When An Jiubian learned of the tragedy at the small courtyard, he was in the middle of a cordial conversation with Crown Prince Zhou Yin at the county government office.
At first, when he heard about the death of the princess and his disciple, he thought it was a joke. But when he arrived at the courtyard and saw the corpses inside the hall, he was stricken as if by lightning, plunging into a numbness of disbelief.
Zhou Yin carefully stepped over the mottled bloodstains on the floor, his hands clasped behind his back, his face expressionless as he scrutinized every detail of the hall.
He walked up to the decapitated Zhou Xiyue, stared intently at the head that still bore an expression of desperation and fear before death and couldn't help but twist his mouth, "This girl knew fear?"
Then he sighed softly.
If Zhou Xiyue had been willing to set aside her pride and accept the invitation to the county government office that evening, she would have avoided this disaster.
