The Minister: Cold by Day, Hot by Night-Chapter 118: Lu Zhan Thought He Was in a Dream
After offering incense, Zhi Wan burned paper money for her parents. Finally, she knelt before their graves and kowtowed.
When it was time to leave, she was reluctant to go, looking back every few steps.
Everyone accommodated her, walking very slowly.
Zhi Wan’s trip was for the sole purpose of tending to her parents’ graves. With her respects paid, it was naturally time to return to Yangzhou.
The group didn’t return to Jurong but instead got directly onto the main road and set off for Yangzhou.
Just as they arrived outside their courtyard estate, they saw the Prefect of Yangzhou, Liang Qixian, waiting there.
"Mr. Lu, Miss Lu, you’ve finally returned." Seeing the two of them back, Liang Qixian stepped forward delightedly and bowed respectfully.
Lu Zhan said coolly, "Is there something you need, Mr. Liang?"
Liang Qixian said respectfully, "Mr. Lu, you have come to Yangzhou, yet I have not had the chance to properly welcome you. You had business that took you away from the city yesterday, and as I was unsure of your return, I decided to wait here. I am pleased to see you have finally returned today.
I have already prepared a banquet at Hongyun Restaurant. I hope that Mr. Lu and Miss Lu will grace me with their presence."
Hearing this, Lu Zhan glanced at Zhi Wan. Seeing her dispirited state, he was about to refuse, but then he heard the young woman say in a clear voice, "Thank you, Mr. Liang. We will certainly be there on time."
Lu Zhan froze, a flash of surprise in his eyes.
Liang Qixian’s face lit up with joy. "In that case, I will await your esteemed arrival."
Once he was gone, Zhi Wan clutched her handkerchief and looked at Lu Zhan, a little uneasy. "Cousin, I took matters into my own hands just now. Are you angry with me?"
Lu Zhan watched her thoughtfully and shook his head. "I’m not angry, but can you explain?"
Seeing that he wasn’t angry, Zhi Wan breathed a sigh of relief. She nodded and said, "I’ll come find you in a little while."
"Mm." Lu Zhan replied in a low voice. Without another word, he stepped into the courtyard estate.
Zhi Wan stood in place for a moment, then went back to her room to wash her face. After tidying up, she took her mother’s belongings and went to the adjacent courtyard.
When she entered, Lu Zhan was sitting at the table, drinking tea.
"Cousin." Zhi Wan curtsied.
Lu Zhan looked up at her. Her small face was clean, clearly freshly washed, but her eyes were still red and swollen. He paused, then softened his voice. "Sit."
Zhi Wan sat down as she was told.
Lu Zhan poured her a cup of tea.
Zhi Wan was in no mood for tea. Setting the cup aside, she quickly opened the box and handed him the account book. "Cousin, look at this."
Lu Zhan took it and began to flip through it.
A moment later, he looked at Zhi Wan with a serious expression. "Is this what your wet nurse gave you yesterday?"
"Yes." Zhi Wan nodded. "She said my mother left it with her to give to me."
Lu Zhan had been there yesterday, so he had naturally heard this.
Thinking of his cousin’s unusual behavior today, he was silent for a moment before speaking. "You suspect your parents’ deaths weren’t an accident, but were related to this matter?"
"Yes." Zhi Wan nodded, her eyes already welling with tears. Her voice held a slight sob. "Five years ago, my parents met their end on their way back from Yangzhou. And before the incident, Mother gave something so important to my wet nurse for safekeeping.
This account book involves embezzlement in the Yangzhou river channel project, so I suspect my parents’ deaths were part of a conspiracy designed by someone else." As she spoke, tears rolled down her cheeks, and her hands trembled.
She knew that if this were true, the implications would be vast, and handling the case would be extremely troublesome. But besides her cousin, she didn’t know who else to turn to.
Knowing that her parents might have been murdered, how could she possibly do nothing?
Watching the sorrowful, crying young woman across from him, Lu Zhan’s hand tightened around his teacup.
He rarely saw his cousin cry, but in just half a day, he had seen her weep several times.
He suppressed the turmoil in his heart and lowered his head to drink his tea.
When Zhi Wan saw him remain silent, she grew anxious but didn’t dare say anything more.
’My cousin is the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, but so many years have passed since my parents’ incident. Reopening the case would be a thorny matter and would undoubtedly cause him trouble.’
At this thought, she lowered her head and nervously twisted the handkerchief in her hands.
"You agreed to Liang Qixian’s banquet because you believe he’s the one who killed your parents?" After a long pause, the man’s low, cool voice sounded. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
Zhi Wan raised her head. Instead of answering, she asked, "Was he the Prefect of Yangzhou five years ago?"
Lu Zhan nodded. "He was."
Upon hearing this, Zhi Wan became agitated. "If he was in office five years ago, then he must have been the one who supervised the Yangzhou river channel renovation project! He must be the one who took bribes and embezzled funds! My parents’ deaths are definitely connected to him."
"So, what do you plan to do?" Lu Zhan watched her coolly.
Meeting his cool, detached gaze, Zhi Wan calmed down, but her hands were clenched tightly.
’This was a blood feud for the murder of her parents. Of course she wanted to kill the man responsible with her own hands.’
’But she was weak. What could she possibly do?’
Zhi Wan was dejected and at a loss.
"I can take you to the banquet tonight, but you must not act impulsively," Lu Zhan said lightly in the end.
Hearing this, Zhi Wan immediately nodded obediently. "Alright."
"Mm, go back and get ready." Lu Zhan’s tone softened.
"Yes," Zhi Wan replied and stood up to leave.
Watching the young woman’s slender figure retreat, Lu Zhan pressed his lips together, then suddenly spoke. "Leave this matter to me. Don’t do anything."
Zhi Wan’s steps faltered. When she realized what he’d said, she turned back to look at him, a smile blooming on her small face. "Thank you, Cousin!"
She was standing against the light, and when she turned back, her features were somewhat obscured.
For an instant, Lu Zhan thought he was in a dream and was lost in a daze.
It wasn’t until Zhi Wan had left that he came back to his senses. He raised a hand to rub the bridge of his nose and sighed, his gaze lowered.
’Yesterday, despite his repeated attempts, he’d failed to see whether she had that small mole between her fingers. But the scar on her back and the fiery temper she’d suddenly shown when Ouyang Zhenzhu was teasing her were just like the girl from his dreams. Moreover, his cousin was also a skilled painter and had plans to take a live-in husband.’
’All the signs indicated that his cousin was very likely the girl from his dreams.’
’But without seeing the mole, he didn’t dare be certain, fearing it was all just a coincidence.’
A moment later, he suppressed these thoughts and summoned Jiang Shi. "Go and investigate how the case of the Jurong County Magistrate’s murder five years ago was closed."
"Yes, sir." Jiang Shi left immediately.
Lu Zhan held the account book, staring at it for a long time before getting up and walking to the window.
’Five years ago, he was still just a Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice. When Father and Mother Zhi’s incident occurred, he’d been sent to another region by the then-Minister of the Ministry of Justice to review a case, so he wasn’t very familiar with the details of what happened to the Zhi family. He later vaguely recalled his mother mentioning that they had been killed by bandits while traveling.’
’Now, it seemed the case was not so simple.’
Thinking of his cousin’s tear-reddened eyes, Lu Zhan’s expression darkened.
"Princely Heir, Junior Minister Duan is here," Chen Jiu reported from outside the door.
Lu Zhan had just turned around when he saw Duan Ling walk in.
He plopped down at the table, saw that the tea in one of the cups was untouched, and was about to drink it when Lu Zhan snatched it away.
Duan Ling: "..."
