"What? You think what I did was too cruel?" Wei Tingyu saw the question in He Weifang's eyes and chuckled, asking.
"Your concubine dares not!" He Weifang immediately shook her head. She knew she absolutely couldn't say Wei Tingyu was wrong at this moment. She simply said, "It's just that I'm a bit scared and confused... How could the Marquis..."
"You feel confused because you don't understand the Liu family!" Wei Tingyu looked at He Weifang in his arms and wasn't angry. After all, he knew the inherent kindness of this young lady. If she were to be happy and joyful without a second thought about his intention to wipe out the entire Liu family, then she wouldn't be He Weifang!
"..." He Weifang was speechless upon hearing Wei Tingyu's words, but she felt unconvinced in her heart. After all, she had been married into the Liu family for a year! She naturally knew how disgusting this family's fickle affections and sycophantic tendencies were! And Wei Tingyu had only been a guest of the Liu family for a few days. How could he possibly understand this family better than she did?
"Tell me! I told you to invite the head of the Liu family and his wife, so why did you bring this steward along?" Wei Tingyu didn't dryly explain to He Weifang how despicable the Liu family's actions were. Instead, he turned to the three Golden Shadow Guards who had carried out the kidnapping mission and asked.
"Reporting to master!" The Golden Shadow Guard immediately clasped their fists and bowed their heads in response to Wei Tingyu's inquiry, "When we arrived outside the head of the Liu family's room, we found them secretly conspiring with the steward! So, to avoid alerting them, we invited them all at once!"
"Heh heh! So late, what were the steward, the head of the Liu family, and his wife conspiring about?" Wei Tingyu sneered, then turned to the steward.
"I... I..." The steward opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something. But then he saw Liu Shen frowning and glaring fiercely at him, and he immediately shrank back. Clearly, he didn't dare to tell the truth in front of Liu Shen! This was due to the inertia of so many years in his heart, leading to extreme fear and obedience towards his master, Liu Shen! Of course, this was before he had experienced Wei Tingyu's methods...
He Weifang also frowned slightly upon seeing this scene, because she keenly sensed that there was indeed something going on! And seeing the steward's evasive gaze sometimes inadvertently look at her, then immediately turn away, not daring to meet her eyes, she knew that this matter definitely concerned her too! But everyone is getting a divorce, so what kind of related matters could you still be discussing with me? Could it be that you want to take advantage of the situation and embezzle some of my dowry? Based on He Weifang's understanding of the Liu family, she thought it was very likely! She guessed it was probably this kind of sordid affair!
However, Wei Tingyu, seeing He Weifang's expression, knew what this young lady was thinking in her heart. He could only shake his head helplessly, thinking that she was still too naive and hadn't fully grasped that the wickedness of human nature knows no bounds! Of course, what Wei Tingyu himself said was always less effective. It was best to let the steward and the Liu family members say it themselves. Thinking this, he winked at the Golden Shadow Guard, and the Golden Shadow Guard standing behind the steward immediately obeyed the order, then stepped forward and cleanly lopped off the steward's left ear with a single stroke!
"Ah!" The steward felt a sharp pain, then let out a shrill scream! He instinctively clutched the wound on his left ear with his hand, but blood still oozed out from between his fingers, impossible to stop!
"Are you going to speak?" Wei Tingyu sneered, looking at the wailing steward, and asked. This scene was indeed too bloody! He could even clearly feel He Weifang hugging him even tighter, scared speechless!
"I... I..." The steward, upon hearing Wei Tingyu's question, subconsciously looked towards Liu Shen again. Liu Shen, pale with fright at this moment, still glared fiercely at him with his eyes, signaling him to absolutely not speak. However, in that fleeting moment of the steward's hesitation, the Golden Shadow Guard's hand moved, and his right ear flew into the air, then landed in front of Liu Shen's eyes. This scared Liu Shen so much that he immediately collapsed to the ground with a thud, his legs trembling uncontrollably, and his crotch seemed to have become wet... Such a big man actually peed his pants from fright?! Wei Tingyu also smiled helplessly! Indeed, these inherent villains are hardly tough guys; they're all a bunch of cowards! The more they pretend to be tough normally, the more cowardly they are inside!
"Ah!" The steward, having lost his right ear, looked with terror at the Golden Shadow Guard who was again approaching him.
"It's okay if you don't want to speak! After your ears, there's your nose! After your nose, there are your ten fingers!" Wei Tingyu sneered and said, "I have plenty of time to take my time with you! Tonight will be very long!"
"I'll speak! I'll speak! Marquis, I'll speak!" The steward's psychological defenses completely crumbled upon hearing Wei Tingyu's words. Because having experienced the Golden Shadow Guard's ruthlessness, he knew that Wei Tingyu's words were definitely not just a threat. Rather than dying a painful death by slow torture, it would be better to just speak directly! Whether he saved his life or not was another matter, at least he could die quickly!
"You're not allowed to..." Liu Shen, hearing that the steward was actually planning to surrender, immediately shouted anxiously. However, he had barely spoken half a sentence when a Golden Shadow Guard behind him placed a knife next to his ear! The meaning was simple: one more word and your ear will be gone too! And the cowardly Liu Shen naturally didn't dare to try and stop the steward again, only trembling and shrinking to the side.
"Reporting to the Marquis! The master and mistress called me to..." The steward paused here, then cautiously stole a glance at He Weifang, and then continued, "to find an opportunity to finish off the Young Mistress..."
"What?" He Weifang was utterly stunned upon hearing the steward's words. It took her several seconds to realize what "finish off" meant. The Liu family couple had secretly planned to kill her?! This completely overturned He Weifang's worldview! She never would have imagined that leaving the Liu family after a divorce would be the end of it, so what was the necessity of such a ruthless pursuit?
"Why?" Thinking this, He Weifang looked at the steward with a shocked expression and asked.
"The head of the Liu family couldn't bear to part with your dowry..." The steward shrank his neck and honestly recounted everything they had conspired in Liu Shen's room earlier. At this point, the shock on He Weifang's face had gradually turned into anger! So this is human nature! No wonder the Marquis said I didn't understand the Liu family! Now it seems the Marquis was right! And it was also thanks to the Celestial Master! Blessing her to meet the Marquis on the day she offered incense, and ultimately making this marriage happen! If not, would she have already been killed by the Liu family by now?! This hateful Liu family! First, they killed her mother, and now they want to kill her! And all for the sake of her dowry and wealth...
"The Marquis is right! I was too naive!" Realizing all this, He Weifang slowly closed her eyes, then shook her head and said, "Marquis~ I'm tired! Let's go back and rest!"
"Good!" Wei Tingyu nodded, then put his arm around He Weifang's slender waist, supporting her body, which seemed as if it could collapse at any moment, and turned to walk out of this boudoir that had confined her for a full year. Immediately, over a dozen female Silver Shadow Guards poured in from outside the courtyard. They moved all of He Weifang's dowry into Wei Tingyu's small courtyard next door!
Liu Shen glared fiercely at the backs of Wei Tingyu and He Weifang, secretly making a cruel resolve in his heart! He and Liu's mother, and his son even exchanged glances. They would just wait for tonight to pass, and early tomorrow morning, they would go to the yamen in Dongdu to beat the drum and complain of injustice! Then, they would just say that Wei Tingyu, while being hosted by the Liu family, actually seduced the Liu family's young mistress into adultery, and then injured someone! Now with witnesses and physical evidence, they would definitely make this matter escalate to the capital, and get good revenge on him!
However, in the next second, Liu Shen suddenly felt a chill at his neck, followed by a dizzying sensation. Then his head heavily hit the ground, and the last image his eyes saw was a headless body collapsing to the ground with a thud! And that was his own body!
"Ugh!" Liu's mother, seeing her husband instantly dismembered, was terrified and wanted to scream, but before her dislocated jaw could make a sound, a sharp blade pierced her from behind her chest, puncturing her heart! She barely felt any pain before her consciousness plunged into chaos... Liu Chang watched with a pale face as his parents died tragically before his eyes. He wanted to beg for mercy, but from the corner of his eye, he only saw a flash of cold light, and then he too fell into darkness...
"What happened? What happened? Did something big happen to the Liu family? Why are there so many yamen officials so early in the morning?!"
"Don't you know? Yesterday, the Liu residence was robbed! The head of the Liu family, his wife, and the young master were all killed, and a lot of valuables were stolen!"
"Yes, yes! I heard those bandits were incredibly skilled! The scene was indescribably tragic!"
"It's also fortunate that they were so skilled that they didn't alarm the other servants! So, I heard that only the three masters of the Liu family and the steward died; the other servants weren't harmed!"
"Those bandits killed people and stole valuables, then fled from the back courtyard! This morning, when the Liu family reported it to the officials, the city gates had already been open for half an hour, so they must have already fled the city!"
"So there's no one left in the head of the Liu family? What will become of such a large residence now?"
"I heard the Liu family's young mistress is fine! How pitiful, to be widowed at such a young age!"
"How did the young mistress escape the bandits?"
"Marquis Jining is still staying in the Liu family's courtyard! It's said that the young mistress has a very good relationship with the Marquis Jining's wife, and was called to talk to the Marquis's wife last night, so she escaped unharmed! But it's still quite pitiful..."
"Pitiful what? The young mistress already divorced the Liu young master the day before yesterday! Now that the entire Liu family has been killed, all the family's wealth and courtyard have nothing to do with her!"
"So, the young mistress simply returned to her maiden home! The Liu residence's property will naturally be contended for by the Liu family's collateral branches, and indeed has nothing to do with her!"
...Early in the morning, the area outside the Liu residence was surrounded by three layers of onlookers. Of course, some people were deliberately spreading true or false information among them, including Su Xin, Su Lan, and Yu Lu. With the Golden Shadow Guards present, it wasn't difficult to disguise the scene as a robbery and murder! At this time, the officials of Dongdu also gathered here, and no one raised any objections to the claim of a robbery and murder.
"Lord Chen! This Liu family's future affairs will require more effort from you and your colleagues in Luoyang!" Wei Tingyu looked at the group of officials and cupped his hands to the leader, saying.
"Marquis Jining, rest assured! We will certainly handle it splendidly!" The officials all responded.
"This time, the Liu family suffered such a great calamity; it was their fate!"
"Marquis, rest assured! We will never give up on investigating this matter. We will definitely apprehend these bandits and bring them to justice early, comforting Lord Liu's spirit in heaven!"
"It's also fortunate that the Marquis has so many highly skilled guards protecting him; these scoundrels did not harm the Marquis! This is truly a blessing in disguise!"
Wei Tingyu nodded with satisfaction, seeing that these officials believed him. The Golden Shadow Guards even deliberately left some clues that pointed the finger at bandits, further solidifying this claim!
"My safety is nothing!" Wei Tingyu nodded to the officials and said, "Fortunately, the Princess had already returned to the capital yesterday. Otherwise, if she had been harmed in this disaster, then it would have been..." The officials in Luoyang immediately broke out in a cold sweat! Yes! This was truly lucky! If the Princess had actually been harmed, and Prince Ning went berserk, all the officials in Dongdu would be in deep trouble! That's right! The impact of this matter must not be allowed to expand! They must quickly classify it as a bandit murder and robbery! As for the culprits... wasn't there a bandit den on the outskirts of Dongdu? There had been several cases of attacking lone travelers before, but they hadn't attracted much attention. Now, it was perfect to pin it on them! Quickly closing this case was the best outcome for all officials in Dongdu!
"Dad! Mudanya's back!" As night fell, outside the He residence in the suburbs of Dongdu, He Weifang, who had jumped out of the carriage, excitedly pounded on her maiden home's door! Yu Lu also followed beside her, excitedly shouting for the master to open the door while knocking with her young mistress.
"Mudanya?!" The He residence's gate opened, and Father He greeted her with a surprised expression. Upon seeing that it was indeed He Weifang standing before him, he immediately smiled with emotion: "Why are you back? Your father was worried about you!" Earlier that morning, the news of the Liu family's entire household being robbed and killed by bandits had reached the He residence. He Weifang's father wanted to see his daughter but learned that she had been taken to the yamen as a witness, so he could only worry at home. Now, seeing He Weifang return unharmed, he was naturally overjoyed.
He Weifang was also very happy, because today's so-called court appearance was nothing more than a formality. Under Wei Tingyu's arrangements, the Dongdu officialdom quickly settled the Liu residence case! At the same time, a certain number of troops were dispatched to completely wipe out the bandit den on the outskirts of Dongdu that had plagued the area for over a decade. Although those bandits adamantly refused to admit that they had carried out the massacre of the Liu residence, the outcome was already determined! All evidence pointed to them; they had no way to deny it! Furthermore, these people had robbed and killed passersby many times over the years; almost every one of them had murder cases against them. Even if they were arrested and punished now, they deserved to die!
"Good, good, good! It's good to be back! 5.2 It's good to be back!" In the main hall of the He residence, Father He listened to his daughter briefly recount the events at the Liu residence and no longer harbored any doubts. He simply nodded repeatedly with a look of relief. In his eyes, the Liu family suffering such a great calamity, and his daughter He Weifang not being implicated, was already a blessing in disguise! Now that his daughter had even returned with all her dowry, it made him so excited that he planned to go and worship the Three Pure Ones tomorrow, thanking them for their blessings!
"What's the use of coming back?" However, at this moment, He Weifang's stepmother spoke in a sarcastic tone: "Now she's still a widow! And people will point fingers, saying she brought bad luck and killed her entire husband's family! What will she do in the future?"
"..." Upon hearing his wife say this, Father He's face immediately became awkward! Because at this moment, he also thought of this problem! If such an inauspicious daughter were really taken back to live at home, who would dare to visit the He family in the future? Especially seeing his youngest son still clinging to his wife, Father He became even more hesitant! If it were rumored that there was such a sister who brought bad luck to her husband and his entire family still living in the residence, what kind of girl would be willing to marry in in the future?
"Young Mistress is not a widow!" At this moment, Yu Lu couldn't hold back and directly retorted against the stepmother, "Young Mistress already divorced Young Master Liu the day before yesterday! So, the matter of the entire Liu family dying has nothing to do with Young Mistress!"
"Ah?" The He couple were both startled upon hearing this news, as they hadn't known that their daughter had actually divorced her husband's family.
"Isn't that an even greater loss? Now the entire courtyard belongs to others, and has nothing to do with you!" He Weifang's stepmother pouted even more after hearing this and said, "This is great! Originally, if her husband's family died out, you could still get a courtyard! Now, I'm afraid she'll just stay at her maiden home, and you won't even be able to chase her away..."