Ch 291: Lanxin Hall was raided.

For the past two days, I’ve been searching for Jin’er in the West Market every day. Even without Ruan Yuqin, handing Ping’er over to the Court of Justice would still be incredibly useful.

But the West Market is a place where the Nine Streams of Thought and cart-pullers and gruel-sellers live together. Not only is there a huge flow of people, but it’s also exceptionally chaotic. I carefully examined every tofu stall, buying a pile of tofu to take back, but I didn’t see Jin’er. I followed the address Zhen Huaibei gave me, but the people there said they didn’t know the person I was describing. A pregnant woman did live there before, but she’s also disappeared these past few days.

I felt extremely disheartened; searching like this is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Just then, I received more news: someone raided the Court of Justice’s prison, and Lan Xintang, a wanted criminal of the Imperial Court, was almost rescued.

Hearing this news, I decided to meet this Young Master Lan. Who would have rescued him? I suspect it might be Ruan Yuqin, but being in the Princess Manor, she might not be very mobile.

I rushed to the Court of Justice. Lord Zhang frowned when he saw me: “Miss Yue, if you have time, you should spend more time with Xie Liang’an. You owe him such a huge favor, yet you act like nothing happened. You keep running to me every day—what kind of behavior is that?”

I raised my eyebrows and said: “Lord Zhang, you’re worrying too much about Xie’s Young Master and me. I came today to see Young Master Lan. We’re old acquaintances, and I just want to talk to him for a few words. I won’t delay your important business.”

Lord Zhang said: “What’s your relationship with Lan Xingui? You’re still visiting him, Miss Yue. If it weren’t for Liang’an’s sake, I would have chased you away every time you came.”

I laughed: “Lord Zhang, please grant me this one favor for Xie’s Young Master’s sake, alright?”

Lord Zhang waved his hand, ordering someone to take me down, and said: “Only this once. Next time you come, unless Liang’an comes to see me.”

I didn’t respond. Lord Zhang took me to the dungeon where the wanted criminals were held. Lan Xintang hadn’t seen the sun for days, and after being tortured, he was completely broken. He was already thin, but now he’s just skin and bones.

When he looked up, that gloomy and cold aura was still overwhelming. He looked like he came out from underground, neither human nor ghost. He glanced at me coldly, without speaking.

I couldn’t find the right words to start a conversation, so I directly asked: “Young Master Lan, was it Ruan Yuqin who came to rescue you last night?”

At the mention of those three words, Lan Xintang suddenly became agitated, roaring: “What does it have to do with you? Go away!”

Lord Zhang, observing Lan Xintang like a madman, said to me: “I told you not to come. Look at Young Master Lan, a perfectly healthy man, he’s become like this after a few days. You should stay away from this place. When they go to hell, are you going to follow them? You came to see an old friend, but the old friend doesn’t necessarily want to see you.”

Lord Zhang continued: “This Young Master Lan is quite interesting. Last night, the assassin almost succeeded, but he refused to leave with them, almost trapping the assassin as well. This is the first time I’ve seen someone so unafraid of death. I admire him.”

Lan Xintang closed his eyes, refusing to talk to us. Standing there, his body straight, his hair disheveled, his clothes dirty, his face grimy, yet his eyes were full of arrogance. Lord Zhang said: “Miss Yue, Young Master Lan won’t talk to you. You should leave.”

I was unwilling to give up, and asked again: “Are the secret letters found in your mansion true? Did you really leak so many secrets?”

Lan Xintang still didn’t open his eyes, but his brow furrowed. I chuckled bitterly: “For a woman, a concubine, you betrayed your brothers, betrayed your country. Is this something a general’s descendant can do?”

Lan Xintang slowly opened his eyes. This time, his expression showed sorrow. He looked at me and said softly but firmly, “If I say I didn’t, that I’m not guilty, would you believe me? Would all of you believe me?”

At that moment, I believed him. Lan Xintang was originally a man without desires, his only wish in life was to be with his beloved, even if she was disabled. His deep affection and persistence were met with vicious schemes and merciless betrayal.

I suddenly felt sorry for him. But he didn’t look at me, as if he didn’t accept the pity in my eyes. He remained proud, turning his face to the wall, as if he could see the outside world, without a trace of panic.

Lan Xintang clearly had a chance to escape, but he refused. If he had escaped, the hundreds of lives in Lan Manor would have no way to survive. The person who rescued him must be Ruan Yuqin, but since she had already dragged him into the abyss, why would she still save him? She ruined him; what could she possibly gain by doing this? I couldn’t understand.

After seeing Lan Xintang, I only felt immense sadness. If Lan Xintang knew that Ruan Yuqin was actually a man, wouldn’t he collapse even further?

On the day Lan Xintang was arrested, the County Princess’s family members arranged for someone to deliver a prepared divorce letter. Lan Xintang only needed to sign and seal it.

Lan Xintang’s relatives also caused a commotion, saying that Lan Xingui’s mother gave birth prematurely at less than eight months, and that Lan Xintang’s father and mother didn’t have a good relationship, constantly arguing. Lan Xintang’s mother was also rumored to have had an affair with a servant in the mansion.

They gathered the whole clan to remove Lan Xingui from the family register, the reason being that Lan Xingui’s mother was unchaste and Lan Xingui’s origins were mysterious. Someone even visited Lan Xingui to inform him of this. Lan Xingui truly felt what it meant to be a fallen tiger bullied by dogs.

Lord Zhang had a new respect for Lan Xingui, saying: “This Young Master Lan remains calm even when the sky falls. I wonder if it’s because he’s too calm, or if his heart is ashen.”

Ruan Yuqin gambled everything to frame Lan Xingui. If I encountered such a thing, I wouldn’t be able to live. I could endure physical torture, but I couldn’t endure this kind of mental torment. Unless, I loved that person extremely. But if I loved him deeply, yet he wanted to harm me, then he wouldn’t be worth it.

This Lan Xingui is not only a victim, but also a man of great love. I’m somewhat exasperated. As I was leaving, Lord Zhang smiled at me again: “The number of secret letters from Lan Manor is increasing. It seems that the security of Lan Manor needs to be strengthened.”

I was somewhat bewildered, suddenly as if I had realized something, a smile appearing at the corner of my mouth. Who is tirelessly fabricating evidence? Too much evidence might not be the most effective.