His eyes grew increasingly pained, "That place, even my stepmother doesn't know about it. Only my father and I knew! And I've only told you!"
Even now, Li Nishu wasn't entirely sure what had happened.
But she had a general understanding; she had been deceived by her uncle and aunt!
Perhaps from the very beginning, their purpose in approaching the Li family was not pure.
In the pouring rain and amidst the thunder and lightning, Li Nishu still wanted to explain to Tan Ye.
But outside, the Li family's lights suddenly flared.
Following that, came the shouts of the Li family's servants: "Miss, wake up quickly! The Kyoto Defense Force is here, saying that some fugitives have entered our area! Master sent me to call you to the front hall, Miss, please don't sleep!"
The shouts from outside, mixed with the sound of the heavy rain, suddenly made Li Nishu's courtyard noisy.
Li Nishu turned to tell Tan Ye to hide, but the Tan Ye before her suddenly disappeared, leaving only a patch of wetness mixed with blood, as if to remind Li Nishu that Tan Ye had indeed been there.
That night was the last time Li Nishu saw Tan Ye.
After she finished cleaning up the water and blood in the room, the maids Jingran and Yaran rushed in and took Li Nishu to the main hall.
Upon arriving at the main hall, almost all the Li family members were present.
Li Nishu's father, looking terrified, said to everyone, "We never would have guessed that the Tan family living next door would be remnants of the former Xiao Qin Kingdom! I heard they killed many people when they returned to Qin Prefecture this time, and the officials are now pursuing them!"
Li Nishu, in a daze, looked at her father blankly, "Father, what are you saying? They killed people in Qin Prefecture?"
"Yes! Your uncle and aunt saw it with their own eyes, and they are currently testifying at the Kyoto Prefecture Office!"
Lord Li, trembling, repeatedly patted his chest, "They said they would only do it after returning to Qin Prefecture, but in reality, they returned to the village where the people of Xiao Qin Kingdom lived. Who knows what madness possessed them to kill all those people from Xiao Qin Kingdom! Fortunately, your uncle and aunt ran fast, otherwise, they might have become victims of the blade by now!"
"That's impossible..."
For Li Nishu, she believed what Tan Ye had said: "With just a few of them, could they kill an entire village? And if they knew about that village long ago, why didn't they act sooner, why wait until they were bringing my uncle and aunt to make their move?"
"This..."
Lord Li was also at a loss for words by his daughter's questions.
But Lord Li was still shaken and unwilling to think further. He simply waved his hand, "Who knows what they were thinking? Fortunately, the thing I am most grateful for now is that I didn't marry you to that Tan Ye! These are not things you should be considering now. Just stay home peacefully. Once you enter the palace, you will have no further connection with the Tan family. Don't overthink it."
Why, so cold?
What Li Nishu couldn't understand was why her father would say such cold words when the two families had gotten along so well before.
But she understood that the Li family, other than remaining silent, could do nothing.
Anyone who got involved with the Tan family now could become a target.
Moreover, Li Nishu was about to enter the palace as a consort. Any misstep now could lead to the utter destruction of the Li family in the future.
That day, Li Nishu felt immense pain but had to endure it, acting as if nothing had happened.
It was also after that day that the Tan family next door was raided and confiscated, ceasing to exist.
—
Li Nishu hadn't stopped thinking about finding Tan Ye, at least to explain that this matter truly had nothing to do with them!
But her uncle and aunt were Li Nishu's relatives, and the Kyoto Prefecture Office quickly made a judgment on the matter.
In addition, Li Nishu was about to enter the palace, and everything forbade her from causing any more complications.
The search for Tan Ye was thus put aside.
Until the night before Li Nishu entered the palace—
She hadn't seen Tan Ye, but after packing all her belongings, she suddenly discovered an envelope on her dressing table!
Nothing was written on the envelope, but Li Nishu knew it was a letter from Tan Ye.
That night, Li Nishu sat by her bed and opened the thick envelope.
She recognized Tan Ye's handwriting at a glance, and even more so, she recognized that this four-page letter was written to her in his blood!
The letter spoke of Tan Ye's pain and inner turmoil, and even more so, of his love for her, which far exceeded Li Nishu's expectations.
Tan Ye wrote that the first time he saw Li Nishu, he knew she was the girl he would protect for a lifetime.
It was the first time the Tan family had come to the capital, unfamiliar with the place, and burdened with family secrets, they always lived a difficult life.
They couldn't integrate into the Great Yue Dynasty as quickly as other people from Xiao Qin Kingdom.
Because they were royalty of Xiao Qin Kingdom, they were hated by the people of Xiao Qin Kingdom and also guarded against by the Great Yue Dynasty.
Originally, they should not have come to the capital, but should have lived a peaceful life in a place where their identities were unknown.
However, they discovered that a faction that had opposed the royal family in Xiao Qin Kingdom was now issuing bounties everywhere for the lives of the remaining royal descendants of Xiao Qin Kingdom.
Although their whereabouts had not yet been discovered, they could not live in that place for too long.
Thus, Tan Ye's father, Tan Qi, made the decision to come to the capital.
Tan Qi believed that often, "the most dangerous place" was the safest. They were entering the capital, living under the eyes of the Great Yue Dynasty's imperial family.
Even if bounty hunters discovered their whereabouts one day, they would have to be somewhat hesitant to commit murder in the capital.
This idea was indeed good; at least they had lived a few years of peace in the capital.
Tan Ye wrote in the letter that although they were descendants of the Xiao Qin Kingdom's royal family, their relationship with the main royal lineage was not close.
They only wanted to live a good life. Otherwise, Tan Qi's second wife would not have married a woman from the Great Yue Dynasty and given birth to lovely children.
Tan Ye wrote that he thought a good life had finally arrived.
Especially after meeting Li Nishu, he had decided that their family no longer needed to wander, and he would protect Li Nishu and live with her in the capital for the rest of his life!
However, with a sudden turn of events, Tan Ye never imagined that a calamity of extermination would be sown from the day he met Li Nishu!
He had considered ten thousand possibilities, but the only one he hadn't considered was being hurt by Li Nishu again and again.