novelraw Chapter 1956 Discussion
Chapter 1956 Discussion
Chapter 1956 Discussion
Hong Tai raised the hand that was holding Fang Zilan's hand. "I came for you. The purpose of this trip is to let you know that no matter what your identity is, I, and even the entire Hong Clan Wolf Army, will be loyal to you."
"Are you crazy?" Fang Zilan forcefully shook off Hong Tai's hand, forcing a smile as she said, "Do you know what you're saying? Who am I now? The Lady of the Loyal and Righteous Heir of Miluo..."
"So what?" Hong Tai interrupted Fang Zilan. "You are Fang Zilan, and that is the only reason I and we are loyal. Whether it's Li Shengxuan or Ji Ningtian, they can never destroy you."
Fang Zilan took a deep breath. "Do you know why they all want to push this marriage together?"
Without waiting for Hong Tai's reply, she continued, "In Li Shengxuan's eyes, a daughter of the Fang family of Dajing, married to a woman from Miluo, will be caught in a dilemma, finding it difficult to establish herself. In Ji Ningtian's eyes, as their daughter, marrying an enemy they once hated and fought bloody battles against is an act of betrayal. From now on, my former subordinates will be disillusioned, and my words and actions will no longer have any influence..."
“That’s only in their eyes.” Hong Tai interrupted Fang Zilan. “In my eyes, you are fearless, decisive and brave, the most amazing woman in the world. I am willing to be loyal to you.”
As he spoke, he knelt on one knee, looked up at Fang Zilan, and said firmly, "As long as you give the order, I am willing to brave even mountains of knives and seas of fire."
Fang Zilan stared intently at the person before her. After a long while, she heard her own voice, filled with an indescribable sense of relief, "Why would I need you to brave mountains of knives and seas of fire?"
Hong Tai was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said with affection in his eyes, "I knew it, my little beauty can't bear to part with me."
“Compared to you, there’s someone I’m even more reluctant to part with.” Fang Zilan raised an eyebrow, and Hong Tai followed her gaze. “Is that… Prince Yu Cheng, Li Qiyou?”
"Yes." Fang Zilan's voice softened a bit. "This noble and precious prince is about to take over the fiefdom of Prince Rong'an."
"Such a huge mess..." Hong Tai chuckled, then frowned as if he had thought of something. "But why haven't I received any news?"
“Because apart from His Highness himself, no one else is willing to let him do this.” Fang Zilan reached out to Hong Tai and pulled him up from the ground.
"You're unwilling too?" Hong Tai hooked Fang Zilan's finger, a half-smile on his face. "If that's the case, I'll help you kill him, how about that?"
"I already said I couldn't bear to." Fang Zilan withdrew her hand, a wry smile on her face. "How could I possibly bear to watch him lose his life in vain?"
Hong Tai nodded knowingly and said, "I understand. You want me to protect this noble prince?"
Although it was a question, he said it so matter-of-factly that even Fang Zilan was momentarily stunned. "You...aren't you going to ask me why?"
“There’s nothing to ask.” Hong Tai reverted to his usual ruthless and unrestrained bandit demeanor. “If you want him to live, I will protect him. If you want him to die, I will kill him. It’s that simple.”
“Given your status, it would be quite inconvenient for you to be by his side,” Fang Zilan pursed her lips. “But the southeastern region…”
She didn't finish her sentence, but Hong Tai laughed and said, "Don't worry about me."
Fang Zilan opened her mouth but made no sound. Hong Tai said to himself, "You just need to give orders. I'll handle everything else."
"Why is Lord Fang here?" A gentle voice came from Fang Zilan's left. She subconsciously tightened her reins and looked at the person who rode up to her and seemingly unintentionally blocked her view—Zhuge Yu. "And why is A-Yu here?" Fang Zilan asked instead of answering. Zhuge Yu said calmly, "Naturally, it is for the same purpose as Lord Fang."
Fang Zilan's expression turned colder, and before she could say anything, Zhuge Yu said to himself, "Could it be that Lord Fang did not come for the prey?"
The word "prey" coming from Zhuge Yu's mouth had a double meaning. Fang Zilan pretended to be confused and said, "I wonder what kind of prey is so rare that it can catch A-Yu's eye?"
"Lord Fang is too kind," Zhuge Yu said with interest. "More than my prey, I'm curious about what kind of prey Lord Fang has been tracking all this way."
“Ah Yu knows perfectly well, so there’s no need to play games with me.” Fang Zilan was too lazy to beat around the bush with him, so she spurred her horse and rode off in Chen Xu’s direction.
However, Zhuge Yu stood in her way, showing no intention of yielding. "Sister Lan, the Censorate may be biased, but speaking frankly and offering advice has always been the duty of the censors. You cannot..."
“Since A-Yu knows that the Censorate is biased, then you shouldn’t have stopped me.” Fang Zilan interrupted Zhuge Yu’s words in a deep voice, disregarding the affection he showed by calling her “Sister Lan.”
“But if we let Sister Lan do as she pleases today, I’m afraid no one in the Censorate will dare to speak out in the future.” Zhuge Yu stood firm and argued, “Rumors will eventually fall apart on their own, but if those who dare to speak out are gone, it will be hard to find them again. If everyone is insecure and silent, the atmosphere in the court will be worrying if this continues.”
"Once a good person is gone, it's hard to find another like him." Fang Zilan sneered. "Did A-Yu think I was going to kill him?"
Zhuge Yu was stunned for a moment, but then he saw Fang Zilan draw her bow and nock an arrow in one smooth motion. The arrowhead gleamed coldly and pointed directly at Chen Xu. "Then I'll kill him for you to see."
Upon hearing this, Zhuge Yu inwardly cursed. Judging from Fang Zilan's words, she originally had no intention of killing Chen Xu, perhaps it was just a threat or intimidation, but now that he had provoked her like this, it seemed that she was really going to take action.
"Sister Lan, you mustn't!"
"Sister Lan, spare their life!"
Zhuge Yu and Mo Han's voices rang out at the same time. The former was in front of Fang Zilan but had no way to stop her, while the latter rushed over from behind Fang Zilan but had no time to dissuade her.
The two men watched helplessly as the arrow left the bowstring and headed straight for Chen Xu. The sound of it cutting through the air came suddenly, so fast that Chen Xu had no time to react. He felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, cried out in pain, and fell off his horse.
The birds in the forest were startled by the scream and flew away, leaving only the branches and leaves rustling and trembling. The others who were participating in the spring hunt in the forest were attracted by the commotion and rushed over.
Fang Zilan held a bow in her left hand and an arrow in her right. Although the arrow was not nocked, there was a dangerous aura about her ready to fight at any moment.
The crowd surrounded Fang Zilan, not daring to approach. Chen Xu, clutching his shoulder, scrambled to his feet in a disheveled state. Just as he was about to stand up, he saw Fang Zilan's arrow aimed at him again, which startled him so much that he fell back down, his buttocks making solid contact with the ground, causing him to scream in pain once more.
When Li Shengxuan arrived, he happened to hear Chen Xu's second scream. He glanced at him briefly and saw that the man was not missing any limbs, was still breathing, and could even scream with such vigor. He thought to himself that Fang Zilan was really giving him face.