Chapter 219: Chapter 219: Meeting at the Grave

Chen Jiu was inwardly shocked but said without a change in expression, "The man you love so devotedly must be an extraordinary person." He then added with self-mockery, "And here I was, foolishly thinking that you loved me, Miss Liu..."

Hearing this, Miss Liu snapped back to reality. She grabbed his hand and said, "Chen Jiu, I’ve had time to think these past few days. You’re the one I should love. Once you get me out of here, let’s run away together, somewhere no one knows us. We can live a quiet life under new names. How does that sound?"

"Have you really let go of the man in your heart?" Chen Jiu asked hesitantly, reaching out to touch her swollen belly. "No matter what, he’s still the father of the child in your womb. What if one day, when the child is older, they ask you where their real father is? What will you do then?"

Miss Liu shook her head. "I got pregnant without his knowledge. He doesn’t know. If he ever found out, he would never spare me. Naturally, I will never tell the child the truth of their parentage."

"Why? Isn’t this his own flesh and blood?"

"What does it matter if it’s his flesh and blood? I told you, he loved his late wife deeply. There’s no room in his eyes for anyone else," Miss Liu said, her face full of bitterness.

"Miss Liu, you’re so foolish. You’re such a good person, why waste your love on an old widower?" Chen Jiu said with great pity.

"No, no, he’s not some old widower. Though he’s no longer young, he is one of the most handsome men in this world. He’s dashing, refined, elegant, and brilliant..." Miss Liu drifted into her memories, an unconscious look of obsession appearing on her face.

Chen Jiu saw this and deliberately scoffed. "Is he really as great as you say? He’s just a Water Bandit Leader. Can he really compare to our Princely Heir?"

Miss Liu snapped out of it and said contemptuously, "I admit your Princely Heir is also one of the world’s rare handsome men and holds a high position, but how can he compare to my big brother? My big brother has noble blood. If something hadn’t happened to his father’s line, the ruler of this dynasty would surely be my big brother!"

"Miss Liu, be careful what you say!" Chen Jiu covered her mouth, his face a mask of terror.

Miss Liu initially thought she had misspoken, but when she turned and saw how nervous he was, she couldn’t help but let out a "PFFT" of laughter. "Look at you, what a coward. What’s there to be afraid of? No one else can hear us."

"If anyone else heard you say that, it would bring a death sentence upon us!" Chen Jiu said nervously.

"But you’re the only one who heard. Or are you saying you’re going to tell someone?" Miss Liu said with a frown.

"For heaven’s sake, you shouldn’t have told me something so fatal." Chen Jiu glanced around uneasily, his performance of fear and terror utterly convincing.

"Alright, don’t be such a coward," Miss Liu said, a little displeased.

Chen Jiu noticed her displeasure and quickly raised his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his brow. "Just don’t tell me things like that next time."

Miss Liu’s face was filled with disgust.

Chen Jiu ladled her another bowl of chicken soup. "Miss Liu, let’s be clear. I can get you out, but once we’re out, I think we should go our separate ways."

Hearing this, Miss Liu’s expression changed. "You’re going to abandon me?"

Chen Jiu swallowed hard. "How is it me abandoning you? I’m not the father of the child in your belly. Besides, your child’s real father has such a powerful background. If he finds out I’m with you, he’ll probably kill me. I’m terrified."

At his words, Miss Liu’s expression softened slightly. "You don’t have to be so afraid of him. Although he has a noble birth, if his identity is exposed, he’ll be branded a traitor and a rebel. He’s really just a stray dog, nothing to be afraid of."

"How can you say that? A moment ago, you were saying he was one of the finest men in the world," Chen Jiu reminded her.

Miss Liu was at a loss for words.

"Alright, I’ll get you out of here as soon as I can. Wait for my good news." After taking the bowl from her hands, Chen Jiu picked up the food container to leave, but Miss Liu threw her arms around him. "Chen Jiu, you’re so good to me."

Chen Jiu froze. Luckily, his back was to her, otherwise he felt he would have thrown up.

After finally managing to get away and leave the prison, he hurried to find the Princely Heir and told him what he had learned in the cell.

Duan Ling happened to be there as well and was stunned after hearing the report.

"The child is that ’big brother’s’?"

"That’s what Miss Liu said," Chen Jiu confirmed with a nod.

"So, that ’big brother’ really is a descendant of King Jin?" Duan Ling frowned. "But I never would have thought that a Water Bandit Leader could be so devoted, still unable to forget his deceased wife."

Lu Zhan also found it strange.

’Just what kind of person was this descendant of King Jin?’

’And where was he hiding now?’

...

「Yangzhou.」

After Zhi Wan and Lady Wei arrived in Yangzhou by boat, they didn’t rest, but immediately took a carriage to Jurong.

After buying incense, joss paper, and other offerings, the two of them went to the graves of Father and Mother Zhi.

To their surprise, when they arrived, a black-robed figure was standing before the graves.

The person wore a hood that completely obscured their features, making their face impossible to see.

But judging from their height, it was likely a man.

"Excuse me, sir... are you here to pay respects to my parents?" Zhi Wan asked after a moment of hesitation.

The person seemed not to have expected anyone to come. They stiffened for a moment, then turned to look at Zhi Wan without speaking.

"Sir?" Zhi Wan spoke again, feeling puzzled. ’This person is so strange. Why won’t he speak?’

The man paused, glanced at Lady Wei who was also studying him, then turned and left without a word.

Zhi Wan and Lady Wei looked at each other, nonplussed.

That person was so strange.

Although she hadn’t seen the person’s face clearly, Zhi Wan had caught a glimpse of their eyes, which were visible from under the hood.

They were a pair of very beautiful eyes.

She found them somewhat familiar, as if she had seen them somewhere before, but she couldn’t quite recall where.

It wasn’t until she followed Lady Wei to the graves to offer incense to her parents that she suddenly remembered.

’That’s right, the man’s eyes looked just like hers. No wonder they felt so familiar.’

And her eyes were the spitting image of her father, Zhi Yu’s.

At the thought of her father, Zhi Wan’s eyes dimmed, and she pushed all other thoughts from her mind.

She knelt before the graves and kowtowed to her parents.

Holding sticks of incense, Lady Wei solemnly announced the marriage between Zhi Wan and Lu Zhan to Min Fu.

"...Ah Fu, you won’t blame me, will you? But rest assured, now that Lu Zhan is marrying Wan’er, he will definitely treat her well. If Lu Zhan dares to wrong Wan’er, I will never let him off the hook.

"I am extremely fond of Wan’er. At one point, I even wanted to adopt her as my own daughter. I never thought that one day she would actually become my daughter-in-law. You might not be satisfied with Lu Zhan, but the thought of Wan’er becoming my daughter-in-law fills my heart with so much joy and happiness.

"Rest assured, my bratty son and I will absolutely take good care of Wan’er and not let her suffer the slightest grievance."

After finishing their respects, the two lingered by the graves for a while longer before leaving in their carriage.

"I didn’t expect your parents’ graves to be so neatly tended," Lady Wei remarked with a sigh.

"Nanny Chen and the others tidy them," Zhi Wan said.

Lady Wei paused for a moment before remembering that Nanny Chen was also in Jurong.

"Oh, so it was Nanny Chen who tended to them. I thought it might have been that man from before."

Zhi Wan’s brows knitted slightly. "I wonder who that person was, and why he was at my parents’ graves. If he was an old acquaintance of my parents, why didn’t he say anything when I spoke to him?"