Chapter 38: My Hand Is About to Be Ruined

Lu Zhaoling found them truly laughable.

In truth, she had yet to realize that they had abandoned her in the countryside for ten years, subjecting her to endless hardships, only to bring her back now—and for what? To bring her home and treat her with such hostility; they clearly had no fear of turning her into an enemy.

Lu Zhaoling could not have known that Lu Ming and his wife viewed her merely as a naive, helpless little girl who understood nothing, convinced she could never escape their grasp. To them, she was nothing more than a tiny ant—hardly worth the effort of putting on a facade to appease.

Lu Ming’s initial plan had been simple: once this wretched girl reached the capital, she would be at his beck and call, never daring to defy him. If she truly dared to resist, he would simply bind her in the woodshed and starve her for a couple of days; that would settle everything. How could he have known that things would take such a turn? It began with the Prince of Jin sending her back, followed by Physician Fu personally making house calls and even intervening in her living arrangements. The Prince of Jin had even bestowed two maids upon her.

"I suggest you go and verify the facts," Lu Zhaoling said, showing no trace of guilt or fear as she admitted it outright. "I did indeed beat Zhu Minghao, enough to make him collapse in the street. If you knew the extent of his injuries, you wouldn't be making such foolish guesses about me apologizing to him."

"You have such audacity!" Lu Ming, who had assumed Zhu Minghao’s injuries were caused by the Prince of Jin, was shocked to learn that it was Lu Zhaoling herself. "That is the son of the Marquis of Qingfu! A person the Empress Dowager cherishes as the apple of her eye—how dare you injure him?"

Lu Ming felt a wave of panic. Would Zhu Minghao come looking for them to settle the score? He was a minor official; how could he possibly withstand such a confrontation?

Lu Zhaoling looked at him coldly. "The beating is done, and the injuries are inflicted. Why bother asking me how I dared?"

"You just returned to the capital and already you've courted such trouble! If the Heir of Qingfu comes to demand accountability, I won't be able to help you!"

"So this is the 'backbone' of Master Lu?" Lu Zhaoling couldn't help but find it amusing. "Your daughter was almost abducted to be a concubine and nearly beaten to death. Instead of going to demand justice, you're worried about someone coming to hold you accountable?"

Could a father really be like this?

Lady Lu glared at her upon hearing this. "You must have used some vixen-like charms to provoke the Heir of Qingfu. Otherwise, why would he abduct you and no one else? Even if you were abducted, you should have begged for mercy and asked him to let you go. Why did you have to lay hands on him?"

Qingyin and Qingbao were both struck dumb. The words of Master and Lady Lu were truly an eye-opener. To think there were parents like this! Their daughter had been bullied to such an extent, and instead of seeking vengeance against Zhu Minghao, they were here scolding her! Qingyin and Qingbao looked at Lu Zhaoling, their hearts aching. Their mistress was so pitiful. However, the Lu couple clearly had no idea how capable she truly was!

"If that is all the nonsense you have to offer, spare me. I am tired."

Lu Zhaoling thought they might have something new to say, but finding the conversation utterly dull, she turned to leave.

"Stop right there!"

At Lu Ming’s angry shout, Hu Dali scrambled out and suddenly thrust his arm forward to block their path. He moved so abruptly that had Qingbao not stepped back quickly, his arm would have struck her chest. Qingbao’s expression changed, and a surge of anger flared up.

Lu Zhaoling’s gaze darkened, and her fingers flickered slightly.

"Ah!"

Hu Dali suddenly felt a numbness in his arm, followed immediately by a piercing, agonizing pain that seemed to envelop his entire limb. He let out a shriek. Qingbao was stunned. She had just been worrying about whether causing trouble in the Lu household would bring problems for her mistress, when suddenly Hu Dali recoiled and began to howl. They hadn't even moved.

Lu Ming and the others were startled. "Dali, what are you doing?"

"Master, my arm... it hurts! Ah, it’s killing me!" Hu Dali screamed incessantly, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. It felt as if thousands of needles had been driven into his arm, each one boring deeper into his bone. His arm hung limp, and he was too terrified to touch it with his other hand.

The steward, seeing his son in such a state, was stunned. Recovering, he rushed forward to grab Hu Dali’s arm, intending to pull back his sleeve to see what was wrong. But the moment he touched him, Hu Dali shrieked even more violently.

"Father! Don't touch me! It hurts! It's killing me!"

The steward pulled back, wanting to help but afraid to touch him, hopping about in a panic. "What is happening? What kind of pain is this?"

"It hurts! My arm is ruined!" Hu Dali collapsed to the ground, tears and snot streaming down his face.

"Master, Madam, what... what do we do? Please, save Dali!" The steward was on the verge of tears.

"Zhaoling, was it you? What did you do?" Lady Lu felt a tremor in her heart and looked at Lu Zhaoling. Hu Dali had just been trying to block her.

Lu Zhaoling’s expression remained indifferent. "Are you blind? Did you see me touch him? If you’re sick, go see a doctor."

With that, she walked away with Qingyin and Qingbao, not sparing Hu Dali another glance. The steward instinctively wanted to stop her, but hearing his son’s blood-curdling screams, he felt a sudden chill and dared not intervene.

Though he also felt it couldn't possibly be Lu Zhaoling, he couldn't shake a lingering sense of dread. Granny Jin had been watching in a daze, unable to recover even after Lu Zhaoling had left. Was this truly the little village girl she had brought back?

Upon reaching the courtyard, Lu Zhaoling said to Qingyin, "Go get some food." She was hungry.

"Yes, Miss." Qingyin immediately turned toward the kitchen.

Qingbao, clutching the wooden box in one hand, helped Lu Zhaoling toward Tingnuan Pavilion with the other. "Miss, the kitchen wouldn't dare serve us plain buns again, would they?"

"They wouldn't dare," Lu Zhaoling said with absolute certainty.

Qingbao thought of Hu Dali’s state and wanted to ask something, but didn't dare.

"What is it?" Lu Zhaoling glanced at her.

"Miss, that Hu Dali..."

Lu Zhaoling’s eyes were cold as frost. "You must remember: if you are bullied, you should resist. 'Enduring humiliation for the greater good' is not a virtue."

It was as if she had answered, yet also as if she hadn't. But as Qingbao turned the words over in her mind, her eyes brightened. "This servant understands!"

After Lu Zhaoling left, Granny Jin hobbled over to Lady Lu, her voice trembling. "Madam, the Second Miss... she’s like a completely different person!"

This was absolutely not the same Lu Zhaoling she had traveled with to the capital!

Lady Lu’s expression shifted. "You don't think it’s her?"

"No, it's... it's..." Granny Jin felt as if her brain were a tangled mess. "Looking at her stature, her face, her features—it is her. But her temperament is completely different."

The Lu Zhaoling she had brought back would never have dared to stand so straight or speak to people in such a manner.

Lu Ming, his ears ringing from the noise of the steward and Physician Hu, couldn't hear what they were saying. "Take him to the medical hall!"

He wasn't a doctor; how could he help him by howling here?!