Chapter 132: Those Who Harm the Princess Will Be Killed Without Pardon

Prince Chen had rebelled and Princess Chen had gone missing, yet the Liu Family, her maternal family, was not severely implicated.

Of course, the main reason was that the Emperor... was benevolent!

But Father Liu was dead, and Liu Changge was still just a youth. With the head of the Liu Family changed, life for the widow and her orphan son was not so easy.

Mrs. Liu was terrified of losing another loved one. Now, she poured all her affection onto her only son. When she saw him walk in from outside, she immediately ordered someone to prepare a meal and hot water.

"Changge, where have you been in this cold weather? You were gone for days without returning. I was worried sick."

"Your leg just recently healed, you can’t let it get frostbitten..."

"Why do you reek of medicine? Are you hurt? Where have you been? You can’t rush your martial arts training. Besides, what’s the use of becoming so skilled? Focusing on your studies is the proper path..."

Mrs. Liu rambled on, wishing she could pour out all the worries that had built up over the past few days.

Liu Changge remained silent, his face a cold mask. Only when Mrs. Liu had finished did he speak, his voice chilling. "Sister is dead."

Mrs. Liu’s expression stiffened.

Liu Changge stared at her, his gaze sharp. "Sister was murdered right before my eyes. Are you satisfied now?!"

Mrs. Liu’s eyes darted about in panic. She tried to force a smile, but her lips merely twitched, unable to form the expression.

"Changge, what are you saying? I don’t understand."

"Your sister... Xueyin... Who killed her?"

"Where did you find her? You’re not lying to me, are you? She... I only have one daughter, she’s... I..."

"Enough!" Liu Changge snapped. "Why do you insist on deceiving yourself?"

"You’ve known for a long time that she wasn’t your daughter, haven’t you?"

Mrs. Liu was incredulous. "What are you talking about, Changge!"

Liu Changge’s face was ice-cold. He looked at his own birth mother without a trace of warmth, as if staring at an enemy. "You had a difficult birth. Father chose to save you. Afraid you would be heartbroken, he replaced the stillborn infant with a baby girl he found by the road. That girl became my sister."

"Father only wanted to spare your feelings. But you somehow found out she wasn’t your daughter, and so you began to distance yourself from her, treating her coldly. You couldn’t stand me being too close to her, afraid we might develop feelings we shouldn’t. So you goaded Father into marrying her to Prince Chen, causing her to be abused and tormented."

"You hated her. But how could she have been more innocent?"

Mrs. Liu staggered, nearly falling. She looked at Liu Changge, heartbroken. "Changge... Abao... When did you find out?"

"Did your father tell you? Or did that wretched girl?"

She could no longer conceal her loathing for her "fake" daughter, her face contorted with rage.

"So she knew all along. No wonder she bewitched you and your father. She’s getting revenge on me."

Seeing her so stubborn and unrepentant, the last shred of warmth in Liu Changge’s heart vanished.

"Father let it slip once when he was drunk. That’s how I found out."

"My sister never knew, from start to finish. She always treated you as her birth mother. You were so awful to her, never showing her a kind face, but she just thought it was because she wasn’t good enough, wasn’t obedient enough, that she was the one making you unhappy."

"She was so kind. She never would have thought of hurting anyone. How could you be so intolerant of her? After raising her for so many years, did that mean less than a so-called blood tie?"

"She called you ’Mother’ for more than twenty years. How could there be a mother as vicious as you in this world?"

Mrs. Liu stared at him, stunned into silence as tears streamed down her face.

She couldn’t believe these words were coming from her own son.

’She doted on him so. He was her entire world. She had raised him with all her heart, and he called her vicious!’

’She just didn’t like the child who had taken her own daughter’s place. She just couldn’t love her like her own flesh and blood. She was only a little cold.’

’But when had she ever abused her?’

’Food, clothing, necessities—was she ever denied anything? The greatest hardship Liu Xueyin had ever suffered growing up was being forced to study, practicing the qin until her fingers bled. That was all.’

’Other than not being doted on by her mother, she too had lived a pampered life, never needing to do a day of hard labor. She grew up in the lap of luxury.’

’How was that vicious?’

’Her husband brought home someone else’s child to deceive her, and her son resented her for a girl of unknown origin. What had she done wrong?’

’Was she supposed to fawn over that fake daughter like the two of them, bewitched and baring her heart and soul?’

Mrs. Liu sat forlornly in the middle of the main hall. She didn’t know how much time had passed before she heard footsteps. Looking up, she saw Liu Changge emerge carrying a large pack.

Mrs. Liu panicked. "Changge, what are you doing?"

"Don’t scare me..."

She grabbed his sleeve, but he ruthlessly pushed her away without a second thought. "I’m going to find my sister. She’s already dead. I can’t let her body be desecrated, too."

He stared coldly at his mother, his eyes filled with disappointment. "Don’t worry. I won’t bring her back here to disturb you."

With that, he turned and left, just as heartlessly, never once looking back no matter how his mother cried out to him.

"Changge..."

"My son..."

Mrs. Liu chased him out the door, but could only watch his retreating figure disappear. She collapsed to the ground in anguish, sobbing uncontrollably. "What sin did I commit to deserve this? Why is this happening to me? Why..."

Mrs. Liu cried until she fainted in the snow and had to be carried back inside by the servants.

Meanwhile, Liu Changge rode away, hoping to get out of the city before the gates were locked for the night.

He was not yet aware that the Princess had returned. Drowning in grief over his sister’s death, his only thought was to bring the things they both cherished most to her side, and to retrieve her body at any cost.

He had no expectation of surviving. He had to bury his sister, and he had to make that vicious Princess pay with her life!

As his horse passed through a deserted alley, it suddenly halted, refusing to move forward, stamping its hooves with agitation.

Liu Changge looked into the pitch-black alley ahead. He, too, sensed the danger.

"Who’s playing tricks in the dark? Show yourself!"

He drew his longsword, his entire body on high alert.

A subtle sound emerged from the darkness—the whisper of a weapon scraping against the ground. It was faint, yet carried a dangerous, intimidating weight.

Finally, a tall, slender figure appeared in his line of sight.

The newcomer made no attempt at concealment. The face that appeared before Liu Changge was so distinctive that it was instantly recognizable, even in the dim light.

Liu Changge’s heart lurched. His own martial arts were impressive, not far behind Gu Ling’s, and he considered himself to have few rivals. But this man was a formidable adversary.

Lou Yan was not known to strike often, but the impression of his ruthlessness and superior martial arts was deeply ingrained in everyone’s minds.

"What are you..." *doing here?*

He never got to finish his question. The man was already on him, a single slash sending him tumbling from his horse.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Liu Changge was already injured at the waist; Rong Qing’s blow had nearly cost him his life. Now, running on hatred alone, he was no match for Lou Yan.

Resisting for three moves was his absolute limit.

After the third exchange, Lou Yan’s blade was at his throat. Liu Changge felt like he was already half-dead.

’I can’t accept this! How can I die here?’ he thought. ’I still have to find my sister. She’s waiting for me.’

"Lord Eunuch, spare me! As long as you let me go, I’ll give you anything you want! I beg you, spare my life!"

’I wasn’t part of the rebellion. I haven’t even set foot in the palace in ages, and the Liu Family is in decline. Why would the Emperor’s own First Eunuch come to kill me personally?’

But he didn’t dare ask. Right now, he could only beg for his life. For his sister’s sake, there was nothing he wouldn’t endure.

Lou Yan’s eerily handsome face remained expressionless. He didn’t answer the question. He simply raised his blade and, with effortless ease, ended Liu Changge’s life.

Those who harm the Princess shall be shown no mercy!