She had endured so much alone over the years, and no one had ever cared for her like this before. She nodded vigorously, her eyes slightly reddening: "Qingtang, thank you. With your words, I feel at ease."
Shen Qingtang smiled and patted her hand: "We're family, no need to be so polite. You should rest well first. I'll inquire about your mother's matter slowly. I'll tell you as soon as I have any leads."
As night deepened, Shen Qingtang left the courtyard, her thoughts becoming increasingly clear: Feng Axiu's appearance was by no means accidental.
She resembles Su Lingwei.
Her deliberate act of feigning madness must be hiding a secret related to the Su family and Su Lingwei's mother.
What she has to do is follow this clue and uncover the whole truth step by step.
Give Su Lingwei justice.
The chronic toxins in Su Lingwei's body were like a thorn stuck in Shen Qingtang's heart.
She became increasingly certain that the poison was no accident and must have been deliberately administered, and that there was probably something fishy about the cause of death of Su Lingwei's parents.
The next morning, Shen Qingtang had her men bring Su's father, old master, second uncle, and third uncle, who were being held in the tenement, to the main hall of the manor. She wanted to interrogate them personally and find out who had poisoned them.
The atmosphere in the hall was heavy. The members of the Su family were escorted by spirit servants to stand in the center, their faces still showing the fatigue and dishevelment of their labor.
Upon seeing Shen Qingtang, Su's father couldn't help but burst into a tirade: "Shen Qingtang! What are you trying to do now? Let us go right now! I'm Ling Wei's biological father, you can't treat me like this!"
Shen Qingtang sat in the main seat, her cold gaze sweeping over him. Ignoring his taunts, she went straight to the point and asked, "Who administered the chronic poison to Su Lingwei?"
"What toxin? I don't know what you're talking about!" Father Su's eyes flickered, but his tone carried a deliberate forcefulness. "Ling Wei has been physically weak since childhood; that's innate and has nothing to do with us!"
Old Master Su chimed in, "That's right! Don't make baseless accusations! How could our Su family possibly harm our own people!"
Uncle Su waved his hands repeatedly, looking completely innocent: "I don't know what kind of poison it is, this has nothing to do with me!"
Only Uncle Su stood in the corner, his eyes darting around, his hands unconsciously clenching, and a barely perceptible hint of panic flashing across his face.
It stood out starkly amidst the denials from the crowd.
Shen Qingtang saw all of this, her gaze instantly locking onto Uncle Su, her tone suddenly turning cold: "Uncle Su, why aren't you saying anything? Are you afraid to speak, or are you hiding something from everyone?"
Uncle Su froze, abruptly looking up at Shen Qingtang, his eyes filled with panic, yet he still managed to feign composure: "I...I don't know either, Ling Wei's body...I don't know..."
"Don't know?" Shen Qingtang sneered, stood up and walked up to him, pressing him step by step, "When the poison was mentioned just now, everyone was refuting it, but you were the only one whose eyes were darting around and whose face was pale. Who else could it be but you? I'll ask you one more time, did you poison Su Lingwei?"
The powerful aura made it almost impossible for Uncle Su to breathe. Looking into Shen Qingtang's sharp eyes, it was as if all his pretense had been pierced, and his psychological defenses crumbled instantly. His legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground with a thud, his voice trembling: "It...it was me...it was me who poisoned him..."
These words stunned everyone in the Su family present. Su's father stared at him in disbelief: "Third son! Are you crazy? Ling Wei is your own niece! Why would you poison her!"
Uncle Su held his head in his hands, his voice filled with regret and jealousy: "I'm jealous of her! Why is it that she, a mere girl, can learn business from my eldest brother from a young age and become the future head of the Su family! My son is older than her and more capable than her, so why is he inferior to her in every way!"
He suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with twisted resentment and malice. "I want to make her health deteriorate, so that she can't manage the business, so that she will completely collapse, and then my son will have a chance!"
Looking at his ugly face, Shen Qingtang felt an even greater chill in her heart.
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