Chapter 440

Duan Rongshi!?

How could he have come?

Without the exposure of the Pei family prison affair, he should still be the Minister of Justice at this time.

But how could he come to the Jiangjun Fu so late at night?

Li Qingluo wanted to verify her suspicion, so she rushed toward the gate of the Jiangjun Fu faster than anyone.

Li Qingluo couldn't get out, so she could only look out from inside the door.

Upon seeing him dressed all in black sitting on a tall black horse, her whole body shuddered violently.

In this life, Li Qingluo had never seen Duan Rongshi's appearance.

If rebirth were truly just a dream, why would he look exactly like the him in her dream?

Moreover, there were Zheng Lingzhou and Zheng Wanxiu siblings.

They also looked exactly like the ones she saw in her dream!

If that were merely a dream, why would there truly be a Jingchuan?

Why would there truly be their siblings' revenge, even the soul-transfer technique?

Those things that coincided with reality made Li Qingluo……

Perhaps, those heart-wrenching experiences were not just a dream of hers at all!

But she had indeed been reborn!

And she had truly experienced so many things with them.

Only her soul was unstable, so she was pulled back?

If all of that were true, and she suddenly left, what would become of her grandmother and Duan Rongshi?

Would everything that had happened collapse with her departure?

Thinking that everything had truly happened, yet she would suddenly leave like this, Li Qingluo felt immense anguish.

She could only stare blankly at this lifetime's Duan Rongshi, trying to engrave his image deep in her mind.

In this lifetime, the two of them had never met.

So, why did he come tonight?

In the world of her rebirth, this had never happened.

By the date, she should still be visiting her grandmother on Green Pine Mountain, and he should be living in a cottage behind Green Pine Mountain.

At this moment, Duan Rongshi appeared in East Chant Lane, and the Ministry of Justice's constables surrounded the Jiangjun Fu completely.

Li Chao Jing hurried out from the mansion.

"Your subject Li Chao Jing pays respects to Prince Su, Your Highness. Why have you come, Your Highness?"

"It's so late at night; my mansion failed to welcome you properly. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

However, before his words had finished, Duan Rongshi lightly raised his hand.

"Seize them!"

"Prince Su! I don't know what crime I've committed; you seize me without explanation... Is this not a violation of royal law?"

Duan Rongshi rode forward a few steps from the darkness.

Snow flew wildly across the sky.

The clear, cold snowlight shone on his face, as if a layer of icy frost covered it, turning his clearly benevolent, Buddha-like face into that of a hellish asura.

His whole body exuded icy killing intent.

His cold eyes pierced through like a sharp sword.

"Li Chao Jing, you fraudulently claimed military merit and took the blame for murder—do you still remember?"

"You used your private authority to secure a position as deputy commander of the army for your utterly worthless eldest son—do you admit it?"

"Twenty-two years ago, you hid the daughter of the criminal Zheng family in your inner quarters and let her bear children for you—how will you now argue away this crime?"

"Moreover, your Li family killed your own daughter, even leaving her corpse in the wilderness for days, letting dogs and beasts devour it—such acts that extinguish humanity and disregard ethics, do you truly think no one in this world knows?"

"Your Li family's adopted daughter Li Qingzhu deliberately set fire months ago, burning to death twenty-four slave maids, countless buildings in the household—this was also whitewashed as an accidental fire by your Li Great General using his authority, and the matter was never resolved."

"But the heavenly net is vast, though sparse, it lets nothing through—Li Chao Jing, the good days of your Li family are at an end!"

"Come!"

"Seize their Jiangjun Fu for this king!"

"Lock up Li Chao Jing and his son, as well as Li Qingzhu and the madame of the Jiangjun Fu, all in the Ministry of Justice prison."

"Confiscate the Li family for this king!"

"Prince Su's guards, Zhui Yu and others: 'Yes!'"

Li Chao Jing turned pale and was first taken down by Po Feng.

Li Kechuan still wanted to struggle with his sword, but Zhui Yu cut off his arm with one blow.

He let out a miserable cry and collapsed in a pool of blood.

"Li Qingzhu struggled and shouted: 'What are you doing? No—I am the future consort of Prince Yun; you cannot touch me!'"

"Impudent dog lackey! What are you doing! Let go!"

"What a bold dog's gall! This miss will have Prince Yun cut off your filthy hands!"

"This miss wants to see Prince Yun—ah!"

Li Qingzhu was slapped to the ground, then her mouth was stuffed and she was bound.

Qu Shi was also caught, looking dazed.

The remaining servants in the mansion, too, were all trussed up amidst cries of panic, like chickens flying and dogs jumping.

In a single night, the Jiangjun Fu, which had originally been filled with joy and voices of laughter, instantly changed its situation; the entire household became prisoners.

Even Li Qingluo didn't expect it.

She stood inside the doorway, her gaze lingering as she watched the swift and thunderous Prince Su.

Her heart roiled like stormy seas.

How could he know these secrets?

How could he possibly know!

Her heart pounded uncontrollably, yet she could not leave Jiangjun Fu.

She could only watch as everyone in Jiangjun Fu was dragged out.

After the entire residence was emptied, not a single person remaining, Prince Su did not depart at once.

He rode his horse up the steps and drove straight into Jiangjun Fu.

The horse passed through Li Qingluo's spirit, and Duan Rongshi suddenly shivered all over.

He seemed to sense something and lowered his head to look around.

His gaze suddenly fell on where Li Qingluo stood.

She involuntarily tensed all over…

Could—could he actually see me?

But how could that be possible?

Li Qingluo had just taken two steps forward when he turned his head again.

Duan Rongshi drove his horse straight to the ruined Hongfenguan.

He dismounted and stood for a while.

When Zhui Yu stepped forward, he asked, "Where does the Li family's true daughter reside?"

Zhui Yu, though puzzled why Your Highness was suddenly so attentive to this girl, had already inquired about the location.

Upon reaching the pitch‑black, damp courtyard, Duan Rongshi ordered someone to bring a lantern.

The courtyard floor was all mud.

Snow piled in every corner of the walls, untouched by anyone.

There were only two rooms in the courtyard.

One room was empty.

The other contained only a narrow, crude little bed; although the sheets were neatly folded, no thick blanket could be seen.

Everywhere was cold and damp.

In this house, let alone any other furniture.

How could this resemble a master's residence?

It's not even fit for a servant's quarters.

Duan Rongshi took a deep breath, turned, and went back to the stables.

"Your Highness, everything you requested has been brought."

Li Qingluo watched them set up a fire brazier, and then surprisingly laid out scented candles as well!

Her face was shocked.

Soon after, Qingyangzi also arrived.

He came panting, carrying a cloth sack; when he opened it, it was filled with talisman papers, copper bells, and other items for setting up a ritual space.

Li Qingluo crouched nearby, trying to see what they were about to do.

But she heard Qingyangzi say, "Your Highness, this sudden urgency—Master Yunyou is traveling abroad and cannot return, so I have to step in."

"However, my Daoist methods are modest; whether they will be effective… I cannot guarantee."

"Let's try it first."

Saying that, Qingyangzi began the ritual.

Suddenly a wind rose.

Snowflakes swirled on the ground.

Li Qingluo followed Duan Rongshi into the small dilapidated hut beside the stables.

Revisiting the old place, it no longer evoked much feeling for her.

Only the sensation of freezing death was truly unpleasant.

In fact, she had long cultivated at the Liu family a habit of not fearing the cold.

Back then, while dragging Duan Rongshi across the snowy mountains, even walking barefoot through a stream, she did not feel much cold.

As long as she had a winter coat, she could fend off the cold.

Thus, in the life she was reborn into, she had even forgotten what it felt like to freeze to death.

Yet now, touching the thin summer shirt on her body, she recalled that on this snowy day she had truly felt a pain like a knife gouging bone.

Suddenly, she heard an odd sound.

Li Qingluo hurriedly floated to the front of Duan Rongshi.

But the darkness was total; she could see nothing.

Only when he slightly turned his head, borrowing the faint outside light, did she see a splash of blood‑red at Duan Rongshi's mouth corner.

Her heart shivered violently.

He… what did he bite that bled?

Watching Duan Rongshi standing rigidly in the pitch‑black hut, Li Qingluo, even as a ghost, could feel a heart‑rending pain.

"Why on earth did you come here?"

"Could you be him?"

"But what exactly is going on?"

She reached out, bewildered, wanting to touch the corner of Duan Rongshi's mouth.

But her hand could only pass through him, insubstantial.

She gazed at him, helpless and dismayed; suddenly, Duan Rongshi raised his head.

Once again, he accurately gazed toward her location.

Li Qingluo felt tense inside; suddenly, a bell rang outside.

Duan Rongshi turned and strode out.

"How?"

The Azure Yang Master's face was tense as he said, "She... might be right here."

Li Qingluo pointed at herself.

Could it be me that was being spoken of?

Duan Rongshi's gaze tightened suddenly.

He kept turning his head, looking around.

"Burn paper!"

At the order, Zhui Yu, Po Feng, Sha Lei, and Leng Dian hurriedly kept adding paper money to the fire basin.

Zhui Yu stammered softly, "Your Highness, what exactly is going on?"

Leng Dian said, "I don't know... It's just that after waking up yesterday, I suddenly started asking about the Li family's affairs."

Your Highness and this Li family maiden likely share some connection.

Zhui Yu said, "But how could that be? For years we've followed Your Highness step by step; there's hardly any maid by his side, let alone a lady... This is just too strange."

Leng Dian said, "We're summoning souls here, and I heard it's the seventh day for that maiden... Isn't this strange?"

Sha Lei said, "Say less, you two. Want to get hit with a board?"

The two then fell silent, neither daring to speak again.

Duan Rongshi had personally lit an incense stick.

Li Qingluo was surprised to find that the incense smoke was drifting toward her.

She stood still, and the smoke actually entered her body.

And she could feel that, after the smoke entered her body, her body felt very comfortable.

She tried to shift her steps slightly.

She discovered that no matter which way she turned, the smoke would enter her body.

Li Qingluo then believed that this incense was indeed burned for her.

She never expected that, having died in this life, someone would burn incense for her.

She looked at Duan Rongshi and discovered he was also tracking the smoke's direction.

Finally, he stared fixedly at where Li Qingluo was, as if he could truly see her, his eyes revealing a sorrow as deep and dark as an abyss, yet faint.