Don't Ask Where People Go After Time Travel

Chapter 1793 Commentary
The man said solemnly, "Even common people respect the dead, let alone royalty?"

"Does being a member of the royal family mean you're innocent?" Fang Zilan clenched her fist in her sleeve. The man chuckled. "Miss, you don't believe in the idea that princes are subject to the same laws as commoners, do you? You can read those kinds of stories and leave them at that, but don't take them seriously."

Finally, he added, "So many days have passed, and Mr. Xie is still at a loss. Let me be bold and say this: if the case cannot be closed in time, and it drags on any longer, not only will Mr. Xie be held accountable by His Majesty, but General Xiahou, who is imprisoned, will never be able to get out of prison in this lifetime."

"I didn't realize you had such a long-term vision." Fang Zilan snorted coldly, her tone devoid of any praise, but rather filled with deep suspicion.

"You flatter me, young lady." The man clasped his hands in greeting. "Although I am a member of the Liu family and live a life of luxury, I still know a bit about the current situation and understand the importance of acting swiftly when the wind blows. If something really happens, I will always be able to escape faster than the average person."

Fang Zilan pondered for a moment, "So the reason I'm seeing you today is because you feel there's no need to run away yet?"

Before she could finish speaking, the man's face turned ashen, and he stammered, "The Liu family is managed by my cousin, so it can't be blamed on me..."

“But Lord Liu has been detained by Mr. Xie.” Fang Zilan reached for a teacup on the table. “Why are you so sure that he will get away unscathed, or at least not drag you into this?”

"I'm just a wealthy idler..." The man had barely started to speak when Fang Zilan interrupted him, "Plotting against members of the royal family is not only a capital offense, but a crime that will implicate nine generations of one's family. You must know that, right?"

“If what you say is true, then we are all accomplices.” The man shrugged indifferently. “The five families in Lingnan have been related by marriage for a long time. Including the Xiahou family, who isn’t related to whom? If we add the distant relatives, I’m afraid there won’t be many survivors in the entire southeast.”

"Is it that there are few survivors in the southeast, or few wealthy families?" Fang Zilan stroked the rim of her teacup. The man smiled ingratiatingly, "If there are no wealthy families, how can ordinary people afford to eat and wear clothes..."

Before he could finish speaking, Fang Zilan smashed the teacup in front of him, the shards flying up and scratching his other cheek. "Please don't be angry, young lady. I'm just telling the truth..."

"I think you've got it backwards," Fang Zilan interrupted the man impatiently. "If it weren't for the support of ordinary people, how could you so-called wealthy families afford to eat and wear clothes? Yet you all treat human life like dirt. Do you really think the Southeast can't function without you?"

The man didn't speak, but his expression clearly said, "You can try it and see if we can still function normally without the Southeast."

"Go away!"

The surrounding crowd was bustling with noise, and flames were raging behind her, but Fang Zilan was completely oblivious. At that moment, she felt that she was no different from an executioner.

She suddenly wanted to throw the plum branch in her hand into the raging fire, but hesitated the moment she raised her hand. Her fingers trembled slightly, and just as the plum branch was about to fall, she clenched it tightly in her palm once more.

"Just keep it as a memento," Fang Zilan thought to herself, trying to comfort herself. But then she heard someone crying out in the distance, "My Jiaojiao is still inside! What are we going to do?"

Fang Zilan turned around abruptly and saw a woman being held down by the people around her, still struggling to rush into the sea of ​​fire.

She then vaguely realized something was wrong. Even if the fire was spreading, it shouldn't have burned nearly half a street so quickly. However, the woman's cries left her no time to think. She dragged her leg and leaped over. "You said there are people inside?"

"My daughter! My daughter is inside!" The woman cried out as if grasping at a straw. Without hesitation, Fang Zilan snatched a bucket of water from a nearby person, poured it over her head, then tore off her soaked sleeve to cover her mouth and nose before turning and rushing into the inferno. "Girl, come back! Are you crazy?" The shouts from behind were ignored; Fang Zilan's only thought was to rescue the little girl named Jiaojiao.

It was an almost bizarre feeling; she was clearly the one who started it all, yet now she was risking her life to save others. It was impossible to tell whether it was atonement or a desire for death, or which emotion prevailed.

However, the scorching flames gave Fang Zilan no time to think. Amidst the smoke and fire, she saw the little girl barely alive in the corner.

She picked up the little girl and carried her on her back. Perhaps it was the chill from her wet clothes that made the little girl shiver, and she instinctively murmured, "Mother..."

"Jiaojiao, don't sleep, I'll take you out to find your mother." Fang Zilan pulled off the wet cloth covering her face and gave it to the little girl. She coughed twice, gritted her teeth, and ran out in one go.

After handing the little girl over to the woman, Fang Zilan breathed a sigh of relief, only then realizing the biting cold that gripped her body, and couldn't help but sneeze several times in a row.

The woman picked up the little girl and grabbed Fang Zilan's arm to prevent her from falling. "Benefactor, you are so kind..."

Fang Zilan didn't hear the rest of the conversation clearly. Before losing consciousness, she thought—Mo Han, will you forgive me? Will you forgive me…?

"Savior?" the woman exclaimed. Fortunately, the people who rushed to put out the fire were quick to help her up. "This young lady is seriously injured. You should leave quickly."

“Okay…” The woman pursed her lips, holding the little girl in one arm and Fang Zilan’s shoulder with the other, and walked laboriously toward the next street.

The fire burned for most of the night, and was not completely extinguished until dawn.

Fang Zilan was brought back to Fengyi Palace by the people Fang Ziqin sent to find her. When Awan saw her, she was so shocked that she couldn't close her mouth. "I heard there was a fire last night, could it be..."

“Last night, Lan’er didn’t leave Fengyi Palace even for a moment.” Fang Ziqin interrupted Awan’s words with an air of authority, “Do you understand?”

“But…” Awan opened her mouth, but her voice trailed off under Fang Ziqin’s gaze, “Yesterday, Lord Zhuge chased after her…”

"You mean Zhuge Yu?" Fang Ziqin's expression tightened, and Awan hurriedly nodded, "It is indeed Lord Zhuge Yu."

"I'll handle this." Fang Ziqin clenched her fist, her hand hidden in her sleeve. She was about to leave when she stopped. "Where is Mei Jian?"

Awan paused for a moment, then blurted out, "She took the Plum Sword before she left yesterday..." She stopped midway through her sentence, her gaze sweeping back and forth over Fang Zilan, but there was no trace of the Plum Sword.

"This..." Awan panicked. Fang Ziqin ordered Qiushui in a deep voice, "Order people to go find it immediately. No matter what, you must bring Meijian back."