fortune."
"You're lying! It was Wu Lian'er and Li Zixin who had an affair long ago and wanted to get rid of him so they could be together. Otherwise, why would she have poured out the ginger soup from the beginning? If my brother hadn't caught a cold, how could he have died? I implore Your Honor to investigate thoroughly and clear my name." The second young master of the Xu family, seeing the situation turning against him, quickly shifted the blame to Wu Lian'er, as his statement was, in fact, true.
A mother knows her son best. Mr. and Mrs. Xu believed Mei Ping's words, as they had sensed their second son's envy of his elder brother since childhood. They hadn't expected it to be so severe. Now, hearing their son accuse Wu Lian'er, they seized upon this point.
"My son died unjustly! I knew it. Why were you so eager to leave the Xu family the moment my son died, only to marry Li Zixin? So you had been colluding all along. Does that mean the former wife of Li Zixin who voluntarily left also had a hidden reason?" Mrs. Xu was truly heartbroken. The thought that if Wu Lian'er wasn't implicated today, and her son met with misfortune, she couldn't bear to live. Her tears flowed with even more genuine feeling.