Chapter 43 Ji Chan, you'd better not fall into my hands.

“You…” Xue Zhao pointed at A Chan.

"Young master, don't forget what the Marquis said, lest we cause any further trouble." Before Xue Zhao could say anything, the steward quickly whispered to stop him.

Xue Zhao gave up, but A Chan did not.

She stood up, looked at Xue Zhao who was being stopped by the butler, and said slowly, "Young Master Xue, have you seen Xue Mingtang's body? When he died, all the blood in his body was drained."

She gazed at Xue Zhao, whose eyes were burning with rage, and added the final sentence: "He deserved it."

"Ji Chan, I won't let you get away with this." Ji Chan's words drove Xue Zhao into a frenzy again. The butler, with a bitter face, covered Xue Zhao's mouth with one hand and forcibly dragged him out.

Xue Zhao struggled incessantly, making muffled noises, until the butler dragged him outside. Only then did Achan hear him shout, "Ji Chan, you'd better not fall into my hands. I'll make sure you suffer a terrible death, a terrible death!"

Ah Chan waved to the butler who had retreated outside the door: "Take care, don't bother seeing me out."

The butler could only sigh inwardly as he watched Ah Chan leave with a smile on her face.

Who would have thought that the gentle and well-mannered young lady in the manor would turn into this after leaving the manor?

Although it was the Marquis's decision to kick the eldest daughter out of the house, and he, as a steward, had no right to interfere, he still felt that the Marquis had made a mistake.

After the people from the Marquis of Jinyang's residence left, Chen Hui walked up to A Chan and asked curiously, "Do you have a grudge against the Xue family?"

Achan turned around: "Didn't I tell you? Xue Mingtang's sister was my father's mistress for many years and bore him a son and a daughter. After my mother passed away, she became the Lady of Jinyang. My mother was accused of having an affair with another man, and I am the evidence."

Chen Hui was stunned for a moment. She looked at A Chan. When she was talking about these things, there was no anger on her face. It was as if she was telling someone else's story.

She didn't delve into it, just like the night before when she heard Achan say something strange to Xue Mingtang, she didn't ask any further questions.

Whether Achan is Ji Chan or someone else, Achan is the most important person to her right now.

After the thought flashed through her mind, Chen Huicai said, "This young master Xue doesn't seem like he'll let this go easily."

Ah Chan sighed softly, "Who can argue with that? Being targeted by the Xue family is truly unsettling."

That being said, the Xue family's brief appearance did not prevent Achan from eating well and sleeping soundly.

Two days later, Achan noticed that there were suddenly more pedestrians on the street, and they all seemed to be heading in one direction. She asked the bookstore owner, Mr. Xu, and learned that everyone had heard that the Marquis of Zhenbei was going to enter the city today, so they were all going to Tianjie to join in the excitement and wanted to see what the "Great Xia War God" looked like.

Achan asked Manager Xu with some curiosity, "Who bestowed the title of Great Xia War God upon him? His Majesty?"

Shopkeeper Xu replied with a smile, "How could that be? At first, we didn't know who started it. Later, everyone heard that the Marquis of Zhenbei was fighting against the foreign tribes on the border of Xiling and was victorious in every battle. Gradually, everyone started calling him that."

"Invincible? That's amazing."

"Indeed, Miss Ji, are you going to join the fun?"

After thinking for a moment, Achan nodded and said, "Of course I'll go."

Manager Xu, speaking from experience, advised, "You'd better hurry. The restaurants on both sides of Tianjie Street offer the best views; if you go too late, there won't be any seats left."

Achan smiled and replied, "I know, I'll go after I say a few words to Huiniang."

She turned and went back into the shop, where Chen Hui was sitting in a chair sewing sachets.

At this moment, Chen Hui had three sewn sachets on her side. These sachets were much better than the ones that A Chan had casually bought from outside.

I imagine these sachets will sell very well when the shop reopens.

"Huiniang, I heard that the Marquis of Zhenbei is coming back. I'm going to Tianjie to take a look later. Do you want to come?"

Chen Hui put down the needle in her hand: "I won't go, to avoid causing unnecessary trouble."

"Okay, I'll buy you some deer blood to try when I get back."

Chen Hui finds human food tasteless; they've tried it over the past two days and only blood products have a flavor.

Food isn't essential for Chen Hui, but the taste of food does make her happy.

A smile appeared on her face, and she didn't forget to tell Achan, "I know, be careful on the road."

When Achan arrived at Tianjie with the crowd, Zhenbei Hou had not yet entered the city, but many people had already gathered on both sides of the spacious Tianjie to watch the excitement.

She stood by the street and looked around for a while. When she saw that there were still seats available on the second floor of a restaurant across the street, she lifted her skirt and ran over.

When the waiter who was greeting customers at the door saw her enter the shop panting, he quickly invited her to sit down and rest before asking, "Miss, would you like to have a meal?"

"Yes, I want a window seat on the second floor."

"No problem, young lady, come with me."

After Ah Chan had rested, the waiter led her up to the second floor. There happened to be an empty seat by the window, so she took the table there.

Having secured such a great viewpoint, and with it almost noon, it was time to order some food. Following the waiter's recommendation, Achan ordered a pot of chicken porridge, a cold shredded chicken salad, a braised chicken, and a fake wild pheasant roll.

Even though the waiter had seen many customers in the restaurant, this was the first time he had ever seen someone who loved chicken so much. However, he didn't say anything, just smiled and agreed, and then went to the kitchen to deliver the menu.

Not long after Achan sat down, someone else came up to the second floor. The person's gaze swept over the tables by the window, finally landing on Achan, and then walked over to her.

As soon as Achan turned her head, she saw someone standing next to her and was startled. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was an acquaintance.

"Miss Lin, what a coincidence, you're here for dinner too?"

Standing next to her was Lin Sui, who had bravely stepped forward to offer her shoes when the shop was vandalized that day.

"I want your position. How much silver would you give it to me?" Lin Sui seemed to have no intention of exchanging pleasantries and asked directly.

Ah Chan said with a smile, "It's free. Actually, I came to watch the fun and have a meal while I'm at it. If Miss Lin doesn't mind, why don't you sit with me?"

Although this Miss Lin was somewhat aloof, Achan quite liked her; someone who would stand up for justice couldn't be a bad person.

Lin Sui hesitated for a moment before sitting down opposite A Chan: "Okay."

The restaurant served the food quite quickly; within fifteen minutes, the waiter had brought out all three dishes. When he saw that there was another person on the table, he didn't make a fuss. He simply added an extra bowl when he brought over the porridge.

Achan served two bowls of porridge, then pushed one of them, along with a pair of chopsticks, in front of Lin Sui.

Seeing that Lin Sui was looking outside, she said, "It will be a while before the Marquis of Zhenbei enters the city. Miss Lin, why don't you eat something to fill your stomach first?"

Lin Sui turned her head upon hearing this. She had just had a fight with her family that morning and had been punished by kneeling in the courtyard for an hour without even having breakfast. She was starving at the moment, and without being polite to A Chan, she picked up the porridge and started drinking it.

This restaurant makes very delicious chicken porridge, and the chicken meat in the porridge bowl is very delicate, making it very suitable for the elderly.

As Lin Sui ate her porridge, she thought to herself, "If Grandma were still here, she would definitely like this."

While she was lost in thought, Achan placed a fake pheasant roll in her bowl: "Miss Lin, please eat. I can't eat this much by myself."

Lin Sui took a bite. This fake pheasant roll was wrapped in pork caul fat, deep-fried, and seasoned with sauce. The outer skin was crispy, which complemented the chicken filling inside perfectly.

This reminded her of when she was little, her family was very poor, and her grandmother would fry vegetarian meatballs for her and her younger brother every Chinese New Year.

Now she has a lot of money and doesn't have to wait until the New Year to eat something delicious, but the family members around her are no longer the same.

"……Thanks."

"You're welcome. Miss Lin, are you also here to see the Marquis of Zhenbei?"

Perhaps the delicious food calmed her down, because Lin Sui responded to A Chan's words: "No, I came to see my father."

Achan was somewhat surprised: "Is General Anxi also returning to the capital today?"

"Yes, he returned with the Marquis of Zhenbei."

This made Achan a little embarrassed. General Anxi held a high official position, but his reputation was not very great. At least, these people who came to watch the spectacle did not know that a general had returned, and of course she did not know either.

"That's wonderful, I haven't met General Anxi yet."

Although Ji Chan had the image of General Anxi in her mind, in her memory, this general had been stationed in Xiling and had not returned to Shangjing for many years.

"Hmm," Lin Sui replied, "I've never seen it either."

This topic seems to be even more awkward.

Achan started searching through her memories again and finally found the rumors about Lin Sui.

The Anxi General's Mansion has always claimed that Lin Sui was in poor health since childhood and recuperated in the countryside. She officially came into the public eye when she was sixteen years old, which was last year.

However, Ji Chan heard people gossiping that Lin Sui was not recuperating from an illness, but was born to be incompatible with the general's wife, so he was sent to a farming family to be raised until he came of age and was brought back.

At that time, Ji Chan did not believe this claim. After all, in her impression, the wife of General Anxi was a very kind person. How could she send away her own daughter because of such an absurd claim?

Upon meeting Lin Sui, A Chan felt that this explanation might actually be the truth.

As the two were eating, chaotic footsteps sounded again on the stairs, and a rough male voice rang out: "Lin Er, stop dawdling down there. If you don't come up soon, your father and your older brother will be there."

"Okay, stop talking nonsense."

As the voice faded, a group of five luxuriously dressed young men walked up to the second floor.

Achan glanced at him and raised an eyebrow slightly. Was Xue Zhao appearing too frequently lately? She had run into him again. How unlucky!

Then, her gaze swept over the other four people, and the more she looked at them, the more familiar they seemed.

She thought for a while before she remembered that she had seen these people before at the clothing workshop on Tianjie Street.

Xue Zhao saw A Chan, but this time he turned his head away and ignored her.

Two days ago, after returning from Changpingfang, the steward told his father everything he had done. His father punished him by making him kneel in the ancestral hall for two days. His mother also repeatedly reminded him not to provoke Ji Chan for the time being. Fearing that he would not be able to control himself, Xue Zhao simply pretended that she did not exist.

Xue Zhao didn't come to cause trouble. Instead, the tall, handsome young man known as Lin Er walked over to A Chan's table.

Lin Heng frowned as he approached their table and asked in an unfriendly tone, "Lin Sui, what are you doing here?"

Achan looked at the man's appearance and was surprised to find that he looked somewhat like Lin Sui, who was sitting opposite her. Considering that they shared the same surname, could this man be Lin Sui's older brother?

But judging from his attitude, their relationship doesn't seem to be very good.

"none of your business."

Okay, it's very bad.

"Oh, I see. You've come to see Dad, haven't you? You don't actually think that after making Mom sick at home, Dad will stand up for you, do you? What a dream." Lin Heng sneered, looking down at his ill-mannered sister who had been raised in the countryside since childhood.

Lin Sui didn't speak, but A Chan saw hesitation in her eyes.

Lin Heng wasn't going to let her off so easily and continued, "What I hate most in my life is someone as despicable as you. You even stole your own sister's fiancé, you're utterly shameless!"

These words seemed to have struck a nerve with Lin Sui, and her eyes instantly turned fierce: "Sister? Only you would call someone so filthy and smelly a sister. General Anxi only has one daughter, and that is me. What is your sister?"

Seeing that the two were about to come to blows, Achan tapped the rim of her bowl with her chopsticks: "Young master, isn't it a bit too rude of you to argue while standing next to someone else's table?"

Lin Heng glanced at A Chan and thought to himself, "What kind of person could be sitting with Lin Sui?"

Just as he was about to speak, Xue Zhao, who was sitting not far away, suddenly said, "Brother Lin, come over quickly, General Anxi's troops are here."

At this moment, cheers erupted downstairs. Lin Heng hesitated for a moment, then turned and went to a table not far away.

Lin Sui and A Chan also turned their heads and looked downstairs.

Downstairs, the procession of the Marquis of Zhenbei was slowly passing by.

At the very front of the procession was the Marquis of Zhenbei, riding a black dragon horse.

The Marquis of Zhenbei must be quite old, but he looked to be only in his forties. He was wearing black armor without a helmet. He had an ordinary appearance, but his eyes were fierce. When his gaze swept over the crowd, the cheers of the surrounding people froze.

Ah Chan swore she had just heard children crying in the crowd, probably from being frightened.

To the left rear of the Marquis of Zhenbei, the person on horseback looked much better; he was a refined middle-aged man. Achan heard Lin Sui's elder brother calling out "Father."

The person below seemed to have heard Lin Sui's elder brother's voice, looked up, smiled, and replied loudly, "Heng'er."

Unlike Lin Heng's excitement, Lin Sui simply watched the middle-aged man riding past on horseback below. That man probably also saw Lin Sui upstairs, but he didn't react at all.

Clearly, he probably didn't know his daughter.

The procession quickly passed by. Lin Heng was a little excited and ignored Lin Sui, shouting that he wanted to go back to the General's Mansion to wait for his father to come home. The others followed him downstairs.

Lin Sui didn't leave. She sat back down and took a sip of the porridge that had gone a little cold.

"Are you alright?" Achan asked.

Lin Sui looked up and glanced at her: "What, are you pitying me?"

Just as she was about to say that she didn't need sympathy, she heard Achan say softly, "I'm just a little envious. At least you have a father."

Unlike her, her father didn't want her anymore.

Lin Sui recalled the rumors about Ji Chan, and the resentment in her heart suddenly dissipated a bit. That's right, at least he's a father. She didn't know him before, but now she can go home and get to know him. After Ji Chan's mother died, she lost her father.

After the two finished their meal, when Achan was about to pay the bill, Lin Sui beat her to it.

She said to Achan, "Thank you for the seat. It's on me today."

Ah Chan didn't refuse: "Okay, I'll treat you next time."

After watching the excitement and having a hearty meal, Achan bought a bucket of fresh deer blood and headed home.

Although Lin Sui didn't want to go home, she had nowhere else to go besides the General's Mansion. The two left the restaurant and headed in different directions.

The procession passed through the main street and was about to reach the outskirts of the imperial city. Marquis Zhenbei turned slightly to the side and asked General Lin Cheng of Anxi beside him, "Was that General Lin's youngest son just now?"

Lin Cheng laughed and said, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, my son is just being naughty."

“Young man, it’s good to be lively. My son Cheng’er is about the same age as your youngest son, so we can let them play together in the future.”

Lin Cheng's lips twitched slightly, but his smile wasn't entirely genuine: "You're right."

The return of the Marquis of Zhenbei and the General of Anxi to the capital to report on their duties caused quite a stir. Although the emperor did not personally welcome them, he sent his third son to greet them on their behalf.

The other soldiers felt honored, but the Marquis of Zhenbei looked indifferent, seemingly looking down on the Third Prince.

The Third Prince wasn't dissatisfied; after all, he was a fourth-realm expert, so a bit of arrogance was to be expected. Originally, the Emperor had sent the Crown Prince to greet him, but the Crown Prince refused. The Emperor wasn't angry and simply sent him over.

The Marquis of Zhenbei and a group of generals entered the palace to meet the emperor, who personally hosted a banquet for them. They feasted in the palace until evening before leaving.

The Marquis of Zhenbei had drunk quite a bit of wine, and when he left the palace, he smelled strongly of alcohol, but his eyes were clear.

The carriage from the Marquis of Zhenbei's residence had been waiting outside the palace all afternoon. The driver was the Marquis's former personal guard, now the steward of the residence.

"Lord Marquis." Upon seeing the Marquis of Zhenbei emerge, the steward stepped forward and bowed.

Marquis Zhenbei looked around, frowned, and asked, "Why is it only you? Where are Yu'er and Cheng'er?"

The butler forced a smile and said, "The young lady and the young master... are gone."

"What did you say?" The Marquis of Zhenbei's expression remained calm, but the surrounding bricks instantly shattered, with fragments flying out and injuring other families' horses and servants waiting by the carriage.

However, the Marquis of Zhenbei paid no attention to any of this. He stared at the steward with a fierce look in his eyes and said, "Say it again?"

The housekeeper had no choice but to recount what had recently happened.

"The young lady was keeping a young man outside, but her lover was having an affair with her maid. The two conspired to kill the young lady. The case was investigated personally by the son-in-law, and the two murderers were also dealt with by the son-in-law."

"And what about Cheng'er? How did he get into trouble?"

The steward lowered his head deeply: "I heard from the steward of the young master's residence that the young master took a fancy to the maidservant who served him. The maidservant could not bear the humiliation and assassinated the young master in the middle of the night, and then committed suicide."

"Absurd!" Marquis Zhenbei roared. "Where is Yan Liru? Tell him to come see me."

"The son-in-law is ill, and seems to be quite ill. He hasn't attended court for some time now," the steward reported truthfully.

The Marquis of Zhenbei seemed unconvinced, narrowing his eyes slightly: "Let's go to the Yan family."

Soon, the carriage of the Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion stopped at the gate of the Yan family. When the steward of the Yan family saw that it was the Marquis of Zhenbei, he did not dare to go and announce his arrival. Instead, he opened the main gate and welcomed the man in.

After entering the Yan residence, the Marquis of Zhenbei went straight to Yan Liru's bedroom without saying a word.

He barged into the bedroom, and upon seeing Yan Liru lying in bed, the anger on his face lessened slightly. He asked the person on the bed, "What happened?"

Yan Liru stiffly sat up from the bed: "Your son-in-law greets your father-in-law."

"You all leave," the Marquis of Zhenbei ordered, and everyone withdrew.

He grabbed Yan Liru's shoulder and ripped off his sleeve, revealing several black spots that had begun to rot underneath.

"You've been poisoned by corpse poison? Who poisoned you?"

"This is actually corpse poison..." Yan Liru was somewhat dazed, then asked, "Father-in-law, do you have a way to detoxify?"

Marquis Zhenbei pondered for a moment before saying, "The Demon Seal is still in your hands, isn't it? Perhaps we can try using the Demon Seal."

Yan Liru lowered his eyes: "I'm worried that the Mingjing Division might find out the whereabouts of the Demon Seal and hide it elsewhere. It's not in my possession now. I wonder if my father-in-law has any other way to get rid of the poison?"

That being said, Yan Liru actually used the Demon Seal when he discovered that his body was beginning to rot and even the imperial physicians could not cure him, but it did not work.

Marquis Zhenbei must have known this; he only mentioned the Demon Seal to take advantage of the situation and seize it.

Without the Demon Seal as leverage, the Marquis of Zhenbei might not care about him, so Yan Liru certainly wouldn't hand it over.

"There is a solution, but I need to go back and think about it carefully. My dear son-in-law, don't worry, with me here, you will be fine."

"Then everything depends on my father-in-law."

The two chatted back and forth in a very harmonious atmosphere, and neither of them mentioned Fang Yu.

Marquis Zhenbei quickly left the Yan residence. The steward in the carriage tentatively asked, "My lord, are you leaving just like that? Aren't you going to ask the young master about the young lady and the young master's affairs?"

"He won't say anything, but once we arrest the steward of the Yan family for questioning, he'll definitely know."

"yes."

Before midnight, the steward of the Marquis of Zhenbei's residence arrived at the Marquis's study. The study was brightly lit, and the Marquis of Zhenbei was not resting at this time.

"My lord, we've gotten the answer."

"Speak." The Marquis of Zhenbei stood by the window with his hands behind his back.

"That person said that the maid who killed the young master was brought back from outside by the young master. The woman's name is Ru Hui. I heard that she looks a lot like the young master's former sweetheart, and the young master dotes on her very much."

The Marquis of Zhenbei's eyes sharpened instantly: "Your beloved, Chen Hui?"

"yes."

Where is Chen Hui?

The butler whispered, "Chen Hui was bitten to death by the young master with a zombie shortly before that woman appeared."

"Well, what a coincidence! Yan Liru didn't notice anything? Is he really unaware, or is he pretending not to know?" Marquis Zhenbei sneered.

The butler hung his head and dared not answer.

"I want to see them alive or dead. Find Chen Hui and that maid's graves, and I want to see whether the one who killed my grandson was a human or a ghost."