novelraw Chapter 1916 Going Together
Chapter 1916 Going Together
Chapter 1916 Going Together
Fang Zilan raised an eyebrow. "I remember this person. He attempted to assassinate Lord Fu and Madam Fu at the Fu family before, but failed. Later, you detained him, saying you wanted to interrogate him properly."
She paused, "How come after such a short interrogation, a living person became a corpse and was buried in the Liu family's backyard?"
Dugu Ming's expression was inscrutable. The man lying in the mud beside him understood that Fang Zilan was speaking up for him, and hurriedly chimed in, "What you say makes sense, Miss. It's clearly General Dugu framing us!"
"Lord Liu, you killed him to silence him, and now you're accusing me of framing you?" Dugu Ming glanced at the man, who looked furious but dared not speak out. "You're talking nonsense!"
"Whether I'm lying or not, Miss Zixiu knows best." Dugu Ming stared steadily at Fang Zilan. "Miss Zixiu, what do you say?"
Fang Zilan remained silent for a long while before finally saying, "After you detained the person, did you actually interrogate him?"
Dugu Ming did not answer, so Fang Zilan pressed on, "After the interrogation, was there any follow-up investigation?"
“Miss Zixiu, now is not the time to dwell on such trivial matters.” Dugu Ming said indifferently. Fang Zilan exerted a little force, and the plum blossom sword in her hand, even through the scabbard, still made him change color.
"Dugu Ming, I offered myself as bait not to force a choice between your Dugu family and his Liu family." Fang Zilan suddenly struck hard, causing Dugu Ming to stagger and sway, but she pulled him back just before he fell.
“I admit that the Dugu family bears the responsibility of guarding the western border, and I do not want anything to happen to them.” Fang Zilan said seriously, word by word, “I also cherish your talent, so I do not want you to be implicated and get into trouble.”
As she spoke, she released Dugu Ming's hand, but he seized the opportunity to grab her wrist and pull her under his umbrella, only to be pushed away by her the next moment.
“However, more than these things, I care about the truth and the fairness.” Fang Zilan stood straight in the heavy rain. “Dugu Ming, if you have indeed interrogated and investigated and think this is the best approach, then do it. But I will not testify for you, nor will I stand on your side because of this.”
"So you're going to stand on the same side as Lord Zhuge?" Dugu Ming clenched his fist. "Do you know that the Zhuge family's actions are even worse than my Dugu family's? Why should he make you willing to pay any price?"
“He’s different from you.” Fang Zilan pursed her lips, while Dugu Ming’s expression was stern. “How are we different? If we were in his shoes, wouldn’t he have done the same?”
“I don’t know.” Fang Zilan shook her head. “I only know that I’m willing to believe him. Just like when I saw you at the Wen family’s house, I was willing to believe you too.”
Upon hearing this, Dugu Ming felt a lump in his throat, which he couldn't suppress or let go of, making him feel suffocated.
“Since you’re so certain that the Liu family framed you, then you must have more than just this one piece of evidence.” Fang Zilan glanced at the man sitting on the ground. He immediately understood that she was hinting at something, and his eyes lit up as if he had grasped a lifeline. “Miss…”
“You already know who I am,” Fang Zilan interrupted the man. “I cannot appear in court, much less testify for anyone.”
“But…” The man opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something more, but Fang Zilan waved her hand, “It’s come to this, there’s no point in me staying any longer, you should take care of yourself.”
"Miss Zixiu, please wait." Dugu Ming called out to Fang Zilan and handed her the umbrella. "The rain is sudden and the wind is strong. This umbrella is a gift for you."
Fang Zilan did not accept it. "Young General Dugu, you may have meant well, but don't you think it's too late?" She said with a double meaning, "I have been running around and my clothes are already wet. There is no way to avoid it. I might as well stand here and face the wind and rain."
After she finished speaking, she turned and left. Behind her, Dugu Ming couldn't help but ask, "Why do you have to be so stubborn?"
"And what about you?" Fang Zilan stopped in her tracks, but didn't turn around. "You insist on staying in the Southeast. Isn't that also stubbornness?"
Dugu Ming's lips moved, but he didn't say anything more. He just watched Fang Zilan's figure disappear into the rain.
“Since you can guess even if I don’t say it, there’s no need for me to say it.” Hong Tai’s expression turned cold, and Fang Zilan’s smile faded slightly. “Boss, there’s a completely different story between you telling me and me guessing.”
"Fang Zilan, you never intended to let me go." Hong Tai almost gritted his teeth. "Did you think that by using me, I could atone for my crimes, and that the court would forgive and forget?"
“I have relinquished my power and stepped down, so my word is no longer valid.” Fang Zilan neither admitted nor denied it. “But the King of Yucheng has the final say, so I am handing you over to him in the hope that you will repent and start anew.”
"Repent and start anew?" Hong Tai laughed as if he had heard something ridiculous. "Fang Zilan, do you even believe that yourself? I am a wanted criminal, deserving of a hundred deaths. No one will believe me, and no one will give me a chance..."
"I believe you." Fang Zilan interrupted Hong Tai's next words and said in a low voice, "I know what it feels like to want to give your life. I also know the torment of not being able to give it up."
She laughed self-deprecatingly. "I've asked myself many times, why wasn't it me who died?"
Zhen Mi'er turned her head away, and Hong Tai opened his mouth, "Fang Zilan..."
“No matter what, the one who is alive is me, and the one who is alive is you.” Fang Zilan pursed her lips, a resolute look appearing in her eyes. “Since we are alive, we cannot live in vain.”
For the first time in her life, she spoke her heart's words: "My parents wished for the eternal stability of our land, and my conquest of the four borders has fulfilled their wish. Mo Han wants to revise the laws and restore justice to the world, so I went to Jiangnan and Feiling Mountain to collect evidence of wrongdoing, which is not in vain for him. The Ghost Gate destroyed Chu Bin, and the people of the martial world took his life, so I will eradicate the Ghost Gate and cleanse the martial world."
"Lan'er, you..." Zhen Mi'er finally understood that what Zuiyue Tower sold to Cui Hai was not only the news of his beloved senior brother, but also a favor.
Fang Zilan's actions were aimed at the future. With Cui Hai as her pawn, the Huo family of the Blade Sect, Xiaojing Lake, Wuliang Palace... all the martial arts sects would be drawn into a game of grudges and favors.
From the moment the mountain bandits and outlaws killed the first江湖人 (jianghu person, a person of the martial arts world), these two sides were destined to never coexist peacefully. Like the black and white pieces on a chessboard, the conflict wouldn't end until one side was completely wiped out.
Zhen Mi'er felt a chill run through her body. What a brilliant tactic, what a scheme! When did Fang Zilan stop using herself as a pawn and start using everyone else as pawns?
No. Treating everyone as pawns is something only the player who moves the pieces can do.