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

Chapter 279 That way, my cousin will feel sorry for me.
Even after leaving Madam Wei's residence, Madam Wei was still furious.

But when she turned her head and saw Zhiwan's worried look, her anger immediately vanished. She took Zhiwan's hand and said, "Don't overthink it. Xu Shi is always prone to exaggeration. Don't be afraid. We're here. No matter how powerful the Crown Prince is, he won't dare to act recklessly."

Zhiwan was initially worried that her aunt would have a negative opinion of her after hearing what Xu Shi said, but seeing that her aunt was not affected by Xu Shi's words, she was relieved.

She didn't really care what others thought of her; as long as her aunt and cousin believed in her and stood by her side, that was enough.

But she still felt some worry when she thought of the Crown Prince.

She didn't know what kind of person the Crown Prince was, but as the heir apparent, he must have a lot of power, and the fact that he dared to act so outrageously at the Wei family today must mean he was fearless.

Fearing that her marriage to her cousin might be affected, she whispered, "Aunt, could our marriage be moved up?"

If she had married her cousin earlier, the Crown Prince would have given up on her, right?

However, it's really inappropriate for a young woman like her to propose marriage on her own; it would make people think she's eager to get married.

But right now, she can't worry about that anymore.

Fortunately, Madam Wei understood her concerns and did not ridicule her; instead, she felt a little heavy-hearted.

She had heard about the Crown Prince's character, and with the Emperor's indulgence of him, he was truly capable of anything.

Now that he has his eye on Wan'er, he probably won't give up easily.

Thinking of this, she immediately nodded and said, "Your uncle and I will discuss it first. If there is a suitable date, it is not impossible to move it forward."

Upon hearing this, Zhiwan felt somewhat relieved, but because of what happened today, she missed her cousin even more.

I wonder where my cousin is now? When will he be back?
Unbeknownst to her, Lu Zhan, dressed in black, stood on the edge of a cliff, watching helplessly as Zhi Ye, along with the prison cart, plummeted down the cliff.

The wind blowing up from the bottom of the cliff made Lu Zhan's clothes flutter, making his handsome face appear even colder, and the long sword in his hand was stained with blood.

Behind him lay many corpses lying haphazardly.

Standing beside him, Duan Ling looked horrified, still reeling from what he had just witnessed.

After a long while, he finally came to his senses, his brows furrowed as he asked, "Old Lu, why did you do this?"

Although the horse was startled, which caused the prison cart to plunge off the cliff, Lao Lu clearly had a chance to break the prison cart open and save Xuan Yuan Ye.

“There are reasons why he cannot see the Emperor.” Lu Zhan sheathed his sword, glanced at him sideways, and spoke calmly.

"What reason?" Duan Ling's heart sank, and he asked.

Lu Zhan paused for a moment before explaining in a low voice, "He is Zhiyu's twin brother."

With just one sentence, Duan Ling understood.

He gasped, "So, Zhiyu is also a descendant of the Prince of Jin? Then wouldn't that mean my cousin Zhiwan is..."

The words "granddaughter of the Prince of Jin" seemed to linger on his tongue before he swallowed them back down.

He felt a sudden chill run down his spine.

After much searching, it turns out that there is more than one descendant of the Prince of Jin, and the Prince of Jin's granddaughter is right beside him.

Duan Ling composed himself and asked, "After passing the imperial examination, Zhiyu also participated in the palace examination and was named the third-ranked scholar by the emperor. Even though so many years have passed, the emperor probably still remembers him."

Since he and Xuanyuan Ye are twins, they must look exactly alike. So you're worried that if the Emperor sees Xuanyuan Ye, he'll know they're brothers and then trace it back to your cousin, Zhiwan?"

"I can't take the risk." That was all Lu Zhan said.

“But if you do this, what will happen to your cousin Zhiwan? Won’t she resent you? After all, he is her uncle. If she finds out, will she still marry you?” Duan Ling was very worried about him.

Lu Zhan pursed his thin lips, and after a long while, he finally spoke: "No."

My cousin is very understanding and will understand his predicament; she certainly won't blame him.

"I hope so," Duan Ling sighed.

Lu Zhan rested his hand on the sword at his waist, gazing into the distance. He could have eliminated Zhi Ye directly while he was in Yangzhou, but the Emperor suddenly sent a secret letter ordering him to secretly escort Zhi Ye back to the capital.

Left with no other choice, he had to change his plans and kill Zhiye on the way back to the capital.

Zhiye was a bandit leader whose hands were stained with the blood of many innocent people. He had no regrets about eliminating Zhiye.

Duan Ling remembered something and said worriedly, "Although your plan was meticulous and without any oversights, it will be even more difficult to find that fish that slipped through the net once Zhi Ye is dead. That person is hiding so well and is a great scourge. I'm afraid the Emperor will punish you."

"Don't worry, I have a plan," Lu Zhan said calmly.

Seeing his confident demeanor, Duan Ling felt somewhat relieved.

Perhaps he was overthinking it.

Old Lu has always been far-sighted, thoughtful, and never gives anyone cause for gossip.

Just like the incident where Xuanyuan Ye was designed to fall off a cliff.

He deliberately lured out Xuan Yuan Ye's remaining followers to rescue him, then pretended to be outmatched, allowing them to kidnap him. He then led his men to chase after them, deliberately driving them to this cliff where a fierce battle ensued.

During the fight, the horses pulling the prison cart were startled and plunged off a cliff.

All of this seemed like an accident, leaving no clue as to what was going on.

"Your Highness, two of those henchmen are still alive; the rest have all been executed." At this moment, Chen Jiu stepped forward, sword in hand, to report.

Lu Zhan nodded. "Have someone keep a close watch on the survivors. Also, Xuan Yuan Ye is a wanted criminal by the imperial court. This is a very serious matter. We must see him alive or dead! You take men down to the bottom of the cliff immediately to investigate!"

"Yes." Chen Jiu responded and immediately led a group of men to find a way down the cliff.

In the evening, Chen Jiu returned with his men, bringing up a corpse as well.

Looking at the unrecognizable state of the corpse, Lu Zhan frowned.

"Is this Xuanyuan Ye?" Duan Ling asked hesitantly.

"When my men and I reached the bottom of the cliff, the prison cart was already broken into pieces, and only this corpse lay inside," Chen Jiu reported.

Lu Zhan stared at the corpse, lost in thought.

"Judging from his figure and clothing, he does indeed resemble Xuan Yuan Ye," Duan Ling said.

“Since it was found at the bottom of the cliff, then it must be him.” After a long silence, Lu Zhan said calmly.

Duan Ling understood the meaning behind his words and looked at him in surprise.

This doesn't seem like Lao Lu's meticulous work style.

What do you mean by "found at the bottom of the cliff"? Then he must be Xuanyuan Ye.

Has Lao Lu discovered something again? Or... is he intentionally letting Xuan Yuan Ye go?

"Now that the body has been found, rest for a while, then set off back to the capital to report," Lu Zhan ordered.

"Old Lu, your hand..." Duan Ling suddenly pointed at his arm and exclaimed.

Lu Zhan glanced down and saw that his sleeve was soaked with blood. He frowned slightly and said calmly, "It's nothing!"

Duan Ling was initially worried, but upon hearing this, he was both amused and annoyed, saying, "The blood has soaked through your sleeve, and you're still fine? Tell me honestly, did you deliberately let the wound reopen? So that you could make your cousin Zhiwan feel sorry for you."

Lu Zhan glanced at him indifferently, "You're overthinking it!"

Duan Ling chuckled and didn't expose him.

Did he think too much?

He was certain that he had hit the nail on the head regarding Lao Lu's thoughts.

But how come he never noticed before that Lao Lu was such a closet flirt and so good at winning a girl's sympathy?