Her guards

Chapter 147 It has nothing to do with me

Lady Ding'an escorted her and Yang Luo back to their residence, and had seven or eight servants take turns guarding the gate.

Of course, this couldn't contain Mo Zheng.

However, when they came out to spy at night, there was another person there.

Mo Zheng remained calm and lay quietly on the roof, eavesdropping through the cracks that had been previously chiseled open.

Wei Jiao did not shout or disturb the Duke of Ding'an and his wife, but eavesdropped nearby.

By now, we've heard enough of what we needed to hear.

Mo Zheng did not answer Wei Jiao's question, but made a walking gesture and jumped off the roof.

Wei Jiao sneered and followed.

Standing on the artificial hill in the garden of the Duke of Ding'an's mansion, Mo Zheng smiled at Wei Jiao.

"Is the captain here on a spy mission?" she said. "You're lucky; you've heard everything you needed to hear."

That scoundrel is so pretentious, he can respond to anything. Compared to her, he's a truly honest and straightforward gentleman.

“Duke Ding’an doesn’t need me to spy on him,” Wei Jiao said, smiling at the woman before him. “I’m here to see how Miss Yang reacted when she heard with her own ears that her father didn’t want her.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Mo Zheng covered her face and squatted down, letting out a soft sobbing sound.

Wei Jiao laughed heartily: "What are you pretending for?"

“How is this an act?” Mo Zheng said, raising her head slightly to look at him.

As the Lunar New Year approached, more lights were lit in the garden of the Duke of Ding'an's mansion. In the deep of night, the scattered lights reflected on her face, making her look both radiant and eerie.

Wei Jiao looked at this face, and then saw that her eyebrows and eyes were curved.

"Captain, didn't you cry when your parents abandoned you?"

Almost no one had ever dared to say such a thing to his face. For a moment, Wei Jiao was in a daze, wondering if he was dreaming.

No, it's not a dream. It just occurred to me in a daze, and the thought flashed through my mind.

He had heard this phrase before when he was sleeping here, and then he... had a seizure.

I knew it was that bastard who did it!

Wei Jiao, still smiling, suddenly turned serious and reached out to grab Mo Zheng.

Mo Zheng seemed to be blown away by the wind created by Wei Jiao's hand, and fell downwards before the hand could touch her...

"Captain, I'm not joking anymore. I'm telling the truth. I won't cry." She landed steadily on the ground, looked at Wei Jiao on the artificial hill, and before he could speak again, continued, "I've known since I was little that my father doesn't want me. Besides, it has nothing to do with me that he doesn't want me. It's his business. Why should I be sad..."

Whether he wants me or not is his business, it has nothing to do with me.

Wei Jiao stopped his leap, looked down at the figures in the night below the artificial hill, and heard soft sounds coming from below.

"I didn't come here to reunite with my relatives."

"I am searching for the murderer who killed my mother and the people of Whitehorse."

"So, Captain, don't worry, I won't make a scene just because my father doesn't want me."

Wei Jiao jumped down from the artificial hill and looked at her: "So, you were the one who did this in Ji and Ying. Miss Yang is amazing. Even the censor can be ordered around by you."

“I had someone deliver Ji Ying’s blood-stained clothes and letter,” Mo Zheng said. “I told the Commandant before that I was able to survive because I had help, but the Censor was not dispatched by me.”

She sighed softly as she said this.

"Fortunately, there are officials like Ji Ying who have no conscience, and there are also officials like Imperial Censor Li who are honest and just."

Wei Jiao chuckled twice; no one would believe her.

"If you don't believe me, Captain, please investigate and see if Censor Li Bu was acting on my orders," Mo Zheng said earnestly. After speaking, she curtsied and said, "Although I've come home, my teacher has assigned me homework. I still have to study tomorrow, so I'll go and rest now."

Wei Jiao remained silent, watching the woman turn and disappear into the night garden in a few steps.

"Captain," he sneered. "What? You don't act all coy and call me 'Senior Brother' anymore when we're not in front of others?"

He took a step back and leaned against the artificial hill to avoid the light shining through the swaying wind.

Will they not make a big fuss over recognizing relatives?

Wei Jiao chuckled again.

But she can make others make a huge fuss.

Just wait and see. This isn't as simple as Ji Ying shirking his duty by replacing mountain bandits with death row inmates. The real drama is yet to come.

Wei Jiao yawned, sat down against the artificial hill, and looked at the garden in the night. The lights reflected in the night, making it seem real and unreal. Gradually, magnificent lights, noisy crowds, and packs of hunting dogs ran in the dark appeared before his eyes.

Laughter, music, shouts, barking dogs, and a woman's soft call.

"Ah Jiao, Ah Jiao—"

Wei Jiao tensed up and looked into the brightly lit area, but amidst the noise, another female voice rang in his ears.

"It's none of my business if he doesn't want me. It's his business, why should I be sad..."

Wei Jiao let out a laugh, and the scene that seemed both real and unreal vanished instantly. Before him lay a desolate winter garden, its winter chill undiminished by the lamplight, and the biting cold that blew in with the wind.

The power of the Duke of Ding'an cannot compare to that of Zhao Tan, and the garden managed by the Duke of Ding'an's mansion is also completely incomparable to that of Zhao Tan back then.

People are gone, things are gone. All those people and events of the past are gone.

Wei Jiao pulled up her cloak to cover her head and face, wrapped herself up tightly, and curled up, blending into the artificial rockery.

……

.......
"How about it?"

Seeing Mo Zheng slip in through the window, Yang Luo, who was sitting at the table tending to the candlelight, quickly got up and asked softly.

Mo Zheng said softly, "Wei Jiao is here too."

Yang Luo was slightly startled: "He... came on orders?"

"Don't worry about him," Mo Zheng said with a smile. "He's just here to watch the show."

After saying that, he sat down and looked at Yang Luo.

"Ding'an Gong said that the emperor knows Yang Luo's true identity."

Yang Luo was speechless for a moment, then laughed.

“Right, I knew it,” she said. “Zhu Yunxiao said he would give an explanation to the palace.”

So in that lifetime, besides her maternal uncle, Duke Ding'an, who was standing outside the door, her father, the emperor, was also watching, watching her die.

Mo Zheng gently patted her arm.

Yang Luo smiled at her: "I'm fine, this is something we've suspected for a long time."

Even if there are still speculations, it will still be sad when you actually hear them. Mo Zheng patted her again to comfort her. Although it was cruel, the things that needed to be said still had to be said.

She said, "Duke Ding'an said that the emperor wants to maintain the status quo and let you continue to pretend to be someone else's daughter."

Yang Luo nodded: "Just as I expected."

After all, in her previous life, she was the daughter of Ding'an Gong's cousin until her death, not her own sister's daughter.

After saying that, he looked at the flickering candlelight and smiled.

She wasn't truly heartbroken. She had returned not to be sad because someone had rejected her, and the matter of Ji Ying wasn't about acknowledging or rejecting relatives.

"Let's rest and recharge. The excitement is about to begin."

……

.......
Inside the Yichun Marquis's residence, neither the Marquis nor his son felt sleepy.

The Duke of Ding'an also sent the message over.

"Your Majesty actually knew..." Chai Yuan was shocked.

Marquis Yichun felt it was alright.

It's not surprising that the emperor didn't investigate Miss Yang's identity, after all, he trusted Duke Ding'an, his childhood friend.

It's not surprising that the emperor investigated Miss Yang's identity, given that he cared a great deal about the Yang family and wished he were the head of the family, even inquiring about the affairs of their collateral relatives.

Marquis Yichun scoffed, "So you know, so you know."

Chai Yuansong breathed a sigh of relief: "I've said it before, what's the big deal about a daughter? Look, he doesn't even care about her, he refuses to acknowledge her."

Marquis Yichun frowned slightly: "Why won't he admit it?"

Chai Yuan chuckled: "Of course it's because of our family..."

Marquis Yichun glanced at him. Chai Yuan was unusually quick-witted this time. His father didn't like to hear him say arrogant things, so he quickly changed his words.

"...because he felt ashamed."

Marquis Yichun withdrew his gaze and shook his head.

If it was because of their family, then Deng Shan shouldn't have rushed back to fetch this Yang family girl when he was about to ascend the throne. If it was because of shame...

Deng Shan, who climbed his way up from the bottom, wouldn't have gotten to where he is today if he had any shame.

There must be some reason for this that they don't know.

Marquis Yichun frowned. Also, even if Miss Yang is not important, something is still not quite right about this matter.

Ji Ying still couldn't find any trace of them, and the suddenly appearing censor Li Bu also couldn't find anyone behind them.

Li Bu came from a simple background and had simple daily relationships. He had never been close to anyone. Could it be that he saw the blood-stained letter and clothes in the ancestral grave and then began to investigate the matter with impartiality and integrity?

how is this possible
Marquis Yichun had never seen such a person in his life.

So it really was the emperor's doing?
And it just so happened that Yang Luo disobeyed the Empress.

Now that Yang Tong from Baima Town has died with his eyes wide open in dismay, and the emperor has revealed that he knows Yang Luo's true identity, they can no longer hold a grudge against him for his disobedience.

Is that all?
Marquis Yichun pondered, feeling that something was amiss, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was.

"My lord—"

An old servant entered from outside the door, his voice low.

"The Empress has sent a message."

(End of this chapter)