Chapter 98 Brother, you must not save the woman on horseback!
She suddenly snapped, "Do you think I care about my reputation like you do?"
"Yes, you really don't care about your reputation. You've managed to become the matriarch of the Shen family despite all the gossip in the city, and you've even opened a shop."
She angrily retorted, "Are you so eager to help me so that I'll suffer the same infamy as you? Do you want the whole world to know how filthy I am?"
"Is this how you, Lu Zhaoruo, finally feel better?"
"That's right... You've had your innocence tarnished, so naturally you'd love for more people to share the spittle with you!"
Even the most pitiful person has something hateful about them.
Lu Zhaoruo completely severed ties with Wan Miaoniang.
Occasionally, when she passed by Sweetwater Lane and heard broken piano music drifting out, she would simply quicken her pace.
Until one day, the whole city's teahouses and taverns were buzzing with the news:
"A bizarre case has occurred in Sweet Lane!"
"That young master Li died from having a hairpin pierced through his throat."
"The woman who played the zither, Lady Wan, confessed her crime..."
"Madam Lu? Madam Lu?"
Wan Miaoniang called out several times in a row.
Lu Zhaoruo suddenly came to her senses, concealing the complex emotions in her eyes, and a gentle smile returned to her lips. She led Wan Miaoniang to sit down at the tea table: "Madam Wan, you have come at just the right time. My little sister's coming-of-age ceremony is a big event, and the embroidery pattern of her dress is of utmost importance. It cannot be taken lightly."
As usual, she introduced the patterns, discussed the needlework techniques, and considered the materials.
Only after personally seeing Wan Miaoniang off and watching her graceful figure disappear around the street corner did Lu Zhaoruo slowly lose the smile on her face. She leaned against the door alone, gazing absently in the direction Wan Miaoniang had left.
The air still held that sweet, alluring fragrance, cloyingly sweet yet bitterly astringent.
She recalled the weariness that Wan Miaoniang inadvertently revealed in her laughter, the bruises hidden beneath her deliberately long sleeves, and how devoted she had been to her younger sister's coming-of-age ceremony...
I couldn't help but sigh.
This renowned beauty of Kedah never had a chance to shine for herself.
All the coquettish mannerisms, the music, and the smiles were all performed to support the family after death.
She moved among all sorts of men, playing the piano and selling her smiles, earning fame and money, which flowed into that bottomless house like a river.
In the end, her family no longer needed her.
Therefore, she chose to perish together with Li Yanei.
…………
Two more days passed.
Lu Zhaoruo calculated the time, and it was exactly ten days.
Why hasn't Xiao Yeming returned yet?
She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt a bit worried.
Just as he was pondering this, Dongrou came to report that Wang Wu, a close follower of Commander Xiao, was requesting an audience.
Wang Wu, travel-worn, entered and bowed respectfully, saying, "Madam Lu, Commander Xiao has returned to Jizhou and specifically ordered me to come and deliver a message. Please rest assured, the matter entrusted to him has made progress, and we have indeed found a clue."
He paused for a moment, his expression slightly apologetic, and then said, "It's just that the commander is tied up with urgent official business today and is really unable to come to your residence to discuss this in detail. I hope you will forgive him, madam."
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhaoruo felt somewhat relieved and smiled gently, "It's alright. Finding a clue is already a great blessing. General Xiao is busy with military affairs, so there's no need to stand on ceremony. How could I trouble him to come to my door in person?"
After seeing Wang Wu off, Lu Zhaoruo was no longer worried. Remembering that she had promised to buy sugar peas for Abao, she strolled into the street.
The old vendor selling candied peas handed her a warm, oil-paper package.
She had just picked it up when, for some reason, her fingers suddenly trembled, and the whole bag of sugar peas fell to the ground with a "thud," scattering the peas all over the floor.
Lu Zhaoruo's heart skipped a beat, a feeling of unease and panic rising within her.
At that moment, a sudden shout and commotion erupted at the end of the long street!
Lu Zhaoruo looked up and saw a spirited horse galloping towards her, its hooves thundering and kicking up clouds of dust.
The person on horseback was a woman, who was clearly unable to control the wild horse.
Her face paled, and she was thrown about, her body jolted back and forth. She clutched the mane tightly with both hands and screamed in terror, "Get out of the way! Get out of the way..."
Pedestrians scattered in panic, shelves were smashed to pieces, fruits and porcelain shattered all over the ground, and the whole street was plunged into chaos.
When Lu Zhaoruo finally saw the profile of the woman on horseback, a face that was both panicked and undeniably spoiled, her blood practically froze instantly—
Li Nian'er!
The woman who ultimately tormented her brother Lu Bohong to death in his previous life!
In my memory, she should have appeared a year later, so why did she appear so early in this life?
Lu Zhaoruo's hands and feet turned ice cold instantly. Ignoring the scattered sugar peas on the ground, she lifted her skirt and was about to go against the flow of people to find her brother Lu Bohong—she had to stop him and absolutely could not let him have any further involvement with Li Nian'er!
She even prayed in her heart that her brother would not appear at this moment.
But when you look up, the familiar figure in front of you is none other than Lu Bohong!
He had clearly just finished his shift and was still wearing his official uniform.
Seeing the runaway horse charging wildly, causing panic among the people who scattered and some even being trampled, Lu Bohong immediately frowned and leaped forward to subdue the wild horse.
"Brother! No!"
Lu Zhaoruo gasped in surprise and ran forward to grab his arm tightly.
Lu Bohong was an upright and honest man. Not to mention the panicked woman on horseback, he could not stand idly by when he saw the people being injured.
He turned to look at his sister, his tone firm: "Little sister, as a county inspector, my duty is to protect the safety of the people. How can you stop me from saving people?"
Having said that, he raised his arm to break free.
Lu Zhaoruo was so anxious that tears welled up in her eyes. Just when she was at her wit's end, she caught a glimpse of a street performer holding a torch.
She snatched the burning torch and shoved it into Lu Bohong's hand: "Brother! Go after it quickly, block its path, and use the torch to drive that beast away! Remember, be extremely careful, don't fight it head-on, and... and don't worry about the people on horseback!"
Although Lu Bohong did not fully understand the deeper meaning of his sister's words, he knew that horses were afraid of fire.
He immediately took the torch and said in a deep voice, "Little sister, don't worry."
He was naturally agile, and in a few leaps, he swiftly blocked the runaway horse.
He suddenly raised the torch high in his hand!
The leaping, blazing flames shot straight toward the horse's head!
The spirited horse, naturally afraid of fire, let out a terrified neigh, raised its front hooves high, and abruptly stopped its galloping momentum...
The horse stopped, but Li Nian'er, due to the sudden stop and violent jolting, cried out in surprise and was thrown off, landing heavily on the soft cloth of goods piled up by the roadside.
Although she was not injured, her hair was disheveled, her skirt was covered in dust, and she looked utterly wretched.
The passersby were still in shock, pointing and whispering among themselves.
Li Nian'er had never suffered such grievances and frights.
She struggled to get up and immediately saw Lu Bohong, who was holding a torch and had a tall and straight figure, in front of her.
Since this brute was able to stop the runaway horse with a torch, his martial arts skills must be quite good. Why didn't he just jump over to save me instead of causing me to fall so badly?
Enraged, she rushed forward without bothering to tidy her appearance and slapped Lu Bohong hard across the face!
"Smack!"
A crisp slap rang out.
Lu Bohong never expected that he would be beaten after saving someone.
His face was slapped to one side, and the torch in his hand swayed, almost slipping from his grasp.
Li Nian'er raised her eyebrows and shouted angrily, "Where did you come from, you brute! How dare you startle my horse with fire and make me look bad in public! Do you know who I am?"
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