Chapter 563: Killing With a Borrowed Knife
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Luo Jin’an tried his best to control his emotions as he clenched his fingers tightly. His eyes reddened as well.
Su Binglan felt pained when she saw her husband like that. She held his hand, saying, “I’m sorry, don’t speak anymore. I won’t ask questions anymore. Hurry up and eat.”
She felt she should not have asked these questions and let her husband recall them. Her palm was warm, spreading to Luo Jin’an’s body when she held his hand. Then it flowed into his heart, making him feel much better.
Luo Jin’an’s mood improved exponentially with his wife by his side. He no longer feared recalling those memories. He collected his emotions and gently patted his wife’s hand to comfort her, “Don’t worry. I’m okay.”
Afterward, Su Binglan looked at him and scooped some ribs from the soup into his bowl. “Don’t just drink the soup. Eat some ribs, too.”
Luo Jin’an ate the pork ribs his wife scooped for him and raised his brows.
“The ribs are delicious. It tastes different from what I usually eat.”
“l stewed them for a long period for the flavor to spread through the soup.”
“Yes.” Luo Jin’an continued to eat. Even so, his every move was elegant and dignified. It was pleasing to the eye. It had been a while since he had eaten Su Binglan’s cooking, and he missed her, too.
Hence, he ate slowly and carefully to savor the flavors. He cherished his wife’s cooking and ate thoughtfully without wasting a single drop. Of course, he was also very full from eating so much since it had been long since he had delicious food.
Su Binglan smiled when she saw her husband eating so well. “Let me give you a piece of good news.”
She wanted to cheer her husband up.
Luo Jin’an raised his eyebrows and looked at her. “What is it?”
Su Binglan wanted him to guess but remembered he had just woken up, so she could not bear him thinking so much. She said, “Someone from the Gongsun family is still alive.”
“What did you say?” Luo Jin’an’s body trembled. This news was too important to him. After all, the Gongsuns and the Weis always had a good relationship. The Gongsuns had also developed and designed many of the Wei family’s mechanisms and weapons.
Back then, the Wei family did not receive the news of the Gongsun family’s destruction in time because the Weis were fighting at the border. Wei Jin’an only discovered what had happened to the Gongsuns after returning to Chu. He could do nothing about it then.
Although Luo Jin’an was younger then, he still blamed himself. One of his close friends was the Gongsun family’s young master.
“It’s Young Master Gongsun’s younger brother, Gongsun MO,” Su Binglan said, “l didn’t have time to save Young Master Gongsun and could only save Mo. Also, Gongsun MO was away back then, so no one noticed him.”
Su Binglan did not tell anyone about Gongsun MO back then, primarily because she feared news of his survival would leak. However, she could tell her husband about it.
Luo Jin’an excitedly grabbed Su Binglan’s hand. “Bing, is that true?!”
Su Binglan nodded and said thoughtfully, “Yes, it is. MO is safe and has a wife.
She’s an adorable young lady.”
She knew this news’s importance to her husband, mainly since he had always blamed himself for what happened to the Gongsun family.
She recalled Luo Jin’an sculpting something at home once. At that time, she even discussed mechanism-making techniques with him. Luo Jin’an’s expression seemed strange then, but Su Binglan did not think much about it.
After all, she did not have Lan Ruobings memories then. Therefore, she had no idea what was on Luo Jin’an’s mind. Then she learned about the Gongsun family by listening to some of their discussions.
Later, Su Binglan vaguely remembered she had saved someone from the Gongsun family when she regained some of Lan Ruobings memories. However, she could not remember exactly where she told Gongsun MO to hide,
Shortly after, she met Lei Tongtong at a toy stall and found Gongsun Mo. She only remembered part of her complete memory then.
Luo Jin’an was ecstatic when he heard the news. He tightly held his wife’s hand and said, “That’s excellent.’
‘Under such circumstances, saving anyone from the Gongsun family was difficult. Perhaps only she could do it.’
“Bing, did you know about this before?”
“Yes, I did. So, I’ve arranged for spies to keep him safe. It’s just that I didn’t know about the Wei family beforehand.” Su Binglan blamed herself for that.
“You should do it secretly if you want to keep him safe,” Luo Jin’an said, “It’s also tough for the people in the palace to know the truth.”
They mainly wanted the commoners to know that the higher-ups had conspired with the enemy country to destroy Chu’s elite troops. One could imagine what the commoners would think.
‘Water can float a boat, but it can also capsize it. How many people will be willing to stay loyal to the emperor then?’
“Gongsun MO is still alive, and it’s a comfort to the Gonsun family,” Luo Jin’an said in a low, hoarse voice.
“That’s right.” Su Binglan nodded. ‘Gongsun MO and Lei Tongtong might even have a few children in their future. They can still rebuild the Gongsun family. I also think MO is very talented.”
“He’s more talented than his elder brother,” Luo Jin’an agreed, “That’s why the Gongsuns arranged for him to study abroad. He probably wasn’t home when his family got wiped out.”
“Even so, people will chase after him if they discover he’s alive. That’s why I got a corpse to replace him. Since there was a fire back then, no one would know he had survived.’
It was not easy for Lan Ruobing to set up those things. She had to hide it from everyone. Fortunately, she still had that ability then.
This piece of news made Luo Jin’an feel much better. He looked at Su Binglan profoundly and said, “Thank you, Bing.”
“Do we still need to thank each other?” Su Binglan said softly, “No thanks.”
“All right.”
Su Binglan thoroughly understood some things as she talked with her husband. After some thought, she said, “l want to devise a way to destroy the Hong family.”
Luo Jin’an responded, “Eliminating them will alert the others. The forces involved in Beishao aren’t only the Hongs. Other families are involved too.”
Su Binglan raised her brows as the corners of her lips curled into a mysterious smile. “Then we’ll think of a way to kill with a borrowed knife. We don’t have to do it ourselves, you know? Let the Hong clan’s enemies do it. That way, it’ll be easier for us, and we can reap the benefits.”
Luo Jin’an expression changed when he heard that. Su Binglan noticed it and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I think Beishao probably set up the bandits on the border to disguise themselves,” Luo Jin’an said, “They’re also using a borrowed knife to kill..”