Don't ask where people go

Chapter 1302 Dilemma

"I remember Lord Cheng once said that you have been in Suzhou Prefecture for twelve years and have worked diligently and have no regrets. Everything you have done is for the sake of peace." Fang Zilan looked at the person in front of her steadily, "Is that so?"

"Yes." Cheng Zhiyan did not hesitate. Fang Zilan threw the letter on the table in front of him. "May I ask, Lord Cheng, you designed to instigate refugees, entangled and trapped General Shen, causing him to be unable to split his attention, and several cities in Dajing fell, and the people were displaced. Is it also for the sake of peace?"

Each word she spoke became more serious than the last, until the last word "Taiping" was almost an interrogation.

"Your humble servant..." Cheng Zhiyan opened his mouth, and after a long while, he swallowed all his rebuttals and just replied in a light tone, "Yes."

Fang Zilan's expression was stern. "Master Cheng, I didn't expect that you would deceive yourself like this."

"Whether this humble official is deceiving himself or not, doesn't the Crown Prince's wife know clearly?" Cheng Zhiyan flicked his sleeves fiercely and said sternly, "The Crown Prince's wife should know better than anyone what the southeastern region was like back then. We cannot afford to fight that war."

Fang Zilan's face was as gloomy as water. "If we can't afford to fight, should the people of Dajing just let the people of Miluo bully us?"

Cheng Zhiyan subconsciously argued: "What the people of Miluo want is the city's gold and silver. As long as we give it to them, more people can sleep peacefully..."

"It's just the city's gold and silver? To ensure that more people can sleep peacefully?" Fang Zilan sneered, "Cheng Zhiyan, as the head of a prefecture, is this what you think?"

Cheng Zhiyan's expression froze, and Fang Zilan sneered, "It's because the war didn't reach Suzhou Prefecture. Otherwise, wouldn't Master Cheng have led the people to surrender?"

"Madam, you were able to fight at that time because your Majesty had mobilized the whole capital." Cheng Zhiyan said solemnly, "Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?" Fang Zilan interrupted Cheng Zhiyan's words coldly, "Don't you understand why Your Majesty wants to mobilize the power of Dajing? Even if we can't afford it, we must fight that battle."

"You short-sighted and reckless warriors, what's the difference between this and draining the pond to catch all the fish?" Cheng Zhiyan said angrily: "If you hadn't insisted on fighting, how could the southeast region have fallen into the devastated situation it is today? A little impatience can ruin a big plan..."

"Cheng Zhiyan, is this why you colluded with Mr. Zuo?" Fang Zilan was furious. Cheng Zhiyan nodded and said, "Yes, at least the method proposed by Mr. Zuo is feasible."

"Is it feasible?" Fang Zilan said as if she had heard a huge joke. "It is feasible for you, it is beneficial to Miluo, and it is a huge profit for Murong Qing. Don't you understand?"

She coughed a few times when she was excited. "Paying tribute to Miluo would weaken the power of Dajing to strengthen Miluo, not to mention secretly giving an extra 20% to the Zhongzheng Palace to reward Mr. Zuo for his mediation."

She paused and said coldly, "Let's not talk about the fact that the people of Miluo are eager for the capital to pay tribute, and they don't need the mediation of Zuo. Just think about the 20% profit. Can't you imagine what Murong Qing can do to train the Silver Armor Army? Cheng Zhiyan, you have never been to the battlefield and don't know how to fight. I won't say much to you. But can't you figure out this most basic account?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Zhiyan was stunned, cold sweat broke out on his back, but he couldn't utter a word.

"If you talk about short-sightedness, you are the real short-sighted one." Fang Zilan snorted coldly, "Who would have thought that the soldiers of Dajing were fighting bloody battles in the front, while you guys were thinking about how to stab them in the back."

"I am not..." Cheng Zhiyan hastily denied, but Fang Zilan interrupted him, "Cheng Zhiyan, you know best what you have done in these years. Do you really have a clear conscience? When you dream at midnight, haven't you ever thought of one or two things, two or three people..."

"Shut up!" Cheng Zhiyan yelled with all his strength, stumbling a few steps and bumping into the bookshelf behind him. The books on the shelf fell down, which made him shudder, but he was more sober than ever before. Really, do you have a clear conscience?

Fang Lihui paused for a moment while holding the teapot, and then said calmly, "There are some things that are not suitable for him to know."

"Is it because you are not suitable, or because you dare not?" Fang Zilan stared at Fang Lihui closely, almost questioning him, "I heard that after cousin Liren succeeded as the head of the family, he never returned to the Jiangnan family..."

"Sister Lan." Fang Lihui interrupted Fang Zilan in a deep voice, "It's fine if you know it in your heart. There's no need to speak it out."

"No wonder..." Fang Zilan's expression was gloomy. "You chased cousin Li Ren to Xiguan City and said that he was the only head of the family you recognized in your heart. It was just to whitewash the situation..."

"So what?" Fang Lihui's eyes flashed with a hint of anger. "He is honest and fair in his business. The Fang family can go further with him at the helm. I can't float up anymore. Do I want the entire Fang family to sink with me?"

Can't float up?

Fang Zilan felt a tightness in her chest, and she lowered her eyes and remained silent for a long time. Finally, she whispered, "Cousin, what did you add to the tea?"

Fang Lihui was stunned, "How did you find out..."

"Cousin, have you forgotten that I have another identity as a roamer?" Fang Zilan picked up the teacup and shook it. "If I can hide the drugging from Zixiu, how can I win the game of gambling with my life?"

"You can't be considered the winner in a life-or-death game." Fang Lihui's voice was filled with concern. "I sent someone to deliver it last night..."

"But I can't be considered a loser." Fang Zilan interrupted Fang Lihui's next words and said calmly, "Cousin, I am sitting in front of you now, you should know that poison can't do anything to me, let alone knockout drugs."

After being exposed, Fang Lihui did not try to hide his true identity, but a look of disappointment appeared on his face. "But you still drank it."

Fang Zilan nodded indifferently, "How can I refuse my cousin's kindness?"

"Sister Lan!" Fang Lihui's voice was filled with suppressed anger, "You could have stayed out of this and not gotten involved in this mess..."

"It's too late." Fang Zilan raised the corners of her lips and smiled helplessly, "If my cousin had said these words before my mother passed away, it might still be in time. But now, it's too late."

"What did you say?" Fang Lihui stared at Fang Zilan in a daze. Her smile gradually became forced. "I know that from the gambling game to putting drugs in the tea, my cousin wants to protect me. It would be best if he could get rid of me far away. But I have already entered the game and can't get out of it."

She paused and sighed, "The people in the court will not let Xianyue go, and the people in the martial arts world will not let Zixiu go. Cousin, do you think I can escape?"

"You've never escaped." Fang Lihui turned his head away and whispered, "You've never even thought about escaping."