Chapter 40 Tu Shi Steals Cloth
Lu Zhaoruo continued, "When I returned home recently, my maid said she saw someone following me, and I haven't been able to sleep well at night."
"What?"
Ban Ling's eyes widened, and he raised his voice to the top of his lungs, "Which audacious scoundrel dares to make a move on Madam Lu?"
He rolled up his sleeves, looking ready to fight on the spot. "I'll take some men and ambush him right now. We'll drag that bastard out and see what he's really like."
"cough!"
Xiao Yeming choked on his drink.
Lu Zhaoruo asked with concern, "Is Commander Xiao alright?"
He lowered his eyes to conceal his expression, his voice extremely low: "It's alright..."
Ban Ling was still indignant: "Don't worry, Madam Lu! I'll arrange for the brothers to keep watch right away, and I guarantee we'll find that scoundrel!"
He stroked his chin, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "How about this, I, Ban, will personally disguise myself as a maid and follow Lady Lu home. When that fellow shows up, hehe..."
He made a grappling gesture and winked, saying, "When the time comes, I'll definitely show him what 'Ban's Flower-Capturing Hand' really means!"
General Ban disguised himself as a maid?
Lu Zhaoruo and Xiao Yeming's gazes fell on him simultaneously.
A burly build, broad shoulders, a thick stubble, and rough, large hands as big as a large bowl...
Xiao Yeming's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.
Lu Zhaoruo covered her lips with her sleeve, barely swallowing her laughter: "General Ban is truly righteous."
After saying that, Yingying bowed and said, "Then I will trouble General Ban."
Xiao Yeming's finger bones ground against the wine cup, producing a faint cracking sound.
As he tilted his head back to drink, he glanced at Lu Zhaoruo's pale, frightened face.
He had thought that escorting Sister Lu home under the cover of dusk would be the safest option, but he hadn't expected to frighten her.
I deserve to die!
...
When Lu Zhaoruo returned to the Shen family.
Ban Ling actually disguised herself as a maid.
He wore a short, apricot-red blouse with a shy air. The fabric was stretched taut as if it might burst at any moment. The swirling skirt, which should have reached his instep, was stretched to his knees by his waist and hips. His hair was adorned with silk flowers, which were crooked and looked like a bird's nest. His size 44 feet were stuffed into his upturned shoes.
Her face was painted deathly white, and her eyebrows were drawn in two charcoal pencil strokes...
The two steamed buns stuffed in front of her chest kept slipping down as she walked.
His first words, a booming, gruff voice: "Madam~"
The escort was chaotic and disorganized, yet he meticulously checked every person walking behind him.
He would crouch down and peer into the grass, then jump up and look up at the tree...
In the end, they found no one following them, but it gave Abao and Dongrou quite a fright.
However, he was indeed a righteous and warm-hearted person, and he searched the surrounding area for a long time but found no trace of him.
Later, he sent two archers to ambush the area.
Lu Zhaoruo then treated the three of them to a meal and drinks.
Lu Zhaoruo felt much more at ease after returning to the courtyard.
For the past ten days or so.
Although Banling did not continue to play the role of a maid, she left the two archers to lie in wait.
She did not find anyone else following her.
Lu Zhaoruo thought that, having taken advantage of Ban Ling's influence, that person was probably scared, but she still hadn't figured out whether it was really him...
Dongrou was rubbing Abao's back again, saying, "Madam, I saw...the old lady of my mother's house today..."
Lu Zhaoruo's gaze remained fixed on the "Spring Records": "Hmm?"
"I saw the old lady go to the eldest daughter's courtyard, and the two of them were holding hands and chatting and laughing, they were very close."
Dong Rou lowered her voice.
Lu Zhaoruo paused slightly.
Dong Rou was slightly indignant: "The old lady knows how the eldest daughter treats you so badly, yet she gets so close to her. Now that she's come to the Shen family, she goes straight to her courtyard without even informing you. It's really heartbreaking to see."
Lu Zhaoruo didn't have much of a mother-daughter relationship with Tu Shi.
She knew in her heart that if her mother behaved herself, she would allow her to live out her days in peace, just as she had in her previous life. But if her mother insisted on going against her, then whether it was a blessing or a curse in the future, she would not be surprised if she stood by and did nothing.
She calculated the time; in less than a month, the interest owed by Shen Lingyi would have ballooned to four hundred and fifty taels.
Just as the third watch gong struck, Lu Zhaoruo was awakened by a series of urgent knocks on the door.
Dong Rou, holding a ram's horn lantern, lifted the curtain, the firelight illuminating her tense face: "My lady, the manager of the cloth shop, along with his two sons, is kneeling in the outer courtyard's accounting office, demanding to see you."
Something must have happened so late.
Lu Zhaoruo hurriedly got up.
Accounting office.
Manager Chen knelt down heavily with a thud, his forehead touching the ground.
His two sons, who were shop assistants, stood behind him, each holding a stick.
Lu Zhaoruo hurriedly stepped forward to help him up, asking, "Manager Chen, what happened?"
"Master...this old man...this old man is so sorry!"
Manager Chen raised his face, streaked with tears, his lips trembling, "Ten bolts of fine silk... were... stolen!"
Lu Zhaoruo's heart skipped a beat.
Ten bolts of Quanzhou silk?
That's fifty taels. The goods from the cloth shop are worth a total of two hundred taels.
Lu Zhaoruo hurriedly asked, "When was it lost?"
Manager Chen's eldest son knelt down with a thud, cold sweat beading on his forehead: "It...it happened half an incense stick ago...it was when I was on night watch..."
Lu Zhaoruo's eyes sharpened: "Have you reported it to the authorities yet?"
Shopkeeper Chen shrank back slightly, his eyes darting around: "This...this..."
Lu Zhaoruo: "Such a big matter, shouldn't the first thing to do be to report it to the county government?"
She turned around and intended to report it to the authorities.
The voice of Manager Chen came from behind: "It was...it was the old lady who stole it."
Lu Zhaoruo suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Manager Chen, his back hunched, said in a trembling voice, "The day before yesterday... three bolts of cloth were lost. It was my eldest son who made a mistake while on night watch..."
He slapped himself across the face. "I used my savings to cover the hole, but I didn't dare let the boss know."
The youngest son suddenly knelt down with a thud: "Last night, the three of us were lying in ambush in the storeroom, and we saw a masked thief break in with our own eyes..."
"That guy knows martial arts! It took three of us to subdue him, but then he started yelling..."
The eldest son suddenly said in a muffled voice, "He said it was the master's own mother who ordered it, and if you want to send him to the authorities, arrest the master's own mother first..."
His fists clenched so tightly they cracked. "In a moment of distraction... that bastard kicked the window and ran away."
Shopkeeper Chen added in a low voice, "According to the 'Criminal Code,' stealing five bolts of silk is punishable by... exile for three thousand li..."
Dongrou was furious: "How could the old lady do such a theft? And steal from her own daughter no less!"
Lu Zhaoruo knew Tu's character all too well. She was indeed greedy, but she would never dare to rob a shop, let alone find thieves.
These days, he's suddenly become so close to Shen Lingyi; it must be her instigation behind the scenes.
Originally, Shen Lingyi would have reaped the consequences of her actions in another half month.
But now this has happened.
Lu Zhaoruo took a breath and forcefully suppressed her surging anger.
Without concrete evidence, we cannot rashly barge into Shen Lingyi's courtyard for a confrontation.
"Come with me to my mother's house."
She said coldly.
The Lu family.
Even as she slept, a smile remained on her lips.
Last time, those three bolts of silk sold for fifteen taels of silver, and I got seven taels. Tomorrow, there are ten more bolts of silk, which can sell for a full fifty taels, and I can get twenty-five taels.
Not only did she get the money, but she could also put that unfilial daughter in check. The thought of it made her feel great.
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