Don't Ask Where People Go After Time Travel

Chapter 1763 Two Clearances
“I can find you a substitute…” Murong Qing began to speak, but Fang Zilan interrupted her, “Awan can’t.”

"I know." Murong Qing looked helpless. "I just want to know, do you have a substitute in mind?"

“I believe the Crown Prince will make proper arrangements.” Fang Zilan deftly evaded the question, but Murong Qing pressed on, “Have you considered Miss Awan? She came here on the Empress’s orders; if she hadn’t come to the capital with us…”

He didn't continue, but Fang Zilan interjected, "You want Awan to come to the capital with you?"

“Yes.” Murong Qing nodded. “Even if Awan did not impersonate the Crown Prince’s wife, as a physician with a mission, she still needs to accompany him to the capital.”

“I understand.” Fang Zilan’s expression was inscrutable. “I will explain things to Awan. As for whether she wants to come to the capital with you, it is entirely up to her. If she does not wish to, you are not allowed to force her.”

"Alright." Murong Qing readily agreed, then changed the subject as if she had remembered something, "General Meng has found those silver-armored soldiers who went to search for Lord Wen's body for you."

Fang Zilan knew perfectly well that Murong Qing had tampered with things, but she didn't expose him. She let him say, "After all, I was the one who brought them out of Miluo. Whether they are dead or alive, there should be an explanation."

"Is the young master blaming me?" Fang Zilan looked at Murong Qing innocently. He shook his head. "Of course not. When it comes to leading troops, my sister is more capable than me."

He called out to his sister again, appearing harmless and frail. "However, they ultimately made a mistake while doing things for my sister. Just in case, it's best if they stay with me, so that no one will feel resentful and cause trouble for my sister."

"Whatever Your Highness says goes," Fang Zilan shrugged indifferently. "But what I've got, I won't easily return. Do you understand, Your Highness?"

“Understood. Since I have already promised my sister that I would use that half of the token that commands the Silver Armor Army as a token, I will never go back on my word.” Murong Qing nodded slightly. At the same time, as the carriage slowed down, he changed the subject and said, “We are about to arrive at the Fang family's residence. I will not accompany my sister inside.”

“The young master is about to enter the capital, so he must be making preparations.” Fang Zilan continued Murong Qing’s words. He was silent for a moment, then said, “I have already sent letters to His Highness Prince Yucheng and Lord Zhuge, but I don’t know which one of them will respond.”

Fang Zilan remained silent. When Li Qiyou requested to escort Princess Dejia to her wedding, she had guessed that he had come because of the chaos in the southeast, intending to clean up the mess for Prince Rong'an and even inherit his mantle.

Zhuge Yu's decision to stay was more of an unavoidable accident—after all, Pei Xiaozhe, Su Yun, and Dugu Ming, the most outstanding young talents from powerful families, were all detained in the southeast. One more of him would not make a difference.

However... the Zhuge family holds a special position in the court, and Zhuge Yu's grandfather would not allow him to stay. Even if she ordered the Silver Armor Army to kill and silence all traces of the Zhuge family coming from the capital, it would probably be difficult to deceive everyone.

The emperor's orders come first, so it's likely that Zhuge Yu will accompany Murong Qing to the capital. As for Li Qiyou...

Now that the Dugu family has been dragged into this mess, if Li Qiyou stays, he'll suffer greatly, let alone regain public support and restore order. Since it's pointless, would he still stay?

"Your Highness, Madam, we've arrived at the Fang family residence." Meng Tingyang's voice pulled Fang Zilan back to reality. She got off the carriage and walked into the Fang family residence without looking back.

"Wu Ying may not know about the Wu family's affairs, but what about the Xiahou family..." Fang Chongzheng interrupted Fang Zilan, but was cut off again by Fang Zilan after only half a sentence. "You should know better than me that marriage is about the goodwill of two families. Whether Wu Ying knows or not is unimportant, and whether Xiahou Mingxun was involved is also unimportant. What's important is that as long as the Wu family does it, they can drag the Xiahou family down with them." Fang Chongzheng remained silent, then heard Fang Zilan chuckle. "Speaking of which, I've always been curious why Li Shengxuan insisted on marrying me in the first place. A marriage with the Fang family wouldn't benefit him at all."

"If the Fang family is truly as despicable as you say, then what is it that you are risking your life to protect today?" Fang Chong's face showed displeasure, almost deliberately obscuring Fang Zilan's question.

“I’ve heard plenty of reasons, so many that they sound like excuses,” Fang Zilan persisted. “Until recently, I suddenly realized that perhaps I’ve complicated things.”

"What are you trying to say?" Fang Chong stared intently at the person in front of her, and said, word by word, "Xiahou Yunzhao and Xie Chen, did you already know who I am?"

Fang Chongzheng was stunned for a moment. He had considered many possibilities and was even afraid that she would guess the truth from the slightest clues, but he never expected that she would guess this.

“If you don’t answer, I’ll assume I’ve guessed correctly.” Fang Zilan continued, “Whether it’s Ji Ningtian or Li Shengxuan, they knew from the beginning that I was useful to them…”

"Lan'er," Fang Chongzheng couldn't help but interrupt her, "Have you ever considered that Li Shengxuan's proposal to you back then was out of youthful passion, and that his current actions also contain some sentimentality?"

This time, it was Fang Zilan's turn to be stunned. If someone else had said that, she would most likely have just laughed it off. After all, in the world of fame and fortune, talking about love is like drinking water—it's a personal matter.

But when Fang Chongzheng said those words, the meaning was completely different.

Seeing Fang Zilan waver, Fang Chong was about to say something more when he heard her say, "Perhaps he was indeed sincere back then, but in the end, it all wore him down. It was worn down by intrigue, power struggles, and wealth. Now, he's completely unrecognizable. There's no affection left between us."

"But..." Fang Chongzheng was interrupted by Fang Zilan before he could finish speaking, "I'm not someone who can be content with just love, how do you know I don't have ambitions?"

As she spoke, a fierce glint appeared in her eyes. "Today's situation is merely a temporary measure, and the Fang family's peace will only last for a short while. In the future, as the wife of the loyal and upright heir of Miluo, I may not be able to protect Murong Qing. You should take care of yourself."

She seemed unwilling to discuss it further, and Fang Chongzheng did not press her, only saying, "In that case, I hope that the young master's wife will prioritize her own well-being in all matters, and that the Fang family need not be of concern to you."

"Okay." Fang Zilan agreed emphatically, then, as if remembering something, asked, "Don't you have anything else to tell me?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Chongzheng made no attempt to conceal his thoughts and said directly, "I heard that Hong Tai is dead."

"I understand." Fang Zilan was not surprised, and Fang Chongzheng continued, "It was his sister Honghe who personally went to collect the body."

“There are ways to leak this information to Li Shengxuan,” Fang Zilan said indifferently. “That way, the more at ease he is, the safer I will be.”