Chapter 156: Go to Jinzhi City and Tell the Truth
The carriage arrived at Jinzhi City in the afternoon two days later.
After Jiang Ning said goodbye to the couple, she took her bag and went to the inn where she had stayed last time to get a room. After finishing her meal and cleaning herself up, she went out to confirm the passenger ship to Qushui City tomorrow. After
everything was arranged, the sky was dimly gray and black. Jiang Ning walked from the pier to the inn, but halfway there she found that she was being followed.
The person who was following her had poor skills and was almost a novice. He was not vigilant at all, and Jiang Ning easily saw the man's face completely.
He was a sloppy man, with a wretched appearance and unkempt appearance. His eyes looked at Jiang Ning with infatuation, and his purpose was obvious.
He was going to kill someone again!
Jiang Ning sighed, feeling somewhat helpless. Having been with Liu Ming'an for a long time, he hated murder and bloodshed.
The man was also a coward. There were pedestrians around, so he didn't dare to do anything. He could only follow Jiang Ning not too far away, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Jiang Ning gave him the opportunity, turned around, and walked towards the thousand-year-old tree outside the city.
It was a good place to kill people. His Royal Highness the King of Xiang almost died there, so it was a good place for Feng Shui.
The man watched Jiang Ning go further and further away, and he was very excited. When he walked under the lush red bean tree, there was no one around, and he couldn't hold back any longer. He quickly ran to Jiang Ning, rubbing his hands with a "hehe" smile, and saying dirty words.
"Hehehe... young lady, you didn't come home so late, did you come all the way here to wait for your brother?"
Jiang Ning chuckled, and the dagger was already in her hand: "You are quite eager to seek death!"
As soon as the voice fell, the man saw a flash of silver light in front of his eyes, and the next moment, a stinging pain came from his eyes, and the scene in front of him suddenly disappeared, leaving only endless darkness between the world.
"Ah! My eyes! Ah——"
The dagger slashed across his neck again, and the heart-wrenching scream stopped abruptly. The man fell straight down, blood gushing from his neck, and there were two terrifying blood holes in his eyes.
Jiang Ning leaned down, wiped the knife clean with his clothes, flashed into the space, and left this place.
Sudden murders are always difficult to detect. She had never met this man before, and they had no grudges against each other. Moreover, there were no clues at the scene. Even if the body was placed here, no one would suspect her.
Back at the inn, Jiang Ning lay on the bed and had difficulty falling asleep.
What is Liu Ming'an doing now?
What should she say when she sees Lan Xu?
Her thoughts were in a mess, making people uneasy.
Meanwhile, Liu Ming'an, who was in another part of the capital, sighed at the old lady in front of him.
"You're wrong. I'm not Qingzhi."
After Liu Ming'an finished speaking, he pulled back his sleeve that was being pulled, bowed to Lou Baili and Lou Lianyu behind him, and then left without hesitation.
"Qingzhi!"
The old lady wanted to catch up with the young man who was leaving gracefully. Seeing this, Lou Lianyu and Lou Baili hurriedly stepped forward to support her and persuaded her in a kind voice.
"Mom, he is not Qingzhi, you should go back to your room and have some rest."
"Grandmother, you've got the wrong person again. Yancui, Huafei, take the old lady back to her room!"
Just as the two maids were about to step forward, the old lady brushed their hands away, her expression sad, her eyes half confused and half clear: "If he is not Qingzhi, then who is he? Why does he look so much like Qingzhi?"
Lou Lianyu replied calmly: "He's a friend of mine."
"Liar!" The old lady looked at her grandson and asked sharply: "I saw him coming out of the study. Which friend of yours has the face to enter your grandfather's study? And when he leaves, even your father will come out to see him off?"
As soon as Lou Lianyu saw the old lady's expression, she knew that she was conscious at the moment, and felt a little uneasy, so she looked towards Lou Baili.
Lou Baili also saw it, and just wanted to fool around for a while, and she would forget everything after this time.
However, before Lou Baili opened her mouth, the old lady had already gone to the study: "I want to ask Lou Yuhuan in person, I want to ask clearly!"
The door of the study was pushed open, and Lou Baili followed. Lou Lianyu and the two maids said all the good things along the way, but the old man ignored them, walked straight into the room, closed the door, and kept everyone out.
"Dad, what should I do?" Lou Lianyu was so flustered that he looked at Lou Baili at a loss.
Lou Baili looked at the closed door, frowning: "I don't know either."
How did he run into it by chance?
Why didn't he have an attack again at this moment?
As if it was arranged by God, Lou Baili let out a heavy breath and placed his hope on Lou Yuhuan: "I hope your grandfather can handle it well."
Inside the house, Lou Yuhuan was concentrating on reading the policy paper left by Liu Ming'an. The door was suddenly pushed open. He looked up and saw that it was his wife Wang Lanzhi.
There were several people following Wang Lanzhi. Lou Yuhuan wanted to ask what happened, but saw her raise her hand and close the door, isolating the rest of the people.
"Madam?" Lou Yuhuan was very puzzled.
"Who was that young man just now?" Wang Lanzhi asked, staring straight into Lou Yuhuan's eyes.
"Madam!" Lou Yuhuan was shocked and understood what happened in an instant. Looking at Wang Lanzhi's serious expression, he knew that she was normal at this time.
"He looks so much like Qingzhi, so much like him..." Wang Lanzhi murmured, tears welling up in her eyes unconsciously: "You must also know that he looks like Qingzhi, right? Are there two people in the world who look so alike? He can even enter your study. Lou Yuhuan, tell me, who is he?"
Lou Yuhuan was full of bitterness and didn't know where to start. After hesitating for a moment, he whispered, "He's just a young man. Don't think too much. Go back to the room and have a rest."
"Lou Yuhuan!" Wang Lanzhi suddenly shouted, and two lines of tears rolled down: "When we got married, you said that you would never lie to me in this life. I ask again, who is he?"
"Madam, he..." Lou Yuhuan opened his mouth, struggling for a long time, and finally chose to tell the truth.
The painful awakening may be more suitable for the mother who has regretted for half her life.
"His name is Liu Ming'an, he is Qingzhi's child, his only child."
"Then...what about Qingzhi? Why didn't he come back?" Wang Lanzhi asked softly, there were some things she never dared to think about.
"Qingzhi died fourteen years ago." Lou Yuhuan paused for every word, his voice full of indescribable sadness.
These few words were like a sharp knife stabbing into Wang Lanzhi's heart. She was overwhelmed with grief and had no power to resist. She felt dizzy and her world was falling apart.
"Lanzhi!" Lou Yuhuan stepped forward to support the person who had collapsed on the ground, and anxiously shouted outside the door, "Lianyu, Baili, come in!"
The people waiting outside the door rushed into the room in an instant, and looked at the unconscious old lady in astonishment.
"Dad, you said everything?" Lou Baili's eyes widened in disbelief.
Lou Yuhuan nodded, and watched Lou Lianyu pick up Wang Lanzhi and carry her to her courtyard. He earnestly instructed the two maids: "Take the old lady back to her room and take good care of her."
Yan Cuihua Fei replied "Yes" and hurriedly followed Lou Lianyu's footsteps.
"Dad, why are you..."
Lou Baili still couldn't understand. It was him who asked them to keep Wang Lanzhi a secret before, and now it was him who took the initiative to reveal the truth.
"Your mother is just sick, not stupid. Ming'an will inevitably meet her in the future. Even if you don't tell her now, she will know it later."
"But..." Lou Baili wanted to say that it's better to hide it for a while. The later she finds out, the less pain she will feel in her heart. Isn't that good?
No one knows a son better than his father. Lou Yuhuan understood Lou Baili's thoughts. After all, he had thought so before.
"But Baili, I can't hide it. Ming'an and Qingzhi are too similar. Your mother has already guessed it. She came to question me just to get the truth."
Both father and son fell silent. They knew that some sins needed to be paid.
"After mother wakes up, she will probably ask to see Ming'an..." Lou Baili said slowly after a long time.
"Don't disturb Ming'an. We have finally used his love for Nangong Ling to establish some connection with him and get him to visit the Lou Mansion. Don't push this child away because of this kind of thing..."
Lou Baili nodded and agreed: "Then when Ming'an comes again, I will ask Yan Cui and Hua Fei to look after mother and try not to let them meet."
"Well," Lou Yuhuan walked to the table, picked up the page of policy paper left by Liu Ming'an again, and handed it to Lou Baili: "Ming'an is an extremely smart child. He is not inferior to Qingzhi. What Qingzhi has not completed, he can definitely do!"
Lou Baili took the rice paper, scanned it quickly, and was amazed in his heart: "He doesn't need our teaching at all! He can take the top spot in the exam by himself!"
"I've known this for a long time. Lian Yu and I have both seen his county examination papers."
"Then why did you..."
Why did you all sing the same tune and lead him to the Royal Academy? Are they paving the way for his career?
"First, it was to do Nangong Ya a favor and let him be a loving father to see if he can repair the father-daughter relationship with Nangong Ling. In this world, it's better to have a backing than to have no backing. I hope that the couple will have a smoother road in the future."
"Second, it's because I have selfish motives. I want to see more of this grandson. I'm also obsessed with the idea that maybe, he can return to his ancestral home..."