She was buried alive at the start, but she's determined to smash her ex-husband's head in

"Grand Commander, to be honest, you did go a bit too far just now."

"Huh? Me?"

Pei Zhaoan laughed in anger. Had he gone too far? He saw that Lin Qingwei had completely forgotten what she was supposed to do, and had been completely fooled by a young boy!

"Yes, that's right." Xia An said, trembling but determined to tell the truth, "Miss Lin is a woman, after all. Wasn't your attack a bit too violent? I really saw blood splattered on Miss Lin's face! Blood! What young lady wouldn't be afraid of blood!"

Xia An's words seemed to immediately transport Pei Zhao'an back to that gloomy, stormy summer eight years ago.

At that time, he was not yet a fearsome Grand Commander, but merely an unknown secret guard in the Inner Guard, serving the emperor.

He wears a mask all day, dressed in all black, and moves through the night. No one knows his name or what he looks like.

He was ordered to assassinate a prince with ulterior motives, but he did not expect that there was a spy in the Imperial Guard. All their plans were exposed. He was seriously injured after the assassination failed and fell off a cliff. He fell into the river and drifted down to a small town.

That small town is Qingxi Town.

He ran aground on the shore and was caught in a torrential downpour. He was awakened by the pain of being hit by the knife-like rain.

To avoid being discovered by the enemy, he hid in a nearby cave despite his already dying body. It was there that he first met her.

At that time, she was just a little girl of about ten years old, carrying a bamboo basket on her back and her hair was braided with a strip of cloth.

When he braved the rain and rushed into the cave, she was so frightened that she trembled in a corner.

She certainly had reason to be afraid; she was covered in blood, her clothes were tattered and you could see the white, waterlogged wounds underneath, it was truly disgusting.

At first, he wanted to kill her to prevent future troubles, but he was too weak and fainted as soon as he entered the cave.

When he woke up again, the rain hadn't stopped. The shivering little girl mustered up a lot of courage to bandage every single one of his wounds.

Her own skirt was torn to shreds.

"You're welcome!" These were the first words she said when he opened his eyes and looked at her.

His first reaction was to touch the mask on his face, thankfully it was still there.

When the rain stopped, they didn't say another word, each occupying one foot of the cave. It wasn't until anxious shouts came from outside that she picked up her bamboo basket again and ran out.

Ah Wan, that's her name.

Upon returning to the capital, he immediately reported the truth about the failed assassination attempt to the emperor. Emperor Xuande ordered him to immediately execute the traitor to atone for his crime and perform meritorious service, which he accomplished admirably.

After the Inner Guard was purged, Emperor Xuande valued him highly, and by the third year, he had been appointed Grand Secretary.

Many people gossiped that he was too young to shoulder such a great responsibility, but he never refuted them. Instead, he used even more ruthless methods to resolve one problem after another. Emperor Xuande trusted him even more, and naturally, no one dared to gossip anymore.

He removed his mask, one of his bodyguards disappeared, and a high-ranking official known as the King of Hell appeared.

He still remembered the girl in the cave, so he went to Qingxi Town, a place with simple and honest folk, like a paradise.

He specially changed into a light-colored shirt and stood on the street of Qingxi Town, wanting to ask the surrounding farmers if there was a girl named Awan here. But as he turned around, he was met with a sharp blade.

He couldn't remember which of the people he had killed came seeking revenge. He could have avoided them, but he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye.

As a result, his arm was slashed, and blood splattered far away, landing right on her cheek.

The person who wanted to kill him wasn't very skilled in martial arts, so he was defeated in just a few moves. He originally intended to make the other person die a painful death, but for some unknown reason, he ended the other person's life with a single strike.

The beaded bracelet on his wrist was violently grabbed by the other person before he died, causing it to scatter all over the ground.

This string of jade beads was left to him by his mother, so he cherished it dearly. He threw down his sword and picked them up one by one, but in the end, three beads were still missing.

"Here you go." She picked it up.

He looked up and saw the glaring red drop of blood on her cheek, and blurted out, "I'm sorry."

"Oh, it's alright, are you okay?" She wiped the blood off her face and pointed to his arm, saying, "You're injured."

Perhaps feeling too embarrassed, he fled Qingxi Town in a panic, forgetting to take the three jade beads with him.

He thought this was such a reasonable excuse to see her again, so he changed into light-colored clothes and brought enough guards to ensure that the meeting would go smoothly.

Everything went smoothly. He told her that the three jade beads were three wishes he had promised her, and that if she ever needed his help, she could come to the Grand Pavilion in the capital to find him.

She accepted it with surprise and gratitude.

He wasn't good at starting conversations and was particularly reserved around her. Coincidentally, he had nothing to do this month, so he stayed at an inn in Qingxi Town, but she didn't know that.

Every day when he opened the window, he could see her skipping and hopping from one end of the road to the other with a food box in her hand. It seemed that nothing in this world could bother her. She always had an innocent and carefree smile, and wherever she went, there seemed to be light.

Qingxi Town was too small; he learned all about her in less than two days.

Her name is Yun Ciwan. Her father, Yun Mu, is a respected schoolteacher in town. She herself helps sort medicinal herbs at a clinic.

Everything here is so simple that sometimes he forgets his bloody identity and responsibilities. Just looking at her fills him with light, and an indescribable sense of satisfaction and happiness heals him.

But he never expected that there was another Xu Hanzhang...

Pei Zhao'an lifted the curtain; they had arrived at the Duke of Mu's residence.

Lin Qingwei did not take Qi Yanzhi's hand to get out of the car because she felt a chilling gaze. When she turned around, she saw Pei Zhaoan with eyes so cold they could almost kill her.

"Qingwei, let's go in."

Lin Qingwei followed Qi Yanzhi without turning her head: "Okay."

Xia An said, "Boss, don't be angry yet. We have very important things to do today. Prince Yong is back, and Prince Duan's days are probably numbered."

"The Empress's younger brother is indeed not to be underestimated. He has military achievements but is not arrogant. Even the title of Prince Yong was granted by His Majesty after His Majesty had proposed it several times and refused. What do you think he would want?"

Pei Zhaoan stroked the string of beads in his hand; they were emerald green, which made his pale skin stand out even more.

"I've heard that this Prince Yong dotes on his daughter. If we use Miss Shen as leverage, do you think there's a high chance he'll hand over evidence of Prince Duan's embezzlement?"

Xia An was slapped hard on the head. Pei Zhao'an said, "I'm afraid you'll be riddled with holes by Prince Yong's guards before you even get close to Miss Shen."