Don't ask where people go

Chapter 2004 Flipping the Table

“The young master is still my patient. Even if he is handed over to Miss Mingxiang, I cannot completely ignore him.” Awan said resolutely. Fang Zilan opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, she saw Awan take her hand and write the character “poison” stroke by stroke.

“Indeed, the young master was poisoned earlier, and you have been treating him. I suppose no one else knows his condition better than you.” Fang Zilan continued, following Awan’s words. “In that case, I will trouble you to take care of him.”

Before she could finish speaking, Awan raised an eyebrow and said, "Please lead the way, Madam."

"It's just a few courtyards and a few side rooms. Do you need me to lead the way?" Fang Zilan looked at Awan with a half-smile and walked out with her.

Awan said righteously, "After I examine the Crown Prince, I will also examine the Crown Prince's wife."

"Don't worry, with me here, Murong Qing won't dare to harm you." Fang Zilan lowered her voice, and Awan slammed the door shut. "Don't worry, before Murong Qing can harm me, I'll poison him first."

Fang Zilan smiled with satisfaction, "Things are different now. Our little Awan can protect herself now."

"I don't understand, what exactly is Murong Qing trying to do?" Awan said, her expression hardening as she followed Fang Zilan. "Given his health, someone else might not be as good as me at treating him. Killing me wouldn't benefit him either. He certainly wouldn't be trying to use me to coerce you into submission..."

She paused, then said, "But it seems you and he have already reached an agreement, so you don't need to use me as a bargaining chip anymore."

“If I’m not mistaken…” Fang Zilan’s expression was inscrutable, “Murong Qing wants to use you to exchange for me.”

"What do you mean?" Awan looked puzzled. Fang Zilan's voice softened a bit, "If someone has to be involved in the Southeast case, Murong Qing hopes that person is you, not me."

“I saw Murong Qing make his move several times, and I thought he wanted to stand with you and get involved in the mess in the southeast, but it turns out it was just a facade.” Awan said thoughtfully, “But why would he think I could replace you? If it’s just because Dugu Linxiu’s beloved daughter died at my hands, that’s far from enough…”

She stopped abruptly before she could finish speaking, "The poison in his body..."

"What's wrong?" Fang Zilan stopped in her tracks, and Awan tugged at her sleeve. "Do you remember how Lord Wen died?"

"Wen Ran's brother?" Fang Zilan was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Poisoned? You mean he and Murong Qing were poisoned by the same kind of poison?"

“I just think it looks like it.” A-Wan’s fingertips trembled. “I’ve only met Lord Wen a few times, and I haven’t examined his body, so I can’t be sure. But if it really is the same poison, then…”

She didn't continue, but Fang Zilan understood. If what she said was true, then Lord Wen's death was probably related to the person who poisoned Murong Qing.

After all, with the same poison, some people turn to dust and bones, while others remain unharmed. The person who administered the poison had such precise control, which must be a common practice...

"What are you thinking about?" A-Wan's voice pulled Fang Zilan back to reality. She shook her head. "Nothing."

"Do you know who poisoned the Crown Prince?" Although it was a question, Awan spoke with great certainty.

Fang Zilan pursed her lips, and Awan pressed, "Do you want to protect that person?" "Before a conclusion is reached, I will not protect anyone, nor will I wrong anyone," Fang Zilan said after thinking for a while.

"Looks like you know." Awan nodded to herself, then asked as if she had remembered something, "How does that person's medical skill compare to mine?"

"What?" Fang Zilan was confused. Awan sighed helplessly, "If he's not as good as me, doesn't that mean Murong Qing has bad judgment?"

“Then I have a very good eye.” Fang Zilan smiled. “Without you, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be alive now.”

"I came to Zhongling Temple for Prince Rong'an..." Li Qiyou began, but Fang Zilan interrupted him, "You stayed in the southeast just to hold a religious ceremony for Prince Rong'an in the name of the royal family? Do you think that will preserve Prince Rong'an's posthumous reputation?"

As she spoke, she turned to look at him, meeting Li Qiyou's eyes, which were full of hesitation and uncertainty.

"Your Highness, am I perhaps feeling guilty because I hit a nerve?" Fang Zilan's expression turned cold. Li Qiyou lowered his head, avoiding her gaze. "You wouldn't understand..."

He didn't continue, and Fang Zilan snorted coldly, "I really don't understand. All I know is that the Li imperial family is supported by the people, so they should do something for them, instead of exploiting the people and then expecting them to sing their praises..."

“I didn’t,” Li Qiyou couldn’t help but retort, but Fang Zilan spoke first: “Your Highness Prince Yucheng, do you know how much silver this ceremony will cost, and how much offerings Zhongling Temple will need from the people? When Prince Rong’an was alive, he did nothing for them, yet now that he’s dead, he’s still exploiting them. What kind of logic is this?”

Her chest heaved, and she was unusually agitated. "If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have saved you in the Northern Border. And I shouldn't have wasted my energy at Zhongling Mountain."

She spoke very softly at the end, but Li Qiyou still heard her. His lips moved, and after a long while, he said, "Is that really what you think in your heart?"

Fang Zilan did not answer, but changed the subject and said, "I came here only to retrieve the remains of Prince Rong'an. Since Your Highness is here, I will greet you and fulfill our friendship of sharing we have been through thick and thin together."

"The remains cannot be given to you." Li Qiyou said seriously, while Fang Zilan smiled contemptuously, "Your Highness, do you think you can stop me?"

“Prince Rong’an is my royal uncle, and his remains are his last act of dignity…” Li Qiyou was interrupted by Fang Zilan before he could finish speaking, “They are also evidence.”

"What did you say?" Li Qiyou stared blankly at Fang Zilan, who said, word by word, "The court trial has not yet reached a conclusion. One reason is that it involves a wide range of people, but the more important reason is that there are no witnesses to corroborate the truth."

“Aren’t those account books enough?” Li Qiyou’s expression was inscrutable. Fang Zilan glanced at him. “Your Highness, you’ve been in charge of these affairs for quite some time now. If you were Xie Chen, would you dare to convict the major families of the Southeast based solely on these account books?”

Li Qiyou turned his head away and whispered, "Does having the remains of Prince Rong'an mean we'll be satisfied?"

“I don’t know,” Fang Zilan said frankly. “But since this is one of the pieces of evidence, I should take it to court. I gave it to you before because I thought your identity was more legitimate than mine. But I didn’t expect that you would actually perform a grand ritual to collect the remains of Prince Rong’an.”

“As a junior, isn’t this what you should do?” Li Qiyou’s hand, hidden in his sleeve, clenched into a fist. “Fang Zilan, you speak of righteousness, but do you really just want to hand over the remains of Prince Rong’an as evidence?”