amaotonovel Chapter 292 Unbelievable
Chapter 292 Unbelievable
Chapter 292
As soon as he said this, Zhao Ming's shoulders completely collapsed. When Ye Yida brought Liang'er over, he had some suspicions in his mind, but now these words made his silent prayers sink completely.
Servants in the Marquis's mansion were well-paid, earning him 300 coins a month. However, Liang'er had been frail since childhood, and the money needed for his medical treatment had already drained the family's coffers. His parents had also passed away from overwork. Over the years, he had sold everything he could. On the day Liang'er's old illness suddenly struck, he was filled with despair when someone suddenly approached him, offering him some money and asking him to tell a story according to their instructions. He knew it was wrong, but seeing Liang'er's life hanging in the balance, he had no choice but to accept the offer despite his conscience.
Zhao Ming secretly made a decision: once this matter was resolved, he would immediately resign from the Marquis's residence and leave the country with Liang'er. He knew that if anyone discovered what had happened, he and Liang'er would face a disastrous end. Although doing so would be unfair to his cousin, he didn't dare, nor did he have the face to ask for her forgiveness. He only thought that after leaving, he would erect a plaque in her honor and kowtow to apologize daily. Who could have imagined that the truth would be exposed even faster than he imagined?
Thinking of this, Zhao Ming's heart was broken and he trembled with fear. He was not afraid of death, but when he thought of Liang'er, who was still young and needed care, he was afraid that Liang'er would not even have a chance to survive without his protection and Liang'er was the only child left. Although the world was not too difficult at the moment, he was afraid that Liang'er would not even have a chance to survive.
His expression intensified the suspicions of everyone in the courtyard. The Marquis's wife stared at him for a long moment, then fiercely closed her eyes before demanding, "What's going on? Who did you accept bribes from? Tell the truth! Otherwise..."
Having said that, she glanced at the thin boy and said coldly, "Otherwise, you should know the consequences."
Zhao Ming was struck by his cold gaze, and his whole body trembled violently. He subconsciously let go of the hand that was originally holding Zhao Liang. His lips trembled, and he said hurriedly: "I will tell you, I will tell you..."
Then, his eyes wandered around in panic, and finally fixed on a maid beside Lu Zhaozhao, "It was this girl. She gave me the silver that night and told me that if anyone asked, I should say that Miss Luo Biao stole the jade pendant.
"Did you ever see clearly who stole the prince's jade pendant?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Ming hurriedly shook his head and said, "I don't know. I didn't see the specific situation that day. It's just that I was responsible for taking care of the garden that day, but because my brother was unwell for the past two days, I secretly went back to visit him after finishing my business. When I hurried back, I ran into Miss Lu. I didn't think much of it at the time, but who knew that my brother would be seriously ill that night. I was really desperate and had no choice but to agree to give false testimony. I hope that the Marquis and his wife will spare my life!"
As he said this, he kowtowed to the Marquis's wife, "bang bang bang", and his forehead hit the ground with a dull sound.
With all these things connected together, how could people not understand? The stolen jade pendant, the bribed servants, the hired thugs, and the money bags in the thugs' hands, all of these things, at this point, who could not understand?
The Marquis's wife turned, eyes filled with disappointment at Lu Zhaozhao. This was the daughter of her best friend, the one who, on her deathbed, had written a letter in blood, begging her to take her in. She was devastated, secretly vowing to treat her only child well. In the Marquis's mansion, she had always protected and cared for her, but who could have foreseen such viciousness? She couldn't understand why Lu Zhaozhao would do such a thing. Could it be simply because she disliked Yao?
The Marquis' wife really couldn't understand. In her opinion, Lu Zhaozhao's family background and talents were all better than Luo Shuiyao's. How could she have imagined that Lu Zhaozhao would be jealous of Luo Shuiyao?
Lu Zhaozhao lowered her head, leaning against the armchair, pretending to faint. In reality, her hands, hidden in her sleeves, trembled uncontrollably. She had originally planned to feign fainting as a way to turn the tide, figuring the Marquis's wife would surely intervene, and she would simply back down. Doing so would demonstrate her determination to prove her innocence and evoke the Marquis's pity, potentially shifting her mind in her favor.
Who knew the Marquis's wife was too weak to hold her back, leaving her injured like this? However, after noticing the wavering looks in the Marquis's wife and the Loyal and Brave Marquis's eyes, she secretly rejoiced: Whatever, a minor injury could completely turn the tide, so why not? So, she feigned unconsciousness, fully expecting Luo Shuiyao to be driven out of the Marquis's mansion. But she never expected her carefully crafted scheme to be so quickly exposed. Hearing the chaotic situation unfold, she didn't even have the courage to open her eyes.
The Marquis's wife glanced at her disappointedly, then looked away, ignoring her. She thought to herself, I should first deal with the servants in the mansion. As for Lu Zhaozhao, it wouldn't be too late to deal with her after she regained consciousness.
Then, her eyes shot towards Zhang Ming, and she shouted, "As a servant in the Marquis's mansion, you dared to slander your master's reputation for such a small profit. Your crime is unforgivable! However, considering that you committed this mistake out of love for your younger brother and were confused for a moment, I will punish you with twenty strokes of the cane and expel you from the Marquis's mansion. Do you have anything to say?"
Zhang Ming's heart was filled with bitterness upon hearing this. Once he left the mansion, as a convicted slave, how could he possibly keep his frail younger brother alive? Furthermore, these twenty lashes would be enough to keep him bedridden for a considerable period. But he knew in his heart that he deserved it, so he could only kowtow repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, Madam, for your mercy. Thank you, Madam."
"Wait." A clear female voice suddenly sounded.
Zhang Ming stopped kowtowing and looked forward, only to see the beautiful Miss Luo, walking towards him gracefully.
Luo Shuiyao first bowed to the Marquis' wife and said softly, "Madam, the person she slandered was me. I wonder if you would allow me to deal with him on my own?"
As soon as she said this, not only the Marquis' wife, but also the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery and Ye Yunzhou turned their attention to her. However, except for Ye Yunzhou, everyone else thought that she was speaking out because she felt that the punishment was too light.
The Marquis's wife looked into her eyes, and thinking of the injustice she had done to her before, she felt guilty, so she nodded gently and said, "Okay."
"Thank you ma'am."
After Luo Shuiyao thanked him, she turned her gaze to Zhang Ming, whose forehead was already red and swollen, and whose face was now bloodless. She said slowly, "You slandered me and made it almost impossible for me to survive in this mansion. Normally, I shouldn't plead for you. But considering your filial piety, I will forgive you this time. Don't make such a mistake again in the future. Take your younger brother and leave the mansion now."
As soon as the words fell, Zhang Ming suddenly raised his head and looked at Luo Shuiyao in disbelief. After a long while, he came back to his senses, kowtowed to her again, and said, "Thank you, Miss Luo!"
He didn't know where to begin with the rest of the conversation. After all, he had made the mistake, and being spared a beating was already a great favor from Miss Luo, and he was filled with gratitude.
Luo Shuiyao waved her hand and said, "Let's go."
Zhang Ming said no more. He stood up and took his brother Zhang Liang's hand. The two brothers staggered out of the yard.
Luo Shuiyao watched the two men depart, feeling nothing. She wasn't a saint, so she couldn't easily forgive Zhang Ming for what he had done. Even though she was safe now, the real Luo Shuiyao in the novel had suffered greatly from this incident, completely offending the Marquis' wife and setting the stage for her tragic end. For now, she had done her utmost to prevent Zhang Ming from suffering.