"Where I am is none of your concern?"
"You!" Zhang Jun’s forehead veins throbbed; he took a deep breath and softened his tone, "Shuyu, the Crown Prince has just been assassinated by members of the Celestial Heart Sect. It’s very dangerous here right now; you shouldn’t be here."
"But don’t worry, I already know the details about the assassins. As long as you don’t wander around, nothing will happen."
Upon hearing this, Shuyu’s heart skipped a beat, her expression became extremely unnatural: "The assassins... who are they? What’s their current situation?"
Zhang Jun hesitated for a moment, looking at Shuyu, bewildered by her tone and words.
"The assassins are the Protectors Bai Luo and Qing Luo of the Celestial Heart Sect. Both are severely injured now and absolutely cannot escape!" Zhang Jun stared at Shuyu intently, word by word, "Yu’Er, tell me, do you have any connection with the Celestial Heart Sect?"
Shuyu’s face changed instantly, she bit her lip tightly, her hand hidden in her sleeve, clenching her clothing hem.
"Tell me, where is Bai Luo?"
Facing Zhang Jun’s pressing questions, Shuyu’s once beautiful face was now completely contorted: "Zhang Jun, what right do you have to question me? You’re just a dog beside the Crown Prince! Only the Celestial Heart Sect is legitimate; Young Master Bai is the true gentleman, you shouldn’t target him!"
After finishing her words, Shuyu turned to leave, but Zhang Jun reached out, trying to grab his former beloved, only to be met with the cold gleam of a dagger.
Zhang Jun could never have imagined that the girl who shared tender moments with him days ago, embracing at the courtyard gate, would now wield a sharp blade against him, treating him as a mortal enemy.
He reached out and grabbed the dagger, regardless of her struggles.
Scarlet blood flowed from his fingertips; Zhang Jun’s chest heaved violently. His eyes were red, suppressing his inner rage, he hoarsely said, "You blame me for serving the Crown Prince? When I was just a boy selling oil, did you ever look me in the eye?"
"Your family fell into misfortune, with no relatives or friends. It was I who took the oil money and brought you here for refuge, miles away."
"Back then, you promised to marry me once you settled down. I believed you!"
"When you went to the flower house and became a courtesan, choosing an old man to comb and fix your hair, I didn’t blame you; I only blamed myself for being unworthy. For that, I risked my life to protect the Crown Prince, which led to everything today. Whom do you think I did all this for?"
Zhang Jun freed his right hand, grabbing Shuyu’s wrist holding the dagger, pulling her into his embrace, and slowly moving the dagger to Shuyu’s slender, fair neck.
"Shuyu, you shouldn’t harm me; I was just an oil seller..."
As he finished what needed to be done, Zhang Jun released his now lifeless beloved and left without looking back.
From today onwards, he was no longer an oil seller.
The day after the Crown Prince’s assassination, fifty bodies were found in a secluded courtyard of the mansion.
Soldiers moved forward to separate their comrades’ bodies and temporarily moved them to the morgue. The remaining ones were the rebels of the Celestial Heart Sect and some unidentified victims or innocent guests.
As a witness to the Crown Prince’s attack, Xu Qing had the honor of coming to the mansion to help identify the rebels.
Although called assistance, Xu Qing knew this was because he and the Wu Family brothers hadn’t completely cleared their suspicions, which led to this series of arrangements.
Xu Qing wasn’t anxious about this; the Crown Prince would regain consciousness in three days, and everything would naturally settle down.
Arriving at the courtyard where the bodies were stored, Xu Qing, initially calm, couldn’t stay composed upon seeing so many corpses.