Chapter 279: Chapter 279: That Will Make Cousin’s Heart Ache
Lady Wei was still fuming when she left Old Madam Wei’s residence.
But when she turned and saw Zhi Wan’s worried expression, her anger vanished. She took Zhi Wan’s hand and said, "Don’t dwell on it. That Lady Xu has always been one to exaggerate. Don’t be afraid. We’re here for you. No matter how powerful the Crown Prince is, he wouldn’t dare do anything too outrageous."
Zhi Wan had been worried that her aunt would think poorly of her after hearing what Lady Xu said. Seeing now that her aunt was unaffected, she finally felt relieved.
She didn’t really care what others thought of her. As long as her aunt and cousin believed in her and stood by her side, that was enough.
But the thought of the Crown Prince still filled her with dread.
She didn’t know what kind of person the Crown Prince was, but as the heir to the throne, his power was surely immense. For him to have acted so audaciously at the Wei Family estate today, he must have been sure of his impunity.
Fearing that something might jeopardize her marriage to her cousin, she couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, "Aunt, is it possible to move my wedding with my cousin forward?"
’If I marry my cousin sooner, surely the Crown Prince will give up on me, right?’
’But for a young woman to bring up her own marriage was highly improper. It would make it seem like she was desperate to be wed.’
’But at this point, she couldn’t afford to worry about such things.’
Fortunately, Lady Wei understood her concerns and didn’t tease her. Instead, her own heart grew heavy.
She had heard of the Crown Prince’s disposition. Coupled with the Emperor’s indulgence, he was truly capable of anything.
’Now that he has his sights set on Wan’er, I’m afraid he won’t give up easily.’
With this in mind, she nodded at once. "I’ll discuss it with your uncle. If we can find a suitable date, there’s no reason we can’t move the wedding up."
Zhi Wan felt a little more at ease upon hearing this, but because of the day’s events, she found herself missing her cousin even more.
’I wonder where he is now? When will he be back?’
She had no idea that at this very moment, Lu Zhan, clad in black, was standing at the edge of a cliff, watching as Zhi Ye plunged into the abyss, prison cart and all.
The wind gusting up from the chasm below whipped at the hem of Lu Zhan’s robes, making his handsome face seem all the more glacial. The longsword in his hand was still stained with blood.
Behind him, corpses lay scattered in disarray.
Standing beside him, Duan Ling’s face was a mask of horror; he still hadn’t recovered from the scene he had just witnessed.
After a long moment, he finally collected himself, his brow tightly furrowed. "Old Lu, why did you do that?"
’The horses may have been startled, causing them to drag the prison cart over the cliff, but Old Lu clearly had a chance to smash the cage and save Xuanyuan Ye.’
"Of course there was a reason he couldn’t be allowed to see the Emperor," Lu Zhan said, his voice impassive. He sheathed his sword and shot Duan Ling a sidelong glance.
"What reason?" Duan Ling asked, his heart sinking.
Lu Zhan paused before explaining in a low voice, "He is Zhi Yu’s twin brother."
With that one sentence, Duan Ling understood everything.
He sucked in a sharp breath. "So, you’re saying Zhi Yu is also a descendant of King Jin? If that’s the case, then doesn’t that make our cousin Zhi Wan..."
The three words "King Jin’s granddaughter" formed on his tongue, but he swallowed them back.
He felt a fresh wave of dread wash over him.
’After all this, it turns out there wasn’t just one descendant of King Jin... and his granddaughter has been by our side this whole time?’
Duan Ling collected himself and asked, "Back when Zhi Yu passed the imperial examinations, he also took part in the palace examination and was personally granted the title of third place by the Emperor. Even after so many years, the Emperor probably still remembers him."
"Since he and Xuanyuan Ye were twins, they must have looked identical. So you were worried that if the Emperor saw Xuanyuan Ye, he would realize they were brothers and subsequently investigate our cousin Zhi Wan?"
"I couldn’t take the risk," was all Lu Zhan said.
"But if our cousin Zhi Wan finds out what you’ve done, will she resent you? He was her biological uncle, after all. If she knew, would she still marry you?" Duan Ling was genuinely worried for him.
Lu Zhan’s lips pressed into a thin line. After a long pause, he said, "She won’t."
’My cousin is a woman of great principle. She will understand my difficult position. She definitely won’t blame me.’
"Let’s hope so," Duan Ling sighed.
Lu Zhan rested a hand on the hilt of his sword, his gaze fixed on the horizon.
He could have eliminated Zhi Ye directly back in Yangzhou, but the Emperor had sent a secret dispatch, ordering him to escort Zhi Ye back to the capital in secret.
Left with no choice, he had to change his plan and kill Zhi Ye during the escort back to the capital.
’Zhi Ye was the Water Bandit Leader, with the blood of countless innocents on his hands. I have no guilt in eliminating him.’
Duan Ling remembered something and said worriedly, "Your plan was meticulous, without any oversights, but with Zhi Ye dead, it will be even harder to find that one who got away. That person is hidden so deep, they’re a huge menace. I’m afraid the Emperor will hold you responsible."
"Don’t worry, I have a plan for that," Lu Zhan said coolly.
Seeing his confident expression, Duan Ling relaxed slightly.
’Perhaps I’m just overthinking it.’
’Old Lu has always been a master strategist, thorough in his thinking, and never leaves any loose ends that could be used against him.’
’It was just like this scheme to make Xuanyuan Ye fall from the cliff.’
’He deliberately lured out Xuanyuan Ye’s remaining partisans to stage a rescue, then pretended to be overwhelmed, allowing them to seize the prisoner. Then he led his men in pursuit, intentionally herding them toward this very precipice, where the two sides engaged in a fierce battle.’
’And in the ensuing chaos, the horses pulling the prison cart were "startled" and plunged over the cliff.’
’The whole thing looked like a complete accident, leaving no trace of foul play.’
"Princely Heir, there are two survivors among the partisans. The rest have all been put to the sword," Chen Jiu reported, stepping forward with his sword in hand.
Lu Zhan nodded. "Keep a close watch on the survivors. Furthermore, Xuanyuan Ye is a fugitive wanted by the Court. This is a matter of utmost importance. I want him found, dead or alive! Take a team down to the base of the cliff and search for him immediately!"
"Yes, sir." Chen Jiu acknowledged the order and immediately led a team off to find a path to the base of the cliff.
At dusk, Chen Jiu and his men returned, carrying a corpse up with them.
Lu Zhan’s brow furrowed as he looked at the corpse’s mangled, unrecognizable face.
"Is that Xuanyuan Ye?" Duan Ling asked hesitantly.
"When my men and I reached the bottom, the prison cart was smashed to pieces. This was the only body inside," Chen Jiu reported.
Lu Zhan stared at the corpse, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Based on the build and the clothing, it does look like Xuanyuan Ye," Duan Ling said.
"Since he was found at the base of the cliff, then it is him," Lu Zhan said calmly after a long moment.
Duan Ling caught the underlying meaning in his words and shot him a surprised glance.
’This wasn’t like Old Lu’s meticulous style at all.’
’What was that supposed to mean, "Since he was found at the base of the cliff, then it is him"?’
’Has Old Lu figured something out? Or... did he let Xuanyuan Ye go on purpose?’
"Now that we have the body, we’ll rest briefly, then set off for the capital to report on our mission," Lu Zhan ordered.
"Old Lu, your arm..." Duan Ling suddenly cried out, pointing at Lu Zhan’s sleeve.
Lu Zhan glanced down. Seeing his sleeve soaked through with blood, he frowned slightly and said coolly, "It’s nothing."
Duan Ling had been genuinely concerned, but now he was both annoyed and amused. "Your sleeve is soaked in blood and you say it’s nothing? Be honest, did you let the wound break open on purpose? Just so you could make our cousin Zhi Wan’s heart ache for you."
Lu Zhan gave him a cool, sidelong glance. "You’re overthinking things."
Duan Ling just snorted, not bothering to call him out on it.
’Was I overthinking it?’
’He was certain he had hit the nail right on the head.’
’Still, how had he never realized before that Old Lu was such a master of subtle manipulation, so good at winning a girl’s sympathy?’
