Don't ask where people go

Chapter 1842 Return

"What, scared?" Fang Zilan deliberately dragged out her words, while the man stammered, unable to speak coherently. Someone nearby couldn't help but say, "What's there to be afraid of? Maybe..."

"Oh, I misspoke." Fang Zilan raised her voice, drowning out the voices of the people around her. "There might be a one in ten chance. Who knows if the poison I added will happen to be in the same cup as the original poisoned wine?"

Upon hearing this, the man's hand trembled, spilling some wine from his cup. Seeing this, Fang Zilan snorted coldly, "Trying to cheat me?"

"I'm not..." The man had barely opened his mouth when Fang Zilan grabbed his chin and forced the wine into his mouth.

"Cough cough..." The man coughed violently, his face as pale as paper. "Poison..."

Fang Zilan watched coldly until, after a long while, the man's complexion improved and his breathing became steady. He exclaimed with delight, "No poison? That's great..."

Before he could finish his excited words, Fang Zilan picked up a glass of wine, drank it all in one gulp, and said, "Alright, it's your turn again."

The man paused for a moment, and seeing that Fang Zilan was still standing in front of him unharmed, he reluctantly walked over and picked out another glass of wine.

So the two of them drank one cup after another, and in the blink of an eye, they had downed five cups of wine. As the wine on the table dwindled, everyone's hearts were in their throats, as if they might jump out at any moment.

When it was Fang Zilan's turn for the sixth drink, she didn't hesitate and took a glass to drink. However, the moment the drink went down her throat, she realized something was wrong.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, it wouldn't be easy for her to make a move, and she could sense someone lurking in the shadows. Fang Lihui's attitude was unclear, and she didn't know whether the person hiding in the shadows was friend or foe, or what their purpose was. Not wanting to act rashly, she could only try to smooth things over by swallowing the poisoned wine.

The man saw Fang Zilan standing ramrod straight, without even frowning, and felt inexplicably uneasy. Without even looking at her, he picked up the next glass of wine.

Fang Zilan breathed a sigh of relief when he picked up the wine; it was the wine she had poisoned, and the outcome was already decided.

“Poisonous…” The man’s eyes widened, his hands clutching his throat, but blood kept flowing from his seven orifices. He collapsed and died in less than a quarter of an hour.

Fang Zilan felt as if a fire was burning in her heart, and the scene before her eyes gradually blurred, but she still forced herself to say, "I won."

Madam Wang flicked her sleeves and said in a deep voice, "Our Wang family intends to form a marriage alliance with the Ouyang family, but as for the Fang family, let's leave it at that."

"That's it?" Fang Zilan was slightly taken aback. She had long guessed that the Wang family looked down on Fang Lihui, but she did not expect them to say so directly.

"Didn't you hear me, Lord Fang?" Old Madam Wang raised her voice slightly, her tone carrying an unyielding air.

Fang Zilan was not afraid and smiled faintly, saying, "May I ask for the reason, Madam Wang? It would give me an explanation for the two young masters of the Fang family." "The reason?" Madam Wang chuckled as if she had heard something amusing. "Lord Fang should have seen it clearly at last night's banquet. Why must I, an old woman, explain it?"

"When Madam Wang says she sees things clearly, does she mean that you and Lord Wang are so fond of your daughter that you are deliberately making things difficult for the Fang family's young master?" Fang Zilan said, taking the tea offered by the maid beside her. Madam Wang sneered, "I wouldn't bother with a brat like Fang Lihui."

Upon hearing this, Fang Zilan's smile widened even more. "Since you don't want to make things difficult, then Old Madam Wang should at least give a convincing reason, so as not to offend either of the two families."

"Lord Fang is so stubborn, I'm afraid he hasn't been a parent yet and doesn't understand the love of parents for their children and their far-reaching plans for them." Old Madam Wang's expression softened slightly, but her eyes remained sharp.

Fang Zilan shook her head, sighed softly, and said in a low voice, "They say don't laugh at parents for being foolish, for they hesitate for their children. But children and grandchildren have their own blessings, so why should Old Madam Wang do this?"

Madam Wang snorted coldly, "Is Lord Fang here as a lobbyist on behalf of the Fang family?"

"I wouldn't call myself a lobbyist, but since Madam Wang just said she wanted to plan for the two young ladies' future, let's talk about it." Fang Zilan put her teacup on the table and her expression became more serious. "Putting everything else aside for now, I dare to ask Madam Wang, if you refuse the Fang family this time, will you be able to find another young master from a prominent family to propose marriage in the future?"

"Does Lord Fang mean to underestimate the Wang family?" Old Madam Wang's words were stern, but Fang Zilan was not afraid at all. "If it were your own granddaughter, Old Madam Wang, there would naturally be a bunch of young men from noble families flocking to her. But if it were Lingli and Lingyuan, I'm afraid no one would dare to come to our door."

"You!" Old Madam Wang stood up with a flick of her sleeve, but she knew in her heart that Fang Zilan was telling the truth.

Lingli and Lingyuan's identities could not be hidden from everyone in the first place. Now, with Fang Zilan's identity as the Duke of the Northern Kingdom and the Wang family's reputation as a prominent family in the Northern Territory, they can barely keep it a secret. Who can they fool in the future?
“Since Madam Wang knows that what I said makes sense, why not make a decision sooner rather than later?” Fang Zilan stood up and bowed respectfully. “The two young ladies, Lingli and Lingyuan, are well-educated and reasonable, and they will surely understand Chunhui’s good intentions.”

"What a reasonable statement! What a swift decision! What a painstaking effort!" Old Madam Wang smiled dejectedly, each sentence lower than the last, until she slumped back into her seat like a puppet with its strings cut.

The maid standing nearby looked panicked and rushed forward, but was rebuffed by Old Madam Wang. She grabbed the table with one hand and threw the teacup at Fang Zilan with the other.

Fang Zilan did not dodge. She knew that Old Madam Wang had anger to vent, and she didn't mind being the punching bag. After all, it was better than letting Old Madam Wang take her anger out on the Fang family.

The teacup hit her shoulder squarely, but fortunately she felt no pain, so she didn't even flinch and maintained her bowing posture, saying, "Thank you for your mercy, Madam Wang."

"Fang Zilan, do you think you have this engagement under your control?" Old Madam Wang asked angrily. "Do you think the Wang family has to marry off these two girls?"

“I don’t think so.” Fang Zilan raised her head and looked steadily at Madam Wang, who was sitting in the main seat in front of her. “It’s just that this world is indeed more difficult for women.”

"No matter how well they study, they can't become officials or pass away. No matter how strong they are in martial arts, they can only protect themselves and can't even silence the gossip. If there is any other way besides marriage, I believe that Old Madam Wang would try her best for them."

Her eyes shone brightly, like a galaxy, but in that instant they dimmed slightly. "It's a pity there are no choices. This world has never given women any options."