Whoosh!
Everyone's eyes locked on Liu Wuji.
Right now, there were two major events in Canglan City.
First, the Crown Prince had arrived.
Second, a murderous lunatic had secretly killed dozens using some wicked technique.
And now, all the belongings of the victims were found in Liu Wuji's room?
Unless someone was an idiot, it was clear what this meant.
Xu Wanhe felt like he'd been struck by lightning.
Liu Wuji was the son of his closest friend. That friend had once done him a great favor.
So when his friend passed away, Xu Wanhe took it upon himself to look after the man's son—even marrying his own daughter to him.
But who would've thought his good intentions would end up throwing his daughter into a pit of fire?
Liu Wuji being a lascivious scoundrel was bad enough, but he turned out to be a cold-blooded killer too?
At this moment, Xu Wanhe wasn't just disappointed—he was filled with hatred.
"Crown Prince Your Highness…"
The prefect Yuan turned to Yang Cheng.
Yang Cheng calmly said, "Prefect Yuan, handle it as you see fit."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Yuan didn't hesitate. "Throw him in prison and interrogate him harshly!"
The enforcers immediately shackled Liu Wuji.
Prefect Yuan didn't stay either. He left with the enforcers, escorting Liu Wuji away.
"This prince is tired. Everyone, do as you please."
Yang Cheng had seen enough of the show and walked away coolly.
Seeing this, no one else wanted to stick around either. One after another, they all took their leave from the Xu family estate.
Inside the main hall, silence fell.
Not long ago, the Xu family was thrilled, feeling like they were finally basking in glory.
Who could have imagined that in just a blink, they'd be left with nothing but coldness?
It felt like they'd gone from heaven straight into hell.
And the one responsible for all this—was that beast Liu Wuji.
"This Liu Wuji… he's worse than a beast."
"Big Brother, I told you from the start, we shouldn't have let him into the family. Letting Qingxue marry him was a huge mistake!"
The clan members were furious.
In the past, Xu Wanhe couldn't stand anyone criticizing Liu Wuji. But now, he slumped in defeat and said, "This matter… was my fault."
Then he turned to Xu Qingxue with guilt in his eyes. "Qingxue, I've let you down. You must be blaming your father in your heart, right?"
Xu Qingxue gave a bitter smile.
For a woman, marriage was a turning point in life. And she had married that kind of man.
Now, Liu Wuji was a rat on the street—everyone wanted to beat him.
As his wife, she was bound to be dragged down too.
Even if she could get rid of Liu Wuji in the future, chances were she'd never be able to marry again.
No one would want a woman like her.
People would assume—if your husband was that much of a scumbag, then you must be no better.
At this point, Xu Wanhe gritted his teeth. "Qingxue, maybe you hate me right now. But I still want to ask you to do something."
"What can I even do?"
Xu Qingxue said quietly.
Xu Wanhe's voice was firm. "After today, the Crown Prince may develop a bad impression of our Xu family. That would be terrible for us."
"Aside from your aunt, you're the only one in the Xu family with any connection to him."
"Your aunt is his servant. When it comes to choosing between the Xu family and the Crown Prince, she will most likely side with the Crown Prince."
"So, Father… you want me to go plead with the Crown Prince for the Xu family?"
Xu Qingxue spoke with sorrow. "Father, I don't have any special relationship with the Crown Prince. I mean nothing to him."
"Besides, Liu Wuji is my husband. Right now, I'm probably the person His Highness hates most."
Xu Wanhe opened his mouth like he wanted to say more, but in the end, he gave up. "Forget it. I'll go myself and beg His Highness for forgiveness."
"Father, you're clearly trying to provoke me with reverse psychology."
Xu Qingxue said, "If I just sit by and watch my father go beg for forgiveness without lifting a finger, won't people say I'm heartless? No need to say more, I'll go."
Xu Wanhe reached out, wanting to pat his daughter's head like he used to.
But Xu Qingxue turned away, avoiding his touch. "Father, I'm going to prepare now," she said coldly.
An hour later.
Xu Qingxue arrived outside Yang Cheng's room, her face tense with nervousness.
Creak—
The door opened on its own.
Hu Po appeared and said, "Qingxue, why didn't you knock? Come on in."
Xu Qingxue's face turned red. She followed Hu Po in, feeling uneasy.
Inside the room, she saw Yang Cheng sitting calmly.
"Miss Xu, you came to see me?"
Yang Cheng smiled.
"Xu Qingxue greets Your Highness the Crown Prince," she said, dropping to her knees. "I came today to offer my family's apology."
"Please rise. This is a private meeting, there's no need for formalities," Yang Cheng quickly said.
Hu Po stepped forward and helped Xu Qingxue up. "His Highness is always easygoing in private. You don't have to be so stiff."
Xu Qingxue stood up, quietly letting out a breath of relief.
This situation was going much better than she had expected.
Judging from the Crown Prince's expression, he didn't seem angry at the Xu family at all.
Then she heard Yang Cheng ask, "What crime has the Xu family committed?"
Xu Qingxue bit her lip. "Liu Wuji acted like that in front of you, in broad daylight, and he might be a crazed killer as well. He's my family's son-in-law. He's my husband. Our Xu family naturally shares the blame for failing to discipline him."
Yang Cheng waved it off. "What's done is done. Unless it's treason, Great Zhou doesn't punish families for one person's crimes. Whatever Liu Wuji did, that's on him. As long as the Xu family didn't help him, what does it have to do with you?"
Xu Qingxue's eyes widened. "Your Highness, you truly believe that?"
Yang Cheng didn't answer, just smiled.
Hu Po scolded gently, "A ruler doesn't speak idly."
Xu Qingxue flushed and quickly said, "I shouldn't have doubted Your Highness."
"Miss Xu, I was too quick to judge before."
Yang Cheng sighed. "With someone like you as his wife, I thought even a scumbag like Liu Wuji would turn over a new leaf. Who would've thought he'd be so hopeless. Have you thought about what you want to do now?"
Xu Qingxue's eyes turned slightly red, warmth rising in her heart.
After everything happened, even her father didn't ask how she was going to handle it. The first thing he thought of was having her sacrifice herself for the family.
But now, the first person to show concern for her future was the Crown Prince, who she'd only met a few times.
"If you don't cut it off cleanly, it'll only bring chaos."
Yang Cheng said, "Life is long. Since you know you've married the wrong person, there's no need to ruin the rest of your life for it."
"I understand. Thank you, Your Highness, for the advice," Xu Qingxue said, moved.
Yang Cheng didn't feel especially proud.
Xu Qingxue being touched by his words had a lot to do with his high status.
People admire the strong—it's natural to idolize those with power.
If someone weak said the same words, Xu Qingxue probably wouldn't even give them a glance, let alone listen.
If some loser tried to comfort her, she'd probably only find it annoying.
Of course, that didn't mean Xu Qingxue was shallow.
She had good character.
First, she was filial. Even while hurting inside, she was still willing to act for the family.
Second, despite Liu Wuji's awful reputation, she had never once said she wanted to abandon him.
It was just human nature—to admire the strong.