Chapter 237: Flower Queen Competition

Sang Qian jumped in surprise, "How did you know?"

"If you don't want others to know, don't do it in the first place." Sang Hong scoffed, "A honey trap—how could you even think of such a scheme!"

Sang Qian looked embarrassed. "I was just hoping to take over the Plum Blossom Gang's assets, you know. We've also secretly set up a casino..."

"Enough," Sang Hong said, his face full of impatience. "Don't let me hear about those things."

"Oh." Sang Qian grumbled inwardly, thinking, *You old man are so upright, never greedy for money, but the expenses of official life are so great, how can a meager salary possibly cover them?* He then added aloud, "Great individuals don't bother with trifles. Besides, history proves that honey traps are quite effective."

Sang Hong glared fiercely at his son. "Are you out of your mind? Those who use honey traps are all highly trained female spies, not their own fiancées!"

Sang Qian gave an awkward smile. "I couldn't find anyone suitable at the moment, so I just let Zheng Dan try. Don't worry, she's always been gentle and reserved, and very clever. She won't really let Zu An take advantage of her."

"I don't know where you get your confidence from. You're playing with fire. One misstep and you'll lose both your wife and your soldiers," Sang Hong scoffed.

"Don't worry, Dad," Sang Qian said proudly. "Zu An, in terms of looks, family background, or ability, how does he compare to me? Miss Zheng has always had high standards; how could she ever fancy a guy like that?"

Seeing his son's nonchalant attitude, Sang Hong secretly frowned. He felt his son was overly confident. However, he had met Zheng Dan; she appeared gentle and docile, but deep down, she was very independent and came from a wealthy family. It seemed highly unlikely she would ever be interested in a live-in son-in-law like that.

With that thought, he finally relaxed. "Very well. In that case, give her another task: see if she can extract information about the mysterious expert behind Zu An from his mouth."

Sang Qian was startled. "Didn't you tell me and the masked man to investigate separately?"

Sang Hong shook his head slightly. "If that mysterious expert intends to remain hidden, we might not find anything in the Chu family; the same goes for your end. So, it depends on whether Zu An will be enchanted by beauty and accidentally leak any information."

His face was filled with worry. For some reason, he had been 100% confident about this trip to Brightmoon City, but upon learning about this mysterious expert, his surefire plan felt like it had gained several variables. He worried that this matter might spoil everything in the future, so he had to eliminate this uncertain factor in advance.

"Alright, I'll talk to Zheng Dan," Sang Qian readily agreed, though he felt a bit awkward inside. *He just lectured me about not using my fiancée as a honey trap, and now he's actively suggesting I use one.*

Sang Hong hesitated, then said, "Oh, there's something I need to remind you about. What if, during the execution of the mission, Zheng Dan genuinely does something that wrongs you? What will you do then?"

"She wouldn't dare!" A vivid image of his fiancée being defiled by Zu An flashed through Sang Qian's mind, causing his eyes to widen with fury. "If she dares to wrong me, I'll wipe out the entire Zheng family, root and branch!"

"The wrath of a common man!" Sang Hong angrily rebuked him with dissatisfaction. "If such a thing truly happens, you must remain outwardly calm..."

Sang Qian interrupted him before he could finish, "Wouldn't that make me willingly become a cuckold?"

"Of course not!" Sang Hong said, exasperated by his son's lack of ambition. "To achieve great things, one must endure what ordinary people cannot. If something truly happens, you cannot blame Zheng Dan without understanding the full situation; that would only push her into another man's arms."

"What you must do is outwardly appease and forgive her, put her mind completely at ease, and let her work wholeheartedly for you. Once the overall situation is settled, then you can settle scores with her."

Sang Qian was somewhat unconvinced, but his father had always been strict, so he didn't bother to argue. "Understood," he replied.

Hearing the perfunctory tone in his son's voice, Sang Hong frowned but said no more. He just hoped that child Zheng Dan was truly clever enough not to make any missteps.

"By the way, are you going to that courtesan event tonight?" Sang Hong sat back down and leisurely sipped his tea.

"That's right. I heard that Qiu Honglei, the courtesan queen of Divine Immortal Residence, is going to choose her first patron tonight. Miss Qiu is exceptionally talented and beautiful, and countless men have fallen for her. Yet, for so many years, she has remained a 'pure' courtesan, never taking clients. The men in the city have been longing for her for ages, so of course, I'm going to try my luck tonight..."

Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly noticed his father's eyes practically spitting fire. Sang Qian awkwardly fell silent, realizing it was indeed inappropriate to discuss such matters with his father.

Sang Hong let out a heavy scoff. "You are not going tonight. What kind of decorum is it for a dignified imperial official to frequent pleasure districts?"

"Visiting courtesans is a refined activity in itself; there's nothing undignified about it," Sang Qian said dismissively.

"That Qiu Honglei is not simple," Sang Hong said in a deep voice. "I even sent people to investigate her..."

"So, Dad, you're interested in her too?" Sang Qian's face showed understanding. *No wonder he didn't want me to go. Is he afraid I'll compete with him?*

Sang Hong saw the look in his son's eyes and knew exactly what foolish thoughts he was having. His face darkened to charcoal. "Nonsense! I'm merely trying to gather as much information as possible to complete this mission. Since this woman is so famous in Brightmoon City, of course, I had to investigate her. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything substantial; she just seems like an ordinary courtesan queen."

"She *is* just a courtesan queen, isn't she?" Sang Qian seemed a bit slow to catch on.

"That's precisely what's strange," Sang Hong said, his gaze drifting out the window towards the south of the city. "She possesses such extraordinary beauty and has such widespread fame. If she were just an ordinary courtesan, how could she have remained chaste for so many years?"

"Huh?" His father's words made him realize something was indeed amiss.

Sang Hong continued, "Furthermore, you just got engaged to Miss Zheng, and you're already running off to find some courtesan queen? Where would that leave Zheng Dan and even the entire Zheng family's reputation? We need the Zheng family's full support to deal with the Chu family this time. I don't want our cooperation to go awry because of you. Stay home today! You are not allowed to go anywhere!"

Sang Qian's face was filled with disappointment, but he knew his father's orders were not to be defied. He could only gaze wistfully towards Divine Immortal Residence in the south of the city, wondering which lucky man would pluck that peerless celestial flower tonight.

Meanwhile, in the Chu manor, after seeing Ji Dengtu off, Zu An returned to his room to meditate and cultivate. Since Qin Wanru was guarding Chu Chuyan's side, he couldn't go there anyway.

Not long after he sat down, a knock suddenly sounded from outside. "Ah Zu, are you there?"

Zu An was momentarily startled. The voice sounded familiar. After a moment's thought, he remembered: it was Chu Yucheng, the son from the Third Branch. He had seen him during the family martial arts competition against the Yuan family, and they had crossed paths a few times in the Chu manor, though they hadn't really interacted back then.

*What does this guy want with me?* Zu An wondered. He got up to open the door and, sure enough, a plump, round boy stood smiling at the entrance.

His eyes were practically narrowed into slits.

Zu An didn't dare underestimate him in the slightest. During the family competition, this guy was like a little tank; his layers of fat served as the best human shield, allowing him to overwhelm his opponents with no chance of retaliation.

Even more surprisingly, another person stood beside him, arms crossed over his chest, holding a sword with an aloof expression. It was Chu Hongcai, the son from the Second Branch.

"What can I do for you two?" Zu An asked curiously.

"Good news, of course!" Chu Yucheng walked right over and slung an arm around his shoulder, wearing a smile that men understood. "Divine Immortal Residence is holding a courtesan event tonight. Want to come along?"