Favoring a concubine and destroying the wife? I'll abandon my husband and children and wipe out

The next morning.

When Song Yanlan finally regained consciousness, her head was throbbing with pain. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in her room at the inn!

But it wasn't the room he was staying in; it was Wen Chengnan's room.

This startled Song Yanlan, who was still somewhat drowsy. Suddenly, fragmented images from last night flashed through her mind, and Song Yanlan snapped awake, jumping up abruptly.

The wound on her back was pulled open, causing Song Yanlan to gasp in pain and break out in a cold sweat.

What happened last night is real!

—Someone wanted to kill him, but he was saved by a young man who suddenly appeared and was highly skilled in martial arts, and then… then what happened?

Song Yanlan couldn't recall what happened next, and thinking about it made her head ache. She also couldn't understand how she got back to the inn.

Was it his benefactor who brought him back?

But how did the other party know he was staying at this inn?

How could he be in Senior Wen's room?

Just then, the door opened, followed by Wen Chengnan's worried and anxious voice.

"Xiao Song, you're finally awake!"

Song Yanlan looked up and saw Wen Chengnan walking quickly towards him, with a servant following behind him, carrying a still-steaming medicine.

Song Yanlan wanted to get up to greet him, but Wen Chengnan stopped him and asked him how he was doing.

"I am alright, but I have caused Senior Wen some worry. I am truly sorry," Song Yanlan said apologetically.

"What are you saying? As long as you're alright, that's all that matters." Wen Chengnan made him drink the medicine and said, "What exactly happened? Last night, I waited until midnight but you didn't return. I was going to send someone to look for you, but as soon as I left the inn, I saw a young man carrying you back and asking me if I knew you."

"If I say yes, he will entrust you to me and ask me to take good care of you. He also said that you should focus on recovering and not worry about anything else."

When Wen Chengnan saw bloodstains on Song Yanlan and learned that he had an injury on his back, he was quite startled.

“My master was planning to leave today, but upon learning that you, Young Master Song, had encountered an accident, he immediately decided to postpone it,” the servant added.

Song Yanlan's face showed increasing shame.

Wen Chengnan glared at the servant to tell him to shut up, and asked Song Yanlan about what happened last night.

Song Yanlan recalled with lingering fear, "Someone wanted to kill me!" He confessed everything.

Wen Chengnan's expression changed. "Why would anyone want to kill you? Have you made any enemies?"

"No. Not to mention the unfamiliar capital, even in my hometown, the younger generation is kind to everyone and has never made any enemies," Song Yanlan said solemnly.

"Could it be that the thieves targeted someone else, but Young Master Song happened to be passing by last night and was caught in the crossfire?" the servant said, and both of them thought it made a lot of sense.

"Shouldn't we report this to the authorities immediately? Young Master Song, you said that your benefactor killed those four people and then took you away first. Aren't their bodies still in the same place? They'll be discovered as soon as it's light. If someone reports to the authorities first and it gets back to you, it could be detrimental to you. It would be better to strike first and sue someone for trying to kill you. You're just protecting yourself," the servant suggested.

Song Yanlan agreed, and immediately threw off the covers to get out of bed, saying, "I'll go to the government office right now and beat the drum to get the truth."

However, Wen Chengnan stopped him.

Wen Chengnan was indeed knowledgeable and thoughtful, and he saw the deeper meaning in this matter.

"Xiao Song, you shouldn't report this to the authorities first."

"You have no enemies yet, which is probably because you were caught in the crossfire. The murderer wanted to kill someone but was mistakenly framed by you. He will definitely think that the person who dealt with his men was an accomplice hired by the person he wanted to kill. And since his men did not return, this person will know that something happened and the attempt failed."

"If the body is discovered and reported to the authorities, that person will definitely hear about it and become suspicious of whoever did it. If you jump out now, you'll make an enemy even if you haven't already. What if that person is worried about whether you know something and actually holds a grudge against you?"

Wen Chengnan thought for a moment, "We should wait for the government officials to come to us. Then we can say that you were seriously injured and only woke up when you were awake, which is why you didn't report it to the authorities. Only when the government verifies that you are indeed innocent will you be safe."

Song Yanlan understood immediately, and his expression became serious.

"I understand now; I had been naive."

“However, in this kind of situation, the person behind it might not want to be exposed and might have already sent people to investigate and discovered the body before disposing of it. In that case, you must not show your face.” Wen Chengnan calmly instructed his servant, “Go and find out if the government office received any reports of murders from the people this morning.”

The servant was about to turn around, but then stopped, as if remembering something, and reminded him, "Sir, the results of the imperial examinations have already been released. Would you like me to go and check on Young Master Song's ranking and report back?"

Upon hearing this, Song Yanlan remembered the important matter and quickly stood up, saying, "I'll go myself..."

Wen Chengnan, worried about his health, stopped him, saying, "You should take good care of yourself. With your talent, you're sure to pass; you'll have to enter the palace for the exam in three days. If you're injured and not in good condition, how can you withstand the pressure of meeting the Emperor?"

He waved his hand, signaling his servant to hurry and check the results.

Song Yanlan looked at Wen Chengnan with emotion, "Thank you, sir."

"If you're going to thank me, then take good care of your injuries. You really scared me last night; once you're fully recovered, you'll have to treat me to a good drink," Wen Chengnan said, deliberately keeping a straight face.

Song Yanlan said shyly, "Of course, you don't need to say anything, I will definitely treat you to a proper banquet."

Wen Chengnan then asked curiously, "Do you know the young man who saved you last night?"

Song Yanlan shook her head.

"That was a chance encounter by fate. Luckily, you're quite fortunate, otherwise..." Wen Chengnan said thankfully.

Song Yanlan agreed and secretly decided to find that benefactor to repay him after she recovered from her injuries.

At this moment, Song Yanlan's stomach growled a few times.

Wen Chengnan then asked the waiter to bring in some breakfast. After watching Song Yanlan finish eating, he told him to lie down and take a nap.

With something on her mind, Song Yanlan had no desire to sleep and forced herself to stay awake until Wen Chengnan's servant returned.

"Sir, Young Master Song, there were no murders at the banquet today! I went to the place where Young Master Song encountered danger last night, and there was no body there, not even a drop of blood. It was cleaned up perfectly!"

"That must have been done by the people who did it; they really didn't want to be exposed."

Wen Chengnan concluded, then turned to Song Yanlan and said, "In that case, you should put it aside for now, recover from your injuries and enter officialdom, then secretly seek an opportunity to find out who did it. By then, you will be an official, and even if the person who did it finds out, they will be hesitant to kill you. This way, you will be much safer."

Song Yanlan nodded: "Okay, I'll listen to you, sir."

The servant hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped himself.

Wen Chengnan noticed this and asked with great interest, "Little Song passed the exam, right? What was his ranking?"

Song Yanlan immediately turned her head and looked at the servant with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation.

The servant swallowed hard, then uttered something startling.

"Young Master Song... is not on the list."

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Wen Chengnan suddenly stood up: "How is this possible!"

The servant was so frightened that he knelt down with a thud and said, "It's absolutely true. I checked it carefully several times and even asked someone nearby to help me confirm it. Young Master Song really is not on the list."

Song Yanlan felt as if she had been struck on the head; her mind went blank, and her ears were ringing.

Wen Chengnan couldn't believe it: "This is impossible! I know Xiao Song's talent. He's at least in the top ten among the candidates. If he didn't make the list, then very few people will!"

After saying that, Wen Chengnan strode out to see the list himself, ignoring Song Yanlan's calls to him.

“Young Master Song…” The servant looked at Song Yanlan, whose face seemed a little pale, with a sense of pity.

Song Yanlan was disappointed, but not as much as Wen Chengnan. She said softly, "The imperial examination to select talents for Northern Qi is like a thousand troops crossing a single-plank bridge. It is extremely difficult. Many people fail. It's normal that I didn't pass. I'll try again next year."

"I just didn't expect that my preparation this time was still insufficient. I guess I was too arrogant and forgot that there are countless talented people in the world, and there are always people better than me. I failed to improve myself further."

Song Yanlan quickly came to terms with it and said firmly, "I will study even harder before the next imperial examination."