The steward's words were truly full of malice.
A young lady leaves home and returns, only to be evaluated with "faltering steps"?
However, Lu Ming, as the father, not only didn't scold the steward after hearing this, but instead a surge of anger burned to the top of his head towards Lu Zhaoling.
"Have that wicked girl roll over here for me!"
The young servant next to him immediately said cleverly, "I'll go."
This was none other than the steward's son, Hu Dali.
Hu Dali ran out and happened to see Lu Zhaoling heading towards Tingnuan Tower. Her two maids, one supporting her, the other carrying a wooden box.
The specifications of that wooden box clearly indicated it was for silver ingots.
Hu Dali's eyes widened. No way? Did the Second Miss earn a box of silver ingots on this trip out?
"Second Miss, the master is calling you to the front hall!" Hu Dali immediately darted in front of them, blocking their path.
His gaze also darted towards the wooden box Qing Bao was holding.
It must be full of silver ingots!
"No time." Lu Zhaoling glanced at him. "Move aside."
"Second Miss, you can't be like this. The master is your father, how can you be so disobedient? The master must have something important to discuss with you."
"What are you? Who are you to lecture our young lady?" Qing Bao reprimanded sharply.
Hu Dali's gaze shifted to her face.
The two maids beside the Second Miss were really pretty, and their figures were much better than the Second Miss's. Plump where they should be, slender where they should be...
Hu Dali's heart itched.
His father was the steward, and just based on that, his status in the Lu Residence was at least higher than these two maids, right?
If he could ask the master to marry one of them to him...
Hu Dali's gaze made Qing Bao feel utterly disgusted.
"I'm just following the master's orders to invite the Second Miss. If the Second Miss doesn't go, the master will punish me."
He smiled and even made a pitiful expression at Qing Bao.
But his facial features were flat and his eyes were small, making the expression not pitiful at all, but rather greasy.
An eyesore.
Qing Bao was about to speak when Lu Zhaoling said indifferently, "Alright, then I'll go listen to what he has to say. However, before going in, you'll first have to recognize your place."
"Qing Bao, kick his ass."
Qing Bao's eyes lit up, and she immediately kicked Hu Dali fiercely.
"Ah!" Hu Dali cried out in pain, bending over and clutching his stomach, tears almost bursting out.
Lu Zhaoling swept a glance at him, then stepped inside.
Her soul body was not yet fully integrated, and her mental power was severely depleted. Coupled with the fact that in this era,
unmarried women found it difficult to establish their own households, and the Lu Family didn't want to simply give away an advantage to others, she naturally had to continue living there.
Hu Dali was filled with resentment, clutching his stomach as he followed them in.
As Lu Zhaoling stepped over the threshold of the front hall, a lidded bowl was thrown at her.
"Young lady! Young lady!"
Qing Yin quickly helped her dodge.
The lidded bowl smashed on the floor, scattering fragments everywhere.
"You ungrateful wretch, do you know what time it is? How dare you run around! Has some man in Jingcheng already taken you in so quickly?"
Lu Ming burst into a rage the moment he saw Lu Zhaoling enter.
Lu Zhaoling's eyes grew cold.
"Has Lord Lu eaten shit again today?" She retorted with a single sentence.
Madam Lu entered with Jin Pozi, just in time to hear this.
Jin Pozi's mouth hung open wide enough to stuff an egg in.
This was... this was the Lu Zhaoling she brought back?
She was just talking to Physician Lu? And she actually said Lord Lu ate shit!
"Look carefully, is this the wretched girl you brought back from the countryside!" Madam Lu said to her, gnashing her teeth.
Then she avoided the shards and walked inside.
"Master, what's wrong? Why are you arguing?"
"You wicked girl! What did you just say?" Lu Ming was both shocked and enraged, pointing at Lu Zhaoling, completely disbelieving his own ears.
"If Lord Lu hadn't eaten shit, why would his words smell so foul?" Lu Zhaoling looked at him coldly.
"You, you! I am your father! You haven't even called me 'Father' since you returned a few days ago!"
"I'm afraid you'll shorten your lifespan," Lu Zhaoling scoffed.
Want to be her father? Was he worthy?
Lu Ming was left speechless and defeated by her few words.
"Where did you go?"
He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, trying to calm himself down.
"That's none of your business. Just take care of yourselves." Lu Zhaoling's gaze shifted to Jin Pozi, who was standing to the side.
This old woman, wasn't she the one who went to the countryside to pick her up?
Meeting her shocked expression, Lu Zhaoling immediately understood. Madam Lu probably sensed something was off and had Jin Pozi come to verify if it was really her.
But even so, Lu Zhaoling wasn't going to be like Lu Xiaokelian used to be.
Forcing her to suffer grievances, forcing her to be subservient to these people, dream on.
"It's a time of great mourning now! Others don't dare to run around casually, fearing they might violate some taboo and bring great disaster to the family.
But you, a country bumpkin who knows nothing about Jingcheng, dared to go out! You don't know anyone in Jingcheng, and you have no money on you, where could you possibly go?"
Lu Ming slammed the table, "The very first day you returned to Jingcheng, you already provoked Prince Jin. If you go out and provoke some other imperial relative or noble, how many lives do you have?"
He truly felt that with Lu Zhaoling's face, she was very likely to cause trouble.
Moreover, she might truly be a harbinger of bad luck, otherwise, why would she have split her head open and provoked someone right after returning to Jingcheng?
Thinking of what he heard in the palace today, his heart pounded.
"And you almost got sent to Qingfu Marquisate to be a concubine for Zhu Shizi! You didn't say a word about this!"
When he heard some officials talking about this today, his face turned pale with fright.
He heard that if it wasn't for the Retired Emperor's... well, something, Qingfu Marquisate would have gone to the palace to complain!
They said that girl knocked Zhu Minghao unconscious!
He actually didn't know!
Lu Ming was very clear about what kind of person Zhu Minghao was; this matter certainly wasn't over.
"What? You're Zhu Shizi's concubine?"
Madam Lu cried out in surprise, looking at Lu Zhaoling, "Does Prince Jin know? Zhaoling, could it be that your injuries were caused by Zhu Shizi...? Did, did Zhu Shizi... violate you?"
Malice welled up in her eyes.
Could it be that Lu Zhaoling had already been defiled by Zhu Minghao during the time she was abducted?
Did Prince Jin know?
Zhaoyun had already speculated about it, but she hadn't believed it.
Madam Lu now desperately wished that Lu Zhaoling's innocence had truly been taken by Zhu Minghao.
"Speak! You shameless wretch! Did you go looking for Zhu Shizi?" Lu Ming also suspected.
Prince Jin was in the palace today, so Lu Zhaoling couldn't have gone to find him.
However, he heard that Zhu Shizi was injured at home, so could Lu Zhaoling have gone to find him?
Madam Lu covered her mouth, "Did you perhaps go to apologize and humble yourself to Zhu Shizi? But you've already been granted a marriage to Prince Jin, what are we to do?"
"Heh..."
Lu Zhaoling watched them jumping up and down, eager to splash the dirtiest water on her, and couldn't help but let out a mocking laugh.
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