The abstinent and powerful minister is cold and aloof during the day, but he adores her in his dream

Chapter 146 Lu Zhan: My Cousin Cares About Me

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhan glanced at Chen Jiu.

Chen Jiu lowered his head and quickly left.

Lu Zhan paused, then looked at Zhiwan, "My cousin cares about me a lot?"

Zhiwan was taken aback. Wasn't it obvious?
She didn't understand why her cousin would ask such a question.

But she nodded nonetheless, her little face showing seriousness, "Of course I care about my cousin."

Lu Zhan's lips curled slightly. "Yes, I understand."

Zhiwan opened her red lips, as if to ask him if he knew that staying up late was bad for his health, or if he knew that she cared about him.
She then said, "Then cousin, have breakfast. Pearl and I will go to the execution ground first."

"Yes, have Chen Jiu go with you. There will be many people watching the execution today, so don't get bumped into," Lu Zhan instructed.

"I understand," Zhiwan replied obediently.

After leaving the government office, Zhiwan and the others went directly to the execution ground.

By this time, a large number of people had gathered outside the execution ground, all of whom had come to watch the execution.

The scene was very heated, with most people denouncing Liang Qixian.

Some people even cried out.

"Heaven has eyes! Liang Qixian, that corrupt official, is finally going to be punished!"

"These corrupt officials have finally been removed!"

"It is thanks to the Imperial Envoy's keen insight, impartiality, and strictness in not protecting corrupt officials that those scoundrels were brought to justice and Yangzhou was restored to its former glory."

"The Imperial Envoy is truly a good official!"

Many of them also praise Lu Zhan.

Upon hearing this, Zhiwan felt a surge of pride.

My cousin is indeed a good official!

“Liang Qixian will be brought here soon, Wanwan, should we buy some rotten eggs and rotten vegetable leaves?” Ouyang Zhenzhu suddenly asked.

Zhiwan was taken aback. "Rotten eggs and rotten vegetable leaves?"

Ouyang Zhenzhu pointed to a spot not far away, looking eager to try.

Not far away, many people were carrying baskets filled with rotten vegetable leaves and rotten eggs.

Seeing this, Zhiwan understood, "Then let's go buy some from them."

She couldn't kill her enemy with her own hands, but throwing some rotten eggs and vegetable leaves at Liang Qixian was better than doing nothing.

A short while later, the two returned, each carrying a basket.

The pungent stench made Chen Jiu, who was following behind, twitch at the corner of his mouth.

Miss Biao and Miss Ouyang really don't have the airs of proper ladies from noble families at all.

He offered to help them carry it, but they refused.

"The imperial envoy has arrived!"

Before long, the yamen runners' announcements rang out.

The onlookers spontaneously made way for them.

Riding a large chestnut horse, leading the way was none other than Lu Zhan.

He was dressed in an official robe, his handsome face dignified and cold.

Behind him followed a group of guards led by Jiang Shi, then several officials from Yangzhou City, followed by executioners wielding large swords, and finally, a prison cart being escorted by a group of yamen runners.

When the prison van passed by, the crowd became agitated. The people cursed Liang Qixian as a corrupt official and threw rotten eggs and vegetable leaves at him.

"Wanwan, smash it!"

Ouyang Zhenzhu shouted excitedly and threw a rotten egg at Liang Qixian first.

Zhiwan also threw out rotten eggs and rotten vegetable leaves.

Surprisingly, she was quite accurate; at least three out of five hit Liang Qixian.

When Liang Qixian was escorted out of the prison cart by the yamen runners and sent to the execution ground, he was covered in filth and stench, and had lost all his former imposing manner.

Zhiwan hurriedly put down her basket and, with Chen Jiu's help, squeezed to the front. The people also surged forward, shouting, "Kill this corrupt official! Kill this corrupt official!"

The crowd is agitated and now there's a great commotion.

A disheveled Liang Qixian was so frightened by the crowd that he huddled up in a ball.

"Silence!" The constable shouted only when the sun had risen directly south.

Today's execution was overseen by Lu Zhan. After publicly reading out Liang Qixian's crimes, he said, "The time has come, carry out the execution," and then took out a token engraved with the character "斩" (execution) from the lot-drawing tube and threw it out.

After tilting his head back and drinking a bowl of strong liquor, the executioner sprayed the liquor onto his broadsword and then swung it.

Liang Qixian screamed in agony as his head fell to the ground.

Seeing his gruesome state of being decapitated, the people clapped and cheered.

When Zhiwan witnessed an execution for the first time, she felt no fear, only the exhilaration of avenging a great enemy.

"Wanwan, let's go back." No matter how excited Ouyang Zhenzhu had seemed just now, she was still somewhat uncomfortable after witnessing the scene of heads rolling, and hurriedly urged.

"Okay." Zhiwan didn't want to linger any longer and led her out with the crowd.

Just then, Zhiwan suddenly saw a familiar figure.

She opened her eyes wide in disbelief and murmured, "Father..."

Realizing what had happened, she quickly chased after the figure in the direction it had gone.

"Wanwan, where are you going?" Ouyang Zhenzhu asked in alarm.

Zhiwan ignored him and was quickly swallowed up by the crowd, disappearing from sight.

"Chen Jiu, what should we do?" Ouyang Zhenzhu was extremely anxious.

"You go back to the villa first, I'll go find Miss Biao." After saying this, Chen Jiu hurriedly chased after Zhi Wan in the direction she had run off in.

When he found Zhiwan, she was standing on the street, looking completely lost.

Chen Jiu breathed a sigh of relief and went to greet her, saying, "Miss, why did you suddenly run off all by yourself? Did something happen?"

Zhiwan came to her senses and said with a wry smile, "I think I just saw someone I know."

"An acquaintance?" Chen Jiu asked in surprise.

Apart from the Chen family, Miss Biao probably doesn't have any other acquaintances in Yangzhou.
"Yes." Zhiwan nodded, but didn't want to say more. "Let's go back."

The Lu Family Villa.

As soon as Zhiwan stepped down from the carriage, she saw her cousin and Ouyang Zhenzhu waiting outside the gate of the villa.

"Wanwan, you really scared me to death just now! Why did you suddenly run out?" Ouyang Zhenzhu stepped forward, her face full of worry.

Zhiwan said apologetically, "I'm fine, I'm sorry to have worried you."

Ouyang Zhenzhu breathed a sigh of relief. "It's good that you're alright." Then, as if remembering something, she winked at her and teased, "But Lord Lu was very worried about you after hearing about it. If you hadn't come back soon, he would have gone to find you himself."

Upon hearing this, Zhiwan immediately looked at Lu Zhan and said apologetically, "I'm sorry for making my cousin worry."

Lu Zhan calmly looked her over and asked indifferently, "What happened?"

Meeting his sharp eyes, Zhiwan paused for a moment, then truthfully said, "I think I saw my father..."

Lu Zhan was taken aback and looked at her in surprise.

Ouyang Zhenzhu also looked astonished. "Wanwan, have you been too tired lately? Is that why you're seeing things? We just went to offer incense to your parents last time, have you forgotten?"

Zhiwan knew about this, which was hard to believe; she herself couldn't believe it either.

But that figure really looked just like her father.

But by the time she caught up with him, the figure had already vanished.

She chased him for two blocks, but couldn't find him again.

“I might really… have misread it,” she said, frowning.

Her parents had both passed away five years ago, so the figure she had just seen was probably just a stranger who looked somewhat like her father.

"Don't overthink it, let's go inside," Lu Zhan said.

"Mm," Zhiwan responded, following behind him into the villa.

(End of this chapter)