Chapter 87: 087. The Truth Reveals (Second Update)
Translator: 549690339
After a short moment of panic, Ma Yaozu regained his composure, insisting that he had been drunk at the restaurant the previous day and couldn’t remember what he had said to Xiu Shirong.
In response to the waiter’s claim that they hadn’t been drunk, Ma Yaozu argued that it was quite normal for a waiter to make a mistake when dealing with so many customers every day.
Su Liang took out two questionnaires, “One student saw you heading towards the well yesterday evening, another saw you coming back from the well. What do you have to say about that?”
Ma Yaozu, who had been standing, trembled a bit at Su Liang’s words, then lowered his head, “It was dim in the evening, they must have seen it wrong. I never went there, Miss Su, don’t make false accusations!”
“So, no tears till you see the coffin, huh?” Su Liang put away the two pieces of paper, “then let’s wait and see what Mr. Xiu has to say when he gets here.” No sooner than Su Liang finished speaking, footsteps were heard outside.
The two government soldiers who had been sent to the Xiao Family by Lin Shuzhi to find Xiu Shirong were back, carrying someone with them.
Su Liang had never seen him, but she guessed this must be Xiu Shirong. He looked ordinary but was dressed splendidly.
Ma Yaozu’s face changed, “What is the meaning of this?”
Su Liang walked over, handcuffed Ma Yaozu’s hands behind his back, tied him up with a rope she had prepared beforehand, and then shoved a piece of cloth into his mouth.
Ma Yaozu struggled, and Su Liang used another rope to tie his feet.
Lin Shuzhi was stunned as he watched.
Su Liang then dragged Ma Yaozu behind the bookshelf,” You listen carefully to what Mr.Xiu has to say about yesterday.”
Then she came out from behind the bookcase and pinched Xiu Shirong’s philtrum to wake him up.
The dazed Xiu Shirong woke up, looked around puzzlingly, then his eyes
brightened a bit when he saw Su Liang’s face.
Realizing that he was sitting on the ground, Xiu Shirong got up, his face darkening, “I was fine at home. Who brought me here? In bright daylight, I’m going to sue you all!”
Lin Shuzhi guessed who did it, but of course, he wasn’t going to reveal it, “Xiu
Shirong, do you know what happened at the academy last night?”
Xiu Shirong found a place to sit down and shook his head, “What happened? I got up late, I didn’t know.”
Lin Shuzhi said solemnly, “Somebody poisoned the academy’s well, almost causing casualties.”
Xiu Shirong leaned forward, a shocked look on his face, “How could this happen? Is everyone alright?”
Lin Shuzhi shook his head, “A close shave. We are currently investigating the culprit and need everyone’s whereabouts for the past five days. Ma Yaozu said he was with you at the restaurant yesterday. We need a testimony from you. We were about to invite you, but you came.”
Xiu Shirong frowned, “I don’t know anything; I was abducted here. Never mind.
What did the dean say just now? Ma Yaozu? Oh! The poor scholar from Bei’an
County… My classmate? I remember. What happened to him?”
Lin Shuzhi repeated the question, and Xiu Shirong admitted without hesitation. “That’s right, I went to the restaurant with him yesterday. He failed the exam and was dejected, so I invited him for drinks at Huixiang Building when I ran into him.”
“How much did you drink at Huixiang Building? Did you get drunk?” Lin Shuzhi asked.
Xiu Shirong shook his head, “Just a jug, we didn’t get drunk. You can easily lose face if you get drunk during the day. My brother-in-law and sister-in -law are all about face. I wouldn’t want to be scolded by them.”
Behind the bookshelf, Ma Yaozu’s eyes widened in disbelief.
He then heard Xiu Shirong continue, “As for what we talked about… that concerns Ma Yaozu’s privacy. I had promised not to tell anyone.”
Lin Shuzhi looked serious. “You should know what matters most, as you are aware of what happened last night.”
Xiu Shirong muttered quietly, “Poisoning… I thought he was joking…”
Lin Shuzhi’s face darkened, and the government officials standing nearby bristled. “Mr. Xiao, clarify that!”
Xiu Shirong sighed deeply, “Ning Jing, the top student in the Provincial Exam, used Crown Prince Bei Jingwang’s license to enter the Court Examination in Bei’an County. This didn’t affect him, but Ma Yaozu always felt that his glory had been stolen by Ning.”
Xiu Shirong sighed again, “After Ma Yaozu came to the academy, he always tried to curry favor with me. I knew he was after my wealth and seeking benefits from me. But I never really approved of him. He did better in academics than me but was small-minded. Half of the rumors about Ning came from him. I don’t know why he was so jealous.”
“During the Provincial Exam this time, I wasn’t eligible to participate, but I went to see the results when they announced them. Ning became the top student, and I didn’t see Ma Yaozu’s name at the end of the list. I thought he must be feeling down as a classmate, so I invited him for drinks. However, he kept cursing Ning, saying that Ning stole the luck that should have belonged to him by using his privileges! He also used some foul language about Ning and Crown Prince Bei Jingvvang’s relationship, which I can’t even utter!”
“I tried to soothe him and told him it had nothing to do with him. Ning earned his position with his own merit. Ma Yaozu is not old; he can study hard and try again three years later. I even offered to provide financial assistance from my family so he could continue his studies.”
“However, perhaps he was provoked by Ning becoming the top performer, and his failure, he kept saying that he wanted Ning to pay the price. He claimed that he would only achieve success if Ning was ruined. And he also said that he planned to do something major, which would completely tarnish Ning’s reputation if it succeeded!”
“Even though he said that yesterday, he couldn’t really have done something as crazy as poisoning, could he?”
Xiu Shirong finished speaking in one breath, yet at the end, he still defended Ma Yaozu innocently, “I have told you everything I know. Are you going to check where I’ve been and what I’ve done in the past five days? Should I tell the dean now, or should I write it all down?”
“Write it down.” Lin Shuzhi said.
“Alright.” Xiu Shirong got up, “I will go and check on my friends first. If you need my assistance in anything, just let me know.”
Seeing Xiu Shirong about to leave, Su Liang said, “Mr. Xiao, please wait.”
Xiu Shirong turned and gave a smile, “May I know who this beautiful girl is?”
“I’m Ning Jing’s sister.” Su Liang replied, her face calm, “Mr. Xiao, please get a pen and paper and write it down in the courtyard. You can leave after you’ve finished. ”
“Miss Ning?” Xiu Shirong laughed, “Even though I don’t know why I have to listen to you, I have never refused a request from a beauty.” After saying that, he took a pen and paper and sat by a stone table in the courtyard.
While watching Xiu Shirong, Su Liang knew that this man was cunning, and the facts were definitely not as he had described. While Ma Yaozu was jealous of Ning Jing, he wasn’t deranged to this extent.
She dragged Ma Yaozu out and removed his gag.
His face turned extraordinarily grim, “He’s talking nonsense! He’s framing me deliberately! I never said those things! And I didn’t poison anyone!”
Su Liang coldly said, “Ma Yaozu, with Xiu Shirong’s testimony, do you think you’ll be able to survive when you reach the Government Office? You said he’s framing you, but you guys are often together and even drink together. Why would he frame you for no reason?”
Between his gritted teeth, Ma Yaozu blurted out, “Because he wants to…’
His voice suddenly stopped short, Ma Yaozu’s face changing color instantaneously, “I don’t know why the Xiao Family wants to harm Ning Jing, but those things he just said, are actually what he wants to do but he’s dumping the dirt on me! The poisoning must have been done by someone secretly from the Xiao Family, they have the total capability to do it!”
Su Liang watched as Ma Yaozu struggled desperately, but at this point, he was already ensnared. It was too late to escape.
“If it were indeed done by the Xiao Family, they wouldn’t even have had the time to cover it up, let alone telling you about it.” Su Liang asked, her voice icy.
Ma Yaozu wanted to say something, yet he couldn’t articulate it at all.
Lin Shuzhi slammed the table forcefully, “Why not confess honestly now?!”
As if drained of life, Ma Yaozu slumped, “I was instructed by Xiu Shirong… The poison was given to me by him… I was bewitched for a moment…”
Xiu Shirong in the courtyard heard what Ma Yaozu said, merely lowered his head and sneered, showing neither anger nor fear.
With a mournful expression, Ma Yaozu claimed that he encountered Xiu Shirong yesterday while feeling down, and Xiu invited him to the Huixiang Building for drinks.
During the dinner, Xiu mentioned Ning Jing, expressing extreme jealousy towards him, suspecting that Ning Jing’s smooth path in the Imperial examination was arranged by some influential figure behind him.
Ma Yaozu confessed that he too had jealousy for Ning Jing due to his own poverty and insecurity. Many people in Bei’an County often compared him to Ning Jing, stating that he wouldn’t outperform Ning Jing, a young master of a major family who was effectively born with a ‘golden spoon’.
After both of them slandered Ning Jing, Xiu Shirong said that he couldn’t stand Ning Jing and had a plan to ruin him.
Ma Yaozu thought Xiu was making a joke, but Xiu took out a packet of poison, asked Ma Yaozu to put it into the well after returning to the academy, and also gave him a jade pendant with ‘Ning’ carved on it, which was to be thrown next tho
After the incident, everyone would assume it’s related to Ning Jing, either resulting in Ning Jing’s death, or making it appear as though it was something orchestrated by Ning Yao to harm Ning Jing, leaving Ning Jing in a desperate situation nonetheless.
“He said then, as long as I was poisoned too, no one will suspect me. I didn’t want to endure another three years, and I couldn’t afford to, and I was even more afraid of being mocked when I return to my hometown. Xiu Shirong promised that the Xiao family could sponsor my stay in Pingbei City and would give me a large sum of money after the event. If I didn’t agree, he would make it impossible for me to stay in Pingbei City. I didn’t want unprincipled gains, I was threatened into obeying him at the time!” Ma Yaozu asserted resentfully, “The poison was given by him, he was the mastermind, and I had no choice!
But I didn’t expect him to let me bear all the blame and use me as a scapegoat!”
Ma Yaozu’s final admission was more or less what Su Liang had suspected. Being a poor scholar, his jealousy and insecurity were true, but even if he had the courage, he wouldn’t dare perform such a vicious and ruthless act. However, the truth was that he was really threatened, as well as enticed although that may just be an attempt to whitewash his crime.
The truth was, the real mastermind behind all this was the Xiao Family. Being influential powerhouses in Pingbei City, they had already found their scapegoat in advance.
If Ma Yaozu hadn’t been discovered, Xiu Shirong could’ve avoided any involvement at all, and everything would’ve been considered Ning Jing or Ning Family’s matter.
When Xiu Shirong was brought to the academy, he already knew he was suspected, and he instantly sold out Ma Yaozu without any hesitation.
“The depositions of the two of them, did the officials record everything?” Lin Shuzhi looked at the man from the Government Office.
The man nodded, “It’s been recorded. Ma Yaozu admitted to personally committing the poisoning. Ma Yaozu claimed that it was instigated by Xiu Shirong, but that’s just his side of the story, it’s too far-fetched, not credible.
After all, Xiu Shirong doesn’t have any real grudge with the young master
Ning.”
This statement directly indicated the attitude of the Government Office.
Until now, Ma Yaozu could only protest, speaking useless nonsense, as even he didn’t know why Xiu Shirong would want to frame Ning Jing.
Ma Yaozu, bewildered by jealousy and blinded by benefits, had self-destroyed his prospects and ended up in his current state. Su Liang didn’t sympathize with him, yet she hoped even more for the wicked deeds of the Xiao family to be publicly known.
Xiu Shirong appeared at the entrance with a paper in his hand. Seeing Ma
Yaozu, he sighed deeply, “You really have messed up!”
After his statement, Xiu Shirong disregarded the murderous gaze from Ma
Yaozu, walked in arrogantly, and then ceremoniously handed the paper to Lin
Shuzhi, “Dean, please read it. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”
Lin Shuzhi took the paper cold-faced, “Even though there’s no evidence to prove Ma Yaozu’s accusations against you, since there’s suspicion, please take the two of them for a thorough interrogation.”
Xiu Shirong’s face darkened briefly, but quickly returned to normal, “Sure! Those who are clean have nothing to fear, I am willing to cooperate with the investigation! ”
Ma Yaozu was cursing furiously, while Xiu Shirong looked at him, smiling grimly.
The former was led away forcibly, while the latter strutted away, his head held high.
Only Su Liang and Lin Shuzhi were left in the room.
Lin Shuzhi let out a long sigh, “It seems that it was indeed the doing of the Xiao family.”
“But Xiu Shirong will be off the hook very soon,” said Su Liang, “We don’t have any evidence.”
Xiu Shirong truly was the spitting image of the spoiled rich second -generation figures Su Liang had often seen in news in her past life: lawless and fearless.
The only problem was that sometimes it was hard to pin something on them.
A silhouette appeared at the door. Su Liang turned her head and saw it was Ning Jing. She asked him, “Did you bring Xiu Shirong here?”
Ning Jing nodded and walked in, “I heard from the Xiao Family that their plan to frame me was not because of Zhengzheng. Even before I came to Pingbei City, the Xiao Family had reached a cooperation agreement with Ning Yao. One of Ning Yao’s conditions was for the Xiao Family to eliminate me in Pingbei City.”
The previous attempts of Ning Yao’s people to openly contact Ning Jing at the academy was merely a ruse to lower his guard.
After failing several times in Bei’an County, Ning Yao knew that the current Ning Jing was not an easy target, and didn’t expect that moral blackmail would work on him.
His real hidden card was the Xiao Family.
Su Liang’s eyes narrowed, “If the jade pendant had been discovered last night, you would’ve already been arrested. As long as the Xiao Family handled the situation well, you might end up having to escape from jail to save your life, not to mention your career.”
Lin Shuzhi’s face turned whiter, “Disgusting! These people are outrageous!”
Su Liang fell into thought, “We need to figure out a way to make Xiu Shirong confess and rat out Ning Yao. If the Government Office is going to be corrupt and unjust, then we’ll just have to arrange a meeting with the Yama King for some people..”
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