Don't ask where people go

Chapter 1871 Containment
“Miluo harbors wolfish ambitions, and Princess Dejia will likely face difficulties in the future. You…” Zhuge Yu paused, a hint of concern in his eyes, “After marrying into the Zhongzheng Prince’s Mansion, you must also be extremely careful.”

“Lord Zhuge, do you know who I am?” Fang Zilan lowered her eyes and said, “Even if I marry into the Zhongzheng Prince’s Mansion, Fang Zilan will still be Fang Zilan, and my body and mind will never be confined within the walls.”

“But…” Zhuge Yu opened his mouth, then sighed softly, “This is, after all, a marriage. Whether you have no choice in it or have ulterior motives, once you’re in it, you can no longer break free.”

Fang Zilan curved her lips into a smile, but there was a hint of bitterness in it. "Lord Zhuge, are you feeling sorry for me?"

"I don't know." Zhuge Yu clenched his fist, his hand hidden in his sleeve. "But, I'm sorry."

He finally uttered those three words. It wasn't as difficult as he had imagined, but after saying them, he felt no sense of relief. Instead, it was as if he had been burdened by another shackle, making it hard for him to breathe.

"I'm sorry, Lord Zhuge, I accept your apology." Fang Zilan stared intently at the person in front of him, his lips pressed tightly together, his struggle and sorrow clearly visible in his eyes.

“But A-Yu…” Fang Zilan started to speak but then stopped abruptly. After a long while, she said softly, “As A-Yu, Sister Lan does not want to hear him say those three words.”

Because once Zhuge Yu says sorry, all the affection between them—the bloody battles in the north, the strategic planning in the west, and the steadfast defense in the southeast—will vanish.

"Zhuge Yu is now the person in charge of the Zhuge family." Zhuge Yu hardened his heart and said coldly, "From now on, Miss Fang, please do not mention the name 'A-Yu'."

“Okay.” Fang Zilan replied without hesitation, “I was being presumptuous.”

After she finished speaking, she bowed solemnly and then left without looking back, as if she had left all the affection between her and Zhuge Yu behind with him.

Fang Zilan was well aware of what Zhuge Yu and the Zhuge family behind him would do after Li Shengxuan personally issued the imperial decree to grant the marriage.

She was also well aware that, given the current situation and the inevitable impending doom, the Zhuge family would certainly be pushing things along for the sake of Dajing.

But it wasn't until Zhuge Yu apologized to her that she suddenly realized that she could sacrifice her life, her fortune, or even half a lifetime of marriage for the so-called greater good, but she was unwilling to do so.

I'm not willing to be dismissed like this.

Everyone seemed reluctant, but in reality, they all longed for her to marry into the Prince Zhongzheng's mansion and become a puppet-like wife of the heir, dressed up and made up as they pleased, like a soulless doll.

Only in this way could she not be Fang Zilan. She wouldn't be the Third Miss Fang, nor the former Duke of Yue, nor Zixiu, and certainly not the daughter of the former General of the North, the Prince of Pingnan, and Lady Qin...

Thinking of this, a chilling light appeared in Fang Zilan's eyes, but she kept walking.

So this is what they wanted. Ji Ningtian, Li Shengxuan... the people she once risked her life for, the people she once talked to about the country and the world, now, in order to feel at ease, they have demoted her to the lowest possible level, until she is confined to a high mansion and never allowed to leave again.

Li Shengxuan whispered in her ear, "You can leave whenever you want; that's my personal wish."

Fang Zilan's expression was complicated, so Li Shengxuan continued, "I believe you, but the power of the Zhuge family is not what you see before you. If even they are involved..." He paused, as if he had made up his mind, "Then this game can only be played by me alone."

Fang Zilan's expression was inscrutable. After a long while, she said, "You dragged me into this, but now you want to push me away?"

"I'm not..." Li Shengxuan began to speak, but Fang Zilan interrupted him, "Don't even think about it. Everything I have, the lives of my loved ones, is all on this one gamble. You want me to play it safe? Let me tell you, it's impossible."

She spoke faster and faster, her tone and emotions more excited than Li Shengxuan had ever seen before. He couldn't help but chuckle softly, "Knowing it's a dead end, why do you still choose to walk with me?"

"Since we're already here, we can't stop." Fang Zilan sighed and said softly, "Besides, the chances of winning are greater when two people are together. If you have half a percent and I have half a percent, together we'll have a ten percent."

"One in ten chance of winning, nine in ten chance of losing." Li Shengxuan chuckled. "The Fang family has been in business for generations, and their children are always shrewd. How could they have a daughter as extraordinary as you?"

“Doing things you’re sure of winning too often just gets boring.” Fang Zilan turned her head and whispered in Li Shengxuan’s ear, “I’ve won many times, so losing once in a while is no big deal.”

Feeling the warm breath on his ear, Li Shengxuan's ear tips turned red involuntarily. "I thought you didn't like losing."

“That was true before.” Fang Zilan said, moving to the side to increase the distance between them. “Before, if I lost, I would lose my life. Now, if I lose, someone will lose their life with me, so it’s not a loss.”

Li Shengxuan coughed lightly, "It seems I have to take back what I said before. You really are a member of the Fang family."

"Is that so?" Fang Zilan remained noncommittal, then changed the subject, saying, "Now, do you still want the evidence I have?"

"I want to." Li Shengxuan said decisively. Fang Zilan said thoughtfully, "Calling it evidence might not be accurate. It's just a few documents from the Southeast Prefecture government that record all the paddy fields owned by the Zhuge family in Jiang'an over the years."

"So, it doesn't mention that the paddy fields originally belonged to the Hong family?" Li Shengxuan keenly noticed the loophole in Fang Zilan's words, but she nodded nonchalantly. "The record that the paddy fields originally belonged to the Hong family is in the Ghost Gate Bogu Hall."

As expected, she saw a hint of doubt flash in Li Shengxuan's eyes after she finished speaking, so she explained, "The Guimen Bogu Hall contains documents related to the previous dynasty, and I have read some of them. Otherwise, it would have been difficult for me to discover the matter of the paddy fields."

Li Shengxuan asked thoughtfully, "How should this be recorded in official documents?"

"During the previous dynasty, the Hong family and the Zhuge family were both in Jiang'an. The Hong family came from humble backgrounds and were military generals, while the Zhuge family was a family of scholars and warriors. The two families originally had little interaction." Fang Zilan recalled as she spoke, "Until the end of the previous dynasty when the world was in chaos, the Hong family followed General Zhenbei and Prince Pingnan and disappeared. The Zhuge family kept a low profile and joined the Li family at a critical moment to establish the country and became founding heroes. After that, many fields and houses in Jiang'an that originally belonged to the Hong family fell into the name of the Zhuge family."

Li Shengxuan pondered for a moment and said, "If what you say is true, and there are no records of it in this dynasty, then it is unclaimed land. It is understandable that the Zhuge family took advantage of such a loophole."

"Are you trying to exonerate the Zhuge family?" Fang Zilan said calmly, "I thought you would be disappointed."

(End of this chapter)