Madam Liu was even more frightened and stood up. Song Chaoyu also seemed at a loss, "Father... what's wrong?"
Song Yuan knew he had frightened them and gestured for Madam Liu to sit down. "It has nothing to do with you. It's just that the people in your courtyard need a good cleaning!"
He closed the two pieces of paper and then asked the young servant, "Where were these found? Whose bed? Take the fourth girl to identify them."
Song Chaoyu quickly followed the servant, and everyone followed behind them.
The servant led Song Chaoyu to the rooms of the head maids in Huashuyuan. There were four head maids in Huashuyuan. Madam Liu had two named Pingyue and Manyue. Song Chaoyu had two, naturally Taohong and Xunlv.
The four of them lived in the largest maid's room in the back courtyard. Each had her own bed with curtains, a dressing table, and a washbasin, which was considered the best room in the back courtyard.
Since the four of them basically took turns on duty, the room was still relatively quiet.
The servant pointed to the bed on the left side of the entrance, which was already in disarray, and then pointed to the needle that had been torn open on the ground. "It was found in this pillow."
Song Chaoyu also turned back in surprise and looked at Xunlv, who stood at the door looking bewildered. "Xunlv, this is your bed? What did you hide to make Father so angry?"
"Tie her up!"
Without a word, Song Yuan gestured for the servant behind him to tie up Xunlv. "Then send her to the back courtyard to be locked in an empty room! Then you all withdraw, leaving only the four people in this room. I want to ask clearly."
Everyone didn't know what had happened, but they still withdrew as instructed. Song Yuan, understanding that Madam Liu was pregnant, let her go to the back to rest, while Song Chaoyu could stay.
When only the three head maids and Xunlv, who was tied up and crying out her innocence, were left in the room, Song Yuan took out the two pieces of paper in his hand and handed them to the First Madam. "These are the correspondence between the third girl and that young servant! I want to know how these letters were found on the maid by the fourth girl's side in Huashuyuan?"
"Ah!"
Pingyue suddenly let out a soft cry and covered her mouth.
Song Yuan immediately looked at Pingyue. "What is it? Do you remember something?"
"No, I don't!"
Xunlv also realized the seriousness of the matter. She looked up at Song Yuan. "My Lord, please investigate. This servant would never dare to send letters to the third young lady! This servant is from the fourth young lady's room. How could the third young lady entrust such private correspondence to this servant?"
Song Yuan sneered and said to the servant, "Muzzle her mouth!"
At this moment, the First Madam reacted and stepped forward, looking at Song Yuan in surprise. "My Lord means that Xunlv, by the fourth girl's side, was passing correspondence for the third girl and that young servant? Impossible! Why would someone from the fourth girl's courtyard do things for the third girl?"
Song Yuan sneered and waved the two love poems in his hand. "Why is it impossible? Now that these things have been found, tell me, why would the letters written by the third girl to that young servant be found in this maid's pillow? If she is not the third girl's person, then she is the young servant's person."
He gestured to Pingyue. "You were about to say something just now, speak quickly. What did you think of? Did you ever see Xunlv go to the third young lady's courtyard?"
Pingyue could only glance at Xunlv cautiously before answering Song Yuan. "Reporting to my Lord, this servant has not seen Xunlv go to the third young lady. However, I have seen Xunlv meeting with Zhuzi privately at the back door of Huashuyuan several times. Seeing them laughing and talking, this servant didn't think much of it. I just thought that Zhuzi used to serve on the estate, and he and Xunlv must be old acquaintances. Now that I think about it..."
Without Pingyue saying anything more, Song Yuan understood.
He looked back at Taohong. "What about you? You both serve by your young lady's side. Have you noticed anything unusual about Xunlv?"
Taohong looked at Xunlv with difficulty.
"Speak!"
Song Yuan said sternly to Taohong, "At this point, anyone who protects her will suffer the same fate as her!"
Frightened, Taohong quickly knelt on the ground. "Reporting to my Lord, this servant often hears Xunlv mention Zhuzi. And some time ago, she was indeed often not in our Huashuyuan. Sometimes, when the young lady wanted to find her, she couldn't!"
Song Yuan frowned and looked at Song Chaoyu again. "Fourth girl, is this true?"
Song Chaoyu sighed and nodded. "Xunlv has been by my side for many years. She is a bit willful in normal times. I thought she was just unhappy because Taohong was often by my side instead of her during those days. My daughter truly did not expect this. I hope my father will investigate clearly. How could the maids in my courtyard send letters for my third sister and that young servant? This is too unbelievable!"
The more Song Chaoyu said this, the more certain Song Yuan became. "I'm afraid this was the young servant's idea. The people around the third girl are too conspicuous, and no one would have thought that the people around you, fourth girl, would do things for the third girl. They thought this would be foolproof, and the facts have proven it to be so. They had a good plan, deceiving all of us and causing such a scandal!"
In Song Yuan's mind, Xunlv had already been convicted. "Guards! Take her to the back courtyard for family punishment!"
He looked back at Song Chaoyu. "Your aunt is pregnant, and you are a young lady who has not yet married. It's no wonder that the people in your Huashuyuan caused such trouble and you didn't know. Tomorrow I will tell my mother to look after your Huashuyuan more."
"My Lord..."
Just then, the First Madam came over to interject. "There's no need to trouble the Old Madam, is there? This back courtyard is managed by me."
Her words, however, only made Song Yuan angrier. "If you could manage it well, would such a thing happen?!"
He glared back at Xunlv, who was still struggling, his patience exhausted. "Aren't you going to drag her out?!"
Having committed such a crime, family punishment was naturally required.
Song Chaoyu stepped forward and looked pleadingly at Song Yuan. "Father, she has served me for many years after all. Let me watch the family punishment? I'm afraid... I won't have the chance to see her again in the future."
Her not asking to keep Xunlv made Song Yuan feel more sympathetic. "You girl, you are just sentimental. She has betrayed you and committed such a shameful act, and you still want to go?"
Seeing that Song Chaoyu was about to cry, Song Yuan sighed and softened a little. "Fine, you go. Just don't let the blood splash on you. You have been master and servant for so long, it is only right for you to see her off once."
Xunlv's eyes were already filled with terror.