Chapter 56
In Qingwu Palace, in front of all the palace servants, Yuan Liu Niang smashed the teacup she was holding onto the ground.
"How... how could this be? It must be fake, it's fake, right?"
If we were to say who was most affected by the death of the fourth prince, it would undoubtedly be Yuan Liu Niang. Yuan Luo couldn't believe it when she heard the news.
"How could such a smart little tiger be killed like that? It's impossible! I don't believe it! I don't believe it!"
Yuan Liu Niang had only been in the palace for a few days when she heard the Smiling Tiger's reprimand, which was a huge blow to her spirit. Therefore, she was in a daze, rushing out of the palace like a madwoman, completely disregarding the chaos behind her, her current status, and the consequences.
"Master of Ceremonies! Master of Ceremonies, where are you going?!"
Yuan Liu Niang couldn't hear the voices calling from behind at all. She only had one thought in her mind: Go back and see, the little tiger must still be waiting for her at the money shop!
"I'm going back right now, I'm going back right now..."
However, when she returned to Fengyun Money House, she was greeted by a hall full of mourning clothes. She staggered into the backyard and looked up to see a coffin placed in the main hall.
"Little tiger?"
The ethereal voice didn't seem to come from her throat. Yuan Liu Niang walked into the main hall like a walking corpse, as if her soul had been ripped out.
Those around her immediately bowed upon seeing her. With the four leaders of Fengyunxu murdered, Yuan Liuniang was now the highest-ranking figure in Fengyunxu in the capital, and their backbone.
"Sixth Miss, we've sent word to the Master, and we should receive news in the next couple of days."
At this moment, a manager of the gambling den stepped forward and spoke, but after seeing Yuan Liu Niang's distraught appearance, he added, "Please accept my condolences, Miss Liu."
In fact, Yuan Liu Niang didn't listen to what they were saying at all. She just stared blankly at the person in the coffin, tears welling up in her eyes uncontrollably.
She couldn't believe that the person who had smiled and waved to her as she entered the palace just a few days ago, telling her to be careful, was now lying in a coffin.
Lin Qiang had assigned Yuan Liuniang to Lao Si's training early on. The two went from initially disliking each other to developing an unparalleled rapport; their bond was far beyond that of ordinary people. They had been partners for so many years, as close as brothers, with Yuan Liuniang always regarding Lao Si as an older brother. If Lin Qiang was a god in Yuan Liuniang's heart, then Lao Si was her closest family member. As long as Lao Si was there, she had nothing to worry about; he was her sense of security.
Now, her only brother is gone...
"Who did it? Huh? Who killed him?! Who? Who killed him!!!"
Tell me, tell me!!!
Yuan Liu Niang's mental state, which had just begun to recover, collapsed instantly. She leaned over the edge of the coffin, her hands trembling as she touched the cold body of Smiling Tiger. Her mind was in complete chaos, and she couldn't even begin to think about how the little tiger had died.
The excruciating pain made it impossible for her to breathe.
"Where is his shadow? Where is his shadow?!?"
Yuan Liu Niang's bloodshot eyes and seemingly mad screams terrified everyone present, and they all knelt on the ground, not daring to look up at her.
"The shadows of the four masters have been eliminated..."
Why was he eliminated? He was the most secretive shadow!
Who betrayed Little Tiger? What kind of traitor emerged from the ruins?
Yuan Liuniang turned around and looked at everyone around her, her gaze becoming frantic as she looked at each person. At this moment, she began to suspect everyone around her, finding fault with everyone.
She abruptly released herself from the coffin, grabbed the men by the collar, and demanded fiercely, "Who...who betrayed us?! Tell me! Who betrayed us?!"
No one else dared to utter a sound; the entire group remained silent.
Indeed, only the person closest to the one who holds the reins in one's heart knows the location of the shadow; no outsider could possibly know. If there had been no traitor, the fourth brother would not have died so easily and silently.
The white banners inside the mourning hall fluttered in the wind, seemingly mocking everyone.
Yuan Liu Niang seemed to have returned to the most helpless moment of her previous life, when everyone around her—her parents, her husband, her daughter, her confidante, her friends—all left her one by one. In the end, she was left all alone, utterly destitute.
She desperately tried to change everything, only to find that nothing had changed. This was incredibly painful, and she asked those so-called gods more than once, "Why do you make me suffer like this?"
No one could answer her.
It seems that she was born a tragedy.
Just when she thought the suffering was over, even greater torment descended upon her. It was as if fate was mocking her: Stop fighting! It's pointless!
It makes no sense!
No one dared to touch Yuan Liuniang, who was out of control of her emotions, just like in her previous life. She was sometimes mad, sometimes sane, sensitive, suspicious, and possessive; those around her could only kneel around her, offering silent comfort…
**
Meanwhile, Lin Qiang was also settling matters in Jiangbei and planned to head to the capital.
"Jiang Zhi, I'm entrusting everything in Jiangbei Province to you. This little girl is rather stubborn; can you handle it?"
Lin Jiangzhi laughed wildly and unrestrainedly, patting his chest and guaranteeing, "Brother, you can go ahead. I will take good care of everything here. You can rest assured that Miss Yao is in my care. She is an extremely intelligent woman, and you should know her better than I do. I will definitely not let anything happen to her."
Lin Qiang nodded and didn't say anything else. He had originally wanted to suggest keeping Huang Que, but then he thought it wasn't necessary.
Although he was reluctant to leave Yuan Qiong alone here, the situation in the capital was quite urgent, and his fourth brother, who had followed him for so many years, had died under mysterious circumstances. He had to go back and seek justice for him. Therefore, no matter what, he had to leave.
And he believed in the little girl's abilities!
"Brother, you can leave with peace of mind. Leave this to me. The Hongmen people will come looking for me in a couple of days. I'll make sure to take good care of your sister-in-law!" Lin Jiangzhi assured him again, fearing that he might not trust him.
"Okay." Lin Qiang nodded, steeled his heart, and instead of going to the Hongmen to meet Yuan Qiong in private, he headed straight for the capital.
For a while, Lin Qiang hadn't sensed any emotional fluctuations from Yuan Liuniang, assuming she was slowly recovering, so he transferred Feng Zhi away from the capital. However, after this recent shock, those emotions returned, and this time it was more intense than ever before. He could clearly sense that Yuan Liuniang was on the verge of collapse.
Sure enough, he shouldn't have been so soft-hearted as to let her stay in the capital!
If he returned late, Lin Qiang worried that Yuan Liu Niang might do something foolish, so he could only hurry back to the capital.
On the third night after Lin Qiang left, more and more refugees gathered outside Jiangbei City. Looking down from the city wall, they were a dark, dense mass. There was an ominous feeling, as if a storm was brewing.
Countless tents of all sizes were clustered there like an endless stretch of grave mounds, creating a very depressing scene.
Yuan Qiong followed behind Hong Xin, watching this scene. She couldn't describe how she felt. These people were also her subjects! Because the imperial court was unable to provide disaster relief, the refugees had ended up in this state, and she bore an unshirkable responsibility!
"Hahaha... What are you thinking about, young lady? You look so serious."
Yuan Qiong's gaze remained fixed on the refugees, and she said calmly, "Such a large number of refugees is truly spectacular. I am a naive woman and this is the first time I have seen such a scene, so I am inevitably shocked."
"Shocked?" Hong Xin raised an eyebrow. I really didn't see that coming!
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