PFC Chapter 289 Dirty Water
Chapter 289 Dirty Water
Chapter 289
Luo Shuiyao couldn't help but sneer at her affected demeanor. No wonder she was still so confident even at this point; it turned out she had already made all the arrangements. But Luo Shuiyao wasn't panicking. She had a backup plan. If Lu Zhaozhao did this, she would surely let him shoot her in the foot.
She ignored the Marquis's cold brows and didn't bother to look at the others' expressions. Instead, she pursed her lips slightly, a hint of resentment flashing between her brows. She said, "I didn't expect Sister Zhao to be such an expert at solving cases. With just a few words, you've accused me of poisoning my brother. Isn't that a bit too hasty?"
Seeing that she had finally broken Luo Shuiyao's calm expression, Lu Zhaozhao felt a surge of joy at seeing her indignant eyes, and almost laughed out loud. But the timing was wrong, so she had to pick up her handkerchief and pretend to wipe away nonexistent tears to hide the slight curl of her lips.
Then, she put down her handkerchief and took two steps forward, tears already welling up in her eyes. She shook her head as she spoke, "Sister Yao, I don't know why you've become like this. Could it be that you're acting like this just because Auntie favors me? Auntie only favors me a little because of her relationship with my mother. But Auntie also loves you dearly and hasn't treated you unfairly. Not to mention Second Brother, he treats you very well and treats you like his own sister. How could you want to kill Second Brother just because of this little dissatisfaction?"
At this point, she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and continued, "I'm not an expert at solving cases, but now that the evidence is in place, Sister Yao, you should confess your guilt quickly. After all, the evidence is irrefutable. No matter how much you deny it, it's useless. It's better for you to admit your mistakes sooner rather than later, and not make your aunt and the others sad and upset for you."
"Ah."
Luo Shuiyao finally couldn't help but sneered, "Since you said that there are both witnesses and evidence, then what about my side?" After that, she slightly turned sideways, deliberately revealing the gangster leader who had been blocking behind her intentionally or unintentionally. She saw that the gangster leader was kneeling on the ground in an extremely awkward posture, staring straight at a maid standing not far behind Lu Zhaozhao.
From the moment Lu Zhaozhao entered the courtyard, her attention was focused on the Marquis's wife, the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, and the others. Although she had caught a glimpse of people kneeling on the ground in the courtyard, she didn't take it seriously at all. With the capabilities of the Marquis's Mansion, it would not be difficult to find those ordinary thugs, but the key was the thug leader. Lu Zhaozhao had anticipated this situation and gave the thug leader enough silver in advance to let him go out and hide. She didn't think Luo Shuiyao could have foreseen this and knew about this in advance. So, although she was a little nervous, she quickly calmed down and was not too scared.
She had always been proud and arrogant, basking in her noble status, feeling that she was worlds apart from those vulgar people. At this moment, her eyes swept over the man lying on the ground in a state of disgrace, and she was reluctant to give him even the slightest extra emotion, and naturally she didn't notice anything unusual.
In the crowd, Lu Zhaozhao's newly promoted maid met the eyes of the gangster leader. She was so scared that her whole body trembled, and then she lowered her head in panic, and the fear in her eyes could not be hidden at all.
Luo Shuiyao wasn't surprised by Lu Zhaozhao's behavior. Lu Zhaozhao was a distinguished figure, and matters like this could be handled with a single command, so she'd never seen anyone she'd hired to do things. But this was exactly what Luo Shuiyao had hoped for; the situation was developing in the direction she'd envisioned.
Lu Zhaozhao's face was full of confusion, and his eyes were full of bewilderment. He looked at Luo Shuiyao and said, "Sister Yao, I have never seen this person. What do you think he is? I really don't understand what you are saying. What is going on?"
After all the talk, Luo Shuiyao no longer had the patience to beat around the bush with Lu Zhaozhao, so she said bluntly, "This man is the thug leader who injured my second brother. He confessed that someone paid him to attack my second brother. Moreover, the embroidery style of the money bag he used is unique to your hometown, Ping'an County. In this marquis' mansion, only people around you can do it. Sister Zhao, how do you explain it?"
As she spoke, Luo Shuiyao took out the purse that the Marquis's wife had previously looked at and placed aside from her sleeve, and while Lu Zhaozhao was stunned, she handed it directly to her.
As soon as Lu Zhaozhao heard Luo Shuiyao mention the gang leader, she froze in place, her face drained of color, and the corners of her mouth trembled slightly. She lowered her eyes slightly, looking at the purse Luo Shuiyao handed her, her mind becoming increasingly confused. She muttered, "No, this is impossible."
When she did this, she had thought about all the consequences and had made plans long ago. She thought her plan was flawless, but she didn't expect that it would be discovered so easily.
Luo Shuiyao took in every subtle change in Lu Zhaozhao's expression. She was no soft-hearted saint, and she always held the principle of revenge. Lu Zhaozhao had repeatedly treated her maliciously, and she had long been filled with rage. Seeing Lu Zhaozhao panic, how could she easily let go of this golden opportunity? She immediately pressed the issue, sharply demanding, "What's impossible? Do you think I can't detect your actions, or are you sure we can't trace you?"
"You can't possibly...!" Lu Zhaozhao was instantly agitated when she heard this and shouted a retort. But as soon as she finished speaking, her eyes swept across to Nanny Chu, who was gesturing towards her in the crowd across from her. With years of tacit understanding, she snapped back to her senses. As if realizing her own gaffe, she abruptly shut her mouth, her face turning pale and then red.
After a few seconds, she pretended to be calm and changed the subject abruptly: "Sister Yao, please don't wrongly accuse me. How could I do such a thing?"
"You know whether I've wronged you or not, so there's no need to waste words. Now, you should first explain the matter of the purse." With that, Luo Shuiyao moved decisively, stuffing the purse directly into Lu Zhaozhao's arms. Lu Zhaozhao was caught off guard and subconsciously reached out to catch it.
She clenched her purse tightly, her knuckles pale from the strain. The subconscious tightening of her grip betrayed her inner tension. A cunning, calculating expression flashed across her lowered eyes. In a split second, she quickly raised her head, her face instantly transformed into one of utterly aggrieved, her eyes slightly reddened, as if she had suffered a profound injustice.
"Sister Yao, Ping'an County is vast and populous. While this embroidery style is indeed unique to Ping'an County, it can be seen everywhere in the county and is not a rare item. How could you so easily suspect me based on a purse? Even if I were truly confused and reckless, I wouldn't be so foolish as to fall into a trap and do such a stupid thing. In my opinion, someone might have deliberately set this up, waiting to see me embarrass myself so they can take advantage of it and frame me."
Now Lu Zhaozhao could only bite the bullet and refute. She cursed in her heart the two idiots, Chu Ma and Hong Liu, for being so unreliable that they couldn't even think of doing something as simple as changing a purse, leaving such a big loophole for herself.
Facing Lu Zhaozhao's veiled accusation, Luo Shuiyao remained calm and didn't refute. Instead, she changed the subject: "Okay, even if it's as you say, this money bag doesn't mean anything. But the man behind me clearly stated that someone offered him benefits and instructed him to harm my second brother. Why not let him point it out in this mansion and see who is behind this."
The thug leader nearby couldn't contain himself any longer. Upon hearing this, he immediately glanced around in a pretentious manner. Then, he stared intently at the maid who followed Lu Zhaozhao in and shouted, "Although that person was wearing a veil, it was as thin as a cicada's wing and couldn't cover her face at all. I remember clearly, it was this girl!"