Wu Qing sat in a daze in the courtyard. He hesitated whether to tell Liu Yushu about the trouble that had befallen the Liu family.
If Liu Yushu knew that her father had been convicted by the emperor and thrown into the death - row prison, and that her grandmother and younger brother had been placed under house arrest in the Liu mansion awaiting punishment, she would surely return to the Liu family.
He knew that the people she cared about most were her younger brother and grandmother. They were her closest kin. If only her father had been arrested, Wu Qing wouldn't have been so worried, for he knew that Liu Yushu had little affection for her father.
The Liu family had fallen into disgrace ever since Liu Yushu left with Wu Qing.
Zhao Qin had been tortured by Wu Qing to the brink of death. Knowing that Wu Qing was an orphan with no fixed abode, he realized it was impossible to seek revenge on him. So, he vented his pent - up anger on Wu Chunzhe and Liu Yushu.
Holding a writing brush in his mouth, he scribbled that it was Wu Chunzhe and Liu Yushu who had harmed him. His father was the Minister of War, with a certain amount of military power and a close relationship with the Third Prince. Seeing his son on the verge of death, the Minister of War was determined to seek revenge. So, Zhao Qin's father, the elder Zhao, publicly impeached Liu Yushu's father, Liu Daqiang, and Wu Chunzhe's father, General Wu, in the court.
Liu Daqiang tried to defend himself, while General Wu was fighting on the front - line. One was the current imperial tutor, assisting the Crown Prince, and the other was the General who guarded the country and was fending off the enemy. Even if they had committed grave mistakes, the emperor couldn't take immediate action. The Third Prince had long intended to weaken the Crown Prince's power, and since these two were both supporters of the Crown Prince, he repeatedly pleaded his case to the emperor.
In the end, Liu Daqiang was convicted. Further investigation revealed his attempts to curry favor with other powerful officials. Enraged, the emperor issued an order to throw Liu Daqiang into the death - row prison, confiscate the Liu family's property, and place the remaining relatives of the Liu family under house arrest in the Liu mansion.
As for Wu Chunzhe, the emperor didn't show any signs of blame. However, his father was carried back from the battlefield on a stretcher. During a battle with the enemy, his horse suddenly went berserk, causing the old general to fall off. Unable to withstand the enemy's siege, he lost a leg. Although they achieved a great victory, the old general would never be able to stand up again.
Wu Chunzhe conducted a private investigation and found that his father's injury was no accident. Someone had drugged his father's horse, causing him to fall. The only person who hated their family so much was the Minister of War.
This was not just a suspicion on Wu Chunzhe's part. After the investigation, he went straight to the Minister of War's mansion to seek justice for his father. In front of Wu Chunzhe, Minister Zhao admitted that he had hired someone to plot against the old general. He also said that it was too lenient not to let the old general die on the frontier and vowed to make the Wu family pay with their lives.
Wu Chunzhe then realized that if he wanted to seek justice from the Minister of War, he needed power. He decided to join the army, go to the military camp, and become a general who was highly regarded by the emperor so that no one would ever look down on him again.
Since Liu Yushu left home, Wu Chunzhe had been looking for her. He had to get her to go back home. Even if she couldn't save Liu Daqiang, she still had her grandmother and younger brother. If she didn't go back soon, she might not even get to see them for the last time.
"What's wrong with you?" Liu Yushu saw Wu Qing in a daze and took his hand, leading him for a stroll in the courtyard.
Wu Qing came back to his senses and smiled. "It's nothing."
He didn't want to tell Liu Yushu about the trouble of the Liu family. He didn't want her to go back, because he knew that if she did, she would surely be entangled in the mess and it would be difficult for them to escape the chaotic world together.
Suddenly, he pulled her into his arms. A hint of worry welled up in his bright eyes. "Are you happy?"
She smiled. "I'm very happy." Finding him a bit strange, she looked up at him, confused. "What's wrong with you?"
"Let's live here forever, okay?" Unease filled his heart.
"Of course it's good. As long as you're with me, anywhere is good." she said firmly.
Wu Qing's heart skipped a beat. He bit his lips. After hesitating for a while, he told Liu Yushu everything about the Liu family.
Just as Wu Qing had expected, Liu Yushu was shocked. She immediately tried to run back home, but he grabbed her. "Your family is in trouble. If you go back, you won't be able to solve anything. You'll only get yourself involved. I won't let you go back."
"Am I supposed to just hide out here and act like I don't know anything?!" Liu Yushu's eyes were red. She stared at Wu Qing in disbelief.
She admitted that Wu Qing's words made some sense. But she was really worried about her grandmother and younger brother. She just wanted to go back and take a look to make sure they were safe.
"Even without this incident, your family members will die someday. You'll have to part with them sooner or later. Since you're destined to be with me, why go back? Just act like they don't exist. You only need to rely on me." Wu Qing said stubbornly.
Liu Yushu didn't say a word. She just stared at Wu Qing coldly and slowly pulled her wrist out of his grasp. A sarcastic smile played on her lips. She said indifferently, "Wu Qing, you're so cold - hearted and selfish."
Wu Qing frowned tightly and said anxiously, "I just don't want you to get hurt."
Liu Yushu looked extremely disappointed. "Even if I can't solve anything when I go back, am I supposed to just abandon my family and not care whether they live or die? I can't do that. I can't be as cold - hearted as you."
With that, tears streamed down her face. She was crying not only because she was worried about her family but also because of her disappointment in Wu Qing. She had thought that Wu Qing would help her save her family right away. Even if he couldn't save them, he could at least comfort her, but he was so cold.
She knew that Wu Qing was a heartless person, but she naively thought that he would change for her and that she was special to him.
It seemed that she was wrong. Anger and regret welled up in her chest. She wanted to get angry at Wu Qing, but she was also filled with desolation and disappointment.
As soon as she started crying, Wu Qing got anxious. He stepped forward to hug her and comfort her, but she dodged. With tear - filled eyes, she stared at him and questioned, "I'll die someday too. Why do you still want to be with me? Why do you still want to marry me?!" The resentment in her voice made his heart ache again and again.
"You're different." he replied firmly. "I don't care if everyone in the world dies. I only care about you."
Liu Yushu laughed sarcastically and shook her head. "I really don't understand whether you love me or not." With that, she rushed towards the door, but he blocked her way. She looked up at him with red eyes, her expression determined. "If you don't get out of the way, I'll kill myself."
Wu Qing gritted his teeth and hugged her tightly. He said urgently, "I won't let you go, and I definitely won't let you die." He picked her up in his arms and refused to let go no matter how much she struggled. He kicked the door shut after entering the room.
Wu Qing was scared. He was afraid that if she left today, she would never come back to him. He wanted to keep her by his side.
Suddenly, a storm hit. For the first time, she understood the taste of pain. For the first time, she saw through Wu Qing. Only then did she realize that, just like in her past life, she might have loved the wrong person and trusted the wrong person.
Because a person who truly loved her wouldn't let her experience pain. Now, she no longer loved Wu Qing. Instead, she only hated him.
She hated Wu Qing for his cold - heartedness and selfishness, and she hated herself for being so blind. She deeply regretted being reborn. If she hadn't been reborn, none of this would have happened, and things wouldn't have come to this point.
Liu Yushu began to curse the heavens in her heart: "Heaven, you're blind. You made me be reborn just to torture me. I hate you. After this life, I never want to be reborn as a human again. I'd rather stay in hell as a lonely ghost for all eternity."
Night fell. The beauty in his arms sat there blankly, like a puppet.
Liu Yushu felt that she had shed all the tears in her life. She suddenly raised her hand and slapped Wu Qing hard. She said word by word, "I never want to see you, you bastard, ever again." She pushed him away and got out of the bed regardless. After taking a few steps, her face suddenly contorted in pain. She fell to the ground, her body convulsing uncontrollably. A chill spread over her body, and she felt as if she had fallen into an ice - cold hole and was about to faint from the cold.
"Yushu." Wu Qing rushed to her side anxiously. Just as he was about to help her up, he saw that her skirt was covered in bloodstains. The glaring blood dripped onto the ground.
Liu Yushu fainted, her face as pale as paper.