Big Man Lou pushed Lu Fei off him. She fell hard to the floor, weak and shaking.
"You tricked ! I thought you were Lin Xu!" he shouted.
The villagers gasped.
"What?!"
"He mistook her for Lin Xu?"
"So Lu Fei sneaked in here?"
Lu Fei suddenly scread, pointing her shaky hand at . "It was Lin Xu! She’s the one who planned this! Where is she?!"
Her words turned all eyes toward the door. That was when I stepped inside.
I stood tall, dressed in a white robe, my gaze sweeping over the shocked crowd.
"Enough lies, Lu Fei," I said clearly. "If not for Fuhan and Mo Ying, I would be the one on this floor today. You tried to drug , ruin on my wedding day, and take my place. But Heaven does not sleep. Look at you now, in the very trap you set for ."
The villagers burst into angry murmurs.
"So she really tried to harm Lin Xu?"
"Unbelievable! How wicked can one be?"
"She deserves this sha!"
Lu Fei’s face turned pale. She shook her head wildly, tears running down. "No, no! Mother, Father, help !"
Before Aunt Lu could move, Big Man Lou’s booming voice cut through the air. "Lu family! Pay back my bride price! I gave you 500 taels for Lin Xu, and now you try to trick with this one?!"
The whole courtyard went silent.
"Five... hundred taels?" Yan i whispered in shock.
Even I was stunned.
The village chief, Yan, quickly stepped forward. His sharp eyes landed on Aunt Lu and Uncle Lu. "Is this true? Did your family take 500 taels from him?"
Aunt Lu and her husband froze, their faces drained of all color. At last, Uncle Lu stamred, "W-well, he did give us the money but how were we supposed to know that Lin Xu would be so unfilial and marry soone else."
"Where is the money, pay him back!"
Hesitating, Uncle Lu finally admitted, "The... the money is gone... We don’t have it anymore..."
The villagers erupted.
"They used it all?"
"Shaless! To take such a fortune and still try to cheat?"
"What kind of family is this!"
Aunt Lu, trembling, quickly pulled out a bundle from her sleeve. "This... this is 150 taels. The money Mo Ying gave us for Lin Xu’s bride price. Please... take this back!"
I scoffed, "Aunt Lu, who would have thought that the sa money you used to threaten and ruin happened to be used as your way of escape from debt. Don’t you think it’s srizing?"
"Y-you shut up—" she glared at as Big Man Lou snatched it from her hand, his face still dark. He counted quickly, then spat on the floor. "One hundred and fifty? Pffft... I see where this is going... well, in that case, the rest will be the bride price for your daughter here!"
He jerked his chin at Lu Fei.
Gasps filled the air.
"What?!"
"He wants to marry her instead?!"
"Heavens, this is retribution indeed!"
Shocked, Aunt Lu stepped back, "W-what did you say? M-marry my daughter!?"
Lu Fei let out a shriek, her whole body trembling like a leaf. "No! No, I won’t! Mother, Father, don’t let him take !"
But the villagers only shook their heads, their eyes filled with scorn and judgnt.
Aunt Lu’s face twisted in fear as she shook her head. "No, this can’t be! My daughter cannot marry him!"
Uncle Lu quickly added, "We won’t allow it!" Lu Fong’s face was pale, his voice trembling as he muttered, "We can’t agree to this!"
Big Man Lou crossed his arms, his voice thundering across the courtyard. "Your family took 500 taels from . You only returned 150. That ans you still owe 350 taels. Since you can’t pay it back, giving your daughter as my wife is fair enough!"
The villagers erupted.
"He’s right!"
"They owe him, and she’s already ruined. What else can they do?"
"She deserves all this, she tried to hurt her own sister-in-law. This is the best punishnt for her!"
I watched as Lu Fei, pale and shaking, forced herself to stand. Her knees wobbled, but she dragged herself forward, clutching her robe as she stumbled toward Village Chief Yan. She fell at his feet, clutching his sleeve.
"Village Chief, please! You can’t let this happen! Save ! I can’t marry him!" she cried desperately.
But Chief Yan pulled his sleeve away, his face stern. "Lu Fei, everyone here has seen your sha. You have already lost your virtue with Big Man Lou, and your family owes him a great debt. What else is there to be done? Marrying him is the best choice. And I have no say in this matter."
His words struck her like thunder. Her body trembled before she collapsed to the ground, defeated.
Then her eyes locked on . Rage burned through her tears as she crawled toward . "It’s all because of you, Lin Xu! You brought this on !" she scread, charging at .
My hand moved on its own and I slapped her across the face. The sound cracked in the air, silencing everyone.
"You dug your own grave, Lu Fei," I said coldly. "If not for your greed and your family’s wickedness, you wouldn’t be here. Don’t bla , bla yourself."
Her face stung red, but she still lunged at again, screaming. Before she could touch , Mo Ying stepped forward. He shoved her back firmly and pulled into his arms, his steady grip shielding .
"Enough," he said, his deep voice like iron.
Lu Fei stumbled back, glaring at with wild eyes, but no one moved to help her. All around, the villagers only stared at her with disgust.
"I don’t have all day for this... I’ll marry her whether you like it or not. I WANT TO SEE ANYONE TRY AND STOP !"
He said as just then, a group of n arrived, all standing in line... and they all seed to be his n.
I wasn’t yet satisfied, I wanted to watch Lu Fei’s life get ruined with my two eyes.
Stepping forward, I said to Big Man Lou, "Since you will need Lu Fei instead, then why don’t you both get married today along with and Mo Ying!"
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