2.

Each disheveled handsome man has once had a tragic love story and a distinguished family background.

For example, Liu Luochuan, who was once a dashing young man in Fengxian Town, and was the dream lover of many women there.

The Liu family owned a pharmacy that did booming business in medicinal herbs, earning quite a bit of silver. Taking advantage of an opportunity, Liu Luochuan left Fengxian Town on the pretext of broadening his horizons and traveled around, enjoying the spring scenery and flowers along the way, camping outdoors, traversing thousands of mountains and rivers, and almost seeing all the mountains and rivers in the world.

One day, he arrived at a place on the edge of a high mountain where sand was flying and stones were rolling.

The river had dried up, and the place was gradually turning into a desert. Many of the local residents had left, and the once towering trees had withered. It was desolate, with only the flowers that glistened under the scorching sun still blooming and struggling against nature.

It was the last line of defense as the grassland transformed into a desert, burning its life to defend the dying grassland.

It was called wolf's bane.

Liu Luochuan had seen its description in medical books: "Bitter taste, spicy, highly toxic," but it could be used in medicine to treat heart pain and poisoning.

Its persistent and wild beauty was enough to shock the world.

Liu Luochuan endured great hardships and brought back the remaining wolf's bane from the wasteland to Fengxian Town, where he tended to it carefully, hoping it would survive.

However, the climate and soil were not suitable, and the wolf's bane he planted in the suburbs withered slowly and finally died. Liu Luochuan seemed to be at his wit's end, and he heard of an odd method from somewhere - mixing his own blood with water to water it.

Unfortunately, this method did not move heaven, and the wolf's bane withered completely three days later, with the flowers still as bright as they were at first.

Liu Luochuan was dejected and stayed in the courtyard that night. The next morning, as he was preparing to return to the city, he saw a red-clad woman lying among the wolf's bane.

That pure red color was just like the wolf's bane in full bloom, stunningly beautiful and hard to believe.

"Oh my, is this the wolf's bane thanking me for watering it with my blood, and specially sending a beauty to repay me?" The beauty in the flowers seemed to have heard this, slowly sitting up and turning her head to look at Liu Luochuan with a bright smile, like the crescent moon. "Yes, young master."

She smiled with a twinkle in her eyes, like a fairy who had walked out of a painting, yet she was incredibly docile and cute, as if she could be tricked into going home with just a few sweets. Liu Luochuan was exactly that shameless person, extending his hand to the little beauty with a false smile. "Little girl, where are you from?"

"A very far place."

"Where are you going?"

"I don't know."

Liu Luochuan's face lit up with joy, revealing his fox-like nature: "Then how about following young master home?"

The little beauty bit her lip, her eyes innocent as she blinked: "What's in it for me if I follow young master home?"

"Following me." Liu Luochuan raised his chin, his gaze insincere. "Every day full of joy and happiness, that's the life we should strive for."

And so, the little beauty was tricked into following Liu Luochuan home and became his personal maid.

The little beauty was named Li Zhou.

Li Zhou's background was a mystery; she said she woke up here and didn't remember anything about her past, and for some reason, she was particularly attached to Liu Luochuan.

In those clear, bright eyes, Liu Luochuan saw no lies or concealment. He thought to himself, this was indeed a lost fairy, waiting for him to save.

Li Zhou almost always obeyed Liu Luochuan, but there was one thing she wouldn't allow: she never let Liu Luochuan touch her, not even to hold hands, always shaking her head and avoiding him, not even allowing him to touch her skirt, which greatly displeased Liu Luochuan.

In addition, Li Zhou never did the trivial chores of serving tea and water. Every day, she stood smiling beside the resentful Liu Luochuan, either doing the chores herself or ordering the other maids to do them.

"Li Zhou! You are the most incompetent maid in the world!"

Whenever Liu Luochuan complained like this, Li Zhou would bite her sleeve and look at him with a pitiful expression. "How could young master bear to have such a frail maid do these hard tasks? A beautiful maid like Li Zhou should only be admired by young master, to cultivate young master's sentiments, to soothe young master's heart, that's Li Zhou's duty."

After saying this, she would blink her watery eyes, and the silk ribbon in her hair would flutter slightly as she shook her head.

Liu Luochuan covered his face, wanting to cry.

Such a naive and adorable girl, the whole Liu family adored her, except for one person who always said Li Zhou was an unlucky demon, trying to drive her out of the Liu family many times. If it weren't for Liu Luochuan's fierce resistance, Li Zhou would have been homeless long ago.

That person was Liu Luochuan's father, Liu Zhen Dong.

Such a majestic name, but he was just a doctor, which was truly a waste.

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3.

Liu Zhen Dong said that Li Zhou's background was unclear and her intentions were impure, and there must be some kind of conspiracy.

Li Zhou pouted, looking at the angry old man who was glaring at her, her face full of grievance: "Li Zhou hasn't even tried to seduce the young master, and the young master doesn't need Li Zhou to seduce him. Li Zhou hasn't tried to seduce the old man either, the old man is so ugly, Li Zhou doesn't like him."

"Puff..." Liu Luochuan sprayed the tea he had just drunk, looking at his father with a face as dark as iron, and quickly comforted him, "Children say the darndest things, father. Just look at Li Zhou's nature, could she have any bad intentions? You shouldn't let your imagination run wild all day."

"Luochuan!" Liu Zhen Dong slammed the table, clearly angry. "You should consider your own status! At your age, don't still act like a child who doesn't understand anything. You know what this means, I don't have to teach you!"

Liu Luochuan fell silent, his eyes cold, his gaze sweeping over Li Zhou, who was too scared to speak, and a mocking smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"So, then it's up to father to take care of it. Investigate Li Zhou's background thoroughly. For the time being, Li Zhou will stay in the eastern courtyard. Once everything is revealed, we can make plans accordingly."

The conversation ended on a sour note. Li Zhou followed Liu Luochuan out slowly, and at the door, she turned to make a mischievous face at the house before leaving, which nearly made the old man drop his teacup in anger.

Back in the eastern courtyard, Li Zhou was quite unhappy, curling up in the corner like a rejected kitten or puppy.

"What's wrong with you?" Liu Luochuan asked softly.

"The young master has secrets, and he's hiding them from me."

She was naive, but not stupid.

"Everyone has secrets. Does Li Zhou not have any secrets she's hiding from the young master?" Liu Luochuan approached, squatting down in front of her, wanting to touch her fluffy head, but, as always, he was avoided.

"For example, why does Li Zhou always refuse to let the young master touch her?"

"It's not the right time, the young master shouldn't touch." She bit her lip, repeating her usual refrain. Liu Luochuan sighed and smiled helplessly.

Li Zhou was confined to the eastern courtyard, and she saw no one except the maid who brought her meals for the entire half month. By the end of it, her pout was so exaggerated it could have held a bucket, and she had tears in her eyes as she looked at the maid who brought her meals.

"Dearest sister, please, just because I'm cute and kind and pure, tell me where the young master has gone recently, won't you?" She pressed her hand against her chest, feigning heartbreak, looking like she was about to faint. "Li Zhou's heart is breaking so much it's about to shatter."

The maid fell over backward, struggling to her feet after a long silence, biting her lip and hesitating to speak.

Li Zhou rushed to help her up, but her hand froze mid-air and slowly retracted: "Sister, please, quickly tell me what's happened to the young master?"

"A few days ago, someone went to the pharmacy to get medicine for their illness. After taking the medicine at home in the afternoon, they suddenly died. The autopsy showed that the medicine from the pharmacy was poisonous, and both the young master and the old master have been arrested and thrown in jail..."

Before the maid could finish speaking, Li Zhou had already dashed out the door.

Seeing the pharmacy sealed with a notice and passersby pointing and talking, Li Zhou turned and ran towards the prison without looking back.

The jailor was yawning and stretching, and when he saw the red-clad girl with black hair running towards him, she was already at his feet, panting, sweat beading on her forehead, her eyes full of urgency.

"Sir, I want to see someone inside. Please, could you make an exception for me?"

The jailor stared at the beautiful girl in front of him without speaking, and Li Zhou frowned and pondered for a moment before quickly taking off her earring and placing it on the ground.

"This can be pawned for a lot of money. Please, sir, help me." Money can move ghosts, and with the added effect of beauty, Li Zhou was able to enter the prison smoothly and was led to Liu Luochuan's cell.

Looking at the disheveled man crouching in the corner of the straw mat in the cell, Li Zhou leaned against the prison door and burst into tears.

"Young master, young master, are you still alive?"

"Little girl, how did you get out!" Liu Luochuan woke up with a start, looking at Li Zhou with a helpless expression, seeing her frowning and crying with tears in her eyes, he felt his heart ache and reached out to wipe away her tears, only to be avoided again.

"Young master, did the pharmacy really poison someone to death?"

Liu Luochuan closed his eyes and sighed, "Someone is deliberately targeting the Liu family, saying that the pharmacy poisoned someone to death. What can I do?"

"Young master, that can't be true!" Li Zhou raised her voice, and Liu Luochuan looked up to see her confident expression. "I won't let the young master and the old master be framed. I will save you!"

"Don't get involved in this matter, my dear girl, go home, pack some things, take some money, and leave, the young master can't afford you anymore."

With the passage of time, Liu Luochuan was no longer the dashing young man he once was. All he wanted now was for Li Zhou to sever her connection with him and live a peaceful and happy life in the latter half of her life.

When he opened his eyes again, it was Li Zhou's innocent and carefree face, with a determination rarely seen on her face: "Young master." She called out solemnly, leaving a confident smile.

"The first person Li Zhou saw when she woke up was the young master. The first person Li Zhou loved was the young master. The person Li Zhou wants to spend her life with is the young master. The world is filled with setbacks and hardships, but only the young master can bring happiness to Li Zhou."

Liu Luochuan flashed back to her usual playful and coquettish manner. How much must this person love him to say such heartfelt words.

"Perhaps the young master only sees Li Zhou as a maid, disposable and replaceable, but Li Zhou sees the young master as the only one in her heart." She touched her chest, saying each word deliberately, "Without the young master, Li Zhou cannot live."

Li Zhou had been gone for a long time, but Liu Luochuan was still kneeling on the ground, unable to come to his senses for a long time.

He saw her again in the courtroom, just as he had at first sight, beautiful like a poem and a painting, standing gracefully by the side, looking at the magistrate sitting above, neither humble nor arrogant.

"Your Honor, I request a re-examination of the body of the victim, Liu San, to find out the cause of death and restore the innocence of the Liu family."

4.

Liu Luochuan didn't know that Li Zhou, who seemed naive and innocent in her daily life, actually knew the art of autopsy. What was even more unexpected was that the magistrate, who clearly wanted to destroy the Liu family, agreed to the request for a re-examination.

As he watched Li Zhou who was focused on the task, Liu Luochuan suddenly wanted to say something, but he realized that this cold woman was so far away from him, so distant that he had never really seen her clearly. She was Li Zhou, but at this moment, she was not the Li Zhou that Liu Luochuan knew.

Liu Luochuan thought to himself that he must have missed a part of Li Zhou's past, and Li Zhou...

In fact, things were not as complicated as he thought. It was exactly ten days ago that Li Zhou paid a night visit to the magistrate.

At that time, the magistrate was holding his ninth concubine and drinking wine. A red figure suddenly leaped into the room through the window, and the magistrate thought it was a fairy descending from heaven, standing there in shock. It was the scream of the concubine that woke him up.

However, as soon as Li Zhou spoke, the magistrate realized his mistake.

"Either release Liu Luochuan, or you die."

Despite her ethereal beauty, she inspired fear, as if she could take his life with just a flick of her finger.

After sending away the concubine, the magistrate wiped his sweat and smiled ingratiatingly, "I don't know what connection there is between you and the Liu family, but let's talk things over."

"Me?" Li Zhou took two steps forward, stopping in front of the magistrate who had turned pale, and smiled, "I'm Li Zhou, the young master's maid."

It was such a simple sentence, but the magistrate's expression changed, looking around carefully before lowering his voice, "Is the young lady from the court?"

Li Zhou remained silent, only smiling faintly, giving an enigmatic appearance.

"Oh, it's really the young lady. Is this a new order from the court?"

Li Zhou remained silent, only nodding slightly. The magistrate immediately brightened up, bowing repeatedly with his hands clasped, "Yes, yes, yes, I understand what to do, the young lady can act as she wishes, and I will cooperate fully."

After Li Zhou left, the magistrate went to his study and secretly sent a letter. A few days later, he received a reply, which was a scroll painting depicting a woman in red, her face covered with green gauze, and her eyes shining like stars.

The magistrate nodded repeatedly, relieved, "It is indeed this official, and it's fortunate that I didn't offend."

After that, there was a retrial and a re-examination of the body.

Liu San's body was soon brought up. Several attendants, following the magistrate's instructions, quickly presented the previous autopsy report and stood silently to the side with their heads bowed.

Li Zhou rolled up her sleeves, revealing a glimpse of her wrist, and casually flipped through Liu San's autopsy report, her eyes gleaming with joy.

"The autopsy report states that Liu San died of poisoning from the medicine prescribed by the Liu family. Magistrate Yang, did you examine what kind of medicine Liu San was poisoned with?"

"Arsenic."

"Oh? That's strange. The Liu family is skilled in medicine, and they naturally know the dosage of arsenic that can cure and the dosage that can kill. They wouldn't make an error here that would lead to the patient accidentally poisoning themselves, would they? Don't you think there's a hidden truth behind this, Magistrate Yang?"

She lifted the white cloth covering the body and gently wiped Liu San's chest with a cotton cloth soaked in eucalyptus water, and the pale corpse gradually revealed several deep scars.

"These scars were caused by injuries before death, which can only be revealed after death by wiping with eucalyptus water. Such severe injuries show that the deceased struggled violently before death. If he willingly took poison to die, how could he have such scars? What do you think, Magistrate Yang?"

"Yes, yes, what the young lady says is completely correct." The so-called Magistrate Yang wiped his sweat and nodded, his expression panicked.

Li Zhou smiled gently, picked up a scalpel, and was about to slowly cut open Liu San's body. Everyone in the room gritted their teeth and turned their heads away, except for Liu Luochuan, who watched her movements intently, his expression complex.

"There's no poison in the stomach, only residue in the throat, indicating that the deceased was poisoned after death. Look at the deceased's eyes, the pupils are open and the light is scattered, and there is bruising around the lips. Magistrate Yang, what does this suggest?"

"It suggests that……the deceased was suffocated to death by having his mouth covered……"

Li Zhou looked at the magistrate seated high above, smiling gently: "So, Magistrate, can you now re-investigate the case?"