Chapter 370: Throwing Dirt

Upon hearing his words, Qin Wanru immediately panicked, exclaiming, "No, I don't want to be detoxified, I don't..."

"Don't worry, it's not the kind of detoxification you're imagining," Zu An quickly explained.

However, his expression soon turned peculiar as she squirmed restlessly in his arms, causing him to feel a warmth spreading through his body.

Zu An's heart tensed. He quickly reined in his thoughts, no longer allowing himself to look at or dwell on her, and focused all his energy on their journey.

Meanwhile, the Chu family was in utter chaos, with all the principal members having gathered.

Chu Hongcai was leading guards to cordon off the surrounding area. Chu Yuepo, still retaining his plump, good-natured appearance, now wore a solemn expression, his usual smile absent. Chu Yuepo tried several times to speak to him for discussion, but was stopped with a shake of the head.

"Brother-in-law, brother-in-law isn't here either!" Chu Huanzhao rushed over in a panic. She had been resting in her room when she suddenly heard a commotion in the mansion. Frightened, she first looked for her mother, then for Zu An. To her surprise, Zu An was not in his room, and many guards were thoroughly searching the area.

She then rushed back and confronted Hong Zhong and Chu Tiesheng, demanding, "What on earth is going on? Where is my mother? And why are you searching my brother-in-law's residence?"

Chu Tiesheng stated in a deep voice, "What I'm about to say must be kept strictly confidential. It must not be spread, or it will become a major scandal for our Chu family."

Hearing his solemn tone, even Chu Yuepo looked at him with curiosity, silently speculating about the matter.

For some reason, an ominous premonition gradually rose in Chu Huanzhao's heart.

Once everyone had fallen silent, Chu Tiesheng spoke with a grim expression, "That beast, Zu An, heartless as he is, actually drugged my sister-in-law with that kind of concoction, attempting to defile her."

These words immediately caused an uproar among everyone present.

Chu Yucheng and his father Chu Yuepo exchanged glances, both seeing doubt and shock in each other's eyes. Chu Yucheng was about to ask, but seeing his father's gaze, he swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.

Chu Hongcai also spun around abruptly. From his interactions with Zu An, he knew the man was eccentric, but he couldn't imagine him committing such an audacious act.

Before he could even utter a sound, Chu Huanzhao had already exclaimed, "Nonsense! How is that possible?!"

She absolutely refused to believe that her beloved mother and brother-in-law would do such a thing; it was impossible.

"Xiaozhao, I know you've always had a close relationship with that beast Zu An, so it's normal for you to find this hard to accept at first, but this is the truth," Chu Tiesheng said with a pained expression. "Just a moment ago, a maid happened to pass by and witnessed it with her own eyes. When Zu An realized he was exposed, he grabbed sister-in-law and fled in a panic. Unfortunately, those maids lacked cultivation and couldn't stop that beast. Several of them were even cruelly beaten to death by him. If you don't believe me, you can ask her."

"Qiuju, is this really true?" Chu Huanzhao hastily looked at the trembling maid standing nearby. She was from her mother's courtyard, a fact everyone knew.

"Ye...yes..." The maid named Qiuju trembled uncontrollably. Earlier, Chu Tiesheng had approached several of them, instructing them to lie. The others had refused and were killed on the spot, leaving her with no choice but to comply.

Chu Huanzhao's face instantly turned ashen. She stumbled backward weakly and collapsed onto a chair, muttering to herself, "How... how is this possible..."

At this moment, Feng Danai and a few others also cried out, "Impossible! The son-in-law would never do such a thing!"

They had been with Zu An for a long time; besides Chu Huanzhao, they were probably the ones least likely to believe this.

Chu Tiesheng was furious. "Do you mean to say I'm lying and slandering him? Qiuju is right here to testify!"

Feng Danai and the others exchanged glances, momentarily at a loss for words.

At this point, Hong Zhong cleared his throat and stepped forward. "In fact, quite a few people just saw Zu An carrying the Madam as they left from the west."

"That's right, we did see Zu An frantically carrying... carrying the Madam as he fled from that direction," several guards said hesitantly.

Feng Danai and the other two knew these guards were their brothers stationed at the Chu mansion's west gate. Having worked at the mansion for many years, they understood each other well and knew their natures; these guards typically wouldn't lie. This made them feel conflicted.

Hong Zhong exchanged a glance with someone, and then another maid timidly spoke up, "Actually, a few days ago, I saw the son-in-law come to the courtyard very early to see the Madam, and the Madam also got up earlier than usual."

Another maid added, "I also saw it a few days ago; the Madam seemed to have gone out with Zu An..."

Before she could finish, Hong Zhong quickly interrupted her, "What nonsense are you spouting? What happened today is clearly Zu An's outrageous attempt to harm the Madam and forcibly abduct her. The immediate priority is to capture this heartless scoundrel. Do not discuss anything else. Is that clear to everyone?"

"Yes, clear!" Feeling the warning in his eyes, everyone's heart tightened, and they quickly responded.

Nevertheless, people inwardly began to murmur, as the maids' words seemed to suggest that the Madam and the son-in-law were having an affair.

The son-in-law was quite handsome; otherwise, the eldest young lady wouldn't have taken a liking to him. Furthermore, with the master and young mistress away these days, it wasn't impossible that the Madam, feeling lonely and empty, might have been susceptible.

No wonder the Madam had been so amiable towards the son-in-law these past few days; so that was the reason.

Human imagination and a penchant for gossip are boundless, and combined with Hong Zhong's obvious attempt to conceal the truth, it made it even easier for others to speculate in that direction.

Feng Danai and the others grew anxious. Just then, Cheng Shouping, who was beside them, tugged at their sleeves and gave them a meaningful look.

At that very moment, Hong Zhong and Chu Tiesheng began dispatching people to apprehend Zu An, even issuing orders that this heartless scoundrel could be killed on sight if he resisted.

Everyone took their orders and left. Once outside, Feng Danai and the others glared at Cheng Shouping. "Cheng, the son-in-law has always treated you well. Yet today, you not only failed to speak up for him but also stopped us from doing so. What exactly do you mean by this?!"

"And you, Jiao Shanhe, you're usually the most talkative. Yet, at a crucial moment, you chickened out? Did you lose your nerve?"

Cheng Shouping replied, "Didn't you see? Manager Hong is clearly in cahoots with the Second Master. If you kept talking, you might not have kept your lives."

Feng Danai and Zhou Lujun scoffed, "You may be afraid of death, but we are not."

Cheng Shouping grew anxious. "This isn't about being afraid of death! The son-in-law has fled in a panic and is now being hunted by so many people. He'll certainly need help. Right now, he's surrounded by enemies. If we're dead, who will help him?"

Feng Danai and the others' expressions softened slightly; they conceded that he had a point.

Jiao Shanhe, who was nearby, let out a surprised "Oh!" "Alright, Little Pingzi, you've really impressed me with your intelligence today. That's exactly what I was trying to say."

"Of course," Cheng Shouping said, proudly lifting his chin. "I'm not an idiot. Wait, are you insulting me?"

Jiao Shanhe laughed heartily. "Of course not! We should quickly go find the son-in-law. We don't even know where he is right now."

At that moment, Zu An, still carrying Qin Wanru, suddenly burst into a courtyard. Just as someone was about to exit through the gate, the two parties collided forcefully.

A crisp, delicate cry of "Aiya!" rang out.