Don't ask where people go

Chapter 1831 Token
“When it comes to lying, how could I be as experienced as Lord Pei?” Fang Zilan curled her lips into a meaningful smile, but there was no hint of amusement in her eyes.

"Princess Madam, I don't understand what you're saying." Pei Xiaozhe stood up, issuing a dismissal order. "Princess Madam is already married; she really shouldn't be here at this time..."

"Lord Pei, do you want to send me away?" Fang Zilan sat down in front of Pei Xiaoze without hesitation. "That's impossible."

“Lady of the Heir Apparent…” Pei Xiaozhe gritted his teeth, while Fang Zilan gave a cold smile, “I thought that since Lord Pei had come to the Southeast, he had made some progress, but I never expected that he would still be so indecisive.”

After saying that, without waiting for Pei Xiaozhe's reaction, she reached out and snatched the documents from his desk. "Lord Pei, even if this is a mess, it's a mess that can't be covered up. You can't fix it, and neither can the Pei family. Rather than lying and making things worse, it's better to report the truth..."

"Lady of the Heir Apparent, do you know what you're saying?" Pei Xiaoze's voice trembled slightly as he deliberately lowered his voice, saying, "This matter involves more than just one or two powerful figures. Prince Rong'an is gone, and even if it's just for the sake of the royal family's reputation, we must preserve his legacy..."

"Posthumous reputation?" Fang Zilan sneered. "That belongs to Prince Rong'an, not you. Pei Xiaozhe, you've brought trouble upon yourself. If you can't even save your own life, how will you protect Prince Rong'an's posthumous reputation?"

"This is my business, no need for the young master's wife to worry about it." Pei Xiaozhe turned his face away, his righteous appearance making Fang Zilan feel even more ridiculous. "Fine, I want to see what you're going to use to settle this mess, Lord Pei."

She abruptly stood up, and before she could leave, Pei Xiaozhe said, "Young Madam, why are you so impatient? As far as I know, this matter is inextricably linked to the Fang family, and also..."

He paused, then added, "The bandits who colluded with the Fang family were also involved. As for those behind it..."

“If Lord Pei has the courage, he might as well continue the investigation.” Fang Zilan glanced at him sideways. “I just wonder, when the time comes, will it be me or you, Lord Pei, who loses your composure?”

"What do you mean?" Pei Xiaozhe was stunned. Fang Zilan's face was as cold as ice. "Lord Pei, for the sake of your past relationship with my Fang family, I advise you to do what you are capable of. Don't try to take on things beyond your capabilities."

After saying that, she left without looking back, leaving Pei Xiaozhe alone, slumped in his seat in the silent night wind.

He has been in the southeast for over a month, and has seen all the accounts he should have seen, and has also touched many that he shouldn't have seen.

However, the more I looked at it, the more shocking it became.

As Fang Zilan said, this was a mess, and after the fire at Zuiyue Tower, it became unmanageable.

Collusion between officials and bandits is not uncommon, and he was mentally prepared for it, but when he came into contact with some of the accounts in bits and pieces, he was still terrified.

Land, military equipment, people, official positions... everything that can be bought and sold, and everything that cannot be bought and sold, is up for sale here.

Under the protection of Prince Rong'an, his fiefdom had become a veritable open black market.

They only care about gold and silver, not the law. They only care about the way home, not where they came from.

“Lan’er…” Zhen Mi’er looked reluctant, but Fang Zilan composed herself. “Sister Mi’er, thank you for your trouble.”

After she finished speaking, she raised her hand to hand the hairpin to Zhen Mi'er, but Xiao Xuan'er took it from her. "Miss, if you are unwilling, we will leave Miluo now..." "Miss Xiao, you are not that silly girl Mingxiang, what nonsense are you talking about?" Fang Zilan shook her head and said helplessly, "Things have come to this point, I have no choice but to marry. Otherwise, where will the Fang family be placed? Where will the people of both countries be placed?"

As she spoke, she turned to look at Xiao Xuan'er, "Ayu told me that the people of Miluo are restless."

“Yes.” Xiao Xuan’er nodded and said, “If it weren’t for Lord Zhuge leading an army of 100,000 to press on Lin City, this wedding might not have been able to proceed smoothly. According to our sisters’ investigation, the ruler of Miluo, Mu Churui, had no intention of marrying Princess Dejia.”

She deliberately lowered her voice and whispered in Fang Zilan's ear, "What Mu Churui wants is for Princess Dejia to be disgraced, so that he can have an excuse to raise an army to invade Dajing."

"So that's why he sent Prince Qi, Mu Chuji, to propose marriage?" Fang Zilan raised an eyebrow. Xiao Xuan'er replied, "That's right, but for some reason, Mu Chuji didn't harm Princess Dejia, especially since Dajing sent troops..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but Fang Zilan understood. "It seems that by a twist of fate, a disaster was averted."

“Lan’er, Miluo is not a blessed place, and the Zhongzheng Prince’s Mansion is in a precarious situation, which could collapse at any time.” Zhen Mi’er took the hairpin from Xiao Xuan’er’s hand. “Once you marry into it, it will be difficult to get out.”

"Get away?" Fang Zilan chuckled. "The tree may wish to be still, but the wind will not cease. When can I possibly get away?"

Zhen Mi'er and Xiao Xuan'er exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes. Once Fang Zilan made a decision, no one could ever change it, not in the past, and not now.

So they stopped trying to persuade her and instead completed the pre-wedding ceremony for Fang Zilan, watching helplessly as the wedding procession from the Prince Zhongzheng's residence led her away.

Miluo has many rules, and wedding ceremonies are even more elaborate. Although Fang Zilan had secretly hidden some food, she couldn't withstand the ordeal that had started the night before. So when she heard the master of ceremonies read the congratulatory speech, she felt dizzy and unsteady, and staggered.

However, no one around her was moved, and not a single person offered to help her. Fang Zilan sighed inwardly.

To end the long wedding ceremony, she pretended to faint and fell straight to the ground, causing everyone to gasp in surprise. They then hurriedly carried her into the bridal chamber.

As the surrounding noise subsided and the crowd dispersed, a cautious voice sounded in Fang Zilan's ear, "Third Miss Fang?"

It is Murong Qing.

Fang Zilan clenched her fists, her hands hidden in her sleeves, and feigned a slow awakening. "What... happened to me?"

"You just fainted." Murong Qing's concern seemed genuine. Fang Zilan remained calm and asked blankly, "Why did I faint?"

"You must be hungry." Murong Qing smiled and reached out to lift Fang Zilan's sleeve. She instinctively tried to dodge, so he stopped. "I didn't expect you to hide food in your sleeve."

Upon hearing this, Fang Zilan pursed her lips, took her hand out from her sleeve, and placed it in front of Murong Qing, where a piece of candy was clearly visible.

Murong Qing was stunned for a moment. Before he could say anything, Fang Zilan pried his hand open and stuffed the candy into his mouth. "Your Highness once gave me a piece of candy, and now I'm returning it to you. Consider it a token between us."