Chapter 338 Wan'an Family
The sun sets in the west, and the setting sun is blood-red.
The magnificent sunset spread across the sky, coating the majestic imperial palace with an almost unreal warm gold.
However, inside the Tourmaline Palace, a faint smell of blood still floated in the air, and the solemn atmosphere inside the palace formed a glaring contrast with the tranquil glow outside the palace.
Wen Li'er sat alone on the couch with her back straight.
Her eyes no longer had the initial panic, but were as calm as a deep pool. But deep within that pool was an unresolved storm and heavy fatigue.
For the entire afternoon, she forced herself to stay awake and personally supervised the situation, thoroughly checking all the palace maids, eunuchs, and nannies who served the children.
Only after confirming that there were no omissions did the tense heartstrings relax a little.
“Tick, tick, tick…”
There was a sound of hurried footsteps outside the hall, coming closer and closer.
Wen Li'er's heart subconsciously rose.
Immediately afterwards, a palace maid announced, "Your Majesty, the Left Deputy Commander requests an audience."
Wen Li'er hurriedly let someone in.
Zuo Qing strode into the hall with big strides, looking dusty. When he clasped his fists and saluted, there was an lingering heaviness between his brows.
"My Lady, Wan'an... and his family have been found."
Wen Li'er looked up suddenly, and a light of hope instantly flashed in her eyes.
"How is it? Where is he? Is he... okay?"
Zuo Qing's Adam's apple rolled, and he nodded and shook his head slightly.
When Wen Li'er saw his expression, her heart felt as if it was being gripped by a huge hand, sinking rapidly into the cold abyss.
She almost held her breath and asked with difficulty: "But...but he is still alive?"
As long as people are alive, there is still room for turnaround and there is still time to do something.
Zuo Qing lowered her voice and replied, "Your Majesty... found the whole family in the Liu family's cellar. But..."
He paused, as if reluctant. "Except for Wan'an and his second sister Liu Qing, who are still alive... his grandparents, father, mother, and eldest brother Liu Yuan... are all dead."
He took a deep breath and continued, "Luckily in this misfortune, Wan'an sent his younger brother Liu Can to study at the academy a few years ago, and he wouldn't be back until the end of the month. This misfortune allowed us to preserve the last bloodline of the Liu family."
Wen Li'er only felt a buzzing sound in her head, and the teacup in her hand almost fell out of her hand.
Wan'an...Liu'an.
Wan'an's original surname was Liu. When he was young, in order to buy a life-saving wild ginseng for his mother who was having a difficult childbirth, he resolutely sold himself to enter the palace and became a eunuch.
After entering the palace, an old eunuch named Wan took pity on his filial piety and kept him in his family, changing his name to Wan'an.
The Liu family was heartbroken when they learned about this, but because of the ginseng, the mother gave birth to her young son Liu Shen safely.
The name Liu Shen is to commemorate his brother's kindness.
The Liu family also had an eldest son, Liu Yuan, who was mentally retarded. It was said that when he was young, he went up the mountain to herd cattle and was hit on the head by a cattle thief, which made him mentally retarded.
The Liu family spent all their wealth on his medical treatment and fell into poverty.
Wen Li'er asked with difficulty: "His elder brother...can't be saved?"
Zuo Qing shook his head heavily: "It's impossible to save him."
He did not elaborate on the tragic death - they were all beheaded with a single blow.
"According to Miss Liu Qing, Wan'an returned home to visit his family and asked a doctor to treat his father. After his father recovered, he said goodbye to his family and returned to the palace to report."
"Unexpectedly, Nong Zhigao suddenly appeared, knocked the whole family unconscious, dragged them into the cellar, and threatened Wan'an with his family's lives to force him to work for him."
"Wan'an refused to comply, so Nong Zhigao killed all his relatives in front of Wan'an."
"Wan'an was also tortured to the point of... hanging on to his last breath. Miss Liu Qing was extremely frightened and mentally damaged. She needs to rest."
"I have already ordered the siblings to be properly housed, hired a skilled doctor, and assigned reliable personnel to guard them day and night."
Wen Li'er's tears suddenly burst out.
How could Wan'an be so stupid!
Why not just pretend to agree and play along to save your family's lives?
Then we can work together to find a way to deal with it!
Watching your loved ones die tragically in front of you...what an inhuman torture that is.
She seemed to be able to feel Wan'an's heart-wrenching despair at that moment.
Wen Li'er suddenly raised her hand and wiped away the tears on her face.
She let out a long, heavy breath, suppressed her turbulent emotions, and turned to Qingmei, who was standing beside her with red eyes.
"You go to the Liu family in person and make sure to find the best coffins so that Wan'an's family can be buried properly. The money needed will come from my private treasury. As for Wan'an and Liu Qing..."
She thought for a moment and said, "Send them to the Wen Mansion to recuperate immediately. My father and mother are there, and the maids and servants are taking good care of them. Have my father invite the imperial physician to the mansion to treat them and make sure they are saved. Send someone to the academy where Liu Can is studying to secretly assess his character and knowledge. If he is a sensible and good child... then take him to the Wen Mansion. He will have to observe three years of mourning for his loved ones. During these three years, let him study with his cousin Qingxi in the Wen Mansion."
Ultimately, the Liu family's terrible disaster was caused by her.
If Nong Zhigao hadn't wanted to capture her, how could she have been implicated to this extent?
At this moment, all she could do was to try her best to protect the three siblings and give them shelter.
Liu Can and his fourth cousin Liang Qingxi are of similar age. If they can grow up together, they may be able to support each other in the future.
"I'll go right away!"
Qingmei didn't dare to delay for even a second, and hurried away with red eyes following the order.
Zuo Qing deeply admired Wen Li'er for suppressing her grief and arranging everything in an orderly manner.
With the protection of the Wen family and the care of the Imperial Concubine, the three surviving brothers and sisters of the Liu family can be said to have turned a disaster into a blessing.
After Qingmei left, Wen Li'er suppressed her surging emotions and looked up at Zuo Qing.
"Whose severed arm did Nong Zhigao bring into the palace?"
Zuo Qing immediately replied, "Your Majesty, it's Wan'an's eldest brother, Liu Yuan. Although Liu Yuan is mentally retarded, he's quite talented in hunting. He often followed his father into the mountains to hunt, so his hands are covered with thick calluses from drawing the bow. The fracture on his arm matches the fracture on the arm that Nong Zhigao brought into the palace."
Wen Li'er was silent for a long time before she gave the order in a deep voice, "Take care of that broken arm... and ask the best coroner to sew Liu Yuan's arm back together. When the deceased of the Liu family is buried, let him rest in peace... with all his limbs intact."
"Yes! I understand!" Zuo Qing accepted the order solemnly.
Not long after Zuo Qing left, footsteps were heard outside the hall again.
Qiu Ying walked in quickly with Wu Junnian. Both of their faces looked extremely solemn, as if covered with a layer of frost.
Wen Li'er's heart instantly rose to her throat.
Qiuying stepped forward to report, "Your Majesty, as you instructed, we have led our men to thoroughly search Bixi Palace, especially any places where Nong Zhigao might be hiding or staying. As expected... deep within the cracks in the rockery near the small garden on the west side of the palace, we found a neatly folded plain brocade handkerchief."
"What's the result?" Wen Li'er's voice couldn't help but tighten.
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