Duke Jing's younger sister

He couldn't help but think of that night of misty spring rain.

He pulled her into the study. Would she later hide in a corner where no one could find her and cry as miserably as Ziyuan did?

At that time, had anyone ever comforted her in a gentle voice?

He seemed to see her hiding in a dark corner, curled up in a ball, covering her lips and not daring to cry out loud.

My heart ached.

The mistake has been made, and it is useless to regret the past. He will spend his whole life loving her, and even if he has to die for her, he is willing to do so.

Suddenly and out of place, I felt somewhat fortunate.

If she hadn't had the child that night, given her personality, she would have kept the matter a secret.

Fortunately, with the child, he learned that the person who had spent the night with him was her, not the maid who cleaned his house.

Only then would the past not be buried, and he would have the opportunity to make it up to her.

Thinking about it this way, although fate cruelly played a trick on him and her, it also left a tiny gap for the two of them.

Even though it is a tiny gap, a beam of sunlight can always come in. With sunlight, tenacious flowers can be grown and sweet fruits can be produced.

The side hall of the patrol camp was decorated very simply. Apart from a few wooden chairs, there was a row of bronze weapon racks in the corner.

On the table with mottled and faded paint, the candle flame flickered.

Shen Li raised her head, forced back the tears in her eyes, and felt a tightness in her heart.

After Ziyuan in her arms calmed down a bit, she asked softly, "Ziyuan, what happened? Why did those people kidnap you?"

Zi Yuan sobbed slightly and looked up at Shen Li.

"Girl, this time... Ziyuan did not betray you!"

Shen Li was suddenly startled.

"……what?"

Zi Yuan's lips were pale, and she had a sad smile on her face. "They asked me about what happened between you and the Duke. I didn't tell them, so they beat me. Later... they threw me into Wanhua Tower and stuffed me with... I don't know what medicine it was..."

Zi Yuan closed her eyes tightly, trying to block out the messy memories that were flooding into her mind again.

She was like a lamb captured by wolves, being dragged back and forth, torn and bitten!

She was thrown to the ground, and everywhere she looked was a series of strange, hideous, and distorted faces, as well as the creepy laughter that kept coming from her ears...

She felt cold and trembling all over, and was extremely frightened.

At that moment, she wanted to die.

but……

A captured prey, how could those beasts with bared fangs allow her to die so easily!

Shen Li slumped on the ground, her heart filled with guilt and regret. These emotions pressed on her chest like a heavy burden, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

It's all her fault, it's all her fault!

What if Zi Yuan had always been by her side, what if she had discovered earlier that Zi Yuan was missing...

Is it not too late for all this?

Those people, fearing the majesty of the Duke's Mansion, did not dare to provoke her, so they bullied her personal maid.

With rage burning in his chest, Shen Li clenched his teeth, wishing he could round up these people one by one and give them a taste of their own medicine!

Maids are also human beings, not playthings to be trampled on by them at will!

"Do you know who they are?"

Shen Li's voice was filled with anger. "Did you see clearly what they had...? Waist badges or marks, did you?"

Zi Yuan lowered her head and thought for a moment, "There is one person who didn't touch me. This group of people all listened to his orders. He was sitting next to me drinking tea. He had a black jade pendant hanging around his waist. From a distance, he looked like a cuckoo..."

Zi Yuan couldn’t remember anything else, nor did she want to think about it.

Black jade cuckoo bird pendant?

Shen Li kept it firmly in mind, and she secretly swore in her heart that she must find this person and make him pay the corresponding price!

"Miss...can you...promise me one thing?"

"Let's go back first and talk about it later." Shen Li wanted to help her up, but Zi Yuan refused.

She knelt on the ground with great respect, bowed her head to Shen Li, "Miss, can you please protect my brother and my mother at home?"

"Ziyuan, don't do this..."

She was a little scared, but she knew very well that Ziyuan might not survive.

She wanted to keep her, but she couldn't find a reason to keep her.

Ziyuan's father died early, and her mother was an extremely patriarchal person.

She had never received any preferential treatment at home since she was a child. After being sold to the Duke's Mansion, her monthly salary was still used to support her brother's studies in school.

Ziyuan once said that her brother was a very good person and that they had a very good relationship.

But these were not enough to make her stay.

As for her cousin from her uncle's family, Shen Li didn't even dare to mention him, for fear that if she did, her desire to die would become even stronger.

"Ziyuan, let's go home first, wash up and change clothes, everything will be fine... okay?" At the end of the words, her voice was choked with sobs.

"Miss, I know you have a kind heart. It is Ziyuan's blessing to be able to serve you. In fact, you don't have to bear the responsibility of my affairs."

Tears welled up in her eyes and her eyelashes were wet. Shen Li stared at her blankly, and her pale face gradually became as blurry as a phantom.

But the despair and determination in her eyes were extremely clear.

"I was born a servant. I have seen the ugliest faces in the world and suffered the coldest hardships in the world. If it weren't for you, I might have died long ago..."

The lives of children from poor families are worthless, they are at the mercy of wind and rain and have no control over their own destiny.

She doesn't blame anyone for the situation she's in today, she just blames her bad luck.

She had no choice about her birth, so she could only silently endure the hardships and sufferings of life. Now, her only wish is that her brother can live like a human being.

She bent down again, her forehead pressed tightly against the ground, "The only thing I am worried about is my brother. Please protect him from now on, young lady, so that he won't be humiliated by others!"

"Do you really have to do this?" Shen Li murmured, already feeling extremely powerless.

Zi Yuan raised her head, with a clarity and open-mindedness in her eyes that she had never seen before, "Girl, you must understand me."

Shen Li bit her lower lip and nodded gently, "Okay, I promise you, as long as I am here, I will protect your younger brother and mother!"

After getting her response, Zi Yuan immediately smiled, like the colorful fireworks blooming in the night sky. After the splendor, only the long and long darkness remained.

Shen Li vaguely recalled that day when she was on the carriage returning to the city, she had a bright smile on her face, and she was looking forward to saving enough money in a few years to redeem herself and marry her beloved cousin.

In a few years, her younger brother will also take part in the county examination. She said that he is very smart and always ranks first in the school examination. He will definitely be able to get a government position in the future.

When his brother grows up, she can be like an ordinary woman, with the protection of her brothers and the hand of a good man.

The hard times were finally coming to an end, but all this came to an abrupt end because of her...

Shen Li turned around with difficulty and walked out step by step like a lost soul.

She felt as if her legs were filled with lead, and every step required tremendous determination and strength.

Tears streamed down her cheeks and dripped onto her wide green sleeves. She heard a loud "bang" from behind her...

Her heart seemed to be cut in an instant, and blood gushed out.

Shen Beiqi was closest to the door and was the first to come in after hearing the noise. When he saw Zi Yuan's tragic death after hitting the wall, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

Shen Li subconsciously wanted to look back, but he held her in his arms and stroked the back of her head with his large hand.

"Don't look back. Don't look."