Chapter 125 Lu Bohong, it was your sister who killed my brother!
An hour ago, at the county government office.
Lu Bohong silently placed the neatly folded patrol officer's uniform, sword, and a bronze seal representing the power and responsibilities of the patrol office on the county magistrate's desk.
Without uttering a word, he simply bowed to the county magistrate sitting in the hall, then turned and strode out of the yamen gate.
The sunlight suddenly pierced through him, and he instinctively raised his hand to shield his forehead, squinting slightly.
A surge of resentment welled up inside him, making his throat feel tight.
Just then, a sharp shout rang out from beside them: "Stop!"
Li Nian'er raised her chin slightly, her gaze sweeping over him arrogantly from head to toe, a hint of undisguised sarcasm curling at the corner of her lips: "Inspector Lu—oh, look at my memory," she said, feigning nonchalance as she lightly covered her lips with a fan, "the plain clothes you're wearing now suit you much better than your official robes. A commoner, quite leisurely indeed."
Lu Bohong remained silent.
She chuckled, her words becoming even sharper: "A mere ninth-rank inspector is nothing but an ant in front of my father. He doesn't even need to lift a finger; a single word from him can send you packing."
She abruptly changed the subject, her tone turning sharp: "And your dear sister Lu Zhaoruo! She's just a lowly merchant's wife who runs a run-down brothel and doesn't know her place, daring to repeatedly oppose me? She's simply courting death!"
Lu Bohong's brows were tightly furrowed, and his jawline was as taut as iron.
He suppressed the anger surging in his heart, not wanting her to cause any more trouble, and turned to walk past her.
Seeing that he dared to ignore her, Li Nian'er became even more furious. She took a step forward and raised her voice, shrilly, "Lu Bohong! Listen to me! Go back and tell Lu Zhaoruo word for word that I will never let her go! I will make sure that shabby embroidery shop of hers goes out of business and she ends up begging me on her knees!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Bohong abruptly stopped in his tracks, as if nailed to the spot.
He turned abruptly, his gaze like two beams of cold lightning, shooting straight at Li Nian'er: "Young Master Li, I don't understand! My younger sister has always been kind and calm, and has never offended you. On the contrary, your brother, Young Master Li, has repeatedly spoken frivolously and behaved inappropriately in the street, and even tried to forcibly take my younger sister as his mistress. His actions are reckless and despicable. Who in Jizhou City doesn't know this? Everyone with eyes can see who is right and who is wrong in this matter."
He stepped forward, his tall and imposing figure hardening, and asked in a deep voice, "Now that Young Master Li has unfortunately passed away, our grudges should be settled. Why are you still so aggressive, clinging to my little sister so relentlessly?"
Li Nian'er's face suddenly turned pale, her eyes vacant for a moment, and she murmured, "Yes... now, my brother is dead..."
But the next second, as if burned by those words, she suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with hatred, her voice shrill: "But! It was your good sister who killed my brother! It was her! It was Lu Zhaoruo who killed my brother!"
Tears welled up and instantly streamed down her face. Her whole body trembled slightly as she cried out, "My brother... he died so tragically..."
Lu Bohong frowned, a hint of impatience and anger flashing in his eyes. He categorically denied it: "Stop talking nonsense and making false accusations! There is irrefutable evidence and witnesses to prove that your brother's death was the work of Madam Wan! What does it have to do with my little sister?"
"It was her! It was Lu Zhaoruo who killed her!"
Li Nian'er's screams grew increasingly shrill, almost breaking her voice. She gripped the handkerchief tightly in her hand, screaming, "It's her! It's definitely her!"
Lu Bohong took a step closer, his gaze fixed on her flickering eyes: "You must explain yourself today! Why are you so insistent on framing my younger sister? What evidence do you have?"
Li Nian'er blurted out, "Because of that night..."
The words were on the tip of her tongue when she suddenly snapped back to reality, swallowing the fatal second half of them.
A flicker of panic flashed across her eyes, followed by a cold laugh: "Hmph! Anyway... all you need to know is that I will never let Lu Zhaoruo go!"
"Opening a brothel, is that it?"
Her gaze swept venomously across the direction of the Lu family's embroidery building on the street corner, her tone chilling like a viper's hiss, "I'd like to see how long she can hold out!"
After saying that, he glanced at Lu Bohong with disdain, then suddenly flicked his sleeve, turned around, and strode away.
Lu Bohong stood alone in the same spot, his brows furrowed.
He was filled with remorse. If he had listened to his sister's advice that day and hadn't gone to rescue Li Nian'er, none of this would have happened.
Three days later.
The embroidery shop's accounts were already stretched thin.
Previously, Lu Zhaoruo had almost given everything to help the navy on its expedition, and the money in the treasury was spent like water.
Nowadays, life in the boudoir has obviously become much less busy.
The monthly allowance had to be delayed, and the meals were changed from meat soup to vegetarian soup. Even the lamp oil and candles used on a daily basis were rationed and extinguished early.
Fortunately, none of the embroiderers or their assistants complained.
They had witnessed firsthand how their employer sold his jewelry to make ends meet, and they knew that the supplies were being sent to the front lines to defend their country.
Everyone silently shared their portions of food, but their hands never slacked off while working on their stitches.
The real challenge lies in business.
A regular customer came to the store wanting to order an elaborate double-sided embroidered screen, which required the finest soft satin and gold thread.
However, the accountant was unable to provide the funds, so Lu Zhaoruo had no choice but to politely decline.
The guests then went to Zhou's Embroidery Shop across the street.
After several attempts, the business at the embroidery shop became increasingly quiet, while Zhou Ji across the street was bustling with customers.
Zhou, the owner of Zhou's shop, stood with his protruding belly at the entrance of his shop. Looking at the desolate state of the Lu family's embroidery building and then at the constant stream of customers in his own shop, he couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for passersby to hear: "Hmph, I've really seen something new. I've never seen business like this before! Donating their entire life savings, what's the point?"
He deliberately raised his voice and said to the crowd that had gathered around to watch the commotion, "If you ask me, she's just a woman, all talk and no action! Those Japanese pirates have been running rampant at sea for over a hundred years, their influence is deep-rooted. Do you think a young general can just wipe them out like that?"
"Don't let it happen," he drawled, his tone full of mockery, "that the person doesn't come back, and the ship sinks. All that money will be wasted, fed to the turtles in the sea! Even if they manage to come back by chance, they're high-ranking officials who have made great contributions. All they care about is their future and the court. Who will remember your little favor?"
"Hmph, using all your possessions to curry favor, hoping others will appreciate it?"
Zhou Dongjia scoffed and shook his head. "Stupid! Utterly stupid!"
These words drifted across the street without uttering a single note, and also faintly reached Lu's Embroidery Building.
Dong Rou, who was inside the hall, heard everything clearly. She was so angry that her face turned pale, and she looked worriedly at the still calm figure behind the curtain.
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