It's unclear what words provoked Zuo Lanzhi, but she leaned against the wall, stood up from the ground, and roared loudly.
"I'm vicious? Then what are you? You used your foxy face to seduce Brother Luo Sheng. If it weren't for you, Brother Luo Sheng wouldn't have kicked me out."
Xiao Yunying was shocked and puzzled: "Have you forgotten what despicable thing you did that led to your expulsion?"
Zuo Lanzhi completely lost her temper at this moment: "That's because I like Brother Luo Sheng. It's all your fault for ruining my plans."
Xiao Yunying couldn't believe that someone's values could be so warped: "No wonder Luo Sheng doesn't like you. With your character, no normal person would like you."
"What do you know? Brother Luo Sheng and I grew up together..."
"Shut up!" Xiao Yunying shouted. "If you really have such deep feelings for him, where were you when his home was raided? When he was exiled, did you inquire about his whereabouts? Did you offer him a helping hand? You avoided him when he was down on his luck, but now that he's successful, you're eagerly coming back to him. What kind of love is that!"
Every word pierced through Zuo Lanzhi's hypocritical face and went straight to her heart. She roared in anger and embarrassment, "So what? I am the legitimate daughter of the Minister's mansion. I should be worthy of the best man. What do you, a peasant girl who is not worthy of being presented to the world, know!"
Xiao Yunying deliberately looked her up and down: "I heard from Luo Song that the Minister is fair and just, and his family has strict discipline. How could he have raised a daughter like you? Could it be that you were switched at birth?"
Upon hearing this, Zuo Lanzhi became even more frantic and lunged at Xiao Yunying.
Luo Sheng stepped forward and embraced Xiao Yunying, dodging Zuo Lanzhi with a sidestep, causing the latter to fall directly to the ground.
Zuo Lanzhi was badly hurt by the fall. She clutched her stomach and couldn't get up for a long time. She turned to Xiao Yunying and shouted, "I am my father's biological daughter, the legitimate daughter of the Minister's mansion. If you keep talking nonsense, I'll tear your mouth apart!"
Looking at her disheveled and ugly state, Xiao Yunying curled her lips and said sarcastically, "You hired thugs to kidnap a child, which violates the laws of this dynasty. Zuo Lanzhi, you don't think I would let you go without reporting it to the authorities just because of your father, the Minister, do you?"
Zuo Lanzhi suddenly laughed: "Xiao Yunying, do you think I'm that stupid? You can go and interrogate those two brothers and ask them if I hired them to kidnap your child."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yunying's expression changed slightly.
Seeing that her expression had changed, Zuo Lanzhi felt a surge of pleasure and laughed even louder. Ignoring Luo Sheng's presence, she blurted out everything she was thinking.
"Xiao Yunying, that bastard Luo Xin suffered this calamity because of you. You overestimated yourself and coveted what didn't belong to you. You like that little girl so much. When I return to the capital, you must keep a close eye on her and stay by her side every step of the way, lest she die young due to some accident. You'd be heartbroken to death if that happened to her."
The surrounding officials looked at the young lady lying on the ground, who was supposedly from the family of the Minister of Revenue, as if she were a madwoman. This young lady really was crazy, daring to say such things in front of General Luo.
Xiao Yunying's expression grew colder and colder as she spoke. After she finished speaking, she walked over without saying a word and squatted down beside her.
Zuo Lanzhi was still a little scared from the dozen or so slaps she had just received, and she backed away, sliding along the ground.
"What do you want to do!"
Xiao Yunying didn't say anything, but suddenly took out a fruit knife from her sleeve, gripped the handle, and stabbed it straight into Zuo Lanzhi's throat.
Without the slightest hesitation, her knife moved swiftly and accurately. Before the surrounding officers could react, the fruit knife had already pierced Zuo Lanzhi's shoulder and neck.
"ah!"
Zuo Lanzhi cried out in pain, her forehead instantly covered in cold sweat.
Xiao Yunying glanced back at Luo Sheng. He had just thrown a copper coin at her, which hit the knife and caused it to shift off course.
Xiao Yunying swiftly pulled out the fruit knife and stabbed it into her throat again.
Before the knife tip pierced Zuo Lanzhi's throat, Luo Sheng picked up Xiao Yunying and said, "Yunying, that's enough."
Zuo Lanzhi was truly terrified this time, and the pain made her tremble uncontrollably: "Brother Luo Sheng, she wants to kill me, please save me."
Xiao Yunying coldly questioned, "You want to protect her?"
Luo Sheng pulled the fruit knife from her hand: "She is, after all, a relative of an official. If you kill her in front of everyone, you will be in trouble."
Xiao Yunying had already let go of her murderous urge and let him take the fruit knife away. She said, "Since I dared to kill her like this, I can guarantee that I won't be held accountable by the Emperor."
As long as she could be someone useful to the emperor, she didn't believe he would kill her for the sake of an official's daughter.
Although she disliked being too conspicuous, she also didn't want to be bullied for being too low-key and not know how to fight back.
"Yun Ying, calm down, don't be so impulsive."
Xiao Yunying pointed at Zuo Lanzhi and said, "Didn't you hear what she said? She threatened me with Xin'er!"
"I know……"
"You know nothing."
Xiao Yunying cursed out loud: "You left the children to me to raise without saying a word. I know you had your reasons, but have you ever thought about why I should suffer so much because of your reasons?"
I'm letting you off the hook because you're protecting our country, but that doesn't mean I have no resentment, nor does it mean I deserve to suffer and toil raising your child.
"You finally came back, and before you could even enjoy a few days of peace, you brought back this crazy woman to torment me. She even tried to hurt my Xin'er! So what if I wanted to kill her to prevent future trouble? Why are you stopping me!"
Xiao Yunying grew angrier as she spoke, and her hand, pointing at Zuo Lanzhi, began to tremble.
Luo Sheng grasped her hand and said, "Calm down, listen to me..."
Xiao Yunying shook off his hand and walked towards the door: "Let go of me, you dog of a man, I don't want to listen to your high-sounding principles."
The three little heads peeking out from outside quickly retreated and hurriedly climbed onto the carriage.
Xiao Yunying limped back to the carriage, leaning against the wall, and said to the driver, "Let's go home."
The coachman responded and waited a while before driving the carriage away from the alley.
On the way back, Xiao Yunying stroked Luo Xin's hair and asked with concern, "Does your body still hurt?"
Luo Xin's emotions had calmed down: "Xin'er is not in pain, Mother, are you in a lot of pain?"
Her brothers said that their mother was covered in injuries from the fall, and she didn't dare to hug her anymore.
"It doesn't hurt, Mom. When we get back, Mom will put some ointment on you, and the bruises will fade away quickly."
Luo Xin lowered her eyes and nodded without saying a word.
My mother must be lying. There's such a big abrasion on her chin, how could it not hurt?
Luo Xin lowered her head, pouted, and held back her tears.
I must be strong, I mustn't cry, and I mustn't let my mother worry.
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