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Chapter 92: Chapter 92: Revelation of One’s Background
The man seemed to have made up his mind long ago, and he said gravely, "Miss, if it weren’t for you, my mother would already be dead! I have no other wishes in this life but to stay by my mother’s side and enjoy her twilight years. I am willing to help Miss out, which is also helping myself!"
Zhan Lan nodded, "Good, Kong Shen, once the matter is successful, I will ensure the safety of you and your mother!"
The man bowed deeply, gratefully saying, "Thank you, Miss Zhan!"
Zhan Lan left the courtyard.
Tomorrow, she had to do something. This matter might cause her father Zhan Beicang to lose face, but for the sake of the Zhan Family, she had no choice!
...
The next morning, after the early imperial court session, as Zhan Beicang was returning to the General Mansion, he encountered a man who blocked his way.
He was startled when he saw the man’s face.
Upon seeing him, the man knelt to the ground, raising a letter high with both hands.
"General Zhan, I have something to report! That woman, Ji Yue, and her father deceived you. She bore twins of mine, yet she framed General Zhan for it!"
On the streets, the crowd was bustling, but as they learned that the matter related to General Zhan, they quickly gathered around.
Upon hearing the man’s words, Zhan Beicang’s expression immediately changed.
"Presumptuous!" Two soldiers raised their swords towards Kong Shen.
Kong Shen knelt proudly, still holding the letter high, "General Zhan, that year, in order to protect her position as Aunt Ji Yue of the General Mansion, Ji Yue had someone to kill me and silence me! I have sent all the human evidence to the Capital Government!"
"I have also sent all the evidence to the Capital Government! If these are not enough proof, you may look at my face, see if it is not the spitting image of Zhan Peng, whom Ji Yue bore!"
The letter narrated how they were separated by Ji Yue’s father years ago, and how Ji Yue, in order to protect the identities of Zhan Peng and Zhan Qingqing, had assassins chase after Kong Shen.
These past years, the pursuit of his love brought him unbearable pain!
He fled all the way with his mother, and during the flight, his mother was wounded by the assassin. If it weren’t for Zhan Lan stepping in to help, sending the assassin to the Capital Government,
he might have lost his life.
Zhan Beicang’s face turned ashen as he took the man’s letter.
As he read the contents, he was burning with rage and ordered, "Take this man away, straight to Capital Governor!"
Two soldiers pushed Kong Shen forward.
Among the onlookers, some were sharp-eyed, and someone shouted, "Look, this man looks exactly like Zhan Peng, the second son of the Zhan Family!"
"My heavens, that woman Ji Yue is so audacious, to have schemed against General Zhan like that!"
"Yes, she basked in the glory of the General Mansion for so many years, only for both her children to turn out not to be of Zhan Family blood!"
"It’s detestable, General Zhan fighting on the front lines while Ji Yue even frames him with such an act of premarital pregnancy, utterly shameless!"
"Framing a pillar of the nation, she deserves death!"
On the teahouse balcony along the street, Zhan Lan sat there sipping tea.
The murmurs of the citizens reached her ears.
She smiled lightly, looking down at Zhan Qingqing who was arriving in a carriage not far off.
Zhan Qingqing’s carriage collided head-on with Zhan Beicang’s procession.
Seeing her father’s carriage, Zhan Qingqing came down excitedly, "Father, your daughter was just about to return to the Mansion to see you!"
Zhan Qingqing spoke with a radiant smile.
Zhan Beicang looked coldly at Zhan Qingqing, how had he never noticed before the resemblance between Zhan Qingqing and Zhan Peng.
Looking at Zhan Qingqing’s face, which greatly resembled that of the Ji family, he felt a stifling in his chest and didn’t acknowledge Zhan Qingqing at all.
Zhan Qingqing looked at the man being held down by the soldiers and exclaimed, "Brother!"
Kong Shen lifted his gaze towards Zhan Qingqing, causing her to jump in fright.
This man, he looks too much like her brother Zhan Peng!
When Zhan Beicang heard Zhan Qingqing calling Kong Shen "Brother," his fists clenched tightly.
He snorted coldly and said, "Let’s go!"
The horse team immediately moved towards the Capital Government, leaving Zhan Qingqing alone, stunned in place.
The onlookers by the roadside had clearly overheard the exchange between Zhan Qingqing and Zhan Beicang.
"She probably doesn’t even know that she’s no longer the young lady of the Zhan Family!"
"Exactly, she’s just a lowly woman’s cursed spawn!"
"Tut tut tut, what a waste of the General Mansion’s years of grace and care!"
Hearing the sarcastic comments from the pedestrians, Zhan Qingqing didn’t understand what had happened.
So, she put on the airs of the General Mansion’s young lady and shouted at the onlookers: "What nonsense are you lowlifes spouting!"
Li Cuilian, the proprietor of the Xinglong Restaurant on the main street, has always disliked Zhan Qingqing’s behavior.
Relying on being the illegitimate daughter of the General Mansion, she never took these merchants seriously.
Zhan Qingqing and her brother Zhan Peng never paid whenever they entered her restaurant.
Now that Li Cuilian knew of Zhan Qingqing’s true identity, she wouldn’t let this pass. 𝑛𝘰𝘷𝑝𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝘮
She had seen with her own eyes that the man being taken away looked exactly like Zhan Peng!
There was no mistake!
Li Cuilian provocatively approached Zhan Qingqing, and with her fat hand, she yanked off the golden hairpin from Zhan Qingqing’s head and also snatched away her gold bracelet.
"What are you doing!" Zhan Qingqing stepped forward intending to slap Li Cuilian.
Li Cuilian grabbed Zhan Qingqing’s arm and scoffed, "Yo, Miss Qingqing acts so arrogantly because she’s the bastard daughter of the General Mansion. Come on, pay back for all the food and drinks you consumed in our restaurant. I’m afraid your good days are coming to an end!"
With a shove, Zhan Qingqing was pushed to the ground.
Her palm was cut by the stones on the ground, and her lavish dress for the day was also torn.
Laughter rang in Zhan Qingqing’s ears, and she furiously shouted at Li Cuilian, "You know I’m the young lady of the General Mansion, yet you dare to hit me in public. Someone come, smash her restaurant for me!"
Four Protectors from the Zhu Family swung their fists at Li Cuilian from behind Zhan Qingqing.
"You want to hit me? Hah!" Li Cuilian stepped back and a dozen brawny men emerged from inside the restaurant.
Li Cuilian bounced up, her chubby face flailing wildly, and, pointing at Zhan Qingqing’s face, she loudly taunted: "This woman, repeatedly dining and dashing with her brother and pretending to be the children of the General Mansion. Humph, look at the two of you, are you even fit to be associated with the General Mansion? Come on, give her a good beating!"
In an instant, more than a dozen brawny men swung their fists at Zhan Qingqing and the four Zhu Family Protectors.
Li Cuilian had always seen the Zhan Family as a threat, but she wasn’t afraid of the downfallen Zhu Family!
Moreover, if the Zhu Family found out that Zhan Qingqing was a bastard child and not the young lady of the General Mansion.
Who knew how they would deal with Zhan Qingqing then!
Zhan Qingqing had unwavering faith in her own identity; how could she imagine that she wasn’t actually the young lady of the General Mansion.
Being spoiled all her life, she couldn’t believe that this proprietress would dare to touch her.
She pointed at the proprietress’s nose and cursed, "You lowlife, how dare you! I am the young lady of the General Mansion; touching me for eating your little bit of food and drink, I was doing you a favor!"
"Mum’s the word, you little wretch, you really think you’re something!" Li Cuilian, red with anger, stepped forward and grabbed Zhan Qingqing’s hair, flinging her with force.
Zhan Qingqing was thrown against the door of the Xinglong Restaurant like a small chick.
"Ah!" Zhan Qingqing’s head collided with the door, producing a dull thud.
