Chapter 140 Take Your Time
Liu Yueli was so angry that her whole body was shaking, and her nails were almost digging into the flesh of her palms.
She gritted her teeth, knowing that she couldn't get away with it today. Luo Zhaohan was clearly determined not to give up until he achieved his goal.
His mind raced as he plotted a way to escape. He reluctantly lifted the wine bowl, sipping the wine that stung his throat in small sips while quickly thinking of his words.
"Sister, perhaps there's some misunderstanding." Liu Yueli's tears welled up from the alcohol. She coughed twice and spoke softly, "I admit, I'm not here just to buy things. My family heard about the instability at the border and are worried about your safety, so they asked me to come and see if I can be of any help..."
"Oh? Worried about me?" Luo Zhaohan leaned closer to her, as if he had heard a huge joke, and lowered his voice. "Are you worried that I won't die quickly enough, so you want to come and check on the progress yourself? Or do you want to confirm whether the people you sent out have succeeded?"
Liu Yueli's pupils suddenly shrank, and the hand holding the bowl shook violently, spilling the wine.
She forced a smile and said, "Sister, the more you talk, the more outrageous it gets. What do you mean by sending someone? I have no idea..."
"Uninformed?" Luo Zhaohan slammed the table, frightening Liu Yueli so much that she shuddered. "Liu Yueli! Do you think I was blind just now? That table-cleaning guy, that brutish man at the door, that Hu girl on the second floor! Who were they all focused on just now? Did you really think I couldn't see? They're exactly the same as those shady assassins your Liu family keeps! Do I need to shout now to see whose orders they'll follow?"
Luo Zhaohan's words revealed his true intentions and directly tore off the last layer of fig leaf!
The blood color on Liu Yueli's face disappeared completely in an instant, and her lips were trembling.
She looked at Luo Zhaohan's eyes that seemed to see through everything, and for the first time, real fear surged in her heart.
This Luo Zhaohan...
She wasn't the brute force type she'd imagined, she knew everything! How did she know that?
Looking at Liu Yueli's frightened look, Luo Zhaohan sneered in his heart.
She certainly wasn't just guessing.
When she helped Xie Wuqi escape just now, she felt that the skills and coordination of those killers looked familiar, very similar to the methods her father had warned her to be careful of, such as the assassins secretly kept by certain aristocratic families.
In addition, Liu Yueli appeared here by "coincidence", looking guilty and scared, so she just lied a little and it turned out to be true!
"It seems I guessed right." Luo Zhaohan released the hand that had been clamping on Liu Yueli, and looked at her calmly with his arms folded, like a cat looking at a trembling mouse under its claws. "Tell me, my dear sister. Is it your father's idea, or your good aunt's? Or... is it you who can't wait any longer and want to get rid of me to make room for you, so that you can smoothly marry the Third Prince you've been thinking of?"
The last sentence accurately revealed Liu Yueli's most secret thoughts!
She suddenly raised her head, the fear in her eyes replaced by intense jealousy and resentment: "Shut up! Luo Zhaohan! What gives you the right? You are just a vulgar woman who only knows how to wield swords and guns! Why do you get so much attention? The Third Prince... he clearly..."
"He's obviously what?" Luo Zhaohan interrupted her, his tone full of mockery, "He's obviously interested in you too? Come on, Liu Yueli, wake up! You're the only one who treats the Third Prince like a treasure! He's only approaching you for the Liu family's money and to influence your aunt in the palace! Do you really think he's interested in you?"
This is simply murderous and heartbreaking.
Liu Yueli completely collapsed, her rationality snapping. She screamed, "Nonsense! His Highness truly loves me! It's all your fault! You're the one who blocked my path! I wish you were dead!"
She was out of control and her voice was so sharp that it almost spread throughout half of the tavern.
This was exactly the effect Luo Zhaohan wanted. She looked at Liu Yueli's loss of composure coldly, without a trace of emotion in her heart.
This kind of woman who is blinded by jealousy is the most terrifying and the easiest to exploit.
"Oh? So it was really your idea." Luo Zhaohan nodded. "You're so brave, Liu Yueli, to hire someone to assassinate the general's daughter. Tell me, if this gets out, can your Liu family protect you?"
Liu Yueli felt as if a basin of ice water had been poured over her head. She woke up instantly, her face as pale as paper. Only then did she realize what she had said in such a hurry!
She's finished! If Luo Zhaohan spreads this...
When she looked at Luo Zhaohan's eyes, her whole body went limp and she almost slipped off the chair.
"No...you can't..." She was trembling and incoherent.
"What can't I do?" Luo Zhaohan stood up and looked down at her. "Now, can we reminisce about the past, my dear sister?"
She deliberately emphasized the last three words, and each word was like a hammer hitting Liu Yueli's heart.
Liu Yueli slumped in the chair, her face pale. She had completely lost the delicate and fair appearance she had just had, leaving only endless fear and despair.
She knew that she was completely doomed today, falling into the hands of Luo Zhaohan, who never played by the rules. She had no room for resistance at all.
Luo Zhaohan wanted far more than just to scare her. Liu Yueli might be a good bait, or a way to break through. The waters at the border seemed much deeper than she had imagined. And Luo Zhaohan loved nothing more than muddying the waters to see what monsters lurked beneath!
…
When Luo Zhaohan said this, Liu Yueli's heart skipped a beat and her back tensed up.
She was indeed afraid, how could she not be afraid?
Luo Zhaohan was completely different now. Although she used to be aloof, she still had a bit of warmth and compassion. But ever since she'd recovered from the accident that nearly killed her six months ago, she had completely changed.
His eyes became cold and his mind became deep. When he looked at people, his gaze was like ice chips, which could penetrate straight into people's hearts and expose all the shameful thoughts.
Liu Yueli subconsciously shrank back on her toes, forcing a smile that was about to fall off her face: "Sister Zhaohan, what are you talking about? How could I be afraid of you? We are best sisters."
The voice sounds sweet, but if you listen carefully, you can't hide the slight tremor in it.
"Best sisters?" Luo Zhaohan repeated softly, her lips curling slightly, a smile that didn't even register, only making Liu Yueli feel even more uneasy. She didn't move forward, but instead leisurely paced to the side. Her fingers lightly brushed against a celadon vase on a nearby mahogany piano table, a barely perceptible speck of dust staining her fingertips.
She looked at the speck of dust and said slowly, "Yes, it was so good that he could trick me into the deserted mountains outside the city, so good that he could watch me fall into that bottomless hunting pit, so good that he could come back with a clear conscience and tell my parents that it was me who disobeyed their advice and insisted on running around, which led to the accident."
Every word was like a small hammer, hitting Liu Yueli's heart neither lightly nor heavily.
The color drained from Liu Yueli's face in an instant, and her fingers clutched her handkerchief tightly, her knuckles turning white. "You...what nonsense are you talking about! You were the one who said you wanted to go gather some herbs that day, and I couldn't stop you! How dare you slander me!"
Her voice suddenly rose, becoming sharp and piercing. It was more like she was weak than angry.
"I'm talking nonsense?" Luo Zhaohan finally raised his eyes. His eyes were as clear as the surface of a frozen lake, clearly reflecting Liu Yueli's panicked reflection. "Yueli, besides my footprints, whose other footprints were there by the hunting pit? They weren't big, and the soles had the city's latest butterfly-loving flower pattern, and the toes were stained with a little of your favorite gardenia powder. The owner of that powder shop probably still remembers that two days before the accident, it was Minister Liu's second daughter who bought three boxes in one go."
Liu Yueli's breathing suddenly became rapid, her chest heaving violently, her eyes widened, as if someone was strangling her neck.
She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Those details that she thought were perfect, those flaws that she tried hard to comfort herself in her dreams at night that no one would find out, it turned out that the person in front of her already knew them clearly!
When did she find out? How did she find out?
Luo Zhaohan looked at her, who seemed to be suffocating, with a hint of sarcasm in his eyes.
She lowered her hand, her voice still flat. "I also know that the hunting pit wasn't originally intended for me. It was for an old herbalist who often collected herbs on that hilltop, right? He accidentally saw you having a secret meeting with a noble. You were afraid he'd tell others and ruin your good marriage, so you wanted him to disappear unexpectedly. But the old herbalist didn't go into the mountains those days, and I, who wasn't very tactful, ran into him instead."
"Stop talking!" Liu Yueli interrupted her sharply, her whole body trembling. Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. "It's not like that... Sister Zhaohan, please listen to my explanation. I really didn't mean to hurt you! I was possessed by a ghost at the time. I was scared..."
"You're afraid of your secret being exposed, your reputation being ruined, and not being able to marry into the palace you've always dreamed of." Luo Zhaohan finished her words for her. "So, sacrificing someone as insignificant as me is the best deal, right?"
Liu Yueli collapsed to the ground with a thud, sobbing uncontrollably, and could only repeat herself over and over again: "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I regret it, I really regret it... After you fell, I had nightmares every day... I didn't think you would die, I really didn't think..."
Looking at her crying bitterly, Luo Zhaohan didn't feel the slightest bit of emotion in his heart.
Half a year ago, when she was struggling to survive at the bottom of the pit filled with bones, every time she fainted she thought she would never wake up again. How could a few light words of "regret" and "sorry" offset that kind of despair and pain?
Her life was saved. The person who crawled back from the edge of hell was no longer the same Luo Zhaohan who was still soft-hearted and still believed in "sisterly love".
Luo Zhaohan slowly squatted down and looked straight at Liu Yueli, who was slumped on the ground. She stretched out her hand, and Liu Yueli shuddered violently and shrank back, thinking she was going to hit her.
But the fingers only gently fell on the top of Liu Yueli's head and smoothed out the scattered beads for her. The action could even be described as somewhat gentle.
But coupled with her pair of cold eyes, it only makes people feel chilled to the bone.
"Yueli," Luo Zhaohan lowered his voice so only the two of them could hear, "You know what? Sometimes, living is more painful than dying. Death is all over. Living, you have to be constantly on edge, hanging on in fear, guessing what I'm going to do next, wondering when I'm going to reveal your biggest fear to everyone."
Liu Yueli's crying stopped abruptly and she looked at her in horror.
"Don't worry," Luo Zhaohan smiled slightly. This smile finally brought some vitality, but it was even more frightening. "I won't tell anyone now. After all, we are best sisters. I, your sister, finally saved my life. How could I bear to make you suffer so soon?"
She stood up and looked down at Liu Yueli, who was shaking on the ground, as if she was looking at an insignificant ant.
"There's still a long way to go, my dear sister." She said the last sentence softly, "Let's take it slow."
After saying this, she didn't even look at Liu Yueli, turned around, and calmly left the flower hall.
Only Liu Yueli was left lying there, her whole body cold, as if she had just been pulled out of an ice hole.
The sunlight shone in through the carved window lattices, feeling warm, but she felt that the light was like the tongue of a poisonous snake, licking her skin and causing pain.
Every word Luo Zhaohan said just now was like a needle dipped in poison, piercing densely into her flesh and blood. It was not fatal, but it plunged her into boundless fear.
Take your time? How? What is she going to do?
This unresolved threat is like a knife always hanging over your head, and you don’t know when it will fall. This feeling is a hundred times more painful than being exposed on the spot!
Liu Yueli suddenly covered her face with her hands, and sobs leaked out from between her fingers, echoing softly in the empty flower hall.
Luo Zhaohan walked out of the flower hall, feeling the warm and bright sunlight outside, and squinted his eyes slightly.
A little maid came over timidly with a cup of freshly brewed tea. It was obvious that she was originally going to give it to Liu Yueli. But when she saw Luo Zhaohan, she was so scared that she stood there and dared not move.
Luo Zhaohan glanced at the clear cup of tea and suddenly spoke in a calm voice: "If the tea gets cold, change it for a hot cup. If people make the wrong path, they have to pay a price before they can remember the lesson, don't you think?"
The little maidservant seemed to understand but not quite, and was so scared that she could only nod her head desperately.
Luo Zhaohan said nothing more and walked straight forward.
Revenge? Of course, it's more than just a few threats.
What did Liu Yueli care about most? It was nothing more than her reputation as a talented woman, her painstakingly crafted engagement with the Prince of Jing's mansion, and her seemingly glamorous life as the legitimate daughter of the Shangshu Mansion.
Then let’s do it one by one.
Let's start with her proud reputation. Luo Zhaohan remembered that the annual Hundred Flowers Poetry Festival in the capital would be held soon.
That is the occasion where Liu Yueli must make a big splash every year.
This year, I'm afraid someone else will have to take the spotlight.
Moreover, the "noble person" who had private dealings with Liu Yueli and made her want to kill the old herbal farmer and silence him...
A cold glint flashed in Luo Zhaohan's eyes. Before she fell into the hunting pit, she frantically ripped off a piece of the jade pendant the man was wearing. The material and pattern were definitely not something an ordinary person would have.
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