Su Xiuer's figure was blocked by the crowd, and Dong Song could only vaguely see her back view.
He wanted to push his way in but was held back by the crowd. He could only grab the outermost aunt and ask, "Excuse me, what exactly happened in there?"
The aunt's eyes lit up, her face full of excited gossip. "Scholar Wei abandoned his original wife for a secret affair with Minister Duan's daughter, and the original wife brought people here to demand justice."
Righteousness often comes from the humble, while betrayal often comes from scholars.
If it were any other day, Dong Song would have joined the commotion. But thinking that the clue concerning the Eldest Princess had not yet been found, he felt a sense of disappointment and walked back with no interest.
Dong Song relayed the news he had gathered to Dong Mei.
Dong Mei looked up and happened to see Su Xiuer and that man squeezing out of the crowd and heading towards the city gate.
Su Xiuer was truly beautifully stunning at one glance, but since she wasn't accompanied by a child, Dong Mei didn't pay much attention.
She pulled on the reins, turned around, and said, "Let's return to the estate and report to Sister Chun Tao first."
In a secluded open space outside the city, under the Old Scholar Tree, a Pear Wood table was specially set up, with fresh fruits and melons served on a celadon plate.
Duan Zhenzhu, adorned with pearls and jade, sat regally on a Grand Tutor's chair with a soft cushion, leisurely sipping her tea and watching the distance with amusement.
"Woof woof woof."
The black dog barked ferociously, and the servant holding the leash suddenly let go.
Su Xiaobao's face turned pale with fright. He scrambled with his short legs as fast as he could, but in just a few breaths, the back of his neck was grabbed by the dog's claws, and he was thrown to the ground with a "thump."
Dogs are naturally loyal creatures that protect their masters, but their temperaments also follow their owners.
Duan Zhenzhu had always viewed commoners as insignificant as grass. The dog she raised naturally carried a fierce nature that bullied the weak and the small.
Duan Zhenzhu disdainfully popped a grape into her mouth and said with displeasure, "Useless waste, caught so quickly. Thunder probably hasn't had his fill of fun yet."
Cui Juan stepped forward and reminded her, "Miss, one more person hasn't arrived yet."
"Oh, that Pig Butcher Woman." Duan Zhenzhu rubbed her temples, her tone full of impatience. "Why is she dawdling? Hasn't she arrived yet?"
Cui Juan turned her head to look back the way they came and saw Wang Quan, who had gone to find someone, appear at the end of the road. "Miss, she's here."
Wang Quan walked ahead, completely obscuring Su Xiuer's figure.
Duan Zhenzhu didn't pay Su Xiuer any mind, not even a glance. She merely stared at the black dog pouncing on Su Xiaobao, her interest intensifying.
Fangs gleamed coldly, clothes were torn and scattered, bloody gashes on his arm were shocking. Just as the black dog was about to swipe its claws at Su Xiaobao's face...
This swipe would surely disfigure him.
At the critical moment, a butcher knife was thrown from a distance, precisely piercing the black dog's back. The black dog whimpered and retracted its claws.
Having narrowly escaped death, Su Xiaobao collapsed on the ground, weak all over. Seeing Su Xiuer rushing over from a distance, tears fell uncontrollably.
He didn't cry when the black dog knocked him down, nor when he was scratched. Only when he saw Su Xiuer did Su Xiaobao cry.
"Mom..."
"Don't be afraid, Mom's here." Su Xiuer rushed over, pulled the butcher knife out of the black dog, and picked up Su Xiaobao, shielding him behind her.
"Woof woof woof." Injured, the black dog revealed its ferocity and lunged at Su Xiuer, baring its fangs.
Duan Zhenzhu narrowed her eyes.
Everyone present held their breath.
It was known that Duan Zhenzhu's dog, Thunder, was notoriously fierce. It had once bitten a thief to death, and Duan Zhenzhu had also used it to punish disobedient servants.
Even two strong adult men were no match for this black dog. Su Xiuer was certain to die facing it.
Duan Zhenzhu recalled what Su Xiuer had publicly said in the market yesterday: if she died a violent death, it would be Minister's Estate and Wei Mingze silencing her.
She cursed the fool under her breath.
She was courting death by provoking Thunder. If she died under Thunder's claws, it would undoubtedly cause some trouble.
Duan Zhenzhu glanced condescendingly at a house servant beside her. "Let Thunder leave her with a breath of life."
"Yes." The house servant responded and moved towards Su Xiuer.
Seeing the black dog lunging with a gust of wind, Su Xiuer did not retreat at all.
Having slaughtered pigs and sheep for years, she had long understood the flaws in how livestock attacked. This applied even to a mad dog.
Su Xiuer's figure agilely dodged, narrowly avoiding the black dog's sharp claws. As the black dog lunged and lost its balance, she forcefully gripped the butcher knife and thrust the blade into its vital spot.
With a "splat," hot blood splashed onto Su Xiuer's face. The black dog's final bark was choked in its throat. Its body heavily smashed onto the ground, twitching its four legs twice before its breath ceased.
The house servant, who had been moving his steps to "hold back," stopped and stood there stunned.
The others present exchanged glances, not expecting a woman like Su Xiuer to actually kill the notoriously fierce dog with one knife.
Duan Zhenzhu's triumphant smile instantly vanished. Angrily, she slammed her hand on the table, stood up, and rushed in front of Su Xiuer, pointing at her and roaring from above.
"You lowly woman, how dare you kill my Thunder! I'll make you pay with your life."
Su Xiuer remained silent, not immediately responding to Duan Zhenzhu's roar. She merely lowered her head and gripped the butcher knife still stuck in the black dog's neck.
With a forceful twist, she neatly disemboweled the black dog along its bones.
She then swiftly pulled out the knife, planted it on the ground, and looked up at Duan Zhenzhu with murderous intent.
"This beast dared to injure my son; its death is not a pity."
Duan Zhenzhu was startled by Su Xiuer's desperate aura and instinctively took a few steps back. Then, remembering she had more people on her side, she regained her confidence.
She sneered, "Heh, you lowly, low-class people. If I hurt you, I hurt you. How can you compare to my Thunder!"
"Isn't there any law?"
Duan Zhenzhu sneered arrogantly. "There is, but it's not for lowly people like you. You lowly people are only fit to be trampled under our feet."
"If you don't believe me, go and try. Today, I'll injure you and cripple you. Let's see if you can enter the Jingzhao Yin's yamen, or if you can't. Even if you do, I wonder if the Jingzhao Yin will accept your case."
"To dare to act tough in front of me, to dare to fight the commoners against the officials, you must pay the price."
After Duan Zhenzhu finished speaking in one breath, she felt a slight sense of relief. It was only then that she noticed Su Xiuer's true appearance.
Her eyebrows were curved like willows, her eyes large and bright, her nose like a jade pillar, and her lips like cinnabar. Despite being a lowly person who made a living by slaughtering pigs, she exuded an incongruous noble aura. Especially with the un-wiped bloodstains on her face, it added a wild beauty to her. This contradictory combination made it hard to look away.
She was a natural beauty!
Duan Zhenzhu suddenly felt a blockage in her chest.
She could accept Su Xiuer being a strong, stout woman with a large face and a mole on her lip, but she couldn't accept Su Xiuer being even more beautiful than her.
How could a country village woman be worthy?
Thinking that this beautiful lowly woman was Wei Lang's original wife, she became even more jealous, her eyes turning red.
Duan Zhenzhu pointed at Su Xiuer again and ordered, "Break her legs and disfigure her face too. Just don't kill her. As long as she's alive, you can't blame my Minister's Estate or Wei Lang."
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