Chapter 145 Companion

Ming Huazhang drove all idle people out of Ming Huachang's yard, told the maid to take good care of her, and then went out to see Zhaocai's body. Although the coroner had examined the corpse, he had not seen it with his own eyes, so Ming Huazhang was worried.

As a result, Xie Jichuan was kicked out of the door, and the next thing he did was to take him to see the body. Xie Jichuan walked on the road and said coldly, "You treat me as you please, so why don't you find me noisy now?"

Ming Huazhang said calmly, "If you were not the only one there when the coroner performed the autopsy, do you think I needed you? Stop talking nonsense, hurry up, I need to go back quickly after seeing the body. If she wakes up and can't find me, she will be scared."

Xie Jichuan sneered and rolled his eyes without disguising. Jiang Ling and Ren Yao's mission was to assist Jingzhao Prefecture in arresting people. Now that the murderer had been found, they didn't need to worry about the interrogation and sentencing. The two of them had nothing to do, so they came over to join in the fun.

Seeing that the younger generations were all going, Duke Zhen Guo, as an elder, naturally had no reason for him to hide behind the children, so he followed them.

The person who placed Zhaocai's corpse was a close confidant of Ming Huazhang. He was very efficient and had cleared an empty courtyard in a short time. As soon as the few people entered the door, they felt a chill in their faces.

Although Xie Jichuan and Ming Huazhang disliked each other, their actions were not ambiguous at all. They lifted their clothes and went up the stairs almost at the same time, their movements were smooth and pleasing to the eyes. Ren Yao followed behind, his steps were a little hesitant.

She was not afraid of strong enemies or villains, but she was afraid of dead people. However, if she showed fear, she would be inferior to men. When Ren Yao was in a dilemma, a noisy voice came from behind. Jiang Ling hugged Ren Yao and yelled: "I am afraid of dead people. I dare not go in."

Ren Yao pushed him with a cold face, but Jiang Ling refused to let go, sticking to Ren Yao like a large piece of taffy. Ren Yao couldn't get rid of him, so he said in disgust: "Look at your behavior, you are really embarrassing the Yulin Army. Okay, stand still, I'll accompany you outside."

Jiang Ling then stood up straight with a playful smile on his face. Although Ren Yao expressed disapproval, he was actually secretly relieved.

Duke Zhenguo followed at the end and glanced at Jiang Ling calmly. As a man, he knew Jiang Ling's thoughts very well. He was just surprised that the son of Marquis Jiang'an, who was said to be unlearned and idle by outsiders, could actually have such a delicate mind?

Seeing that the woman he loved was afraid, he did not take the opportunity to show off his masculinity, but instead took the blame on himself and cleverly helped her out of the predicament. This kind of thought is much more difficult than standing up and saying that he would protect her.

Either he is kind and sensitive by nature, or he loves the woman enough.

After sighing, the Duke of Zhenguo walked into the house without hesitation. He had lived half his life longer, so he was not less courageous than some children. The Duke of Zhenguo thought he had seen many storms and waves, so why would he be afraid of a corpse? But after entering, when he saw the familiar person lying on the ice bed, his face was gray and green, his body was covered in blood, and his joints were curled up abnormally, it was still far beyond his ability to bear.

Duke Zhenguo couldn't imagine that these wounds were originally aimed at Ming Huashang.

Ming Huazhang had already put on his gloves and leaned over to look at Zhaocai's eyelids. The ice cubes around him emitted a thin cold mist, and Ming Huazhang's face was shrouded in it, calm and indifferent, with a kind of divinity that was sad and pitiful.

Duke Zhenguo had seen Ming Huazhang being filial, hardworking, kind and polite before, but this was the first time he saw him like this, and he was stunned for a moment. Ming Huazhang noticed from the corner of his eye that Duke Zhenguo looked uncomfortable, and said gently, "Father, in order to preserve the body, we can't leave too many people for the autopsy. Please go out and wait."

Duke Zhenguo had just lamented that Jiangling would give others a chance to step up, and now he was the one being given a chance, and he felt mixed emotions. He sighed, and instead of trying to save face, he went out.

As soon as the door was pushed open, the golden afterglow hit my face, as if I were in another world. Jiang Ling and Ren Yao were standing on the corridor talking. When they saw the Duke of Zhenguo coming out, they didn't ask what happened, but smiled and greeted the Duke of Zhenguo: "Duke of Zhenguo."

Duke Zhen was a little embarrassed and said self-deprecatingly, "I have to admit that I am old. I am half a foot in the ground, but I am not as brave as my two children."

Jiang Ling heard this and said, "Duke Zhenguo, your words are too serious. Normal people would be scared when seeing a corpse. Ming Huazhang and Xie Jichuan are the abnormal ones."

Duke Zhenguo suddenly became curious about where Ming Huazhang worked and asked, "Does Jingzhao Prefecture often face these things?"

"We usually train in the Northern Court, so we don't know what's going on in Jingzhao Prefecture, but every time I see Ming Huazhang, there's a corpse." Jiang Ling sighed, "Xie Jichuan looks like he has a lot of bad intentions. It's not strange that he's not afraid of corpses, but Ming Huazhang looks gentle and steady, but he's actually very courageous and likes anything exciting. This corpse is considered good. When the pavilion exploded last time, people were blown to pieces. The ground and trees were covered with burnt flesh. Even the old detective who had been working on the case for more than 30 years was sick of it. Ming Huazhang was the first to go in and put the body pieces together as if nothing had happened. Oh, and there was Ming Huashang. They were indeed brother and sister. Sometimes Ming Huashang was even more fierce than Ming Huazhang. She would stay where the dead person had just been and stare at him. It was scary to watch..."

Ren Yao gently nudged Jiang Ling, signaling him to be careful with his words: "The dead are the most important, so you should say less. If it weren't for our negligence, Zhaocai wouldn't have died. It's us who let down Er Niang and made her sick. Please forgive us, Duke Zhen."

Duke Zhenguo waved his hands and said, "This is not your fault. Huazhang is right. It is that lunatic who should be damned. Erniang and Zhaocai are both victims."

At this point, Duke Zhenguo suddenly realized that he was so nervous just by seeing the corpse that he couldn't stay still. Ming Huazhang was more familiar with Zhaocai. Facing a familiar face, he had to take a closer look at how Zhaocai died. Wouldn't he feel even more uncomfortable?

After Ming Huashang was sent back last night, the Duke of Zhenguo was completely focused on Ming Huashang and had no time to pay attention to anything else. It seemed like just a blink of an eye, and Ming Huazhang came back as he should. He took care of his sick sister, arranged Zhaocai's funeral, and dealt with the emotions of his relatives. Everything was natural as if it was meant to be this way.

However, the boy who stood in front of everyone and skillfully protected others from the wind and rain was only 17 years old. He had just lost two relatives a day ago.

If we count the unborn baby in Princess Yongtai's belly, there are three.

Duke Zhenguo was stunned. Since when did he get used to letting Ming Huazhang stand in front? The death of Prince Zhang Huai was too tragic, and it had become a thorn in the hearts of these old ministers. Over the years, Duke Zhenguo had not dared to slack off in educating Ming Huazhang, wishing that he had all the virtues in the world, but today Duke Zhenguo was surprised that Ming Huazhang seemed too sensible.

Always independent, always steady and reliable, for so long that everyone has forgotten that he is also a human being who can get hurt, get tired, and can't hold on any longer.

The Duke of Zhenguo suddenly asked, "What kind of person do you think Ming Huazhang is?"

They couldn't possibly say bad things in front of someone's father. Ren Yao thought about it and said seriously, "He is a very reliable person."

Jiang Ling was usually arrogant and always thought he was the best in the world, but now he said, "If someone else said those righteous words, even if it was my father, I would think they were bragging, but if it was Ming Huazhang, I would believe it."

Duke Zhenguo could tell that the two young men truly recognized Ming Huazhang. He looked at Chunyi, who was growing wild and ready to burst forth, and after a moment of silence, he asked, "So what do you think of Shangshang as a person?"

Speaking of this, Ren Yao and Jiang Ling's expressions were much more relaxed. Ren Yao immediately mentioned many advantages, such as being reasonable, considerate, smart, brave and careful, etc. Jiang Ling was not convenient to praise Hua Chang directly, and every time Ren Yao said one, he nodded beside him: "Yeah, I think so too."

The two of them singing the same tune was very interesting, and the Duke of Zhenguo couldn't help but laugh. After laughing, he felt a heavy sense of bewilderment.

The first time he heard from outsiders that Ming Huachang was smart, clever, brave and careful, he was shocked to realize that he actually didn't know his daughter. He had been focusing on Ming Huazhang all these years, and he was determined not to disappoint the trust of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Zhanghuai. He had placed too high expectations on Ming Huazhang, but neglected his own daughter.

He thought that providing his daughter with the best material things was good for her, but he forgot that what a child needs most is companionship.

If Yulan was here, it would not be like this. If Yuji grew up in the mansion and stayed with Shangshang, it would not be like this either.

Duke Zhenguo felt even more depressed as he thought about the past. It seemed that he was not a good husband or father. He had personally sent his wife and eldest daughter away, and even failed to fulfill his fatherly duties to his youngest daughter, who he had raised by his side. He was truly unworthy of being a man.

Duke Zhenguo sighed slowly, and he understood why Ming Huashang relied on Ming Huazhang. Putting aside their status, Ming Huazhang was much more dedicated than his father. He knew Ming Huashang's preferences, and the most precious thing was that he understood her emotions and was willing to accompany her to do things that were unorthodox and unreasonable in the eyes of the world.

No wonder Ming Huashang was speechless to them after waking up. It was only when she saw Ming Huazhang coming back that she was finally able to cry out loud.

They all thought she was frightened by the dead, but Ming Huazhang knew that she was blaming herself. What she lost was not a maid, but a friend.

The last bit of affection that Zhenguogong had for Ming Huazhang also disappeared. Forget it, his children and grandchildren have their own blessings. He is not a good father and has no right to instruct his daughter on her marriage. Let Shangshang and Huazhang decide how far they can go.

Duke Zhenguo was lost in thought as he watched the setting sun gradually disappear. Suddenly, the door behind him opened, and Ming Huazhang and Xie Jichuan came out, talking: "Draw a map showing where you found the blood-stained clothes and where Yang Banmai lived. Give it to me later... no, give it to me now."

Xie Jichuan said with disdain: "It's already so dark, drawing will hurt my eyes, let's wait until tomorrow."

"The sun hasn't set yet. You should paint faster so as not to hurt your eyes." Ming Huazhang signaled to his followers outside the house, "Go get some ink and brush for Mr. Xie."

Xie Jichuan sneered: "If you have something for me to do, it's Xie Langjun. Usually I'm just an idler, how can you be so frank."

Ming Huazhang pretended not to hear those sarcastic words and watched Xie Jichuan draw the map with his own eyes before saying, "Thank you for bringing Zhaocai back today. It's getting late, I'll take you out."

"No need." Xie Jichuan was too lazy to listen to his hypocritical words and said, "My legs are not old yet, I can walk by myself. You should go back and take care of your second sister, so that nothing can happen to her. And you blame me for wasting your time."

Ming Huazhang really didn't want to see him off when he heard that. He said, "Be careful on your way. See you later."

Naturally, Duke Zhenguo could not be so rude, and immediately sent his butler to escort the three young friends out of the house one by one. While they were greeting each other, Ming Huazhang had already returned to the inner courtyard and continued to look after Ming Huashang.

Ming Huazhang asked the maid and felt a little relieved when he learned that Ming Huachang had not woken up or had a nightmare during this period. He sat by the bed, silently flipping through the map, with his other hand still holding Ming Huachang's wrist.

He was powerless to drive away the things that frightened her in her dreams, so he could only tell her in this way that he was there.

Always there.

When Ming Huachang opened her eyes, she saw this scene.