197 Su Yuan’s Wrath
Su Yuan rubbed the jade pendant in his hand and looked at Old Master Su without blinking.
At this moment, he no longer looked gentle and kind. He had the aura and edge of a superior. “Are you sure your family sold another jade pendant back then?”
Old Master Su was respected in the village, but in front of the vassals of the capital, he was just a lowly peasant.
Cold sweat broke out uncontrollably.
He didn’t know how to answer.
Su Yuan said fiercely, “You know very well that the jade pendant doesn’t belong to your family. Let me ask you one last time. Did you sell another jade pendant back then?”
Su Xiaoxiao was holding a left pendant. The Su family had sold a right pendant.
Back then, when Qin Che returned to the capital to acknowledge the Qin family, he had the right pendant.
Su Yuan said coldly, “Do you know that this is a gift from the emperor? Selling it privately is a capital crime!”
Old Master Su’s legs went weak and he staggered!
Su Yuan said, “If you answer truthfully, I won’t pursue the matter.”
Old Master Su confessed. “I… I did sell it! I sold it with my father…”
In front of a duke, Old Master Su could not resist at all.
Su Yuan continued, “Who did you sell it to?”
Old Master Su replied, “A businessman. I don’t know who he is. My father went to talk to him. I waited outside. From that person’s accent, he doesn’t sound local. After that, we haven’t seen him again, so if you insist on asking me who he is, I really can’t answer.”
When had Old Master Su ever been so humble?
It was really satisfying to see.
Su Yuan continued, “Where did you get the jade pendant you sold?”
The village head looked at Old Master Su nervously. He had vaguely guessed something, but he was unwilling to face it.
After all, this was someone he and the entire village had respected for 30 years…
Old Master Su secretly clenched his fists.
He began to regret his plan today.
Had he known that he would meet a noble from the capital, he would not have gone to the Su family to court death.
Old Master Su closed his eyes and said, “It, it fell from Su Cheng’s body… He was still young. I don’t know where he picked up half a rotten steamed bun. Before he could take a bite, it was snatched by a few refugees. His jade pendant… fell at that time.”
Su Yuniang said, “Why didn’t you stop them?”
Old Master Su said, “There were so many refugees. Could we control them?”
Su Xiaoxiao said, “Then what’s the difference between stealing and you picking up my father’s thing and not returning it to him?”
Old Master Su’s face turned green and red.
It was too late to regret it now. The reputation of the Su family had been torn apart by this noble from the capital.
The reputation he was so proud of was actually so fragile in front of absolute power!
He was like a frog in a pond. So what if a group of small fish and shrimps admired him for many years?
When an eagle flew over from the sky and flapped its wings, it could flip the entire pond!
He looked at Su Cheng again.
Su Cheng was stunned.
Old Master Su thought of what the noble had said. This was a gift from the emperor.
If this was an item bestowed by the emperor, then where did Su Cheng come from?
He seemed… to have been wrong all along.
He was wrong. So was his father.
They thought that the child would not survive.
If they had known earlier, they would have adopted Su Cheng…
Old Master Su’s thoughts had never been so chaotic. Countless ridiculous thoughts appeared in his mind.
However, it was too late now.
“Zheng Guang, take them away first.”
“Yes!”
Zheng Guang took the Su family away.
Su Yuan had something more important to verify in his heart. He turned to look at Su Cheng’s eyebrows, which were identical to his aunt’s. “Where did you get your jade pendant?”
Su Cheng said openly, “Oh, I picked it up.”
A trace of disappointment flashed across Su Yuan’s eyes. “Where did you pick it up?”
Su Cheng said, “I don’t remember. Anyway, I’ve had this jade pendant since I can remember.”
These words made Su Yuan’s eyes light up again. “Could it be… that you didn’t pick it up?”
Su Cheng scratched his head. “I heard you say just now that this thing has quite a background. If I didn’t pick it up, could it be my own? I’m not afraid of you laughing at me. I was a cowherd when I was young!”
Hearing how Su Cheng had grown up, for some reason, Su Yuan’s heart suddenly ached. “Where are your parents?”
Su Cheng said, “I don’t have parents.”
Su Yuan was stunned.
Su Xiaoxiao explained, “My father wandered here 30 years ago. He can’t remember much about his childhood. Actually, I also suspected that this jade pendant belonged to my father, but when you said that it was a gift from the emperor just now, it shouldn’t be.”
No matter what, it was impossible for her father to be related to the royal family, right?
Su Yuan hurriedly said, “It’s not a gift from the emperor. I was just scaring that family.”
Uh, was he so scheming?
Su Xiaoxiao said, “So were you helping us out just now?”
Of course, Su Yuan was not trying to help the Su family out, but there were some things that he could not say yet.
He looked at Su Cheng again. “Can I ask when your birthday is?”
…
On the field, Wei Ting was helping Old Li plow the ground.
Old Li accidentally sprained his waist. Wei Ting passed by and came over to help.
Actually, he did not know how to plow. His donkey had led the Li family’s cow in the plowing.
Needless to say, the plow was quite straight.
It was a little late now, and there were no other villagers in the field.
“My Lord!”
Yuchi Xiu used his qinggong to leap over.
Wei Ting threw the whip at him.
Yuchi Xiu frowned. “Sir, I’m not here to plow the ground!”
Wei Ting said calmly, “Now you are.”
Yuchi Xiu was speechless.
“Sir, I have something to report!”
“It had better be good.”
Wei Ting did not want to hear those impure things.
Yuchi Xiu said seriously, “Of course, it’s serious business! Lord, your father-in-law went to rob someone again!”
Wei Ting asked, “What do you mean again?”
Yuchi Xiu automatically skipped the question. “Sir, guess who he kidnapped this time? It’s actually Su Yuan! Sir, you didn’t guess wrongly! It’s Su Yuan from the Marquis of Zhenbei!”
Wei Ting paused.
Yuchi Xiu said, “Sir! I’ll kill him!”
If he couldn’t kill Xiao Zhonghua, let him kill Su Yuan!
Otherwise, life would be too boring!
He was a killer! A killer!
“Sir, kill him? If you don’t, you’ll be exposed if Su Yuan sees you later! Xiao Zhonghua didn’t tell anyone when he discovered you because he wanted to get rid of you secretly. Su Yuan is different. He’ll return to the capital to complain!”
Wei Ting was deep in thought.
Yuchi Xiu persevered.
“Sir, do you need me to remind you that you should be cultivating under the decree at the Dragon Temple in the capital?”
“Although it’s cultivation with hair, it’s still cultivation!”
“Or should I call you Monk Xuan Xin? Master Xuan Xin?”
…
Ever since he came out of the Su family, Su Yuan could not calm down for a long time.
Zheng Guang said, “Master, you just fell ill. Let’s go to the inn to rest for the night.”
“No.” Su Yuan adjusted his breathing and tried not to sound shaky. “Back to the prefecture city!”
“But you…”
Zheng Guang wanted to say that he had escaped death and would probably not be able to take it after traveling for so long.
However, when he sensed the chaotic aura in the car, he swallowed the words he was about to say.
He entered the residence at the age of 13 and worked as a servant for the heir for 20 years. He knew the heir very well. Unless something big happened, he would not be so emotional.
The two of them returned to the ancestral residence in the prefecture capital overnight.
The beast pulling the carriage was a high-grade warhorse. It was faster than those pulling ordinary carriages. In the latter half of the night, Su Mo heard a servant report that his father was back.
Su Mo quickly put on his clothes and went to see his father.
“Father, you rushed back overnight. Did you manage to invite Imperial Physician Fu?”
Back then, Imperial Physician Fu faked his death and left the capital. Even the Third Prince was kept in the dark. If not for the relationship between the Marquis of Zhenbei and Grandmaster Hui Jue, he probably would not have known the real news about Imperial Physician Fu.
Su Yuan had not slept for the entire night. His body was tired, but his eyes were bright.
Su Yuan said, “Imperial Physician Fu… I was a step too late. He has already passed away.”
Su Mo said, “What? Then isn’t Grandpa…”
Su Yuan waved his hand. “Imperial Physician Fu’s son has inherited his medical skills. Don’t be anxious about your grandfather’s illness. I have another urgent matter to tell you.”
The last time his father was so serious, he was seeing to his marriage to the daughter of the Lin family.
“Father.”
Su Yuan told his son about the jade pendant.
Su Mo was shocked. “Father means… Qin Che…”
Su Yuan said, “It’s hard to say now.”
This matter was too big.
It was so big that Su Yuan did not dare to believe it himself.
If Qin Che brought back the jade pendant that they had acknowledged and it was really the one that the Su family had sold, there would be something fishy.
To be honest, he did not want to suspect Qin Che, but Su Cheng’s eyebrows were too similar to his aunt’s. That little girl also had some traces of his aunt’s features in her youth.
There was also the faint intimacy that rose in his heart when he was in the Su family…
“Su Cheng’s birthday is also the 29th of the first month…”
There were too many coincidences.
Su Mo said suspiciously, “But if he is… why did he change his name to Su Cheng?”
Su Yuan shook his head. “I’m not sure. He doesn’t remember much about what happened before he was six years old. But Mo’er, the moment I saw that girl, I thought of Aunt. When I saw Su Cheng, I…”
Realizing that his words were too absolute, Su Yuan closed his eyes and calmed down.
Su Mo pondered and said, “Father, with all due respect, could there be something…”
Su Yuan said, “Are you referring to a conspiracy?”
Su Mo did not deny it. “It’s very important, Father. We have to be careful.”
This was not only a matter of the Su family but also the entire Qin family.
Su Yuan thought for a moment and said, “Your concerns are not unreasonable… How about this? Immediately send a pigeon to report this to your grandfather.”
Su Mo said, “Father, why don’t we investigate first? Shall we inform Grandpa after investigating?”
Su Yuan’s attitude was very firm. “Report to your grandfather first. If you want to investigate, you can send someone to investigate.”
Su Mo agreed. “Got it, Father!”