…
A chorus of statements from the crowd backed Xie Xiu up.
Zu An was surprised by the resounding popularity of his wife. I hadn’t expected so many people to like her. It seems my position is precarious.
Xie Xiu raised his hand to calm the crowd down, then continued. “Also, as everyone knows, I’m someone with hardly any strengths, and spend my days idly… I dare not claim knowledge in any other field, but I admit to being proficient when it comes to matters concerning gambling. To my knowledge, all the tools used in casinos are specially inscribed by runemasters in order to prevent cultivators from tampering with the outcomes by using their ki. It’s false to claim that Miss Chu was cheating just because her cultivation is higher.”
As he watched events unfold, Sang Qian had also become annoyed at how Mei Chaofeng had chosen—of all things!—to drag Chu Chuyan’s name through the mud. In such a situation, he had no choice but to speak up. “Indeed. I can vouch with my life that Chu First Miss wouldn’t cheat either. She…”
Before Sang Qian could finish his sentence, Zu An muttered contemplatively, “Honey, if you admit that you were cheating right now, will we be able to get that guy over there to commit suicide?”
There was the sound of crickets chirping. Sang Qian, Xie Xiu, Pang Chun and Mei Chaofeng all stared at him, their expressions ranging from stunned disbelief to outright fury.
It’s just a figure of speech, are you really taking it literally?!?! What the hell? Just what kind of son-in-law did the Chu clan draft into their household?
You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 213 Rage points!
Chu Chuyan’s face had also darkened. “Be quiet. Don’t talk nonsense.”
Sang Qian pretended to have missed Zu An’s remark, and tried to continue on. Wait, where was I at earlier? Damn that fellow!
“Miss Chu would never cheat, but as for young master Zu, I trust that everyone in the city is familiar with his personality, as well as his… talent. It’s impossible for him to win seven-and-a-half million silver taels here within two rounds. That only leaves a single possibility—he has bribed Plum Blossom Seven ahead of time to scam the casino of its money!”
Sang Qian had fallen just short of openly claiming that Zu An was trash.
Mei Chaofeng’s eyes lit up. His earlier accusation had contained many loopholes, but Sang Qian’s argument demonstrated firmly that Zu An had used illegitimate means to obtain the seven-and-a-half million silver taels. Not only that, this provided the perfect platform to turn the tables on Zu An and go on the offensive.
As expected of someone who had come from the capital! What an ingenious ploy!
“Wuuuuu~” Plum Blossom Seven, who had been watching from the sidelines, was scared out of his wits. He hadn’t expected to be dragged into this shitshow. Unfortunately, with his lower jaw broken, there was little he could do to defend himself.
*Pah~ Pah~ Pah~*
Slow applause rang out. All eyes turned to find the source, only to see that it was Zu An. “Commander Sang, could you possibly be one of the bosses behind this Silverhook Casino?”
Sang Qian’s face immediately darkened. “What rubbish are you talking about? Slandering an official of the royal court is a heavy crime!”
You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 200 Rage points!
“If you aren’t one of the bosses of the Silverhook Casino, why haven’t you stopped speaking up for them ever since you stepped in here?” Zu An asked.
Sang Qian sniffed coldly. “I’m just making a logical deduction based on the facts here.”
“As you said, it’s only a deduction. So, based on how you’ve been speaking up for Mei Chaofeng, I’m just making a logical deduction that you are in cahoots with the Plum Blossom Sect. May I know if my deductions can be entered as evidence?”
“You!!” Sang Qian turned his face away. “I can’t be bothered to argue with someone like you.”
You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 100 Rage points!
Sang Qian was slowly calming down. Given the disparity in their standings, it was beneath him to argue with Zu An in public.
Zu An let him be, and turned to the plump Pang Chun instead. “Lord Vice Magistrate, in your many years of experience dealing with such cases, I trust that you have a clear idea as to what’s going on here?”
Sang Qian countered, “Lord Pang, please don’t allow the threats of another man to affect your judgment.”
“This…” Pang Chun found himself in a tight spot. Sweat droplets were falling from his forehead.
Of course, the current situation was crystal clear. However, the Plum Blossom Sect had been ‘offering tributes’ to the various administrative departments in the city over the last few years, and their backers had been hard to pin down. Since Sang Qian was already openly backing the Plum Blossom Sect, could it mean that the Plum Blossom Sect was backed by none other than Sang Hong?