Chapter 267: The Sound of the Offensive Trumpet

After a while, Qin Wanru came back to her senses, looking at her daughter nervously. "Even Doctor Bao couldn't do anything. Can he really cure you? I've never heard of him knowing medicine."

"It must be something his mysterious former master taught him," Chu Chuyan replied, glancing awkwardly at Zu An. "He used acupuncture to guide the cold energy out of my body, little by little. I can feel the changes in my body."

"Acupuncture?" Qin Wanru's expression changed, and she quickly said, "Both Doctor Bao and Divine Healer Ji mentioned that everyone's internal condition varies greatly. If an outsider tries to remove cold energy without understanding your specific situation, it could easily cause irreversible harm. Stop it at once! You are not allowed to do such dangerous things!"

"He's different; he knows my body's condition," Chu Chuyan lowered her head shyly, her ears feeling a little warm.

Qin Wanru blinked. "???"

What do you mean he knows your body's condition?

Unable to admit what had happened in the secret realm, Chu Chuyan quickly said, "Perhaps the method his mysterious master taught him is quite unique. Anyway, I can clearly feel my body improving, and you must have noticed how much warmer I've been these past few days, Mother."

"Is he really that remarkable?" Qin Wanru was skeptical but suddenly thought of something. She quickly pulled her daughter aside and whispered, "You said he used acupuncture to guide the cold energy out of you, so... did you have to take off your clothes?"

Chu Chuyan's face immediately flushed. She lowered her head and let out a faint hum, barely audible.

"You took off your clothes?" Qin Wanru was utterly shocked and took a long time to process it.

She knew very well the true purpose behind the Chu family's decision to take Zu An as a son-in-law; in her view, it was merely a marriage in name, intended only to deceive outsiders.

Her elder daughter had been incredibly proud since childhood, always surrounded by an aura of genius, and never showed any special regard for men.

She found it incredibly hard to imagine why such a daughter would agree to undress in front of that man, Zu An.

"Did you two... did you two already consummate the marriage?" Qin Wanru suddenly thought of a more serious question and asked urgently.

"Mother, what are you saying!" Chu Chuyan was still young and innocent, and years of maidenly habits were hard to change. She was too embarrassed to admit such things in front of her mother and sister, so she quickly explained, "He only performed acupuncture on my back. I used something to cover... to cover the other parts."

Qin Wanru finally breathed a sigh of relief, but even so, she still found it difficult to comprehend that her daughter would agree to such a thing in front of Zu An.

Suddenly, she remembered something else and quickly lowered her voice to ask, "Last night, did he... did he do anything improper to me?"

The thought of being drugged by her younger daughter and then acupunctured by her elder daughter made her feel exhausted.

Chu Chuyan's face flushed when she recalled how he had mistakenly embraced her last night. She quickly said, "No, nothing happened. I also made sure you were properly covered with the quilt."

She knew her mother was angry, and if she really found out about last night, there would be utter chaos.

Anyway, nothing truly happened last night, so she wasn't really lying, was she?

Chu Chuyan didn't even realize that she had almost never lied before, but after meeting Zu An, she had begun to tell various white lies.

A huge weight was finally lifted from Qin Wanru's heart.

"I'm too lazy to deal with this mess; you two sisters created it, so you clean it up yourselves." With a huff, she flicked her sleeves and walked away.

The thought of her two beloved daughters defying her for another man—one drugging her, the other acupuncturing her—filled her with bitterness.

And the instigator of all this...

Was that fellow, Zu An!

Rage value from Qin Wanru: 444,444...

Zu An was speechless, surprised that she still harbored such strong resentment even after leaving.

Chu Hanzhao, standing nearby, also felt a little guilty. She quickly chased after her mother, trying to curry favor with various endearing gestures. "Mother, I'll see you out..."

Only then did Chu Chuyan look at Zu An. "You don't want to stay in the Chu family anymore?"

Looking into her captivating eyes, like a starry sky, Zu An felt a bit guilty. "Mainly, it's your mother; she often targets me..."

Chu Chuyan shook her head. "My mother can be a bit harsh with her words. Look, when she lectured you this time, she deliberately sent everyone else away because she was mindful of your reputation. She originally just wanted to scold you privately, but who knew you would contradict her directly, making it difficult for her to save face."

Zu An frowned. "I can't just be her punching bag forever, can I?"

Chu Chuyan said, "Mother isn't as bad to you as you imagine. For instance, if you had said those words today in another family, they could have simply beaten you to death with a staff, which is permitted by the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Yet, she never did that. And just now, when she walked away, she used my and Xiao Zhao's involvement as an excuse to let the matter drop. Otherwise, the more you pursue this, the more complicated and messy it becomes."

Hearing her mention being beaten to death, Zu An thought to himself that live-in sons-in-law in this world truly had no human rights.

Of course, if they truly intended to kill him, he wouldn't just surrender.

However, having such an identity was truly a ticking time bomb; he didn't know when someone would exploit his status.

Noticing his grim expression, Chu Chuyan's tone softened:

"You also need to understand that Mother hasn't been in a good mood lately. First, my incident made her constantly worried. Then, Governor Sang Hong has recently been pressuring her to pay donations based on an imperial decree, so it's natural for her to be a bit anxious. On top of that, you never say anything agreeable, which is why such a big commotion occurred, *cough, cough*."

As she spoke with some agitation, she couldn't help but cough.

Zu An quickly helped her to sit down. "Don't get agitated. You're still recovering from serious injuries and are very weak. Please rest."

Chu Chuyan sat down and drank some water, her complexion looking much better.

At this point, Zu An asked with some curiosity, "Donations, what are those?"

Chu Chuyan explained, "Whenever the country needs funds for military campaigns, disaster relief, or large-scale projects, it calls upon wealthy merchants across the land to donate money and goods to the state. This is known as 'donations' or 'contributions.'"

"There's such a thing?" Zu An was stunned. "If it's voluntary, then I can choose not to donate, right?"

"It's not that simple," Chu Chuyan shook her head. "Although it's nominally voluntary, in practice, it's certainly not. Typically, those asked to make donations are wealthy magnates who control vast resources. Most of these families were able to grow their businesses so large largely due to imperial policies."

"If you don't donate, there are plenty of smaller families below you who are eager to, hoping to seize such an opportunity to gain favorable policies from the imperial court."

"Our Chu family deals in salt and iron, making us one of the wealthiest families in Brightmoon City, and even in nearby prefectures. Naturally, we cannot escape the fate of being asked for donations."

Zu An gradually understood what was happening. "According to you, these donations seem like political contributions: wealthy merchants donate money, and the imperial court grants favorable policies. That should be a win-win situation, so why are you so distressed?"

Chu Chuyan explained, "Take the salt industry, for example. The imperial court implemented a salt voucher system, which indirectly led to certain large salt merchants forming monopolies and earning enormous profits. Naturally, they are expected to repay the court accordingly. Those salt merchants also understand that their current success is entirely due to the benefits of imperial policies, so they don't object to making donations."

"However, the imperial court demands donations frequently, and even the wealthiest families can't endure such constant expropriation."

"Furthermore, our Chu family has owned this land for hundreds of years. Our current prosperity isn't due to the imperial court's favor, but rather because our ancestors carved out these salt and iron mines through their blood and sweat. To put it bluntly, when our Chu family first acquired this land, the Great Zhou Dynasty hadn't even been established yet."

"Over the years, we haven't received any benefits from the imperial court, yet we are constantly forced to make donations. Naturally, we are quite unwilling in our hearts."

Zu An listened, dumbfounded, and couldn't help but say, "From the tone of your words, it sounds like the Chu family intends to rebel."

"Don't be ridiculous," Chu Chuyan retorted, giving him an annoyed look. "We just have some grievances, but it's not enough to cause such a drastic situation. Besides, the imperial court is strong now; entertaining such a thought would be suicidal."

"But families like yours will definitely become a thorn in the imperial court's side. If I were the emperor, I would definitely eliminate you first," Zu An mused.

"There are actually many families like ours throughout the land, and the emperor can't just eliminate them at will, or it would easily plunge the world into chaos," Chu Chuyan replied. "So, the emperor can only act according to regulations. Sang Hong's visit this time is precisely for that purpose: he covets our Chu family's salt and iron mines but cannot openly seize them."

"Thus, both sides employ their tactics, attacking and defending each other. It all depends on who will have the last laugh."

Although Chu Chuyan spoke lightly, the worry in her brows betrayed her true feelings.

"The arm can't twist the thigh, after all. I just feel like your Chu family is venturing further and further down a path of self-destruction," Zu An couldn't help but remark.

Chu Chuyan shot him a sideways glance before saying, "How could we not know that? But the foundation established by our Chu ancestors cannot be allowed to perish in our hands. So, even knowing it might be futile, we must strive to try. This is our family's honor and sense of mission."

Zu An paused, noticing an unusual glow on her face as she spoke. He gradually began to understand.

In his previous life, such ancient families were rare, so it was initially difficult for him to understand their choices, but now he was beginning to grasp something.

If one were to truly assign right or wrong, neither the emperor, the imperial court, nor the Chu family was entirely at fault. Each had their own motivations and objectives; ultimately, it was all a struggle for interests.

"Oh, by the way, what was going on with that Qiu Honglei? How did she find her way to our home?" Chu Chuyan suddenly asked, looking at him with a strange expression.

"I don't know what she's about either. Don't worry, nothing happened between us. I've been keeping myself pure for you!" Zu An had just finished speaking when he suddenly remembered his previous encounter with Xue'er, and a wave of guilt washed over him.

However, on second thought, Xue'er was originally the personal maid she had given him. Strictly speaking, this shouldn't count as betraying her.

With that thought, his confidence returned.

"Keeping yourself pure?" Chu Chuyan sneered, "The lipstick on your mouth last night was hers, wasn't it?"

Zu An: "..."

How could she still remember that?

Chu Chuyan sighed and then said, "Don't go wandering around today. Chen Xuan tried to assassinate you earlier; don't give him another chance."

As she spoke, she pulled out a small booklet from her sleeve. "Here, take this. Practice diligently in your free time, and you'll have a better chance of defending yourself against Chen Xuan in the future."

"What is this?" Zu An was startled. He instinctively took it and saw the four large characters "Snowflake Divine Sword" written on the booklet.