Chapter 400: Weighing Options

Zu An chuckled, "What kind of miracle medicine? Shouldn't you be looking for Dr. Ji for treatment? Or you could go to the school and find Ji Xiaoxi."

Zheng Dan sighed, "Of course, we consulted Dr. Ji, but unfortunately, even he couldn't help. You know Sang Qian was critically injured last time, clinging to life. Even Dr. Ji could only keep him alive, but after all these days, he's still not out of danger. Dr. Ji has no solution for this either. Although Sang Hong has two children, he only has one son. If Sang Qian dies, he'll be left without a male heir."

Zu An snorted, "What's so strange about his lineage ending when he's done so many bad deeds?" After all, the Chu family's recent troubles were all orchestrated by Sang Hong behind the scenes.

Zheng Dan bit her lip. "But a father who loses a son in his old age will surely become even more deranged, which would be even more detrimental to the Chu family."

"Are you threatening me?" Zu An's displeasure showed as he unconsciously tightened his grip, giving her hand a hard squeeze.

"Ouch!" Zheng Dan cried out in pain but dared not show it, fearing other students nearby might notice something amiss. "I'm not threatening you! I'm helping you analyze the pros and cons. I've given you everything; do you still doubt my intentions?"

Zu An snorted, "But you're speaking on behalf of my enemy right now."

"I'm just delivering his message," Zheng Dan sighed. "We're close, so let's skip the pleasantries. You should be aware that Sang Hong was behind the Chu family's troubles recently. A few days ago, Lady Chu was on the verge of death, and even Dr. Ji was helpless, yet you saved her life with a miracle medicine. Sang Hong was very shocked by this, so he wants to make a deal with you: he'll release Duke Mingyue and completely stop targeting the Chu family. In return, you'll gain the Sang family's friendship and provide them with a bottle of your miracle medicine."

Zu An retorted irritably, "The Chu family has already recovered the salt warrant; what reason does he have to keep Duke Mingyue detained? Besides, his plan against the Chu family has already failed, so what difference does it make whether he gives up or not?"

Zheng Dan shook her head. "It's not that simple. Take Duke Mingyue's situation, for instance. Qin Wanru had already replenished the salt warrant previously, so logically, Duke Mingyue should have been released much earlier. But Sang Hong can still find excuses to detain him longer. By the same token, if he knows he can no longer hold him, and truly makes up his mind, it wouldn't be difficult to arrange Duke Mingyue's unnatural death."

Zu An's expression changed dramatically. "Sang Hong is bold enough to assassinate a duke?"

Zheng Dan explained, "Of course, he wouldn't dare with a normal duke. But you should also know that Sang Hong is here representing the Emperor's will. The Emperor himself wanted to eliminate Duke Mingyue, so if Duke Mingyue were to die 'accidentally,' the Emperor would, at most, only scold Sang Hong verbally and wouldn't truly punish him. Sang Hong's plans against the Chu family have repeatedly failed recently. Carrying the Emperor's decree, he's now at the edge of a cliff and absolutely cannot allow Duke Mingyue to return safely. But if you can save his son's life, he might abandon this mission, even if it means facing the Emperor's reprimand afterward."

Zu An's expression flickered. He truly didn't want to save Sang Qian, but if doing nothing led to Chu Zhongtian's death, he wouldn't only feel guilty towards Chu Chuyan and her sister, but also within himself. Moreover, given Sang Hong's cunning and malicious nature, he would undoubtedly publicize the fact that I had an opportunity to save Chu Zhongtian but chose not to. There'd be no way to keep it a secret.

Zu An suddenly asked, "Does Sang Hong know about us?"

Zheng Dan blushed. "Of course not! If he knew, the first thing he'd do is kill you, and then secretly execute me. How could he possibly send me to negotiate a deal with you?"

Zu An said discontentedly, "You're not formally married to his son, so what right does he have to meddle so much?"

Zheng Dan rolled her eyes, too lazy to answer him.

Zu An realized that engagements in this era carried a different weight than in his own, so he continued to ask, "What are your thoughts on this matter?"

Zheng Dan hesitated, then said, "We're already this intimate, and I don't want to hide anything from you. Regardless, Sang Qian is my future husband. Although what happened between us had its reasons, I still feel a bit guilty and want to do something to compensate him. At the same time, if this matter is resolved, it could bring great benefits to the Zheng family. So, if you could help me save him, that would be for the best." She paused, then said with a smile, "Of course, if you could get both the Sang and Zheng families to agree to me marrying you, then I wouldn't have to worry about Sang Qian anymore."

Zu An looked speechless. "You know this is impossible. I'd be willing to marry you, but would you elope with me?"

Zheng Dan sighed, "You also know I bear too many of my family's hopes. I can't be so selfish as to disregard them."

Zu An weighed the pros and cons for a long time, finally saying, "It's not that I can't save him, but the thought of him recovering and then quickly marrying you... wouldn't I just be asking for a cuckold's hat? No way!"

Zheng Dan, blushing, chided him, "It's clearly you who's cuckolding him..."

Zu An snorted, "Anyway, I don't care. I can't accept this."

Zheng Dan hesitated, then whispered, "Actually, there is a way. He's so severely injured; it would be perfectly normal if he had some physical issues later and couldn't... well..."

Zu An gasped, "You're truly ruthless."

Zheng Dan's eyes reddened. "This is clearly for your sake! How does that make me ruthless? Don't I want a normal husband? Besides, you can't marry me anyway..." As she spoke, she couldn't help but sob. Zu An quickly wiped away her tears. "I spoke out of turn. This does indeed solve my problem. I shouldn't be such a hypocrite."

Fortunately, they had already reached the vicinity of the classroom dorms, and there were no students around. Otherwise, their pulling and tugging would surely have sparked gossip immediately.

Hearing his words, Zheng Dan burst out laughing, then said, blushing, "Pfft, pfft, pfft! If you're a prostitute, then what am I?"

"You're my..." Zu An leaned close and whispered a word into her ear.

Zheng Dan's neck turned red, and her whole body went soft. Zu An took the opportunity to scoop her up in his arms and carried her into his dorm, where they soon fell into an embrace.

"So, you agree?" Zheng Dan lightly pressed her delicate hand against his chest, biting her lip as she spoke.

Zu An looked dejected. "Can we not talk about this right now? It makes me seem like some major villain, forcing you to save your beloved as a condition."

Zheng Dan spat lightly, then gave him a resentful glare. "Didn't you used to enjoy playing these kinds of games?"

Zu An's heart stirred, and he instantly got into character. "Heh heh heh, whether I agree or not depends on your performance."

Zheng Dan immediately switched to a pitiful expression. "Please, please save him. I'll agree to anything you want."

Zu An inwardly cursed, *Demon!* This woman was a born actress. How could he possibly resist? He immediately began to "discuss" the question of saving him or not. Anyway, since Sang Hong had first threatened Chu Zhongtian's life, it was only natural for him to exact his revenge now.

A heads-up: Sang Qian will meet his end in another way, the details of which everyone will soon discover.