Chapter 2
In the end, nothing in this world can be controlled by humans.
For example, Yue Qingning, who had just wanted to be old friends with Que Ming and never see each other again, did not expect that her life would be so short, so short that she had just walked out of the palace and across three streets when her life came to an end.
A group of masked men appeared out of nowhere and broke into the car frame on the street. They put a dagger to Yue Qingning's neck and asked her to get out of the car.
She didn't dare to disobey and asked them to let her mother go and go with them. Unexpectedly, the leader laughed.
"I came here just for you! If you follow us obediently, you will suffer less."
Yue Qingning was forcibly dragged out of the carriage and was stuffed into another carriage before she even had time to look back at her mother. The leader who had threatened her with a knife also came in, and the tip of the knife had already left a bloody mark on her neck.
"Qingning! My daughter! Let her go."
Even as the carriage drove away, Yue Qingning could still hear her mother's miserable cries. She was afraid and sad but could not turn her head away.
This time of being captured was probably very dangerous. These people didn't care about her life or death at all. The blade against her neck was almost pressing into her flesh. She could vaguely taste the smell of blood with every breath she took.
There are very few people who dare to commit crimes in the capital, and it is even rarer for a girl in the boudoir to be arrested. He also said that he was coming for her, so it was obviously the work of the prince.
He must have been unwilling to see her marrying Prince Shou, which was why he did such a ridiculous thing.
But she hadn't expected that the dignified Crown Prince of Dasheng could actually plan a murder in the street, not even wanting to pretend anymore and wanting to kill anyone who opposed him. Who would dare to oppose him now? She was afraid that she would become a very cruel and bloody example.
She was overwhelmed with grief. When she thought about her imminent death, she suddenly remembered the man she had just met. She wondered if he had ever seen that the master he served so loyally was such a cruel person.
She today may be Que Ming in the future.
Thinking of this, she felt that she couldn't just die in silence. At least she could leave them some clues before she died, so she bravely asked.
"You're committing murder in broad daylight in the streets of the capital! Aren't you afraid that the emperor will track you down, confiscate your property, exterminate your clan, and kill you?"
When the man heard her say this, he was not afraid at all. He even stared at her as if he was listening to a joke.
"We're paid to help people avoid disaster. What's there to worry about in these chaotic days of living on the edge of a knife? We're just going to die! If we get caught, the worst that can happen is we'll be beheaded! Besides, it's a great thing to have you, a beautiful girl, come with us!"
Perhaps the only true thing in his words was that he took money from others, so Yue Qingning perked up and asked again.
"If it's money, my father would give me ten thousand gold coins, would he let me go..."
When the thief heard her say that she could give him ten thousand gold coins, he suddenly sneered, as if she was telling a huge joke. Her family really didn't have ten thousand gold coins, and her father had always been honest and loyal, so how could he have saved up ten thousand gold coins?
But he shouldn't know this. If a thief knows so much about the assets and status of officials in the court, then his identity will be even clearer, right?
"Stop testing me! Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? You're going to have a hard time later. You should think carefully about who you blame for your current situation!"
Who to blame? Who else can I blame!
Naturally, it was all the fault of Crown Prince Xiao Yan, the treacherous villain who disrupted the government and harmed the country and the people!
He has committed all kinds of evil deeds, including framing others and perverting justice, and harming the pillars of the country. This is not the end yet. When Your Majesty passes away, Xiao Yan will succeed to the throne and will probably immediately hand over the Great Sheng Kingdom to his motherland that is far away. By then, the Great Sheng will no longer exist, and the remaining people can only live under the shadow of Shu Hu, in constant fear.
What's more, Que Ming is still in his hands. With his sinister and vicious heart, I don't believe that Xiao Yan will really treat him well.
Thinking of that guy's ugly face and the feeling of standing up for the people, Yue Qingning suddenly felt a little courageous.
"You work for Xiao Yan, right? He wants you to kill me."
When the thief heard her words, he did not refute her, but just glanced at her as if he looked down on her.
This arrogant and self-assured description made her feel a little puzzled.
Yue Qingning had never seen his slanted almond-shaped eyes before, and she thought that he had never offended anyone. After thinking about it, she felt that his behavior must have something to do with her. Perhaps he hated her because of other people.
She was afraid that it was a certain clique-forming person who had served in the same court as her father and was impeached and demoted by her father, and was now taking this opportunity to take revenge on her Yue family.
Thinking that his father might see his corpse in the future, and see his body in tatters after being bullied by the bad guys, Yue Qingning wished he could turn into dust, at least so that they wouldn't have to see his corpse and feel heartbroken.
But she was a weak woman, and the road was getting bumpy. It was obvious that she had left the city and arrived in some desolate wilderness.
After getting off the car, she was afraid that she would be cut into pieces. From ancient times to the present, insulting women has always been the specialty of these so-called men, and she was afraid that she would be no exception.
This person hated her father so much that he must have wanted to see her father's heartbroken expression when he saw her rotting corpse, but what should she do? Now that she was about to die, what else could she do?
Sure enough, after driving for about quarter of an hour, the car stopped in a shady place.
The thief lifted the curtain to look, and saw a dilapidated Guanyin Temple outside. It was surrounded by wild thistles and tall grass, with lush branches and leaves shading each other, and even the sky could not be seen.
"We're here! Miss Yue, come down! Today is your lucky day, so you must remember it well."
Yue Qingning shrank back and didn't give him a chance to touch her. The thief immediately got angry and grabbed her legs to pull her out. Yue Qingning quickly called him.
"At least let me figure this out before I die! Who sent you? Why are you trying to kill me?"
The man got back into the car and slapped her fiercely, making her ears buzz.
"You're not even worthy enough to ask who I am? You little bitch are going to die here today. Why don't you think about who you've offended and still dare to ask me?"
She was slapped on the head several times in a row. She raised her hands to stop them but couldn't. Blood seemed to be flowing out from the corners of her lips, but she kept repeating it.
"Tell me! At least let me know who I should hate. Even if I die and become a ghost, I still want to find the culprit!"
Hearing her persistence, and her hands fanning until she had no strength left, the evil villain finally stopped and pinched her neck to force her to look up.
"Okay, don't you want to know? Speaking of which... you should have seen him today? Didn't you enter the Shouwang Mansion at the same time?"
She was hit so hard that her vision was blurry, but she still heard his words that penetrated her core.
"Impossible! It can't be Que Ming..."
He seemed very dissatisfied with her attitude towards that man and dragged her out and squatted in front of the door.
"Do you really think he's a good man? Don't you know what good things that fair-faced young man with a powdered face has done? If it weren't for him, how would we know you were in Prince Shou's mansion today? Besides, why would we bother you, a little girl?"
Yue Qingning cried until her voice became hoarse, but she kept shouting.
"He won't! Queming won't! I know him... I understand him! Queming and I grew up together, he won't hurt me!"
With her hair pinched, Yue Qingning tilted her head back and looked at the dense treetops above. She really wanted to push aside the bushes and breathe a sigh of relief, so that the heavens could see clearly what she was going through.
She did nothing wrong but was harmed by a villain. Where is justice?
"It's Xiao Yan! It's Xiao Yan who has brought me to this point. I won't let him go! I won't let him go even if I die!"
The shrill cries echoed among the bushes. The thief who was pulling her hair couldn't bear it anymore, so he took something out of his pocket and threw it in her face.
"That's almost it! Anyway, I still have one thing I haven't said yet, and that guy insisted I tell you this, and I'm even annoying him!"
What rolled down from her face was a small red-glazed bottle. She stared blankly at it as it rolled down from her tangled hem, hit the frame with a clang, and shattered.
It broke into several pieces, and a few pills fell out and scattered into pieces. She recognized it as her medicine bottle at a glance. When she drove him out of the house three years ago, she couldn't bear to give him the small medicine pot she carried with her.
"Que Ming, the medicine in the bottle was specially made for me by Master Teng of the Imperial Hospital. Most of his disciples recognize it. You can go to several pharmacies in the capital and exchange this medicine pot for some silver. Tell them that you are my benefactor and I gave you this medicine pot as a gift. They will help you!"
"Live well first! Que Ming, I will find a way to bring you back..."
The thief saw her dazed expression as she stared at the broken pieces of the medicine bottle, and smiled with a hint of success.
He came forward, stuffed the broken fragment into her palm, and whispered viciously in her ear.
"He said that none of those people would admit to it, and instead he received a lot of beatings. After being beaten to the point of near death, he finally realized that power and influence are the most important things in this world. Without power and influence, people are worse off than pigs and dogs. It would be better for them to end their lives on their own."
"He said that it was during his most difficult times that he met a benefactor who promised him a fortune and helped him rise to prominence. That's how he became what he is today, able to trample underfoot those who bullied him, including you, of course! Don't you treat him like a servant, too? He kept this token so that he could one day smash it in your face."
Yue Qingning was stunned and whimpered twice.
"I haven't thought about it that way..."
"What's this? It's normal for a young lady like you to look down on servants. What's the point of arguing with me now?"
He straightened her bloodstained face, "He said he didn't hate you that much, but your good father has been meddling in the Crown Prince's path. He came up with this trick for the Crown Prince's sake. After all, he saw with his own eyes how much Minister Yue loves you, his daughter!"
“…”
She couldn't speak, but tears kept pouring out. Yue Qingning opened her mouth wide but couldn't make a sound. She was crying so hard that she almost lost her soul.
Anyone could have done it, but it was Que Ming who came up with this idea.
He knew too well what would make his father heartbroken. He would have sold himself for his future, let alone others.
"Be careful on the road and have a safe journey."
His voice was still ringing in my ears. It turned out that it was all a prelude to this moment.
Yue Qingning thought sadly that their blood feud was truly unresolved, and they would bear each other's sorrow and hatred for eternity. But she was still no match for him. Even now, she still harbored a trace of meaningless feelings, and she wanted to see him and hear him speak for himself...
But I can't wait any longer.
If she were to live her life again, Yue Qingning would never be a lamb to be slaughtered again. Even if she died, she would drag her enemies into hell with her.
The wind blowing through the forest was even stronger, as if it was playing a sad song, and the shadows of the trees were rustling. Even Guanyin could not bear to watch.
The thief looked around and didn't notice anything unusual. He ignored the bleeding woman under his hands, dragged her down and threw her to the ground, then said to the two accomplices in front of him.
"You haven't seen the eldest daughter of the Shangshu family yet, right? Come on, I'll take you to enjoy a good time!" As he said this, he was about to jump off the carriage.
However, he did not expect that the woman who looked half-dead just now would fall under the horse's hooves as soon as he let go of her hand.
The three thieves were all panicked, fearing that she would slip out from underneath. The leader even drew a knife to scare her.
However, before the people were scared, a cold light flashed in the eyes of the red horse driving the car. Then, seeing several people rushing towards it with ferocious looks, the red horse panicked for a moment and stomped down randomly with its hooves several times in a row. It couldn't stop even if it kicked something in its panic.
Something was entangled under the horse's feet, and the horse thought it was a snake. It stepped down with all four legs one after another, and the thumping sound of the hooves was like the beating of drums or heartbeats.
The three of them were frightened by the horse's kicking hooves and retreated repeatedly. They kept silent and frowned as they watched the red clothes under the hooves being stained with mud.
Now even if they wanted to pull someone away, they couldn't...
After a long while, the frightened horse finally stopped. The wind blew in the forest and the rain came suddenly. The fine raindrops poured the bloody dust mist onto the ground, forming a long winding red river.
"Now... what should we do?" One of them couldn't help but feel frightened when he saw the red everywhere.
The leader spat, "What else can we do? She asked for it. Just go back and report!"
The thief asked again, "Didn't Your Highness say that we must humiliate first and then kill? You clearly emphasized this several times. Just trampling on the corpse... I wonder if Your Highness's anger will subside?"
The leader punched him backhanded and pushed him out.
"Go ahead if you can! I can't bear to see you get trampled like that by a horse!"
He pulled down his veil and looked around, his pair of phoenix eyes flashing with cunning and shrewdness.
"Your Highness can't see here. If you don't say anything and I don't say anything, just consider it as completing the task. We'll stab the body a few more times and throw it into the river. I don't believe anyone will be able to tell! If His Highness sees it, he'll only praise us for a good job!"
The three of them watched the tragedy in front of them in the rain without any emotion, and did not notice that a wisp of white smoke was wafting out of the Guanyin Temple behind them, which had been unreserved for a long time.
The white smoke was beaten miserably by the rain, rising straight up to a height of five or six feet. Finally, it was soaked by the heavy rain and disappeared into the sky, leaving no trace.
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