Liu Shi’s raised hand froze in mid-air, not falling for a long time. When he came back to his senses from the terrifying feeling of falling into a deep abyss just now and gathered strength to slap again, his palm was directly hit by a stone flying over.

He frowned and raised his eyes to look. In the distance, a slender figure emerged from the backlight, walking closer and closer. Only when she approached did he see her face clearly.

A young woman in her twenties, wearing a short, coarse cloth jacket, her hair tied up high with a wooden hairpin.

Her features were not prominent, but her eyes were deep and calm.

She quickly walked in front of the red-clothed man, inconspicuously shielding the man leaning against the wall behind her. She fumbled in her bosom and took out a yellowed handkerchief. Turning her head, she asked him in a low voice, “Can you still hold on?”

Facing the light, her tea-colored eyes sparkled.

Pei Yuanshao stared at her blankly, his lips tightly pursed, his eyelids lowered, and his peach blossom eyes deep in color.

Seeing that he didn’t move, Liu Changning added, “Don’t worry, the handkerchief was scalded with hot water last night. You can make do with it for now. Covering the wound with your hand can easily lead to infection, making it more troublesome to handle later.”

After she finished speaking, she didn’t wait for his answer and directly stuffed the cloth handkerchief into his arms.

She took two steps forward, and under his surprised gaze, she pulled out the red whip from his waist. The distance between the two was close, and her hair brushed against his nose tip, carrying a faint scent of grass.

Pei Yuanshao’s dark eyes flashed, and he heard her icy, crisp voice by his ear, “Borrowing your whip for a moment!”

Pei Yuanshao nodded half a beat later, and a trace of blood color appeared on his pale face that was not easily noticeable.

The person in front of him shifted her steps and firmly shielded him behind her.

He looked at her slender back with a complex gaze, his lips moving. After a long while, he said in a low voice, “Thank you.”

Pei Yuanshao hid his entire body behind her. With his back to the light, he crossed his hands and inconspicuously gave a signal to the hidden guards who were eager to make a move under the eaves.

The hidden guards received the order, and their bodies, which had straightened up slightly, lay down on the eaves again.

Pei Yuanshao narrowed his eyes and let out a breath. He leaned against the damp wall, clutching the handkerchief and pressing it against the wound on his abdomen. Although the handkerchief was yellowed from washing, it was dry and had a fresh scent of soap, just as she had said. It was the same as the fragrance of her hair when she leaned over just now.

The corners of his lips curled up involuntarily into a smile. When he noticed, he glanced at the back of the head of the person in front of him with a guilty conscience. Seeing that she didn’t turn around, he finally suppressed the smile at the corners of his lips.

Liu Changning didn’t have time to observe the concubine’s expression. She turned her head, and her face turned cold.

With her arms crossed, she swept a glance at the aggressive wife-master and husband duo.

Raising her chin at the middle-aged man who looked somewhat clever at a glance, she snorted coldly, “Uncle has quite a force. You brought a group of people, without asking the rights and wrongs, not only did you slap my husband, but you also distorted the facts to defend your disgustingly smelly wife-master and shift the blame!”

Liu Shi was stunned for a moment and exchanged a glance with his wife-master, both seeing a hint of surprise in each other’s eyes.

They never expected that after hitting this little slut, his wife-master was also nearby.

Liu Wangcai was a good-for-nothing, and at this moment, being questioned, she could only tightly grip Liu Shi’s hand.

Holding the fat hand in return, Liu Shi showed no panic on his face. His eyes rolled, and he smiled contemptuously, “So it’s the niece of the Liu family. You came at the right time. It’s not us, the wife-master and husband, who are shifting the blame, but clearly your husband who deliberately seduced… I’ve heard that you are an honest person, but the fact that your husband is wearing a green hat for you everywhere is the truth. Now that the culprit has been caught red-handed, why are you still stubbornly refusing to see and hear?”

Liu Changning’s expression remained calm. She flicked the dust off her body and raised her eyebrows, replying, “Caught red-handed? But all the aunts and uncles present here can testify that it was your wife-master who took off her clothes just now, and it was still your wife-master who wanted to approach and commit an improper act. If you continue to distort the facts, we will go to the county yamen to say a word or two.”

After finishing her words, Liu Changning turned around and supported Pei Yuanshao’s arm. Her gaze fell on his lower abdomen, her eyes filled with self-blame, “It’s all my fault for not being a good wife-master. If it wasn’t for your mouth feeling sour and wanting to eat some candied fruit, I wouldn’t have left you alone here… Now…”

Her gaze fell on the pool of blood on the ground, the self-blame in her eyes dissipating as she raised her head and glared at the two people opposite her with burning anger.

Liu Shi was startled. When Liu Changning shifted her step just now, he followed her gaze and saw the pool of blood on the ground. Taking a closer look at the red-clothed man’s hand covering his lower abdomen, as someone who had experienced such matters, how could he not understand? This… this Liu Shi was clearly showing signs of a miscarriage.

Could it be that his earlier actions had disturbed the man’s fetal energy?

Thinking of the various consequences, his entire lips began to tremble. He turned his head and glared fiercely at his wife-master.

The imposing aura he had just displayed could no longer be maintained. He pulled Liu Wangcai’s hand, changing his face faster than flipping a book. With a shameless face, he lowered his head and apologized, “Miss, please forgive me. I was originally anxious in my heart and never thought there would be such a twist. There must be some misunderstanding. Please be magnanimous.”

Liu Changning raised her eyebrows, her tea-colored eyes sweeping over, piercing cold, “Oh? So you’re admitting that you slandered my husband?”

Seeing that there was still a chance to turn things around, Liu Shi hurriedly nodded in agreement.

Liu Changning lowered her head, “Since you slandered my spouse and beat him until he bled, as the head wife-master, I should seek justice for my husband. Do you think it’s appropriate?”

She caressed the red whip, not waiting for the two people opposite to nod before raising the whip and accurately lashing it on their bodies with speed and force.

As the whip shadow flashed, it tossed up her cascading long hair, and her sharp brows and eyes were like a knife, etched into Pei Yuanshao’s heart.

Many years later, whenever he recalled such brows and eyes, he would feel dazed. Someone so ordinary had quietly invaded, painting a vivid stroke in the depths of his heart.

Even the Liu Prime Minister, who seemed like a celestial being before his rebirth, appeared to be inferior under such brows and eyes.

Unfortunately, at this time, his reaction was slow, only feeling a strange tingling and sourness in his heart.

When he came back to his senses, he shook his head to cast aside this sudden unusual feeling.