Chapter 365: Collision

Qin Wanru was secretly furious. Officials could twist words any way they liked, making anything sound plausible. They could find a high-sounding reason to investigate him, and an equally valid reason not to investigate him. It was truly disgusting!

Although she usually complained that Chu Zhongtian was too rigid and lacked worldly shrewdness, if he truly became such a cynical old bureaucrat, she would probably be the first to find it unbearable. Given the current situation, however, she could only suppress her anger and said coldly, "Then we truly owe Governor Sang a great debt of gratitude!"

Noticing that she had emphasized the words "great debt," Sang Hong didn't mind. Instead, he looked at Zu An and said, "Madam has found herself an excellent son-in-law."

Zu An was momentarily stunned, unsure of Sang Hong's intentions for suddenly praising him. Knowing the old fox likely had ulterior motives, he retorted, "Governor Sang has also found himself an excellent daughter-in-law."

Sang Hong froze, secretly enraged. He thought Zu An was implying that his son, despite being close to death, insisted on marrying Zheng Dan.

Rage from Sang Hong +399!

"Young people shouldn't be too arrogant," Sang Hong snorted, then flicked his sleeve and left. After all, this fellow wouldn't be jumping around for much longer; he would settle scores with him later.

Seeing the rage value in the system, Zu An thought, *She gets angry even when I congratulate her on finding a good daughter-in-law. What a petty person.* Honestly, Zheng Dan is indeed excellent. I've personally verified it; she's top-notch in every way. It's not a blind compliment.

Watching Sang Hong and the others file out, Chu Hanzhao excitedly ran to Zu An and hugged his arm. "Brother-in-law, you were amazing today! You even scared away the Governor."

Qin Wanru was also sighing about how good it was to have a man in the house. Just as she was about to praise Zu An, she saw her second daughter run over and hug him intimately. Her brows furrowed subconsciously, but remembering that she truly needed to thank him today, she felt awkward about scolding her and simply pretended not to see it.

This scene, however, took on more meaning in the eyes of others. Cheng Shouping looked triumphantly at Jiao Shanhe and the others, sporting an "I told you so" smirk. Jiao Shanhe and the others had already prepared themselves mentally to lose the bet, so they didn't feel much, only genuinely happy for their son-in-law.

At this point, Zu An smiled slightly. "How could a mere commoner like me drive away Governor Sang? Ultimately, he was concerned about the Chu family and Madam. I was just borrowing a tiger's prestige."

"It's rare to see you so humble; I'm not used to it," Qin Wanru couldn't help but say.

"When have I ever not been humble? That's just a misunderstanding people have of me," Zu An said seriously.

"Alright, alright, you're getting ahead of yourself," Qin Wanru said with a laughing reprimand. "Was what you just said a roundabout way of calling me a tigress?"

Zu An was startled; he truly hadn't meant that. However, since the system hadn't registered any rage from her, he figured she wasn't angry, so he grew bolder. "How could that be? I've never seen such a beautiful tigress."

Qin Wanru's face flushed, and she glared at him playfully. "No respect for your elders!" she said before turning and leaving.

The surrounding guards were all dumbfounded. They had truly underestimated their son-in-law; he even dared to flirt with Madam. Even more surprisingly, the usually stern and unsmiling Madam hadn't gotten angry! It seemed their son-in-law had truly established his standing in the Chu family from now on.

After the day's commotion, the Chu family quickly settled down. Servants and maids tidied up the disturbed belongings, and before they knew it, night had fallen. Qin Wanru, along with the steward Hong Zhong and other trusted confidantes, dealt with the accumulated affairs and discussed their next steps. She also specifically called Zu An to join them.

She mused that after interacting with him recently, Zu An was not as useless as she had initially thought; instead, he was quite capable. She decided to use this opportunity to train him, so that in the future, he could share Chu Chuyan's burden and also be a helper for the Chu family. Unfortunately, as Zu An listened to the intricate details of the Chu family's business and goods flow, he began to yawn repeatedly and soon fell asleep on the table. Qin Wanru frowned, feeling a little disappointed. However, with so many people present, it wasn't appropriate to scold him, so she let him be.

While the group was meeting in the assembly hall, a black-clad figure stealthily entered Qin Wanru and Chu Zhongtian's room. He seemed extremely familiar with the perimeter guards and the internal traps, navigating the path with ease and bypassing all defensive measures. After entering, he began searching various possible hiding places in the room.

During the day, Sang Hong had led his men to search most areas, leaving only this room and those of Chu Chuyan and Chu Hanzhao untouched. Everyone in the Chu manor knew Chu Hanzhao's personality; the ledger couldn't possibly be in her room. Originally, the Qingyin Pavilion was a strong possibility, but Chu Chuyan hadn't been home recently, and the pavilion was mostly deserted, so it was unlikely such an important item would be kept there. That left only the master's room, which was the most logical deduction!

Before coming, he had already guessed a few of the most likely hiding spots in the room, but unfortunately, after searching for a long time, he found nothing. Now he was getting anxious. This ledger was too important; it was Sang Hong's condition for supporting him, and also the key to his future control over the Chu family. Without it, everything would become extremely difficult. He then searched again, practically turning the entire room upside down, yet still found nothing.

"Why, why!" He hissed in a low voice, *Had all his years of planning come to this, to be defeated by this very matter?* Despite his outburst, he couldn't change the established fact.

It was time to leave! He realized time was running out, but leaving empty-handed after this visit felt too disadvantageous.

Glancing back at the bed, a sudden warmth surged through him, and he went straight to the bed and lay down. *Qin Wanru must lie on this bed just like this every day, right? That Chu Zhongtian fellow is truly fortunate, getting to sleep with such a beauty every day. If I had that chance, I'd never want to get out of bed.*

Breathing in the faint lingering scent on the bed, which was Qin Wanru's unique perfumed powder, he felt himself becoming somewhat intoxicated. He lay on the bed, greedily inhaling the scent, as if this would allow him to have his dream goddess beneath him. He clutched Qin Wanru's pillow, sniffing it frantically. Ordinarily, he would never have the opportunity to smell her hair so closely.

As he was sniffing, a sudden thought struck him. He quickly sat upright and began feeling around the pillow. Finally, he discovered a secret compartment and pulled out a small booklet. Seeing the words "ledger" on it, he quickly flipped through its contents, and the itemized records were precisely what he had been looking for!

"Hahahaha, I finally found it! It truly is fate!" The man laughed wildly, as if at that moment, he felt destined for greatness.

"Who are you!" Just then, a delicate shout came from nearby.

His heart trembled. He looked up and saw Qin Wanru standing not far away, gazing at him with a wary expression. *Damn, it seems I lingered on the bed for too long, so much so that she's already returned.*

At this moment, Qin Wanru also clearly saw what he held in his hand, and her face instantly turned pale. "You rogue, how dare you!" She no longer bothered to call for help, her body flashing as she lunged at him.

The black-clad man also moved at this moment, desperately trying to leap out the window. Unfortunately, he was half a step too late and was intercepted by Qin Wanru right at the window. Qin Wanru was, after all, a Sixth Rank master, and seeing the ledger being stolen, she showed no mercy in her attacks. In just a brief moment, the two exchanged dozens of blows. The black-clad man, holding the ledger in one hand, was at a significant disadvantage. Soon, he was unable to dodge a move, and Qin Wanru ripped off his facial covering.

Seeing his face clearly, Qin Wanru was stunned. "It's you?"

*Last night, I dreamed of writing, of plotting the upcoming chapters. I distinctly remember designing two incredibly exciting major plot points that moved me to tears. But this morning, when I woke up and tried to write them down, I suddenly realized I'd forgotten everything. Damn...*