Ex-Wife is a Big Villainess
Chapter 530 - 273: Husband, I like you!

Chapter 530: Chapter 273: Husband, I like you!

Jiang Shouzhong stood amidst the ruins, his heart a cloud of confusion.

At this moment, his thoughts were like a tangled mess of yarn kneaded by an invisible hand, like a lonely boat lost in the vast sea, both exhausted and helpless.

In order to take revenge for Ye and those villagers in Anhe Village, he had agreed to Yeying’s conditions, pretending to be Jiang Mo to form an alliance with the Ran Family and infiltrate Liushan Division.

All this time, he had constantly thought about unmasking the true mastermind behind the Anhe Village massacre.

But the result—it was Ye?

If Ye was actually the one behind the slaughter of Anhe Village, then was it possible she was still alive?

Where would she go?

Recalling all the little moments spent with Ye, her gentle smile and lingering voice, felt like thousands of needles piercing his heart.

Why had it turned out this way?

Jiang Shouzhong clutched his head, his thoughts in chaos.

A sudden explosion brought him back to his senses.

Looking at He Benquan’s corpse, Jiang Shouzhong slowly regained his rationality and muttered to himself, "Why should I definitely believe what he said? Perhaps He Benquan didn’t lie to me, but is his understanding indeed the truth?"

With this thought, Jiang Shouzhong’s spirits lifted.

No matter what, he would not believe Ye was the executioner without solid evidence.

Jiang Shouzhong also harbored doubts about the Qingzhou massacre as narrated by He Benquan.

The Emperor Zhou Chang was indeed intent on not letting the Qingzhou people live, that much was clear.

But for an emperor, a ruler with a vision for the bigger picture, using such a method to eliminate internal threats was undeniably too frivolous.

Throughout history, riots mostly erupted because the common people could no longer survive, crushed under heavy taxes and tormented by war.

They rose up in rebellion to seek a way out for themselves.

If life was good, who would want to revolt?

Moreover, after the initial upheaval, how many would still rebel in the now relatively stable Dazhou? Those who should be killed have been killed, and how many of the remaining had the courage?

More importantly, destroying a prosperous city like Qingzhou was also a severe blow to the present-day Dazhou.

This was a city home to over a hundred thousand citizens.

Zhou Chang’s actions were undoubtedly like gouging out a chunk of flesh from the ox that was Dazhou. With external threats still unresolved, bleeding oneself first—what good did that bring?

Perhaps it was to vent some spleen.

After all, the Emperor was human too, infuriated by these rioters at the beginning, and thus seeking retaliation.

But more crucially, as He Benquan said, the real targets were the Asura Queen and the Asura Undead Army.

Was it really worth it to trade over a hundred thousand citizens and an important city for the Asura Queen and the Undead Army? What other benefits was Zhou Chang pursuing behind all this?

Jiang Shouzhong couldn’t figure it out.

He had a hunch that things were far from being this simple.

He Benquan knew so much insider information because he had been the Qingzhou Prefect for several years, a confidant of the Crown Prince, and his cousin was the Emperor’s favorite concubine now.

What he said had a certain degree of credibility.

But he was just a former Magistrate after all, not a worm in the Emperor’s stomach.

He couldn’t possibly know all the thoughts of the Emperor and the court.

However, no matter what, this man genuinely wanted to save the Qingzhou citizens. Otherwise, he could have hidden himself and lived incognito in Fengcheng for the rest of his life.

Jiang Shouzhong sighed.

He squatted down and took a piece of paper from He Benquan’s grasp.

Before dying, he had taken this paper out from his chest to give it to him, but didn’t specify what it was.

Jiang Shouzhong unfolded the blood-stained paper to find it was a simple map of Qingzhou, marked with two so-called safe locations and a tunnel leading out of the city.

"It seems the Crown Prince and the princess have already left," he mused upon seeing the tunnel.

The last of his doubts vanished with the discovery of this tunnel. He was wondering how the Crown Prince could have left after being surrounded post-rebellion; clearly, they had planned an escape route well in advance.

And these two safe locations were likely to prevent their own from being mistakenly harmed and could provide shelter within.

"It looks like He Benquan intended to have the citizens hide in these two safe locations, but being secret excavations by the court, they’re sure to have guards," pondered Jiang Shouzhong.

After a moment of contemplation, Jiang Shouzhong, map in hand, left the ruins.

...

Back outside, the army beyond the city had begun their first round of attacks.

Arrows fell like rain, covering the sky with a dense veil, painting the heavens with the hue of death.

Oil barrels followed one after another, falling from the sky, and upon impact with the ground, they exploded with deafening roars, and flames raged wildly.

On the streets, between houses, scenes of horror unfolded before the eyes, charred corpses scattered everywhere, panic spreading like a plague, crowds screaming as they ran in all directions.

The agonized wails mixed with the sounds of splitting wood and stone, creating a tableau of despair and chaos.

Despite being mentally prepared, witnessing this scene still left Jiang Shouzhong deeply shocked.

And at his feet lay the body of a child.

"Jiang Mo!"

A familiar, anxious voice called out.

It was Ran Qingchen.

The woman’s posture was slightly disheveled, with burn marks distinctly visible on her clothing. Though smoke and grime streaked her fair cheeks, it could not conceal her inherent beauty.

She swung her sword to deflect several arrows and, upon spotting Jiang Shouzhong, a look of relief crossed her face.

"Didn’t I tell you to leave Qingzhou?" Jiang Shouzhong frowned.

Ran Qingchen took hold of his arm, insistent, "I told you, as long as you don’t leave, I won’t leave."

Jiang Shouzhong sighed helplessly and then asked, "Where’s the boss?"

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.