The abstinent and powerful minister is cold and aloof during the day, but he adores her in his dream

Chapter 222 was taught by my cousin.

When she saw the man in black standing in front of her, Zhiwan was stunned.

So, the black-robed man shielded me from that pot of boiling water just now?

Realizing this, she immediately asked with concern, "Sir, are you alright?"

The man kept his head down and didn't say a word.

Zhiwan noticed water stains running down his robes.

Seeing this, her expression changed, and she asked urgently, "Sir?"

The man in black robes finally raised his head, glanced at her, and said, "It's nothing, don't worry."

His voice was deep and resonant, with a hint of hoarseness, giving it a sense of age and experience.

Zhiwan was taken aback. When she saw the familiar eyes of the man in black robes, she couldn't help but ask, "Are you acquainted with my parents? We met at their graves yesterday."

The man in black remained silent for a long time, only saying faintly as he turned to leave, "I suppose so..."

Zhiwan wanted to ask more questions, but the man in black robes quickly left the restaurant and swiftly took off his outer robe.

Upon seeing this, Zhiwan quickly chased after him, saying, "Sir, you saved me! Please leave your name and address so I can come and thank you!"

But the man in black robes didn't turn his head and quickly disappeared into the crowd.

"Wan'er, are you alright?" At this moment, Madam Wei walked over quickly, grabbed Zhiwan, and looked her up and down.

"Aunt, I'm fine." Zhiwan came to her senses and shook her head.

"It's alright, it's alright." Madam Wei patted her chest, still shaken.

What just happened was too sudden. Fortunately, the man in black robes shielded Wan'er from the scalding water.

Otherwise, how could Wan'er bear such scalding water being poured on her?

"Madam, Miss, what should we do with that woman?" At this moment, Jiang Shi stepped forward to ask for instructions.

Zhiwan and Wei Shi walked back to the main hall.

The floor of the restaurant lobby was a mess and greasy.

Only then did Zhiwan and Wei realize that what the woman had splashed earlier was not scalding water, but boiling hot oil.

This realization enraged Wei.

"You vile woman, what grudge has my child ever held against you that you would resort to such vicious methods?"

The woman, already pinned to the ground by the guards and utterly disheveled, burst into a tirade upon hearing this, shouting, "You are all relatives of that corrupt official surnamed Lu, you all deserve to die! I only regret that I couldn't destroy that vixen and avenge my master!"

Upon hearing this, Madam Wei was still puzzled, but Zhiwan understood.

"Are you a servant in the household of that corrupt official Zeng Gong?"

The woman's pupils contracted, and she didn't answer, only saying hatefully, "You witch, kill me or torture me, just do it! This old woman isn't afraid of you!"

Zhiwan glanced at her contemptuously. "Kill you? I'd rather not get my hands dirty. You poured hot oil on me in front of everyone, trying to disfigure me. Such viciousness and arrogance, such contempt for the law, naturally deserve to be handed over to the authorities for judgment!"

"You, you witch, you'll die a horrible death!" the woman said through gritted teeth in anger.

"You should worry about yourself. You've committed evil deeds, and there's no way you'll have a good end!" Zhiwan said, turning to the onlookers. "This old woman is a servant of the corrupt official Zeng Gong. Zeng Gong embezzled and accepted bribes, persecuted the people of Yangzhou, and was truly a cancer and a tyrant in Yangzhou. He was recently punished by the imperial envoy sent by the court, but unexpectedly, Zeng's servants are not satisfied and want to seek justice for that corrupt official Zeng Gong!"

"So she was a servant in Zeng Gong's household?"

"Zeng Gong has been a scourge to Yangzhou for years, and he has finally been brought to justice. This old woman can't distinguish right from wrong, and she even protects such a corrupt official? How despicable!"

"What a loyal lackey! I bet he's taken a lot of bribes from the Zeng family to be so devoted to a corrupt official!"

"Kill her! Kill her!"

For a time, the crowd was furious.

The guests threw whatever they could grab at the woman. Jiang Shi had already escorted Zhi Wan and Madam Wei out of the restaurant and into the carriage.

"When it's almost time, send that old woman to the government office," Zhiwan instructed.

"Yes!" Jiang Shi replied respectfully. After arranging for the guards to escort the two back to the villa, he returned to the restaurant.

Inside the carriage, Wei looked at Zhiwan with barely concealed surprise.

Zhiwan was taken aback, then touched her face. "Aunt, what's wrong? Is there something dirty on my face?"

Madam Wei shook her head, took her hand and said, "Wan'er, your performance just now really surprised me."

She had always thought that Wan'er was timid and cowardly and needed someone to protect her.

But Wan'er's behavior just now made her realize that Wan'er was not as weak and easy to bully as she usually appeared.

She realized today that she didn't seem to know Wan'er very well.

Upon hearing this, Zhiwan paused, realizing that her aunt had become suspicious because of her behavior just now.

"My cousin taught me all of that," she said softly at the end.

"Ah Zhan?" Wei asked in surprise.

Zhiwan lowered her head and said, "Yes. Didn't I come to Yangzhou with my cousin a while ago? It was my cousin who taught me that one shouldn't be too weak."

Upon hearing this, Madam Wei's doubts vanished. "So it was your cousin who taught you. I thought..."

I thought it was something, but she didn't say.

But Zhiwan knew.

My aunt thinks that the way she usually acts is all an act.

Zhiwan couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

Living under someone else's roof for a long time made her cautious and timid, afraid to easily reveal her true nature. Most of the time, her behavior was indeed an act, but her respect for her aunt was genuine.

"You were quite good just now. You should be more assertive so that others won't dare to bully us." Madam Wei didn't think much of it; on the contrary, she was pleased to see Zhiwan's change.

Seeing that she didn't blame her, Zhiwan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, "It's good that Aunt doesn't dislike me."

"You silly girl, you're getting better and better, how could I dislike you? I'll only feel gratified," said Madam Wei.

She meant it sincerely.

Although she could protect Wan'er, she couldn't guarantee that there wouldn't be times when she was negligent, and she couldn't be by Wan'er's side all the time. Only when Wan'er stood up on her own would she not be bullied by anyone.

"By the way, what was that woman about earlier? The corrupt official she mentioned, could she be referring to your cousin?" Madam Wei changed the subject.

Zhiwan explained, “When my cousin and I first arrived in Yangzhou, the officials of Yangzhou hosted a banquet for my cousin at Hongyun Restaurant. My cousin brought me and Pearl along. The woman was the wet nurse of one of the officials. That official had committed a crime and his family had been investigated and punished. It is likely that the woman ended up working as a kitchen helper at Hongyun Restaurant. That's when she saw me by chance and took revenge on me.”

Although the last sentence was her own guess, she felt that the truth was probably very close to the truth, and she would know the answer when Jiang Shi returned from the government office.

"I see." Madam Wei nodded, then frowned and said, "It's all because of your cousin that you've been dragged into this."

Zhiwan shook her head, "How can this be my cousin's fault? It's clearly that old woman who's arrogant, vicious, and unable to distinguish right from wrong."

Thinking about what had just happened, Wei still felt a lingering fear.

If it weren't for that man in black robes, Wan'er would have suffered greatly.

"Why did that person save you?" Madam Wei asked, puzzled.

Yesterday at the grave, the man in black robes ignored Wan'er's questions, but unexpectedly, he stepped forward to save Wan'er in this critical moment.

The thought of the scalding hot oil being poured on her body sent chills down Wei's spine.

(End of this chapter)