Chapter 108

Jun Zishu didn't plan on killing anybody. She was only looking to teach these naughty children a lesson. Although she felt that it would be best if these children simply died off right now instead of becoming a danger to others in the future, she wouldn't be the one to take action.

When the servants waiting outside the courtyard heard the noise and subsequent cries for help, they hurriedly ran over and rescued the Fifth Young Master.

In the meantime, Luo Ziying, the Seventh Young Master, and Eighth Young Master had run back into the courtyard, none of them having expected such a development.

The Fifth Young Master had already lost consciousness by the time he got pulled out of the well. He looked to be in a miserable state, his entire body drenched.

After the servants took him away in a hurry,

"How did Fifth Brother fall into the well, Sister-in-law?" Luo Ziying asked, a somewhat ugly expression on her face. She didn't think that her fifth brother would be so useless as to fail to control an idiot. Although the idiot should be able to put up quite the struggle should she fight back with her tall stature, it did not seem like the idiot had struggled at all since her clothes looked as neat as before.

Luo Ziying had originally planned on getting rid of Jun Zishu permanently. Although Luo Ziying and her mother were skeptical about the Luo Minghuan being able to live past 25 just because she married an idiot, it was better to be safe than sorry.

However, Luo Ziying did not expect Luo Ziyao, her fifth brother, to be such a pervert that he would set his sights on Jun Zishu. So, after much deliberation, Luo Ziying decided to go along with his wishes and kill two birds with one stone; she could get rid of Jun Zishu and get Luo Ziyao punished.

It wouldn't matter even if Luo Ziyao somehow failed to deal with Jun Zishu. Once news of his attempted assault spread, he would still get punished all the same. His actions would even drag his mother down with him.

However, what Luo Ziying did not expect was for the idiot to be completely unharmed and Luo Ziyao to fall into the well.

"He wanted to catch me, but he accidentally fell into the well," Jun Zishu said with a flustered and innocent expression, her face looking a little out of sorts.

Although Luo Ziying felt a little skeptical about Jun Zishu's words, she eventually believed them. Then, Jun Zishu suddenly ran away like the wind before she could say anything else.

Jun Zishu had no interest in listening to Luo Ziying blabber. She honestly felt quite disgusted to converse with such insidious and ruthless children. It was especially true now that she was taking on the role of an idiot. She didn't have a preference of letting a cheeky brat probe her for information.

After exiting the dilapidated courtyard, Jun Zishu quickly ran back to her own courtyard and searched for Luo Minghuan. She planned to strike while the iron was hot, solidifying her innocence and pinning the blame on the naughty brats in Luo Minghuan's mind. Not to mention, those naughty brats were the ones plotting against her in the first place.

To make sure she looked convincing, though, Jun Zishu put on an unhappy expression before entering the courtyard.

By now, Luo Minghuan had already returned from the study. So, when Jun Zishu entered the courtyard, she quickly spotted Ruyun standing outside the bed-chamber.

"Second Young Madam," Ruyun greeted. Then, she pointed toward the bed-chamber, indicating that Luo Minghuan had already returned.

Jun Zishu immediately walked inside, a slightly surprised expression on her face as she said, "You're back, Husband."

"Did you go out and play?"

Luo Minghuan had originally been taking care of her account books in the study. However, she stopped when the maid serving Jun Zishu came to report to her that Luo Ziying had taken Jun Zishu out to play. Moreover, Luo Ziying had forbidden the maid from following them.

Upon hearing this, Luo Minghuan immediately felt that something was amiss, so she dropped what she was doing and returned to the courtyard.

There was no way Luo Minghuan wouldn't know which people in the Luo Manor held malice toward her. So, she knew that nothing good could come out of Luo Ziying inviting Jun Zishu out to play.

Just when Luo Minghuan was about to send Ruyun out to search for Jun Zishu, she heard another piece of news—that fifth little brother of hers had fallen into a well.

Although the information didn't clarify the situation, she had many eyes in the Luo Manor, so she quickly received a much clearer description of the incident.

Meanwhile, Luo Minghuan quickly understood the cause and effect of the situation, and she nearly shattered her teacup when she reached a conclusion. However, as she knew that Jun Zishu should be returning soon, she held back her anger and pretended that nothing was wrong."

"Mhm, but it wasn't fun at all. He wanted to catch me, but I didn't like him touching me, so I ran. Then, he suddenly fell into the well when he chased after me. But he quickly got rescued. They are very bad. We agreed to play hide-and-seek inside the courtyard, yet they ran outside," Jun Zishu said with a frown on her face, her voice sounding a little anxious during the first half of her explanation and angry during the latter half.

"Husband, will he be alright? It's that person we ate together with, the boy I didn't like. He fell down the well," Jun Zishu messily narrated while gesturing with her hands, doing her best to get her point across.

Jun Zishu dared to say that nobody had seen her when she pushed Luo Ziyao into the well, so she acted without worry.

Jun Zishu wasn't worried that Luo Ziyao would expose her after he woke up, either. Everything would be fine so long as she refused to admit her wrongdoings and behaved a little sincerely. Nobody would suspect an idiot's words.

Not to mention, Luo Ziyao's moral conduct or lack thereof was well known in the Luo Manor. Even if some people would believe him and think that Jun Zishu was pretending to be an idiot, it wouldn't matter so long as Luo Minghuan believed her.

Jun Zishu didn't think she was doing anything wrong by acting in front of Luo Minghuan. If those brats hadn't been up to mischief, none of this would've happened.

"It's alright. It's not related to you," Luo Minghuan said with certainty as she pinched Jun Zishu's cheeks.

"It's his fault for falling into the well. I don't want to play with them ever again."

"Just ignore them, then."

"Okay. I'll have Ah Yun fetch me some water to wash my hands."

"Go ahead."

Once Jun Zishu turned away, Luo Minghuan's expression instantly turned cold.

The little dummy might not realize what had happened, but Luo Minghuan did.

Had Luo Ziyao succeeded in his actions today, the consequences would've been unimaginable.

With the age disparity, Luo Ziyao wouldn't be a match for the little dummy should he try to use force against her. Naturally, Luo Ziyao wouldn't be so stupid to take action by himself. However, seeing as he still failed even after getting help, it meant that his allies had betrayed him.

Although Luo Minghuan didn't know if the people behind her siblings were involved in this matter, they probably more or less knew about the children's actions.

It had only been a few days, yet these people were already targeting her people…

When Luo Minghuan imagined the little dummy, who would fawn over her and sweetly call her husband, becoming a cold and lifeless corpse, an inexplicable rage burst out from her chest. Yet, amidst this rage, the corners of her lips raised and formed a chilling smile. The darkness hiding within the depths of her eyes also exuded bone-chilling killing intent.

However, the instant Jun Zishu stepped back into the room again, the grim expression on Luo Minghuan's face instantly vanished as if it had never existed, leaving behind only calmness.

…

When night fell, Luo Ziyao remained unconscious. The doctor stated that he had gotten injured during his fall and caught a cold after being soaked in the cold water for too long. The traumatic incident had most likely taken a toll on his mind as well. Thus, he remained unconscious, and his body heated up.

The Second Madam, Luo Ziyao's mother, nearly fainted from crying when she learned of her son's condition. She had skipped the temple visit last time because her daughter had fallen ill. Now that her daughter had yet to recover, her son had also fallen ill.

…

"Young Miss, the lord has called for you and the Second Young Madam to head to the front hall," Ruyun reported to Luo Minghuan, a worried expression on her face.

People in the Luo Manor could sometimes be very talkative. So, the matter of the Fifth Young Master and Second Young Madam playing together and the Fifth Young Master falling into a well had long since spread across the entire manor.

"Has Luo Ziyao woken up yet?" Luo Minghuan asked.

"He woke up just now," Ruyun answered.

Jun Zishu's expression remained unfazed when she heard that she was being summoned. Though, she guessed that the boy must've told his mother the truth after waking up.

Luo Minghuan pondered for a moment before she stepped out of the room. When Jun Zishu tried to follow her, she stopped the little dummy in her tracks.

"Husband?"

"Wait for me in the room."

"But didn't Ah Yun say—"

"Be good."

Luo Minghuan patted Jun Zishu on the head before turning around and leaving.

Even if the little dummy went, she would only be verbally assaulted by people who had nothing better to do. The little dummy didn't know how to speak, either. So, why should she go and suffer?

Luo Minghuan refused to let others criticize her people. Only she had the qualifications to do so.

Jun Zishu nodded in response. Then, she stood by the door and watched Luo Minghuan exit the courtyard.

After Luo Minghuan's figure disappeared into the darkness, Jun Zishu took a seat in the room and poured herself a cup of tea. By the looks of it, she had already moved Luo Minghuan's heart slightly. Otherwise, Luo Minghuan wouldn't have stopped her from facing those people with ill intentions. Those people might not be as capable as Luo Minghuan, but they were still annoying nonetheless.

After experiencing the Luo family's "hospitality," Jun Zishu could somewhat empathize with Luo Minghuan. If she were in Luo Minghuan's shoes, she would probably drag the entire family down to hell as well. She might even do it sooner than Luo Minghuan.

The reason why Luo Minghuan was dragging things out instead of exacting her revenge as soon as possible was because she still held resentment in her heart. She was waiting for the opportunity to conduct her final questioning.

Though, the reality of the situation might not be what Luo Minghuan expected it to be.

Jun Zishu sighed and finished her tea.

…

Inside the front hall, Luo Minghuan was currently feigning civility in front of her family members.

"Second Mother, don't you think that you are going too far with your words? How can you make an empty statement like that?"

"Ziyao himself said it! He said that it was that fool who pushed him! Had the servants arrived a little later, my son would've lost his life!" the Second Madam said excitedly, her eyes red with anger.

"Watch your words, Mother," Luo Minghuan said with a frown.

"What? Why can't I say it? It is a fact that she is an idiot!" the Second Madam retorted out of spite. Then, she threw her teacup on the floor and shouted, "I don't care! You have to give me an explanation today!"

"That's enough, Second Sister. It's unbecoming of you to shout at your junior," Madam Luo berated.

"Maybe it is just children fooling around with each other," Madam Luo added lightly, her words downplaying the severity of the situation.

"Fooling around? My son nearly lost his life today!" the Second Madam shouted, not caring that Lord Luo was present.

"Isn't he still alive? You don't need to get so angry, Big Sister. The Second Young Madam doesn't know any better. It is normal for children to get a little rough with each other," the Third Madam said indifferently. She had never been on good terms with the Second Madam. Although they appeared friendly on the surface, they would never hesitate to take a jab at each other whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Honestly, though, she couldn't believe how useless this person's son was. He was probably the dumbest child in the Luo Manor.

"You?!"

The Second Madam glared at the Third Madam. She wanted nothing more than to rip this woman apart with her bare hands right now.

How could she possibly not know who the mastermind behind this incident was? She had repeatedly warned her son that he needed to be careful when dealing with this woman and her child. Yet…

"Milord, you need to seek justice for me," the Second Madam said as she looked at Lord Luo.

"What do you want to do, Second Mother?" Luo Minghuan asked.

"Of course it is to punish her!" the Second Madam shouted. She had originally wanted to kick that idiot out of the manor. However, when she thought of that idiot's identity, she knew that the lord definitely would not remove her from the manor.

"She didn't do anything wrong, so why must she be punished?" Luo Minghuan argued. Then, before the Second Madam could say anything, Luo Minghuan calmly continued, "Seventh Sister was the one who invited her out to play. Several children were playing hide-and-seek together, and Fifth Brother accidentally lost his footing and fell into the well when he was playing with her. So, what does this have to do with her?"

"Nonsense! Ziyao said that it was that idiot who pushed him down!"

"Weren't the others there as well? Ziying, did you see it?" Luo Minghuan asked as she looked at Luo Ziying. After she finished speaking, she covered her mouth and gently coughed twice.

"Fifth Brother was the one who accidentally fell, so why would Fifth Brother lie?" Luo Ziying asked the Second Madam with a slightly confused expression. "Moreover, even though we were playing hide-and-seek, Fifth Brother kept trying to touch Second Sister-in-law. Sister-in-law only ran because she had no choice."

Truth and lies were mixed in this debate, and everything was mentioned for one person to hear.