Don't Ask Where People Go After Time Travel

Chapter 1685 Indulgence
"Fang Zilan, what are you grinning about here like an idiot?" Awan tugged at Fang Zilan's sleeve, and she finally came to her senses. "Nothing, thank you Your Majesty the Empress for making the military tally come to me so easily."

Awan raised her hand to touch her forehead, "Are you running a fever?"

"Stop fooling around." Fang Zilan grabbed her wrist. "I'm perfectly fine, I'm just very happy."

Awan shook her head violently, seemingly unable to understand. "Whatever makes you happy. I came to tell you that the guards outside have all been sent back to the Wei family as you instructed."

Fang Zilan agreed, but Awan asked in confusion, "I don't understand. You've got such a big handle on the Wei family's overstepping of authority, why don't you use it?"

"Did you hear Her Majesty the Empress's decree clearly just now?" Fang Zilan asked instead of answering. Awan repeated it softly, but still didn't notice anything amiss.

"Her Majesty the Empress knows that things are not going well in the Ministry of War, and she issued an imperial edict specifically for this purpose." Fang Zilan reminded her, "Do you think she wouldn't know that the Wei family's troops were overstepping their bounds?"

Awan suddenly realized, "The imperial edict only said that Wei Yi misused the military tally, but it didn't say what he did with it, nor did it mention the imperial guards. Could it be that the Empress is not trying to help you, but is actually trying to protect the Wei family?"

"Her Majesty the Empress wasn't responding to the Wei family, but rather reminding me that the matter of the palace guards overstepping their authority cannot be exposed yet." Fang Zilan's expression turned cold, and Awan frowned, asking, "Why?"

“I am already a thorn in the side of powerful families. If I were to expose the fact that the imperial guards have overstepped their bounds, a crime that all powerful families have committed…” Fang Zilan paused, then drew out her words, “wouldn’t I become the common enemy of all powerful families?”

“But the one who’s wrong isn’t you, it’s clearly those powerful families…” Before A-Wan could finish speaking, Fang Zilan interrupted her, “Not everything in the world can be judged as right or wrong. How can I alone stand against so many powerful families?”

Awan looked unwilling and said sullenly, "So, we're just going to leave it at that?"

"No," Fang Zilan said firmly. "What I can't do now, I may be able to do in a lifetime."

Awan looked at her; her face was expressionless, but her eyes were unusually firm, which calmed Awan's heart considerably.

"I believe you," Awan heard her own voice say.

A hint of surprise flashed in Fang Zilan's eyes, but Awan looked away and gazed at the gloomy sky. "When you said you were going to become the best in the world, I didn't believe you, but you did it."

"Later, when Wuqing said you were going to enter the court, I didn't believe it either, but you did it." Awan sighed and said to herself, "After that, there was the trap in the north, the bandits in the west, the plague in the southeast, and Qiluo defending the city. Every time, you managed to do something that surprised me. So I feel that as long as you are here, there is no dead end. Turning danger into safety and the impossible into the possible is your forte."

"So that's how Xiao Awan sees me." Fang Zilan's voice was tinged with laughter. "In that case, I'll take your good wishes. May the Great Capital one day be as I wish."

"How arrogant!" A-Wan couldn't help but chuckle. Fang Zilan reached out and ruffled her hair. "Well, what can I do? Little A-Wan trusts me."

Awan helplessly brushed her hand away. "How old am I? Why are you still touching my hair? Seriously, what are we going to do next?"

"Once we have the military tally, we'll naturally head to the main camp outside the capital," Fang Zilan said matter-of-factly. "Once Wei Changtai sees the military tally, he'll have no choice but to surrender."

Awan poured cold water on the idea, saying, "If it were that easy, why didn't Lord Wei Ang take the military tally himself to the camp outside the capital? Why did he make you come all the way here?" Fang Zilan remained silent. Before meeting Wei Yi, she thought Wei Ang was trying to avoid conflict and unnecessary trouble. But after seeing Wei Yi, she realized she was wrong.

Even if there were ten or a hundred Wei Yis, Wei Ang wouldn't take them seriously. There was no need for him to use the military seal as a reason to make her make a special trip. In other words, Wei Ang just didn't want her to go to the camp outside the capital, so he found something for her to do.

What exactly happened at the military camp on the outskirts of Beijing? Shangguan Min was still among them...

“Fang Zilan…” Awan’s voice pulled her back to reality. She composed herself and said, “Never mind, let’s go back to the manor first and talk about it.”

Fang Zilan was stunned for a moment, thinking to herself that Li Shengxuan had actually sent Zhuge Yu over. She quickly got up and opened the door, only to see Awan and Zhuge Yu standing in the courtyard.

The two were about to exchange pleasantries when they heard the creaking sound of the door opening and both looked over at the same time.

Zhuge Yu smiled faintly and said, "It's been a long time. How have you been, Sister Lan?"

"I'm fine." Fang Zilan nodded slightly and walked up to the two of them. "His Majesty sent A-Yu over?"

"His Majesty originally wanted me to come, but Prince Yucheng volunteered, so he sent the two of us together," Zhuge Yu replied. Fang Zilan smiled and said, "It's quite an honor that my relocation of the mansion can get the two of you to come and help."

Awan looked around in confusion, "Where is the prince? I haven't seen him."

"His Highness has gone ahead to the new residence to wait." Zhuge Yu took the initiative to explain, and asked, "Has Sister Lan finished packing? If everything is in order, we can set off for the new residence now."

"Okay." Fang Zilan nodded and instructed Awan to go find Deputy General Cao to prepare for departure.

Zhuge Yu left with Fang Zilan from the front yard, while Awan and Deputy General Cao had their luggage carried out from the back yard of the inn.

Along the way, Zhuge Yu and Fang Zilan talked about the affairs of the Northern Border. "His Majesty intends to promote Lord Wang Quanzhi to succeed you. He asked me to come and greet you first and ask for your opinion."

"The appointment of officials is His Majesty's decision, what objection could I possibly have?" Fang Zilan looked at Zhuge Yu with a calm expression. "I'm just afraid that once the Wang family rises to power, the Huangfu family will be unwilling to accept it."

“In Yanzhou, the civil and military administrations have always been clearly separated. Back then, Shangguan Jing was the only exception, possessing both literary and military talents. Now that the Huangfu family holds military power, the noble families that rival them must be scholarly clans.” Zhuge Yu reasoned clearly, “Looking at the entire northern border, the most suitable family is none other than the Wang family.”

“Indeed, there are three high-ranking civil officials in Yanzhou City: Lord Wang Quanzhi, Lord Zhong Yao, and Lord Lu Zhizhang. Unfortunately, Lord Zhong comes from a humble background and has no family connections, while Lord Lu is implicated by Lu Tang and is unable to recover…” Fang Zilan abruptly changed the subject, “When I took office, I relied on my military achievements…”

Seeing that she was stunned, Zhuge Yu smiled gently, "Didn't Sister Lan already guess? Back then, when the chaos in the Northern Border had just been quelled, the various forces were intertwined and complex. His Majesty dared not easily appoint civil officials to their posts, so he had to let you use the thunderous methods of a military general to quell the unrest."

(End of this chapter)