Chapter 34 Feng Huaihe, a man from a previous life, was a beast in human clothing.

Seeing that he was weak in drawing the bow and his posture was not accurate, Feng Ruling thought that he was just joking and chatting rather than fighting, so she stood still and said, "That good-for-nothing Chen Zhong is your father."

As he spoke, he turned and gestured to the archers outside the house.

Just as he turned around, Feng Huaihe loosened his grip on the arrow, and the arrow flew out swiftly and accurately, piercing Feng Ruling's neck with a soft thud.

Feng Ruling was startled, and his face turned deathly pale.

An arrow pierced his throat, and blood spurted out several meters away, staining Feng Huaihe's pale blue sleeves.

He didn't even have time to turn around and look at the son he had been so obsessed with in his life before he collapsed to the ground and never spoke again.

The archers outside, who were about to make a move, dared not go any further upon seeing this scene, and instead looked at each other anxiously.

Feng Huaihe slowly walked toward Feng Ruling's still warm body. In his life, he had followed many monarchs to the battlefield and seen many corpses, but he thought Feng Ruling's was the ugliest.

Feng Huaihe stepped on the arrow that was piercing Feng Ruling's neck, and with a snap, the arrow broke off in his throat. Feng Huaihe smiled and said, "Finally, it's quiet."

Feng Huaihe removed the bow and arrows, glanced at Feng Ruling's corpse, his eyes so cold it was as if he were not his biological father, but a dead rat.

He strode out the door, and the archers in the courtyard all put away their bows and arrows and knelt down in front of him.

Everyone knows that regardless of whether Feng Huaihe is Chen Zhong's son or Feng Ruling's son, he is known to everyone as Feng Ruling's only legitimate eldest son.

Feng Ruling is dead, and the vast Feng family now belongs to him alone.

From now on, their lives will be in Feng Huaihe's hands, so who would dare to make a move?

Feng Huaihe didn't need to say anything more. He looked outside the courtyard and saw Bao Fu rushing over. When Bao Fu got closer, Feng Huaihe asked, "Is Chen Zhong here?"

Bao Fu nodded, then looked up at Feng Huaihe with a troubled expression: "Zhu Qing is here too."

Feng Huaihe was taken aback. What was she doing here?

The thought had barely crossed his mind, and before he could even clean the blood-stained study, a familiar figure appeared through the moon gate.

Feng Huaihe became nervous. He had argued with Zhu Qing earlier when the head secretary shot and killed the assistant secretary.

He knew Zhu Qing was kind-hearted and disliked bloodshed. He had finally managed to bring her to his side, and if this kind of thing caused a rift between them...

Seeing that Zhu Qing was already close by, Feng Huaihe was in a panic, not having time to deal with Feng Ruling. He hurriedly said to Bao Fu, "Just say that you killed him later."

Bao Fu: "..."

As they spoke, Zhu Qing approached, looked Feng Huaihe up and down, and asked in confusion, "Are you alright?"

As she spoke, she looked into the study, where Feng Ruling's body lay face down on the floor, surrounded by pools of blood.

Feng Huaihe didn't speak, but secretly glanced at Bao Fu.

Just as Bao Fu was about to confess on behalf of his master, Zhu Qing, instead of being afraid, calmly asked, "The arrow wound, it was indeed you who caused it, why?"

In ancient times, the relationship between ruler and subject, father and son was highly valued. If one were to commit patricide, one would likely be condemned by the world. Yet, Feng Huaihe still did it.

Feng Huaihe pursed his lips, unsure how to tell her about the complicated events at home. After a long silence, he asked her, "Why did you come?"

Zhu Qing said, "It was Tian Jiuzhu who told me that you went back to the Feng residence. Remembering your strained relationship with your family, so..."

So she worried that he would be 'drowned' by his family, just like she was.

Looking at the archers filling the courtyard, Zhu Qing understood. She had forgotten that Feng Huaihe would not be easily drowned.

"Since you're alright, I'll be going now."

Feng Huaihe quickly grabbed her sleeve, "You're not mad at me?"

Zhu Qing turned around, looking puzzled: "What's it to you about?"

As soon as she finished asking the question, Zhu Qing realized what he meant. She looked at Feng Huaihe with a complicated expression, wondering what he would think. In short, she thought that they were too similar.

Both she and Feng Huaihe harbored deep-seated resentment. She was drowned by her family, and Feng Huaihe was similarly suspected and targeted by his own father.

If Zhu Qing were given a chance, she might also kill her family members from her previous life to take revenge.

That's why Zhu Qing came when he heard Tian Jiuzhu say he was returning to the manor.

She herself had nearly drowned and longed for a pair of hands to lift her up and save her, but it never happened. Now that she has the opportunity, she wants to be that pair of hands, lifting up and saving others who are drowning like her.

Zhu Qing felt that there was nothing wrong with wanting to drain the water that was trapping her. She sincerely said, "I don't know about your grievances with your family, so I have no right to blame you."

But her previous job involved working for someone at the bottom of society, just like hers. From that perspective, she naturally had reservations.

But Feng Huaihe did manage to persuade her last time that this wasn't a civilized society, and her set of values ​​was useless here.

“It’s a mess here, I’ll have someone take you back,” Feng Huaihe said gently.

Zhu Qing nodded, and the two walked a few steps outside the courtyard, where they saw a maid coming towards them.

Feng Huaihe recognized her as his mother's maid. The maid's eyes were red and her expression was extremely poor. Feng Huaihe had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, she walked up to him and said, choking back tears, "Madam has passed away."

Feng Huaihe's heart skipped a beat, and his tall body swayed. Zhu Qing quickly reached out to support him, feeling a weak but firm strength in his arm. Feng Huaihe raised his reddened eyes and looked at Zhu Qing.

Zhu Qing frowned slightly, her expression complex as she met his gaze.

Just like her, he both loved and hated the people in his family. He didn't want to see them again, but he still couldn't let go. Zhu Qing thought she had become indifferent to them and could calmly face their departure, but when it came to the moment of life and death, she was still heartbroken.

Because that part about family will be forever missing from her and Feng Huaihe's lives.

Seeing that he had steadied himself, Zhu Qing released his arm and said, "I'm going back now."

She felt that Feng Huaihe needed companionship at this time, but she never knew how to deal with people's low spirits and could only run away.

Feng Huaihe also felt that he should need companionship, but he never knew how to deal with other people's companionship or comfort, so he could only send them away.

He tried to keep his voice steady: "Okay."

Zhu Qing took one last look at him and left silently.

A carriage was prepared outside the mansion gate. Zhu Qing sat in it alone. The carriage creaked and groaned as it moved forward. She lifted the curtain and glanced at the vast Feng mansion, her feelings a mixture of emotions.

If she were the original Zhu Qing, pampered by her family from childhood, she would never understand Feng Huaihe today. Having never experienced modern society, her best match would still be Zhang Yin, with his happy family.

But in this life, because of Feng Huaihe's lingering regret, time and space are reversed, pulling back a Zhu Qing who is just like him, and it seems that everything is quietly changing.

"Young lady, we've arrived." The coachman's voice rang out from outside the carriage, bringing Zhu Qing back to her senses.

Zhu Qing got off the carriage and immediately saw a familiar figure standing outside the gate.

Wearing a sky-blue robe and a hat, Zhang Yin was tall and elegant, craning his neck to look into the house as if waiting for someone.

When they met again after two lifetimes, Zhu Qing no longer felt the same affection for him as before. However, the memories of their decades of married life remained fresh. When she saw his smiling face as he turned back and heard the rising tone in his voice when he called her name, Zhu Qing's heart was still stirred.

Nineteen-year-old Zhang Yin is young, handsome, and ambitious.

Zhang Yin had already arrived and said with a smile, "I went back to Qingxi Village to look for you. I heard from Chen Sangguo that you had moved to Chang'an, so I came looking for you."

Looking at his cheerful and handsome smile, and his clean and bright sky-blue robe, Zhu Qing couldn't help but think of how he had silently pushed her out in her past life.

Zhu Qing is willing to die for him, but he should reciprocate with equal love and try to save her. If he can't save her, then they should die together, as Feng Huaihe suggested. He shouldn't simply allow her to die alone, or even use Feng Huaihe as a tool.

But since it was Zhu Qing who took the initiative in the previous life, she didn't blame Zhang Yin. She simply asked him distantly, "Did you need something from me?"

Zhang Yin smiled and said, "I'm heading east. Zhu Wen is currently in Shandong, and I plan to go there to assist him. I'm leaving today, so I came here specifically to say goodbye."

Zhu Qing gave a faint "hmm" and said nothing more.

Zhang Yin vaguely sensed the change in Zhu Qing's attitude, but his life had been so fulfilling that he was not sensitive enough to understand what exactly was causing the change.

So he continued with a smile, "I'll write to you often..."

“No need,” Zhu Qing interrupted him, saying, “It’s getting late, you should get going.”

Zhang Yin said, "No rush, it's still early. I'll stay until later to go to the Feng residence to see Feng Huaihe..."

He chattered on and on about how Feng Huaihe had helped him.

Zhu Qing was a little annoyed; she didn't like people who couldn't understand the subtext.

But in her previous life, she was like Zhang Yin, surrounded by the love of her family. She was always confident, bold, enthusiastic and cheerful. After experiencing the destruction of her family and going to Jinyang, Zhang Yin, who had the same temperament as her, quickly nurtured her.

He used this constant chatter and companionship to comfort her, opening up his world and allowing Zhu Qing to enter.

The obstacles Zhu Qing encountered with the autistic Feng Huaihe were all smoothed out by him.

That's how she fell in love with Zhang Yin.

But things are different now. Zhu Qing's experiences have changed her, and her attitude has become noticeably colder. "I have other things to do. Since you have an appointment with someone, you should go as soon as possible."

Zhang Yin: "May I ask what it is? I can help you."

I'm so annoyed!

But upon seeing Zhang Yin's bright, sparkling eyes, Zhu Qing felt that Zhang Yin knew nothing now. After all, those were grudges from his past life, and using them to deal with him now would be unfair to him.

Including Feng Huaihe's deception of him into becoming an advisor to Zhu Wen, which was also a ploy to kill Zhang Yin.

But what do those grudges have to do with Zhang Yin, who is now nineteen?

Zhu Qing sighed and resolved to help Zhang Yin this once and never have anything to do with him again.

She said, "I suggest you do not assist Zhu Wen. He rose from a commoner in Dangshan to this position by relying on his brute strength and ruthlessness. He is impatient and has never studied to cultivate his mind. He is strict in his control of the army, and I'm afraid he will impulsively kill people in the future, which will be detrimental to you."

After careful consideration, Zhang Yin felt that what she said made great sense, and he quickly praised her: "I didn't expect that your wisdom is comparable to that of the world-famous Feng Huaihe. If you were to follow the path of a strategist, you would certainly be extraordinary."

In his past life, Zhu Qing certainly had an extraordinary life.

Zhu Qing wasn't particularly pleased by his praise; instead, his mention of Feng Huaihe made her somewhat worried.

Feng Huaihe had deliberately planned for Zhang Yin's death, but he ruined it. Given Zhang Yin's bad temper, he would definitely get angry and come after him.

At this moment, Zhang Yin said, "I will seriously consider what you said. If I don't go east, I will go north to Jinyang as originally planned. But if I leave, will I ever see you again?"

Zhu Qing looked at him with suspicion. Although they had been in love in their past life, they had only just met now, right?

Zhang Yin continued, "To be honest, when I first met you, I felt a sense of familiarity. After spending time with you, I realized that you are different from most girls. I want to make you my confidante."

Zhu Qing casually replied, "Let's see."

After saying that, he ignored what Zhang Yin said and went straight into the house.

Zhu Qing slumped on the low couch in Xihuatang, gazing at the wishing tree outside the window. Red ribbons fluttered in the air, and the dust particles in the air were illuminated by the sunlight, floating among the emerald green branches, a breathtakingly beautiful sight.

Under a slightly thick tree branch, Tian Jiuzhu was watching people build a swing.

Last night, Feng Huaihe insisted on forcing her to use her legs to do it. While holding her, he said that this tree could grant all her wishes.

The tree will not grant Zhu Qing's wish, but Feng Huaihe, who stands behind the tree, will.

He gave her countless wishing boards, saying that as long as she wrote her wishes on them and hung them on the tree, he would check on them every day and grant her wishes each day.

Zhu Qing's legs were burning hot. Annoyed by him, she snapped angrily, "I want to go to the moon, so you'd better make it happen!"

"You want to go back to the moon?" Feng Huaihe said seriously, "Write it on a small board every day and hang it up. One day you will be able to go back. But the premise is that you have to write that I will go back with you. Otherwise, you hang one board and I will throw another one away. Buddha will not allow you to go back."

"childish!"

Feng Huaihe said, "It's not naive. It's true."

He leaned over Zhu Qing, his eyes, filled with lust, fixed on her deeply. "In my past life, I planted a wishing tree by your grave. Every morning, I would hang a small sign on it that read, 'I wish to see Zhu Qing again.' You died when you were thirty-six, and I was forty-one. I persisted for sixty years."

"And then, we really said goodbye."

Zhu Qing couldn't understand why someone would say such affectionate and beautiful things while simultaneously parting her clothes to kiss her snow-white skin.

She was so overwhelmed that her limbs went weak and she couldn't help but cry. But when she looked over through her teary eyes, Feng Huaihe was dressed neatly, not a single hair out of place. He was a complete hypocrite, and his affectionate peach blossom eyes looked at her with a soft laugh: "Now you can make a wish."

I want you to die...

Zhu Qing felt a tingling sensation in her lower back whenever she thought about it.

She forced herself not to think about it, and leisurely fell asleep on the low couch. When she woke up again, Tian Jiuzhu came into the room to call her to have dinner.

Nie Zhen and Manman were both at the dinner table. The three of them ate and chatted. Nie Zhen mentioned that Zhu Zhengyang would be back from his shift the next day, which reminded Zhu Qing of something.

Now that Feng Huaihe's mother has passed away and Feng Ruling has been shot and killed by him, the entire Feng mansion is under his control, and the funerals of his parents will probably keep him busy for many days.

He might not have time to manage Xihuatang, but once Zhu Zhengyang returns, he might be able to plan to take his family and escape from here, without being coerced by Feng Huaihe.

The only thing needed was a way to get everyone together, and the quickest way Zhu Qing could think of was to pretend to be sick.

Zhu Qing ate while thinking about things. After finishing her meal, she had almost finished her plan and was just waiting for Zhu Zhengyang to finish his shift and go home the next day.

Zhu Qing returned to Xihua Hall alone, and by the time she finished bathing, it was completely dark.

Just as she was relieved that Feng Huaihe would be busy with household chores and wouldn't be coming home that night, she heard footsteps outside the door.

Feng Huaihe entered the room reeking of alcohol, sat down at the table, and stared at her with a gloomy face.