Chapter 415: Wedding

"Slick-tongued!" Sang Qian sneered inwardly. This guy never missed an opportunity to flirt with a girl.

However, Miss Xie was a lady from a distinguished family, and what she disliked most were such common, vulgar tactics.

He had already seen Xie Daoyun's shy expression, and Sang Qian felt even more irritated. What was wrong with these women? Did all women like this kind of behavior?

Rage value from Sang Qian: 412!

Zu An was a bit surprised. What was with this sudden surge of rage value? Was Sang Qian jealous that he was more popular?

However, he didn't care in the slightest; in fact, he wished for even more rage value.

"May I ask what principle Young Master Zu wishes to discuss with us?" Sang Hong glanced at the red-robed soldiers behind Zu An, roughly estimating their numbers.

"Previously, Sang Qian was injured like a dead dog," Zu An said, deliberately glancing at Sang Qian.

"Dead dog?" Sang Qian was so enraged he wanted to draw his sword, but after several attempts, he couldn't find it. He then remembered it was his wedding day, so he wouldn't be carrying a weapon.

Rage value from Sang Qian: 666!

Sang Hong quickly reached out and held him down, preventing him from impulsively ruining things.

Zu An continued, "You begged me to save him, and for that, you promised me many conditions, including no longer being hostile towards the Chu family and no longer targeting them, right?"

Sang Hong smiled faintly. "I believe there must be a misunderstanding. I've always admired Duke Mingyue's character and have a good relationship with the Chu family. Why would I deliberately target them?"

The people around them exchanged odd glances, thinking, *This* is what it means to lie through your teeth.

Seeing Sang Hong's face full of smiles, looking like a benevolent old man, Zu An cursed him inwardly, "Old fox!" Aloud, he said, "No matter how eloquent you are, Master Sang, you cannot change your original promise. After all, you swore an oath back then. Aren't you afraid of divine retribution if you go back on your word?"

Sang Hong also put away his smile. "That's right, I did agree to similar conditions, and I've fulfilled them. I haven't broken my word."

"Haven't broken your word?" Zu An fumed. "Then what about Liu Yao and the imperial guards who are here to investigate? I've already found out that you bribed Chu Tiesheng back then, obtained the Chu family's ledgers from him, and then used them to frame the Chu family!"

He had always wondered why Sang Hong hadn't suffered divine retribution for breaking his oath.

Ever since he arrived in this world, more than one person had told him about contractual oaths.

Everyone was extremely secretive about it and feared the so-called divine retribution.

So why hadn't Sang Hong been struck by divine retribution?

He didn't know the mechanism of divine retribution, guessing that perhaps he needed to expose Sang Hong's conspiracy himself, so that the world would know, and then heaven would inflict punishment?

This was why he had come so ostentatiously today.

Hearing his words, the surrounding crowd erupted in an uproar. Although the conflict between the Sang and Chu families was widely known among the upper echelons of Brightmoon City, most middle and lower-tier families were unaware of the specific details. Now, hearing this, they were all shocked and excited, waiting to see how the Sang family would respond.

After witnessing so much drama, attending this wedding today was certainly worth it.

Sang Hong showed no signs of the expected panic or anger; he merely replied calmly, "You can calculate when Chu Tiesheng stole your ledgers and when you delivered medicine to Qian'er. At that time, I promised not to target the Chu family after the fact, and I've upheld that in the past few days, having been busy preparing for my son's wedding. As for General Wei's current investigation into the Chu family, it was the Chu family steward's son who reported them to the imperial court for revenge, and it has nothing to do with me."

"Even if, hypothetically, there was a connection, it would have occurred before I swore my oath, so it doesn't conflict with my vow."

As he spoke, a faint smile appeared on Sang Hong's face, as if to say, *You're too green to contend with me.*

Zu An was instantly dumbfounded. *Damn, it can be like this?*

Sang Hong looked at Zu An with a half-smile. "Is Young Master Zu satisfied with this answer?"

Zu An's expression flickered between cloudy and clear. After a long moment, he sighed, "Master Sang, your profound cunning truly impresses me."

"You flatter me, Young Master Zu," Sang Hong said. "You are still young. With your intelligence and talent, in time, your future prospects will be limitless."

Xie Daoyun, standing nearby, was a little surprised. She sensed a strong appreciation in Sang Hong's words. Was he trying to win Zu An over?

However, Zu An felt a bitter taste in his mouth upon hearing this; it clearly meant he was young and lacked experience.

He had always prided himself on his wit, constantly setting traps for others, but unexpectedly, he had fallen for a major one himself.

Setting aside their adversarial positions, he even felt some admiration for Sang Hong. Cunning and quick, Sang Hong's precise actions had pushed the massive Chu family to the brink of ruin with a single combination of moves.

Just then, a voice spoke up, "Since the misunderstanding has been cleared up, Young Master Zu, please feel free to leave and not delay my daughter's auspicious time."

The speaker was Zheng Yutang, the head of the Zheng family. He glared at Zu An with an unfriendly expression. He had previously caught his daughter meeting Zu An, and although his daughter hadn't said anything, he shrewdly sensed there was something between them.

Everyone assumed Zu An was there because of the Chu family's situation, but Zheng Yutang worried it concerned his daughter. He wanted to send this nuisance away quickly to avoid any complications.

One couldn't blame him; anyone would unhesitatingly choose the Prefect's son over a Chu family son-in-law.

Besides, the Zheng family was already completely tied to the Sang family in every aspect; there was no possibility of changing alliances.

Sang Hong, however, chuckled. "No matter. If Young Master Zu wishes to stay and have a celebratory drink, you are welcome."

Zheng Yutang wanted to object, but the reason involved his daughter and was inconvenient to reveal, so he could only bite his tongue.

Zu An smiled. "Since Master Sang is so generous, I respectfully accept your invitation."

Sang Qian's face beside him was utterly grim. He absolutely did not want this fellow to be at his wedding, but since his father had already extended the invitation, it was impossible to refuse. He could only huff and turn to walk inside.

Zu An saw this and thought, *Oh, this guy has a bad attitude.*

So he spoke up, "Speaking of which, Miss Zheng is my student. Young Master Sang is about to marry Miss Zheng, so shouldn't you pay your respects to me as a junior after seeing me?"

Sang Qian: "..."

Sang Hong: "..."

Xie Daoyun: "..."

Sang Qian pretended not to hear, his face dark as he quickly entered the house.

Sang Hong also worried about Sang Qian causing more trouble, so he quickly walked inside, secretly regretting his loose tongue for inviting Zu An to stay.

Zu An couldn't help but lament, "Miss Zheng will likely not be happy after marriage."

The surrounding crowd turned to look at him. Who would say such a thing on a wedding day? But considering his feud with the Sang family, it wasn't entirely unexpected.

Xie Daoyun, beside him, couldn't help but press, "Why do you say that?"

Zu An explained, "My voice was so loud just now, yet Young Master Sang couldn't hear me, which proves he has poor hearing. Divine Doctor Ji told me before that such a condition in a young person is often caused by kidney deficiency."

"Kidney deficiency?" Xie Daoyun's face flushed. As a renowned talented woman, she had read many books and naturally knew what that term meant.

Sang Qian, who was walking ahead, stumbled and almost fell. He was so furious he wanted to turn back and duel Zu An.

Rage value from Sang Qian: 811!

Sang Hong held him back. "Don't be impulsive. He's deliberately provoking you. Today is your joyous day; don't cause any unnecessary trouble."

"But letting this scoundrel show off here makes my blood boil," Sang Qian's face was flushed crimson.

Sang Hong consoled him, "Don't worry, the Chu family is about to be finished. He won't be able to cause trouble for much longer."

Sang Qian gritted his teeth. "When the time comes, I'll skin this wretch alive and make him regret ever being born!"

Sang Hong frowned slightly. He actually thought Zu An was talented and had intended to win him over, but given the deep animosity between Zu An and his son, forcibly recruiting him seemed pointless for now. He would consider it later.

After this incident, the entire wedding ceremony noticeably sped up.

Someone shouted, "Here comes the bride, here comes the bride!"

Everyone turned to look. A woman in a vibrant wedding dress slowly walked in, guided by a maid.

Although her head was covered by a veil, her graceful and captivating figure clearly indicated she was a great beauty.

Zu An recognized Zheng Dan at a glance; after all, he was intimately familiar with every part of her body. She looked slightly fuller now than in her maiden years, and he had contributed significantly to that.

Seeing Zheng Dan, a faint smile involuntarily appeared on Sang Qian's gloomy face. *Hmph, Zu can only talk big now. I'm about to embrace the beauty, and all you can do is watch enviously from the sidelines.*

He quickly walked forward, took a red silk ribbon from the Zheng family members, the other end of which Zheng Dan held, and thus led the bride inside.

Seeing the couple about to perform the "bowing to heaven and earth" ritual, Zu An felt a touch of anxiety. Why wasn't what he was waiting for arriving yet?