Chapter 212: Acting
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
“After our return to the Marquis Mansion, I intend to fairly compensate you for your rightful dues, offering you the opportunity to start anew.”
The promise came from the lips of the aging Marquis.
In this critical juncture, Su Bin finally found his voice.
“There’s something I must inquire. Did my father suspect correctly that the individual who poisoned my grandmother was your peer in life?”
A flicker of surprise crossed the Old Marquis’s countenance as he nodded, albeit hesitantly. “Yes, indeed…”
“One more query, if you will. From the past year to the present, was it also your peer in life who shattered my prospects and obstructed my path to becoming a Cultivated Talent? The very one suspected of poisoning our grandmother?”
Once more, the Old Marquis found himself taken aback, yet he mustered his composure to respond, “This matter remains uninvestigated, with no concrete evidence to warrant its dissemination. Nonetheless, I assure you that, when you arrive in the capital, he will furnish you with an explanation.”
A bitter smirk graced Su Bin’s lips.
“Until I unearth the truth, I harbor no intention of journeying to the capital, nor do I wish to return to the Marquis Mansion. My concern lies in the fact that in a few days’ time, I might fall victim to poison and meet my end.”
“The ordeal of my ruin transpired even before I stepped foot within the Marquis Mansion, and on the day of the examination, I found myself teetering on the precipice of death.”
Su Bin’s proclamation prompted a moment of realization among the listeners.
So it was the other wife of the Marquis who, in the previous year, thwarted Su Bin’s aspirations of becoming a Cultivated Talent!
This woman was responsible for driving their father away.
She held the esteemed position of their grandfather’s most trusted confidante.
Preposterous as it seemed, they were more inclined to believe in her innocence over that of their own kin.
And so, their decision was reached – they would not retrace their steps to the Marquis Mansion, forsaking the ancestral obligations that came with it.
Observing the expressions on Qin Zhenzhen’s and Su Bin’s faces, it was evident that they held knowledge of the situation’s intricacies.
Yet, their lips remained sealed, for Su Bin’s reluctance to return to the Marquis Mansion before a thorough investigation had been conducted prevailed.
The Old Marquis had reason to feel slighted by Su Bin’s rejection, yet his frustration was curbed by an awareness that couldn’t be dismissed.
He held certainty that his contemporary from two decades past was not responsible for the act committed back then. However, that very certainty was overshadowed by the reality that his present peer had indeed perpetrated the offense.
Recognizing his own wrongs, the Old Marquis made an effort to humble himself. “I pledge to you my utmost determination in unearthing the truth. Should irrefutable evidence surface, no absolution will be granted.”
A sigh escaped Su Bin’s lips. “The same assurance you likely extended to my father, but what transpired? Grief-stricken, he relinquished his heir status, opting for a life of desolation in some remote corner…”
The words struck a nerve with the Old Marquis.
Su Bin continued, “More than two decades have passed since then. It’s easy to dismiss the past as a bygone era, unreachable in its truth. I can come to terms with that.”
“But here’s the reality��I’ve come to understand that the architect of my shattered future is none other than your present counterpart. Yet, tangible evidence eludes us both. You’re well aware, just as I am, of this truth. Your hands are tied, I comprehend…”
In that moment, Qin Zhenzhen regarded Su Bin with a mixture of emotions.
She recognized the facade he was putting on. a performance that maintained a delicate balance. He hadn’t entirely affronted the Old Marquis, nor had he fully declined the offer to reenter the Marquis Mansion.
Behind his outward sneer lay a deeper truth—Su Bin had no intentions of returning to the Marquis Mansion.
Still, he feigned acceptance of bearing grievances to aid her cause.
With a metaphorical blade honed like silk, he delicately sliced into the Old Marquis’s conscience. Each incision stirred guilt, triggered introspection, and illuminated a glimmer of hope. A single condition lay before the Old Marquis to reclaim his place—to dispense rightful punishment upon the culpable, thereby paving the path back to the Marquis Mansion.
However, the truth concealed a divergent path—he had no intention of retracing his steps to the mansion’s opulent halls. His resolve was stronger; he intended to dissuade his siblings from returning as well.
His actions were orchestrated in symbiosis with her aspirations. The Marquis
Mansion served as their tool, a strategic instrument wielded against the Jiang Family, while simultaneously fulfilling their vengeful desires for their father’s suffering..