Chapter 162 Willing to Surrender to General Xiao and Atone for My Sins
Lu Zhaoruo's gaze was cold, and her tone was resolute: "I did promise your elder sister, and I have never treated you badly. Her original words were that I should keep you by my side and make you my personal maid."
“But I pity you for your loneliness and suffering, so I canceled your contract of marriage, changed your name, recognized you as my sworn sister, provided you with food and clothing, and treated you like family.”
"But you are dishonest and have repeatedly caused trouble."
The last trace of warmth in her eyes vanished: "If I soften my heart and tolerate you again, I will be planting a seed of disaster in my own hands and bringing about my own destruction."
A sudden realization dawned on Wan Wanning's mind.
It turns out that the elder sister's dying wish was for her to become a slave.
No……
My older sister loves me so much, it's impossible!
It must have been fabricated by Lu Zhaoruo to humiliate her!
But I can't leave... I absolutely can't leave!
If she were abandoned in this desolate wilderness, how would she survive? How would she get to the capital, and even if she did, how would she find a way to live?
She was gripped by fear, and suddenly raised her hand and slapped herself hard across the face. With a sharp "smack," a patch of bright red blood rose to her cheek.
She cried out in anguish, "Sister! I really know I was wrong! Please... don't send me away! I'm willing to be your slave, your servant, your beast of burden, just please don't abandon me! If you send me away, I'll be all alone... how will I survive..."
Lu Zhaoruo stood still, her expression cold and aloof, unmoved.
Seeing this, Wan Wanning became even more frantic, whipping herself repeatedly and crying out, "I deserve to be hit! I really deserve to be hit!"
Dongrou silently picked up Abao and watched this scene unfold.
Ah Bao felt that whatever decision her mother made, it was the right one.
Lu Bohong stood aside, a trace of reluctance passing through his heart, but when he thought of the trouble Wan Wanning had brought today—his younger sister was almost killed, and General Xiao had lost a finger because of it—that bit of soft-heartedness vanished in an instant.
It was only natural for her younger sister to decide to drive her away.
Seeing that neither Dong Rou nor Lu Bohong would plead for her, and that Lu Zhaoruo was unmoved and stopped hitting her, Wan Wanning thought of Lü'er and said, "Sister, for Lü'er's sake, please don't send me away, okay?"
Greenie...
Lu Zhaoruo felt a pang of pain in her heart.
At this moment.
Wang Wu and Ban Ling returned weary from their journey with their personal guards.
Sun Jing followed behind.
The group happened to witness Wan Wanning kneeling on the ground, crying and begging incessantly.
Wan Wanning felt immense shame.
Lu Zhaoruo turned around abruptly, not looking at her again, and strode towards Wang Wu and the others, her gaze sweeping anxiously over them: "Are you all safe and sound?"
Before anyone could respond, a person slowly emerged from the end of the line—
It was indeed Monk Lu.
His hands were tied behind his back, his head was lowered, and he showed no sign of struggling.
Ban Ling's booming voice rang out: "Don't worry, Madam Lu! None of our brothers have been injured, not even scratched!"
He waved his hand, pointed behind him, and said, "Several of those Japanese pirates died in the fierce fighting. We wanted to bring the captured ones back for interrogation, but they all committed suicide by biting poison."
As he spoke, he slapped Lu Seng hard on the shoulder, making him stagger: "This bald guy threw away his knife and said he was willing to surrender, but he insisted on coming back with me!"
Lu Zhaoruo knew.
The monk Lu was persuaded by himself.
If it weren't for his own words, he could have taken his own life.
It's thrilling just thinking about it.
A group of people went to the tent to visit Xiao Yeming, ignoring Wan Wanning who was kneeling on the ground.
Wan Wanning lowered her head in shame.
She knew she couldn't get up now; she had to kneel until Lu Zhaoruo was moved and willing to stay.
Doctor Yan has already bandaged Xiao Yeming properly.
Bloodstained strips of cloth lay scattered on the floor. Xiao Yeming sat upright on the couch, his face pale but his expression calm.
But the left hand, wrapped in thick gauze and noticeably shorter, starkly revealed its permanent disability.
Upon seeing this, Ban Ling burst into tears like a child: "General! In the past, when you were injured, weren't you always torn to shreds, with bones exposed? But you always recovered! Now... now this finger is gone... and it will never grow back!"
His rough crying echoed inside the tent.
Wang Wu and Lu Bohong also looked sorrowful.
Behind them, Lu Zhaoruo stood quietly, staring at the empty gauze, overwhelmed by self-reproach and bitterness.
All of this started because of myself.
Xiao Yeming's gaze swept over everyone and landed directly on Lu Zhaoruo.
Seeing her pale face and pain in her eyes, he actually raised the corners of his lips slightly and gave her a light smile with a youthful air, as if the pain of losing a finger was nothing unusual.
Lu Zhaoruo's eyes suddenly stung, and she almost burst into tears.
How can this person still laugh even in such a dire situation?
Wang Wu suddenly remembered that there was still a person being held captive outside the tent, and turned to his personal guards, ordering, "Bring that person in!"
The tent flap was lifted, and two guards escorted Lu Seng, whose hands were bound behind his back, into the tent.
He knelt on one knee, bowed his head, and said in a deep voice, "I, Lu Seng, am willing to surrender to General Xiao and atone for my sins through meritorious service."
Did Lu Seng surrender?
Xiao Yeming frowned slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
Japanese pirates were known for their fierceness and stubbornness; even if they were defeated, they would rather die than surrender. Yet this man actually surrendered on his own initiative.
He asked in a deep voice, "Why are you willing to surrender?"
Lu Seng turned his head and looked at Lu Zhaoruo, slowly recounting her previous words of persuasion to surrender.
"It was Lady Lu's words that woke me up... She said that the pirates at sea regarded the defeated army as worthless, and even if we fought to the death to get back, we would not escape being wiped out and displayed to the public."
His voice lowered, but every word was clear: "I, a sinner... no longer wish to live in the midst of scorn and curses. I long to achieve great things with dignity. If I can... if I can marry and start a family in the future and live a peaceful life, then I will have no regrets in this life."
He glossed over the last sentence, but his ears were burning slightly.
Upon hearing this, Wang Wu clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Madam Lu is truly remarkable! She actually managed to persuade such a fierce bandit to submit!"
Lu Bohong also looked proud, his gaze towards his younger sister full of approval.
Only Ban Ling still stubbornly shouted, "Bah! You're just a defeated general with no troops. Although your martial arts are not bad, our Great Commandery is full of experts. Why should we keep you alive?"
Lu Seng suddenly looked up, his gaze sweeping over Xiao Yeming's bandaged hand, his voice extremely low: "This sinner is willing to offer a secret..."
"Gu Chen and Niu Xin'ou are nothing more than henchmen. The real mastermind behind the scenes... wields immense power and is far from ordinary."
The tent fell silent for a moment, with only Ban Ling's heavy breathing remaining.
Xiao Yeming's gaze was fixed on Lu Seng's face: "Go on."
Lu Seng's Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was lowered so that only a few people in the tent could hear him: "Although Gu Chen and Niu Xin'ou openly direct the Japanese pirates to plunder Linhai, they have a powerful backer behind them. This person... holds a high position and wields great power, and is the real mastermind behind the scenes who allows the Japanese pirates to run rampant and reap the benefits."
“He controls not only Linhai, but also the other six seas and the Japanese pirates at sea.”
He looked up at Xiao Yeming, a resolute glint in his eyes: "This sinner is willing to atone for his sins by helping the general to uncover this person's identity and sever this root of national calamity!"
Lu Zhaoruo's heart trembled violently.
The chaos caused by the Japanese pirates was truly like vines entwining a tree, with one link leading to another.
Xiao Yeming's expression turned solemn, but his gaze shifted to Lu Zhaoruo, and he suddenly asked, "What do you think, Madam Lu, is this person worth keeping?"
As soon as he said this, all eyes in the tent focused on her.
Lu Zhaoruo took a deep breath, met his gaze, and spoke clearly and calmly: "Although Lu Seng has done evil, he has realized his mistakes and is willing to expose the mastermind behind the scenes. This is a great benefit to the country and the people. If he can help the general eliminate the real culprit and eradicate the sea threat forever, he should be given a chance to atone for his crimes."
A faint hint of approval flashed across Xiao Yeming's eyes, then he said to Lu Seng, "From this day forward, you will be temporarily placed under my command to atone for your crimes. If you harbor any further disloyalty..."
His voice suddenly turned cold: "Kill them without mercy."
Monk Lu kowtowed deeply: "Thank you, General! Thank you, Madam Lu!"
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