At the time, she just thought that they grew up together like childhood friends, with a deep brother-sister bond, and was too worried about her husband’s affairs to think much of it.

But now it seems, since it wasn’t a childhood bond, what other reason is there for such a distant cousin to care so much?

Not to mention, she noticed that Cousin Ji looked at Wanwan with an unusual gaze.

The emotion of liking is something that, no matter how much it’s suppressed, it will still convey through the eyes.

No matter how experienced, no matter how battle-hardened, it cannot be concealed.

......

Although Xie Wanqing didn’t completely believe Chen Xixi’s words, they did plant a seed of doubt.

After all, her cousin grew up in an environment where she had to read the room and gauge men.

If she could speak so resolutely, it must not be baseless talk.

When she stepped out of the room and saw the two young men sitting opposite each other in the courtyard, she was slightly taken aback.

Perhaps due to seeing many commoners over the past few months, suddenly seeing such absolute beauty again was somewhat dazzling.

At this moment, she resonated with Chen Xixi’s aesthetic sense.

This cousin of hers was indeed handsome.

The kind of handsomeness that screams gentleman at first glance.

But... thinking of Chen Xixi’s comments, she felt somewhat uneasy, and after a fleeting glance at Ji Chengfeng,

she packed her things and Xie Wanqing left the small courtyard, where she had lived for half a year, with Granny Ma and two maidservants, leaving only two cooks to guard the house.

That night, in the Prefectural Magistrate Mansion, a welcome feast was officially held.

At the same time in Xiangzhou City, inside the Punishment Hall.

A middle-aged man was tied in the shape of a large character on a scaffold, whipped, his clothes tattered, his head hanging weakly, his state of life unknown.

Not far away, Lu Ziyuan sat on a chair, watching this scene.

This person was the Commander of Xiangzhou, Yu Cheng, and it was he who mobilized two thousand elite soldiers, along with Jin Wuji, to secretly infiltrate the Capital City and orchestrate the kidnapping of Xie Wanqing from Hot Spring Villa.

That night, a blazing fire engulfed the Hot Spring Villa, and apart from the three girls hiding in the secret chamber who were rescued, no one survived.

Such a tragic incident, happening under the Emperor’s nose, shook the Capital City and beyond, and even after more than half a year, it still evoked sighs when mentioned.

And the culprit behind this tragedy was right in front of him.

In Lu Ziyuan’s eyes, Yu Cheng was already equivalent to the enemy who killed his wife, but his face remained calm.

It should be said, ever since returning to the Capital from the Northern Land, he had remained calm.

Facing the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, he remained calm.

Facing the Xie family father and son, and Mrs. Zheng, his in-laws in his previous life, and his brother-in-law, he also remained calm.

Even when facing Pei Yuqing, whom he hated to the bone, when they occasionally crossed paths, he didn’t shout or demand for a fight, he could even seriously look at him a couple of times, with a gaze that even seemed worried.

As if afraid that he would die before him.

In short, the unruly, murderous, proud Lu Ziyuan, had completely died along with his fiancée.

What remained was just a living corpse.

Unable to muster interest in anything.

For example, at this moment, with the culprit surrounded and at his mercy, ready to be killed or tortured, he didn’t even have the desire to do it himself.

Propping his head for a moment, hearing the increasingly weak breathing from over there, Lu Ziyuan raised his hand, "Give him a bowl of ginseng soup, don’t let him die too easily."

Yu Cheng, a steadfast general who had guarded the frontier for years, even when tortured, remained tough.

After a bowl of ginseng soup was forced down him, he even had the strength to curse.