Chapter 10: Framing

Zu'an calmly replied, "I know I committed a beastly act and truly deserve to die. That's why when the Second Miss found me last night, I offered no resistance, wanting to atone for my sins. I allowed her to whip me with the Whip of Wailing until I had endured eight lashes, and only then did I finally earn her forgiveness."

Everyone around him secretly cursed his shamelessness. "No resistance, my foot! If the Second Miss truly wanted to beat you, could a good-for-nothing like you possibly avoid it by resisting?"

Chu Zhongtian and his wife then looked at the stretcher beneath Zu'an and the bloodstains on his body. Yue Shan, standing nearby, reported, "To answer the master, the son-in-law said he was severely injured by the Whip of Wailing and couldn't get out of bed, so your subordinate carried him here."

"Huanzhao?" Madam Chu was startled. Thinking of her daughter's temperament, she said angrily, "This is absolutely absurd."

A strange expression also flashed across Chu Zhongtian's face. "Madam, we convened this meeting today precisely because of Huanzhao. Now that Huanzhao has personally punished him, perhaps we should just let this matter drop?" Recalling his daughter's words from yesterday, he actually understood that there must have been a reason for the incident, and Zu'an wasn't entirely to blame. However, his wife was furious, and with the encouragement of the other branches of the family, he had no choice but to hold this clan meeting for appearance's sake.

Zu'an felt an instant surge of goodwill. What a truly rare and excellent father-in-law!

Before Madam Chu could reply, a harsh male voice interjected, "Brother, you are mistaken. Our Chu family is known for its strict discipline and has never had such a scandal. If we sweep this under the rug, where will our family's honor be? Do you know how many rumors are circulating outside, claiming this young man has relations with both sisters? If we don't punish him, won't we be encouraging such depravity?"

The speaker was a gloomy-faced middle-aged man seated below Chu Zhongtian. His prominent dark circles were particularly noticeable, and he gently fanned himself. Zu'an recalled him as Chu Tiesheng, from the second branch of the Chu family, whom Chu Chuyan would address as Second Uncle.

"Second Uncle, what are you talking about? He didn't actually do anything to me that night!" Just then, a beautiful young woman rushed out from the back hall. Dressed in a tight leather outfit, her lively entrance seemed to bring a touch of warmth to the cold ancestral hall.

Chu Zhongtian quickly said, "Huanzhao, what are you doing out here? Get back inside."

"Why are you being so fierce? Don't lose your temper with a child!" Madam Chu glared fiercely at her husband, then instantly turned to her daughter with a beaming smile. "Huanzhao, dear, don't listen to your father. Come to your mother and tell me exactly what happened."

Chu Zhongtian gave an awkward chuckle. The others showed no signs of surprise; clearly, such a scene was commonplace.

Chu Huanzhao pointed the whip in her hand at Zu'an on the ground. "Mother, I did indeed beat him with the Whip of Wailing last night, and I also agreed to forgive him for his actions that night. I don't want to go back on my word."

Zu'an secretly gave her a thumbs-up. This girl might have a bit of a sadistic streak, but she's quite good at keeping her promises in a wager.

"Niece, you are still too young and don't understand the complexities of the world. Anyone else punishing Zu'an for this is fine, but it cannot be you. If word gets out, people will only think you were genuinely taken advantage of by him. How can an unmarried young woman like yourself bear such a terrible reputation?" At this point, a plump, prosperous-looking man on the other side spoke. He wasn't smiling when he spoke, but his chubby face caused his eyes to narrow into slits, making people unconsciously assume he was smiling, thus making it difficult to feel any malice towards him. In his hand, he was fiddling with a small, delicate, golden abacus; it was unclear if it was made of pure gold.

Zu'an recognized this 'smiling tiger' as Chu Yuepo, the Third Uncle of the Chu family. He couldn't help but feel exasperated. Why were people from both the second and third branches so intent on seeing him dead? On the surface, he was just a good-for-nothing son-in-law; who had he offended?

At this moment, Miss Pei, Pei Mianman, suddenly whispered to Chu Chuyan beside her, "Isn't the Whip of Wailing said to amplify pain tenfold? Is your husband perhaps a hidden master?"

Although her voice was soft, it was loud enough for everyone in the hall to hear. Zu'an secretly cursed, *This woman smiles so gently, but she's surprisingly malicious—a total conniving manipulative person.*

Chu Chuyan frowned slightly, but Xue'er, standing behind her, spoke first, "He's not even a martial artist. How could he be a master?"

Chu Tiesheng from the second branch's eyes lit up. He quickly said to Chu Zhongtian and his wife, "Brother, Sister-in-law, the power of the Whip of Wailing is well known. Even you and I would find it hard to endure eight lashes. How could an ordinary person possibly manage it?"

Chu Zhongtian and Madam Chu exchanged glances. Truthfully, they didn't quite believe it either. At this point, Chu Huanzhao, standing nearby, grew anxious. "I really did hit him eight times! Are you saying I'm lying?"

"Reporting to the Patriarch," Diao Yang interjected, "the Second Miss naturally wouldn't lie. However, she has always been kind-hearted, so she most likely held back and didn't use much force when whipping him. That's why Zu'an's injuries are not as severe as he claims. My nose was just broken by his punch; he's incredibly strong. He doesn't look injured at all." Diao Yang chose his moment to pile on, which is why he hadn't mentioned it earlier.

Many people in the room exchanged strange glances. *The Second Miss is kind-hearted? How can you say something so against your conscience! For all these years, who has ever seen her hold back when using her whip?* However, today's events were truly bizarre. *Could it be that she has some feelings for her brother-in-law?*

Chu Tiesheng seized the opportunity, saying, "The facts are now very clear. Zu'an not only committed a shameful act but also, unrepentantly, exploited Huanzhao's kindness and naiveté to try and escape punishment. I urge the Patriarch to severely punish him as a warning to others."

Chu Zhongtian's expression was conflicted, clearly weighing his options. Zu'an secretly thought, *This is bad*, and was about to speak when suddenly a servant rushed in.

"Reporting to the Master and Madam," the servant said, "there's a woman outside causing a ruckus, insisting on seeing the son-in-law. She's already drawn quite a crowd."

"A woman?" Madam Chu was surprised. "From which family in the city?"

Chu Chuyan, who had remained as still as a mountain, also felt a flicker of curiosity. *Does this Zu'an fellow know other women?*

Zu'an was even more bewildered. *Does this guy have some female confidante I don't know about? But why can't I remember anything about her?*

Only Xue'er, standing behind her, had a faint smile playing on her lips. *I can't believe you survived such severe injuries last night. Thankfully, I had made other preparations.*

Seeing Madam Chu's inquiry, the servant timidly replied, "She's from the Yihongyuan."

This announcement caused an uproar. Everyone in the city knew what the Yihongyuan was.

"What kind of behavior is that, making a racket outside? Let her in!" Madam Chu snorted coldly, her voice betraying an uncontrollable trace of anger.

Soon, a heavily made-up woman swayed in, and upon seeing Zu'an from a distance, she rushed over, wailing and complaining, "You heartless man! You didn't pay me after our time together because you promised to take me in as your concubine immediately after you returned, and even said I could be like sisters with the Chu family's young ladies. That's why I agreed! How could you abandon me like this?"

Xue'er twirled a strand of her braid around her finger, her eyes crescent-shaped with delight. *Let's see you get out of this one! Such matters, apart from the parties involved, no one else would truly know if they happened or not. So even if you deny it, no one will believe you, unless you publicly expose the fact that you're impotent. But once that's exposed, it'll be an even bigger scandal. No matter what, you definitely won't be able to remain the son-in-law. Young Master, you will soon get what you wished for.*

The entire ancestral hall fell into an eerie silence once more. The people from the second and third branches stopped speaking, as there was no longer any need for them to add anything.

Chu Zhongtian, who had been secretly speaking up for Zu'an, was now also enraged. What was the status of his Chu family's daughter? And now, a low-class prostitute was openly claiming to be sisters with Chuyan! This was a truly profound humiliation! And the instigator of all this was Zu'an!

"You wicked creature, what more do you have to say?" Madam Chu's eyes were practically spitting fire as she looked at Zu'an.

Chu Zhongtian's anger flared, rising to 78 points! Qin Wanru's anger reached 300 points!

Zu'an couldn't help but wonder how the original owner of this body had managed to survive for so long. Since his transmigration, how many people had tried to kill him? He had no idea which faction had hired this prostitute to frame him. The second branch? The third branch? Or was it Miss Pei? It seemed that living off a woman was not as easy as it looked.

He calmly looked at the heavily made-up woman. "What was your name again?"

"Oh, you heartless man! Don't pretend you don't know me. You used to call me 'Chunhua' so affectionately every day, and now you say you've forgotten?" The courtesan sneered.

Zu'an didn't argue. Instead, he said with a smile, "Oh, my dear Chunhua, haven't I been a bit confused lately with so much going on? By the way, how much do I owe you for your services?"

"What 'services'? That sounds so unpleasant," Chunhua said with a "charming" pout, waving her red handkerchief. "You stayed with me on and off for half a month; that should be at least 20... oh, no, 30 silver taels."

At her words, everyone present felt contempt. *Zu'an would even stoop to such a cheap prostitute? Was he truly so desperate?*

"30 taels?" Zu'an nodded. "Not expensive, not expensive at all. How about this: I'll give you 300 taels, and the rest can be considered betrothal gifts."

This time, even the people from the second and third branches gasped. *Was this man actively courting death?* They quickly looked at Chu Zhongtian, seeing that both he and his wife's faces had turned green. Miss Pei also watched him with interest. For some reason, she felt there was something strange about this fellow.

"Really?" Chunhua's face lit up with joy.

"Of course it's real," Zu'an continued, looking at Chu Chuyan. "Wifey, I'm a bit short on cash right now. Could I borrow 300 taels from you?"

Everyone in the hall stared at him as if he were insane. *He wants his own wife to pay for his prostitute? What is this guy thinking? Chu Chuyan will probably tear him limb from limb on the spot, right?*

To everyone's surprise, Chu Chuyan actually nodded. "Alright. Someone, fetch 300 taels."

Now everyone was utterly bewildered, unable to fathom why this was happening. Even Pei Mianman stared at her in astonishment. *Was this still the close friend she knew?*

Madam Chu was about to burst out, but Chu Zhongtian subtly pressed her hand and gestured towards their daughter. Madam Chu frowned, deciding to wait and see.

Zu'an secretly gave a thumbs-up. His wife was indeed remarkably intelligent. In this entire hall, Chu Chuyan was probably the only one who knew he was innocent. After all, she had personally witnessed the scene where he was "incapable," so she naturally wouldn't believe he would go to a brothel. *Huh, why do I feel like tears are about to stream down my face when I think about it?*