Don't Ask Where People Go After Time Travel

Chapter 1784 Taking the Opportunity
“Lying.” Fang Zilan bluntly exposed Li Qiyou’s lie. “If I’m not mistaken, Your Highness must have another purpose for this trip.”

Li Qiyou pursed his lips, his silence seeming to indicate agreement. Fang Zilan continued, "Your Highness, what you want to do is probably not easy. While there's still time and room for maneuver, perhaps you should reconsider..."

“It’s alright to do something even if you know it’s impossible. Even if there’s no result, at least you’ll have no regrets.” Li Qiyou said earnestly, word by word, “Even if we find out in the future that there are many things in the world that are impossible, that’s a matter for the future. At least for now, there’s still room to try.”

Upon hearing this, Fang Zilan laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight, and ended up sprawled on the steps without any regard for her image. Zhuge Yu, standing to the side, tried to cover his face with his sleeve, but couldn't hide the bursts of laughter.

After a long while, Fang Zilan stopped laughing. "Your Highness, do you remember everything I said so clearly?"

“If it makes sense, I’ll remember it clearly.” Li Qiyou looked so calm and almost as if it were the most natural thing in the world that Zhuge Yu couldn’t help but tease him, “Your Highness, you didn’t secretly write it down on paper, did you?”

Fang Zilan was amused again and replied in a frivolous tone, "That's good. If Your Highness writes down everything I say, you can help me publish a book of quotes in the future, and we can split the profits fifty-fifty."

Li Qiyou watched helplessly as the two chatted idly. The lack of their previous probing in the Northern Border was a relief he had never seen before, which made him smile and lift his brows, dispelling his gloom.

"Speaking of which, it was better back in the North." Fang Zilan crossed her hands, resting her head on them, and lay down casually on the steps. "I gave my life on the battlefield, so I didn't have so many worries. You all couldn't bear to see me die."

"Who said you couldn't bear to part with it?" Zhuge Yu raised an eyebrow, and Li Qiyou deliberately dragged out his words, echoing, "Have you forgotten what happened in Wind River Valley...?"

"You two are such a killjoy," Fang Zilan clicked her tongue. "Even now, you won't say a single nice word to comfort me, not even a lie that you don't mean."

"What's the point of coaxing you?" Zhuge Yu took the wine pot from Li Qiyou's hand. "Why not get drunk with you until dawn? How wonderful!"

After he finished speaking, he tilted his head back and drank the wine, a far cry from the gentle and refined Second Young Master Zhuge he usually was.

"If your grandfather saw you like this, he would probably want to get rid of me as soon as possible." Fang Zilan shook her head, her words filled with lingering fear, but her face showed no sign of fear.

Zhuge Yu casually placed the wine pot on the steps. "Don't you know why my grandfather dislikes our association?"

“How could I not know?” Fang Zilan shrugged indifferently. “Your grandfather must have put in a lot of effort to send me to Miluo and marry me into the Zhongzheng Prince’s Mansion.”

"What did you say?" Li Qiyou beside him looked astonished, and a complicated look flashed in Zhuge Yu's eyes. Fang Zilan, on the other hand, remained calm and composed. "It's fine if Your Highness doesn't know, but how come you don't know, A-Yu?"

“I…” Zhuge Yu avoided Fang Zilan’s gaze, suddenly recalling the big argument he had with his grandfather before Miluo—

"Just because she is a member of the Ghost Gate, does Grandfather intend to use any means necessary to destroy everything she has in Dajing and send her to Miluo? That is Murong Qing. What if the Zhongzheng Prince's Mansion plots to seize power in the future? Wouldn't that put her as a weapon in the enemy's hands and give Miluo the opportunity to harm Dajing?"

“Murong Qing’s father is the Loyal and Righteous Prince Murong Xun. Everyone else would betray him, but he wouldn’t.”

“Grandfather! You worry that Miluo might one day make a comeback, yet you place your hopes on the Loyal Prince’s Mansion to remain loyal and steadfast. Isn’t this a contradiction?”

"Little beauty, you've been in the army for quite some time, yet you don't know about these nepotistic relationships?" Hong Tai looked at Fang Zilan with a half-smile. She pursed her lips. "When I was in the army, I didn't have so many connections." "Was it that you didn't have so many connections, or were you turned away by them, little beauty?" Hong Tai knew the answer and spoke frankly, causing Fang Zilan's expression to turn cold. "Whether I'm inside or outside is none of your business."

"Such a temper, little beauty." Hong Tai chuckled, while Fang Zilan snorted coldly and remained silent.

Seeing this, Hong Tai continued speaking to himself, "Fu Congnan's wife is the second daughter of Dugu Xin, the head of the Dugu family. Otherwise, with his mediocre talent, how could he become the commander of the Jiangnan Camp?"

Fang Zilan pondered for a moment before saying, "I remember that when the camps were divided, Zhou Lang stayed in the Southeast Camp, Lao Cao went to the Southwest Camp to take charge, and the commander of the Jiangnan Camp was recommended by Wei Mao."

“The various aristocratic families are all intertwined and related by blood.” Hong Tai seemed unsurprised. “Even if Wei Mao recommends someone from the Dugu family, it’s not impossible.”

“It’s not that I think Wei Mao would never recommend someone from the Dugu family, it’s just…” Fang Zilan paused, “I think that given Wei Mao’s temperament, he would value ability more than background.”

"Your background determines your stance. Such a simple principle, you must know it, little beauty." A look of disbelief flashed in Hong Tai's eyes. "After all these years of struggling, how..."

Fang Zilan coughed, abruptly stopping Hong Tai from saying anything more. "Let's get back to the main point. You said you found my cousin's whereabouts. What does that have to do with Fu Congnan?"

"Fang Lihui is currently imprisoned in Fu Congnan's dungeon." Upon hearing this, Fang Zilan's expression changed drastically. "What did you say?"

Hong Tai repeated himself, and Fang Zilan clenched her fists, her hands hidden in her sleeves. "How did you find out about my cousin's whereabouts?"

"Does the little beauty doubt me?" Hong Tai stared intently at Fang Zilan. She did not flinch, meeting his gaze directly, as if admitting it.

“Of course I have my own sources.” Hong Tai spoke vaguely, and Fang Zilan didn’t press the matter further, asking again, “Why did Fu Congnan arrest my cousin?”

“Ultimately, it’s because your cousin knows too much.” Hong Tai lowered his voice and whispered in Fang Zilan’s ear, “If we release him, I’m afraid the likes of Fu Congnan will never have a peaceful day again.”

Fang Zilan turned away from the warm breath lingering in her ear, remaining noncommittal. "Really? Does my cousin know more than you do?"

"They're about the same," Hong Tai shrugged. "It's just that I wasn't as easy to catch as your cousin."

Fang Zilan's face darkened, and she abruptly changed the subject, "You just said that people like Fu Congnan?"

Hong Tai nodded and said, "Yes, people like Fu Congnan."

"That's right." Fang Zilan sighed. "There's more than just Fu Congnan behind this."

“Little beauty, you…” Hong Tai couldn’t help but gasp, “Just how much have you found out?”

"We've investigated everything, both what we should and shouldn't have." Fang Zilan's expression remained calm, but Hong Tai's face darkened. "Little beauty, have you considered the consequences of standing on the edge of an abyss?"