Don't Ask Where People Go After Time Travel

Chapter 1727 Greeting
"You've thought of all that?" Awan's lips were still curled, but her face was devoid of any smile. "At that time, Wu Xiaotong wasn't just concerned about you, but also about the Dugu family head. What if something happened to Warners, what if the Sassanid family head, out of love for his daughter, did something..."

"So let alone Dugu Linxiu's daughter, even if Dugu Linxiu were dead, the Dugu family head would pretend that nothing had happened." Fang Zilan interrupted Awan's next words. She listened patiently and nodded, saying, "The affairs of a country are above the affairs of a family. You people who guard the borders and defend the frontiers certainly understand this better than others."

“It is true that Warner is the daughter of the Sassanid patriarch, but Dugu Linxiu’s daughter is also her beloved. How can human life be divided into noble and lowly?” Fang Zilan’s face was ashen, and Awan said woodenly, “However, if I had not poisoned her, I would be the one who died.”

"A-Wan..." Fang Zilan began to speak, but A-Wan stopped her, "There are always things that need to be done. Fang Zilan, you said it."

She paused, "As for me, as a female healer of the Ghost Gate, the young master's orders are an inviolable principle, which is perfectly reasonable. As for Dugu Linxiu, as a mother, it is only natural that she does not want her daughter to die an unclear death. It's just that no one saw her at that time."

"And no one saw you," Fang Zilan interjected. "Since you were never discovered, why did you reveal the truth, and why did you specifically choose this crucial moment?"

"Just because I want to try." Awan pursed her lips. "I'll tell you everything I know, and see if I can help you fight against the Ghost Gate and get the justice you want."

"It's too late." Fang Zilan lowered her eyes and said, "The justice that Dugu Linxiu wanted for her daughter is no longer possible."

Not only did she fail to obtain it, she even sacrificed herself. Her departure from Xiguan City to secure the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Jiangnan Camp for Fu Congnan—how much of it was for power, and how much for her deceased daughter—remains unknown.

All that everyone saw was Madam Fu, known as the vicious dog, standing in the courtroom awaiting trial. People say that evildoers are devoid of thought, but how can outsiders know the intricate reasons and causes involved?
"And what about the fairness you want?" Awan cried out as if she were a drowning person grasping at a last straw. "For Young Master Mo Han, Brother Chu Bin, or for yourself..."

“Awan, do you know that to be fair, you can’t treat people differently?” Fang Zilan spoke each word with great emphasis. Awan bit her lip tightly and after a long while, she finally said, “I know.”

Fang Zilan looked at the person in front of her, her heart filled with mixed feelings, but she was completely unaware of them, and continued to speak to herself, "Fang Zilan, you brought me out of the darkness and gave me the opportunity to stand in the sunlight. Even if it was only for a short time, it is enough for me to remember for a lifetime. For this, I am willing to pay the price."

Murong Qing raised her head and stared intently at Fang Zilan. "Why don't you believe me, sister? I have no ulterior motives towards you."

Fang Zilan laughed angrily, saying irritably, "Murong Qing, if I told you today that I would willingly risk my life for you, would you believe me?"

"I believe it, and I don't." Murong Qing's hand, which was tugging at Fang Zilan's sleeve, moved up inch by inch until it grasped her wrist. "Today, my sister has already risked her life for me."

"I didn't do it for you." Fang Zilan gritted her teeth. Murong Qing nodded. "I know, but I owe my sister something."

Fang Zilan's already dwindling patience was worn thin by Murong Qing. "Murong Qing, if you don't tell the truth, I don't mind using some methods to make you talk."

"Sister, are you really willing to lay a hand on me?" Murong Qing softened her tone, which was both ingratiating and ambiguous.

Fang Zilan grabbed Murong Qing's wrist with her other hand. The slender, white section resembled a lotus root, as if it could be easily broken. Murong Qing frowned slightly and murmured softly, "It hurts."

Fang Zilan remained unmoved. "I killed Mr. Zuo, and you will never forgive me for that. You are one of the people who wish me dead."

"Sister, what I like most about you is your stubborn nature. Even knowing you'll suffer a lot, you're still unwilling to give up until you're dead." Murong Qing suddenly smiled, her eyes sparkling like a thousand stars.

He paused for a moment, then calmly said, "Since you want to hear the truth, then I will tell you the truth. I do have something to do with you, but it's not for now, it's for the future."

"The future?" Fang Zilan repeated the word, her face ashen.

"With your intelligence, elder sister, you must have already guessed it." Murong Qing's smile widened, while Fang Zilan's expression grew colder. "What makes you think I can hold onto this position that my elder sister walks on thin ice?"

"Your ruthlessness and decisiveness surpass even that of your elder sister," Murong Qing said bluntly. "If I am destined to be the ruler of the world, then the future empress can only be you."

"Is Your Highness joking?" Fang Zilan sneered. "I am stubborn and have many injuries. I am neither capable of winning people's hearts with my social skills nor of being an empress and continuing the family line. What is it about me that Your Highness sees in me?"

Murong Qing's expression was solemn as she solemnly said, "Sister, I am asking you to become my empress in the future, not for these reasons."

"Request?" Fang Zilan found the word "request" strangely novel coming from Murong Qing's mouth. However, she couldn't help but chuckle to herself. "So young yet so cunning. Such flexibility and adaptability. No wonder he is the one foretold by the High Priest."

Seeing that Fang Zilan remained silent, Murong Qing added fuel to the fire, saying, "Sister, as long as you agree, what harm would it do if all the business in the world were to fall into the Fang family's hands?"

“Your Highness, there’s no need to make such boastful claims. The Fang family is self-aware and has no reason to be so greedy.” Fang Zilan said indifferently, “Besides, even the ruler of the world has no right to control all businesses.”

"Sister, do you not believe I will become the ruler of the world, or do you not believe..." Murong Qing deliberately paused for a moment before saying, "I will protect you and safeguard the Fang family?"

Fang Zilan looked down at Murong Qing with an arrogant expression, "In the eyes of the young master, am I only fit to depend on others and be protected by them?"

“Of course not.” Murong Qing met Fang Zilan’s gaze. “But under the circumstances, you have no choice but to do this, sister. Young women have always been able to use themselves as commodities and marriage as a transaction to make as much profit as possible, but this is not a deal that can be settled in one fell swoop.”

He made a pointed remark, and Fang Zilan pursed her lips without responding. He continued speaking to himself, "In the inner quarters, discord is inevitable. Only with the support of family or husband can things last. If one is alone, one will inevitably perish sooner or later."

Fang Zilan pressed her lips into a straight line. No matter how much she tried to deceive herself, she had to admit that what Murong Qing said was true. This was a world where women couldn't rise to the top. Their value was determined by marriage, and being a good wife and mother was the measure of virtue. You could see the end of a woman's life at a glance.