Fang Zilan raised her eyebrows, and Hongtai followed her gaze and looked over, "That's... Yucheng Wang Li Qiyou?"
"Yes." Fang Zilan's voice was a little softer, "This noble Highness is about to take over the fiefdom of King Rongan."
"Such a big mess..." Hongtai sneered and frowned as if thinking of something, "But why didn't I receive the message?"
"Because no one except His Highness himself is willing to let him do this." Fang Zilan stretched out her hand towards Hongtai and pulled him up from the ground.
"Aren't you willing too?" Hongtai hooked Fang Zilan's finger and said with a half-smile, "If so, how about I help you kill him?"
"I told you I couldn't bear it." Fang Zilan took out her hand and laughed dumbly, "Can I still bear to watch him lose his life in vain?"
Hongtai nodded clearly and said: "I understand, do you want me to protect this noble Highness?"
Although it was a question, he said it naturally. Even Fang Zilan couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, "You...don't ask me why?"
"Nothing to ask." Hongtai changed back to his usual killing and casual bandit appearance, "If you want him alive, I will protect him. If you want him dead, I will kill him. It's that simple."
"With your status, it will be inconvenient to follow him." Fang Zilan pursed her lips, "But the southeastern land..."
She didn't say anything, but Hongtai smiled and said, "Don't worry about me."
Fang Zilan opened her mouth, but did not make any sound. Hongtai said directly: "Just give the orders. I will take care of everything else."
"Thank you." Fang Zilan bowed, lowered his eyes and said, "I know, with my current status..."
"Mrs. Crown Prince?" Hongtai shouted in a drawl, and said thoughtfully: "This identity is indeed not as good as Mrs. Yazhai, and it is not as good as Miss Fang San. It has a different charm."
"Are you serious at all?" Fang Zilan had a serious face, and Hongtai stopped as soon as he saw it, "It doesn't matter if it doesn't sound good, just let people call you less. You are not a silly girl like Xiao He, you will be called upon. What does it look like to come and go as soon as possible, hanging all your wealth on a man?"
His expression of hating that iron could not be transformed into steel amused Fang Zilan, making her laugh out loud, "Does she know that you are talking about your sister like that?"
"Of course I know." Hongtai said confidently: "Am I the only one who can talk behind your back in the little beauty's mind?"
"Who knows." Fang Zilan pretended to be confused: "Are we familiar with each other?"
"Little beauty, your ability to cross rivers and burn bridges is really improving day by day." Hongtai clicked his tongue, "But if you want to escape after taking advantage of me, you can't do that."
"I won't escape." Fang Zilan seemed to have made up her mind, "If I can risk it once, I can risk it a second time. Isn't that just a loss? One more time doesn't matter."
"What if I win this time?" Hongtai stared at Fang Zilan intently, as if there were stars flowing in his eyes, and they were colorful.
"Winning?" Fang Zilan curled her lips, "Sounds good."
A Wan said dissatisfied: "I didn't need to worry about these things last year. This year is good, only Vice Admiral Cao is busy, I am embarrassed to take some 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, she stopped abruptly before she finished speaking, and finally murmured, "Is it Huo Sanniang's business?"
Her voice was very soft, but it still fell into Fang Zilan's ears word for word. 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?
