Chapter 71 Chapter 71 The branch before him was one he had never seen before...

Not long after, Lin Yiqing and Su Ci emerged from the study.

From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a woman standing anxiously under the eaves. Su Ci watched for a moment longer. Her knuckles were knitted together, and she would occasionally pick at the flesh beneath her fingertips. Unease and fear gripped her, holding her still.

Afraid of being seen, their eyes met for only a moment before Chun Ming lowered her head in panic. Her heartbeat, like a drum, beat unsteadily against her chest, occasionally surging to her throat.

"Just follow me in,"

a deep, familiar voice rang out. It was the guard who had come to question her. Chun Ming's heart suddenly rose to her throat, threatening to burst.

The study was brightly lit, and palace lanterns shone brightly.

Fu Huaiqing's eyes fixed on the woman who followed Jiang Yue in, head bowed, and he tapped his knuckles lightly against the table.

The faint, almost imperceptible sound, like the last note of a temple bell, resonated solemnly and quietly throughout the study. Chun Ming's heart trembled as she saluted, "I, Chun Ming, pay my respects to His Highness Prince Su."

"Stand," Fu Huaiqing said calmly.

He rubbed the white jade ring on his knuckles and glanced at Jiang Yue.

Nearly twenty years after the Suzhou massacre, the sudden appearance of Madam Bian's personal maid at such a critical moment, not earlier or later, but at this very moment, was a source of skepticism.

"Where are you from?" Fu Huaiqing began slowly. "When did you come to the capital, and what is your relationship with the Bian family?"

The man's clear, even voice was like an icicle under a freezing sky. The breath that blew past was filled with an indescribable oppression. Chun Ming couldn't help but lower her head again, her voice trembling. "I'm from Suzhou. I've been by the young lady's side since childhood. Thirty years ago, the young lady married into the Bian family, and I went to the Bian family as her dowry maid. Sixteen years ago, I came to the suburbs of Beijing and later met Chen Lang. I've been with him ever since."

As soon as she finished speaking, Chun Ming heard a faint laugh. The ethereal and indifferent voice slowly enveloped her. Her breath hitched for a beat, and her body trembled slightly.

Only half a quarter of an hour ago did Fu Huaiqing know who the Chen Lang she was talking about was.

Chen Lang's real name was Chen Ming. He was a servant at the Jingjiao Mountain Villa, just like her. However, Chen Ming's father and generation worked there. His family lived in obedience, and he was an extremely honest man.

"The Bian family of Suzhou." Fu Huaiqing raised an eyebrow and said casually, "The Bian family was brutally exterminated eighteen years ago. One hundred and twenty-seven people died that night. You said you were Madam Bian's maid. Could it be that you've returned to life?" "

Among the one hundred and twenty-seven people," Chun Ming's voice choked with a noticeable sob as she mentioned the tragedy of many years ago. To this day, she still remembered the scene of her young lady's neck suddenly gushing with blood. Lying in the pool of blood was the wet nurse who had come to greet the young lady, holding her own child. "One of them was a wet nurse who wasn't registered in the provincial government."

Fu Huaiqing paused, stroking the tip of his ring, his eyes solemnly gazing at the woman below.

Chun Ming trembled, unsure if His Royal Highness the Prince of Su was the one behind the masked man, but the girl she ran into today... she and the young lady were so much alike.

It was as if they were cast in the same mold. For a moment, Chun Ming thought she had bumped into the young lady. Bright and dazzling, it reminded her of the little lady she had left by the river many years ago.

She had to come and explore.

If Prince Su is the master behind the murderer, the young lady must not stay by his side. He might find out her life experience one day and suffer a devastating disaster. And if Prince Su is not the one behind the murder—

Chun Ming dug her palm tightly with her fingertips, forcing herself to suppress the tears in her eyes. “During that period, the nanny’s young daughter had a high fever. The young lady saw that she was worried every day, so she asked the nanny to bring the young girl and ordered me to find a doctor for treatment. The nanny and her young daughter stayed in the mansion during that period. Before going to bed that night, the nanny came to greet the young lady with the young lady and her child. The young lady suddenly cried for some reason. I saw that the nanny seemed to have something to say to the young lady, so I took the young lady to the backyard for a walk.”

When they were about to reach the backyard, the young lady in her arms stopped crying. The little girl raised her hands as if to grab the stars above her head, pinching her hands, and seemed to want to turn over.

"It hadn't been half a cup of tea before I smelled something." Chun Ming still remembered turning back through the path to see the blood-soaked courtyard. She froze in shock. A masked man stood in the courtyard, his solitary and solemn figure like a god of death, commanding everyone to enter. Coming to her senses, she hurried back, but "before I even reached the chamber, I saw the young lady's head being chopped off with an axe."

Shocked and terrified, she instinctively stepped back.

"I didn't care too much. I thought they were targeting the masters of the Bian family." At that moment, Chun Ming's only thought was to escape as quickly as possible with the young lady in her arms. She stumbled towards the side door in the backyard, her lips curled up slightly as she thought of that scene. "The young lady, who usually whimpered at the slightest bump, was completely quiet that day, not a sound at all."

It was precisely because of this that she successfully escaped the Bian family. As soon

as she left the Bian residence, Chunming realized something was amiss. Within a fifty-foot radius, centered on the Bian residence, she was completely silent, not even the barking of a dog.

She ran to the provincial capital, but the lights were already off.

Helplessly, Chunming ran for the city gates. But before she reached them, she saw the figure she had seen in the courtyard from a distance. He was now maskless, and his gentle, jade-like features left her in a trance.

"It was still half an hour before the manure carts left the city." Chun Ming finally found the convoy carrying the manure carts. Taking advantage of their inattention, she hid in a barrel. Once outside the city, she waited for an opportunity to flee with the young lady. Unable to recognize the road, she headed north. "The woman carried the young lady north, disguised as a beggar, and begged along the way. It was two weeks later when we arrived at Lijia Village."

Before she even set foot in Lijia Village, she heard someone mention the massacre of the Bian family in Suzhou. Only then did she learn that the Bian family had been brutally slaughtered overnight, even the guard dogs had been spared.

At the mention of Lijia Village, Fu Huaiqing's expression changed slightly.

His gaze fixed on the kneeling woman, then lifted, past her figure, across the study where faint sobs echoed, to the young woman standing stunned under the eaves.

She frowned slightly, staring at the woman's back in disbelief.

Half a cup of tea ago, Biezhi, who was fiddling with poison, heard the secret guards coming to look for her. She thought it was Fu Huaiqing who wanted to talk to her about the assassination of Zhang Yan. She washed her hands and went to the study. Before she could say anything, she saw him shaking his head slightly, indicating that she didn't need to speak.

Biezhi walked under the eaves and listened quietly. The more she listened,

the more she felt something was wrong.

"Since they were able to massacre the Bian family, they would naturally check the Bian family in advance. They may not recognize the young lady's face, but they must remember my face in their hearts." Chun Ming's voice rose slightly as she spoke, with indescribable excitement. She had only one thought at that time: she could not take the young lady away, nor could she show up in public with this face again. "I have been observing outside Lijia Village for nearly ten days. The villagers in Lijia Village are very friendly, so I found an opportunity to put the young lady by the river next to Lijia Village."

She hid behind a tree and watched the young lady being taken away before she breathed a sigh of relief.

Fu Huaiqing's face was gloomy, and a dull and heavy breath lingered in his heart, making it difficult to breathe.

He asked, "Did you look for her again?"

"No," Chun Ming shook her head. "I couldn't."

When she mentally prepared to leave the young lady in Lijia Village, she resolved never to look back. No matter what, she would not disturb her peaceful life. Even if they came looking for her one day, she would die alone.

After leaving Lijia Village, Chun Ming cut her face and left alone.

By chance, she met Chen Ming and followed him to the outskirts of Beijing. From then on, she worked at the villa. Later, the villa was awarded to the seven-year-old prince. It was during these past two years, when Chen Ming's health declined, that she began to follow him to the Su Palace to deliver gifts. She would not set foot anywhere else, not even to rest.

Fu Huaiqing sat at his desk, his dark eyes as deep as the abyss. He gazed for a moment at Biezhi outside the study. He said, "You saw her today."

Chun Ming suddenly raised her head.

With a swish, tears fell like broken pearls on a string. Her eyes watered, and she could no longer discern the man behind the desk. "Is that girl really our young lady?"

How could her young lady be in the capital, and how could she be in Prince Su's mansion...

Fu Huaiqing nodded, "It's her."

Suddenly, Chun Ming burst into tears.

Gazing at the girl under the eaves, whose eyes suddenly turned red, Fu Huaiqing's breath paused for a moment.

The Biezhi before him was unlike anything he had ever seen.

Even facing death, she wouldn't have felt any regret or envy for herself. All she thought about was the regrets she'd left behind, the hope of fulfilling them.

Beneath her pure, innocent face was a heart so strong it could withstand anything. After

a moment's silence, Fu Huaiqing asked, "What's her name?"

"Zhaoyan," Chun Ming said. "Bian Zhaoyan."

Bian Zhaoyan.

Biezhi silently recited the utterly unfamiliar words, a wave of indescribable emotion welling up in her.

She breathed a sigh of relief and, just as she was about to step into the study, heard three or four quick footsteps approaching from behind. Biezhi turned to see Lin Yiqing and Su Ci returning, followed by a stranger.

The moment Song Minghui took in the girl's features under the eaves, he froze in his tracks.

His body felt like it was weighed down by lead, unable to move. He stared at the girl with a dazed expression, frowning as he muttered, "Mrs. Bian?"

The sudden voice shattered the long-held peace in the academy. Chunming, kneeling on the ground, turned sharply, her eyes blurred by tears. She hurriedly wiped them away. Seeing the girl's face, as radiant and bright as a garden of pear blossoms, she couldn't hold back any longer and burst into tears.

The girl before her was her youngest daughter!

Biezhi stepped forward to help her to her feet.

Song Minghui, approaching with a startled expression, took a deep breath at the sight of Chunming, her tears welling up.

He finally came to his senses, walked into the study at a brisk pace, and bowed to the man who had stood up and walked down the stairs at some point, "Your Highness."

Song Minghui didn't need to say much, Fu Huaiqing already knew what he was going to say, and nodded.

Biezhi took the handkerchief handed to her by Jiang Yue and handed it to Chunming.

Not very good at comforting others, she clumsily imitated the way she saw other people's parents comforting their children when she was young, slowly patted Chunming's back, and comforted her: "It's okay, you can live a peaceful life in the future, go wherever you want, I won't let them bother you again."

Chunming raised her eyes, wanting to say something but stopping.

The tears that had finally stopped overflowed again, and it took her a long time to find her voice, "Young lady, how have you been these years?"

"Very well." Biezhi carefully wiped the tears from the woman's face, "Everything has been fine from the past to now."

Fortunately, she met only good people.

Whether it was her grandmother, the other people in Li Village, her master, Fang Tingzhi, or her colleagues in Xianyun Tower, "there were relatives, a master, good friends, and—" After a pause, Biezhi raised his eyes slightly and glanced at Fu Huaiqing beside him, leaning over to her ear and whispering, "And him."