novelraw Chapter 1987 Companionship
Chapter 1987 Companionship
Chapter 1987 Companionship
Fang Zilan said earnestly, "Lord Zhuge, be careful of the people around you."
"Thank you for the reminder, Your Highness." Zhuge Yu's expression hardened, and he moved closer to Fang Zilan, whispering, "I heard the trip to Zhongling Temple was dangerous. Are you... alright?"
Fang Zilan knew what Zhuge Yu was asking, and said softly, "With Awan here, it's alright."
Zhuge Yu frowned. "Wan isn't with you?"
"What's wrong?" Fang Zilan asked in confusion, when she heard Zhuge Yu say, "The Xiahou family wants Awan."
"What do you mean?" Fang Zilan was clearly anxious, and Zhuge Yu hurriedly explained, "The Xiahou siblings went to Zhongling Temple, and the patriarch Xiahou Mingxun was injured."
"To be able to injure the Xiahou family head..." Fang Zilan pondered for a moment, "...is he from the Ghost Gate?"
Zhuge Yu did not answer, seemingly tacitly agreeing. Fang Zilan immediately understood. "Since he is such an important person, why didn't the Xiahou family tell me the truth? Why did they have to use your name to deceive me, using a feint to lure me away from the mountain?"
"I suppose they're afraid you're colluding with the Ghost Gate, so they won't release him." Zhuge Yu raised his voice slightly, so that Li Qiyou and Su Yun next to him could hear the conversation between the two of them. "After all, something happened to the Wu family in Lingnan, and the wife of the Xiahou family head went back to her parents' home."
Fang Zilan couldn't help but ask, "What happened to the Wu family in Lingnan?"
"They say it's related to prohibited poisonous insects and plants," Su Yun replied, while Li Qiyou looked gloomy.
"Has Your Highness thought of something?" Fang Zilan asked meaningfully, but Li Qiyou remained silent.
The death of Prince Rong'an is inextricably linked to poisonous insects and herbs, meaning the Wu family of Lingnan is implicated. And Wu Ying, the wife of Xiahou Mingxun, is a daughter of the Wu family. So, the Xiahou family…
Li Qiyou dared not think any further. Su Yun looked at him, hesitant to speak. This appearance naturally seemed very suspicious to Fang Zilan.
In a flash, Fang Zilan suddenly remembered that the Su family's pharmaceuticals were extremely strange. Could they also be related to prohibited poisonous insects and herbs?
For a moment, no one said anything more. After Dugu Ming returned and left with Li Qiyou, Su Yun also took his leave, leaving only Fang Zilan and Zhuge Yu.
"Ayu," Fang Zilan couldn't help but ask, "The Xiahou family is afraid I'm colluding with the Ghost Gate, aren't you afraid?"
"Sister Lan, don't you think it's a bit too late to ask that question?" Zhuge Yu paused, "..."
Fang Zilan paused, a smile appearing on her lips. "From then until now, A-Yu, are you willing to answer me?"
“I’ve always believed in your actions, not you as a person,” Zhuge Yu said frankly, and Fang Zilan’s smile widened. “That’s enough.”
After she finished speaking, she turned and walked towards the back hall, going straight to find Xie Chen.
"The Crown Prince's wife arrived sooner than I expected." Xie Chen wasn't surprised. "It seems Lord Zhuge told you."
"The Xiahou family wants Awan to treat their patriarch, which is fine," Fang Zilan said bluntly, "but they must also pay appropriate compensation."
Xie Chen smiled slightly, "Miss Awan hasn't even spoken yet, but the young master's wife is already being quite impolite."
Fang Zilan curled her lips into a smile. "I am a member of the Fang family. The Fang family comes from a merchant family and has always been meticulous about every penny. Didn't Mr. Xie ever consider that I might come asking for payment?"
The reward she demanded was, of course, not only Awan's treatment of Xiahou Mingxun, but also the trip to Zhongling Temple. Xie Chen understood perfectly, "Since the Crown Prince's wife is so particular, then let's calculate it properly."
"That's not what I meant." Fang Zilan waved her hand, and Xie Chen didn't press the matter. "Then what did the Crown Prince's wife mean?"
"I want to see Master Ranzhu," Fang Zilan said bluntly. Xie Chen remained calm and said, "With the Crown Prince's wife's abilities, she doesn't need to go through me to see Master Ranzhu."
Fang Zilan stared intently at Xie Chen. "Then, Mr. Xie, will you agree or not?"
"Please, Madam." Xie Chen raised his hand, but Fang Zilan did not accept his invitation. "There are some things I would like to say to Master Ranzhu alone."
Xie Chen seemed to be deep in thought. "Then please make yourself at home, Madam." As he spoke, he took out the token from the government office and handed it to Fang Zilan.
"Thank you very much, sir." Fang Zilan accepted the token, bowed, and then went to her room.
"You and Sister Xiao didn't have dinner?" Awan frowned slightly. Fang Zilan picked up her chopsticks and poked at the wontons in her bowl. "I didn't have much of an appetite at the manor just now."
Xiao Xuan'er didn't speak, quietly taking a bite of wonton. Awan pursed her lips and didn't ask any more questions, continuing to eat her sweet cake. She had already eaten early because she had to deliver dinner to Mo Han and Zheng Yan at the Ministry of Justice, and now that she had gone through all that, she was indeed a little hungry again.
Mo Han hesitated for a moment and then sat down. Seeing this, Zheng Yan sat down next to him. The two took out the food from the food box and were about to start eating when they heard A Wan say, "How about we forget about it? It's winter and the food will get cold quickly. It's not good to get an upset stomach."
"It's alright." Mo Han shook his head and said in a low voice, "We can't let Miss Awan down."
"I'm fine." Awan quickly waved her hand, and Mo Han lowered her eyes and said, "No, this is not a small matter."
Awan paused, looking at Mo Han with a mixture of understanding and confusion. He chewed his food carefully, seemingly lost in thought.
"Fang..." Awan was about to say something to Fang Zilan when Xiao Xuan'er stopped her with a look. She was a little confused, so she could only obediently eat the sugar cake.
Mo Han knew that Fang Zilan was holding a grudge, not only because he had been punched by Pei Poming, but also because Awan had been harassed. He and Zheng Yan were clearly in the Ministry of Justice, yet they knew nothing about it. If they were in a different location, they might still be kept in the dark even if something happened to Awan.
Even so, Fang Zilan couldn't lay a hand on Pei Poming, otherwise, even if they were in the right, they would be in the wrong. In this world, it's truly difficult to achieve fairness.
Amidst the intertwining of anger and lingering fear, and the contradiction between restraint and outburst, Fang Zilan is becoming increasingly composed.
Thinking of this, Mo Han stopped holding his chopsticks. He took a deep breath and said, "Sister Lan, I am really sorry that I failed to take care of Miss Awan today and caused her to suffer."
"I already told you I'm fine," A-Wan muttered softly. Fang Zilan glanced at her, and she immediately fell silent.
"Awan, this isn't about whether you're alright or not," Fang Zilan said in a deep voice. "If something really happens to you, it will be too late to say anything."
“I understand, I’ll be more careful next time…” Before A-Wan could finish speaking, Fang Zilan interrupted her, “A-Wan, this isn’t your fault, why should you be more careful next time? It’s the one who is wrong who needs to pay the price.”
“But…” Awan bit her lip, “The Pei family is behind Pei Poming, I’m afraid…”
She didn't continue, and Mo Han comforted her, "Miss Awan, don't be afraid. We, the people of the Duke of Yue's mansion, will never allow ourselves to be bullied. No matter who it is, we will always get justice."