In the blink of an eye, it was already the end of August,
Li Xiao stood in front of her mother's grave,
She kowtowed three times,
Even though there were tears on her face,
She appeared very calm.
Thinking back to when she left,
She cried like a child..
She walked towards her brother's cenotaph..
The autumn rain pattered down,
Chen Jue stood beside her,
Holding an umbrella for her.
How could she,
Let Lord Chen hold an umbrella for her.
After standing in front of the grave for a long time, she turned around,
She nodded at Chen Jue.
The two of them leaned on each other,
They slowly walked back to Li Xiao's former home.
When she left..,
She wanted to burn down the entire Li family village.
But she didn't expect..,
The small village would really be deserted.
Some people said that this place was haunted, while others said that there were monsters here.
Her once warm home had turned into a dilapidated house full of cobwebs.
She only stood outside the door for a moment before she nodded at Chen Jue.
The two of them returned to the carriage, and the Coachman rode the horse to bring them back to the town inn.
Xiao Yu seemed to have a spirit,
It also echoed her mood, making her feel sad,
But she did not feel desolate.
Chen Jue held her hand and gently kissed her forehead.
These days, Zhang Tang and the others took turns to bother him every day. Finally, at this moment..,
They were quiet.
"Have you really made up your mind?" Chen Jue stroked the little girl's long hair,
He asked softly.
In the past, the person who despised everything inexplicably..,
Now, she had learned to speak softly to others.
The well-tempered steel had become soft.
Li Xiao nodded. "Sir, I've asked brother Xu. Brother wanted to kill Liu Tianping and Zhang Minglei... now, I heard that there's also a Minister of Revenue called Zhao Zhifang who was strangely killed... are they all my enemies?"
Chen Jue frowned. There was anger in his eyes. Xu Ting was meddling in other people's business!
"Sir, you don't have to worry about me. After brother died, I've been thinking about why he did it.
I've never dared to ask you, but the closer I get to home, the more I think about it. "
Li Xiao licked his dry lips. "I was born in the Li family village. I never thought that I would have such an enemy, an enemy as big as an official …"
Chen Jue nodded but didn't say anything else.
"They were the ones who wanted to kill me, weren't they?
They knew that Big Brother wanted to kill them, so they came to kill me … "She pursed her lips." But I'm not that scared … "
She raised her head. Her clear eyes were still as clear as a child's, but now, there seemed to be something else in her eyes.
It was a maturity that he did not wish to see.
Knowing too much and thinking too much was not a happy thing most of the time.
"Because there's Lord Chen. The Lord Chen will protect me." Li Xiao leaned on his shoulder gently. There was pure happiness on her face.
Chen Jue's heart softened, and he hugged her even tighter.
She was supposed to be a well-bred young lady who grew up in love without any worries.
However, she was involved in such a tragedy and became the continuation of this tragedy. She suffered the consequences of this evil.
"I will protect you." Chen Jue looked at the paper window of the carriage opposite him.
These days, he had been thinking about these things. He went north to work for the Emperor.
He went north to investigate the Min family's case.
If Zhao Zhifang was killed by the Min family for revenge, then the other party's next target would definitely be in the north.
Whether it was Xiaoxiao's father or the Min family's siblings, they were all Xiaoxiao's last family.
"Lord Chen, do you know what's going on?" Li Xiao raised her head and looked at Chen Jue.
Brother Xu said that if she wanted to know everything, she had to ask Lord Chen.
She had long known that Lord Chen knew everything … but she never thought that Lord Chen would know about her background.
"…" Chen Jue glanced at her and hesitated for a moment. He recalled what he had said to her before. They must be absolutely honest.
He took a deep breath and said, "Nineteen years ago, the Minister of Revenue's surname was Min. He was very powerful. Even though he was only a minister, he had been assisting the Emperor since he was young, so the Emperor trusted him very much.
However, later, many high-ranking officials in the court jointly accused Minister Min. In the end, he was sentenced to be confiscated and his entire family beheaded. "
Li Xiao gripped the hem of her clothes tightly and pursed her lips into a straight line.
"After the confiscation, University Student Liu, who was in charge of the confiscation and auditing of the accounts, secretly sent the Min family's two children away … They were the only two children left in the Min family.
I'm guessing that one of them must be your family, either your father or mother.
Do you know who it is? "
Chen Jue rubbed her shoulder. However, he didn't know how to comfort this child when he said such words.
This was a feeling that he hated, but … this was a feeling related to Li Xiao.
Even if she made him feel that he had lost control, it was still bearable.
"…" Li Xiao thought for a moment and said, "It should be my mother. She … After coming to the capital, I felt that my mother's temperament was very similar to that of those noble young ladies.
She often taught me how to be a noble young lady.
My mother often cried and often lost her mind. Every time, it was my brother who comforted her.
I clearly remember that my mother often said that everyone in the family had died and she was the only one left … "
"Your mother should be called Min Zheng. You also have an uncle called Min Zhao." Chen Jue said.
"Uncle?
Is he still alive? "Li Xiao looked up, her eyes full of expectation.
"Your father left you to find your uncle. Whether or not he found him … probably only your father knows." Chen Jue said.
The carriage stopped. They had arrived at the inn.
Zhang Tang was already waiting at the side with an umbrella.
With Zhang Tang's umbrella, Chen Jue opened the umbrella in his hand and helped Li Xiao out of the carriage. Then, with one hand holding the umbrella and the other holding the little girl, he walked towards the inn.
Zhang Tang stood behind Lord Chen and Li Xiao and pursed his lips.
As expected of Lord Chen, he was not anxious about the absurd and was a maverick.
They were not even married yet, but they were already hugging each other.
He was really bullying Li Xiao because she was young and insensible and had no one to rely on.
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
When they entered the inn and opened the umbrella, Chen Jue turned to Li Xiao and said, "I will find your father for you. At least, I will find out where he has been and what he has done."
Li Xiao looked up and smiled slightly. When her lips curled up, her eyes were full of tenderness and there was a feminine gentleness on her face.
… …..
The light rain continued for the whole day. In the evening, there was still no sign of it stopping.
The northern town was cool to begin with, and after the light rain, it felt even more refreshing.
After dinner, Chen Jue called Zhang Tang, Wang Yi, and the others for a discussion. Li Xiao stood alone in front of the elegant door of the courtyard and opened the door to watch the rain.
Zhang Long and Zhao Hu stood outside the courtyard and kept an eye on everything around them. They would not miss a single corner, and it was impossible for anyone to sneak in and disturb Li Xiao.
When she left the Li family village, she became more and more timid as she walked.
However, when she returned from the capital, it was the opposite. The more she walked, the calmer she became.
It was as if with Lord Chen, she would not be so easily frightened anymore.
She had taken off her hat and placed it on the table in the room. At this moment, she only tied her long hair into a simple ponytail and wore a light black dress. She was elegant and pleasant.
She stretched out her hand slightly and the raindrops fell on her palm. It was cool and very interesting.
She did not know … who took away her brother's body and where it was buried now.
She looked up. The sky was full of dark clouds, and the light of the lanterns in the courtyard dyed the rain with a light red glow.
It was like countless faint blood spots falling from the sky.
There was a sense of misery and sadness.
She let out a long sigh. In recent days, she would come into contact with Lord Chen every day. Thus, every few days, she would be able to see Lord Chen's future.
At least, so far, there was no strange danger.
However, from everyone's state, she could see that the road to the north was very dangerous.
"Little girl, why are you sighing?" Suddenly, someone whispered beside her. His voice was elegant and slightly deep, and his tone was humble and gentle.
Li Xiao, who was lost in thought, was shocked. She turned her head and was about to scream, but she saw clearly that this person was Mr. Li from Yunshu Academy.
"You … you …" Li Xiao had goosebumps all over her body. She took a step back, wondering if she should scream to warn him.
Li Ru seemed to have seen through her thoughts. He smiled faintly and said, "I don't mean any harm. I just want to talk to you."
Li Xiao stared at him, thinking about the credibility of his words.
She realized that Li Ru did not have an umbrella, and his clothes were not wet.
He … he seemed to have appeared out of thin air.
While she was sizing up Li Ru, Li Ru was also sizing her up.
He had a smile on his face, and his eyes were full of warmth.
It was the first time he had looked at her so clearly.
She was not wearing a veil or a large hat. Her entire face was presented in front of him, and he could look at it with satisfaction.
She really looked like Zheng.
But her nose … was her nose a little like his?
His heart was filled with an indescribable sense of satisfaction, and the smile on his face became gentler.
Under his gaze, Li Xiao's eyebrows shrank.
"Sir, why are you looking for me?" Li Xiao looked behind him and saw Li Zhao standing by the table in her room.
Li Zhao had obviously been ordered to stand inside by Sir. At this moment, when he saw Li Xiao looking at him, he immediately winked at her and smiled.
"Sir, how did you come in?"
Li Xiao looked at the two of them in surprise. Zhang Long and Zhao Hu were guarding outside the courtyard, so they couldn't have missed anything!
Unless … unless Mr. Li had some unknown ability that allowed him to go through walls, or … in short, the ability to come to her side at will.
"You're very good. Chen Jue … is a good person too." Li Ru's voice was gentle and pleasant, revealing a sense of wisdom.
Li Xiao blinked at him, not knowing what to say.
Li Ru didn't seem to expect her to say anything. He just looked at her like this, as if he was already very happy.
Li Xiao looked at Li Ru, her eyes fixed on Li Ru.
Suddenly, her gaze turned to Li Zhao.
Li Zhao … Li Zhao … Li Zhao …
"You …" Li Xiao looked at Li Ru in disbelief, her body trembling from excitement.
Li Ru suddenly smiled. His smile was so joyful, it was completely different from his usual smile.
He suddenly put his finger in his mouth and gently bit it. Then, while Li Xiao was dumbfounded, he put his finger on the little girl's lower lip.
Li Xiao licked it with her tongue. It was slightly salty and smelled fishy. It was blood.
Li Ru nodded. "Your mother … raised you very well."
Li Xiao's tears flowed down and covered her eyes.
She forcefully wiped away her tears, trying to see the person in front of her clearly.
But the more she wiped, the fiercer her tears flowed.
Li Ru finally reached out and wiped away the little girl's tears. He pursed his lips, which were trembling slightly.
It was extremely difficult to maintain a smile.
"Mother … Brother …" Li Xiao choked with sobs. Suddenly, she took a step forward and threw herself into Li Ru's arms.
Li Ru opened his arms, as if he wasn't used to this kind of intimate action.
But after taking a breath, his stiff body softened. He patted the little girl's back and said softly, "Go with Lord Chen for now. We will meet again soon."
"Please … please don't go," Li Xiao sobbed and grabbed Li Ru's clothes, as if she was worried that he would suddenly disappear.
Li Xiao patted her head and turned to wave at Li Zhao. "Zhao, come here."
Li Zhao walked over cautiously and looked at Li Ru in confusion, then at Li Xiao.
"This is your uncle." Li Ru placed his hand on Li Zhao's shoulder and said softly.
Li Xiao raised his head, wiped his tears, and looked at Li Zhao. Even though he was crying, he couldn't help but laugh.
Her heart was filled with satisfaction and joy.
Just then, they heard voices outside the courtyard.
Li Ru looked in that direction, pursed his lips, and sighed. "Take good care of yourself."
Then, he gently pulled Li Xiao's hand away, turned to Li Zhao, and nodded.
Li Zhao hurriedly turned back and smiled at Li Xiao, then grabbed Li Ru's hand. The next moment, the two disappeared in the faint candlelight.
Li Xiao's eyes widened. She looked at the empty space where Li Ru had been standing just a moment ago. In a daze, she even suspected …