Don't ask where people go

"During that time, Miss Zhuge Shan was in the army. While Lord Wei was fighting the main force of Miluo, Commander Murong Chen kidnapped Miss Zhuge Shan from the camp, attempting to use her to blackmail Lord Wei." Deputy General Cao stopped halfway through his sentence, looking somewhat regretful.

Fang Zilan reached for the cup in front of her, took a small sip, and asked, "Lord Wei wasn't threatened by Murong Chen, was he?"

"Yes." Deputy General Cao raised his head, his expression solemn and compassionate. "Murong Chen believes that with Miss Zhuge Shan in his hands, Lord Wei will be restrained. Even if he doesn't care about Miss Zhuge Shan's life or death, the Zhuge family will not let it go."

"During the battle, Murong Chen fearlessly used Miss Zhuge Shan as a shield, placing her in front of him. Neither the people of Miluo nor any of us dared to get too close, fearing we might harm her." Deputy General Cao's voice suddenly trembled. "No one expected that Lord Wei would push her in front of Murong Chen, and his blade, along with her, pierced through him..."

Awan covered her mouth in astonishment and disbelief. Fang Zilan's grip on the cup tightened involuntarily.

Moreover, Li Shengxuan had told her that Prince Rong'an was extremely concerned with his reputation. If pirates were to infiltrate his fiefdom and cause trouble, his direct appeal to the court for help would make him appear incompetent, and he would certainly lose face.

After all, since Xiahou Yunzhao surrendered to Dajing, she had quelled the pirates more than once. For more than ten years after her suppression, there had been no news of pirates causing trouble, which showed how ruthless she had been, rendering the pirates incapable of causing any disturbances.

This makes sense. The Xiahou family resigned and stayed behind to guard the old Baiyue territory. Her succession, without any foundation, did not give Prince Rong'an an opportunity to rebel, but rather gave the pirates a glimmer of hope for a comeback.

Seeing that she was lost in thought, A-Wan couldn't help but wave her hand in front of her, "Fang Zilan?"

"I've roughly guessed some of it." Fang Zilan let out a long sigh and looked at Deputy General Cao, asking, "Old Cao, do you know who the Rong'an Prince's generals are? Besides Mo Bin, are there any other formidable ones?"

Upon hearing this, Deputy General Cao said helplessly, "Boss, you know what, apart from Mo Bin, none of the generals under Prince Rong'an are capable of handling things."

Although Fang Zilan had a general idea in her mind and was somewhat prepared, she still couldn't help but blurt out, "What did you say?" when she actually heard Vice General Cao say the answer.

"That's to be expected," Deputy General Cao sighed and explained, "After all, the Rong'an Prince's fief is in the southeast, very close to the Xiahou family. With General Xiahou in charge, the Rong'an Prince doesn't need to do anything at all. Besides, that prince is a complacent person, and most of his generals are sons of noble families who don't have any real skills. Only Mo Bin, although he is a surrendered general from the previous dynasty, is still a veteran who has been on the battlefield and can be used."

"Isn't Prince Rong'an Emperor's younger brother?" Awan asked curiously. "Emperor Tai'an was the one who seized the throne from the Ji family. He spent half his life on the battlefield and was very powerful. How could his younger brother be a carefree person?"

“It is precisely because Emperor Tai’an is so powerful that Prince Rong’an has been well protected.” The person who answered her was Fang Zilan, and Deputy General Cao nodded in agreement, “That is indeed the case.”

"If Ayu's information is accurate, no wonder the pirates infiltrated Mushan Pass to control Mo Bin." Fang Zilan had a plan in mind, but then she suddenly remembered what Li Shengxuan had said—Mo Bin's rebellion must be quelled.

Moreover, Li Shengxuan said that the entire Mo family no longer needed to be kept.

If it is true that the pirates have taken control of Mushan Pass and threatened Prince Rong'an to block the news, then is Mo Bin colluding with the pirates and acting as their accomplice, or is he determined to resist to the death?

If it is the latter, Mo Bin is probably already in grave danger, and the entire Mo family is in even greater peril.

Her mind was in turmoil, but she made a quick decision: "There's no time to lose, let's rush to the southeast camp tonight."

Deputy General Cao was slightly taken aback, but seeing Fang Zilan's serious expression, he quickly nodded and said, "I'll go get the horse right away." He then turned and strode out. "Fang Zilan, I'll go with you," A-Wan said firmly. Fang Zilan's expression grew even colder, "A-Wan..."

Before she could finish speaking, she trembled. A-Wan quickly caught her arm and asked in a panic, "What's wrong with you?"

"I feel really dizzy." Fang Zilan put her hand to her forehead and, with Awan's help, took two steps to sit down at the table. "I'll be fine after sitting down for a bit. It's nothing serious."

"You're lying." Without another word, A-Wan grabbed her wrist, carefully examined her pulse for a moment, and then her expression changed. "You...you're poisoned?"

Awan's uncertain tone startled Fang Zilan. "What did you say?"

“Your pulse is very strange.” Awan frowned and said, “It seems calm on the surface, but there is actually something wrong with it. Even though you have Gu poison, it shouldn’t be like this.”

"What do you mean?" Fang Zilan was completely confused. Awan stared at her intently. "What have you been eating and drinking lately?"

After a long while, Deputy General Cao finally heard Fang Zilan say, "You said that Miss Zhuge Shan was in the army during that time, and that she had feelings for Lord Wei?"

Deputy General Cao scratched the back of his head and gave a helpless "hmm".

Fang Zilan asked in a low voice, "What about Lord Wei?"

Deputy General Cao looked somewhat bewildered. "I don't know about that. Nobody ever knows anything about Lord Wei's affairs."

Awan sighed softly, "It is said that after Murong Chen died, Miluo withdrew its troops and dared not invade again. As for Lord Wei, after returning to the capital, he frequented brothels and is still single to this day."

Fang Zilan was shocked and felt a chill run through her body.

For a general, the world benefits from protecting the peace and tranquility of his region, earning him the praise of thousands. Yet, for himself, he suffers from countless wounds, loneliness, and isolation, unknown to anyone.

“But I still have a question…” Awan began hesitantly, “If it really was Lord Wei who killed Miss Zhuge Shan with his own hands, even if the Zhuge family wanted to protect her reputation and covered it up, they would never have anything to do with Lord Wei again. But why is it that it is widely rumored in the capital that Lord Wei and Lord Zhuge Ming have a very good personal relationship?”

Upon hearing her words, neither Fang Zilan nor Deputy General Cao uttered a sound. The room fell into complete silence, so quiet that one could almost hear each other's breathing. Even the crackling of the candlelight seemed abrupt.

After a while, Awan heard Fang Zilan's voice. Her low tone, set against the twilight, sounded somewhat unreal: "Miss Zhuge Shan's death was a matter of fate. The Zhuge family cannot blame anyone."

Her words were filled with sorrow and desolation: "When we reach that point, even the Zhuge family probably wouldn't have done any better than Lord Wei. To exchange one life for the peace of millions, neither Lord Wei nor the Zhuge family had any other choice."