Chapter 134
Chapter 134: Father, Save Me
“Eldest Miss, Lord Zheng has arrived,” said Song Mo as he dropped beside Xia Meng Yan to report what was happening down the mountain, “and several madams have already left.”
Xia Meng Yan smiled. Lord Zheng had come fast, but it was too late; what needed to happen had already happened. Once those madams returned home, everyone in Man Lin City, even the ants on the ground, would hear that Zheng Jing Nian could not hold back and was fooling around with a monk at Cloud Mountain Temple.
“Send people down the mountain to spread the news,” she said.
“Yes,” answered Song Mo as he flashed away.
She had rushed all the way here; now that she knew Lin Qing Wan was safe, her tight heart finally relaxed and her legs began to ache. Duan Yi Chen noticed and steadied her with a hand: “Where do you feel unwell?”
Her face was a little pale, but a sly light flashed in her eyes as she said: “It is time for us to cry injustice.”
In a side room at Cloud Mountain Temple, Lord Zheng raised his hand and struck. Rage surged through him as he said: “Shameful thing. No wonder you turned down so many noble ladies. So this is the filthy desire you hid.”
Zheng Jing Nian knelt on the floor. His body ached everywhere, but he did not dare argue. He kept kowtowing as he said: “Father, I was wrong. I was framed. It was Xia Meng Yan. It was her.”
Lord Zheng let out a cold laugh and clamped a hand on his son’s neck as he said: “She made you like men? I had no idea she was that powerful.”
Zheng Jing Nian’s face turned red. He wanted to explain, but the words would not come.
Zheng Ming Lan rushed up to plead as she said: “Father, it was all Xia Meng Yan’s wicked plan, you—”
A sharp crack cut her off. The slap knocked Zheng Ming Lan to the floor.
“To this moment you still want to hide it. Do you take me for a fool?” he said.
The anger twisting Lord Zheng’s face grew uglier by the second. He was the magistrate here. If word spread that his legitimate son liked men, where would he put his face?
Zheng Jing Nian and Zheng Ming Lan forgot everything else and crawled to beg in front of him as they said: “Father, we were wrong. Please, Father, save us.”
He wanted to kick both of them to death, but reason told him to drag these two sinners home and deal with them later. Right now he had to settle Xia Meng Yan.
“What else did you do? Speak honestly,” he said.
Brother and sister traded a glance and shivered. They had done a lot. Should they tell all of it?
“If you still will not speak, I will throw you out right now,” he said.
“Father, I will say it.” Thinking of Duan Yi Chen, Zheng Ming Lan’s mind spun fast as she said: “Father said Duan Yi Chen was likely by Xia Meng Yan’s side, but my elder brother and I searched for a long time and could not find him. I thought, since we could not find him, we might as well force him out. So I had people set a fire to burn Xia Meng Yan.
I did not expect the other side to notice. She not only survived, she set things up so my brother lost face. I was angry, so I ordered the Shadow Guard to kidnap Lin Qing Wan and throw her on the back mountain.”
She did not dare say that Xia Meng Yan had almost strangled her, and she would never admit that the other woman’s aura had nearly scared her to death.
Hearing this, Lord Zheng shut his eyes in fury. These two fools. One plot failed, and they wanted to try again. They never thought it through. If Xia Meng Yan escaped a great fire, then she had people with her. Those people were at least as strong as the Zheng Family Shadow Guard.
His eyes snapped open. Perhaps this was not all loss. The Zheng Family’s Shadow Guard was no different from the Shadow Guard of noble houses in the Capital. Those above them were either the Imperial Clan’s death assassins or the Imperial Palace’s dark sentinels. So Duan Yi Chen was at Xia Meng Yan’s side, only hidden well.
Seeing her father go silent, Zheng Ming Lan’s palms turned sweaty. Xia Meng Yan had already gone to the back mountain and would soon come to settle accounts. She had to calm Father before Xia arrived. [I must get him back on my side.]
“Father, I know I was wrong. When we return, you can punish me however you wish. But for now we must press down Elder Brother’s matter. This concerns the Zheng Family’s name. We cannot afford a single mistake,” she said.
Lord Zheng’s cool gaze swept over her as he said: “Now you remember the Zheng Family’s name. If you had told me earlier, how would we be here? When I came up the mountain, several carriages were already leaving. It is too late.”
“What?” Zheng Ming Lan shot to her feet as she said: “I told the Shadow Guard to block the road. How did anyone get away?”
Thinking of something, Zheng Jing Nian spoke with a vicious look as he said: “It must be Xia Meng Yan helping them. She wants to ruin the Zheng Family.”
The siblings shared a look and knew what the other meant. Push it all on Xia Meng Yan, and Father would at most make them kneel in the ancestral hall. After the storm passed, they would still be the Zheng Family’s legitimate son and daughter.
Just then, someone called from outside the door: “Lord, Miss Xia has come with people.”
The three inside looked at one another, each with their own plan.
A moment later, Lord Zheng opened the door. Seeing the people in the courtyard, his face sank.
“Miss Xia, I have not come to find you, yet you came to deliver yourself,” he said.
Xia Meng Yan bowed to him and spoke in a flat tone as she said: “I was worried Lord would be tricked, so I brought witnesses.”
As she spoke, Duan Yi Chen tossed two people onto the ground: the man who had assaulted Lin Qing Wan, and Qiao Xi Wan.
Zheng Ming Lan’s face changed at the sight of Qiao Xi Wan. Wasn’t she taken away by the yamen runners? How was she here?
No. She could not sit and wait to die. She grabbed at Father’s arm as she said: “Xia Meng Yan, what nonsense are you saying? Do not think that bringing Qiao Xi Wan here lets you frame me. You are in-laws. You cannot testify.”
“That’s right. Qiao Xi Wan’s maid’s handkerchief was found at the fire scene, and that was evidence you brought up yourself,” said Zheng Jing Nian, clinging to the doorframe. The pain in his body made him look pathetic.
Xia Meng Yan smiled as she said: “I have not said anything yet. Why are you in such a rush?”
Zheng Ming Lan met that smile and felt even more uneasy. She tightened her hold on Father’s arm as she said: “You cannot listen to her one-sided words. They are working together.”
Looking ragged, Zheng Jing Nian added as he said: “Father, last time at the Qiao Family, my sister and Miss Xia had a falling out. She might be framing us now. We should drive her out at once.”
Lord Zheng hesitated for a moment.
Kneeling and trembling, Qiao Xi Wan suddenly lifted her head as she said: “Please, my lord, uphold justice for a common woman.”
He frowned at the weak Qiao Xi Wan. He was the magistrate of Man Lin City. If a citizen cried injustice and he ignored it, word would spread, and the good name he had built for years would be gone.
“Stand and speak,” he said.
Zheng Jing Nian and Zheng Ming Lan grew anxious, but Zheng Ming Lan steadied fast. The Shadow Guard had already arranged things. As long as they followed the plan, they could push the crime onto Qiao Xi Wan’s maid. If Qiao Xi Wan herself got pulled in, that would be her bad luck. She had taken the Zheng Family’s favor for two years. It was time to pay it back. [Whatever happens to her is no concern of mine.]
Qiao Xi Wan was not a fool. She knew that if she could not explain herself today, she would be ruined. But who should she lean toward, and who could save her? It was still unclear. She could not help glancing at Xia Meng Yan, a bit unsure. [Should I trust her?]
“This concerns several major families in Man Lin City. Lord, why not find a quiet place so we can talk slowly,” said Xia Meng Yan. She had reached her goal; now it was time to ask for benefits.
Hearing this, Lord Zheng relaxed a little. A quiet place meant it could be settled in private. If they could settle it in private, then Xia Meng Yan was smarter than he had thought.
“Very well,” he said.
They entered the room, and the door closed.
Zheng Jing Nian and Zheng Ming Lan stood at Lord Zheng’s side. Duan Yi Chen helped Xia Meng Yan inside.
Xia Meng Yan spoke plainly as she said: “I will not talk in circles. Miss Zheng secretly bought people inside the Qiao Family to try to burn me to death. I survived. She failed, then set another trap to ruin my reputation, but that also failed. In the end, angry and ashamed, she turned her aim on my cousin. One thing after another. If Lord Zheng wants to investigate, I can provide evidence and witnesses.”
Her voice was calm, but her presence pressed down on the room. That steadiness beyond her years made people respect her.