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

Chapter 223 No, there's still one relative.

“I don’t know either.” Zhiwan shook her head. “But I’m sure my parents know him, and they’re quite close to him.”

Otherwise, why would he be willing to shield her from the hot oil?
"By the way, Aunt, do my parents really have no other relatives in this world?" Zhiwan couldn't help but ask, thinking of something.

"Why do you ask that?" Wei asked in surprise.

“The black-robed man’s eyes look a lot like mine,” Zhiwan said, revealing her discovery.

Upon hearing this, Madam Wei looked into her eyes.

Wan'er has a pair of very beautiful and alluring peach blossom eyes.

She had only ever seen eyes like those of Wan'er's father, Zhiyu.

Wan'er inherited her father's eyes.

Thinking of this, she exclaimed in surprise, "That person also has eyes like yours?"

“Yes.” Zhiwan nodded affirmatively.

Although the fine lines around the man's eyes suggested he was not young, she was certain that his eyes resembled her and her father's.

Therefore, she concluded that the person was not just an old acquaintance of her parents, but very likely a relative of her father, which is why she asked her aunt that question.

“I’ve never heard of your father having any relatives.” Madam Wei was very puzzled. “Back then, when your father came to the capital alone to take the imperial examination, he met your mother. Your maternal grandfather also liked your father, so he betrothed your mother to your father. When the two got married, none of your father’s relatives were present. Your father once said that his parents had passed away long ago and never mentioned having any other relatives. So we all assumed that there was no one left in his family.”

Upon hearing this, Zhiwan was somewhat puzzled.

Since her father has no other relatives in this world, the man in black robes could not possibly be her relative.

The same goes for her mother's side; she had no other relatives left.

Her mother was her maternal grandfather's youngest daughter. When her father took up his post in a local area, her maternal grandfather retired and took her maternal grandmother with her parents to Yangzhou to live out their old age.

When she was three years old, her maternal grandparents passed away one after the other.

As far back as she can remember, no other relatives ever visited her family.

If the man in black robes wasn't a relative of her parents, why did his eyes look so much like hers and her father's?

And he even shielded her from the hot oil?

Zhiwan couldn't understand it at all.

Meanwhile, in a secluded courtyard in Yangzhou, an old doctor was incessantly berating a man while applying medicine to his wounds. "It's like the sun has risen in the west! How could someone like you get burned by hot oil?"

The man was indeed the one in the black robe.

He sat in the chair, unmoved by the old doctor's incessant chatter.

He held the cup and drank tea, as if the large red burn on his back wasn't his at all.

The old doctor glanced at his face and deliberately teased, "Could it be that you ran into a pretty girl and couldn't walk straight, which is why someone splashed oil on you? Are you trying to play the hero and win the beauty's heart?"

Upon hearing this, the man in black robes finally lost his temper and said, "It's a waste of your talent that you don't go into storytelling."

Upon hearing this, the old doctor tightened his grip and sneered, "If I were going to tell stories, you would have been meeting the King of Hell long ago. You wouldn't have the chance to sit here and argue with me."

The man in black hissed in pain, but ultimately fell silent.

After applying the medicine, the old doctor instructed him, "It's too hot. Until the wound heals, you should keep your shirt off to avoid suffocating it. For the next few days, make sure the wound doesn't get wet. When you sleep, you must lie on your stomach to avoid touching the wound..."

"Alright, I understand." The man in black frowned and interrupted him.

"Now you think I'm being long-winded?" The old doctor was a little annoyed. He picked up his medicine box and was about to leave, but then he remembered something and came back. "You're not young anymore. You should hurry up and remarry. Hui Niang's difficult childbirth back then... had nothing to do with you. It's been so many years. You should have let it go long ago."

After saying that, he sighed and left, not caring whether the man in black had listened or not.

After the old doctor left, the courtyard became quiet.

The man in the black robe put down his cup and walked to the window.

The courtyard was small, yet it felt so empty and desolate.

He suddenly felt lonely. Hui Niang and his younger brother had both passed away, leaving him all alone in the world.

He doesn't even have a single relative...

No, there is one!
Thinking of the little girl he had met in the past two days, a glimmer of light appeared in the black-robed man's lonely eyes.

Jiangning.

Liu Niang touched her increasingly large belly, feeling very anxious.

Chen Jiu promised to come and save her, but he hasn't shown up all day.

Was Chen Jiu lying to her and never intended to rescue her?

The thought of this possibility dimmed her eyes.

She can't just sit here in jail and wait to die...

Just as she was feeling anxious, several muffled thuds came from outside.

It sounded like a heavy object falling to the ground.

She perked up and rushed to the cell door, straining to look out.

The next moment, she saw Chen Jiu dressed in black walking quickly toward her.

"Chen Jiu..."

Upon seeing him, Liu Niang's eyes welled up with tears.

"Liu Niang, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." Chen Jiu said as he quickly unlocked the lock.

The moment the prison door opened, Liu Niang rushed out.

Chen Jiu followed closely behind.

After leaving the prison, Chen Jiu said to Liu Niang, "I've paid back what I owed you. From now on, I won't accompany you wherever you go. Be careful." With that, he turned to leave, but Liu Niang stopped him.

"Chen Jiu, you can't abandon me..." Liu Niang pleaded almost desperately.

Chen Jiu was in a dilemma, "But I can't betray Lu Zhan. He's my master, and he still holds my indenture..."

“Come with me and run away to a place where no one knows us, and live a secluded life. You don’t need to worry about any indenture.” Liu Niang said urgently, “I have hidden a sum of money, enough for us to live a carefree life for the rest of our days.”

Chen Jiu was taken aback and hesitated before asking, "Really?"

“Really!” Liu Niang said firmly. Seeing that he was wavering, she quickly said, “I have money. If you follow me, you can live a life of luxury. Isn’t that better than being someone’s servant? Chen Jiu, don’t hesitate. You won’t amount to anything if you follow that corrupt official. Just come with me.”

Chen Jiu gritted his teeth, as if he had made up his mind, and nodded heavily, "You're right, I don't need to be a servant anymore, but Liu Niang, if I go with you, there's no turning back. You can't go back on your word and not give me money in the future."

“Fool, the silver I’ve hidden away is more than I could ever spend in a lifetime. Why would I be stingy with your little bit of silver? Come with me now.” Liu Niang said involuntarily, and then took Chen Jiu’s hand and walked towards the dock.

When Chen Jiu boarded the boat, he learned that Liu Niang was going to Yangzhou.

Fortunately, he had secretly left a mark so that his brothers could follow him along the way.

They arrived in Yangzhou at dawn.

Then Liu Niang took Chen Jiu into the city and went to a small courtyard.

"Liu Niang, is your silver hidden in here?" Chen Jiu looked around the inconspicuous little courtyard and asked in a low voice.

Liu Niang didn't speak, her eyes fixed on the tightly closed courtyard gate.

A moment later, she finally raised her hand and knocked on the courtyard gate.

A short while later, a shirtless man opened the door.

When Chen Jiu saw the man's face, his pupils contracted and he froze on the spot.

(End of this chapter)