Chapter 2112: Left and Right Dilemma

Because Brightmoon City was commercially prosperous, especially in salt and iron trade and grain transportation, much of which relied on canal transport, the River Defense Camp came into being. Its main duties were to manage and combat various forms of smuggling, and to escort the transportation of strategic and civilian goods, as fierce beasts were known to roam in some areas along the riverbanks.

Sang Qian calmly replied, "The River Defense Camp also bears the responsibility of maintaining local security. With so many people gathered here tonight, a slight oversight could lead to a massive stampede. My inquiry into the matter is therefore quite reasonable."

"I'm afraid that won't be necessary, Commander Sang," a gentle voice interjected.

Immediately after, a team of yamen runners poured in from the doorway. The one at the forefront held a paper fan, his face like white jade—a truly graceful young gentleman.

"Is that person a man or a woman?"

"Shh, are you trying to get yourself killed? That's the City Lord's son."

Zu An was startled, not expecting to see Xie Xiu, who possessed a feminine beauty, again. He had never quite understood why emperors and nobles historically kept male consorts, but if those consorts looked like this, perhaps it wasn't...

Bah, what nonsense was he thinking?

Upon seeing Xie Xiu enter, Sang Qian's eyes narrowed. "So it's Young Master Xie. If I recall correctly, Young Master Xie should still be studying at Brightmoon Academy and holds no official position. Is it appropriate to summon so many yamen runners?"

Xie Xiu closed his fan and smiled faintly. "Of course, these yamen runners aren't here because of me. I was just drinking at the Celestial Pavilion next door when I saw Uncle Pang leading a group of people over. Out of curiosity, I followed them. Isn't that right, Uncle Pang?"

A corpulent figure rushed in from outside, clutching his official's hat as he walked, clearly having hurried to get there.

"This is Pang Chun, the County Lieutenant of the city. He's a fifth-rank cultivator and the third most influential person in Brightmoon City. He's always been on good terms with our Chu clan. Don't speak carelessly and offend him too," Chu Chuyan whispered urgently, worried about Zu An's bluntness.

Zu An nodded, his expression a little strange. A man named 'Chun' (Spring) – he wondered what his parents were thinking when they chose that name.

However, Chu Chuyan's words also revealed some information: it seemed the Chu clan had a good relationship with the City Lord's side. But earlier, Chu Zhongtian had mentioned that Prefect Sang Hong, whom he trusted, was targeting them. Sang Hong's appointment clearly represented the imperial court's will.

Good heavens, could it be that the Chu clan harbored disloyal intentions, colluding with local officials, leading the imperial court to want to deal with them swiftly?

He thought he had found a strong patron, but it now appeared he had boarded a sinking ship. No wonder they had been so hesitant and evasive when he suggested dealing with a gang earlier!

Should he find an opportunity to abandon ship as soon as possible?

If Chu Chuyan knew what he was thinking at that moment, she would probably have pinned him to the ground and given him a good beating.

After entering, Pang Chun bowed with a smile to Sang Qian. "Greetings, Commander Sang."

Sang Qian dared not be careless. After all, the County Lieutenant was the third most influential person in Brightmoon City, and even he couldn't afford to be disrespectful. He quickly responded, "Greetings, County Lieutenant."

After exchanging pleasantries for a moment, both men looked towards Xie Xiu, who chuckled. "Why are you looking at me? I don't hold an official position. Just handle things according to the rules."

Sang Qian cursed inwardly. Everyone knew that Xie Xiu had summoned Pang Chun; Pang Chun always deferred to Xie Xiu's father, so naturally, he would listen to Xie Xiu.

Pang Chun smiled at Sang Qian. "Then I'll take over this matter. Commander Sang, you won't mind, will you?"

Sang Qian forced a smile. "That is the County Lieutenant's duty; I wouldn't presume to overstep."

The County Lieutenant was responsible for law and order and apprehending criminals in the city, which in a sense was equivalent to combining the roles of a modern-day police chief, prosecutor, and court president—holding considerable power.

Pang Chun then dropped his smile and looked at the others present. "What exactly happened?"

Chu Chuyan spoke up then, giving a general account of what had just occurred.

Pang Chun clicked his tongue silently, clearly taken aback by the astronomical sum of 7.5 million silver taels. However, he reacted quickly and followed her line of reasoning. "Gang Leader Mei, this is where you are wrong. Since you operate a gambling house, you should accept your losses. Otherwise, if all gambling houses acted like yours, wouldn't it be chaos?"

Mei Chaofeng secretly fumed but still replied, "County Lieutenant, you don't understand. This man won 7.5 million taels in just two hands. It's utterly incredible; he must have cheated. How can we possibly acknowledge such a debt?"

Zu An couldn't help but chuckle. "I say, you run a gambling house, yet you're afraid of customers cheating? Is your technique simply inadequate, or are you just too shameless?"

"You!" Mei Chaofeng was furious. He thought that if they were alone, he could crush this pest with a single finger, but now he had to swallow his anger and reason with him.

Fury value from Mei Chaofeng: 499!

At this point, Pang Chun also spoke. "That's right, Gang Leader Mei. Since you claim he cheated, do you have any evidence?"

Zu An thought, *It's truly wonderful to have powerful people on your side*, speaking up for him in various ways, especially since he was in the right to begin with.

Mei Chaofeng hesitated. "No, I don't. I wasn't here at the time, and Zu An came with Miss Chu. As a fifth-rank cultivator, if Miss Chu were to pull any tricks, our casino staff wouldn't be able to tell."

Chu Chuyan's expression turned cold. "Are you saying I helped him cheat?"

At this point, both sides had thrown off all pretenses, and Mei Chaofeng no longer held back. "That's hard to say. He is your husband, after all. Who knows if you two conspired to set me up?"

Chu Chuyan stated coldly, "The reputation of our Chu clan will not tolerate such slander. I challenge you to a duel!"

Mei Chaofeng also went all out. "I was only polite to you before because of the Chu clan. Don't think I'm afraid of you!"

Zu An watched from the side, a look of excitement on his face. He wished they would start fighting immediately; he wanted to see what a battle between fifth-rank masters looked like so he could be prepared in the future.

As for whether Chu Chuyan would suffer a disadvantage, he wasn't worried at all. Not only were Xie Xiu and the County Lieutenant present, but Brightmoon City was also, after all, the Chu clan's fiefdom. Would Chu Zhongtian allow his daughter to be bullied?

Furthermore, she had the backing of Brightmoon Academy. Neither party was someone Mei Chaofeng could afford to offend.

At this point, Xie Xiu stepped forward to mediate. "Please, both of you, calm down. Let me say something fair. Everyone in Brightmoon City knows that the Chu clan has always strictly forbidden involvement in gambling..."

As he said this, he saw everyone's gaze turn to Zu An, and he paused, catching his breath. "Zu An, after all, isn't a Chu by birth, and he might not yet fully understand their rules, having just joined the clan. However, everyone in Brightmoon City should be well aware of Miss Chu's character over the years."

"Exactly, how could Miss Chu possibly cheat?"

"Gang Leader Mei, if you can't pay, don't try to tarnish Miss Chu's reputation."

"That's right, how could Miss Chu do such a thing!"

The people around echoed in agreement, making Zu An click his tongue in surprise. His 'cheap wife' was quite popular, it seemed. So many people liked her, which gave him a strong sense of crisis.

Xie Xiu continued, "Moreover, as everyone knows, I don't have many other special talents besides eating, drinking... *ahem*, and being proficient in all forms of gambling. To my knowledge, all gambling tools in all gambling houses under heaven have formations carved by Rune Masters that can block cultivators' qi detection. Therefore, the idea that Miss Chu cheated by relying on her high cultivation is entirely unfounded."

Sang Qian inwardly cursed Mei Chaofeng for being useless. Of all the excuses, why did he have to implicate Miss Chu? He had no choice but to speak up. "That's right, I can also guarantee with my life that Miss Chu would never cheat, she..."

Before he could finish, Zu An's voice whispered in his ear, "Wife, if you admit to cheating now, do you think this guy will commit suicide?"

Sang Qian: "..."

Xie Xiu: "..."

Pang Chun: "..."

Mei Chaofeng: "..."

*I was just making polite conversation, and you actually took it seriously? What kind of utterly bizarre son-in-law has the Chu clan recruited?*

Fury value from Sang Qian: 213!

At this moment, Chu Chuyan's face was also dark. "Shut up, don't talk nonsense."

Sang Qian could only pretend not to have heard him and continued speaking. *Huh, where was I? It's all that guy's fault!*

"Miss Chu would certainly never cheat. However, as for Young Master Zu, many people in the city must be familiar with his past character and... abilities. With his limited skills, it's absolutely impossible for him to win 7.5 million taels in just two hands. Therefore, only one possibility remains: he secretly bribed and colluded with Plum Blossom Seven, working together to defraud the casino!"

He might as well have directly called Zu An a good-for-nothing.

Mei Chaofeng's eyes lit up. *Brilliant!* His previous arguments indeed had various loopholes, but this new explanation completely negated the legitimacy of Zu An's 7.5 million tael win. Not only did it shift all blame onto Plum Blossom Seven, but it also allowed them to turn the tables and hold Zu An responsible.

As expected from someone from the capital, his methods were truly insidious!

"Wuwuwu!" Plum Blossom Seven, who was nearby, was terrified, his liver and guts splitting from fear. Why did they keep pinning this blame on him? Unfortunately, his jaw had been dislocated, so despite his urgency, he couldn't speak.

Clap, clap, clap.

Suddenly, the sound of clapping echoed in the casino. Everyone looked over to see Zu An clapping his hands. "Commander Sang, are you perhaps one of the hidden owners of this Silver Hook Casino?"

Sang Qian's expression changed dramatically. "Nonsense! Slandering an imperial official is a serious crime!"

Fury value from Sang Qian: 200!

"If you're not the owner of Silver Hook Casino, then why have you been speaking in their favor ever since you walked in?" Zu An asked.

Sang Qian snorted. "That was merely a reasonable inference based on the facts."

Zu An immediately asked, "You also said it was just an inference. So, based on you constantly speaking up for Mei Chaofeng just now, if I reasonably infer that you two are colluding privately, can that be used as evidence?"

"You!" Sang Qian's face darkened as he turned away. "I can't be bothered to argue with the likes of you."

Fury value from Sang Qian: 100!

He had clearly started to calm down. Given his own status compared to Zu An's, arguing with him was simply too demeaning.

Zu An then looked towards the stout Pang Chun. "County Lieutenant, with your many years of experience in judging cases, you must surely be quite clear about the situation here, right?"

Sang Qian also spoke up. "Lord Pang, don't let certain people's threats influence your judgment in this case."

"This..." Pang Chun hesitated, sweat starting to bead on his plump face. He naturally knew what was going on, but the Plum Blossom Gang had been bribing various city departments for years, and their background had always been mysterious. Now, Sang Qian was clearly protecting them. Could it be that their patron was Prefect Sang Hong himself?