Chapter 116 Your sister protected you all her life, yet you blame her?
Lu Zhaoruo's heart stirred.
This was something she hadn't considered before.
Sun Jing added, "Finally, he strictly ordered me to forget everything that happened last night, to act as if nothing had ever happened, and to make sure you are safe."
"I...I deserve to die a thousand deaths! I have to rely on outsiders to save me..."
Lu Zhaoruo listened in silence, her heart churning with unspoken emotions.
The man's image became clearer in her mind—his meticulous thinking and decisive methods were astonishing.
She rescued the person, silenced the witness, and handled the aftermath in one smooth motion, leaving no room for error, even more thorough than she had planned herself.
If he hadn't destroyed the body to cover up the crime, those two survivors today would have been irrefutable evidence, and I don't know how much more trouble I would have had to go through to clean things up.
So, he must really be helping me?
She composed herself, softened her tone, and looked at Fu'er, who was still sobbing beside her: "Let's leave this matter here and not mention it to anyone else. You've both been frightened, so rest well for the next few days and calm down."
Sun Jing kowtowed deeply, his voice choked with emotion: "Thank you for your forgiveness, Madam! I, Sun Jing, will never fail you again in this life. Even if I am shattered to pieces, I will protect you!"
At this moment, Dongrou whispered, "Madam, a fire broke out at the Shuyu Courtyard where Madam Wan lives last night, and it's all over Yong'an County now. Everyone says... that Young Master Li and his several attendants all burned to death in the courtyard, and Madam Wan was arrested by the yamen that night. She's probably already in court now."
Although Sun Jing knew the general outline, he was not clear about the specifics of what was happening in Shuyu Courtyard, and he would never ask a single question.
Lu Zhaoruo smiled faintly, her gaze sweeping over the two of them: "Last night, I did not set foot in Sweetwater Lane, nor did I send any dresses. As for Young Master Li—it was Lady Wan who killed him."
Dong Rou and Sun Jing both understood each other perfectly.
They had seen her covered in blood last night, and they knew how much of it was from her joints.
But no matter what happens, Madam Lu is always right.
They would never ask a question that they shouldn't ask.
After Sun Jing and his sister left, Lu Zhaoruo sat alone by the window, gazing at the growing sunlight in the courtyard.
Last night was a close call, but thankfully Wan Miaoniang took the blame.
Of course, he also avenged himself, and even more so, he avenged his brother.
In the future, there will be no more humiliation of the siblings by Li Yanei.
In the courtroom.
Wan Miaoniang, dressed in prison clothes, knelt upright.
Faced with the gavel and the magistrate's stern questioning, she remained calm despite her ashen face, recounting the "facts" that Lu Zhaoruo had meticulously crafted.
Finally, hot tears welled up in her depleted eyes, churning with years of pent-up hatred. Her voice rose sharply, hoarse with a desperate resolve: "For years, Li Xiu has treated me like a plaything, beating and humiliating me at every turn... I have endured it all!"
"But last night, he actually threatened me while drunk, demanding that I offer him my younger sister who is about to come of age!"
Her voice trembled, yet every word was stained with blood, "I knelt on the ground and begged desperately... but he still wouldn't let my little sister go!"
She jerked her head back, her eyes bloodshot, and roared hoarsely, "He deserved to die! He deserved to die! Since I killed him, I had no intention of living again!"
Gui'er, who was standing nearby, kowtowed and wept bitterly, adding in a sob, "Your Honor, please understand! My wife resisted in every way to protect my younger sister, and Li Yanei became enraged and beat her... My wife was driven to desperation, so she... she grabbed the silver hairpin she had on hand to fight back... In the chaos, she accidentally killed Li Yanei... My wife knew she had committed a terrible crime, and in her panic, she set fire to the house..."
This confession laid bare the intense conflict between years of humiliation and his burning desire to protect his sister, moving everyone in and out of the courtroom to pity.
The details of the case, the motive for the murder, and even the reason for the arson suddenly seemed logical.
Behind the screen in the courtroom, Li Nian'er gripped her sleeve tightly.
As she listened to Wan Miaoniang describe her brother as an utterly wicked beast, and heard the completely distorted "truth," a surge of anger and shame rushed to her head, making her ears ring.
She doesn't understand.
Why did her brother die tragically at the hands of Wan Miaoniang? And what about Lu Zhaoruo?
Last night, it was clearly her own plan that she sent people to kidnap Sun Fu'er and then used the formal dress and coming-of-age banquet as bait to lure Lu Zhaoruo into Yushu Courtyard.
Why did Wan Miaoniang's confession not mention Lu Zhaoruo at all?
That packet of "numbing powder"... she clearly handed it to her brother herself, so how did it become Wan Miaoniang instructing her maid to give it to the servants?
The elder brother clearly intended to defile Lu Zhaoruo, so how did it become an attempt to forcibly take Wan Miaoniang's sister?
Now, not only was his hand severed and he was stabbed to death with a hairpin, but he was also burned to death in a fire, leaving only his bones.
Why did Wan Miaoniang suddenly become the murderer? Shouldn't Wan Miaoniang be an accomplice?
The people sent to abduct Sun Fu'er last night have not returned yet? She sent people to look for them, but they seem to have vanished into thin air.
It is Lu Zhaoruo.
It must have been Lu Zhaoruo who killed her brother!
Then this scheme was set up.
This woman... is so vicious!
She almost rushed out and tore this absurd lie apart—
But after taking only a half step, he suddenly froze.
That packet of "numbing powder" was given to me by her personally.
That plan was also his own idea.
And he himself was indirectly responsible for his brother's death; his father had always favored his brother...
If we investigate further, her reputation, her future... everything will be ruined!
A tremendous fear gripped her instantly, pinning her to the spot.
She could only bite her lower lip tightly, letting the tears stream down her face.
Elder brother.
I will definitely avenge you.
The next day.
The prison cart rumbled along the long bluestone street of Yong'an County.
Wan Miaoniang, draped in heavy shackles and with her hair disheveled, stood in the carriage, her face displaying an almost deathly calm.
The roadsides were packed with people, and the sounds of criticism and discussion surged forth like a tidal wave:
"Bah! You vile woman! You lewd and shameless woman, how dare you murder your master!"
"He killed someone and then set fire to the place; he's truly a viper!"
"Sigh... he's a pitiful person, driven to the brink of despair..."
Amidst the cacophony of criticism and discussion, a small, thin figure suddenly burst through the crowd, staggering to the prison van, tears streaming down her face: "Sister!"
Wan Miaoniang's lifeless eyes suddenly flickered. She looked at her younger sister Wan Ningniang's tear-streaked face, her lips trembled a few times, and she managed to squeeze out a voice with difficulty: "Ningniang... don't cry."
Wan Ning's mother clung tightly to the wooden bars of the prison cart, her voice filled with confusion and pain: "Sister! Why did you kill Li Yanei? Li Yanei... he treated you so well! He bought you a villa, gave you gold and silver jewelry, and gave you money to do things every month... It was because of him that our family's life became more comfortable, and Father and Mother had less toil."
"The silks and satins on your body, the hairpins and ornaments in your hair, the rouge on your face... which one of them wasn't a gift from Young Master Li?"
"Even though you're just a mistress, your food, clothing, and daily necessities are more respectable than those of many legitimate wives..."
"Little sister... little sister used to envy older sister..."
Wan Ning's mother asked, her voice filled with confusion and resentment, "But why...why did my sister kill him?"
"Why did you speak ill of Li Yanei in court, trying to tarnish his reputation?"
"You told me yourself before that Li Yanei was the best man to you, and that you were happy to be with him..."
Wan Miaoniang looked at her younger sister, whom she had cherished since childhood, who was now criticizing her like this. Her throat felt as if it were filled with scalding sand, burning painfully, but she couldn't utter a single word.
Yes...it's all her fault.
It's her fault for always being greedy for that false "respectability" and never daring to reveal a single bit of the humiliation, misery, and torment she suffered at the hands of Li Yanei to her family.
She was even more unwilling to let her sister know how lowly her life truly lay behind all those seemingly glamorous silks and jewels.
She didn't answer Wan Ningniang's question, but instead smiled and said, "Your elder sister has arranged a place for you. From now on... you will follow the owner of Lu's Embroidery Shop. She will treat you well."
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