Chapter 129: The Truth

Song Ce bared his teeth in a cruel smile and walked over step by step. Before Steward Li could react, he was grabbed by the throat.

"Urgh... Young Master."

Steward Li's feet kicked wildly, unable to touch the ground.

Song Ce's gaze grew colder, and the force in his hand increased. Suddenly, he let go and released Steward Li.

"Cough, cough, cough..." Steward Li slumped to the ground, clutching his throat and coughing incessantly. Tears streamed down his face, and the palpitations of having survived death left him gasping for air.

Song Ce said in a cold voice, "No wonder I couldn't find you. So you hid in the Western Regions. Was it Zhang Shi who made you do it regarding my mother's death?"

Steward Li rasped, "Young Master, your biological mother's death was because she concealed her illness, which led to seeking medical treatment too late. I really did send for a physician the moment I found out."

Crack!

Song Ce stepped on Steward Li's lower leg, and the sound of bone fracturing rang out. Still not satisfied, he ground his foot into it. "You still dare to lie!"

"Argh, argh, argh!"

Steward Li cried out in pain and begged repeatedly, "Young Master, I really didn't lie. You can go back and ask the Lady."

"You mean Zhang Shi?" Song Ce chuckled. "She is already dead; I'm afraid I won't be able to ask her. If you didn't lie, why did you leave the Song family after my mother died? And why did you run to the Western Regions?"

Upon hearing that Zhang Shi was dead, Steward Li shivered, his voice trembling as he said, "It was you, Young Master, who killed the Lady."

"Oh." Song Ce raised an eyebrow. "No one else thought I killed her, yet you, Steward Li, insisted it was me. I am very curious, why? What do you know?"

Steward Li said with a sobbing tone, "The Lady mentioned in the letters she gave me that you might be looking for me, so she told me to come to the Western Regions. So when you said the Lady was dead, I thought... how could you, Young Master, have killed the Lady?"

Song Ce chuckled. "Why wouldn't it be possible? I am the one who killed her. You didn't see the look in her eyes before she died—how full of fear and confusion she was."

"Did she really think that by pretending to be good to me, I would obey her every word?"

"If it weren't for her, how could my mother have died?"

Steward Li paused and said, "Young Master, the Lady did not kill your mother, and I did nothing to wrong your mother. You have misunderstood."

"Misunderstood?" Song Ce smiled faintly. "Let me ask you, why did she refuse to speak when I asked her about your whereabouts, claiming she had no contact with you at all? You seemed to say just now that she wrote you letters."

He paused, his smile turning cold. "Why did she let you come to the Western Regions when she knew I was looking for you? And why did you think it was me who killed her the moment you heard she was dead?"

Steward Li hurriedly explained, "Young Master, it is indeed a misunderstanding. I left the Song residence because the Lady was worried you would harm me, thinking I was the culprit behind your mother's death, because you had spoken in your sleep at that time."

"I did indeed have contact with the Lady, but that is because she was kind-hearted. Upon learning that my situation was poor, she often sent people to give me silver to subsidize my living."

"When she sent me the last letter, although she didn't explicitly mention it, I could feel she was very uneasy about you. That is why I suspected you killed the Lady just now."

Song Ce snorted. "Do you think I will believe what you say?"

Steward Li said with some agitation, "Even if I have to die today, I must tell the truth. Your mother really did conceal her illness herself, which led to the treatment being too late."

Song Ce shouted, "Still refusing to admit it! Why would my mother conceal her illness? Could it be that she wanted to die? Do you think that is reasonable?"

Steward Li nodded repeatedly. "Did the Lady not tell you? Your mother did indeed want to die, which is why she concealed her illness."

Song Ce frowned. He wanted to kill Steward Li immediately, but he held back and said coldly, "Then tell me, why did my mother want to die? Was it because you and that woman forced her?"

Steward Li hesitated, looking at Song Ce's expression with caution and fear.

Song Ce roared, "Can't make it up, can you? Then you don't need to say anything. Rest assured, I will make you wish you were dead. I will have you sliced into a thousand pieces."

Steward Li shivered in fear and hurriedly said, "Young Master, I will tell you, can you spare me?"

"Speak," Song Ce said impatiently.

Steward Li took a deep, heavy breath, as if he had given up everything, and said, "Because your mother's maid discovered that your mother was having an affair with a servant and reported it to the Lady..."

Song Ce's eyes turned red as he interrupted, "What are you saying?"

Steward Li said with a mournful face, "I am really not lying. And Young Master, that maid said you saw it with your own eyes. Was that maid lying? I don't know."

"Then, after the Lady found out, she sold that maid to a very distant place overnight, and I personally drowned that servant in the river."

"However, because your Confucian talent was very good at that time, and the Lady had raised you from a young age, she concealed this matter from the Master."

"As for how to deal with your mother, the Lady did not see her; she had me pass on the message that she should live a life of abstinence, and when you grew up a bit more, she would become a nun at home."

"Your mother, out of guilt, deliberately doused herself in ice water on a cold day and concealed her illness to die. Before she died, she didn't want to see you again. It was the Lady who let her see you for the last time. Did she not say anything to you?"

It was your mother who had an affair with a servant!

This sentence was like a bolt of lightning that struck Song Ce, leaving him standing rooted to the spot. Tears gushed from his eye sockets.

The earth seemed to roll over, the surrounding walls contracted and gathered, and endless darkness struck, making him feel as if his body were losing its footing.

Memories that had been selectively forgotten surged before his eyes one by one.

"No, no, no! This isn't true, this is all an illusion!"

Song Ce grabbed his hair desperately, his eyes bloodshot. He wanted to wipe away his tears, but the more he wiped, the more they flowed.

"Ce'er, come have some snacks. I've already told your father that today wasn't your fault, so you don't need to kneel anymore. Get up quickly, you've broken Mother's heart."

"Ce'er, I know you are very filial, but in the future, when your father is around, just call me 'Mother'. If you don't call me that, he will punish you again. In private, you can call me whatever you want, okay?"

"Ce'er! Don't mess around, let go... Urgh!"

The scene of Song Ce grabbing Zhang Shi by the throat before she died surfaced.

The feeling of guilt was like a surging ocean wave, smashing into Song Ce with the momentum to destroy everything. His tears could not stop flowing.

Why didn't she tell the truth before she died?

The voice of the deity sounded: "Perhaps, she was afraid that if you knew the truth—that your mother had an affair with a servant—it would leave bad memories in your heart." ===== CHAPTER 130 =====