Ex-Wife is a Big Villainess
Chapter 736 - 363: The New Empress Dowager?_2

Chapter 736: Chapter 363: The New Empress Dowager?_2

And so, the once-prosperous Capital City was suddenly plunged into chaos and war.

Under such circumstances, the bloodshed at Ran Mansion attracted no attention. Meanwhile, the court-rebelling Asura Queen and cultivators like Zhao Wuxiu, who failed in their ascension, had vanished into obscurity.

The Capital City descended into utter turmoil.

On the streets, the once-bustling crowds now moved frantically.

Shops shut their doors, families packed their valuables, bundling what they could carry.

Some with simple luggage hurried toward the city gates, dragging their families along, desperate to flee the place destined to become a battlefield.

As the spreading whispers continued to brew, more and more commoners joined the ranks of those fleeing.

Carts drawn by horses, oxen, or even pushed by hand brimmed with belongings and treasures.

The scene was both chaotic and deeply sorrowful.

Despite the efforts of officials trying to restore order, fear ran rampant—especially when the sounds of distant hoofbeats or horns pierced the air, further fraying already frayed nerves.

Every echo intensified the restlessness of the crowd, hastening their steps in escape.

At this moment, three carriages moved along the street.

Inside the carriages were women.

These women were the courtesans of the Spring Rain Building.

Ordinarily, adorned in seductive and dazzling attire, they now wore coarse clothes, their faces smeared with ash to mask the fear in their eyes.

One among them was Qing Niang.

In times of anarchy, women—especially beautiful women—were the most vulnerable.

Initially, they had intended to stay in the Capital City.

After all, even in times of war, it was just a struggle among the princes for power. To secure the people’s favor, the commoners would likely remain unscathed.

But as the rumors intensified, they could no longer sit idle.

The talk of foreign troops being hired only heightened their worries. Memories surfaced of past dynasties hiring outside forces, leading to foreign soldiers storming the Capital City, pillaging and slaughtering at will.

Having endured the massacre in Qingzhou, Qing Niang now harbored no illusions or goodwill toward the court.

Eventually, she decided to lead the women away.

But as she sat in the carriage, Qing Niang felt a hollow emptiness. She often lifted the curtain, gazing outside, hoping to see that familiar figure.

Yet apart from the fleeing masses and the cavalry weaving through alleys, there was no sight of the man whose carefree demeanor she had grown used to.

Since the day she had resolutely rejected him, Lu Renjia had never appeared at Spring Rain Building again, vanishing as if swallowed by the earth.

Qing Niang had thought of apologizing several times, but her feelings were tangled and conflicted.

Now that she had waited too long, the city had slid into upheaval. With her departure, she realized the two might never meet again.

It wasn’t that Qing Niang didn’t care for Lu Renjia.

But in her eyes, she was a woman so sullied that no man could genuinely love her.

Not even Lu Renjia.

For a courtesan to think of love was foolish—a waking dream.

"Forget it. We were never meant to be. Why cling to futile fantasies?" Qing Niang murmured with a sigh, letting the curtain fall.

Just then, a figure abruptly dashed in front of the carriage Qing Niang was riding.

The coachman quickly yanked the reins.

"Qing Niang!"

A middle-aged man with dark skin and unremarkable features stood panting before the carriage, looking up at her.

Qing Niang lifted the curtain, confusion written on her face: "Who are you?"

"My name is Zheng Shanqi," the man said, introducing himself.

Zheng Shanqi?

Qing Niang froze, recalling hearing his name from Lu Renjia at some point.

This man had once been a gambler and a scoundrel, living off theft. But during Jiang Shouzhong’s investigation into the earliest demon blood cases, Zheng Shanqi had been helpful. Later, he had tipped off Jiang Shouzhong about abducted girls at Xichu Pavilion.

Thanks to this information, Jiang Shouzhong had succeeded in getting the Xichu Pavilion shut down.

Sensing some genuine repentance in him, Jiang Shouzhong had even arranged a position for him at the government office through Liao. Since then, there had been little contact.

Yet now, here he was, stopping her carriage.

"Do you need something from me?" Qing Niang asked.

Zheng Shanqi steadied his breath and hurriedly handed her a small wooden box, blurting out:

"Qing Niang, there’s someone you know in the second courtyard of the western alley on Tangcheng Street. Some time ago, I found him at Old Tomb barely alive, bones broken, near death. I brought him back to the house.

But at the time, Master Jiang wasn’t in the Capital, and later he was declared a fugitive. I dared not tell anyone. I’d thought of coming to you, but that person didn’t want me to involve you.

But now, the city’s on the brink of turmoil. I can’t care for him any longer; I must flee with my newlywed wife..."

Qing Niang stared at the familiar wooden box in her hands, her body trembling slightly.

She opened the box.

Inside were, as expected, the twenty cents.

The image of that man bending down, picking up each of the scattered copper coins from the ground, enclosing them in the wooden box and walking away in silent sorrow sprang vividly to her mind.

"Qing Niang, to me...you’re not dirty at all."

The man had said this as he left.

Tears streamed silently down her cheeks.

"You go ahead!"

Before Zheng Shanqi could finish speaking, Qing Niang leapt from the carriage, ignoring the shouts of the other women as she ran toward Tangcheng Street, clutching the small wooden box tightly to her bosom.

Qing Niang pushed through the fleeing crowds, snaked past the cavalry, fell down several times along the way, but staggered on until she reached the courtyard Zheng Shanqi had mentioned.

Her mood swirled with apprehension, unease, anxiety, and guilt as she slowly approached the house and pushed open the door.

What met her was a figure lying on the bed.

Utterly familiar.

The emaciated face of Lu Renjia turned toward the woman standing at the door, shock briefly flashing across his features before he smiled bitterly, saying: "Now look, I’m Old Jia for real—can’t even dream of being worthy of you anymore."