novelaction Chapter 286 Explanation
Chapter 286 Explanation
Chapter 286
Lu Zhaozhao clenched her fists, her perfectly manicured nails piercing her palms, sending a stinging pain that only helped her regain some composure. No, she couldn't lose her composure like this. She swallowed, her expression suddenly becoming dazed. "This jade pendant...isn't mine, Madam Sang. You called me with this jade pendant, but do you have something to say?"
All the changes in her expression were seen by Nanny Sang, who was already certain in her heart that the injury of the prince was closely related to this cousin Lu.
But... she was only a servant after all. Miss Lu was, after all, half the master of the Marquis's mansion, so it wasn't her turn to interrogate. So, she said with a forced smile, "This jade pendant was also found in your courtyard. Miss Lu, there's no need to be so hasty to refute. I'm just a servant, simply following orders. You'll have to explain the details to the Marquis's wife yourself."
With that, she gave a perfunctory bow and left Qiuliyuan like a gust of wind, leading the group of maids behind her. Leaving behind her were Lu Zhaozhao, whose face was turning pale and red, and Nanny Chu, who was shaking like a sieve beside Lu Zhaozhao.
Nanny Chu hardly dared to look up at her young lady's unpleasant expression. Her eyes followed the retreating figures of the maids. Finally, she gritted her teeth and asked anxiously, "Young lady, what should we do now?"
Lu Zhaozhao tried hard to calm her inner panic and regain her composure. Upon hearing this, she glanced coldly at Nanny Chu, her eyes devoid of any emotion, and said, "Let's go find the Marquis' wife. Given her bond with my mother, I only need to plead with her softly. How could she have the heart to do anything to me? Besides, how would I know who the jade pendant belongs to? Who knows if someone else is deliberately trying to frame me?"
As she spoke, she looked at Nanny Chu again, her eyes icy. "You've been making mistakes repeatedly lately. If you can escape this time, I won't be able to keep you by my side anymore. You better take care of yourself."
After saying this, she ignored Nanny Chu, who stood frozen in place as if struck by lightning, and turned around to chase after the departing maids. At this moment, she no longer cared about the proper manners of a lady from a wealthy family.
The maids behind her exchanged glances with each other, but there was no trace of grief in their eyes. Instead, they looked at Nanny Chu with schadenfreude, and then ignored her who was standing there frozen, and one after another chased after Lu Chaochao.
Nanny Chu naturally observed the maids' reactions. But servants like them were always like this. When their masters valued them, they'd fawned over them, flattering them. Now, seeing their masters on the verge of abandoning them, they didn't hesitate to step on them, making their fall even worse. Nanny Chu was already accustomed to this. She raised her hand, wiped the tears from her face, gathered herself, lifted the hem of her skirt, and hurried after him.
The maids were all big and strong, often doing heavy work, so they were extremely nimble. Lu Zhaozhao trotted along, finally catching up with them. When she saw the gate of Cuizhu Courtyard from a distance, she stopped to tidy herself up, deliberately making herself look even more disheveled, and then hurried into the courtyard.
Before she even reached the house, her voices were already inside, calling out "Auntie." Once inside the courtyard, Lu Zhaozhao hurriedly bowed to the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery and his wife. Then, ignoring the complex expressions of the people in the courtyard, she eagerly grasped the wife's hand and asked, "Auntie, I just heard from Madam Sang that something happened in the mansion. On the way here, I heard the servants discussing my second brother's injury. What's the situation now? Is my second brother seriously injured?"
As she spoke, tears rolled down her face. She stroked her chest in pain and continued, "It's all my fault. I haven't left the courtyard these days. I just practice calligraphy, eat vegetarian food and worship Buddha every day. I didn't care about what happened in the mansion at all. I didn't know such a big thing had happened."
Her expression and behavior were so natural and reasonable that the Marquis's wife didn't know how to react for a moment.
She didn't notice that the moment she walked in with a few maids behind her, the leader of the gangsters began to secretly observe her. When he saw the maid in the purple dress beside her, his eyes tightened and he stared at her for several seconds. Then his eyes suddenly lit up and he couldn't wait to speak.
However, before he could speak, Ye Yunzhou reacted extremely quickly and pressed his mute point in an instant. This scene naturally did not escape the keen eyes of the Loyal and Brave Marquis.
The Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery watched his wife from the side. He knew that his wife was always soft-hearted towards those close to her. Seeing the situation before him, he was afraid that his wife would waver again, so he spoke directly, "Miss Lu, do you really know nothing about what happened in this mansion?"
Lu Zhaozhao turned her head with tears in her eyes, shook her head repeatedly at the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, and said in a tearful voice, "Uncle, I really didn't know. It's all my fault..."
"It's your fault." Marquis Zhongyong spoke again.
His answer froze Lu Zhaozhao in place. Her mind went blank for a moment, and she had no idea how to react. After a long while, she finally spoke tentatively, "Uncle, what do you mean by that? Zhaozhao, why don't you understand?"
Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery looked at her with a complicated expression. He then pointed at the people on the ground and asked directly, "Look, are these people the ones you brought here?"
Lu Zhaozhao followed his words and cast her gaze towards the thugs kneeling on the ground behind the crowd. Her heart was shaken. Even though she hadn't contacted these people personally, the situation made her think about it. Her pupils trembled slightly, but it was only for a moment before she shook her head and said, "Uncle, what are you talking about? Why would I go to these thugs?"
"Oh? How do you know they are ruffians?" Ye Yunzhou keenly caught the loophole in her words and pointed it out immediately.
Lu Zhaozhao was stunned and speechless again, secretly saying that the more anxious she was, the more mistakes she made. But in the blink of an eye, she immediately said in a sad tone, "Brother, look at their clothes, they don't look like good people at all. I just said it casually, am I wrong?"
"No, you put it very well." Ye Yunzhou raised the corners of his lips slightly, but there was no smile in his eyes, and he spoke in an inexplicable tone.
How could Lu Zhaozhao not hear the deeper meaning in his words? She secretly cried out inwardly, "Oh no!" but could only pretend not to hear it. She then turned to look at the Marquis's wife, her eyes full of pleading, hoping that the Marquis's wife would say a few good words for her.
The Marquis' wife initially felt a pang of sympathy for Lu Zhaozhao, seeing her husband harass her. After all, she had no daughter, and ever since learning of the birth of her friend's daughter, she had already considered Lu Zhaozhao her goddaughter. Furthermore, the child met all her expectations for a daughter, so naturally, she showed a special favoritism towards her. Just as she was about to speak up for Lu Zhaozhao, she heard her eldest son point out the flaws in her words. The Marquis' wife was no fool; how could she believe Lu Zhaozhao's lame excuse?