The Cold Minister’s Obsession: Chasing His Wife - Chapter 22

Lu Li stared intently at her, walking slowly ahead while looking at Lu Zhining. “Now can you settle down?”

Lu Zhining’s face turned ashen. She opened her mouth to speak but was abruptly interrupted by the sound of urgent footsteps outside. Someone on the street screamed,

“Murder! Run, run…!”

The people inside the room tensed at the screams, their focus shifting entirely from the poetry contest as they rushed to the windows to look.

Below, the crowd celebrating the festival had descended into chaos, fleeing in panic. In the distance, a person lay motionless on the ground, while a black-clad figure at the front was dragging a child away—though it was too far to see clearly what was happening.

Lu Heng suddenly shouted, “Eldest Brother, Zhiyu is still down there! I have to find her!”

Lu Yan nodded and glanced at Fei Jiu. “Assign someone to go with him. Once you find Zhiyu, return to the marquis’s residence immediately.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll go too!” Ning Yichen hurriedly followed them out.

The sheltered noblewomen in the room had never witnessed such a bloody scene before and immediately cowered behind Lu Yan in fear.

Lu Yan turned to Lu Li. “You’ll be responsible for escorting the women back later. I’ll go take a look.”

“Understood, Eldest Brother.”

Lu Yan glanced at the innermost part of the crowd. “Leave two soldiers behind. The rest, follow me.”

Soon, Lu Yan led a group of Fei Yu Army soldiers toward the city gates. Lu Zhining’s face was deathly pale. “Let’s go, Third Brother! I’m scared—let’s hurry back home. I want to go home!”

“Yes, we should leave quickly!” the other young noblewomen chimed in.

Hua Qingyue stared at the motionless figure on the street, an inexplicable unease creeping into her heart.

“Let’s go,” Lu Li instructed. Noticing Hua Qingyue lost in thought, he assumed she must be frightened—this was her first time encountering such a scene. Softly, he reassured her, “Don’t be afraid, Qingyue. I’m here.”

Hua Qingyue tilted her head and smiled. “With Brother Li here, I fear nothing.”

They quickly gathered their belongings and boarded the carriages. Lu Zhining glanced at Lu Zhiyue beside Hua Qingyue. “Seventh Sister, ride with me. Tonight is too terrifying.”

Lu Zhiyue hesitated, looking at Hua Qingyue. “Sister Hua, will you be alright alone?”

“She’s so bold she traveled all the way from Liangyuan to the capital—why worry about her?” Lu Zhining scoffed.

Understanding Lu Zhiyue’s dilemma, and considering the safety of traveling in a group, Hua Qingyue replied, “It’s fine. Go ahead. I’ll be alright.”

Just then, Lu Li turned from the front and called out, “Qingyue, don’t worry. I’m right here. Call for me if anything happens.”

Due to the murder in the capital, Hua Qingyue refrained from lifting the carriage curtain to look outside. Suddenly, the carriage jolted to a stop.

Before she could wonder if they had already reached the Lu residence, two burly middle-aged men barged in.

“Well, well—what a beauty. Looks like we’re in for a treat tonight,” one of them leered, licking his lips with a revolting grin.

Realizing the danger, Hua Qingyue immediately shouted, “Who are you? What do you want?”

“What do we want?” The man sneered. “We want you.”

The crude words made Hua Qingyue’s face turn extremely pale. In panic, she shouted loudly, “Don’t you dare! I’m a noblewoman from Anning Marquis Manor. If they find me missing, they’ll search the entire city. Let me go, and I’ll pretend nothing happened. I won’t say a word.”

As she spoke, Hua Qingyue quietly slipped the silver hairpin from her head into her sleeve. If what happened that night was to repeat itself, she would rather die.

“Heh, boss, we’ve never tasted the flavor of a noble lady before.”

“Wait outside. You can have your turn after I’m done. Who knows, maybe we’ll become noble sons-in-law of the marquis manor in this lifetime, hahahaha!”

The man behind him laughed even more obsequiously. “Thanks, boss.”

“Guard the place. Don’t let anyone disturb my fun.”

The speaker’s murky eyes fixed greedily on Hua Qingyue as he eagerly climbed into the carriage.

“Stay back! Come any closer and I’ll scream! My elder brother is the Commander of the Palace Command, with two hundred thousand troops under his command. If you dare take another step, he’ll make sure you pay!”

“Heh, to die under the peony is to be a ghost still in bliss.”

Seeing that he wouldn’t listen to reason, his obese body drawing nearer, Hua Qingyue cried out in despair:

“Help! Someone help! HELP!!!”

“Don’t scream yet. You’ll have plenty of time for that later.” The burly man began undoing his belt as he spoke. Hua Qingyue lifted the carriage curtain—outside was pitch black. Her heart pounded in panic as she tried to leap out through the window, but she was yanked back the moment her head emerged.

“Trying to run, you little bitch?” He cursed before pouncing on her, pinning her brutally against the carriage edge.

Her strength was no match. Even using all her might, she couldn’t budge him.

“Keep struggling, and I’ll kill you.” Foul breath reeking of rot assaulted her, and Hua Qingyue fought back the urge to retch.

After the threat, the brute began stripping off his clothes, revealing a greasy, dark-skinned torso. The nauseating stench filled the carriage.

Hua Qingyue suppressed her disgust, forcing herself to stay calm. This was no time for fear.

Soon, the man had peeled off his upper garments with crude efficiency, licking his thick lips obscenely.

Hua Qingyue put on a coy expression, her delicate hands actively clinging to the man’s greasy arm. “If I cooperate, you really won’t kill me?”

The brute atop her froze, seemingly surprised by her sudden change in attitude. But his orders had only been to ruin her chastity, not to kill. So, he nodded, browning teeth on display. “Depends on how you perform.”

At this, Hua Qingyue’s slender hands rested on his shoulders. “Please be gentle with me, my lord.”

As she spoke, her right hand stealthily slipped into her sleeve.

The brute, lost in her beauty and pondering how to proceed, leered down at her with clouded eyes, his large hands fumbling impatiently with her sash.

Suddenly—a cold sting at his neck.

“Ah—! You—!”

Hua Qingyue’s silver hairpin plunged deep into his throat. With all her strength, she yanked it out and stabbed again, her entire body trembling violently, yet her hand never stopped moving.

Outside the carriage, the other man had been gripping himself, listening to the sounds within. At first, he thought his boss’s howl was just rough play—but the following noises were unmistakably wrong. He yanked the curtain open, only to witness a scene that made his eyes nearly burst from their sockets.

“Boss.” He watched as the woman, her hands covered in blood, continued to stab the fallen man. Enraged, he cursed loudly, stepped forward, and snatched the bloodied silver hairpin from her hand. Then, with a powerful yank, he dragged Hua Qingyue down from the carriage.

The pain in her wrist brought Hua Qingyue back to her senses somewhat. She tried to grab the carriage frame, but she was no match for the burly man’s strength. In just a few tugs, she was pulled out of the carriage. The coachman and Tao Xi lay half-conscious by the carriage, completely unresponsive.

Like a madwoman, she lunged toward Tao Xi, desperate to check if she was hurt, but they seized her again.

“Damn it, you killed my boss!” the man roared.