Chapter 507: Is Father in the Study?

Chapter 507: Is Father in the Study?

There is no doubt about this. After all, they are father and daughter, and they haven’t seen each other for more than a year. It’s only natural for He Zhiran to take this opportunity to visit her father while Mo Jiuya is in the Imperial City on business.

However, Fei Nanyu felt it was necessary to remind them of a few things.

"Currently, Minister He’s situation is not very good. The Empress's faction is trying to recruit him using both soft and hard tactics. Minister He is a man of principle and refuses to align himself with such people.

Fortunately, he hasn’t joined the Empress's faction nor sided with Prince Qi or Prince Rui. Therefore, the Empress's faction hasn’t made a move against him yet.

But this is just the current situation. Once the Empress's faction gains power and establishes a firm foothold in the court, someone with Minister He’s personality will certainly not be of use to them.

At that time, the Empress may eliminate those who oppose her to solidify her power, putting Minister He in danger."

"Of course, as my father-in-law, we won’t stand by and let him be framed," said Mo Jiuya, his words meant for Fei Nanyu, but his eyes never leaving his wife.

In truth, even if Fei Nanyu hadn’t mentioned this, He Zhiran could have guessed the situation.

Especially knowing her father’s upright character, if the situation becomes unavoidable, he would rather choose death than compromise.

It’s because of this that He Zhiran insisted on coming to the Imperial City with Mo Jiuya, despite Mrs. He’s objections.

Through their exchanges, both sides had developed an unspoken understanding. Even without detailed explanations, they understood each other.

Having gathered enough information, Mo Jiuya stood up and took He Zhiran’s hand.

"It’s getting late, and my wife and I won’t disturb you further. I will return here within three days."

"Alright, I’ll await news from you, Ninth Master," said Fei Nanyu as he saw them off at the side door, watching their figures disappear into the distance before returning.

After leaving the Fei Mansion, Mo Jiuya and He Zhiran dodged the patrolling soldiers and made their way to the back courtyard of the Minister Mansion.

Mo Jiuya was familiar with the layout of the Fei Mansion, while He Zhiran knew the Minister Mansion like the back of her hand.

They made their way to the back courtyard. He Zhiran pointed to a spot, and Mo Jiuya helped her over the wall.

This was the back courtyard of the Minister Mansion. Minister He had no concubines, and this courtyard used to be He Zhiran’s bedroom and the area for him and his wife.

Perhaps because neither He Zhiran nor her mother was there, the back courtyard was shrouded in darkness, giving off a sense of neglect and desolation.

He Zhiran knew her father’s habits. Normally, even if her father was busy in the study, there would still be servants keeping the lights on in his living quarters.

However, as she and Mo Jiuya wandered around the courtyard, they didn’t see any lights or even the shadow of a servant.

After just a few steps, He Zhiran stepped on a small pebble.

This had never happened before. In such a large household, even if the servants neglected other areas, they wouldn’t dare to neglect the master’s courtyard.

From this, she could infer that the courtyard had not been cleaned, likely because no one was attending to it.

Not seeing her father in the courtyard where he lived with her mother, He Zhiran became even more puzzled.

However, she didn’t linger. Instead, she led Mo Jiuya towards the study in the front courtyard of the Minister Mansion.

If he wasn’t in his own courtyard, he must be in the study.

Her worries eased when she saw a light in the study as soon as they entered the front courtyard.

Still, she was surprised. Despite her father’s reputation for integrity, the household had never lacked for anything before.

The servants at the Minister Mansion weren’t as numerous as those in other noble households, but you could still see a few around.

Especially tonight, she had been in the Minister Mansion for at least twenty minutes, and not only were there no guards, but not even a night watchman was around.

What’s happening here?

With this doubt in her mind, the couple moved through the estate as if it were completely unguarded, encountering no obstacles and needing to hide from no one. They went straight to the outside of the study.

Seeing the familiar figure standing by the door, He Zhiran finally breathed a sigh of relief.

That person was her father’s attendant, whom she had called Uncle Feng since childhood.

Uncle Feng was around the same age as Minister He and had been serving by his side since they were young. He was the one Minister He trusted the most.

He Zhiran and Mo Jiuya looked around before heading towards the entrance of the study.

Though Uncle Feng wasn’t trained in martial arts, he was a meticulous and dedicated man.

Hearing footsteps, he called out sharply, “Who’s there?”

“It’s me, Uncle Feng,” He Zhiran quickly replied.

“Ran Ran?” Uncle Feng recognized the voice immediately. He had watched Miss He grow up since she was a child.

“Uncle Feng, is Father in the study?”

The voices outside the study were loud enough to be heard inside. Minister He heard them and wondered if he was imagining things—could it really be his daughter’s voice?

Before Uncle Feng could respond, Minister He had already pushed open the door of the study.

As he looked forward by the light of the moon, he was stunned by what he saw. The voices were indeed familiar, but the figures in front of him were two men.

“Who are you really? Why are you impersonating my daughter?”

He Zhiran could tell that her father’s tone was far from calm.

“Father, it’s me, Ran Ran. I had to disguise myself and my husband to enter the city.”

As she spoke, He Zhiran, taking advantage of the dark night, quickly took out a wet cloth from her space, swiftly wiped off the makeup on her face, and let her hair down, fully revealing her true appearance.

At that moment, Uncle Feng also came forward with a lantern in hand.

Under the light of the lantern, Minister He finally saw the person in front of him clearly.

His voice cracked, losing the sternness He Zhiran remembered.

“It really is you, Ran Ran. I thought I would never see you again in my life…”

Seeing her father like this, tears also welled up in He Zhiran’s eyes.

She stepped forward and supported her father’s arm. “Father, be careful. There might be ears on the other side of the wall. Let’s go inside and talk.”

Minister He was so moved by seeing his daughter that he had forgotten they were still standing outside.

Following her, they entered the study, while Uncle Feng, ever vigilant, remained outside to stand guard.

Nothing here felt unfamiliar to He Zhiran, as she had inherited all the memories and emotions of the original body.

The study looked just as she remembered, except there was no stack of paperwork on the desk, where there used to be the usual thick pile.

Just as she was about to ask, Mo Jiuya was already bowing to Minister He.

"Greetings, Father-in-law."

Minister He figured the person with his daughter might be his son-in-law, but until now, his focus had been on He Zhiran, and he hadn't really looked at Mo Jiuya.

Only then did he take a closer look.

Mo Jiuya had not removed his disguise, and He Zhiran quickly explained, "Father, my husband and I dressed this way to make it easier to enter the city."

Without her explanation, Minister He would have recognized his voice.