Chapter 361: No Mercy

Chapter 361: No Mercy

Lu Shuangshuang was left speechless by the rebuke. She looked around the room, filled with her relatives, but found no one she could turn to for help.

Everyone stared coldly at Xiao Wangshi, their eyes filled only with hatred, not a shred of affection remained!

Her lips trembled, but no words came out. She could only watch helplessly as her mother was dragged away, her mind still in a daze.

Even if she had a million guts, she wouldn’t dare approach Xie Yuan, let alone beg for mercy.

"Father, Mother, Xie Yuan will go ahead." Xie Yuan gestured to Su Zhenyun and Lu Xixue.

They immediately agreed, hoping Xie Yuan would quickly find out their daughter’s whereabouts.

Once the people from Xie Mansion left, the once crowded front hall of Su Mansion suddenly felt empty and desolate, each face bearing a complex expression.

"Sister, don't worry. This wicked woman, if she doesn’t reveal Nuan Nuan’s location, I won’t spare her!" Lu Sen, still furious, said this before following Xie Yuan's men out the door.

Lu Lin knew he couldn’t stop his brother. Watching him leave angrily, he sighed deeply, "What misfortune has befallen our family! How could we have such a traitor among us!"

Hearing her uncle speak about her mother like that, Lu Shuangshuang’s eyes welled up with tears, but she dared not argue. At this moment, she was somewhat worried about her mother, but resentment soon followed. Why did her mother take matters into her own hands and attack her aunt? Now everything was ruined...

"Shuangshuang... you should go back first. Your uncle and I need to talk to your aunt and uncle-in-law." Da Wangshi’s face was grim.

She had thought it was an external enemy, never expecting a traitor within the family, especially from their own Lu clan. Although the main and secondary branches had separated, they still felt ashamed before the Su family.

She had long known Wang Cuiyun was devious, but had always assumed it was minor mischief. Never did she imagine she had the audacity to hire killers!

Lu Shuangshuang wanted to stay and listen to what her uncle and aunt were going to discuss, hoping they might save her mother, but seeing everyone’s stern faces, she reluctantly left.

Before, she had wished Su Youyue would never return, but now she desperately hoped for her safe return.

If Su Youyue returned, her mother might be saved, and she wouldn’t be implicated.

If her mother was sentenced to servitude, she couldn’t bear to think about how she would survive...

Filled with hope, Lu Shuangshuang began to lose her appetite and couldn’t sleep, just like everyone else in Su Mansion, praying for Su Youyue’s quick return.

But days passed—three, four, five—and there was still no news.

The city gates remained closed, causing unease among the ignorant citizens of Yanjing, who started spreading all sorts of bizarre rumors. Some said a serial killer had escaped; others claimed a celestial anomaly foretold a great disaster. The entire city was enveloped in a restless atmosphere.

Under mounting pressure, three days later, the city gates finally opened, resuming normal traffic. Most people remained unaware of what had transpired, and life quickly returned to its usual pace.

Only Xie Mansion spread the news that the newly married Miss Su had suddenly fallen ill. After treatment by Lady Su, she was sent to the countryside to recuperate.

This news didn’t attract much attention, as most commoners viewed noble affairs merely as gossip.

Only among the nobility did whispers circulate that Lady Xie had been kidnapped. However, with the Xie and Su families’ rising influence in court, these rumors were kept under wraps.

In the dead of night, when all was quiet.

Xie Mansion lay eerily silent, footsteps echoing heavily through the halls.

With a creak, a wooden door opened.

A flickering candle illuminated the study, casting a dim light on a man’s bloodshot eyes, revealing deep shadows beneath them, signs of extreme exhaustion.

He walked slowly to the desk, gazing at an unfinished painting. For a long time, he caressed the woman’s face in the painting, his voice hoarse and trembling with restrained emotion.

"Nuan Nuan, where are you?"

Water swirled chaotically.

Cold river water rushed into her ears, the muffled roar echoing in her head.

Su Youyue opened her eyes underwater, beams of light piercing through the surface, creating a mesmerizing dance of light and shadow, like shimmering crystals.

Suddenly, a hand pulled her out of the water.

Drenched and disheveled, she fell onto a rock, coughing violently.

Beside her, a man laughed cruelly.

"Miss Su, still trying to escape?"

Beside him, Zhu Da glanced at Zhu Er and reminded, "Er, don’t kill her. We need to answer to the prince."

Zhu Er, still in high spirits, glanced at the woman, who had grown noticeably thinner since the previous days, and reluctantly threw her aside.

"She’s so weak and still thinks of escaping. We need to break her spirit completely."

He sat down, pulling out a dry biscuit from his bag, chewing with disgust. "Damn, Xie Mansion is really troublesome. This is the hardest job we’ve ever had, can’t even light a fire!"

Zhu Da tossed him a piece of bread from his pocket. "Bear with it. In a few days, we’ll reach the prince. Then we can eat whatever we want. And after this, the prince probably won’t send us back to Yanjing. We’ll be free to enjoy ourselves in Liao Dong."

Zhu Er’s mood improved slightly, then he looked at Su Youyue and sneered. "Miss Su and the young lady of Jinghai Hou Mansion both fancied my Zhu family women. Little did they know, we were watching them all along. A few women and children, we can get whenever we want."

"If it weren’t for you taking the little girl to the clinic, we wouldn’t have thought of a way to catch you so quickly!"

His tone was mocking, making Su Youyue, who was curled up in fear, shudder. She didn’t dare respond.

Seeing her reaction, the two men believed they had finally terrified her thoroughly and shared a smirk.

After all, she was just a woman. How much courage could she have? They were lucky she hadn’t gone mad yet.

Zhu Da took a sip of water and replied to his brother, "Still, we must thank Second Lady Lu. If she hadn’t sent someone to attack Lady Su, we wouldn’t have been able to set up the trap, sending two groups in to distract the guards."

"Have a couple of bites and then hit the road. Those people have noses like dogs, very sharp. They'll surely find their way here soon."

With that, the two of them, without regard for Su Youyue's soaking wet clothes, grabbed her and threw her into the carriage.

In the carriage, the woman was as weak as a malnourished kitten. After a while, she barely managed to crawl back up.