When the woman heard this, she couldn't help but tremble slightly. She slowly turned her head and looked at the man beside her, her eyes revealing indescribable fear and deep uneasiness.
However, the man ignored her expression and showed no mercy. He just dragged the woman roughly and walked quickly towards the gate of Dong's mansion, as if he was dragging an insignificant object.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the inner hall of Dong Mansion was extremely solemn.
Guard Commander Dong Zhanqing sat upright in the hall, his brows furrowed and his face gloomy, while Mrs. Dong beside him sobbed softly, filled with unspeakable worry and anxiety about the future fate of the Dong family.
"Master, the eldest lady... the eldest lady is back." A servant came running hurriedly, reporting in a trembling voice, not even daring to look up at Dong Zhanqing's majestic and gloomy face.
"Daughter?" Mrs. Dong stood up first and looked in the direction of the voice.
When she saw the familiar figure appear outside the door, the tears in her eyes could no longer be stopped. She immediately rushed forward and hugged tightly her daughter, Dong Xinhui, whom she had been thinking about day and night.
"You dare to come back!" At the same time, Dong Zhanqing shouted angrily.
Especially when his eyes fell on the scholar next to his daughter, he became even more furious.
He angrily picked up the red tasseled spear at hand and pointed the tip of the spear at the opponent, as if he was ready to pierce the opponent at any time.
"Dad, don't..." Dong Xinhui struggled to break free from her mother's arms and stood in front of Liu Zixue without hesitation.
At this critical moment, she was still worried about this man, even though he might have betrayed her trust and sincerity.
At this time, Dong Xinhui looked haggard and her clothes were tattered. She had long lost the quiet and elegant demeanor of a lady from a noble family.
This made the servants who heard the noise rush over look surprised and sigh in their hearts.
"You unfilial daughter!" Dong Zhanqing felt a surge of pain and disappointment in his heart as he saw his daughter still stubbornly defending Liu Zixue. "Because you did such a shameful thing, you brought this disaster upon the entire Dong Mansion!"
"Someone come here! Catch this bastard for me!" Dong Zhanqing pointed at Liu Zixue and shouted angrily.
As soon as he finished speaking, several strong servants rushed up like wolves and tigers and pinned Liu Zixue to the ground.
Liu Zixue struggled and shouted in fear, but it was all in vain.
His face suddenly became distorted and hideous. He suddenly pulled out a sharp thin-blade dagger from his boot and waved it around wildly. Several servants who were not prepared accidentally had their hands cut by him and could not help but loosen their restraints on him.
When Dong Zhanqing saw this, he immediately picked up the red tasseled spear and stabbed it towards Liu Zixue with swiftness.
But at this time Liu Zixue was like a desperado, no longer as gentle and polite as he used to be as a lecturer. He suddenly grabbed Dong Xinhui beside him and held her hostage in front of him.
At the critical moment, Dong Zhanqing turned flexibly and raised his spear, narrowly avoiding stabbing his daughter.
"Give me two thousand taels of silver," Liu Zixue roared, "and I will let her go. From now on, I will have nothing to do with your Dong family." The thin-bladed dagger in his hand was pressed tightly against Dong Xinhui's neck. The blade was still stained with coagulated blood, which was faintly visible, making people terrified.
"You..." Dong Xinhui was so scared that she was incoherent and just shed tears silently, her heart filled with regret for her infatuation.
However, before Dong Zhanqing could respond, the imperial guards guarding Dong's mansion quietly approached Liu Zixue from behind and swiftly hit his arm with their scabbards.
With a dull "click" sound and Liu Zixue's scream, the dagger fell to the ground, and his wrist was obviously broken on the spot.
The imperial guards took the opportunity to rush forward, subdued Liu Zixue and forced him to kneel on the ground. At this time, Liu Zixue was like a dog in the water, in a miserable state and without any strength to resist.
Dong Zhanqing looked at him coldly, with a hint of disgust and determination in his eyes.
"Take him to jail, keep him under strict guard, and await his fate," said the captain of the Royal Guards.
Following his order, Liu Zixue was tied up and taken out. He continued to curse, but his voice became smaller and smaller until it disappeared completely.
Mrs. Dong hugged her daughter tightly, tears still flowing, "My child, you have suffered."
Dong Xinhui remained silent and just hugged her mother tightly, as if at this moment she truly felt the warmth and peace of home, but the pain and regret in her heart were like a maggot on the heel, difficult to dissipate.
Seeing his daughter like this, Dong Zhanqing's anger had mostly dissipated, replaced by deep helplessness and heartache.
The captain of the Imperial Guards stepped forward and said to him seriously, "Master Dong, we need to take the coffin back to the Ministry of Justice for a new autopsy. Also, please keep Miss Dong under strict supervision at the residence. We will summon her for questioning later."
Dong Zhanqing felt a little relieved to hear that his daughter would be spared imprisonment. He bowed deeply and expressed his sincere gratitude: "Thank you, Captain. I will keep a close eye on my daughter and will never let her cause any more trouble."
The captain of the Imperial Guard nodded and signaled his men to carry the coffin away. At the same time, he ordered his men to take the dagger that Liu Zixue had intended to use to commit the crime back to the Ministry of Justice as important evidence.
At the moment when the coffin was about to close, Dong Xinhui accidentally caught a glimpse of the familiar dress and jewelry hairpins inside the coffin. She suddenly screamed in horror and seemed to have fallen into a state of madness.
"How did you find yourself here? Ghost! It's not me, it's really not me who harmed you..." Dong Xinhui was so scared that she curled up in the corner, trembling all over, and kept muttering to herself.
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