The Emperor's uncle loves me! My paranoid wife, don't run away

Shen Runing's hands were shaking slightly, and she couldn't use precise words to describe the feeling at the moment.

Liu Qing's words echoed in her ears, like a blunt knife, slowly but fatally cutting through her thoughts.

"No one left?"

Her voice was low, with a barely perceptible tremor in it.

Liu Qing nodded, his tone heavy, as if every word was being ground out of his throat.

"Not to mention people, even livestock and poultry are gone."

Shen Runing remained silent, his eyes falling on Liu Qing's bloodstained collar.

This is a massacre.

A family massacre.

No, it was even more thorough than annihilating an entire family - the entire village, all living things were wiped out completely, leaving no trace, as if they had never existed.

Her breathing was a little stagnant, and she looked at Liu Qing fixedly. After a while, she waved her hand, her tone a little tired:

"Take a shower and change your clothes first."

Liu Qing stood still with a complicated expression, as if hesitating about something.

Chunzhi pulled her sleeves and urged:

"Come on, I'll help you clean it up."

But Liu Qing still didn't move. He just lowered his head and clenched his fists slightly, as if he was thinking about how to start talking.

Shen Runing noticed her strangeness, narrowed his eyes, and said in a deep voice:

"What are you standing there for? Liu Qing, what do you want to say?"

Liu Qing looked up at her, his lips slightly opening and closing, but he didn't speak immediately.

Her silence gave Shen Runing a bad feeling.

The next moment, Liu Qing took a step forward, as if he wanted to get closer, but when he realized that he was covered in blood, he stopped moving and stood where he was, with a rare look of struggle on his face.

"Miss……"

She called out softly, but was unable to continue immediately.

This was the first time Shen Runing saw Liu Qing hesitant to speak like this.

He narrowed his eyes, and the uneasiness in his heart became stronger.

She took a step forward, held Liu Qing's hand, and did not let go no matter how he struggled.

Liu Qing has always been calm and decisive. Something that could make her show such hesitation must not be simple.

Shen Runing took a deep breath, and his tone was rarely gentle and firm:

"Don't be afraid, I'm here, just speak up."

Liu Qing's fingertips trembled slightly, and after a long time, she finally uttered a word -

"I saw the King of Xiang."

Shen Runing's heart sank suddenly.

really.

Liu Qing paused, then added:

"King Xiang saw me too."

There was silence in the room for a moment.

Even the air seemed to suddenly freeze.

——The King of Xiang again?

Every time this name appears, it is accompanied by an elusive and bizarre situation and more and more mysteries.

She raised her head slightly, exhaled a long breath, frowned, and quickly sorted out all the information related to King Xiang in her mind.

"King Xiang, the more you dig, the deeper you get. The more you see, the more new it becomes."

She tapped the table lightly, making a crisp sound.

So--

What role did he play in this massacre?

Is a bystander?

Or... the mastermind behind this?

Shen Runing's gaze gradually became deep, and a complicated chessboard gradually emerged in his mind.

And this chess game seemed even bigger than she had imagined.

Besides...

Shouldn't the King of Xiang be "kept" in the palace by the Emperor at this time? How could he appear there?

Shen Runing frowned, and possibilities raced through his mind.

The King of Xiang is...very dangerous...

But Shen Runing thought again, since Prince Xiang could leave the palace, he must have the emperor’s permission, so?

Or maybe...the massacre of the whole village...was tacitly approved by the emperor?

Before I could stop thinking, I heard a slight sound of footsteps outside the door. Then, the butler's voice came from the door, with a hint of hesitation and caution:

"Miss, Ji Mansion, Miss Ji Yun's maid is here."

Shen Runing paused for a moment, his eyes moved slightly, and then he said in a deep voice: "From the back door?"

The butler responded, "Yes."

He paused again before continuing, "It looks like he's avoiding something."

"Bring her in."

After a pause, she added, "Don't let anyone else in the mansion know."

"Yes."

The butler retreated in response, and soon the footsteps faded away.

The room was silent for a moment, and there was a faint sense of depression in the air.

Liu Qing bowed slightly: "Miss, I will go down first."

Shen Runing nodded, and then looked at Chunzhi: "You go down with Liu Qing."

The two of them obeyed the order and immediately left the room.

……

It was getting dark outside without me noticing.

The dark clouds were heavy, as if a huge lid was pressing down on the city, making it hard to breathe.

The wind blew through the bluestone alleys, bringing with it a faint smell of dampness.

Chunzhi supported Liuqing and walked slowly on the bluestone road. He felt that the steps of the person next to him were a little unstable, and he couldn't help but frowned.

"Are you hurt?"

Liu Qing did not answer, his expression showing a rare hint of fatigue.

When spring comes, my heart tightens.

It was the first time she saw Liu Qing like this. Even when she was pierced by an arrow and covered in blood, she had never been so dazed.

Liu Qing has always been calm and decisive, and the word "decadence" seems to have never existed in her world. But now... she seems to be caught in some deep struggle and confusion.

The wind gradually picked up, blowing up the fallen leaves on the ground and causing the pink petals of the albizzia tree in the corner to fall.

Liu Qing finally stopped and stood under the Albizia Julibrissin tree.

Chunzhi couldn't help asking, "What happened? Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?"

Liu Qing slowly raised his head, his eyes finally focused on Chun Zhi's face, his lips slightly opened, his voice slightly hoarse:

"Chun Zhi, do you still remember 'Xing Lin'?"

Chun Zhi was startled for a moment, then nodded: "Of course I remember."

It was because of her that a long-standing rift appeared in the relationship between Liu Qing and Mu Shan.

Chunzhi was a little confused. Why did Liu Qing suddenly mention Xinglin?

"Why are you suddenly talking about her? Didn't she die a long time ago?"

Liu Qing's fingertips tightened slightly, as if he was trying hard to control some emotion.

Seeing her like this, Chunzhi thought that she was still trapped in the shadow of the past and couldn't help but comfort her softly.

"Liu Qing, everything has passed. Let's not think about it anymore, okay?" Her eyes were slightly red and she held Liu Qing's hand tightly.

"No matter what, I will always be with you..."

But before she could finish her words, Liu Qing suddenly spoke, with a tone of indescribable complex emotions -

"Xinglin, maybe he is the King of Xiang's man."

-

At this moment, Chunzhi's brain exploded.

"What did you say?"