Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Empress Dowager Xiaojing had a secret decree for him. He was instructed to rush to Xuyang immediately to protect the Crown Prince covertly.
Not long after Liu Fu left, a beaten-looking man in gray robes appeared outside the Grand Duke Mansion.
This man was tall and thin, and looked like he had weathered a lot of hardship in life.
He said something to the door keeper, who sized him up with a shocked look. The doorkeeper then quickly ran into the Grand Duke Mansion.
It was not long before the doorkeeper returned to invite the man in.
Longevity Hall.
There was not much going on at the medicinal shop today and Ling Lihua was not there. Instead, she stayed in the mansion to accompany the Dowager Duchess.
When she saw the man in gray robes walk in from outside, her eyes met with the Dowager Duchess’.
“Have a seat.” Aunt Lan invited the man in and poured him a cup of tea.
The man in gray robes did not sit down but instead looked anxiously at the Dowager Duchess. “Old Madam, I’m looking for Zheng Yanran. Will you please let me see her?”
With that, he quickly continued, afraid that she would reject him, “You don’t need to worry. I just need to ask her a few questions. I’ll leave after I’m done asking. I promise I won’t disturb you after that.”
Ling Lihua lifted the hair stick in her hand and asked while frowning, “I was the one who gave her this jade hair stick all those years ago. How did it end up in your hands?”
The man said with some sorrow, “To be honest, when I met her fifteen years ago, she was alone and had just been robbed. I was the one who saved her. She had nothing on her then, so she gave me this jade hair stick and told me to consider it as repayment for my help. She looked so pitiful, so I escorted her for part of the journey. We later…”
He did not continue explaining what happened afterward.
Ling Lihua looked him once over and noticed that the man had a good-looking face. The only flaw was that there was a sorrowful look about him. He must be someone who had experienced great sadness and pain.
She glanced at the Dowager Duchess and gave this some thought before saying, “It’s been more than ten years? Why did you suddenly decide to come looking for her? Please forgive the intrusion, but how did you even know she was here?”
The man looked hesitant.
The Dowager Duchess sighed and said, “If there is a painful subject you need to voice out, please share it with us. We will help you if it is within our capacity. However, the Madam Zheng you are talking about has passed away quite a while back.”
“She passed away?” The man’s eyes widened. He could barely believe it; his skinny, bony body took two steps back.
“Yes, she has passed.” Ling Lihua glanced at him.
She continued, “She was murdered by a man in black. We have no idea who that person is nor why he wanted to kill her.”
A shocked look flashed in his eyes when he heard this. He mumbled, “Dead. She’s dead. I was too late…”
Ling Lihua and the Dowager Duchess shared a quick look. She got up and got a few steps closer to him. “Judging by your tone, you seem to know who killed her.”
The man shook his head and stayed silent.
When Ling Lihua saw his reaction, she was sure that he knew something. She frowned and said, “If you refuse to tell us, we won’t be able to help you. Zheng Yanran’s daughter would probably be unable to escape the fate of being killed by that man in black as well.”
The man gave a start and came out of his reverie when he heard this. “What did you say? Her daughter?”
Something clicked in Ling Lihua’s mind when she saw his reaction. She said, “That’s right. Zheng Yanran gave birth to a daughter. She’s fifteen this year and she was born during the first month of the Lunar Calendar.”
With that, she paid attention to the change in the man’s expression.
Just as she expected, a strange look appeared on the man’s face the moment she finished her words. He quickly lowered his head when he realized what had transpired.
The Dowager Duchess stood up as well, and looked at him in surprise.
Ling Lihua observed his expression and suddenly said, “Lu Yunshuang, is the daughter of you and Zheng Yanran.”
She sounded quite sure of it.
