I've Got This Cannon Fodder Trope Covered!

Chapter 122

Xiao Junzhan lowered his gaze, allowing her to kiss him as she pleased. When she was satisfied and tried to pull away, he wrapped his arms around her waist and seated her on his lap, holding her hands gently in his palms.

He gazed at her quietly, his voice soft and tender. "Ranran, can you tell me now what happened during your outing today?"

"You really don't know?" Wei Hanzhang asked in surprise. "Your hidden guards didn't tell you?"

"They haven't," Xiao Junzhan replied with a smile. "Not just today—starting now, they won't report anything about you to me without your explicit permission. They will never go against your wishes."

Wei Hanzhang paused, momentarily speechless. She found herself unexpectedly touched.

In her heart, she understood—someone like him, who wielded immense power over life and death, likely found respect to be the rarest and most precious thing of all.

She recounted in detail what she had overheard at the teahouse today and even shared some of the amusing stories from her childhood with Cao Xinrou back in Xuzhou.

Gu Yundan, a few years older than Gu Yunran, was different from his younger cousin. By the time he was fifteen or sixteen, he already had a few "understanding flowers" arranged for him by his family. He was no stranger to romantic affairs.

Talented and charismatic, it was common for him to accompany his schoolmates to brothels, taking courtesans out on flower boats for revelry. He was a well-known romantic scholar in Xuzhou.

Cao Xinrou, on the other hand, was a true aristocratic young lady. Her perspective on life was vastly different—she didn't concern herself with the social obligations and entertainment of her fiancé. Women of such low standing weren't even worth her attention, let alone her jealousy or resentment.

How could she have ever imagined that one day she would encounter her fiancé at a brothel, in circumstances as disgraceful as these?

Among the four men present, three had been her patrons.

Even thinking about it, Wei Hanzhang felt a pang of anguish. If it had been her, even without holding the same strict views on a woman's chastity as this era, she wouldn't have been able to bear such humiliation.

Reflecting on Cao Xinrou's life, Wei Hanzhang said gloomily, "I know, technically, this isn't entirely Gu Yundan's fault, but Xinrou has suffered so much. I don't even know who to blame."

Xiao Junzhan was silent for a long time after hearing this. Seeing the girl in his arms on the verge of tears, he gently tapped her nose and coaxed her, "I don't think her choice was impulsive. She likely had resolved to die long before. Gu Yundan's appearance merely hastened her decision to end it that day."

"What do you mean?" Wei Hanzhang was unconvinced. "A few days before her death, I ran into Xinrou. She asked me to return a handkerchief to Gu Yundan, saying they were fated but not destined to be together. She didn't seem like she was planning to die."

"From what you described, that Miss Cao doesn't seem to have the resilience to overcome such adversity," Xiao Junzhan said. "What kept her going after entering the pleasure quarter was likely her feelings for Gu Yundan.

"Seeing you and entrusting you with those tasks was her way of addressing her last attachments. After that, she had already resolved to die. Meeting Gu Yundan was simply the final trigger."

Xiao Junzhan lowered his head and kissed the furrow between her brows, his voice soft. "For her, death might have been a form of closure."

Wei Hanzhang wrapped her arms around Xiao Boqian's neck, burying her face against him as tears streamed down her cheeks.

She understood. She knew that with all the male members of the Cao family dead, and the women sent to the pleasure quarters where many also perished, Cao Xinrou had lost her parents, siblings, and everyone she cared about. To top it off, the man she loved saw her at her lowest point.

Death was, indeed, another form of closure.

But she couldn't help feeling heartbroken.

All those beautiful childhood memories were just that—memories.

The people in those memories were now either unrecognizable or... lost to death.

"You're right," Wei Hanzhang murmured, rubbing her tears against his neck. "If I were Xinrou, I wouldn't have been able to go on either.

"Even though I believe life should be cherished because it only happens once, when faced with such circumstances... it really would be impossible to keep living."

Xiao Junzhan's hand on her shoulder froze briefly. Then he lifted her face from his shoulder, gazing down at her. "Don't think about it. Ranran will never face such a situation in this lifetime, and I am not Gu Yundan."

If he had been Gu Yundan, he would never have stood by and watched as his girl fell to her death.

Wei Hanzhang sniffled, unwilling to tell him that, when imagining herself in Cao Xinrou's position, the person she saw in Gu Yundan's role wasn't Gu Yundan—but Gu Yunran.

Her childhood companion, Gu Yunran.

Even now, she couldn't guarantee what Gu Yunran would do if she ever faced such a situation. But she found herself trusting Xiao Boqian. She believed that no matter what her circumstances, he would never abandon her.

She wasn't someone who trusted easily—her guard was high. Yet she trusted Xiao Boqian more than Gu Yunran, despite knowing him for less than six months compared to the years of friendship she shared with Gu Yunran.

Wei Hanzhang stared at him in a daze.

Was this man magical?

Xiao Junzhan leaned in and kissed her eyelids softly. "What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"...Nothing," Wei Hanzhang grabbed his arm and changed the topic. "When we go to the summer palace, I plan to bring my seventh sister—the one you met last time. Oh, and she accompanied me today as well."

Xiao Junzhan replied, "Alright, it's up to you."

Wei Hanzhang raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Why are you so casual about it? My father has only three daughters—my elder sister, who is now in the ancestral temple and can't leave because my grandfather won't allow it, and my seventh sister, who nearly ended up as a concubine because she's illegitimate. She always looks timid, and I feel compelled to take better care of her."

Xiao Junzhan hesitated, locking eyes with her for a moment before speaking softly. "Ranran, do you want to hear the truth?"

"What is it?"

"In my experience," Xiao Junzhan said calmly, "your seventh sister... is naturally rebellious. She doesn't seem as meek and harmless as you think."

"...!" Wei Hanzhang was taken aback, sitting up straight and staring at him. "You can read faces too?"

"...No," Xiao Junzhan chuckled helplessly. "Having spent years in court and meeting countless people, I've gained some experience. But it's not always accurate. Ranran, you don't need to take my words to heart."

As if a Crown Prince's words could be ignored.

Still...

Wei Hanzhang smiled. "So what if she's naturally rebellious? Who says women can't have ambition? Who says women must bow and scrape, follow the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, and let others control their lives like puppets?"

She pointed to her own face. "Look at me. Do I have rebellion written on me too?"

"Ranran, that's not what I meant," Xiao Junzhan said, laughing. "If you want to take care of this sister, go ahead. It's not a big deal."

After all, she was smart enough to know whom not to provoke.

Wei Hanzhang poked his cheek and pressed, "Tell me, do I have rebellion written on me?"