Chapter 117 Wan Miaoniang was hanged
She could no longer hold back and burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably as tears mingled with the dirt on her face: "Ningniang... Sister... Sister can't protect you anymore..."
"I don't want that! I only want my older sister!"
Wanning's mother clung tightly to the wooden railing, crying out, "Sister, tell me... you didn't kill him, did you? How could you possibly kill Li Yanei! You clearly said he treated you extremely well..."
Wan Miaoniang's tears fell. Her gaze passed over her sister and fell on Lu Zhaoruo, who was wearing a veil and standing quietly to the side in the crowd. Her voice was not loud, but it was unusually clear. She was speaking to her sister and also making a promise to that person: "Ningniang, it is true that Li Yanei was killed by my elder sister."
She looked away, gazing into her sister's eyes filled with disbelief and fear, and whispered painfully, "He...he's taken a fancy to you, he thinks about you every day...he wants you to be given to him, sister..."
"How could I, how could I let him ruin you? That's why...that's why I hardened my heart..."
Wan Ning's mother shook her head violently, blurting out, "Sister, wouldn't it be better if I served Young Master Li with you? We sisters could look after each other..."
She even stopped crying, her lips moved a few times, and finally she murmured softly, "Or is it that my sister is afraid he will love me more and neglect you, so she won't let me..."
Wan Miaoniang was struck dumb, staring incredulously at her younger sister whom she had always cherished since childhood.
How could she... how could she have such a thought?
A wave of sorrow suddenly gripped her heart, suffocating her more than the fear of death.
She closed her eyes and swallowed back the bitterness that welled up in her mouth.
Those words, those sordid truths about how she was forced to entertain guests while serving Li Yanei, how she contracted a terrible disease, and how she lived a life worse than a prostitute, were ultimately left unsaid.
She couldn't leave behind the image of that lowly, filthy, and sickly older sister in her younger sister's last memory.
She would rather die with this illusory "dignity" than expose the pitiful "glory" she had gained through humiliation.
She didn't answer Wan Ningniang's heart-wrenching question, but simply opened her eyes and, weary yet with unusual clarity, instructed, "From now on, you must stay close to Madam Lu and obey her... Stay by her side... You will have a better life."
She glanced around at the bustling crowd, but couldn't find her parents or brothers.
A bitter smile appeared on her chapped lips.
She looked at her sister again, her voice low and clear: "Ningniang, remember... once you leave the Wan family, we... will no longer owe them anything."
She and Wan Ningniang lived a lowly life from childhood simply because they were girls.
They never received a single penny of the family's benefits, but in times of hardship, they were always the first to be pushed out to pay off debts or exchange for interest.
Over the years, she has used her worthless life to earn money and repay the debt of gratitude she owed for giving her life.
Finally, she looked up again, her gaze piercing through the noisy crowd, and took a deep look in Lu Zhaoruo's direction.
The escorting constables, who had been waiting impatiently, urged in a gruff voice, "The time has come! It's time to set off!!"
Wan Miaoniang's body trembled almost imperceptibly.
She took one last deep look at her sister, her gaze filled with unspoken words, worries, and reluctance.
She ultimately said nothing more, letting the bailiffs roughly push the prison cart forward.
The wooden wheels creaked as they rolled over the bluestone pavement, slowly making their way to the execution ground at the end of the long street.
The magistrate said, "The criminal Wan Miaoniang has confessed without hesitation. Her crimes are heinous, and according to the law, she should be hanged! Moreover, Lord Li is grieving the loss of his beloved son and is filled with grief and indignation. How can I allow this villain to live even a day longer? She must be immediately taken to the marketplace and executed in a public manner!"
execution ground.
Wan Ning's mother was at the very front of the surging crowd, watching helplessly as the thick, stiff rope was looped around her sister's slender neck.
She cried her heart out, her throat emitting incoherent moans: "Sister! No..."
Wan Miaoniang glanced at her younger sister one last time, her lips moving silently, as if repeating her final words of advice: "Live well..."
The noose tightened suddenly.
Wanmiao's mother's crying stopped abruptly.
She watched helplessly as her sister's body twitched slightly in the air before finally coming to a stop.
Those eyes that once gazed at her so tenderly could never open again.
Extreme grief and fear, like a giant wave, instantly engulfed her frail body.
Her vision went black, and she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Amidst the uproar and sighs, the crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only the gradually cooling body on the rack and the unconscious, unattended girl on the ground.
Lu Zhaoruo watched all of this.
She felt little joy at having avenged her great grudge; instead, a sense of sorrow overwhelmed her.
She sighed silently in her heart: "Wanmiao Niang, your life has been entirely against your will. In life, you were a bargaining chip for your father and brothers, and a plaything for Li Yanei. After death... you became a piece in my game. The dignity and family ties you tried so hard to protect were ultimately appreciated by no one."
"This world has always been like this for women... They either have to grind their hearts out and get their hands dirty, like me, to earn a living; or they end up like you... becoming mud under other people's feet."
A breeze arose, stirring the light veil of her hat.
She walked to the side of the execution ground, looked at Wan Miaoniang's tragic corpse, and said, "May you never be born as a woman again in your next life."
After saying this, she gestured for Greenie and Dongrou to step forward and carefully help the unconscious Wan Ningniang to her feet, preparing to leave...
Sudden.
A figure suddenly blocked their way.
Li Nian'er's face was pale, her eyes bloodshot. She stared intently at Lu Zhaoruo, forcing out the words through gritted teeth: "Lu Zhaoruo... it's you! You clearly killed my brother!"
Lu Zhaoruo paused slightly, but her face remained expressionless. She merely raised her eyes slightly, her tone flat and almost indifferent: "I do not understand what you mean by this, Miss Li. The murderer who killed Young Master Li has already been executed. Why do you need to slander me with your words?"
It's you!
Li Nian'er was emotional, her voice trembling, "Last night you clearly..."
"last night?"
Lu Zhaoruo's lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint hint of mockery. "Last night, I slept soundly in the backyard of the embroidery tower. Today, I have heard such terrible news."
Her gaze swept over Li Nian'er, feigning pity: "Young lady, please take care of your grief. Don't grieve too much and upset yourself, or you'll say some nonsensical things."
Li Nian'er was so provoked by her detached demeanor that she almost lost control. She stepped forward and lowered her voice, saying, "You're lying! You clearly went to Sweetwater Lane! You must have been there last night! And my brother's death is definitely related to you!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhaoruo chuckled and turned to look at Dong Rou beside her: "Sweetwater Lane? Did I leave the house last night?"
Dong Rou immediately lowered her head and said clearly, "Your Highness, you went to bed early last night. We servants have been keeping watch over you and haven't seen you leave the house even once."
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