Chapter 920: Da Manman's Crisis

Gao Ying was both ashamed and furious. She spoke with the constable again, but he regretfully stated he was powerless, as those were his orders.

Pei You followed suit and said a lot, even bringing up his family background. The other party apologized but firmly refused to let them pass.

The two looked at Zu An, feeling ashamed and awkward, saying, "Brother Zu, we really didn't expect something like this to happen..."

They had invited Zu An here to repay his life-saving favor, but now they couldn't even get through the door. They felt utterly humiliated and wished they could disappear into the ground.

Seeing their distressed expressions, Zu An smiled and patted their shoulders, comforting them, "It's fine, let me try."

Seeing that he showed no blame, Gao Ying and Pei You felt even more grateful and ashamed. They were influential figures in the capital, and botching an invitation like this would likely make them the laughingstock of their circle by tomorrow.

As for Zu An saying he would try, neither of them took it seriously. After all, they had just exhausted themselves talking, even resorting to mentioning the Liu and Pei families, all to no avail. What could he possibly do?

"Constable, a word with you, please," Zu An said, gesturing for the constable to step aside.

"What do you want? Don't even think about bribing me," the constable warned, though he knew Zu An was currently very prominent and felt he should at least grant him the courtesy of a private conversation.

Zu An led him aside. "May I ask your esteemed name, Constable?"

"What, planning to settle accounts later? I'm not afraid to tell you, my name is Bao Mince. Use whatever tricks you have; I'm just upholding the law impartially!" the constable declared sternly, his expression somewhat awe-inspiring.

"A good surname and a good given name," Zu An thought, realizing he was an upright man who detested evil, which would make things easier. "Constable Bao, you've misunderstood. I have no intention of retaliation. I just want to tell you something..."

As he spoke, he activated his "I Have a Friend" skill. "I have a friend who recently received a personal invitation from Miss Nanxun. Unfortunately, his invitation card was stolen by that person over there, and he even hired a skilled craftsman to alter it to his own name, making it impossible for anyone else to spot the forgery."

On the other side, Pei Xingyan saw the two chatting and pointing at him. He was about to react but immediately remembered how Zu An had made him vomit blood earlier. A chill ran down his spine, and he dared not offend him further.

"What? Such a thing happened!" Constable Bao's expression changed dramatically, and his gaze towards Pei Xingyan became hostile. He loathed deceitful people more than anything.

Under the influence of Zu An's skill, he subconsciously assumed the 'friend' was Zu An and instinctively believed the entire story.

However, he hadn't completely lost his judgment. Frowning, he said, "Sir Zu, though I sympathize with your predicament, I received orders from my superior today that no one without an invitation card is allowed entry. At most, I can also stop Pei Xingyan, so they can't enter either."

Seeing his tone soften, Zu An spoke again, "My friend is a sworn brother to your Lord Yi. He asked my friend to go in and wait for him."

Given how often he mentioned his "superior," it wasn't hard to guess that as a constable in the capital, only the Governor of the Capital Prefecture, Yi Chun, usually commanded them.

"You and Lord Yi are sworn brothers?" Constable Bao was instantly surprised.

"Shh, it's my friend, not me," Zu An whispered, reminding him.

"Understood, understood." Many thoughts raced through Constable Bao's mind. Lord Yi usually maintained good relations with the Prince Qi faction, while Zu An belonged to the Crown Prince's party. Such deep friendship between them indeed needed to be kept secret from others.

He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Alright, you may go in."

Although he was upright, he wasn't entirely ignorant of social nuances. Lord Yi had shown him great kindness, and furthermore, the order to guard the Red Sleeve Brothel today had come from Lord Yi himself. How could he possibly stop Lord Yi's close friend?

"Thank you, Constable Bao. My friend will surely mention this to Lord Yi," Zu An said with a smile.

Constable Bao replied seriously, "No need, it's just a small favor."

Zu An returned to Gao Ying and Pei You, giving them a "it's handled" look. "Let's go," he said.

Gao Ying and Pei You initially thought they were going somewhere else, but Zu An led them straight inside.

"This is it, we're about to clash with the constables," they thought in unison. "Never mind, we'll just force our way in and get our families to clean up the mess afterward." Given their family backgrounds, they wouldn't face a death penalty for this, but openly confronting capital constables was no minor offense. Yet, having come this far, they were both holding their breath and saw no reason to back down.

To their surprise, the constables let them pass. Both wore expressions of shock. What was happening?

Not only them, but the other onlookers waiting outside for a show were also dumbfounded. They began to murmur, "How did they get in without invitation cards?"

Constable Bao raised the invitation cards they had just handed him and stated calmly, "They have invitation cards. There was just a misunderstanding earlier; we misread them."

The onlookers, unaware of the full truth, were skeptical, but Pei Xingyan was absolutely unconvinced. "How is that possible? Open that invitation card and look; it definitely won't have their names on it."

When the Red Sleeve Brothel issued the invitation cards, those three were still in the secret realm. How could they possibly have them?

As he spoke, he and his friends moved to inspect the invitation card in the constable's hand. Constable Bao's face darkened. "Do capital constables need to explain their actions to the likes of you? I've just received a report. I suspect you stole someone else's invitation card and committed forgery. Guards, arrest him!"

Pei Xingyan was stunned. "How dare you lay a hand on me? Do you know who my father is?"

Constable Bao already detested such arrogance, and hearing this only displeased him further. "Say what you have to say at the yamen. Guards, take him away!"

The others initially intended to intervene, but seeing the fierce expressions of the constables, they all recoiled. After all, clashing with officials had too severe consequences.

If Pei Xingyan hadn't been injured, they might have banded together and resisted. But now Pei Xingyan himself was too weak to resist, so who among the others would want to get involved in this mess? After all, they were just fair-weather friends.

Looking back, they saw Pei Xingyan being dragged away, cursing, outside. Inside, Gao Ying and Pei You were utterly bewildered. "Brother Zu, how did you do that?"

Zu An smiled. "Constable Bao is a reasonable man. I just explained things clearly to him."

Gao Ying and Pei You thought, *What 'reason' did that guy listen to? We talked until our mouths were dry, and he didn't listen to us at all.*

Seeing that he wasn't elaborating, the two were tactful enough not to press further. Everyone had their secrets.

"By the way, since you're relatives, why is your relationship so strained?" Zu An asked curiously.

Pei You replied, "When a family gets big, all sorts of people emerge. It's not just that our two branches have differing political views; even within our own line, many people can't get along."

Gao Ying explained, "Lord Lin Hai, Pei Zheng's second son, married my uncle's daughter. While there's an in-law relationship, Lord Lin Hai has always looked down on my uncle. Perhaps Pei Xingyan felt Lord Lin Hai's attitude, which is why he acted so brazenly. Intermarriage among these prominent families in the capital is common; you can always trace some kinship after a few turns. But those who are meant to be at odds will remain at odds."

Zu An nodded with understanding. "Indeed."

Sometimes, certain relatives are not as good as like-minded friends.

"By the way, did something urgent happen to Lord Lin Hai's fifth branch recently?" Zu An seized the opportunity to ask. Since Pei Mianman left, there had been no news of her, and he was deeply worried.

"The fifth branch?" Pei You looked confused. "I haven't heard of anything. Why do you ask so suddenly?"

Zu An hesitated, then said directly, "You know Pei Mianman, the one I mentioned back in the secret realm, right?"

Pei You smiled. "Of course, I know her. She's the most beautiful woman in our Pei family. Why, Brother Zu, you've mentioned her many times—are you perhaps thinking of becoming my brother-in-law?"

Zu An neither admitted nor denied it. "We were classmates for a while in Brightmoon City, and she helped me greatly, so we're at least friends. However, a few months ago, she received a secret letter from her family, apparently saying something happened on her mother's side, and she rushed back home. I haven't heard from her since, and as a friend, I'm naturally a bit worried."

Pei You showed a hesitant expression, then lowered his voice. "Nothing should have happened to the fifth branch, but I can roughly guess what occurred."

"Her family has always wanted Pei Mianman to marry Prince Qi's heir. They might have used her mother as an excuse to trick her into coming back. Only a few within our family know about this, so please don't spread it outside."

"What!" Zu An was instantly shocked. *How could this be happening?*

"Pei Mianman probably didn't want to. Some time ago, she specifically took a family mission and went to Brightmoon City. But recently, her family's patience seems to have run out, so they called her back. Knowing she would certainly refuse, they used her mother's name to trick her into returning," Pei You continued.

Zu An's expression flickered. *There's no way Damanman would agree; she and I are already truly married.*

At this point, Gao Ying asked, puzzled, "But Pei Mianman's status probably isn't suitable to be Prince Qi's heir's consort, is it?"

Zu An immediately protested, "What's wrong with her? With her beauty and talent, she's more than enough for that Zhao Zhi fellow..."

*Bah, bah, bah! Who would want her to marry Zhao Zhi? Is Zhao Zhi even worthy?*

Gao Ying gave a wry smile. "Brother Zu, you've misunderstood. Who in the capital doesn't know of Miss Pei's renowned beauty? And she's also a famous cultivation genius. It's just that marriage with the imperial family isn't so simple; they often have requirements for the woman's family background."

"Miss Pei is from the Pei family and isn't from the main branch. However, the fifth branch is still quite close. It's just her mother..."

"What about her mother?" Zu An frowned.

Gao Ying explained, "Her mother was not the legal wife of the fifth branch. In other words, she is a concubine's daughter."

Pei You added, "Actually, her mother was once the legal wife, but something happened back then—I'm not entirely clear on the details—I only know that her father later married a well-known noblewoman as his legal wife, and her mother disappeared from the family records."

A wave of pity immediately surged in Zu An's heart. Damanman usually appeared so cheerful and smiling, yet he never imagined such a tragic past lay behind her.

This world was different from his previous life; the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate was like heaven and earth. Without even needing to be told, he could imagine the hardships Damanman had endured all these years.

At this point, Pei You added, "Precisely because her family background isn't strong enough, the Pei family only intends for her to become Prince Qi's heir's secondary consort."

Some things weren't explicitly stated, but everyone understood: Pei Zheng and his faction favored Prince Qi becoming emperor. This was a political investment. In the future, Prince Qi's heir would become the Crown Prince, and upon his ascension, the Emperor. Pei Mianman's status would rise accordingly, making her an imperial consort, and the Pei family would advance further.

However, Zu An didn't care about any of that. Hearing that Damanman was being forced by her family to become another man's concubine, he was filled with rage, even feeling an urge to immediately go and cripple Zhao Zhi.

"Brother Zu, what's wrong?" Pei You and Gao Ying noticed his mood was off.

"It's nothing," Zu An forced a smile, took a deep breath to calm himself, then asked, "Do you know what stage this matter is at, or when the wedding will take place?"

He had made up his mind: no matter what, he wouldn't let Damanman marry, not even as nominal partners.

Pei You smiled. "Currently, both sides merely have the intention; no agreement has been reached yet. Speaking of which, this actually concerns you."

"Concerns me?" Zu An's heart skipped a beat. *Could it be that my relationship with Damanman is already known?*

Pei You explained, "A few days ago, you broke Zhao Zhi's leg. How could Prince Qi's mansion have any inclination to consider a marriage? The Pei family is also waiting for Zhao Zhi to fully recover."

Zu An couldn't help but laugh. *Who would have thought? What was unintended turned out to be a blessing in disguise. If I had known this, I would have broken Zhao Zhi's 'third leg' too. Damanman, our destiny truly is heaven-ordained.*

At this moment, he was in high spirits. He asked Pei You a few more questions and, upon learning that Pei Mianman should be safe for the time being, he completely put his mind at ease.

The group had just passed through the long, lantern-decorated staircase and now arrived at the brightly lit main building at the highest point.

The air was filled with the sweet fragrance of cosmetics and a captivating ambiance. The group began to chat about pleasantries again.

Meanwhile, in a private room on the second floor, a handsome man, refined like a jade statue, was smiling as he listened to the flattery of those around him. Suddenly, he heard bursts of unrestrained laughter coming from below. He couldn't help but frown, turning to glance downwards, and his expression immediately darkened.

"Young Master Yu, what's wrong?" a young man with triangular eyes beside him asked with a smile.

This jade-like figure was naturally Yu Nan, the Vice Minister of the Secretariat. Having come to the Red Sleeve Brothel today, he naturally preferred not to be addressed by his official title, as he usually liked being called "Young Master." Those around him were, of course, aware of his preference.

"Just saw someone I dislike," Yu Nan said blandly, taking a sip of tea. For some reason, seeing Zu An made the fine wine in his cup taste bitter and pungent.

"That appears to be Zu An, the recently ennobled 'Green Hat' Marquis," someone nearby identified Zu An's group. People in circles like Gao Ying's and Pei You's all knew him, and they hadn't heard of Yu Nan and him...