Chapter 33 Farewell Banquet
Under the high pavilion, beside the pool, and on the grass, small cushioned tables were set up, and Xuanji Liuli carefully arranged the wine and food.
It was said to be a farewell banquet, but since the host had just passed away, the vegetables and fruits prepared were naturally simple and plain, without too much meat.
The dishes were simple and soon they were all served and placed in front of the gentlemen.
The meadow was flat and vast, the late summer sun shaded by tall trees, a warm, emerald green. The lotus flowers in the pond were sparse, but the crape myrtles were in full bloom, rustling like fine gauze in the breeze, leaving a lasting impression.
Qiandeng sat at the head seat, and Cui Fufeng sat below and to his right. After all the food and wine were served and the maids had left, Qiandeng stood up with a cup in his hand and raised his glass to everyone at the table.
"Meeting is destiny. I am grateful for your support and am willing to participate in the selection of Lingling's husband. Although the marriage has not yet been completed, we have been together for many days, which is our destiny. Lingling will use water instead of wine to toast everyone first!"
Her mother had just passed away, so she naturally didn't drink. Everyone raised their glasses silently and drank the wine in their glasses.
Qiandeng put down his wine glass, glanced at everyone, and said, "Ten gentlemen, now we are short of one, but it has always been said that it is unlucky to be alone in a relationship, so it seems that we have to gather the full number of people."
Seeing her gesture, A Zhong immediately ran to the woodshed, picked up Nan Yu, who was still bruised and battered, and pushed him hard onto the empty seat below.
Nanyu had been tortured to the point of being pale, his hands were tied behind his back, and he was thrown to the ground in a miserable state.
Nanny Tian was also pushed onto the lawn, where she collapsed and trembled.
Qian Deng walked up to him, looked at him coldly, and asked, "Nan Yu, you are also a candidate for the election. I will give a good feast to the others and send them out of the manor, but do you know why you have ended up in this situation?"
Nan Yu reluctantly raised his head to look at her, opened his mouth, and said hoarsely: "Unjust... County Princess, I, I didn't kill anyone..."
"You didn't kill anyone?" Qian Deng's voice became even colder and harder, and he asked, "Didn't you kill my mother?"
He struggled hard and said, "No, no, someone framed me..."
"You didn't kill Uncle Fu?"
"No! I didn't do it. The murderer framed me!"
"So..." Qian Deng stared into his eyes and asked slowly, "Did you kill the young lady from the He family, the bamboo craftsman?"
Hearing this strange name suddenly come out of her mouth, everyone in the room was confused and looked bewildered.
Only Nan Yu stared in panic, his eyes wide open, his mouth open and making hoarse noises, but he couldn't utter a word. Aunt Tian stared at Nan Yu with tears streaming down her face, her face pale with fear.
Qiandeng ignored them, turned around and glanced at Su Yunzhong who was sitting there.
Su Yunzhong's face was slightly stiff, and he tried hard to maintain the same expression as everyone else, but his trembling eyelashes had already betrayed him.
Qian Deng turned coldly and stared at Nan Yu again: "It was the crying sound you heard on the rockery the night my mother was murdered. She said that her child died so tragically... As the child's father, don't you know why she died?"
After hearing this, not only the dozen or so candidates present at the table, but even Cui Fufeng's expressions suddenly changed, and they stared at Nan Yu in disbelief.
"Actually, this is just an obvious story. Let me guess. You once knew a girl named He. Your relationship was probably close enough to the point of marriage, and she promised to commit her life to you. And yet, at this time, you were chosen as one of my candidates for fiancé. Between an ordinary commoner and the Princess of Changhua Palace, you chose the latter. After all, despite the Princess of Lingling's disreputable reputation and unknown appearance, you felt you had a chance because your mother's childhood friend, Madam Tian, was a highly valued servant at the palace's estate."
Qian Deng spoke, unconsciously raising a hand to gently stroke the scar between her eyebrows that symbolized her lack of kinship. Her tone remained calm, "Madame Tian told you about the county lady's situation, and even revealed the questions she would ask when choosing a husband. So, you gave up your swordplay training and took up horseback archery instead. You practiced diligently for a year or two beforehand, and finally reached a very high level of proficiency."
At this point, she dropped her hands coldly and asked Nan Yu, "However, you can start learning horseback archery from scratch, but how can you start over after deceiving a girl and becoming her husband?"
Listening to her calm words, Nan Yu knew that she must have known everything already. She curled up on the ground, shivering, and dared not speak.
"Especially since she's already pregnant with your child. She doesn't know you have other plans in mind, and is even preparing for a competition to be the County Lady's husband. She keeps pestering you. If this were to be exposed, your bright future, your position as husband you were determined to secure, and even your entire life would be profoundly impacted. So you thought of ending it all once and for all, just getting rid of her. It would be simple and quick, and everything that happened would be hidden from everyone..."
"No, I... I didn't, I didn't kill her!" Nan Yu saw that she had already seen through everything. Although he didn't know how she had investigated in the chaos of war, he didn't dare to deny it. He shouted hoarsely, "She was just thinking it over! I told her that she didn't want this child anymore. I bought her medicine and gave her some money to recuperate in the future... She just pretended it didn't happen. Wouldn't it be better if she just took the money and got rid of the child? I didn't know she was so stubborn. That crazy woman took the money I gave her and bought arsenic instead of abortion pills! She... she's crazy! I didn't let her down!"
His bound body lay on the ground, roaring wildly. Everyone at the table looked at him in disbelief, their faces filled with shock, astonishment and contempt.
Nanny Tian also fell to the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, tears streaming down her face. "County Lady, please understand. That girl is really too careless. Young Master Nan gave her money and agreed to part ways amicably..."
Cui Fufeng, who was at the head of the group, was even more shocked. That day, they had detained Nanny Tian and Nanyu, listening to their recountings of the events. The ghost girl crying on the rockery and Nanny Tian's terrified kowtow were merely fleeting utterances, and he had assumed they were merely a trick by the murderer to lure the tiger away. Unexpectedly, she had keenly sensed the underlying situation.
Qian Deng continued to look at Nan Yu coldly and asked, "Do you think that she was just an ordinary little girl, simple-minded, who was deceived by you and committed suicide, and that you can get over it? Unfortunately, in this world, once you have done something evil, it can never be undone! The girl you don't cherish, there will always be others who do, and who will even ruthlessly kill unrelated people for her, and then shift all the evil deeds onto you, avenging the girl who died in vain."
As she spoke, she turned slightly and looked at Su Yunzhong beside her, raising her voice: "Su Yunzhong, I remember you had a little sister, only one year younger than you. Because your family was poor at the time, she was given up for adoption at a young age. The family that adopted her was a bamboo craftsman, and their surname was He, correct?"
Upon hearing this, Nan Yu stared at Su Yunzhong intently, breathing heavily and speaking unclearly: "You... He Weiniang is your... sister?"
"Yes, the county lady is truly observant, even knowing such a trivial matter." Su Yunzhong knew that the matter would be clear once he investigated it, and he couldn't hide it from anyone, so he immediately admitted it. He knelt in front of the table, fists clenched, and his voice was slightly tense. "My sister was sent away when she was young, and she didn't have much contact with us. If it weren't for the county lady's insight, I really wouldn't have known that she had died at the hands of this bastard!"
He cursed Nan Yu bitterly, but Nan Yu had no time to curse. He seized on Qian Deng's previous words and asked pleadingly, "Who is the thief that the county lady said was framing the crime? Who was it that inhumanely killed Madam and Uncle Fu and blamed me?"
The others present also looked puzzled. "Yes, Nan Yu was the only one guarding the entrance at the time, and there were no other entrances or exits to the pavilion. With all the evidence, who else could it be but him?"
"Yes, according to all the signs, at that time and place, only Nan Yu could have done it, and his archery skills were unique among all of you, unmatched. However, among all the bows you submitted that day, I found that one stood out from the rest."
Aunt Xuanji presented the bow that belonged to Su Yunzhong. Qiandeng showed the two ends of the bow to everyone: "Among all the bows, the one with Shi Jingning's name on it has traces of string pads."
Everyone's eyes fell on Shi Jingning.
Shi Jingning's usually dull eyes widened in surprise when she mentioned him, and his face showed confusion: "String pad?"
"Anyone who knows how to add string pads to a bow is naturally skilled in archery and horsemanship. In your family, Shangluo is too young and his right arm is injured, and the remaining Shi Jingning..." Qiandeng's gaze shifted from Su Yunzhong's face to Shi Jingning's hands. "Perhaps you don't know, but I know very well that he has been learning carving since he was young. Some ingredients, such as tofu, are very soft. Therefore, in order to maintain a delicate touch, he gave up strength. His fingers and palms simply don't have the strength to draw a strong bow, let alone be familiar with string pads!"
Su Yunzhong's face changed slightly, and he forced a smile. "I was careless. When I handed over the bow and arrow, the glue wasn't dry yet, so I rubbed off two labels. So I re-applied them, but I didn't realize I put them on the wrong way. That string pad... I learned horseback archery from my relatives in Ganzhou when I was young, so I just put it on this time. It's just that I haven't practiced in years, and the wind on Leyouyuan is so strong that I lost all my skills that day. I'm sorry to have embarrassed the county lady."
Qian Deng stared at him intently, "You're saying you're really not a good archer, and the only one who could accurately shoot and kill my mother and Uncle Fu is Nan Yu?"
"Yes, I do..."
Before he could finish his words, Qiandeng had already grabbed his wrist and forced his right hand up high.
Although Su Yunzhong was a strong and tall man, Qian Deng attacked suddenly and he was caught off guard. He was caught by her and his palms subconsciously spread out.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Su Yunzhong's palm.
There were several old scars on his broad and strong palms, some of which penetrated from the tiger's mouth and came out from the wrist line, passing through half of the palm, which was very scary.
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