Chapter 088
Chapter 88: A Nasty Open Scheme
Lu Rong Fang saw the newcomer and squeezed Xia Meng Yan’s hand tighter and tighter.
Cold sweat broke out on her forehead from the pain, and she felt as if he would crush her bones. She whispered: “It hurts.”
Lu Rong Fang snapped back to himself and let go at once, but a dark, ruthless light flashed in his eyes as he said: “I’m sorry, Meng Yan. I didn’t mean to.”
Duan Yi Chen took in Xia Meng Yan’s pale face and his heart ached; without another word, he lifted her into his arms, but his voice was icy as he said: “Young Master Lu, impressive. You found Yan’er so fast.”
Lu Rong Fang was not yet an official, only an outstanding exam candidate. Facing someone from the powerful Royal Clan, he could only swallow his anger and say: “Heir Apparent Duan is joking. It was only luck, and I’m glad Meng Yan is fine.”
Duan Yi Chen started to speak, then felt Xia Meng Yan pinch him in secret. He tensed and asked: “What is it, where do you feel unwell?”
She signaled with her eyes for him to lean down. He did so at once, showing no concern for the rules between men and women. She whispered by his ear: “He has sedative powder on him. Don’t go near.”
[So that’s why Yan’er is so weak,] Duan Yi Chen cursed inwardly. This was not saving someone. This was hurting them.
Seeing the two of them acting sweet and close as if no one else were there, Lu Rong Fang’s temper boiled. [No wonder Xia Meng Yan looks down on me. She still thinks about Duan Yi Chen. With her status, she can’t even be the Heir Apparent’s wife, let alone a concubine.]
Warned by Xia Meng Yan, Duan Yi Chen stepped back, putting space between them.
He said, cold and sharp: “Lu Rong Fang, you dared harm Yan’er?”
Panic flickered in Lu Rong Fang’s eyes, but his face stayed calm as he said: “Heir Apparent Duan, what are you saying? I don’t understand. I rescued Meng Yan from the Lin family’s mother and son. How is that harming her?”
Once free of Lu Rong Fang’s hold, Xia Meng Yan breathed in fresher air and felt a little strength return. She looked at him and said: “Young Master Lu, we are both smart. Why pretend to be stupid? You want me to marry you, so you used a nasty trick like this. Aren’t you afraid I’ll expose you?”
Lu Rong Fang widened his eyes and pointed at himself as he said: “Meng Yan, are you so scared you’re talking nonsense? I saved you. You can’t erase the facts just because you don’t want to marry me.”
She said, steady and clear: “Is that so? The Lin mother and son are still alive. If we hand them to the Dali Court, they will ask and find the mastermind.”
“That’s wonderful,” Lu Rong Fang answered without a blink. “Let the Dali Court clear my name.”
He had done everything openly on purpose, so everyone would know he was the one who rescued Xia Meng Yan. The outcome wasn’t what he hoped for, but he had expected it.
Right then, Xia Meng Yan understood the whole plan. He dared carry sedative powder on him openly because he already had an excuse prepared. He just didn’t expect his neat little “hero saves the beauty” scene to be ruined by Duan Yi Chen. From the moment he had the Lu family’s dogs out searching, the Xia family already “owed” the Lu family. She guessed the Lin mother and son had never met the handler. Otherwise, Lu Rong Fang wouldn’t be this bold. What a perfect open scheme.
She said in a low voice: “Let’s go.” The other side had come prepared; if they kept arguing, something might go wrong.
Duan Yi Chen had wanted to teach Lu Rong Fang a lesson, but seeing Xia Meng Yan’s color, he just carried her away.
Watching their backs as they left, Lu Rong Fang rubbed his fingertips. A faint scent still clung there. He murmured, almost a vow: “Xia Meng Yan, you must be mine.”
Duan Yi Chen carried her into the carriage and ordered a man to send word to the Xia family.
Xia Meng Yan, dizzy from breathing in too much of the sedative powder while being held by Lu Rong Fang for so long, said weakly: “Don’t go back to the city. Go to the Xia family’s country estate.”
Duan Yi Chen nodded and told the driver to head for the Xia family’s estate. He soothed her: “Don’t worry. My men have already taken the Lin mother and son. But Lu Rong Fang has a special status. Without proof, we can’t arrest him.”
He laid Xia Meng Yan on a soft white fox cushion, tested the flower tea on the table to make sure it wasn’t hot, then held it to her lips. Right now she couldn’t lift anything, so she let him feed her.
She asked, voice quiet: “Why did you come?”
She had thought she was finished today. She had even prepared herself for the Lu family’s rumors. But when Duan Yi Chen appeared, those worries melted away.
He lowered his head, not daring to meet her eyes, and said: “I just wanted to see you off. When I got there and heard you were missing, I chased after you.”
“How did you find me?” she asked. That place had been abandoned for a long time. It made sense for Lu Rong Fang, the one behind the scenes, to arrive fast. But why Duan Yi Chen?
His eyes dodged and he didn’t answer.
She said, straight to the point: “Do you have someone shadowing me?”
“Don’t be mad. I was just worried you might be in danger,” he blurted, panicking when he saw she had guessed.
Xia Meng Yan slowly closed her eyes. She had known he wouldn’t be honest: “Since when?”
“When I learned you were leaving, I worried Man Lin City might be dangerous,” he said quickly. “So I sent an expert to protect you from the shadows. I wasn’t trying to spy on you. Please believe me.”
“Did your person see Song Mo?” Xia Meng Yan asked. Thinking of Song Mo, a bad feeling rose in her heart.
Hearing that, Duan Yi Chen told her everything. Her guess was right. Someone strong had been secretly holding Song Mo back. Duan Yi Chen’s man discovered it, stepped in to help, and when he learned Xia Meng Yan had been taken away, he made a quick decision and followed fast. But he was still a step late. He only trailed them to the Capital Suburbs, where the clues vanished. Duan Yi Chen got the message and rushed to the Capital Suburbs, which was how Lu Rong Fang got there first.
“Song Mo is hurt,” Duan Yi Chen finished. “We’ve already sent him back to the Xia family.”
“Thank you. You must be tired too. Rest for a while,” Xia Meng Yan said. What else could she say? Lu Rong Fang’s plan was tight. He even had a ready excuse for carrying sedative powder. It wasn’t strange that he also thought of a way to pin down Song Mo. [I am really tired. I just want to live quietly with my child. I haven’t bothered anyone, but people keep picking fights with me. Do I really have to get engaged to some man to make it stop?]
Duan Yi Chen wanted to speak, but he was afraid of upsetting her, so he kept his mouth shut.
At the Xia manor, Xia Ping Yuan relaxed when word came from his daughter.
Madam Lin’s eyes were red as she said: “We must get to the bottom of this. The Lin family has already fallen. How could they have the ability to hurt Song Mo?”
Song Mo was the Lin family’s Shadow Guard. Since Xia Meng Yan’s first marriage, he had been with her. He was their carefully chosen man. They knew better than anyone how skilled he was. Whoever could hurt him was not ordinary.
Xia Ping Yuan said nothing at first. He stared toward the Xia family’s estate in the Capital Suburbs for a long time, then said with meaning: “Have you noticed that besides us, the only one who calls our daughter ‘Yan’er’ is Heir Apparent Duan?”
Madam Lin didn’t understand, but when she thought about it, it seemed true. Old Madam and the second branch always called her “Meng Yan,” and so did people from the Lin family.
“What are you getting at?” she asked.
Sighing, Xia Ping Yuan sat slowly and said: “Trouble has followed since our daughter came back home. That’s part of why I didn’t stop her when she said she would leave the capital. It wasn’t just to avoid trouble. I wanted her to see clearly whether she wants to marry again.”
“You mean Heir Apparent Duan isn’t acting on a whim,” Madam Lin said softly, hearing the deeper point at last. “He truly wants to marry Yan’er.”
Xia Ping Yuan nodded, his expression turning serious as he looked at his wife: “You heard just now. This was the Lu family’s doing, and their goal was to force Yan’er to marry Lu Rong Fang. If they failed this time, who says there won’t be a next time? The capital has more than one Lu Rong Fang.”
Madam Lin was startled, and tears fell again: “What should we do? Yan’er isn’t breaking any law by staying single. How can they bully her like this?”
“An innocent man gets blamed for his treasure,” Xia Ping Yuan said. “Right now the Xia family is like a lump of gold. Everyone wants to scrape off some gold leaf.”
“Then can Heir Apparent Duan protect Yan’er?” she asked.
Xia Ping Yuan’s eyes were complicated. He shook his head with a helpless look. “We’ll have to see what fate allows,” he said at last.