Chapter 125: Lu Zhan: Cousin, Get Some Rest Early

Chapter 125: Chapter 125: Lu Zhan: Cousin, Get Some Rest Early

Zhi Wan opened the door and saw Duan Ling standing outside, feeling a little awkward.

’I wonder if he heard what Zhenzhu said just now.’

"Junior Minister Duan, Zhenzhu was just angry. Please don’t take what she said to heart," Zhi Wan said after a moment’s thought, deciding to explain.

’Setting aside Junior Minister Duan’s personal life, he’s actually a very good person. He took great care of me and Zhenzhu on the way to Yangzhou.’

"I wasn’t just angry, I meant every word!" Ouyang Zhenzhu snapped.

Zhi Wan gave Duan Ling an apologetic look.

Duan Ling, however, didn’t seem to mind.

’It’s not like this is the first day I’ve known that little brat, Ouyang Zhenzhu.’

He didn’t look at Ouyang Zhenzhu inside. Instead, he handed a small, oil-paper-wrapped package to Zhi Wan. "These are the candied dates that little brat likes. I saw someone selling them on the street and bought a few. You should try some, too."

Zhi Wan, of course, knew exactly who "that little brat" was.

She glanced at the pouting Ouyang Zhenzhu and reached out to take the package. "Thank you, Junior Minister Duan."

Duan Ling shook his head and walked away.

Ouyang Zhenzhu pouted and looked at Zhi Wan disapprovingly. "Why did you take that from him?"

Zhi Wan didn’t answer, asking instead, "You really like candied dates?"

Ouyang Zhenzhu said nothing.

Zhi Wan understood. She smiled and said, "Junior Minister Duan is so thoughtful. He even knows your favorite dessert and went out of his way to buy it for you."

Ouyang Zhenzhu said sullenly, "You shouldn’t have taken it. I bet he’s up to no good. For all we know, he might have poisoned them!"

Zhi Wan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "I doubt it’s that serious. It’s not like you and Junior Minister Duan are mortal enemies." As she spoke, she opened the oil-paper package and offered it to her.

"We may not be mortal enemies, but I just can’t stand the sight of him!" Ouyang Zhenzhu said, even as she grabbed a candied date and popped it into her mouth.

Zhi Wan laughed out loud. "Didn’t you say they were poisoned? You seem to be enjoying them quite a bit."

Ouyang Zhenzhu froze for a second, then snorted. "As if he’d dare poison them!"

Duan Ling had bought quite a few candied dates, and even after sharing them on the way back, they couldn’t finish them all.

Ouyang Zhenzhu ended up eating the last few herself.

When they got back to the courtyard residence, Ouyang Zhenzhu had just stepped out of the carriage when she let out a loud burp.

Duan Ling happened to be walking over. He raised an eyebrow and teased, "Stuffed, are we?"

"This is all your fault!" Ouyang Zhenzhu huffed, stomped on his foot, and quickly ran inside.

Duan Ling rubbed his nose and followed her inside.

As Zhi Wan stepped out of the carriage, she saw the two of them disappearing inside, one after the other.

She shook her head with an amused smile, but when she turned, she saw Lu Zhan standing there, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he spoke with Chen Jiu.

"Duan Ling will be staying here tonight. You and Jiang Shi will look after things on the large ship for now."

"Yes, sir." After speaking, Chen Jiu mounted his horse and rode off.

"Cousin, where is Ah Jiu going so late?" Zhi Wan couldn’t help but ask when she saw him leave.

Lu Zhan glanced up at her but didn’t answer her question. Instead, he said coolly, "You seem very concerned about Chen Jiu."

Zhi Wan said with a completely serious expression, "Because he’s one of your men, Cousin."

Lu Zhan was taken aback. His face, which had been cold as ice just a moment before, suddenly softened.

"Let’s go inside." A flicker of a smile crossed his eyes. With that, he led the way into the courtyard residence.

Zhi Wan followed behind him.

Then, remembering something, she turned and whispered a few instructions to Nanny Fang.

Nanny Fang acknowledged with a "yes" and headed toward the kitchen.

Just as they were about to reach the main courtyard, Lu Zhan suddenly stopped and turned to face the young woman behind him.

"Does your wrist still hurt?"

Zhi Wan touched her left wrist and shook her head. "It stopped hurting a long time ago."

"Still, it’s best to apply some ointment, so it doesn’t leave a scar," Lu Zhan said calmly, taking a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve and handing it to her.

Zhi Wan looked at him, surprised. "Where did you get this?"

"On the way back, we passed an apothecary. I went in and had a physician prescribe something," Lu Zhan explained quietly.

’Now I remember.’

’The carriage had stopped for a little while on the way back. So that was why—my cousin went to the apothecary to get medicine for me.’

Her eyes curved into a smile as she reached out and took the bottle. "Thank you, Cousin."

"You’re welcome," Lu Zhan said, shaking his head.

"Well, I’ll go inside then," Zhi Wan said.

"Alright." Lu Zhan nodded. Remembering something, he paused, then added in a low voice, "Rest early tonight."

"I will," Zhi Wan promised readily, not thinking much of it.

Lu Zhan paused for another moment before turning to enter the courtyard.

「Liang Mansion」

"...that penniless wretch actually made me eat food that had fallen on the table! I have never been so humiliated in my life! My lord, you must get justice for me." Having held in her anger all evening, Madam Liang finally unleashed it on her husband upon returning to their mansion.

Liang Qixian was shocked. "She did what?"

Madam Liang said resentfully, "You have no idea how shameless that little bitch was! She kept dropping the names of Duke Dingguo and his wife, then Princess Chang Le, completely fooling those ignorant fools. And she humiliated me so! I simply cannot let this go. My lord, you must teach her a harsh lesson to appease my anger!"

Liang Qixian grew annoyed upon hearing this. He had originally assumed the girl, Zhi, was just an orphan. But his test had shown that Lu Zhan valued her greatly, which made things tricky.

Years ago, that man from the Zhi family had held evidence of his corruption. He had sent men disguised as bandits to murder him and ransack the Zhi family home, but they had never been able to find that evidence.

So many years had passed, he’d thought the matter was settled for good. But now, an orphan girl with the surname Zhi had appeared at Lu Zhan’s side, and a sense of foreboding washed over him.

He didn’t care whether Zhi Wan was related to Zhi Yu. As long as her surname was Zhi, he could not let her live.

That was why, at Hongyun Restaurant, he had secretly instructed his wife to test Zhi Wan’s importance to Lu Zhan.

If she meant nothing to him, he could have had her killed directly. But the results of his test were not what he had hoped for.

With Lu Zhan holding Zhi Wan in such high regard, he couldn’t afford to act rashly.

"My lord?" Madam Liang called out, displeased by his silence.

Liang Qixian’s face darkened. "The Zhi girl must be eliminated, of course. But you saw it yourself tonight—Lu Zhan places great importance on her. This matter requires careful planning."

"By the time you’ve finished your ’careful planning,’ they’ll already be back in the Capital City," Madam Liang said anxiously.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Liang Qixian snapped impatiently.

Madam Liang replied, "Why not just handle it the old way? In a couple of days, I’ll invite her to burn incense outside the city. You can have men disguise themselves as bandits and ruin her. Wouldn’t that solve everything?"

"A young woman’s honor is everything. Once she’s been defiled, she’ll be too ashamed to go on living. We won’t even have to lift a finger; she’ll kill herself."

Liang Qixian frowned. "That plan is no good. Do you really think Lu Zhan is some decadent playboy who only knows how to indulge himself? The man is the Minister of the Ministry of Justice; he’s bound to be resourceful. Your petty tricks might work on a common official, but they’re useless against Lu Zhan."

"If that plan won’t work, then what do you suggest?" Madam Liang demanded impatiently.

"Let me think on it," Liang Qixian said.

"My lord, we don’t actually have to get our own hands dirty," Madam Liang said suddenly, an idea occurring to her.

"Do you have a plan, my dear?" Mr. Liang asked.

"You’re forgetting Zeng Gong and his wife," Madam Liang said. "Their precious daughter suffered so much tonight because of Zhi Wan. They certainly won’t let the matter rest. We just need to fan the flames a little, and they’re sure to make a move."

At this, Liang Qixian’s eyes lit up. "My dear, your plan to kill with a borrowed knife is brilliant!"