I've Got This Cannon Fodder Trope Covered!

Chapter 18

It was the same man she had seen at the Cao family's estate in Xuzhou. 

Wei Hanzhang's gaze shifted slightly as she slowly walked toward the corner, bowing respectfully. "Thank you, young master." 

The man lowered his lashes to look at her and handed her a handkerchief. "You have blood on your face."

His hands were exceptionally beautiful, with distinct joints and smooth, elegant lines, radiating a clean attractiveness that matched his demeanor.

However, Wei Hanzhang did not take his handkerchief and replied nonchalantly, "It's nothing; my clothes are dirty anyway." 

After holding Cao Xinrou for so long, her clothing was already stained with blood, and no amount of wiping would make it clean again. 

Having thanked him, she was about to take her leave when she heard the man ask, "Do you regret being so impulsive just now?"

Wei Hanzhang understood he was referring to her reckless act of trying to save Cao Xinrou, regardless of her identity. Although his question felt somewhat presumptuous given their limited acquaintance, Wei Hanzhang's unsettled emotions made her overlook the impropriety. 

Instead, she candidly replied, "I don't regret it. If I had seen my childhood friend fall and pretended not to notice, then that wouldn't be me."

What if it affected her marriage? If Gu Yunran regretted marrying her because she tried to save Xinrou, then the engagement was not worth having.

She looked at the man before her and asked, "Do you know who the girl who jumped was?"

Xiao Junzhan met her gaze for a moment, a ripple of surprise in his eyes. "Who was it?"

Wei Hanzhang tightened her grip on her skirt and took a shallow breath. "She is the eldest daughter of the Cao family from Xuzhou, the former owner of the courtyard where I first met you."

"Her father committed a crime and was sentenced to death six months ago. She and her sisters ended up in the pleasure house, but when I saw her last time, she seemed to be doing well." 

Thinking of Gu Yundan's sudden appearance, she felt certain that Xinrou's death was closely tied to him. 

Wei Hanzhang clenched her teeth in frustration, feeling outraged that he could marry someone new while disregarding his past childhood friend, who had fallen to such depths. It was a profound cruelty!

After a moment of silence, Xiao Junzhan spoke softly, "Last spring, there was a flood in Jiangnan, causing disaster in Yunnan and Ning provinces. The court allocated three hundred thousand taels for disaster relief, but local officials embezzled the funds. Cao Shiren was the governor of Yunzhou, so his death sentence is not unwarranted."

Wei Hanzhang hadn't expected the man, whom she had met only twice, to enlighten her on court matters. She knew the Cao family was guilty of embezzlement, but no one had ever explained the details to her. 

She didn't even know Cao Xinrou's father's name, yet this man spoke of it as if he were reciting familiar facts.

Feeling confused, she sensed that this man was somewhat inscrutable. His cool and distant demeanor made him seem aloof, as if he were beyond her reach.

Wei Hanzhang scrutinized him for a moment and said, "I don't mean to defend the Cao family; it's just that the daughter and I were childhood friends, and I can't help but feel pity..."

Xiao Junzhan responded gently, "You don't need to explain; I understand."

"..." Wei Hanzhang paused, unsure how to interpret his words. Was she really explaining herself?