Perfect Encounter - Chapter 96.2

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Chapter 96.2

Huo Mingshan took another deep breath and struggled, “You don’t mind killing the wrong person, but at least you can’t let the real murderer get away. Otherwise, how can you explain it to your daughter when you go to the Yellow Springs?”

“So, who is the real murderer?”

The way Jing Yuan looked at Huo Mingshan made him swallow back the sentence on his lips, “I’ll tell you when I’ve finished my job safely.” He said, “I don’t know who the real culprit is, but it isn’t Lord Huang.”

Jing Yuan softly said, “It’s useless to talk about this. Prime Minister Huo, you were kind to my daughter. Although you failed to bring her back to life when she was dying, you cared and encouraged her so that she could feel some warmth and not be so afraid, and that’s precisely why I didn’t just chop off your head. You don’t know what’s going on, do you? You don’t know what you were getting yourself into. Either I’m going to kill you, or someone else will. Have you ever wondered why, under such heavy defense, switched rooms, a substitute, and all these things, I was still able to appear in front of you?”

Huo Mingshan clenched his teeth. Is there any need to think about this? Someone had leaked the plan, and the other party understood his every move.

“I even knew which room you’d switch to, and I snuck in before the guards surrounded this courtyard.”

A chill ran down the back of Huo Mingshan’s spine. If Zou Yun hadn’t talked with him this much and cut his head off directly instead, he wouldn’t even know how he died.

“Today, they want to see your corpse.” Jing Yuan looked at Huo Mingshan, “I have to kill you. I won’t watch my daughter die for the second time in front of me.”

Huo Mingshan didn’t know what she was talking about, and he had no time to worry about how her daughter could die a second time when she’s already dead. He asked, “Who are they?”

“I don’t know. There was only one person I met with. I came when I heard that the target was you.” Priestess Jing Yuan said, “I should come, lest someone else will.”

Huo Mingshan smiled bitterly, “If you come, I’ll still be able to meet my old friend and catch up before I die?”

“No. You have the opportunity to convey your last words.”

Huo Mingshan looked at Jing Yuan, and for a moment, his heart was mixed.

Outside the door, was there someone standing right there? They were speculating about the movements in this room, waiting to see when Zou Yun would make her move. Or maybe they were a little further away, outside this courtyard, within the local government offices? How long did King Hui’s hands extend, and how could he buy off this many people?

“After killing me, how will you escape?”

“I’ll go out the way I came in.”

Huo Mingshan gritted his teeth and hardened his heart, “I do have last words to leave.”

Meanwhile, in the Xixiu Hall, An Ruoxi had left. An Ruochen asked a few questions to Mrs. Xue. When they chatted, Xue Xuran led his young servant out of the room and listened to An Ruochen say, “As long as Madam can decide, we can set this matter. I’ll figure out the rest.”

Xue Xuran originally wanted to pretend he wasn’t listening, but after sitting in the sedan chair, he felt suffocated. He got out of the sedan chair again and said to An Ruochen: ”While Eldest Miss An is here, why don’t we talk? It will save everyone from endless discussions over this matter in the future, it’s exhausting. Let’s make it all clear today, so we don’t disturb each other in the future.”

Mrs. Xue was surprised and was about to reprimand her son for his rudeness and round up the situation, but An Ruochen readily agreed.

Xue Xuran led An Ruochen back to the private room where he had just spoken with An Ruoxi. When only the two of them remained in the room, Xue Xuran opened the door and said: ”Eldest Miss An has taken the trouble, but I won’t consent. It would be better for you to stop this before it’s too late and stop bugging my mother.”

An Ruochen laughed and said, “I thought that the one who proposed this marriage was your family. Why did it turn out to be me who bugs your mother?”

Xue Xuran frowned and said, “Eldest Miss An’s speech can be unpleasant, but it is meaningless making up around the bend. My mother went to propose marriage, but your father refused. This matter has been closed.”

“It sounds like you are satisfied with this result, Mr. Xue.”

“This is how it should be.”

“So Mr. Xue is determined to remain unmarried for life?”

“Who said anything about not marrying for life?”

“You said it to my sister. Didn’t you say that you are weak and sickly, so it’s not a good idea to involve a poor girl, and so you refused to get married?”

Xue Xuran was silent.

An Ruochen added: “My sister admires your character, Mr. Xue. But in Mrs. Xue’s mind, you are a filial son. Your refusal of marriage means disobeying her, so she was quite surprised.”

Xue Xuran: “Our mother and son relationship, do we need to report to an outsider like you?”

“Your family affairs are naturally none of my business. But when it comes to my sister’s marriage, I must be concerned. There should always be a good reason why the marriage is refused. Of course, it’s not some physical weakness, nor is it because the candidate is a disgraceful family like the An family, so simple.” Since Xue Xuran was trying to pick up the conversation, An Ruochen asked directly, “Your parents don’t care about my father’s reputation, so why do you care about it? What exactly is the reason for you refusing the marriage?”

Xue Xuran grunted, “So, Eldest Miss An doesn’t know? What eight characters and ‘Zhongxi’? It was all bullshit. It’s only because my mother is in a hurry that she believes in this. If I had known that marrying a wife would be taken advantage of and used for blackmail, I would have married long ago and saved myself the trouble of today. What is General Long’s intention? If I go to the court and tell them that a high-ranking official is bullying people, General Long will be in big trouble. I’ve asked around. The An Family is at Qian Pei’s mercy and depends on him. After your escape, your second sister frequently looks for you, and you are afraid of being dragged down by her, so you want to marry her to an outsider. Therefore, he pulled it off behind your back so you can rest assured, right?”

An Ruochen froze, quite surprised. The General arranged this? She was distressed over the matter of her second sister, so he had Master Jingci set up this trap to deceive Mrs. Xue.

Xue Xuran stared at her, “You don’t know? I won a bet on a chess game before I forced the Master to tell the truth. Even though he stated that he would not admit this to anyone, and I can’t prove it, it is true. The Lord General is so powerful that he induced Master Jingci to help him this way.”

An Ruochen said, “Your and my second sister’s eight characters being a match must be true. Doing such a fraud that can easily be exposed, Master Jingci wouldn’t be so stupid as to destroy his reputation.”

“The statement about ‘Zhongxi’ is bullshit! Who cares if the eight characters don’t match.” Xue Xuran was exasperated. “I’ll marry whoever I want, as long as my mother likes her. But if you want to use this matter to get my family into trouble and drag my family down, I won’t agree to it. Miss An might as well give up on this. You and I understand that if you make a fuss, my mother will be worried, and General Long will not be happy either. Even if you don’t care about your reputation, think about the General’s.”

An Ruochen was silent for a long time and suddenly said, “So, it looks like we are each holding a handle on the other.”

Xue Xuran sneered, “What handle can you have on my family? Our Xue family is not like your An family. We do things in an honorable and clean manner.”

An Ruochen said, “If the General chose you, there must be a reason. You are right. Our An Family is held by Qian Pei, from buying and selling to the marriage of his children, my father has to look at Qian Pei’s face. You’re a smart man. You’ve inquired and judged clearly, and that is not bad. I escaped, but my second sister is still in the An family, and she’s having a hard time, so naturally, I’m also in trouble. If the General wanted to pull this problem off my back and get rid of it, he had to choose a capable person. Why did he pick you?”

Xue Xuran froze but quickly regained his composure. “If you want to find someone who is at odds with Qian Pei, who is considered a match to your family, and who is too sick to dislike the Second Miss An, other than my family, I’m afraid you won’t be able to find another one in the entire city, right?”

An Ruochen shook her head, “The General once said you should conceal your cleverness and strength when you are supposed to.” She stared at Xue Xuran, “You, Young Master, are young and straightforward, so you were exposed.”