Chapter 72: Your Father Really Isn't Anything!

Li Qingluo: "What?"

She halted, staring in astonishment at Chen He.

Chen He held a lamp, and the smile on his face looked somewhat eerie against the darkness and wall shadows.

"I didn't deceive you. I suppose you already know that Jiangjun Fu once had an Aunt Zheng, right?"

Li Qingluo nodded: "Yes."

"Master, what exactly is your relationship with Aunt Zheng? You pretended to be a ghost in the Moonlit Garden, but for her?"

Chen He did not deny.

"Master, how about I tell you a story?"

"It concerns Jinling City, which once had a woman of unrivaled beauty, originally the legitimate daughter of a First‑Third Rank Great General. She loved reading since childhood, and as an adult she was a talented lady well‑versed in poetry and capable of painting."

"Unfortunately, that General became entangled in a bloody case of a palace concubine's tragic death, and the whole family was imprisoned. Executions, exiles, and all the women of the household were forced to become government concubines."

"The woman could not escape misfortune, but her father had some life‑and‑death friends in the jianghu before he died, and those friends banded together to rescue her and her legitimate younger brother."

"Unfortunately, they were discovered by the authorities while fleeing Jinling City."

"To allow her brother to escape, the woman voluntarily ran out to lure a contingent of officials away, and she lost contact thereafter."

"Where did this woman go? Why not guess?"

Li Qingluo's heart pounded.

She blurted out: "Could it be that she is Aunt Zheng?"

Chen He stopped, and in the tunnel stared at Li Qingluo with a smile: "Luo'er, you're clever. Yes, she is Aunt Zheng, the legitimate daughter of the Zheng family, Zheng Wanshou."

"Back then, when she was at a dead end and almost captured by the authorities, she was rescued by your father Li Chao Jing. In fact, they had known each other long ago."

"Your father had a poor reputation in his early years, so although his heart was already set on the Zheng family's legitimate daughter, his marriage proposal to the Zheng family was declined."

"After he married your mother, perhaps his heart died, but he never expected that one day he would see a Zheng family maiden again. So after rescuing Zheng Wanshou, he hurriedly locked her in the rear courtyard of Jiangjun Fu."

"It was within that Moonlit Garden. He disregarded Zheng Wanshou's wishes, her desire for freedom and to reunite with her brother, forcibly took Aunt Zheng, turning the once proud legitimate daughter into a concubine!"

"He thought his favor toward Aunt Zheng was a stable happiness she could no longer hope for, but in fact, Aunt Zheng only endured endless suffering."

"He did indeed owe Aunt Zheng a debt, but Aunt Zheng, in turn, lost many children for him; whatever she owed him was already repaid long ago."

"Even back then, after Aunt Zheng gave birth to twins, someone took away her son and killed him, leaving only a daughter."

"In the end, even her sister's life couldn't be saved. Luo'er, your father really isn't a decent person!"

Li Qingluo nodded without giving a verdict.

But she suddenly jolted awake.

"How do you know all these details so clearly? Who exactly are you?"

The twins born to Aunt Zheng that year were a secret even the grandmother's informant inside the mansion didn't know; it was Aunt Lou who revealed it to Li Qingluo!

And Chen He, somehow knows everything!?

Chen He stared at her: "Didn't I already say? Aunt Zheng has a legitimate younger brother."

Li Qingluo stared at the person before her with a bewildered gaze.

"Brother? But you..."

Her gaze suddenly fell on Chen He's Adam's apple.

Li Qingluo sprang back a step!

She knew Chen He must have disguised himself.

But she always believed she was just posing as the real Chen He, merely a matter of shedding an identity!

As for her rough, coarse voice, it was simply because she had trained in martial arts since childhood and had a masculine temperament!

But now, Li Qingluo suddenly realized!

This 'Chen He' not only has a false identity, could it be that even his gender is false!!?

Li Qingluo gasped sharply.

She kept stepping backward, finally realizing she had been rash!

"This is not a master!"

"It's downright a complete fraud!"

Li Qingluo turned to leave, and 'Chen He' shouted: "Luo'er!?"

He was about to pursue from behind, but another voice called out: "Zheng Lingzhou, come back! Officials have arrived above; you must not go out again."

'Chen He's steps finally halted, and he watched helplessly as Li Qingluo's figure vanished at the far end of the tunnel.

Footsteps came from behind; 'Chen He' turned and sighed: "Sister, why have you come?"

The newcomer was a beautiful woman; she stared at her younger brother and said: "If I hadn't come, how would I know how much you intend to reveal about my affairs?"

It turned out that this beautiful woman was the long‑missing, fate‑unknown Aunt Zheng of the Li family, Zheng Wanshou.

And the fake 'Chen He' was the legitimate younger brother who had been separated from her years ago and grew up in the jianghu, Zheng Lingzhou.

Zheng Lingzhou was born with an androgynously beautiful face that rivaled women's charms, allowing him to flawlessly assume a female identity and deceive Li Qingluo and everyone in Hongfenguan.

"Sister, I've examined her; Luo'er differs from the rest of the Li family. You can trust her!"

Zheng Wanshou: "I still need to consider this."

"You, Zheng Lingzhou! You are not allowed to take the initiative to see her."

"Last time you were exposed by her, and now you still dare to reveal your gender! I told you not to risk going to the Li family in that guise, yet you insisted! Now you've frightened her; let's see how you handle the aftermath."

Zheng Lingzhou sighed: "Never mind that for now; this place is no longer suitable for staying, let's leave quickly!"

As for Li Qingluo, he knew she had brought ten capable elderly maidservants today, so he wasn't worried about her safety.

Li Qingluo gasped as she crawled out of the tunnel, and after confirming no one was chasing from behind, she hadn't even had time to breathe when a short knife was already pressed across her throat.

"Come out!"

Li Qingluo: "……"

She slowly crawled out of the tunnel; as soon as she stood up, she was seized and led forward.

Li Qingluo saw that the originally empty charity estate courtyard was now, at some unknown time, already filled with officials.

Que'er and Deng Mama, seeing her appear, all rushed forward anxiously, their faces full of worry.

"Miss!"

"Miss——!"

Li Qingluo shook her head at them, indicating she was fine, and comforted them not to panic.

In fact, she had already secretly gripped the dagger hidden in her sleeve.

Just as she was preparing to wait for an opportunity to act, the officials suddenly parted, and one person walked out slowly from behind.

Upon seeing this person, Li Qingluo's pupils shrank sharply!

Is it Prince Su?

How come the Ministry of Justice is handling the case here?

How could she be so unlucky?

If only she had known to check the almanac before going out today!

He wouldn't, in order to catch the person behind her, simply do away with her as well, would he?

Indeed, Prince Su only glanced at Li Qingluo, then immediately raised his hand to signal.

Behind her and even on the courtyard walls, twenty archers immediately nocked their arrows, ready.

Li Qingluo felt nervous in her heart, only to hear the person behind her shout anxiously: "Prince Su, you, you for the case—could it be that you don't even care about this innocent girl's life?"

Duan Rongshi's eyes remained cold and unmoving: "You also know she's innocent, yet you also used her as a raft? Besides, breaking into the charity estate in broad daylight, I see she's no ordinary girl. Could it be that you two are actually accomplices?"

Deng Mama beside her couldn't take it anymore, she slapped her thigh with an "aiyo": "No—! Prince, please see clearly, our young lady is precisely the second daughter of the General's Manor on East Yin Lane, not some accomplice of fugitives!"

"Our young lady is absolutely innocent, and she doesn't even know what happened; please, Prince, save our young lady!"

Duan Rongshi then took another look.

This glance, naturally, lingered a bit longer.

Is it her?

The second daughter of the Li household?