Those days when I exiled the paralyzed, deposed crown prince to farm

Her voice trembled with sobs as she said, "I really killed someone, Zhao Ye... A life for a life! Will the authorities come after me and make me pay with my life?"

She was terrified.

As a high-quality young woman who grew up in the 21st century, where would she have killed anyone?

Even after living in this world for twenty years, Ah Man has never killed anyone.

And... and he could be saved, but at that moment, reason prevailed over fear. She knew that if that man went back alive, he would definitely take revenge on her.

She and Zhao Ye were already facing difficulties and hardships in Ningzhou. If they had a few more enemies, how would they survive in the future?

So Ah Man went all out and killed him with a stone.

Ah Man was strong, and when she smashed it, she didn't control it well. Her head was smashed, and red and white brain matter splattered all over the ground, even getting on her clothes.

How disgusting, how scary, I feel like throwing up!

She couldn't believe she had done something so terrible.

"Zhao Ye... Zhao Ye..."

Ah Man was completely panicked and at a loss.

Because in her worldview, killing someone means paying with your life, going to jail, and being executed.

But she didn't want to die, at least not in this godforsaken place. If she died, she would never be able to go back. She had family waiting for her to return.

"Aman, come here."

Zhao Ye's tone seemed gentler than usual.

He pulled Ah Man along, pushed the wheelchair to the wooden basin, scooped up a handful of water, wet his hands, and used his hands to wash away the dirt and bloodstains on Ah Man's face little by little.

His hands were clearly thin and uncomfortable, but when they landed on Aman's face, they were exceptionally gentle, as if they could soothe the fear and anxiety in her heart.

"Don't be afraid."

He said, "By killing him, you were ridding the people of a scourge, weren't you?"

"I know that Ah Man is kind."

It must have been that person who bullied Aman first, which is why Aman fought back.

"But...but I'll go to jail, I'll go to jail and pay for his life."

Aman's tears fell uncontrollably. It's not that she was weak-willed; any normal person would panic and be afraid in such a situation.

No, it won't.

"No one saw it, right?"

Aman was stunned. She thought about it carefully, then shook her head.

"That's good."

"Even when the government arrests someone, they need evidence. How can they convict you and have you executed without evidence?"

It was his fault; he had only killed one person, yet he had caused Ah Man such fear and unease.

Aman knew the Crown Prince was gentle, but she never expected that Zhao Ye would be so considerate in comforting her after she encountered such a situation.

Zhao Ye washed her hands and face clean, and then saw the strangulation marks on her neck and her tattered clothes. He figured that she must have been strangled from behind to have these marks.

"Go change into some dry clothes first; burn these clothes."

Aman obediently did as she was told. Zhao Ye knew that the government would definitely come to investigate since someone had died in this place, and Aman had too many scars on her body, making her the most obvious and easy to investigate.

He searched through the herbs that Aman had dug up, put them in a stone mortar and pounded them into a paste.

Then it was applied to Aman's body, and in a short while, Aman's body was covered with a dense rash.

"Zhao Ye, it itches so much..."

Ah Man was so itchy that she couldn't help but scratch.

"It's okay, go ahead and scratch it. It's better if you break the skin."

Ah Man was clever and quickly realized what Zhao Ye was trying to do.

She spent the whole day in fear and anxiety, staying indoors all day, unable to eat or sleep well.

Ah Man would be startled by the slightest sound or movement outside and would keep looking out.

This was her first murder...

But Ah Man doesn't know if this will be the last time.

Suddenly, the sound of gongs and drums rang out.

Usually, when the sound of gongs and drums is heard in the village, it means that something big has happened in the village. Aman immediately tensed up, not knowing what was happening outside.

"What's going on? Why is the village chief suddenly banging the gong?"

"I heard someone died."

Someone died?

The houses in the village are all next to each other, and you can hear what other people are saying even through the walls.

Aman's heart raced again.

Zhao Ye took her hand and gently patted the back of it: "Don't worry."

"Open the door! Open the door now!"

Sure enough, the gate was banged on roughly, sounding almost urgent.

The thick, sturdy wooden door was pounded on, the sound like heavy blows to Aman's heart, leaving her feeling cold all over.

Ah Man opened the latch, and a swarm of people rushed in, kicking down the earthenware pot placed at the doorway.

She immediately shouted in a panic, "What are you doing? What are you doing barging into my house?!"

The village chief led the way, carrying a gong and a club. His eyes immediately fell on Aman's neck.

"Someone died in the village. It was Chen Erniu from our village."

The village chief stared intently at Aman's neck, and Aman reached out and scratched it, as if it were very itchy.

"Chen Erniu? I don't know any Chen Erniu. What are you doing here if he's dead?"

"Someone saw you go into the mountains with Chen Erniu."

Upon hearing the village chief's words, Zhao Ye's gaze suddenly sharpened, and a chill ran through him.

Aman was even more confused: "So many people went into the mountains today, he went into the mountains too, and so did he and she!"

"The stream is dry, everyone's going into the mountains to find water and wild fruit. Is there a problem with me going into the mountains?"

"Of course you have no problem going into the mountains."

The village chief said, "But Chen Erniu died after he went into the mountains with you; his head was smashed."

Ah Man's face turned pale: "What?"

"Your brain...your head is shattered?"

"I don't know! What does his broken head have to do with me?" Ah Man was panicking inside, but her acting was pretty good.

The village chief, Gao Mancang, was over forty years old and had seen countless people. He could tell at a glance whether the young girl was lying or not.

"That was terrifying, absolutely terrifying, his head was completely smashed..."

Ah Man's lips trembled, as if she were terrified.

"What's that on your neck?"

"We suspect that you had a conflict with Chen Erniu, which led you to kill him?"

"Neck?" Ah Man belatedly realized what was happening, pulled down her collar and rolled up her sleeves, revealing a shocking patch of red rashes on her body. Many places were scratched raw and bloody.

It looked like some kind of serious infectious disease, and the people around immediately covered their mouths and noses and backed away, afraid of being infected by her.

"I... I'm the village chief from out of town, as you know. I'm having some trouble adjusting to the new environment, and I've been getting rashes lately."

"Village chief, look at my feet again! The soles of my feet are covered in this!"

Aman immediately took off her shoes and showed the soles of her feet.

"Enough! This is outrageous!"

Gao Mancang quickly shouted, "A young lady should be covered up completely. How can she expose her feet to others?"

Shameless and shameless!