How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Chapter 169 Qingru's Crisis

Qingru and Jiang Shen stayed at the Zheng family's place, while Jiang Shen went to search for other evidence.

Putting everything else aside, there were quite a few shell casings and murder weapons left at the scene. We should collect them first, as they might be useful for something else. We should also take the opportunity to find out more about the Zheng family.

"Lü Qingru".

Qingru looked up and saw that Zheng Peilan had tidied her clothes and combed her hair, looking neat and tidy, though no longer glamorous.

"Miss Zheng."

"Slap." Zheng Peilan slapped Qingru across the face, catching her off guard. Her face stung with pain, and Qingru was completely bewildered.

"You're such a schemer!" Zheng Peilan pointed at her, gritting her teeth.

Qingru glared back angrily, "What did I do wrong?"

"I asked my father, and that lowly servant is your driver. How dare he touch me? Humph!" Zheng Peilan sneered.

Qingru immediately realized what was happening. "Miss Zheng, you need evidence for your words and actions. You went to Jin Anna on your own, and you were drugged yourself. It has nothing to do with me. Guo Zixing was the one who rescued you. He was afraid that you would ruin your reputation by arguing with him in front of everyone, so he asked me to secretly take you home. And now your father wants to kill me and the driver to prevent the news from leaking out? Is it wrong for us to run away?"

Zheng Peilan retorted angrily, "It's hard to say that you didn't do it on purpose, letting that lowly servant ruin me. You just have your eye on Guo Zixing, don't you? You're afraid I'll take your position, so you framed me."

Qingru almost burst out laughing. This woman was truly baffling. "I find it strange that you don't hate the person who drugged you, or even pursue the matter. Instead, you're holding a grudge against me. Let me ask you, was it wrong for Guo Zixing to save you? Was it wrong for him to care about a young woman's reputation? Was it wrong for me to help out? You and your father are truly an oddball. Instead of looking for the culprit, you repay kindness with enmity."

Zheng Peilan was speechless; she didn't know how to defend herself. But it was a fact that she had lost her virginity, and it was also a fact that the man was Qingru's driver.

"You ran away, fine, but you deliberately came to my room and you're saying you weren't trying to harm me?"

“Your house was attacked at the time, and that room was the safest. We only found you in there after we went inside. Besides, the driver had already injured his leg; he didn't even have the strength to run away, let alone protect you…”

Thinking of Song Fu's pale face at the time, wouldn't he be the one who suffered a loss?

Zheng Peilan fell silent, vague images flashing through her mind—images of her pinning down the driver…

The more this happened, the less she could accept it. She had to shift the blame onto someone else to feel better.

"It's all your fault! Who asked you to save them? If it weren't for you, the person lying in the same bed with me would be Guo Zixing. He and I are a good match, and even if we slept together, it would just be a make-up wedding. Now? Am I supposed to marry a lowly driver?"

"Miss Zheng!" Qingru glared at her unhappily. Using such derogatory terms repeatedly was going too far. "How is a driver despicable? He's an honest man who works to support himself. If you ask me, you were both victims last night, so why be so aggressive?"

Zheng Peilan gritted her teeth and remained silent, but her expression clearly showed that she was not convinced.

Seeing that she remained silent, Qingru didn't bother to say anything more and turned to walk out.

"Stop!" Zheng Peilan shouted. "If you dare to tell anyone about what happened last night, I will kill you!"

Qingru continued walking, "Actually, even if you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known. If someone else finds out about this one day, it definitely won't be me who tells them. I have no interest in spreading your story around."

Qingru felt a pang of regret. She recalled how glamorous and dazzling Zheng Peilan had been when she first returned, surpassing all the young ladies in the city.

At that time, her ambition was to establish a women's college for adults, to provide a safe haven for suffering women. How much I admired her back then? I even aspired to become a person as virtuous and upright as Zheng Peilan.

Could she have changed so much in just over six months? First, the school never even got off the ground. Second, her mindset changed; though she was aloof and proud back then, she was upright and honest, disdaining any underhanded schemes.

But now, Zheng Peilan speaks of the lowly and the powerful, completely losing her former innocence and becoming unlike herself.

Have they been assimilated by the sons of the powerful and wealthy in the city?

Qingru didn't want to stay any longer and quickly left.

Zheng Peilan watched Qingru's busy figure among the soldiers, trembling with anger. She was unwilling to accept it; why should she lose her innocence while this woman could still live a pure life?

If she also loses her virginity, will Guo Zixing still want her?

Qingru carried the things the soldiers had just cleared out into the hall, which had been cleaned up and was being used as a temporary office space.

Upon seeing her arrive, several officers immediately gathered around. "Miss Lü, let me help you with this."

Jiang Shen glanced up, then quickly went back to his work. "You should take a break."

"Why? Aren't you quite busy?" Qingru looked at them coming and going, clearly they still had a lot of things to do.

"The director's wife's body has not been claimed yet. I estimate she should be here soon. Please be careful to receive her."

"Why?" Qingru was very puzzled. The director's wife held a high position, so why hadn't she returned home all night, and why hadn't her family come looking for her? Besides, the Zheng and Guo families should have already sent people to inform them, right?

"The director's wife is from the Qiao family. They have strict rules, and the women in their family cannot meet outsiders during the day."

"She's Mrs. Qiao?" Qingru stared in surprise, her mind flashing back to the three young ladies of the Qiao family.

Ah, I see. She understood.

"Miss Lü, there's something over there that you'd like to take a look at." A young maid from the Zheng family arrived, carrying a tray.

"what is this?"

"Our master said that everyone has worked hard, but he is currently unable to do so and can only express his gratitude another day. Fortunately, there is still a packet of good tea in the kitchen, and he asked me to brew some for you to cool down."

As the maid spoke, she placed a pot of tea on the table.

Its aroma is exquisite, and its flavor lingers pleasantly; it is indeed a fine tea.

Jiang Shen poured himself a cup and drank it all in one gulp. "Top-grade Longjing tea, not bad. Please thank your master for me."

The light tea has a delicate aroma and a refreshing sweetness that soothes the soul.

Seeing that the group had drunk tea, the little maid was pleased. She tugged at Qingru's sleeve and called her aside.

"what happened?"

The maid's eyes welled up with tears, and she began to sob softly, "Miss Lü, my mistress just hit you, and afterwards she regretted it deeply. She went mad because of a shock, and now that the master has scolded her, she has come to her senses and feels very guilty. She would like to invite you to a gathering in the backyard."

It turns out it was to apologize.

There's nothing wrong with going there; a woman losing her chastity is something she can never accept. If Miss Zheng is no longer heartbroken, that would be a good thing.

So Qingru smiled and nodded, "Let's go."

The maidservant hurriedly led her to the backyard, where the walls were in ruins, the place was in disarray, and there were hardly any people around.

Zheng Peilan leaned against the collapsed wall, staring blankly with her head down, saying nothing.

Seeing her approach, Zheng Peilan walked forward on her own.

"What does it mean?"

The maid pushed Qingru and said, "There are too many people here, Miss, so it's a bit embarrassing. There are fewer people over there, so we won't be overheard."

That makes sense; some things are not meant to be heard by others.

So Qingru followed Zheng Peilan toward the back mountain. The Zheng family manor was originally situated by the mountain and water, a superb location, but now only the back mountain offered a peaceful retreat.

The back hill, after being renovated, is no longer a jumble of rocks and trees, but rather a carefully arranged area filled with various flowers, plants, and trees. At this moment, pear blossoms are fluttering in the wind, a breathtaking sight.

Qingru couldn't help but take a deep breath. "Miss Zheng, are you still leaving?"

Zheng Peilan scoffed dismissively and glanced back at the busy crowd not far away.

"Let's do it here."

Qingru's heart raced; she had a bad feeling.

"Miss Zheng, please speak your mind."

Zheng Peilan snorted coldly and clapped her hands. "Come out."

As soon as he finished speaking, several burly men emerged from the bushes. Each of them was strong and muscular, and they were clearly not to be trifled with.

"Miss, are you really going to give this to us?"

Several men, leering, surrounded her and gradually forced Qingru into a corner.

Qingru panicked and took several steps back, watching the group warily.

Zheng Peilan looked at the men and said, "What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and make your move. This is the young marshal's woman."

One of the men hesitated, "This... Miss, what if the young marshal finds out...?"

"Slap!" Zheng Peilan slapped him across the face. "If you act quickly and don't get caught, do you think she would tell Guo Zixing herself?"

Qingru then realized what Zheng Peilan was trying to do—she wanted to drag her into this mess!

“Miss Zheng, the way you treat a woman is simply despicable.”

"Is that so? Hurry up, if you don't make a move, I won't let you off the hook."

Zheng Peilan screamed, startling the men into immediate action. They figured they were going to be killed anyway, so they might as well enjoy themselves before they died. Besides, this Miss Lü was truly beautiful, even more alluring than their own mistress.

Qingru was pinned down by several men and could only struggle desperately.

"Zheng Peilan, stop! I will never give up until I'm dead!" Qingru shouted, her heart filled with anxiety.

Zheng Peilan's face contorted with rage as she grabbed her and forcefully tore at her clothes.

"Why are you innocent? Why?!"

Qingru's clothes were torn, revealing her thin inner garment. Several men couldn't help but swallow hard, their mouths watering.

With her legs forcibly spread apart and her body suppressed by absolute power, despair welled up in her heart.

A single tear fell to the ground, as clear as a despairing closed eye.

"stop!"

Suddenly, a delicate shout descended from the sky, and the oppressive force on her body instantly dissipated. Qingru opened her eyes and saw that the man who had been pressing down on her had a large hole in his head and was clutching his head, crying out in pain.

Looking up again, I saw a group of people emerging from the path.

The three leading figures wore hoods and had their faces covered. Judging from the fresh mud on her hands, it must have been the stones she had smashed in time.

Zheng Peilan's beautiful eyes widened, "It's you?"

The woman in the lead didn't answer. She raised her hand and said, "Kill these men."