NOVEL NEXT Chapter 36: Speculations
The older man felt that the appearance of the smiling young woman was terrifyingly menacing. Those dark eyes seemed to pierce straight into his soul, and his every limb shivered in protest while the cold of night seeped into his blood. “Da xiaojie, I was being forced to… If I didn’t then he’d kill my family!”
Su Jing Fei rested her hand in her hands as she stared at his face, watching his changing expressions filled with pity and sadness. Her own expression was tranquil in appearance. “You’re still going to keep up the act? We both know the Yun family were in no danger. You must have a better excuse than this.”
Zihuan’s chapped lips were pursed together tightly, brows furrowing. “Da xiaojie, please…”
“‘Please’ you say…” Su Jing Fei’s words were soft, but the corners of her lips fell into a frown as a dark feeling gripped her heart. “The begging comes to you so easily, and I have not even drawn blood yet.”
Zihuan’s face paled at her words. “Da xiaojie, about Da Chun, I-”
“Don’t you dare say her name!” Su Jing Fei shouted in anger; the sudden change of emotion was as fast and harsh as a whip. Her hand flew out and gripped his hair, fingers entangling in the strands as she yanked his head to the side. “If you dare defile her name with your filthy mouth again, I’ll cut your tongue out.”
The movement caused Zihuan to bite down on his lip and a trickle of blood seeped from the wound. “I-I’m sorry…Please d-don’t hurt me!”
Su Jing Fei loosened her hold, pulling back her hand as she stood up. She looked down at Zihuan’s sorry figure. His hands were restrained behind his back with rope, and he kicked up dirt to scramble away. His back hit the wall of the cave, and he stared fearfully in her direction.
“You’re going to answer my questions, Zihuan. I expect you’re going to tell me the truth.” Su Jing Fei spoke, walking up to him.
Heng’s quick figure appeared at his side to hold down his struggling movements as Su Jing Fei leaned down once more. She reached back to grasp a hair pin, and within a single breath, the silver ornament was embedded into Zihuan’s left leg.
“Ah!!” The man screamed, jolting in pain as tears welled up in his eyes.
“Are you going to speak?” Su Jing Fei asked calmly.
“I’ll speak!” He cried out; his breaths stuttered from the pain.
“We’ll start with the easy stuff then. Who put you in charge of the Fuo Lan Manor?”
Zihuan gasped as his expression twisted from suppressing the pain. “S-Su Furen…Da xiaojie’s stepmother…”
“Yun shi recommended you for the job, correct?”
“Y-Yes…”
“Have you ever met my mother?”
“Yes…”
“Before or after she got married to Su Xuan Mo?”
“It was a-after…Please, ah… my leg hurts…” Zihuan’s lips turned blue and a layer of sweat coated his face.
“I know you were put in your position after my mother was killed by Feng Ruo Qian. To cut out the weeds, you must pull them from their roots. The news of my mother’s murder was suppressed by you and the Feng family. The servants were silenced, either killed or bribed. Correct?”
“D-Da xiaojie, please, they were o-orders I h-had to...” He begged.
Su Jing Fei’s fingers twisted the hair pin, digging it a little deeper in the flesh as a deep red soaked the man’s pant leg. “Yes or no?”
“Y-Yes…” A small whimper signaled his acquiesce.
“Does Su Xuan Mo know the truth of my mother’s death?”
“N-No…”
Su Jing Fei figured as much. If Su Xuan Mo had known that Liu shi had smothered his chances of having a son, an heir, a decade ago… His pride would definitely not stand it. And Su Lao Furen wouldn’t have either. This ignorant son and mother pair probably did not even care to know the truth of her mother’s death and so did not investigate properly. A healthy woman suddenly falling ill and then dying in the countryside… It took less than a year for Su Xuan Mo to bring Liu shi into the household after her mother’s death. And she had a young daughter in tow as well; a daughter of Su Xuan Mo’s who was less than a year younger than Su Jing Fei. Outsiders probably thought that Qu shi had finally caught wind of Su Xuan Mo’s cheating and died from anger or sadness. Su Jing Fei felt the anger surge in her heart from the injustice her mother suffered. “An ignorant scum like that… I wonder what my mother saw in him.”
“My mother was healthy, but suddenly, she fell ill and fought with Su Xuan Mo often, resulting in him banishing her to the countryside.” Su Jing Fei murmured, looking thoughtful. “But you know, I think my mother feigned illness to hide her pregnancy. She hoped to escape the capital to hide her condition. But why would she do that? Why would she need to hide the fact that she was pregnant?”
Zihuan looked confused. “I-I don’t know…”
“I, too, was confused at first. But then it dawned on me. She wasn’t trying to hide, specifically. There was no point in doing so because the prospect of a son would’ve made Su Xuan Mo favor my mother. However, instead of hiding, what if she was trying to protect them from someone else?”
“T-That’s…”
Su Jing Fei didn’t pause for Zihuan’s reply. In fact, she’d been thinking long and hard about her mother for many sleepless nights. Why did such a strong and independent woman fall for such a stupid ignorant man? Why would her mother need to hide a pregnancy to protect her unborn children? “Do you know that my mother had difficulty birthing me? From second-hand stories told, my mother had fallen ill and almost lost the baby. I had almost died as a newborn. But luckily, my life was saved. But you know what I think? I think I was spared a death not by luck, but due to the fact that I was born a daughter and not a son. However, for my mother’s second pregnancy, she wasn’t willing to take the risk again. She knew someone had tried to kill her children before; perhaps, she had come to the same conclusion as I had. If she bore a son, her life would no doubt be threatened, so she tried to distance herself and hide away in Fuo Lan. She saved a young female martial artist and was able to have someone protect her life for a while. Until that is, the baby in her stomach was confirmed a male. It was due to that fact that my mother was killed.”
Zihuan remained silent but trembled as the cold took root in his body; his leg felt numb from the pain emanating from the stab wound where the hair pin was still deeply embedded into this thigh.
Su Jing Fei’s eyes looked far away; her expression was distant and thoughtful. “Who would want to kill my mother and prevent her from having a son, Zihuan?” Su Jing Fei almost wanted to laugh because the answer was so clear, but it still didn’t make sense.
“Of course there’s only one person that I can think of. My stepmother, Liu shi. She wanted my mother dead so that she could marry Su Xuan Mo. They were childhood lovers after all. But then Su Xuan Mo married my mother for her status, but with such a high status, why would my mother stoop so low as to marry an ignorant man with a commoner status? I don’t think Su Xuan Mo was cunning enough to win my mother over with the same cheap tricks he used on Liu shi. It feels like all the puzzle pieces fit together, but there is still one central piece that is missing that ties everything together.” Su Jing Fei murmured quietly. “I’ve thought about it long and hard, and you know what? I think I finally figured it out.”
Zihuan’s pale face and quivering lips displayed his fright, but he still managed to converse with Su Jing Fei relatively easily. “W-What was it?”
“A third party,” Su Jing Fei said simply. “There was someone manipulating the scenes from the background. A lower class noble family like Liu shi’s would not be able to threaten my mother who was the only daughter of the esteemed military Qu family. So, there was someone else who used Liu shi’s hand to deal with my mother. The only question is, who?”