Conquering the Male Supporting Character – CH 046

Chapter 46. Turmoil

Could it be that he already knew Luoyang was going to descend into chaos and could even predict where it would begin?

Then why hadn’t he ever mentioned it to her?

Lu Wan paused, then forcefully cleared her mind of these chaotic thoughts.

She would discuss this matter with Xie Yu when they met again, but for now, protecting her family was paramount.

Leading A-Miao, she made her way in the dark to Lady Zhou’s courtyard, where she saw that her father and mother were already dressed and ready, and all the candles had been extinguished.

A short while later, even Lu Xiao and Lu Ling arrived.

Everyone had changed out of their usual fine silks and satins, dressing as ordinary commoners.

The Lu residence was quiet. The other servants had been sent to the estates in batches several days ago, leaving only a few close attendants.

Lu Wan felt a surge of relief; thankfully, she had made arrangements early. Who could have imagined that Luoyang would truly descend into chaos?

She exchanged glances with Lady Zhou and the others, and they all fell silent, heading straight for the backyard.

There, a tunnel, recently dug, led to the neighboring residence, separated only by a wall.

This neighboring house had, not long ago, been secretly registered under Lu Wan’s name, but the deed hadn’t yet been officially completed, so it remained largely unknown.

Lu Yuan and Lu Xiao worked together to move aside the black stone slab covered in moss and blemishes, revealing a dark tunnel, barely wide enough for one person.

The two of them, one in front and one at the rear, shielded the women in the middle.

The air in the tunnel was damp and murky. Lu Wan instinctively covered her mouth and nose, but couldn’t escape the strong, fresh smell of earth.

Fortunately, after walking for a short while, several silent guards escorted her out. She took a few deep breaths, feeling her lungs clear.

Zhou Da, the leader, led the way into the main hall. Without lighting any lamps, he bowed and whispered, “The carriage is ready; we can leave the city at any time.”

Lu Yuan hesitated for a moment, then turned to Lu Wan and asked, “Wan, what do you think about leaving at dawn? Leaving the city now, in the dead of night, is too suspicious.”

He had unknowingly come to regard her as his pillar of support.

Lu Wan was taking out a heavy sheepskin water pouch from her bundle and pouring some pre-prepared medicine for Lady Zhou. Hearing her father seeking her opinion, she lowered her voice.

“Father is right. Even if thieves are after the storeroom’s valuables, we’ve already left the mansion, so we should be safe for now. We should be safe tomorrow morning when we blend in with the people leaving the city.”

Lady Zhou took a sip of her still-warm medicine, supporting her aching back as she slowly said, “We might not be able to leave the city by dawn.”

Lu Xiao, seeing this situation for the first time, was somewhat anxious. He paced back and forth in the room. “Father and Mother are right, but…”

He stopped, glancing at Lady Zhou with concern. “I’m afraid Mother might feel unwell.”

Lu Wan, holding Lu Ling’s trembling hand, reassured everyone.

“Even if the Yuening Prince had brought many soldiers from afar and even if he had managed to win over all the generals in the capital’s main camp, he wouldn’t have wreaked havoc in the city. His attention would surely be focused on the Emperor and the Crown Prince in the Da Zhao Palace.”

“I think it’s late now. We should rest peacefully and leave the city at dawn. The situation shouldn’t be as bad as we imagine.”

“We should all sleep fully clothed. I’ll instruct the guards outside to take turns on night watch. If there’s any disturbance, we can leave quickly through the back door.”

Her words reassured everyone, especially Lady Zhou, who was already feeling heavy and easily drowsy. She was helped into the inner room by Lu Yuan.

Lu Xiao hesitated for a moment before asking Lu Wan, “In my opinion, it would be better if we split up tomorrow. Father and Mother can take Ah Ling first, and the two of us can go together.”

He explained, “There are many people in Luoyang who can recognize us. If someone intends to capture us and extort our property, they will definitely pay attention to large groups of people leaving the city with their families. If we split up, we should be less conspicuous.”

Unexpectedly, her brother could be so clever. Lu Wan smiled and nodded in agreement.

“I think what you say is very true, brother. We can discuss it with Father and Mother tomorrow.”

“It’s late, brother, you should go and rest.”

Lu Xiao reached out and touched the top of her head, sighed, and said gently, “Ah Wan, you should go too.”

But when Lu Wan lay down on the bed in the side room, fully clothed, she couldn’t fall asleep.

She wondered how the Xie family was doing now. Since Xie Yu could predict the location of the initial turmoil, he must have already made arrangements for the Xie residence.

But why didn’t he tell her? Lu Wan slumped onto the bed, her gaze fixed on the top of the bed curtains in the darkness.

It was a pity that she had sent Xiao Bai away prematurely, so she couldn’t test whether his favorability had decreased again.

She had just closed her eyes when she heard a faint commotion. As she sat up, it became clearer.

Lu Wan listened carefully, trying to discern the direction. It seemed to be coming from the Lu residence. She got up and called to A-Miao, and the two quietly made their way towards the courtyard wall closest to the Lu residence.

As she left, she listened carefully. Seeing that her mother and the others were silent, she felt relieved and didn’t intend to tell them.

The sky above the Lu residence was very bright. Someone must have broken into the Lu residence with torches. Judging from the brightness of the flames, there were quite a few people.

“You, you, you,” a rough, hoarse male voice seemed to be calling out orders. “Go check the main courtyards. The rest of you come with me to the storeroom to move things.”

“Hurry up, and if you encounter anyone, just chop them down!”

“Yes.”

The responses weren’t perfectly synchronized, but they were all filled with the excitement and anticipation of robbing a wealthy household. Lu Wan even heard someone chuckle with barely suppressed glee.

A-Miao was so frightened that her legs went weak. She leaned against the wall, barely able to stand up, more like using Lu Wan and the wall for support than holding onto her.

“Young lady…” she called weakly.

Lu Wan also felt a chill run down her spine. She gestured for A-Miao to be quiet and continued to listen intently.

“Second Brother, you say there’s always been a lot of sordid and dirty stuff in aristocratic families, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone so ruthless as to wipe out their own descendants.”

A rough, hoarse male voice scoffed, “You’re so naive! They’re not even that old woman’s biological son; what’s a little murder for money?”

He seemed to kick someone else, and Lu Wan heard a cry of pain.

“Hurry up! Stop dawdling!”

The two men gradually walked away. Lu Wan wiped the cold sweat from her brow and exchanged a bewildered look with A-Miao.

The information revealed in the bandits’ conversation was already shocking; this group was actually sent by the Old Madam of the Lu family.

Thankfully…thankfully, she had made preparations beforehand…Lu Wan felt a lingering fear.

Who could have imagined that the Old Madam was so ruthless, intending to use this opportunity to wipe out their entire family?

“Don’t tell the Master and Madam about this,” Lu Wan whispered, instructing them.

Her mother couldn’t bear the shock; she would tell them slowly once they were out of the city.

Lu Wan leaned quietly against the wall, listening to the furious roars and shouts of those who hadn’t found her family, along with the cries of someone carrying valuables. A cold smile crept across her face.

She was mentally calculating how to settle accounts with the Old Madam later.

Before the smile on her lips could fade, a scream suddenly rang out, followed by the sound of a sword being drawn and numerous scattered footsteps.

It seemed another group of people had arrived; the sounds of fighting and screams continued.

The newcomers were clearly well-trained fighters. Soon, Lu Wan smelled blood through the wall. She quickly covered her and A-Miao’s mouths and noses to prevent them from making a sound.

“The Lu family isn’t here!” the younger voice said, filled with fear.

? Was it another group of looters? Lu Wan paused, startled.

“Quickly, report to the young master!” another man cried out anxiously, his voice trembling with panic.

“We are ordered to guard Young Lady Lu’s every move. If we cannot find her, I fear the young master will not spare us.” His voice was filled with fear.

“Quick! Quickly send someone to the Court of Judicial Review to inform the young master!”

It was Xie Yu’s men.

Lu Wan saw the sudden joy in A-Miao’s eyes, but she pressed even harder on A-Miao’s mouth, preventing her from making a sound.

She only let go when silence returned on the other side of the wall.

“Young lady, wasn’t that Lord Xie’s man?” A-Miao asked doubtfully, lowering her voice.

Unfortunately, Lu Wan felt her mind was a bit overwhelmed. Xie Yu had actually arranged for people to guard her, but why hadn’t he told her?

Also, were these people sent specifically for this incident, or were they arranged beforehand…?

Could it be that every time she went out, someone was secretly watching her every move?

She casually replied, “Did you hear that person say Lord Xie? Maybe it’s someone else from the Court of Judicial Review, trying to take this opportunity to kidnap me to threaten Xie Yu?”

A-Miao opened her mouth, then fell silent, silently helping her back.

Lu Wan sat on the bed for a while, suddenly feeling a little short of breath. She simply hugged her knees, resting her chin on her kneecaps, curling up into the most comfortable position.

The moment she closed her eyes, memories of her time with Xie Yu flashed through her mind.

The moon, nearing its zenith, hung high in the sky, its cool light filtering through the carved windowpanes and spilling onto Lu Wan’s bed curtains, where large, intricately embroidered butterflies flitting among flowers were faintly visible.

After a long while, the person in the bedchamber gave a slow, bitter laugh.

Once suspicion arose, many seemingly insignificant events from the past would suddenly resurface from the depths of her mind.

Details she thought she hadn’t remembered were, in fact, unconsciously etched into her memory.

She hadn’t noticed them at the time, but a vague sense of unease had led her to unconsciously remember them.

Lu Wan clutched her chest, feeling a fine, piercing pain, like needles pricking her.

But what lingered in her mind was still that day, Xie Yu’s swearing he hadn’t lied to her, the scene as vivid as if it had happened yesterday. She could even remember the curve of his lips.

Thinking about it, he must have lied to her many times before.

Lu Wan abruptly buried herself under the thin gauze blanket, forcing herself to sleep.

At this critical moment of life and death, how could she have the mind to think about such personal matters? She closed her eyes tightly, trying her best to banish the memories from her mind, and managed to fall asleep.

As soon as it was slightly light, the Lu family members got up. Lu Wan took some rouge and eyebrow powder and carefully applied it to herself and her family.

The earthy yellow rouge, applied to their faces, made their snow-white skin appear dull and sallow. She then mixed some loose powder to accentuate their nasolabial folds and neck wrinkles and used eyebrow powder to darken and thicken their delicate eyebrows.

The Lu family members, whose appearances were usually exceptionally good, became unremarkable.

Especially when Lu Wan gestured for them to hunch their backs slightly as they walked, she looked even more listless.

“Ah Xiao, you’re the elder brother, remember to take good care of Ah Wan.” Lu Yuan finally agreed to let the family leave in two groups, but before leaving, they repeatedly told Xiao to take good care of his sister.

Once they were gone, Lu Xiao finally couldn’t help but laugh. “Ah Wan, you look so different, even I almost didn’t recognize you.”

Lu Wan looked in the mirror and thought she looked alright. Upon closer inspection, her facial features hadn’t changed, but she looked much duller.

“In that case, my brother and I look more like siblings.”

She deliberately stood next to Lu Xiao, letting him see the mirror in her hand. “Brother, look closely. Don’t we look even more alike?”

Lu Xiao looked at himself, then casually ruffled her hair, finally stopping his laughter.

“Let’s prepare to leave the city, too.”

Sitting in the carriage, Lu Wan was somewhat lost in thought, wondering if her father and mother had already left the city.

She lifted a corner of the carriage window and saw that the doors and windows along the street were tightly shut, and the colorful signs that had hung high above the shops had been taken down.

Many carriages like theirs, unassuming and without their bells or clan badges, were quietly heading towards the city gate.

Just as they were about to see the city gate, Lu Wan and Lu Xiao exchanged a smile, both feeling a little relieved.

But then, their carriage suddenly sped up, turned into an alley, and stopped.

Lu Wan’s pupils contracted. She gripped Lu Xiao’s hand, signaling him to be quiet, and then saw the previously respectful coachman yank open the carriage door with a bang.

Several soldiers were already standing outside, seemingly prepared, and a young man who looked like a scholar stood smiling to the side.

“Young Lady Lu, we’ve been waiting for you.”

Lu Xiao instinctively shielded Lu Wan behind him, frowning as he said, “My brother and I simply want to leave the city. Who are you, and why are you stopping us?”

The man raised an eyebrow, not bothering with further words, and ordered his men to pull Lu Wan, Lu Xiao, and A-Miao from the carriage.

Lu Wan gave up struggling. She straightened her back, her face calm. “Who wants to see me?”

This commotion shouldn’t be related to the Old Madam. She wondered if they wanted to kidnap her and her brother to extort some benefits from her parents.

She gestured for Lu Xiao to quiet down, then spoke again—negotiating.

“If you want some gold and silver, that’s not difficult for the Lu family. Could you release us first? My brother is alone with two young ladies; they certainly can’t escape.”

The man smiled but didn’t speak. He made a slashing motion with his right hand, and Lu Wan felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck before losing consciousness and collapsing.

Meanwhile, Xie Yu, who hadn’t slept all night, was arranging the aftermath for the Eastern Palace.

“Has the Crown Prince already left the palace?” he asked in a low voice.

Xie-Jue, beside him, replied, “He followed your orders. Supervisor Xu personally escorted the Crown Prince out, blending into the crowd of people leaving the city. He should be out of the city by now.”

Xie Yu frowned slightly. He had just felt a sudden throbbing in his brow, but the Crown Prince had already made all the necessary arrangements; there shouldn’t be any problems.

“The Lu family—”

He stopped abruptly. He had already made arrangements, and someone had even reported back that morning that the Lu family was behaving normally.

He smiled; he had truly let his concern cloud his judgment.

Xie Yu stood quietly beside a clump of bamboo in the East Palace courtyard, listening intently. The sound carried on the wind was from Han Yuan… A mournful wail echoed from the palace.

This wail was about to travel beyond the Great Zhao Palace, beyond Luoyang, and throughout the entire Huan Dynasty.

His Majesty, or rather, the late Emperor, collapsed last night.

Who could have imagined that the Yuening Prince, under the guise of purging the court of corrupt officials, had colluded with the Imperial Guards to enter the palace, claiming that Noble Consort Lu had bewitched the Emperor and that the Third Prince was inherently unlucky, causing the earthquake? He even produced a personal edict from the Emperor as evidence, clearly stating the dethronement of the Crown Prince and the appointment of the Third Prince as the heir apparent.

Furthermore… Noble Consort Lu, who intended to poison the Emperor, was caught red-handed, but unfortunately, the Emperor was already poisoned and beyond saving.

Walking slowly along the palace path, Xie Yu’s smile turned mocking. The Prince of Yuening had a clever plan: to support the Crown Prince, who was to marry his daughter, as a puppet ruler, so that he himself could become a regent with absolute power.

Unfortunately, Xie Yu had already acted decisively, persuading the Crown Prince to leave the palace first.

Presumably, the Prince of Yuening was now unsure whether or not to kill her. The Third Prince was to be eliminated to prevent future troubles.

If he were killed, and the Crown Prince later opposed him, who would he support?

However, if the Crown Prince were to truly return, the story today would likely become that the Crown Prince framed Noble Consort Lu and the Third Prince, and that the Yuening Prince entered the palace to protect the Emperor.

This drama was truly getting more and more exciting.

Just as he was pondering this, an unfamiliar palace servant blocked his way, bowed, and handed him a letter. “Commander Xie, this is what Prime Minister Pei instructed me to send to you.”

Prime Minister Pei Lin?

Xie Yu took it, unfolded it, and his previously nonchalant expression turned cold. He left the palace directly, heading towards a teahouse.

Across from the examination hall where the scholars held their metropolitan examinations, in a secluded private room of the teahouse, someone was burning incense and playing Weiqi, stroking his beard.

“Lord Pei,” Xie Yu said, seeing that he was alone in the room, his expression growing even colder. His usually clear and gentle voice was now chillingly cold.

“Where is my person?!”

*

An hour earlier, Lu Wan had just woken up to find herself in a teahouse.

She touched the sore spot on the back of her neck, somewhat bewildered, before regaining her senses and warily staring at the person in the room.

The middle-aged man, seemingly engrossed in the unfinished game, played Weiqi with himself. He finished one move and immediately returned the pieces to their original positions, as if unaware that she had woken up.

“Who are you?” Lu Wan asked, frowning. “Where has my brother gone?”

Smelling the faint, sweet fragrance in the room, she recognized it as the cypress incense favored by scholars and poets; her father often burned this incense in his study.

Thinking of her father, she felt even more anxious, wondering if her mother and father had also been stopped by them.

“Young Lady Lu,” the man finally looked up, “I only invited you and your brother here; you can rest assured.”

Had he guessed what she was thinking?

Lu Wan stiffened slightly, but remembering that her parents were alright, she calmed herself.

She forced a smile, stepped forward, and curtsied. “May I ask what business you have with me, My Lord?”

The man smiled. “It’s nothing more than some matters I wish to inform Young Lady Lu about.”

He carefully placed the Weiqi pieces back into the box, each crisp clinking sound making Lu Wan’s nerves tighten.

She sat down not far from him, her eyes lowered, remaining silent, intending to listen to what he had to say.

“Young Lady Lu bears a striking resemblance to Lady Cui from back then. I had some acquaintance with her. A young lady from the Pei family also married into the Cui family, so we could be considered relatives.”

The Pei family? Lu Wan discreetly sized up the man’s age and appearance, and a guess formed in her mind. Could this man be Pei Lin?

Why did he capture her…?

Pei Lin showed a hint of reminiscence, then quickly continued, “I heard that Young Master Lu was implicated in a cheating scandal during the imperial examinations a few months ago. Coincidentally, I happen to know some of the inside story. Even out of respect for an old friend, I can reveal a few details to you.”

The imperial examination scandal was long over; what was there to mention? Lu Wan cracked her knuckles, maintaining her composure.

“The imperial examination case was originally intended by the Yuening Prince and me to implicate the Lu family and the Third Prince, which is why I instructed Xun Fang to frame Lu Xiao.”

He seemed unconcerned by Lu Wan’s cold expression. “Unfortunately, Xie Yu got involved, ruining the whole scheme and causing the Yuening Prince’s hidden agents in court to be wiped out.”

Lu Wan’s mind raced. “I’m engaged to Lord Xie. Are you trying to use me to threaten him?”

Pei Lin shook his head and smiled. “Not at all. I originally thought Xie Yu was just exceptionally intelligent, which is why he could see through this.

But I didn’t expect that he already knew about it and deliberately allowed us to implicate Lu Xiao to benefit himself before His Majesty. He even willingly accepted the court flogging, joining His Majesty in staging a self-inflicted injury ruse.”

Lu Wan lowered her eyes. “Lord Xie isn’t here. You can make up whatever you want.”

But what uncontrollably surfaced in her mind was the image of the broken pieces of paper bearing the names Xun, Lu, and Pei, inside the vase in Xie Yu’s study.

She shook off that slight wavering, straightened her back, and looked up to meet Pei Lin’s gaze, her eyes clear and calm.

“If you want to see evidence, just find out who rescued Xun Fang’s family, and you’ll know whether what I said is true.”

Pei Lin stood up, placed the Weiqi board on another table, and rearranged the game.

His tone carried a hint of admiration. “Judicial Minister Xie’s self-inflicted injury ruse was masterful, probably because it wasn’t the first time. Even when he encountered an assassination attempt before, the blood on the ground wasn’t human; his wounds must have been inflicted by his own hand.

I didn’t expect him to be so ruthless at such a young age.”

Seeing Lu Wan’s somewhat disbelieving expression, he took out a dark blue-black arrowhead and patiently explained.

“Liu Jize’s arrow was poisoned. The Liu family has always been fond of this; they used this very thing to kill the general guarding the city in the previous dynasty. But I’ve never heard of Xie Yu being poisoned.

Or perhaps you could examine Xie Yu’s healed wounds closely. Arrow wounds and knife wounds are somewhat different.”

Lu Wan was slightly taken aback. Many suspicious points that had accumulated over the past few days resurfaced, and her heart began to waver.

She had deliberately bumped into Xie Yu because she suspected his injuries were fake.

She had never heard of the name Liu Jize before. If he had fabricated it, it wouldn’t have been so natural, especially since he had produced the actual item.

“By the way, I suspected you had overheard some of my secrets, so I plotted to push you into the water and ambush you outside the city in winter. Both times, Xie Yu arrived in time, so I must have had his spies with me.

Did Xie Yu tell you about these two incidents?”

Lu Wan’s long eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings. She closed her eyes and answered slowly, “On the winter occasion, it was Prince Xin’s son who happened to be passing by and saved me, not Lord Xie.”

But what lingered in her mind was the red amulet on Xie Yu’s bookshelf, the very one she had dropped at the scene.

Pei Lin didn’t refute it but instead brought up another matter. “Speaking of which, I’ve heard about the Lu family’s division of property. It started because a concubine tried to murder the master, but she wasn’t sent to the authorities; she was simply expelled.”

Lu Wan suddenly felt weary. Could this matter also be related to Xie Yu?

Then their first encounter, and all their subsequent experiences, were all part of his scheme?

If that were true, Xie Yu was far too terrifying.

Lu Wan lowered her eyes, her breathing becoming rapid. She felt as if she were standing on the edge of a cliff, her mind taut, desperately trying to defend Xie Yu and exonerate him.

Yet, various clues kept replaying in her mind, swaying her. Perhaps what Pei Lin said was true.

Seeing the young lady’s wavering expression, Pei Lin did not let her off the hook.

A casual remark became the arrow that shattered her last shred of reason.

“That concubine received a large sum of gold and silver from the Xie family and has already returned to her hometown.”

He seemed hesitant, adding, “As for whether she is still alive, I do not know. But the person who instigated the Old Madam of the Lu family to carry out this plan was also bribed by the Xie family. This matter should be easy to investigate.”

These were all verifiable facts.

Thinking about it, it was highly likely to be true. A sense of despair washed over her.

“As for your marriage to him, it was also arranged by him. He has a very good relationship with the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince’s words somewhat swayed His Majesty; it wasn’t difficult for him.”

Pei Lin spoke in a mix of truth and falsehood.

Listening, Lu Wan suddenly felt a chill.

It was the sixth month, and the weather was already warm, but she felt as if every fragment of her bones was frozen in an ice cellar, then being slowly crushed to pieces with a hammer—cold and painful.

So all those things she had thought she had done, all those schemes she had made to get closer to him, were very likely all part of Xie Yu’s meticulously planned schemes and arrangements.

Then, every time she thought she had succeeded, was Xie Yu secretly laughing, watching her walk steadily into his trap as the one in control?

He had been hiding so much from her.

What did he take her for?

Was she a beloved partner with whom he hoped to grow old together, a love that would last forever, or someone who belonged solely to him…? A plaything to be toyed with and deceived.

After a long silence, Lu Wan moved her lips, her face deathly pale. “What do you want to do by telling me all this?”

She wasn’t stupid. Pei Lin, in his high position, had no interest or time to analyze how Xie Yu had gradually lured her into this mess.

Especially at this time, when Luojing was on the verge of chaos.

Besides, if she had any doubts about Xie Yu, she would naturally confront him herself.

Lu Wan feigned distrust.

Pei Lin raised an eyebrow, then clapped his hands. Someone came forward and carefully bound her, then gagged her.

Lu Wan knew struggling was futile, so she quietly watched the back of the figure that had shattered all the pretense of warmth between her and Xie Yu.

“I just wanted to invite you to participate in a grand drama with me.” Pushed and shoved, Lu Wan was forced to kneel in a quiet room. Sensing someone else beside her, she turned with difficulty and saw another person bound not far away.

It was Shi Yao!

She tried to make some noises, but Shi Yao seemed completely deaf, her head bowed, looking very weak.

“I only fed her some medicine. If you make another sound, I’ll force-feed you some, too!”

The person behind her sneered, kicking her mercilessly, forcing her to the ground, her delicate cheek pressed tightly against the cold, rough floor.

Although not broken, this helpless position was extremely humiliating.

Lu Wan closed her eyes, trying to ignore her current predicament, desperately trying to calm her emotions and ponder Pei Lin’s motives.

Even if Xie Yu had been lying to her all along, he had never truly harmed her or her family. She should trust Xie Yu more.

She would confront him personally about what he was hiding. Perhaps Xie Yu had other reasons.

She absolutely couldn’t trust Pei Lin, Lu Wan silently repeated, as if trying to convince herself.

After an unknown amount of time, she was lifted like a sandbag and thrown into a group of soldiers, falling straight to the ground, her rouge smeared all over her face.

She squinted, finding the midday sun extremely blinding.

A group of gruff, grinning men surrounded her, some even trying to touch her, but their leader shouted them off.

“What’s the rush? The orders are that after Judicial Minister Xie finishes choosing, the remaining one is ours, and then it’s up to you…”

The surrounding people quieted down a bit.

But Lu Wan clearly heard them still whispering and mocking her with vulgar, obscene words, their eyes like those of greedy, ferocious wolves.

This primal malice sent chills down her spine.

Looking up, she saw Pei Lin leading a familiar, handsome figure to a high platform not far away.

Pei Lin, perhaps wanting her to hear clearly, used some force to speak loudly.

“Judicial Minister Xie, now that you have these two, which one do you intend to take? You’d better think carefully, because the remaining one will be sent to reward the troops of the Prince of Yuening.”

He was forcing him to choose between her and Shi Yao.

The one abandoned would likely not only be humiliated but also die.

An indescribable fear, deep and cold, gripped her completely.

Lu Wan blinked, her hands bound behind her back, trembling slightly. The thick, stiff rope had brutally torn her delicate wrists, revealing pale pink flesh beneath, causing her considerable pain.

She tried to curl up, trying to distance herself from the rude and unruly soldiers, her thin shoulders trembling slightly.

Her gaze remained fixed on the handsome, upright figure, as if only then could she find some sense of security.

But the next moment, the tears that had been welling up in her eyes rolled down her cheeks without warning.

Because she saw Xie Yu’s sleeve move, his long, jade-like hand steadily extending, but pointing not in her direction.

He chose Shi Yao.

So, between her and Shi Yao, Xie Yu would choose to abandon her first.

Without the slightest hesitation, he didn’t even glance at her.

It was as if he had casually discarded an old toy, completely unconcerned that she would be shattered, refusing to even spare her a second look.

Lu Wan slowly lowered her eyes, no longer looking at him.

Through her blurred vision, she only saw the fine cracks in the blue bricks on the ground, line after line, resembling a spider web.

Feeling somewhat breathless, she numbly thought, so her mission had failed.

Xie Yu hadn’t truly fallen for her.