Chapter 209: “Protection”

“I-I didn’t steal it! This is not mine to steal!” Ning Yu Er quickly tried to explain.

“If you didn’t steal it, then your man must have stolen it! It’s the same either way,” Ban Xia pulled at her, furious.

“I don’t know, I don’t know what happened!” Ning Yu Er was completely confused now.

Wasn’t this bought for her by Ting En?

How could it have Leng Qing Yu’s name on it?

“I really didn’t steal it. I don’t know what happened! Someone, please, help me!” She anxiously looked around, hoping for some support from the crowd.

Just moments ago, the few people who had spoken on her behalf now avoided her like the plague. When she looked their way, they spat on the ground and muttered, “What bad luck!”

“Just now we thought she was really being bullied! Turns out she’s a thief!”

“Almost got used by a thief, how unlucky!”

“Good thing we didn’t say too much earlier. If the Hou family finds out, we’d be in trouble.”

“Yeah, yeah! I’ve heard that Lord Lu is tough!”

“I also heard that this Madam Lu is deeply loved by the Hou. Lord Lu doesn’t even have concubines for her!”

“To receive such favor from Lord Hou, this Madam Lu must be kind and virtuous. How could she do something like bullying commoners?”

“Exactly!”

“Her own property owner has already provided the evidence.”

“And yet she still refuses to admit it after seeing the name!”

“I think this woman is full of malice. She stole Madam Lu’s things and then turned around to slander her.”

“She’s a wicked person!”

…

Ning Yu Er felt deeply humiliated as the crowd criticized her.

She looked at Leng Qing Yu from the corner of her eye.

That woman’s graceful and dignified posture was truly glaring.

She had gotten something that shouldn’t belong to her, and all the honor they spoke of should be hers, Ning Yu Er’s.

Why?

Why did Leng Qing Yu, who did nothing, get to stay with Ting En and earn respect and praise from others?

And yet, she, Ning Yu Er, was being treated like a stray dog, accused of being a thief over a mere hairpin!

“The Hou… he’s not…!”

She almost blurted out that the person Lord Hou favored wasn’t Leng Qing Yu.

As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized her mistake.

She couldn’t say that, she couldn’t say anything at all.

But Ban Xia had caught the crucial words and immediately changed her expression.

“How dare you slander our Lord Hou! You must be tired of living!” Ban Xia grabbed her hair and started pulling at it.

Ning Yu Er’s hair was torn loose, and her clothes became a mess.

The crowd watching the commotion grew larger, all pointing and gossiping.

Leng Qing Yu was about to step forward to stop Ban Xia when she heard someone call out from the edge of the crowd, “Qing Yu, what are you doing here? What’s going on?”

As soon as Lord Lu’s voice fell, Ye Xin Ran shouted towards the outside, “Father, you came just in time! We caught a thief!”

Hearing Ye Xin Ran calling him “Father,” the crowd immediately realized that the man standing outside was Lord Lu. They hurriedly made way, allowing him to enter.

Lord Lu looked at the two women struggling in the crowd and furrowed his brow.

He walked over and grabbed Leng Qing Yu’s hand, saying, “You don’t need to handle thieves yourself. Let the servants do it. What if you run into a madman and get hurt?”

Leng Qing Yu found his words amusing and immediately tightened her grip on his hand, replying, “Thank you for your concern, Lord Hou. But today, we did run into a mad woman, one who bites like a dog!”

She turned to Ban Xia and ordered, “Ban Xia, stop wasting time with her. Tie her up and send her to the authorities.”

When Ning Yu Er heard Lord Lu’s voice, her blood seemed to freeze in her veins.

Hearing him show concern for Leng Qing Yu and even calling her a mad woman, tears uncontrollably streamed from her eyes.

Why did Ting En have to be so kind to someone else? Even if it was a lie, it didn’t matter!

Seeing Ban Xia and Ding Qiao preparing to tie her up, Ning Yu Er finally snapped out of her daze. She fell to the ground with a thud, kowtowed to Lord Lu, and cried out, “Please, Lord Hou, you have to be fair! I’m innocent! I really didn’t steal your lady’s hairpin!”

At that moment, Lord Lu was already walking out of the crowd with Leng Qing Yu.

Upon hearing this familiar voice, his steps came to a halt.

He couldn’t believe his eyes and turned back, looking at the woman kneeling on the ground. She pushed her disheveled hair aside, revealing a face he recognized.

Lord Lu instinctively wanted to shout, “Yu Er, what are you doing here?”

But he held himself back.

His face turned pale, then green, and after a long pause, he managed to squeeze out a few words, “What is going on here?”

Ban Xia, who had stayed in the capital and was unaware of the conflict between Leng Qing Yu and Lord Lu, and didn’t know what the Madam’s intentions were, quickly handed the hairpin to Lord Lu and said, “Lord Hou, take a look. This hairpin is Madam’s dowry. We encountered this woman in the main hall and found this hairpin in her hair.”

When Lord Lu saw the hairpin in Ban Xia’s hand, he nearly choked.

This was the very same hairpin he had given Ning Yu Er!

Leng Qing Yu’s dowry was stored in a warehouse, and this hairpin was one of the items he had picked out from an inconspicuous corner.

He had thought this ordinary silver hairpin wouldn’t mean anything to Leng Qing Yu, and even if it were lost, she wouldn’t notice.

Who would have thought it concealed a hidden mechanism?

Seeing Lord Lu’s changed expression, Ban Xia thought he was upset because someone had stolen Madam’s dowry. She said, “This thief is quite stupid, there are so many valuable ornaments in the warehouse, but she chose to steal this hairpin, which was Madam’s favorite before she got married!”

Leng Qing Yu had been silent, observing Lord Lu’s changing expressions as his face turned pale, then green, then black, feeling a sense of satisfaction.

But Lord Lu suddenly spoke up:

“A mere hairpin, not even a valuable item. Is it really worth making such a fuss over?”

He scolded Ban Xia, “As a maid, you failed to protect your mistress, and yet you make such a big deal over a hairpin! The Hou family could afford a thousand of these hairpins if we wanted! But if something happens to Madam, you couldn’t even pay with your life!”

The crowd gasped in shock.

Lord Hou clearly cared deeply for Madam, getting this angry over such a small matter.

Ban Xia hadn’t expected Lord Lu to be this furious, and for a moment, she didn’t know what to do. She quickly kneeled and apologized.

“I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.”

“Since the hairpin has been retrieved, let the woman go,” Lord Lu said to Leng Qing Yu. “Today is our daughter’s big day for entering the family tree. Don’t let such a small matter ruin the occasion.”

Leng Qing Yu remained calm, looking at Ning Yu Er still kneeling on the ground, and replied seriously, “Lord Hou, I have always believed in letting things go when it’s possible, but this woman cannot be allowed to leave.”