Chapter 177 Lamb to the Slaughter

Guan Yi'an thought to himself, "Damn it."

He can't show his face to anyone now, especially acquaintances.

He didn't respond and turned to slip away.

The voice circled around to the front of him. He felt an overwhelming sense of guilt and pity.

"Brother Zheng, how did they beat you up like this? Your face... I'll take you to see a doctor now..."

After being driven out of the mansion by the servants, Dongqing was constantly worried about her brother Zheng. She secretly hid near the Du residence, trying to find out how they would treat Zheng Qingshan.

She then saw that Zheng Qingshan had also been driven out by the Du family. She was both happy and worried. She was happy to see her brother Zheng again, but worried that he had been implicated by her and would be in danger without the protection of the Du family.

But when her gaze fell on Guan Yi'an's face, she was so frightened that she gasped.

Blood seeped from the edges of Guan Yi'an's face, and a piece of skin on his chin was turned outward, revealing a red and purple mass of flesh underneath.

In the dim light of night, it looks more terrifying than a ghost at first glance.

If it weren't for the fact that this person was Brother Zheng, whom she couldn't forget, she would have screamed and run away long ago.

"No need." Guan Yi'an had already recognized the person as Dong Qing, so she wasn't in a hurry to leave.

Suppressing the pain, she spoke softly, "Let's go to the inn. We'll return to the capital first thing tomorrow morning. Would you like to come back with me?"

Before leaving the capital, Master Fu gave him some medicinal powder, which could be applied to prevent skin from rotting should a wound be injured. However, now that a piece of skin had fallen off, he had to return to the capital as soon as possible so that Master Fu could reattach it.

This face is his capital for making a comeback, and he cannot afford any mistakes.

Since he can't win Meng Lingge's heart back now, he might as well try a different approach.

If he can't have it, then destroy it, so that nobody can have it either.

Meng Lingge is pregnant with Wen Zhiming's child. This matter is certainly unknown to anyone in the capital. If the Emperor were to learn of this news, he would surely be furious.

It's possible that Meng Lingge traveled all the way to Jiangnan just to secretly give birth to this child.

The Emperor allowed Meng Lingge and Wen Zhiming to divorce so that Wen Zhiming would lose the support of the Meng family. However, Meng Lingge and her father were outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant and audacious enough to secretly give Wen Zhiming a child. This is a crime of deceiving the Emperor. If they were to leak this information, the Meng family would definitely be in big trouble.

The Emperor will punish Meng Lingge and get rid of the child in her womb.

The entire Meng family might end up in jail.

Du Yuanhua didn't want to hurt Meng Lingge, that was fine. Most people in this world have selfish motives, he could just find another one to use.

The emperor is very suspicious; even if he has only the slightest suspicion, he will definitely investigate thoroughly.

Holly was the most suitable witness he could bring back.

She was once Meng Lingge's closest personal maid, so it would be more credible for her to testify against Meng Lingge.

This girl is simple-minded and infatuated with him. Although she still has some feelings for Meng Lingge, on the way back to the capital, if he gives her a little more of his charm, he'll definitely make her obey his every word.

Dongqing was still shocked by the injuries on Guan Yi'an's face, and upon hearing this, she was both excited and worried.

“I am willing to go with Brother Zheng. Brother Zheng was injured because of me. I am willing to serve Brother Zheng like a slave for the rest of my life. But you should see a doctor first. The injury on your face is very serious.”

She truly hadn't expected Young Master Du to be so cruel, actually tearing off Brother Zheng's face. How painful that must have been!

But Brother Zheng endured it all without complaining or hurling insults at the other party, which shows that he is an upright and self-controlled person.

How could such a good person be the vicious, cold-blooded hypocrite that Miss described?

The more Dongqing felt sorry for Guan Yi'an, the less he could understand Meng Lingge.

The young lady is usually kind-hearted, but now she may be too focused on the child in her womb, and her actions have become ruthless and heartless.

She abandoned her personal maid so easily, and was even more cruel to Brother Zheng, who had once helped her.

Although Brother Zheng's injury was inflicted by Young Master Du, he certainly wouldn't have used such force without Miss's instruction.

Although a man's pride is not as important as a woman's, it is still a key factor that can affect his future, especially since Brother Zheng is a promising young man who is going to take the imperial examination.

If obvious scars are left on the face, one is very likely to be labeled as having an abnormal appearance, which may lead to the loss of promotion and the opportunity to meet the emperor.

Miss's actions are tantamount to ruining someone's future; they are truly excessive.

Guan Yi'an's voice trembled with pain, but he remained incredibly calm as he said, "I have painkillers. I can't see a doctor now; if that guard surnamed Xiao finds out, he might kill me."

Upon hearing this, Dongqing became even more worried and had no choice but to follow Guan Yi'an's instructions and help him to the inn.

Guan Yi'an had booked an inn before checking into the Du residence and paid a month's rent. The room was still reserved for him. After the two of them checked in, Guan Yi'an did not avoid Dong Qing and opened his bundle, took out some medicinal powder and applied it to the wounds on his face.

In a short while, the skin on his face improved a lot, except that the detached part on his chin was not glued back on and was slightly bluish-purple.

Holly secretly admired it, but didn't ask any further questions.

Given that Brother Zheng is undoubtedly wealthy and powerful, it's not surprising that he possesses some potent medicinal powder.

As Guan Yi'an's injuries improved, her mood turned from sorrow to joy, and she felt even more excited about leaving Meng Lingge and going to the capital with Guan Yi'an.

There was only one bed in the room. Guan Yi'an had not yet agreed to give her a formal title, so of course she would not share a bed with him, much less occupy her benefactor's bed. She could only choose to sleep on the floor by herself.

Even though it was the height of summer, it was still a bit chilly to sleep on the ground at night. Since Dongqing started following Meng Lingge when she was a few years old, she had never experienced sleeping on the ground again.

Moreover, her body had not yet recovered, and sleeping on the ground allowed the cold air to seep into her body, causing further damage.

At this moment, Dongqing, who was completely infatuated with Guan Yi'an, did not feel anything was wrong. In her opinion, Guan Yi'an was willing to take her away, so he must still care about her. She could stay by her benefactor's side and be taken care of at any time, and no longer have to be restricted by Miss and Qiulan. This feeling seemed pretty good.

Holly quickly fell asleep, and a smile remained on her lips as she dreamt of something wonderful.

Guan Yi'an, lying on the bed, had not slept all night. In the dim moonlight, his gaze fell on Dong Qing's peaceful sleeping face, a sinister smile on his lips, like a butcher looking at a lamb to the slaughter.

Meanwhile, inside the Du residence, Du Yuanhua initially felt quite satisfied after beating the man, but thinking of Zheng Qingshan's miserable state, he realized he had gone a bit too far. His cousin had only asked him to kick the man out, but he had gone and ripped off his face.

After thinking it over, he decided to have someone subtly tell Meng Lingge that the man surnamed Zheng had spoken disrespectfully and that he had given him a few light slaps because he could no longer tolerate it.

Meng Lingge didn't take it seriously when she heard this. Zheng Qingshan was already despicable, and her cousin was now restraining Duanfang, so those few blows were probably insignificant.