Don't Ask Where People Go After Time Travel

Chapter 1961 Dust
“I have already sent someone to inform the Prefectural Governor’s Office of the truth.” Wei Mao narrowed his eyes, a ruthless look appearing on his face. “Lord Fang, do not push your luck.”

"What if I insist on pushing my luck?" Fang Zilan's hand covered the hilt of the plum sword. Wei Mao crossed his arms and snorted coldly, "Lord Fang can give it a try."

Fang Zilan gripped the plum sword tightly, but before she could make a move, she heard a commotion outside the camp, and the sound of horses neighing grew louder as they approached.

She looked back and saw Madam Ouyang riding a tall black horse, her red cloak fluttering in the wind. She held a whip in one hand and pulled the reins in the other, spurring her horse past the soldiers who stood frozen in place, unable to dodge. She was heroic and had no trace of the demeanor of a woman in the inner quarters. Her expression was stern, like a general who had just returned from the battlefield. She was completely different from before.

Lady Ouyang dismounted and, ignoring the astonishment of those around her, walked straight to Wei Mao. "Lord Duke Wei, Lady Ouyang has a favor to ask of you today." She then knelt on one knee and presented a jade talisman to Wei Mao with both hands.

Fang Zilan looked around curiously, but saw Wei Mao's expression freeze. "This is a life-saving talisman the old man gave you. What does it have to do with me?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Ouyang looked up at Wei Mao and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Lord Duke Wei, if we are to follow seniority, you should call me aunt."

Before she could finish speaking, Wei Mao grabbed her by the neck and lifted her off the ground. "So, Aunt, what do you want?"

"Lord Wei, please have mercy!" Fang Zilan hurriedly stepped forward and saw that Madam Ouyang was having difficulty breathing, but she showed no intention of struggling.

Seeing this, Wei Mao seemed to have lost interest and casually tossed the person aside. Fang Zilan quickly helped her up, "Madam Ouyang, how are you? Are you hurt anywhere...?"

Madam Ouyang patted Fang Zilan's arm to indicate that she was alright, then straightened up and looked steadily at Wei Mao, saying, "I want Zirou to be safe, I want her to come back alive."

Fang Zilan's expression suddenly changed. "Madam Ouyang, what did you say?"

"The Ouyang family didn't want Ouyang Zirou to join the Ministry of Works, so they used the hidden arrows and improved crossbows as an excuse to stage a whole charade." Wei Mao smiled mockingly. "What, is Madam Ouyang regretting it now?"

Madam Ouyang's face paled. "I never expected this..."

“Even if Ouyang Zongrui is utterly useless, he’s become quite audacious with your indulgence.” Wei Mao coldly interrupted her. “When you tacitly allowed Ouyang Zongrui to instruct the soldiers in the outskirts of the capital to give false testimony, you should have expected him to target Ouyang Zirou. After all, Pei Poming dared to poison Duke Jin, let alone your lawless son?”

"It's my fault for not raising my child properly..." Madam Ouyang's voice trailed off. "Lord Duke of Wei, I beg you, for the sake of the Wei family, to save Zirou and bring her back safely, please?"

“Madam Ouyang, you are truly foolish.” Wei Mao shook his head and said helplessly, “Now that things have come to this, do you think Ouyang Zongrui would leave Ouyang Zirou as a handle for others to use against? If we go to look for her now, we will probably only find Ouyang Zirou’s corpse.”

"Please wait, my lord." A-Wan's voice suddenly broke into everyone's ears. She walked quickly to Fang Zilan's side, snatched the mask from her hand, and examined it carefully without caring about the expressions of others.

Li Qiyou's expression darkened, and he looked at Fang Zilan, saying, "Who is this person? How dare they act so recklessly?"

"Your Highness, please calm down." Fang Zilan said calmly, "This is a female physician from my household. She accompanied me to the palace to pay my respects."

Upon hearing her words, Awan readily raised her head and respectfully said, "Awan greets Your Highness."

After she finished speaking, she looked at Fang Zilan and said, "There are many rules in the palace, so Awan was delayed for a while before she came. Please don't blame me, Lord Fang."

Li Qiyou's expression grew increasingly gloomy, and he said coldly, "What does Lord Fang mean by this? Do you not trust me?" Awan smiled and said, "Your Highness, please don't be offended. My Lord Fang is concerned about the country and its people, but he is always indifferent to his own affairs. As his attendant, I have to be careful, and it's always better to be cautious."

Li Qiyou snorted coldly and stopped talking. After checking, Awan handed the mask in her hand to Fang Zilan.

The onlookers were all whispering and gossiping, oblivious to everyone else, which made Awan frown with displeasure. However, due to her status, she couldn't show it and could only let them point and talk.

"Miss, have you finished your examination? Are there any problems?" Li Qiyou's tone was unfriendly. Awan replied calmly, "No. Your Highness is a gentleman. It was Awan's petty mind that was wrong. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

Her expression was natural and she showed no fear. She spoke humbly, and with Fang Zilan beside her, Li Qiyou did not dare to make things difficult for her and had no choice but to give up.

Seeing that Li Qiyou remained silent with a stern face, the others naturally dared not say anything more, and the scene suddenly became somewhat quiet.

It wasn't until Pei Xiaozhe stepped forward to break the deadlock, asking, "Does Your Highness have any further instructions?"

His words eased the atmosphere perfectly. Li Qiyou nodded slightly and checked the details of the opera performance with everyone one by one. Only after confirming that everything was correct did he go with everyone to the high platform on Zhuque Street.

The high platform was backed by the palace walls and city towers, and connected to Zhuque Avenue. The street was already crowded with people who came to watch the opera. A fence not far in front of the platform kept them outside, but it could not stop their excited and joyful mood. Everyone's face was filled with a happy smile, and the atmosphere was noisy and lively.

Fang Zilan looked at the people outside from behind the stage, and was unconsciously infected by their joy, her lips curving into a gentle smile.

Awan also had a cheerful expression on her face. She waved to Fang Zilan and shouted loudly, "I can't go in, so I'll stay outside with Vice General Cao and keep watch. Be careful!"

Fang Zilan waved to her, indicating that she didn't need to worry, and then watched her skip and jump as she and Deputy General Cao blended into the crowd in the market.

Looking at the bustling crowd, Zhuge Yu's expression relaxed, and he couldn't help but say, "New Year's Eve in the capital is indeed exceptionally lively."

His voice was very soft, but Fang Zilan still heard it.

She turned to look at Zhuge Yu, her eyes sparkling, and said, "Yu, it's almost New Year's."

A simple sentence, yet it warmed his heart immensely.

Wei Mao, on the other side, watched the two with amusement, arms crossed, and said to Pei Xiaozhe beside him, "Look at the way they look, it's like it's their first time celebrating the New Year."

Pei Xiaozhe smiled and said noncommittally, "Lord Wei seems to be in a peaceful state of mind, showing no signs of joy or happiness."

Wei Mao withdrew his gaze and muttered to himself, "Year after year, like smoke and dust, so boring. It's just a way to pass the time, and I don't see any difference."

Boring? Pei Xiaozhe looked at Wei Mao's unruly appearance and a trace of envy flashed through his heart, but he quickly returned to normal after a moment.