PFC Chapter 290 Abusing Power to Bully Others (Part 2)
Chapter 290 Abusing Power to Bully Others (Part 2)
Lu Zhiyuan was unaware that the Crown Prince had gone to the county government office, nor was Physician An, and even less aware that the group of people who had caused a disturbance outside the manor early in the morning were related to the Duke of Rui, and that the Duke of Rui had intricate connections with the Human Tooth Organization.
When the news reached the manor, Physician An let out a low growl of "It's over!" and pushed past the guards at the gate, running out. Lu Zhiyuan was injured and unable to move, so she sent Liuying out to scout the situation. Half an hour later, Liuying returned, looking unwell, and reported, "Physician An's fiancée has run into a wall!"
"Hit a wall?" Lu Zhiyuan frowned, her intuition telling her that this was not a simple matter.
Liu Ying sat on the edge of the bed, her back to Lu Zhiyuan, seemingly sulking. Her voice was muffled: "Imperial Physician An is such a good person, how could his fiancée fall in love with that damned Duke Rui? He's the one who kidnapped her. If I were her, I'd tear Duke Rui to pieces and still not be satisfied. But she not only fell in love with that bastard, she even tried to commit suicide by banging her head against the wall for him. Madam didn't see Imperial Physician An like that, he was almost broken."
A fiancée falls in love with the enemy who caused her family's ruin, and even commits suicide for him. Before her suicide, she still resents him. Anyone would be devastated in that situation.
"What exactly happened?" Lu Zhiyuan patted Liu Ying's back and asked patiently.
As if finding an outlet, Liu Ying started chattering away, her words filled with sympathy for Physician An.
Physician An's fiancée, surnamed Li, was the daughter of a local herbal medicine merchant and an old friend of the An family. Originally, she was engaged to Physician An's older sister, but her sister passed away due to illness, and the marriage fell to her.
An Jia went to the Li family to annul the engagement, stating bluntly that with Miss Li's passing, the marriage should be called off. Miss Li's second daughter shouldn't be bound by the marriage and should have her own choices. However, the Li family refused, insisting that the second daughter take the place of the deceased eldest daughter to complete the engagement.
Lu Zhiyuan gently shook her head: "The Li family is unwilling to annul the engagement because Old Master An is still alive, and they want to tie the Imperial Hospital to them."
Liu Ying pouted, "It's not just because of Old Master An, is it? I've heard that Physician An is definitely a promising young man, and he was extremely handsome when he was young. Matchmakers from all around have practically worn down the An family's doorstep. What parent wouldn't want to find a reliable and trustworthy son-in-law for their daughter? Physician An was practically raised under the watchful eye of the Li family. Even without Old Master An's connection, he would definitely be a good choice for a son-in-law."
Lu Zhiyuan nodded in agreement: "If that's the case, why didn't Miss Li marry Physician An? Physician An is not young anymore."
At this point, Liu Ying became even angrier.
"Miss Li was much younger than Physician An, so Physician An thought he would wait until she was a little older to discuss the marriage, lest she regret it afterward. Finally, when Miss Li turned eighteen, he personally promised to marry her, but then Old Master An passed away, and the marriage was temporarily put on hold. Later, the An family was framed by Duke Rui and suffered a misfortune, and the Li family was also implicated. Miss Li was then abducted by Duke Rui and taken to the Duke's mansion."
"What does this Duke of Rui look like?"
"He's not bad looking, with the air of a scholar." Liu Ying propped herself up on the bed and moved her feet. "He's over forty, but he looks younger than Physician An."
Although she hadn't met the Miss Li Er mentioned by Liu Ying, she could roughly guess that she was a pretty, delicate young lady from a modest family, well-protected by her parents because of her elder sister's death. Having been engaged to the An family early on, she hadn't seen many men besides Physician An.
Because of the An family's situation and to save her, Imperial Physician An had no choice but to return to the capital and join the Imperial Medical Academy, just like his grandfather. He knew that as a commoner, he could not stand against the Duke. Only by joining the Imperial Medical Academy could he come into contact with influential people, and only by doing so could he possibly avenge the An family, rescue his fiancée from the Duke's mansion, and bring the Duke of Rui to justice.
Miss Li, who was abducted into the Duke's mansion, may not have known his schemes and plans. Her family suffered a misfortune, and she was kidnapped by the Duke. To survive, she had no choice but to submit to him. Deep within the mansion, this vulnerable woman could only rely on the Duke. As time passed, she fell in love with him. If the Duke still had some affection for her, it wouldn't be surprising that she was so devoted to him.
Liu Ying was puzzled: "This Duke Rui is the enemy who harmed her family!"
“She might not think that way. She might think that if the Li family and the An family were not related by marriage, the Li family would not have been involved and would not have suffered such a calamity. She might even think that the Li family’s calamity was brought about by the An family.”
Liu Ying said, "This is too ridiculous. It was clearly that Duke Rui who harmed the An and Li families. How can you blame it on the An family?"
Lu Zhiyuan looked into Liu Ying's eyes and smiled mysteriously: "You're still young, you haven't experienced the pain of love yet, you don't understand how confused a person can be when they encounter love."
Liu Ying leaned closer, "Has Madam suffered heartbreak?"
Seeing that Lu Zhiyuan remained silent, she asked again, "Is it His Highness the Crown Prince? That shouldn't be the case. His Highness treats Madam so well, how could he bear to let her suffer emotionally? In my opinion, it should be His Highness the Crown Prince who suffers. Ever since he met you, Your Highness has been plagued by insecurity."
As she spoke, her eyes lit up, and she leaned closer to Lu Zhiyuan: "Madam, do you know why His Highness went to the yamen? It was because Physician An was disturbed while giving you acupuncture, and His Highness, in a fit of anger, took Zuo Yi and stormed the yamen. The magistrate was clever; seeing that things were not going well, he implicated the Duke of Rui. Heaven knows that this Duke of Rui was actually related to Physician An's family affairs."
Not only did they not expect it, but even the Crown Prince probably didn't expect that the Duke of Rui would be involved in so many things.
"Madam, would you like to know the background of this Duke Rui?" Liu Ying blinked repeatedly, and before Lu Zhiyuan could speak, she couldn't wait to say it: "This Duke Rui was originally a scoundrel, and he had some connections with those human traffickers in the capital. He was most likely involved in similar things, but the government never got any evidence against him. When His Highness the Crown Prince was young, he almost got kidnapped by him when he sneaked out of the palace. This man is wicked; he took advantage of His Highness's young age and lied to him, saying he was his savior. He got this Duke Rui title from His Highness."
Lu Zhiyuan was unaware of this hidden story and whispered, "Unknowingly, we've become the protectors of evildoers. His Highness the Crown Prince must be very upset."
Firefly stuck out its tongue.
The guards who returned said that His Highness was furious and almost turned the entire Duke's mansion upside down.
"Doctor An said that the Duke of Ruiguo has kidnapped many people. Apart from the second young lady of the Li family who died by hitting her head against the wall, have any other victims been found?"
"We found them, some alive, some dead, and a few who had borne children for Duke Rui." Liu Ying said sullenly, "Duke Rui tried to escape, but was surrounded by Zuo Yi and his men. Tragically, the woman beside Duke Rui wasn't Miss Li Er, but a woman named Li Niang. Li Niang was holding her child and hiding behind Duke Rui, looking terrified and helpless."
"Miss Li is here too?"
"She wasn't there at first, but rushed over after hearing the news." Liu Ying rested her chin on her hand. "She argued with the Duke of Wei for a few words and then banged her head against the wall! She didn't die, but she was injured. Just then, Imperial Physician An arrived and wanted to treat her. I don't know what they said, but Miss Li went crazy and banged her head against the wall again. This time she didn't survive, she died, right in front of Imperial Physician An."
No wonder Physician An was shattered; there were so many details involved.