Chapter 1908: Set a Trap

On the other side, Prince Dai was also observing the situation. When he asked his subordinates, someone immediately replied, "Judging by the family crest on the carriage, it belongs to Duke Mingyue. That must be Lady Chu and the second Miss Chu."

"His sister-in-law?" Prince Dai was annoyed. Why did that fellow have such a beautiful sister-in-law, and why were they so close?

He thought about how his own wife had no biological sisters, only a few female cousins, but they were all plain. It seemed all the beauty in the Meng family had been bestowed upon Chan'er, leaving his sisters-in-law rather ordinary, even a bit unattractive.

Yet, he had heard that Zu An's wife, the elder Miss Chu, was a renowned beauty. Her arrival in the capital had captivated many princes and young noblemen, with some even comparing it to the grand spectacle of Yu Yanluo's arrival years ago.

He never expected her sister to be just as beautiful. Why was fate so unfair?

"What are you looking at?" Just then, Meng Yi approached him. Clearly, the events in court that day had served as a wake-up call, and he needed to have a good talk with his son-in-law.

"Nothing," Prince Dai replied, averting his gaze. He couldn't very well say he found the Meng family's daughters less attractive than others. "Father-in-law, that Zu An is truly a rogue with women; his relationship with his sister-in-law is ambiguous. Why don't we use this opportunity to impeach him?"

"Nonsense!" Meng Yi snapped. "For all the officials in court, apart from those who married princesses, who would be held accountable for issues concerning women? Besides, there's no solid evidence regarding him and his sister-in-law."

Among all the court officials, who didn't have some issues with women? Who would attack others over this? Wouldn't they be afraid of drawing trouble upon themselves?

"But some officials were clearly dismissed and investigated for their misconduct with women..." Prince Dai retorted, immediately citing several cases from previous years.

Meng Yi glared at him, exasperated. "Those charges are for the common people; do you actually believe them? Think carefully about the real reasons why they got into trouble!"

Prince Dai gave an awkward smile, realizing how naive it was to think he could bring down Zu An from that angle.

"But I'm just so frustrated. That perfect plan from before didn't get rid of Zu An, and now he's strutting around right in front of me. I can't stand it." Prince Dai, his prospects completely ruined by the matter with Princess Jin, was seething with anger.

He also recalled how Zu An had been disrespectful to him in court earlier, even daring to protect Princess Jin and contradict him. This made him furious.

He was just one step away from the throne; why should he put up with such a character?

Furthermore, only by eliminating him could the Crown Prince's prestige be undermined. Now that everything had failed, his own reputation had suffered greatly, and he needed to recover lost ground immediately.

Meng Yi nodded. "Indeed, we need to strike back properly, or those opportunistic fellows might choose to align themselves with the Crown Prince."

Prince Dai's heart suddenly stirred. "Lady Chu's visit to the capital is likely to see her parents. Why don't we use this opportunity to teach the Qin family a good lesson, let others know our power, and make that fellow regret opposing us?"

"Hmm, they say even a wise man errs in a thousand thoughts, and a fool's thousand thoughts... ahem," Meng Yi changed his tone. "That's not a bad idea, but given that fellow's temperament when dealing with Prince Jin, he certainly won't regret it. He'll most likely become enraged and seek revenge. We want to push him to madness and make him make a mistake. Then, even if the Empress and Crown Princess join forces, they won't be able to protect him!"

Thinking of Zu An's ruthlessness, Prince Dai suddenly felt a chill down his spine. "You're not going to let him come and kill me, are you?"

Meng Yi was speechless. How had his brilliant daughter married such a good-for-nothing? "You are my only son-in-law. If you die, who would I support?"

"Don't worry, that foolish Prince Jin was too reckless; he only brought one protector and a few guards, thinking no one would dare lay a hand on him. We are prepared now. We'll ensure he never returns. We'll kill him on the spot, and the Crown Princess won't be able to hold us accountable; she'll have to apologize to us!"

He finished with a cold sneer. "In prominent families like ours, what we lack least are master practitioners."

Meanwhile, on the other side, the two were tightly embracing.

"Stinky brother-in-law, bad brother-in-law! You haven't written me a single letter all this time. You're a big scoundrel who abandons people after they've been used!" Chu Hanzhao pouted and complained, playfully punching his chest.

Zu An's face darkened. "Xiao Zhao, don't misuse idioms if you don't understand them. Anyone who heard you would think I'd done something terrible to you!"

"Hmph, am I wrong? You disappeared without a trace after coming to the capital. I worried about you every day, thinking something had happened, but it turns out you're doing better than anyone here." Chu Hanzhao grumbled resentfully.

Feeling the youthful vibrancy of her body in his arms, Zu An felt a touch of apology. Although he had been busy with countless events over the years, not writing to her was indeed wrong. The young girl had truly been wonderful to him back then.

"Cough... cough!" Just then, a deliberately loud clearing of a throat came from the carriage nearby.

Only then did Chu Hanzhao realize she was clinging to her brother-in-law like an octopus, and the passing officials were casting curious glances. Her face flushed, and she quickly let go of him, pulling his hand as she walked towards the carriage. "Brother-in-law, my mother has also come this time."

Zu An was pulled to the carriage. Seeing the plump, beautiful woman seated inside, he quickly bowed. "Greetings, Mother-in-law."

This woman had been quite harsh with him in the past, with Xiao Zhao always being the one to offer him comfort. However, after certain events, their relationship had gradually improved.

Then he smiled at the burly man in front of the carriage. "Long time no see, Commander Yue. You're still as impressive as ever."

This was Yue Shan, the Chu family's guard commander. He must have escorted the mother and daughter to the capital with his retinue of guards.

"The son-in-law, on the other hand, is getting handsomer and handsomer," Yue Shan said with a simple, honest smile. Everything felt just as it used to be.

Qin Wanru had been conflicted moments before. After all, technically, Zu An had already divorced Chuyan and was no longer related to the Chu family.

Moreover, she had heard that he was doing increasingly well over the years, even becoming a favorite in the Crown Prince's palace. His power now surpassed that of the Chu family, which made her worry he might turn his back on them.

After all, he had endured considerable mistreatment in the Chu family back then. Although she had tried to compensate him later, for some reason, she always felt a little guilty.

She even felt a bit contemptuous of herself. She had once despised this son-in-law for being useless, a good-for-nothing. Now that he had achieved great success and his abilities were growing, she was instead filled with anxieties about gains and losses.

Not until he respectfully bowed as always, and hearing him call her "Mother-in-law," did her heart blossom with joy. His interaction with Yue Shan and the others was no different from before. Her anxious heart immediately settled, and she didn't bother to correct him about no longer being his mother-in-law.

"Ah Zu, come in quickly, it's warm and comfortable inside," Qin Wanru said with a radiant smile, inviting him warmly.

Zu An hesitated. "This might not be appropriate."

It was his mother-in-law's and sister-in-law's space; it didn't feel right for him to enter.

Qin Wanru's face hardened. "What's inappropriate about it? We come from a military family; we don't have so many formalities. Come in quickly!"

Chu Hanzhao also pushed his backside from the side, urging him in. "That's right, brother-in-law, come in quickly. Mother misses you very much."

Qin Wanru's face flushed, and she glared at her daughter. "What nonsense are you talking about? It's clearly you who..."

She stopped mid-sentence, too embarrassed to continue. Was she supposed to say that her second daughter had been missing this brother-in-law and talking about him throughout the journey?

If he knew, wouldn't his ego swell beyond measure?

How infuriating! He was clearly a live-in son-in-law back then, and Chuyan was truly the most beautiful woman in Brightmoon City, a goddess in countless hearts. For him to marry her was already an immense stroke of luck.

Yet, this fellow wasn't satisfied; he wanted both sisters, to take them all?

No, wait, he almost didn't even spare the pot!

Whether from anger or something else, Qin Wanru's cheeks were slightly flushed.

This brat might be successful and powerful now, but if he thought he could have both of her precious daughters, there was no way. Not even the Heavenly Emperor himself could make that happen!

Suddenly, she froze, staring at Zu An in a daze. "Ah Zu, your cultivation... how is it...?"

She hesitated to continue, because she couldn't detect any energy fluctuations from Zu An, just like an ordinary person.

Had something happened to him, turning him into a cripple?

A hint of pity rose in her heart at this thought. This poor young man truly had a hard life. He lost his parents early, was known as a good-for-nothing in Brightmoon City, then painstakingly rose to become a cultivation master and made a name for himself in the capital, only to accidentally become a cripple again.

Although he was currently favored by the Crown Princess, this was ultimately a world of cultivation. Without strength, any power gained would be fleeting.

And women were fickle; if the Crown Prince ever stopped favoring him, he would likely fall into disgrace.

Alas, it seemed she should treat him better, let him feel the warmth of a family.

If Xiao Zhao was a bit more affectionate towards him, she would just turn a blind eye...

Wait, something felt off. When he was successful, she wouldn't let him have both sisters, but now that he was a cripple, she'd let them be together?

How could that be?

Chuyan and Xiao Zhao were so beautiful; countless people would surely covet them. If he became a cripple, how could he protect them? It would only bring him trouble.

Ah, what a pity. If he still had his cultivation now, letting Xiao Zhao be with him would truly be a double blessing.

She hadn't realized how quickly her mind had changed. She had previously been firmly against it, but now she regretted it. Heavens above, if only Zu An could recover his cultivation, she would even be willing to let both sisters be with him...

Zu An had no idea that in a single moment, Qin Wanru had imagined countless elaborate scenarios.

Seeing Xiao Zhao's worried gaze, he smiled faintly. "Don't worry, Mother-in-law, I'm fine. The cultivation method I practice is special; others cannot detect my energy fluctuations."

"Really fine?" Qin Wanru asked, somewhat perplexed. She had never heard of such a thing.

"Really, I'm fine. If you don't believe me, you can ask around in the capital; I even had a fight a few days ago," Zu An said with a smile.

Hearing his confident assertion, Qin Wanru finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, her expression changed, and she quickly murmured to herself, "Heavens above, what I just said was nonsense. Please don't take it seriously."