Chapter 146 Taking the Blame
Guan Yi'an has not forgotten how he ended up where he is today.
If he hadn't trusted that vile woman Meng Huanyan back then, and if he hadn't drunk the wine that vile woman gave him, how could he have fallen victim to Eunuch Wan's poisonous hand, and how could he have killed two people and been imprisoned?
Although he was lucky enough to be rescued, he is now just an unknown person with a little money, far inferior to the former third-rank Vice Minister of Rites.
But he was luckier than Xiao Songyan; he had the chance to start over, while Xiao Songyan could only realize his mistake in his next life.
Of course, Xiao Songyan's fate was not solely due to these two reasons. Underestimating his opponent and being too weak himself were also major mistakes he made.
Xiao Songyan was short of money and only had two guards with him. Even eating and drinking his fill in Jiangnan was a problem. He still wanted to capture Meng Lingge alive. Although it was Old Madam Du's birthday today and the Du family couldn't spare many people for Meng Lingge, they would definitely send a few servants to protect her. In addition, there were Meng Lingge's own people. Xiao Songyan had no chance of winning at all.
However, Xiao Songyan was eager for revenge and thought that Meng Lingge would come up alone to save Dong Qing, and that with his help, he could capture Meng Lingge alive and leave smoothly.
Little did he know that in his eyes, Xiao Songyan was not worthy of cooperating with him at all, but was merely his pawn.
Xiao Songyan made a series of mistakes, and his death was entirely deserved.
He had a clear plan from the beginning: to use Xiao Songyan to gain Meng Lingge's trust. He had carefully considered every step he took.
Therefore, he was destined to succeed.
At this moment, Xiao Songyan was facing the door, while Guan Yi'an had her back to the door. Xiao Songyan was still tearing at Guan Yi'an, and Guan Yi'an didn't need to turn around to guess that Meng Lingge had arrived at the door.
He shouted out the words he had repeated countless times in his heart, "I won't allow you to hurt Miss Meng! To love someone is to protect her secretly, cherish her forever, and respect her! Not to use despicable means to possess her and humiliate her! I'll risk my life to prevent you from succeeding!"
Xiao Songyan was filled with disbelief; he couldn't believe that someone like him would utter such righteous words!
Before he could retort with his insults, Guan Yi'an's eyes turned cold, and with a forceful push, he shoved Xiao Songyan off the window.
"ah……"
A scream was followed by a deafening crash that struck everyone's hearts.
Guan Yi'an trembled as he withdrew his hand, slumped to the ground, and muttered to himself, "I killed someone, I killed someone, it's all over..."
Meng Lingge was also startled. She quickly walked to the window and looked down. She saw Xiao Songyan lying on a pile of rocks, with blood seeping out from under him. His chances of survival were slim.
Several people have now gathered below, pointing and gesturing at the motionless Xiao Songyan, and looking up at the building.
"Chen Luo, go down and check if there's any hope. Also, ask where that pile of rocks came from!"
"Yes." Chen Luo ran downstairs like a gust of wind.
Guan Yi'an still seemed to be in a daze, "I killed someone. He wanted to harm Miss Meng. I didn't agree. I didn't mean to. What should I do? What should I do..."
Meng Lingge crouched down and asked softly, "Young Master Zheng, what's going on? Why are you with Xiao Songyan?"
Guan Yi'an looked panicked: "He's the one who kidnapped me. Young Master Xiao said he investigated and found out you were traveling with me before. He thought I was your friend and wanted to use me and Miss Dongqing to force you to submit. I managed to break free when he was assaulting Miss Dongqing. I was afraid he would hurt you. I was careless for a moment, what should I do..."
Meng Lingge comforted him, "Young Master Zheng, I'm fine. You pushed him down in a moment of carelessness while trying to save others and protect yourself. You won't be severely punished; we can all testify for you. Besides, Xiao Songyan might not be dead yet..."
Guan Yi'an thought to himself, "Impossible, Xiao Songyan is definitely going to die."
On the surface, however, he feigned relief and said, "Miss Meng, it's good that you're alright. Miss Dongqing is alright too. Although he stabbed me a few times, he didn't succeed. You're all safe and sound."
Dongqing had already been crying her eyes out, and when she heard that Guan Yi'an was still defending her reputation, she was even more moved and nodded repeatedly, saying, "It's true. Miss, when I woke up, I saw Xiao Songyan plotting against me. It was Young Master Zheng who took his knife with his bare hands. He was stabbed several times and bled a lot. He saved me twice."
Du Yuanhua, accompanied by his servants, followed behind and stepped forward upon hearing this.
“Young Master Zheng is truly a rare man of courage and integrity. You have saved my cousin and her maid, so you are now a friend of Yuanhua. If you ever need my help in Jiangnan, please give the word, and I will do my utmost to assist you.”
It's my grandmother's birthday, and the household is extremely busy.
Originally, Du Yuanhua was not supposed to leave the manor, but upon hearing that Meng Lingge's maid had gone missing, Du Yuanhua was worried about Meng Lingge going to search for her alone, so he personally led his servants to accompany her on the search.
Guan Yi'an never expected this unexpected surprise.
He had been in Jiangnan for half a month and had heard of the Du family's business prodigy. He knew that Du Yuanhua's promise was worth more than ten thousand taels of gold, not to mention that this person was Meng Lingge's cousin.
He was inwardly excited, but outwardly he said with sadness, "Young Master Du, you are too kind. When a wicked person bullies a woman, any righteous person will step in. It's just that I was too nervous just now and overreacted, pushing her down. I'm afraid things won't end well."
At this moment, Chen Luo ran up and reported, "Miss, Xiao Songyan hit the back of his head on a rock and is already dead. Many people have discovered his body and are discussing reporting it to the authorities."
"As for that pile of stones, I asked around and found out that the neighbor was building a wall next door and they just brought them over yesterday."
Guan Yi'an's lips curled up slightly. With such a meticulous plan, how could there be any mishap at the most crucial stage?
With the height of the fourth floor and the large rocks, Xiao Songyan had no chance of survival.
Although he was the reason the stone appeared there, he was ultimately not the one who carried out the act or instigated it, and no one suspected him.
The plan is now mostly successful, with only one final step remaining—getting these people to help him get acquitted.
He said with a sorrowful expression, "Although I was acting in self-defense, I have taken lives, and imprisonment is inevitable. It's a pity that I still wanted to pass the imperial examinations and achieve something great, but now that's impossible. However, it's worth it that Miss Meng and Miss Dongqing are safe and sound."
"No, don't let Young Master Zheng go to jail!" Dongqing knelt before Meng Lingge, crying loudly, "Miss, you're the smartest! Please think of something! Young Master Zheng saved me twice. Either say I killed him, or that I pushed him down. Yes, that's it, that's it..."
Dong Qing had always been interested in Zheng Qingshan, and now that he had saved her twice, she was so eager to give him her whole heart that she was not even afraid of going to jail. She came up with the idea of taking the blame.
"Get up first. Let's think of a solution together."
Seeing that Dongqing's clothes were disheveled and she was crying miserably, Meng Lingge helped her up and took off her own cloak, draping it over her shoulders.
Guan Yi'an shook his head and sighed.
"One should take responsibility for one's own actions; I cannot implicate Dongqing."
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