Chapter 418 Brother wants to be with Pearl for life!
Upon seeing Liu Qingzhu, Madam Qu was overjoyed.
She even pinched her thigh hard.
Only when the pain became clear did she realize that it was all real!
She instantly became excited: "Zhu'er?"
"It really was you?"
"Your mother thought she would never see you again in this lifetime!"
"But... what are you doing here?"
"Could it be that you were also kidnapped so that you could reunite with us?"
"If that's the case, then that's wonderful."
As she spoke, Ms. Qu was about to step forward.
Thinking of all the things that had happened in the past, Liu Qingzhu turned her head and forcefully buried herself in the peasant woman's arms.
She made no attempt to hide her fear.
Upon seeing this, the elderly farmer and his wife embraced her tightly.
What are you trying to do?
"You've mistaken me for someone else!"
"This, this is not what you call a pig or a duck, this is our daughter, Hua'er."
"You, you should leave now, don't drag our family down with you."
"We're just ordinary people, please spare us—"
The elderly farmer and his wife looked tense and sorrowful.
But the hand that was holding Liu Qingzhu tightly did not loosen at all.
Liu Qingzhu looked up at them involuntarily.
But then Qu Shi said anxiously, "This is clearly Zhu'er! Even if she turns to ashes, she is still the daughter I raised with my own hands!"
"Pearl, come here quickly."
What are you doing?
"Don't you recognize your parents and your brother anymore?"
"Look at the state your brother has become, and look at your father, what have you done to him?"
"Pearl, we used to love you so much, you can't abandon us, come here quickly—"
Qu beckoned Liu Qingzhu over.
She seemed to have completely forgotten that she had long since fallen out with Liu Qingzhu.
But how could Qu not panic when faced with her disabled son who couldn't walk on his own and the mentally unstable Li Chaojing?
Although he was released from prison and spared execution.
But she was also afraid of suffering too much alone.
So, I simply let go of all those old grudges.
If I stop caring, Pearl shouldn't be so petty anymore, right?
She forgot how she turned a blind eye and let Liu Qingzhu be tortured by Li Kechuan in Lancang Courtyard until she was neither human nor ghost.
He also forgot how truly he loved Liu Qingzhu in the past.
They also forgot that Liu Qingzhu had long been removed from the family genealogy.
Having spent some time in prison, she was no longer the pampered noblewoman of Jinling City, but a sinister monster, neither human nor ghost.
How could she and they possibly let Liu Qingzhu, the 'culprit' behind all this, go unpunished?
Li Kechuan stared at Liu Qingzhu with a deep gaze, and slowly spoke: "Zhu'er, perhaps you are a jinx."
"They've been so good to you, haven't they? How could you be so selfish, repaying kindness with evil, and then dragging them down with you?"
"Don't forget who you are."
"If your identity is discovered again, not only will you not be able to escape, but you will also endanger their lives again."
"Pearl, come here quickly."
"Don't forget, brother, you still have mother. We have always loved you very much."
"Only we will not abandon you forever..."
Liu Qingzhu covered her ears and let out a low growl, still not daring to raise her head.
"Don't be afraid, flowers."
"Your parents are here, don't be afraid, don't be afraid..."
The officials were growing increasingly impatient.
They ordered the male members of the Li family to carry the corpses in the courtyard to be buried.
Then he urged them to hurry up and get on the road.
As for this Pearl they're talking about... if she really is a runaway slave from the Fourth Prince's residence...
The officers exchanged glances, their eyes revealing enigmatic smiles.
Liu Qingzhu caught a glimpse of this scene through the crack and shuddered violently.
"No, our Pearl hasn't arrived yet..."
"Pearl—"
"Pearl, come quickly, Mother is waiting for you—"
"Pearl!!"
A whip lashed hard across Qu's body, and only after she finally quieted down did the surroundings return to silence.
Everyone's gone.
The entire courtyard reeked of blood that couldn't be washed away.
With tears in her eyes, Liu Qingzhu looked up at the old farmer and his wife.
She suddenly stood up, bent her knees, and knelt on the ground.
She spent her whole life pursuing what truly belonged to her.
The pursuit of truly loving only oneself has nothing to do with Li Qingluo; it's simply the kind of love that Liu Qingzhu can obtain.
She knew she was unforgivable, wicked, selfish, and had cruelly taken many lives.
She couldn't choose to be born into the Liu family, and they even took up part of Li Qingluo's life.
They took the place of her parents and brothers.
She took the place of her childhood sweetheart, Sōsaburo, with whom she had been betrothed since birth.
On the very day she returned, her faked death was used to frame her, preventing her from gaining the genuine affection of the Li family.
Even Liu Qingzhu knew perfectly well that the Liu family was only using her as a ladder to wealth and power.
None of her family members truly loved her.
Liu Qingzhu once thought that only Duan Rongxuan had ever truly been sincere towards her.
But after she had hit herself hard and was bleeding, she realized that Duan Rongxuan was no different; he only treated her as a novelty.
In the end, it turned out she was nothing at all.
Perhaps, this is Liu Qingzhu's fate.
Ambitious but unlucky.
Now she has finally found a moment of genuine affection.
She wanted to hold onto this simple, genuine affection, but even that turned out to be a luxury.
Perhaps, in the end, it was Liu Qingzhu who was unworthy.
She kowtowed three times to the old farmer and his wife while crying.
"sorry."
"You've all been so good to me, I can't let you down."
"They're right, I'm a jinx."
May you two live to be a hundred years old and enjoy good health.
"Thank you... thank you for taking care of me these past few days..."
"goodbye."
After saying that, she dared not look the old farmer and his wife in the eye again, got up and ran away without looking back.
"flower--"
The old farmer's wife tried to catch up, but the old farmer grabbed her tightly.
Don't go.
"She seems determined, and we can't stop her."
"Let her go, she never belonged to us in the first place."
The old peasant woman said, "But that child, it's obvious he's suffered enough!"
"She doesn't have a single good spot on her body. What girl has so many scars?"
"And old man, didn't you see? No matter who she was before, these past few days she has indeed been a down-to-earth and hardworking girl who is willing to learn and do everything."
Old farmer: "So what?"
"Can't you see it, old woman?"
"She wanted to protect us."
The elderly couple embraced each other and wept bitterly, forced to let Liu Qingzhu leave them forever.
It was as if she had never been there at all these past few days, leaving no trace whatsoever.
Liu Qingzhu followed at a distance behind the exiled procession.
They were quickly discovered by the officials.
She was dragged out and pushed to the ground.
What do you want to do?
"Wow, it really is you."
"Could it be that you really want to leave with them for that harsh, cold north?"
Liu Qingzhu said pitifully, "Sir, I'm here with my family."
"Please, have mercy and let me take care of them."
After saying that, she got up and went to Li Chaojing's side, helping him up.
Upon seeing her arrive, Li Chaoan immediately abandoned Li Chaojing and fled.
The appearance of Qu Shi and Liu Qingzhu relieved Li Chaohuai and Li Chaoan of a lot of burdens, so the two of them naturally agreed to Liu Qingzhu staying.
However, the two officers were unwilling.
They planned to capture Liu Qingzhu again on their way back and take her to the Fourth Prince's residence to claim their reward.
If we take her with us all the way, what if she gets sick and dies on the road? Wouldn't that be a great loss?
Seeing their hesitation, Li Kechuan said calmly, "Don't worry, gentlemen, her life is very cheap."
"You can play however you want."
"As long as we spare her life and treat her like a lowly slave, the officials can have a comfortable journey."
"Really, Pearl?"
Li Kechuan's gaze fell menacingly on Liu Qingzhu.
After several months apart, she had been completely worn down and looked nothing like a human.
Where is even a trace of the former elegance of the eldest daughter of the General's Mansion?
Not only was she covered in dust and dirt, but her skin was also rough and cracked, like that of a village woman.
His hands were so dark and thin they looked like withered vines and branches, making them utterly repulsive.
His eyes were also lifeless.
He was as dull as a dead man.
However, even so, she can forget about escaping to live a comfortable life!
Everything I have now is because of her.
They should be bound together for all eternity!
...
A sudden downpour hit Nanjing.
More than a dozen unidentified corpses surfaced in the Qinhuai River overnight.
After verification by the coroner and the Dali Temple, it was found that they were all from the Great Chu.
Although the Great Liang and the Great Chu have maintained normal trade relations over the years, these individuals are not ordinary people from the Great Chu.
Not only were they all skilled in martial arts, but none of them were in good health.
They look more like the eunuch guards of the Eastern Depot of the Great Chu Dynasty.
But why would the guards of the Great Chu come to Daliang?
The corpse was found floating in the river within the imperial city.
The people immediately thought of Princess Qinyu, who had been missing for several days.
Suddenly someone said, "Could all of these people be Princess Qinyu's people?"
"Shh—you can't talk nonsense like that. Daring to speak ill of the princesses of two countries is a capital offense!"
"Tch! It sounds nice to say she's a princess of two countries, but who doesn't know she's just a pawn pushed around by both nations?"
"That's right, I heard that if we can't find Princess Qinyu, the Great Chu will have an excuse to attack us!"
"Do you think our Great Liang Kingdom is afraid of them? Since fifty years ago, their Great Chu Kingdom has never won a single battle against our Great Liang Kingdom!"
"Do they dare?"
"The Pei family no longer has a general."
"Isn't there also Prince Pei? I heard he's also working in the Ministry of War."
"But I heard that he didn't earn a single military merit during the years he was stationed at the border. That's why he came back dejectedly and found a job."
"No matter what, the Pei family can never be worse than ordinary people."
As they discussed the treatises, some people started arguing.
They argued and argued, and eventually they started fighting.
He was a supporter of Princess Qinyu and fought desperately with the loyalists of the Pei family.
In the end, it even resulted in a death.
After receiving the report, the government quickly issued an order: effective immediately, gatherings of people to discuss state affairs and politics are prohibited.
Anyone who violates this rule will be punished with fifty strokes of the cane!
Those who report such acts will be rewarded with five strings of cash.
Fifty strokes of the cane?
The woman could have been killed instantly.
Even a man could lose half his life.
Who would dare to talk nonsense?
However, on the very first day, hundreds of people disobeyed the order and were arrested and tortured in the street.
The entire city of Jinling was filled with wails.
The next day, the number of those who disobeyed the order suddenly dropped to only a few dozen.
On the third day, only a few people were caught.
The fourth day...
The fifth day...
Soon, no one in the entire Jinling Imperial City dared to casually discuss state affairs.
Even the ministers, confined to their homes, dared not speak recklessly anymore.
Amidst the widespread panic, the Lotus Sect, which had been silent for some time, suddenly resurfaced.
The leader of the Lotus Sect actually sent a letter to the emperor in the palace.
The letter clearly stated:
The Lotus Goddess descended to earth, and the Lotus Lord is the ruler of the world.
The supreme general will rule the world for thousands of years!
This letter was not dared to be delivered to Emperor Yan.
Because it fell directly into the hands of the Crown Prince, who is now in charge of the country.
Upon seeing the handwriting on the letter in his hand, the crown prince angrily tore the letter to shreds.
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