Library of Heaven’s Path 2: Eternal Destiny

Chapter 25: Confrontation

"Was it really your fault?" Yu Xiaoyu exclaimed in surprise.

She trusted her driver more, and since he admitted it, it should be true.

Feng Jin couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. His eyes gleamed as he bowed and cupped his hands, "Miss, this driver has confirmed it personally. Please order Zhang Xuan to be punished immediately..."

Mo Yanxue frowned and looked over, "Do you have anything to say?"

"I... abused it to death?"

Zhang Xuan gritted his teeth, looking extremely aggrieved. He suddenly turned to the driver, "First of all, we only met today. How do you know I abused the horse? Secondly, since you insist that Su Shang died because of my abuse, can you tell me how exactly it died? And when?"

"Well..." The driver hadn't expected such detailed questions. He couldn't meet Zhang Xuan's gaze, shrinking back and speaking less confidently, "It was right after you and the young lady left that it couldn't take it anymore and died..."

"That's not right!" Zhang Xuan immediately interrupted him before he could finish, "Just now, Steward Feng said it died two hours after we left. How could it have died right after we left according to you?"

From riding in the carriage, he knew the driver and Steward Feng had coordinated their stories. His probing had revealed that they hadn't discussed the exact details of Su Shang's death in depth. This was an opportunity to exploit.

Sure enough, hearing this, the driver was stunned and then awkwardly said, "I must have remembered wrong... it did die two hours after you left..."

"Miss Yu, Miss Mo and I were in the academy for less than two hours. Are you suggesting that we had already returned before the horse died?" Zhang Xuan questioned.

"Well, then... it must have died after you left..." The driver visibly panicked.

"It's over..." Feng Jin's face turned pale, realizing Zhang Xuan had exposed the driver's lack of confidence.

Seeing the driver's nervousness, Zhang Xuan stopped pressing and turned to bow, "City Lord, Miss Mo, Miss Yu, you must have seen that this driver's words are inconsistent and clearly lying. I implore you to clear my name!"

Mo Yanxue raised her eyebrows and looked at Yu Xiaoyu. At this point, anyone could tell the driver was lying.

Understanding her friend's intention, Yu Xiaoyu flared up, "What's going on? If you dare speak one more lie, I'll have you beaten to death right now!"

Yu Longqing also flicked his sleeve, "You know the rules of my mansion. I shouldn't have to say more!"

Thud!

Seeing both the young lady and the City Lord angry, the driver couldn't hold it anymore and fell to his knees. Trembling, he pulled out a pile of copper coins from his pocket, "City Lord, Miss, Steward Feng gave me 50 source coins to say this. I didn't want to falsely accuse anyone..."

"You... you're lying to defame me..." Feng Jin's vision darkened, and he also fell to his knees, waving his hands repeatedly, "Miss, I didn't do it. He's lying. How could I give him money..."

"Shut up! It's not your turn to speak yet." Mo Yanxue, shocked that her family's steward could do such a thing, felt utterly humiliated. She turned to the driver, "What exactly happened, and how did Su Shang die? Tell us in detail!"

"Yes, miss!"

Seeing that he could no longer hide the truth, the driver didn't dare to waste any more time and quickly recounted what he had witnessed in detail: "After you left, Steward Feng thought that if Zhang Xuan could tame Su Shang, he could definitely do it too. So, he went to harass it. Su Shang couldn't bear the humiliation and crashed into a pillar to end its life. I don't know what happened after that because I didn't see it."

"You were the one harassing it! Your whole family was harassing it! Stop spouting nonsense..." Feng Jin almost burst into tears.

He had just tried to tame it, but being accused of harassment felt so humiliating. Harassing a horse... and it was a male horse at that! Was he insane?

"It's true!" The driver nodded. "Not only did I see it, but there were also at least hundreds of people who saw it clearly. City Lord, Miss, if you don't believe me, you can ask anyone. Su Shang committed suicide by breaking its neck."

After hearing the explanation, Adviser Liao approached Su Shang and touched its neck. Sure enough, the cervical bone was broken. He then nodded to the City Lord, "It did indeed die by crashing into the wall."

"Feng Jin, do you have anything to say?" Mo Yanxue's voice turned icy, like the chill of winter, her delicate fist clenched tightly.

She was truly furious now. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought that the steward she had always trusted could do such a thing.

"Miss, I..." Feng Jin's face was ashen, and he slumped to the ground.

With such detailed accusations against him, he knew that no matter what he said now, it would be hard to explain himself.

"As the steward, enjoying the benefits of the Mo family, you not only failed to repay us but also killed my Su Shang and framed someone else. This is a grave sin..." Mo Yanxue's voice was filled with anger as she waved her jade hand.

"Miss, I'm being wronged..." Feng Jin cried out. "Su Shang did die by crashing into the wall, and I admit my fault in that. But it was also injured, especially with a wound on its belly. I swear it wasn't me who caused that injury."

Mo Yanxue: "If it wasn't you, then who was it?"

Feng Jin: "After Su Shang crashed into the wall and died, Wu Xiang and I were preparing its body when we found that it was already severely injured. Its abdomen had been slashed, and because it was previously stitched up, we hadn't noticed. I believe it must have been Zhang Xuan who caused this wound while trying to tame it. Su Shang couldn't bear the physical and mental pain, so when I tried to comfort it, it crashed into the wall and died."

"Even now, you're still trying to pin the blame on me..." Zhang Xuan said. "Since you claim you didn't cause the wound, do you have any evidence? Or, if you say it was me, do you have any proof?"

"I..."

Feng Jin was speechless, then turned and said, "Wu Xiang can testify!"

"Yes, I can testify. Everything Steward Feng said is true..." Wu Xiang quickly added.

"You think you can testify? Didn't you just say I was the one who killed Su Shang?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "You two are colluding, and your words can't be considered evidence anymore!"

"Miss..." Wu Xiang quickly looked up.

Mo Yanxue: "Zhang Xuan is right. Your words can't be used as evidence anymore. Feng Jin, if you have no other proof, then this wound was indeed caused by you!"

Feng Jin wanted to explain, but found he really couldn't. His face was full of anxiety. Suddenly, he thought of something and quickly spoke, "Miss, think about it. If Su Shang had already crashed and died, what would be the point of me cutting open its belly? Wouldn't that just create trouble for myself? So, this wound must have been there earlier..."

"Pointless?"

Before Mo Yanxue could speak, Zhang Xuan stared at him intently. "If I remember correctly... didn't Su Shang eat a Mo Yun Jade Stone? Could this item be the reason or... the point?"

"Yes! Mo Yun Jade Stone is very valuable. When Liu Mingyue lost it, she cried out of distress. Whoever gets it could sell it for a considerable price!" Yu Xiaoyu nodded.