“Incompetent people sure love to talk big.” Zu An shook his head in disdain.
He was just about to put down Shi Kun and earn a bit more Rage points when he noticed that the latter had vanished from view. It seemed like he didn’t want to remain here after seeing how his plan had been unraveled.
Following that, Xie Yi assigned several guards to Madam Zhang’s side in order to protect her until the storm died down. With that, the court was dismissed.
The spectators slowly dispersed, but the excitement from the drama they had seen had yet to recede. It could be foreseen that within the next few days, everyone in Brightmoon City would come to learn of every single detail regarding this incident.
Before Sang Hong left, he directed a long look at Chu Zhongtian before remarking, “Brightmoon Duke, you really do impress me.”
“You’re impressed by me? For what?” replied Chu Zhongtian.
Sang Hong shot a glance at Zu An before explaining, “I’m impressed by your sharp eyes. While everyone was looking down on him, you chose to go against the odds to take him in as your son-in-law. It seems like your ability to perceive people is far sharper than mine.”
It was rare to see Sang Hong so frustrated. Chu Zhongtian delightfully accepted the praise and replied, “Governor Sang, you’re too kind. Hahaha!”
After the swift exchange, the two of them went their own ways.
While returning back to the Chu clan, Chu Chuyan couldn’t stop herself from asking, “How did you know that Madam Zhang would help you?”
The corners of Zu An’s lips inched upward as he explained, “To be honest, I encountered Tan Wei during my journey out of town. I learned that he had a sum of money stashed away in the wall of his residence. I was still quite poor back then, and since he was already dead, I thought of taking his money for my own. Unexpectedly, I stumbled upon Madam Zhang secretly paying respects to her deceased husband at the residence.
“It was then that I realized that the rumors about Madam Zhang willingly becoming Mei Chaofeng’s lover might have been a lie. Her act of paying respects to her deceased husband showed that she cared a lot for him, and the fact that she had to do it secretly meant that she was trying to conceal it from the Plum Blossom Sect. Piecing together all of these clues, I was able to roughly figure out her intentions, which is why I told you to bring her over to the courtroom earlier.
“Only with the prestige and standing you hold as the daughter of a duke would be able to convince her to make a move.”
Chu Chuyan felt admiration for Madam Zhang. “She’s truly a strong woman. In order to exact vengeance for her husband, she was willing to bear with humiliation. It’s truly a blessing that her sacrifice hasn’t been in vain.”
“Yes, she’s indeed someone worthy of respect.” Zu An nodded in agreement. “If something happens to me, will you be willing to put aside everything and exact vengeance for me too?”
Chu Chuyan rolled her eyes. “Haven’t you heard of the saying that good people die prematurely but vermins plague the world for centuries? I doubt that any harm could possibly come to you.”
“Ahahaha, I’m flattered by how highly you think of me.” Zu An laughed.
His reaction made Chu Chuyan scoff under her breath. I’m not complimenting you over here! “Speaking of which, you mentioned that you were going to take Tan Wei’s money for your own? Madam Zhang is already as pitiful as she is. Surely you aren’t going to keep her husband’s money after knowing of her story?”
“Of course not,” replied Zu An. “I gave the money to her on the spot. Otherwise, how could I be so certain that she would help me this time around?”
“It looks like you aren’t rotten to the core yet.” Despite her slightly harsh remark, a smile was forming on her lips. She was satisfied with how Zu An handled this matter.
It was then that Zu An suddenly realized a new problem. If Mei Chaofeng was done for, wouldn’t the Plum Blossom Sect crumble next? If so, the 7,500,000 silver taels debt note he had on the Plum Blossom Sect would become a mere empty cheque!
It’s fortunate that I magnanimously donated it to Brightmoon Academy beforehand. Oh well, I guess it’s Jiang Luofu’s problem now.
…
Night descended upon Brightmoon City. In one of the cells of the yamen, Mei Chaofeng was just about to start cultivating when he suddenly sensed something and opened his eyes.
He could vaguely hear deep groans sounding not too far away. It was the sound of the patrolling guards being knocked out.
Soon, a figure appeared before his cell. The figure whipped out a key he had just swiped away from the prison warden and unlocked the cell.
“Mister Shi!”
Even though the figure was masked, Mei Chaofeng was still able to recognize the other party.
“The young master has sent me here to bring you out,” replied Shi Lezhi.
Mei Chaofeng frowned. “Are we escaping just like that? Isn’t that as good as admitting to my crimes?”
“Are you still dreaming of being vindicated? You should have known better and kept that thing between your legs under control!” Shi Lezhi harrumphed.
“That slut! I’m going to kill her!” Just thinking about the matter was more than enough to stir Mei Chaofeng’s anger.
“Madam Zhang is being protected by the City Lord Estate at the moment, so you shouldn’t even bother thinking about it,” replied Shi Lezhi. “The young master has tasked me to save you in order to give you one last chance. As long as you’re able to get rid of Zu An, the young master will send you to another city where you can continue to live freely. Otherwise… you should know better than anyone else what happens to those who are useless.”