novelraw Chapter 1958 Seizing Power
Chapter 1958 Seizing Power
Chapter 1958 Seizing Power
After a heart-stopping battle and excessive blood loss, Fang Zilan collapsed on her horse and quickly lost consciousness. Before losing it, she tied the reins to herself, fearing she would fall off and die on the road.
An old horse knows the way, and the horse carried Fang Zilan, whose life was hanging by a thread, back to the capital. They were stopped by the guards at the city gate, and before they could be thoroughly investigated, Xiahou Zhang rushed over and shouted, "Make way!"
The guards dared not say a word and quickly made way, watching as Xiahou Zhang carried the mangled body off the horse and placed it in the carriage before driving away himself.
The guards were stunned. Everyone in the capital knew that Xiahou Zhang was Li Shengxuan's man, but for some reason, he suddenly came to guard the city gate himself three days ago, without fail from morning to night, as if he was afraid of missing something.
Now it seems that Xiahou Zhang was waiting for that bloodied and mangled person from earlier. But who was that person that he cared so much about? Or rather, who was Li Shengxuan who cared so much about him?
However, as curious as they were, no one was afraid of dying, so they didn't dare to ask even the slightest bit of information. They quickly dispersed, as if nothing had happened.
Xiahou Zhang drove his carriage into the palace at breakneck speed and took Fang Zilan to Fengyi Palace. Fang Ziqin was so shocked by her appearance that she took a few steps back and almost lost her balance.
"Your Majesty!" Qiu Shui supported Fang Ziqin, her voice trembling slightly but carrying an undeniable authority. "Send the Third Miss inside and summon Wen Ya immediately. Also, tell her that Fengyi Palace was attacked by assassins, and the Third Miss took a knife for me; her fate is unknown."
"Hurry up and go!" Qiu Shui called out to the palace maids inside the hall. They all bowed and left.
Xiahou Zhang escorted Fang Zilan inside. Fang Ziqin watched their retreating figures and whispered to Qiushui, "I need you to send a message back to the Fang family. Go in person..."
"Yes." Qiu Shui nodded in agreement, but there was a hint of hesitation in her eyes.
"Don't worry, I can still hold on." Fang Ziqin gently patted Qiu Shui's hand, indicating that she didn't need to worry. "She can't die right now, not even for the sake of the Fang family."
"Qiu Shui understands." Qiu Shui bowed solemnly and ran out, just in time to bump into Wen Ya who was rushing over. The two apologized to each other and then went their separate ways.
As soon as Wen Ya entered the Phoenix Palace, he saw Fang Ziqin sitting upright on the Phoenix Throne, her expression cold and stern, unlike anything he had ever seen before.
"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress..." Wen Ya's greeting was interrupted by Fang Ziqin before he could finish. "Mr. Wen, there's no need for such formalities. I summoned you here to save my younger sister's life."
“I will do my utmost.” Wen Ya bowed, and Fang Ziqin looked at him steadily. “What I want is more than just doing my utmost.”
Wen Ya was stunned for a moment, and Fang Ziqin continued speaking to herself, "Whatever your mistress doesn't want, I will take. I'm determined to take her life."
Upon hearing this, Wen Ya's expression subtly changed. "What does Your Majesty mean by this?" "Mr. Wen, there's no need to play dumb in front of me." Fang Ziqin stood up, walked gracefully to Wen Ya, and said in a deep voice, "I know that Mr. Wen has always been a pragmatic person. Today, I might as well be frank. I know perfectly well what Mr. Wen has done in the past and what kind of person he is. If Mr. Wen can save my sister's life, I promise to keep my mouth shut, and the entire Fang family will be eternally grateful to you."
“If I cannot do it, Your Majesty the Empress…” Wen Ya began, but Fang Ziqin interrupted him, “I will not do anything, but if Miss Awan accidentally overhears something…”
She didn't finish her sentence, Wen Ya's hand, hidden in his sleeve, clenched into a fist. "What kind of result does Your Majesty the Empress desire?"
Fang Ziqin turned slightly to the side and whispered in Wen Ya's ear, "I want her to be safe and sound and to appear in public as usual."
"I didn't! I didn't seduce Fang Yuhan!" Cong Rong retorted, her voice timid but unwavering. "As you said, I do have some looks, but those looks are not only useless, they almost led to me being forcibly taken as a concubine by the head of the manor. You say I seduced Fang Yuhan, but it's more accurate to say he colluded with the head of the manor. I thought he saved me from being drugged by the head of the manor, but I didn't know it was all premeditated, and I had nowhere to escape."
Hearing this, Fang Zilan had already made up her mind. She looked up at Fang Lihui and said, "I admit that what you say makes sense, Young Master Fang. A woman with beauty can always find a way to make a living by learning something. However, Miss Cong comes from a farming family and probably can't learn anything except working every day. Moreover, even if Miss Cong learns something, I'm afraid it won't change the current situation."
Fang Lihui closed his folding fan and turned to look at Fang Zilan. Her eyes were filled with a mixture of determination and loneliness, shining brightly.
She said seriously, "A person's destiny cannot be changed simply by learning something. If you compare destiny to an opponent, you must proceed cautiously and steadily. The further you go, the more opportunities you have to contend with it. Learning something is certainly good, but it only increases your chances of winning; it cannot completely determine the final outcome."
She suddenly sighed, "Life is not easy. Miss Cong's situation has already determined her status as a weak person. Under this status, her beauty is no longer an asset, but rather a reason for being fought over. A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime. I think Young Master Fang must know this principle."
Fang Lihui was slightly taken aback. "Is Lord Fang speaking up for her?"
“I’m not speaking up for her.” Fang Zilan reached out and placed her hand on Cong Rong’s shoulder, saying firmly, “I just believe in her.”
Cong Rong turned her head in disbelief, staring intently at the person in front of her, her eyes filled with surprise and delight. "Lord Fang, you're willing to believe me?"
Fang Zilan nodded. "However, it's one thing for me to believe you, but it's another to have evidence to prove that the child in your womb is indeed Fang Yuhan's. Without evidence, I can't help you."
"Lord Fang!" Fang Lihui's voice was filled with suppressed anger. Fang Zilan stood up, looked him straight in the eyes, and asked coldly, "Young Master Fang, are you unwilling to face the truth?"
"Even if what she said is true, let alone Madam Yu Han, the daughter of the Wang family, who is about to give birth, how will she react if she finds out about this? Just think about her father, the newly appointed Duke of the Northern Kingdom, and her uncle, who is an official in the capital. Do you think they will let the Fang family off easy?" Fang Lihui gripped the folding fan tightly in his hand, his well-defined knuckles trembling slightly. "Lord Fang, no matter what the truth is, I cannot give her this justice, and I dare not give it to her."
"I will not let Young Master Fang use the entire Fang family to exchange for this fairness." Fang Zilan's expression was calm, but her eyes showed an indescribable certainty. "But if the truth is so, then no one can erase it."