Li Shengxuan looked gloomy and opened his mouth as if he wanted to refute, but in the end no sound came out.
He allowed Fang Zilan to continue speaking, listening to her every word as if she was mocking herself, "Actually, who in the world has no worries? It's just that I'm unwilling to do so. Your Majesty, you don't have to care..."
Before she could finish her words, she heard a loud bang.
Hearing the sound, the two of them looked up and looked out the window at the same time, only to see gorgeous fireworks burning across the sky, occupying their entire sight.
Exhausted fireworks continued to slide down, and more dazzling fireworks continued to light up the night sky. One after another, the scenery is colorful and dizzying.
Fang Zilan stared at it for a while, then lowered her eyes and whispered: "The New Year's Eve palace banquet is about to begin. Your Majesty is still busy, so don't pay attention to me anymore. I will leave the palace right now." After saying this, she bowed and turned around. Then leave.
Li Shengxuan did not try to persuade her to stay, but just watched her leaving figure quietly. He suddenly felt that the fireworks in the sky were so dull and tasteless, and they were not as dazzling as the one she set off in the Wind River Valley.
Fang Zilan left the palace and stopped for a long time to watch the fireworks on Zhuque Street. Her hands and feet were numb from the cold, but she still stood still.
In the bustling scene with constant traffic and traffic, she was so silent that she seemed to be incompatible with everything around her.
At the beginning, she only felt that the world was indifferent, so during the fireworks in Wind River Valley, she vowed to be her own light.
Later she watched fireworks many times.
However, under that majestic light, she only felt as if she were in an ice cave, getting colder and colder.
After all, you can't help yourself.
*
When Fang Zilan returned to her house, Awan was busy setting up a banquet and cooking dumplings. When he saw her coming back, he hurriedly greeted her, "You're finally back. It's really easy to wait."
Awan said and took her hand, only to realize that her hand was so cold that it seemed like there was no warmth at all, "Look at your cold hands, go back to the house and warm them up."
She pulled Fang Zilan back to the house without any explanation, walked directly into the inner room, then stuffed a hand warmer into her and asked, "How are your injuries?"
"Nothing." Fang Zilan shook her head blankly. Awan opened her sleeves and frowned, "What? I thought His Majesty left you alone because he saw that you were injured and treated you kindly, but it turned out not to be the case. Something happened."
"Are you kind?" Fang Zilan repeated softly. Awan was busy helping her treat her wounds, and didn't notice her thoughts for a moment, so she said casually, "What else? What will your majesty leave you for?"
"It's nothing." Fang Zilan shook her head violently, calmed down her mood, and changed the topic, "It's New Year's Eve, and there are not many people in our house, so it's still a bit deserted."
"Yes." Awan agreed, with a dissatisfied look on his face: "Last year, at least Shangguan Min set off fireworks with me, Deputy General Li cooked dumplings, and Deputy General Cao hosted a banquet. I don't have to worry about such things. This year is good, Vice Admiral Cao is the only one busy, and I am too embarrassed to take any time off."
As she said something, she suddenly thought of something and changed her voice, "It's strange to say that it's already the Chinese New Year, but our house didn't receive a congratulatory letter from the North. Forget about others, why didn't even Vice General Li and Master Qi... There has been no news either, which is really strange.”
Hearing this, Fang Zilan suddenly remembered what Pei Xiaoze told her when they were in the palace. There was a major corruption case in the north recently, and the person involved in the case was none other than Qi Yuming.
There were many things going on during the day, so she turned around and forgot about it. Now that Awan mentioned it, she became alert.
Based on her understanding of Qi Yuming, she would never do anything like taking bribes. It seems that someone framed him.
But if it was just a frame-up, Qi Yuming's methods and his relationship with Zhong Yao should have been investigated long ago, and it would definitely not be brought to the attention of the emperor in the capital. With such a big fuss, could something happen to Zhong Yao too?
Awan bandaged Fang Zilan's wound and waved her hand in front of her, "What are you thinking about?"
"It's nothing." She said with a solemn expression: "Awan, go quietly and call Deputy General Cao over. Don't attract the attention of other people in the house."
Seeing that she was so serious about her matter, Awan did not dare to neglect, and immediately found an excuse to call Deputy General Cao over.
As soon as Vice General Cao entered the inner room, he saw Fang Zilan's cold face. He was confused and heard her ask: "Has Lao Li written to you recently?"
"No." Vice General Cao shook his head. "The last time we communicated was when we moved to the capital. Lao Li sent a congratulatory letter to Beijing. There has been no letter since then."
Fang Zilan remained silent, and Lieutenant General Cao's heart skipped a beat, "Boss, could it be that something happened in the north?"
Hearing what Vice General Cao said, Awan was also surprised, "Just now, did Your Majesty keep you here to talk about this matter?"
"No." Fang Zilan's voice became a little darker, "I heard in the palace today that a major corruption case has occurred in the north recently, and the person involved in the case is Qi Yuming..."
She was only halfway through her words when she heard Deputy General Cao say anxiously: "Master Qi will never do this!"
"How could I not know?" Fang Zilan sighed, "I single-handedly promoted Qi Yuming. This matter is probably directed at me."
A Wan said in confusion: "But even if this matter is directed at you, a corruption case requires evidence of financial transactions. What kind of capital do you have in the north to say to them..."
However, before she finished speaking, she stopped suddenly and couldn't help but murmured, "Is it Huo Sanniang's business?"
Her voice was very soft, but it still fell clearly into Fang Zilan's ears. She subconsciously asked: "What did you say?"
Awan's face changed and she said anxiously: "Didn't Fang Lihui send someone here a year ago? He said that there was something wrong with the business in the north. The person who came at that time was hesitant and couldn't explain why, but I want the Fang family to do something. I have been in business for so many years and have always been reputable, so I didn’t ask too many questions. Now that I think about it..."
She didn't dare to say any more. Fang Zilan listened to her words, the corners of her lips pursed into a straight line, and her expression became colder.
Her business in the North was originally owned by Huo Sanniang, but was later given to Fang Lihui in order to help Fang Liren leave the Fang family.
This way, it all makes sense. Someone with ulterior motives took advantage of her business to make a big fuss. When she was not in the north, she dragged everyone related to her into the water one by one, making it impossible for her to survive alone, and in the end she could only be dragged into the deep pool.
But what role did Fang Lihui play in this? Is it an insidious murderer who helps the mastermind behind the scenes to stab her in the back, or is it a gang of innocent people who are in the same boat with her?
Fang Zilan couldn't sit still anymore after thinking like this. She stood up and said, "Old Cao, prepare your horses and go to Fang's house."
"Boss, this is the New Year, we are rashly..." Lao Cao was about to say something, but was silenced by Fang Zilan's gloomy look. He was about to prepare his horse but was stopped by Awan, "Wait a minute. "
