Chapter 115: Selling Huang Yue

Chapter 115: Selling Huang Yue

The servants brought up the small millstone that had been soaked in water, and Lu Lingyun found a cloth to wipe off the moisture.

"Lady, that Huang Yue is definitely not right. That day, she fought tooth and nail to keep something from you, only to secretly bury it somewhere. There must be something fishy!" Ling Long said with excitement on her face.

Lu Lingyun looked at the half-dried millstone, which was still wet inside. She thought for a moment and began to turn the small mill handle. These old things often trap items in their crevices after years of use.

Sure enough, as she turned it, the water inside slowly mixed with some dark red liquid seeping out.

Seeing this, she said, "Bring Doctor Liu to me!"

As they were fetching Doctor Liu, Xia Mei hurriedly ran in from outside the courtyard.

"Lady, my brother has brought Huang Yue's family here!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Lingyun said, "Bring them in quickly!"

Soon, a middle-aged couple, both looking weathered, were led in.

They were trembling with fear as they were brought into the mansion. The moment they entered Lu Lingyun's courtyard, they knelt down in panic, "What does Lady need us for?"

"There's no need to kneel, please stand up. I just have a few questions."

Lu Lingyun had two chairs brought for the couple to sit on. Her gentle demeanor slightly eased their tension.

"Do you know Huang Yue?"

At the mention of Huang Yue, her aunt's expression changed immediately, and her uncle's eyes widened, "Lady, you know Huang Yue too?"

"Huang Yue works in my household now. I wanted to ask you about her character."

As soon as Lu Lingyun finished speaking, Huang Yue's aunt blurted out, "Lady, don't use her!"

Her uncle nudged her, but couldn't stop the anger on her face, "That girl is a born liar and troublemaker!"

"Say less, we've already split ways. Forget it, forget it."

"How can we forget! My children were all miscarried because of her, including our son!"

Lu Lingyun's eyes lit up upon hearing this.

After a while, Lu Lingyun learned how Huang Yue's uncle's family had fallen apart due to her actions.

Originally, her uncle's family had a thriving tofu business in the southern part of the city. They took in Huang Yue's family, who had no means of livelihood, to help them out. As their business grew, so did their prosperity. However, when Huang Yue's mother gave birth to her, she was injured and could no longer bear children.

Her uncle's family was eager to have a son to inherit the business. Huang Yue's parents even promised that if they had a son, he would be the heir to everyone's assets.

Initially, her uncle's family was happy about this, but then Huang Yue's aunt suffered multiple miscarriages. The last one was a fully formed male infant. It was then discovered that Huang Yue had been secretly giving her red flowers to induce miscarriage!

When her uncle's family found out, they severed ties with them and never spoke again.

"How did a little girl get red flowers?"

"In the south of our city, there's a bridge under which many grow. She picked them herself!" Huang Yue's aunt said with hatred.

At this moment, Doctor Liu arrived.

Lu Lingyun had the servants bring out the millstone and the dark red liquid collected earlier for him to examine.

Seeing the small millstone, Huang Yue's aunt shrieked, "That's the thing! She used it to grind red flower powder and mix it into my medicinal soup, causing me to lose three children!"

Doctor Liu, after carefully examining the dark red liquid, confirmed, "It is indeed the juice of red flowers."

Lu Lingyun, hearing this, slammed her hand on the table, "Bring Huang Yue to me!"

Shortly after, Huang Yue, who had just woken from her nap, appeared before Lu Lingyun.

She was still oblivious, "Why has Lady called for me?"

Could it be that the matter of her being promoted to Aunt Xing was being arranged early?

Lu Lingyun, seeing her demeanor, sneered, "Kneel down!"

Huang Yue, meeting her gaze, felt a twinge of unease. She fell to her knees, feigning innocence, "But what has Little Yue done wrong?"

Seeing her still unrepentant, Lu Lingyun slapped a paper with her seal on it, "Confess everything you've done, and I might consider selling you more leniently!"

Seeing her indenture contract, Huang Yue finally felt guilty. She rolled her eyes and hurriedly kowtowed, "Lady, Little Yue has done wrong. Was it because I offended Aunt Xing today? I'll go and apologize to her right away."

Lu Lingyun sneered, "You're still lying. Momo, bring the slave trader."

"Yes, Lady." Momo left immediately.

Huang Yue, realizing she couldn't hide anymore, reluctantly confessed, "Lady, Little Yue really did wrong. It must be about the silver hairpin. I've thought about it carefully, and it definitely wasn't Ling Long who stole it; perhaps she took it by mistake!"

"You really can make up stories! Still lying even now!" Ling Long, who had heard the entire process, angrily rebuked, "Lady has already uncovered everything about you!"

Hearing this, Huang Yue's eyes filled with panic. The slave trader arrived, and she could no longer hold back, kowtowing forcefully, "Lady, the hairpin incident was Little Yue's doing. I was foolish, please spare my life!"

It wasn't that she was stupid enough to confess directly, but the situation was dire. Lu Lingyun had dared to call the slave trader, indicating she had found evidence. As the lady of the house, with the indenture contract in hand, she had the power of life and death over her. If she didn't confess, she wouldn't be able to deceive her way out.

And the hairpin... wasn't such a big deal.

"I knew it was you who framed me!" Ling Long, hearing this, rushed forward and slapped Huang Yue twice.

"Ling Long, I'm sorry. I was foolish to think of such a thing. I'll give you two hairpins to make up for it! Please spare my life!"

"Spit! I don't want your lousy hairpins!" Ling Long slapped her twice more, venting her anger.

"Alright." Lu Lingyun spoke.

Huang Yue, thinking the matter was over, hurriedly knelt down to beg for mercy, "Young Lady, I really lost my head for a moment! Just this once, I’ll never dare again. Please, Young Lady, forgive Little Yue."

Lu Lingyun sat on the stool, looking at her coldly, "Huang Yue, your greatest flaw is treating everyone like fools."

"And trying to dodge the main issue!"

Lu Lingyun raised her hand and threw the small millstone she had lost today.

As the object fell, Huang Yue’s face turned completely pale. But at this moment, she also knew one thing: she must not admit to the red flower incident!

"Young Lady, what are you talking about? This is my small millstone; I was just looking for it. What’s wrong with it? Does Little Master want it? If Little Master wants it, Little Yue will give it to him."

Lu Lingyun looked at her, no longer bothering to argue with such a person, "I gave you a chance, but you didn’t take it. Forget it, sell her off directly."

With a wave of her hand, a slave trader stepped forward and grabbed Huang Yue to check her teeth.

Huang Yue panicked completely. She shouted desperately, using her last resort, "Young Lady, you can’t do this to me! If you kill or sell me, you must give Little Yue a reason to be convinced! Selling a servant without cause—how can a noble lady act like this!"

She was trying to put Lu Lingyun in a difficult position. If Lu Lingyun really sold her today, she would ruin her reputation!

Lu Lingyun listened coldly to her desperate accusations, "Fine, if you want to die with clarity, then so be it. Come out."

As Lu Lingyun spoke, Huang Yue’s uncle and aunt emerged from behind.

The moment she saw them, Huang Yue’s eyes widened in shock.

She could no longer utter a single word.