Chapter 162: Extermination of the Clan

Meanwhile, the Liu estate was in utter chaos, strewn with countless corpses.

Amidst such a hair-raising scene, the desolate cries of a young girl echoed from time to time, truly chilling to the bone.

In the main room of the back courtyard, Liu Yan'er cradled her mother's body, weeping inconsolably. Her voice was hoarse from crying, yet she still choked on her sobs.

Her hands were stained with a crimson red, and her eyes were rimmed with blood, bearing a haggard look that ached the heart.

Following the murder of Liu Shuming, other collateral branches of the Liu family had set their sights on the family fortune. Upon arriving, instead of heading to the crime scene, they rushed into the estate to squabble over the property.

No one cared for the bodies strewn across the ground, nor did anyone offer words of comfort to the young girl. They turned a blind eye to everything around them, their eyes filled entirely with gold, silver, and treasures as they charged into the manor.

Liu Yan'er simply sat there, holding the matron's corpse, letting the collateral relatives plunder the household items while her gaze remained completely vacant.

The destruction of her clan, the agony of losing her loved ones, the greed for family wealth, and the callousness of human nature! In a single day, she had experienced all the bitter partings of life and death, and the chilling coldness of familial ties.

Suddenly, a youth appeared before her and extended a hand toward her. "Little Sister Yan'er, the Liu family has fallen, and you are the only survivor. When the culprits find out, they certainly won't spare you. Come with me!"

"Xiao Shengjie, my Liu family has suffered the annihilation of our entire clan. Why did I not see anyone from the Clan Court come?" The young girl still knelt on the ground, holding her mother tightly in her arms.

Xiao Shengjie bent down, placing a hand on the young girl's shoulder in an attempt to pull her up. "Little Sister Yan'er, do you know who is responsible for this annihilation?"

"The Jiuling Chamber of Commerce!" the young girl said through tears, gnashing her teeth as she spat out every single word. Her voice was as cold as ice, carrying boundless hatred.

"Do you know why the Jiuling Chamber of Commerce wanted to destroy the Liu family?"

"Because I touched one of their maidservants, named Shuangjiang."

Xiao Shengjie squatted beside the young girl, shook his head slightly, pressed both hands on her shoulders, and sighed helplessly. "If it were that simple, my imperial father would not have been so enraged as to vomit blood."

Upon hearing these words, Liu Yan'er finally gathered a glimmer of focus in her eyes as she looked at the youth before her. "Then why?"

"At the critical juncture when the Chu family army is returning to Pingzhou, the Jiuling Chamber of Commerce suddenly cuts off my left arm. What does that signify?" Xiao Shengjie let out a breath of pent-up, stifled frustration. "Is it as simple as seeking justice for a maidservant? They intend to throw the Tianqing Kingdom into chaos!"

"So, what does His Highness the Crown Prince plan to do about it?" Liu Yan'er asked, her face haggard as she swayed to her feet, gazing desolately at the devastated courtyard.

Xiao Shengjie turned his head away, for he did not dare to look into Liu Yan'er's eyes. "What to do? The influence of the Jiuling Chamber of Commerce spans across nations. If we are to move against them, we must plan for the long term!"

Liu Yan'er sneered, retreating weakly as she sought to put some distance between herself and Xiao Shengjie. "Plan for the long term! Ha, what a brilliant plan for the long term! Do the lives of dozens of people in my Liu family mean they must die with their grievances unredressed?"

"Yan'er," Xiao Shengjie said with a helpless expression, stepping forward as if to offer an explanation, but words failed him. In the end, he only uttered a faint, powerless plea, "Come with me!"

"No," Liu Yan'er shook her head, wanting to return to her mother's side, but she had cried for too long—cried until her vision was blurred, cried until she was starved of oxygen, cried until she could barely stand steady. "I want to stay with my mother..."

Before she could finish her sentence, the young girl stumbled, pitching forward as if to collapse before the youth.

Seeing this, Xiao Shengjie took a stride forward and caught the fainting girl in his arms. "Yan'er! Yan'er!"