Chapter 361: Out of Trouble

"But..." the man in green hesitated, "even if I control the Chu family, I still won't be able to deal with Chu Zhongtian when he returns." Chu Zhongtian was a formidable Rank Eight master; schemes and tricks would be useless against such an absolute power disparity.

Sang Hong said in a deep voice, "You don't need to worry about that. As long as you can gain complete control of the Chu family, Chu Zhongtian won't be able to return."

The man in green was startled. "Governor, are you..."

Sang Hong raised a hand to stop him from continuing. "The opportunity has been given to you; whether you seize it or not is up to you."

A hint of joy flashed in the man's eyes. "Alright, I'll do it!"

Sang Hong walked to the window, looked towards the location of the Chu Manor, and asked in a low voice, "Are you sure the Chu family has no connection to that black market?"

The man in green shook his head. "Anyway, for years I've never heard of any connection between them. You know Chu Zhongtian prides himself on his integrity and wouldn't get involved in such illicit businesses. Of course, it's not impossible that he's being hypocritical and has secretly made contact, but that's unlikely."

"Then where did Qin Wanru get those salt permits?" A sharp glint appeared in Sang Hong's eyes. Especially recalling that this was the very batch stolen from his son by the men in black, he found it hard to believe there was no connection between the two parties. Therefore, for both public and private reasons, he intended to deal with the Chu family. With his only son's fate unknown, he was driven by anger and prepared to use drastic measures.

"That... I'm not sure either." The man in green rubbed his head. "Actually, everyone else in the Chu family is equally clueless about this. When they ask Qin Wanru, she remains evasive."

"Heh heh, she'll talk eventually." Sang Hong scoffed. "Today, I'll give you a hand. Then you can..."

The man in green leaned closer to listen, nodding repeatedly, his eyes filled with delight. "Your Excellency truly has foresight!"

***

Meanwhile, Zu An and Zheng Dan were intimately entwined in the teacher's dormitory when suddenly, there was an urgent knocking at the door from Chu Huanzhao. "Hey, why won't this key open the door? Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, open the door quickly!"

Startled by the sudden interruption, Zheng Dan shivered, clutching Zu An tightly, her body trembling uncontrollably. Provoked by her, Zu An also couldn't resist...

"Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, what are you doing? Come out quickly, something's happened!" The knocking grew more insistent, and Chu Huanzhao's voice was filled with anxiety.

After a moment, Zu An opened the door halfway, blocking the entrance with his body. "What's wrong? Why are you in such a rush?"

"Why won't my key open the door?" Chu Huanzhao asked indignantly.

Rage points from Chu Huanzhao +233!

Zu An chuckled awkwardly. "There was a problem with the courtyard's defensive formation a while ago, so the academy gave me a new key."

"Really? Why is your face so red, and why do you have so much sweat on your forehead?" Chu Huanzhao asked, tiptoeing to peer suspiciously into the courtyard. "Are you doing something bad in there?"

Zu An's heart skipped a beat, but he showed no hint of a giveaway on his face. "I was just exercising in there, that's why I'm a bit sweaty."

Hiding behind the door, Zheng Dan spat dismissively, her face flushed. "Exercising? He was exercising *on* me just now..."

Fearing further questions, Zu An quickly counter-questioned, "Xiao Zhao, why are you rushing to find me? I heard you say something happened?"

Chu Huanzhao suddenly remembered. "Oh, right, right! Something happened at home. You need to come back with me quickly!" With that, she grabbed his hand and ran out.

"What exactly happened?" Zu An asked, tossing the key to Zheng Dan and gesturing for her to rest well.

Zheng Dan's face flushed. She thought, "My maid is still waiting at the school gate; how can I stay here?"

Watching their retreating figures, a hint of envy flashed in Zheng Dan's eyes. She truly envied Chu Huanzhao's carefree nature. She straightened her clothes, about to leave, but as soon as she took a step, her brows furrowed. She quickly clutched her leg, leaning against the door, and it was a long time before she could catch her breath. That guy always makes things so difficult...

As Zu An and Chu Huanzhao hurried out of the school, he listened to her explanation along the way and finally understood what had happened. Apparently, a large group of soldiers had just gone to search the Chu family mansion. Seeing something amiss, the Chu family members immediately sent someone to the academy to notify the Second Miss and her brother-in-law. The Second Miss was easy to find, but her brother-in-law was nowhere to be found. Chu Huanzhao guessed he might be in the dormitory and volunteered to run and inform him, almost stumbling upon him and Zheng Dan. Zu An could only be grateful for his foresight; having learned his lesson last time, he had specifically changed the door lock.

"How could anyone dare to search the residence of the esteemed Duke Mingyue?" Zu An was surprised. Even if Chu Zhongtian was detained over the salt permits, his mansion shouldn't be subjected to a soldier's search.

"I heard Sang Hong himself led the men," Chu Huanzhao said with a worried expression.

"Sang Hong?" Zu An was taken aback. "Is he trying to completely break ties? What excuse did he use?"

"They said they were searching for imperial fugitives," Chu Huanzhao replied.

"Imperial fugitives?" Zu An was puzzled.

By this time, they had reached the school gate. Hearing his question, a Chu family guard nearby replied, "Sang Qian is an imperial official, and his subordinates are regular military officers from the River Defense Camp. To be attacked on the streets of the city and completely wiped out, with Sang Qian himself near death—this is definitely a huge case that will be thoroughly investigated anywhere. So, the Governor used this as a reason to thoroughly search every household in the city, and our Chu family is one of them."

Another guard chimed in, "I heard the City Lord was the first to comply, allowing the Governor to search his own residence. The Zheng and Yuan families also actively cooperated with the search."

Zu An snorted. "On the surface, Sang Hong is targeting all families, but in reality, he's coming for the Chu family." The Zheng and Yuan families were already in cahoots with the Sang family, so their cooperation was merely a pretense. As for the Xie family, Xie Yi, that old fox, most likely hoped to use Sang Hong to further pressure the Chu family, forcing them to yield and align with Prince Qi's faction.

When the group rushed back to the Chu Manor, they found soldiers led by Sang Hong already searching everywhere. Seeing many areas turned upside down, Zu An secretly rejoiced that all his hidden possessions were safe inside the Glazed Jewel. Otherwise, it would have been troublesome if they were discovered.

"Mother!" Chu Huanzhao spotted Qin Wanru and quickly ran to embrace her.

"Good girl, Xiao Zhao," Qin Wanru gently patted her daughter's shoulder to comfort her, then looked coldly at Sang Hong. "Governor Sang, are you finished with your search?"

"The Chu family estate is quite large, so it might take a bit more time. I hope Madam doesn't mind," Sang Hong said with an apologetic expression.

Qin Wanru's expression grew colder. "Governor Sang, are you taking advantage of my husband's absence to bully a mere woman?"

"Madam, what are you saying? This is a city-wide search for fugitives; every household is being searched, not just yours," Sang Hong replied nonchalantly.

The more nonchalant he was, the angrier Qin Wanru became. "Very well, I'll remember this."

Sang Hong smiled slightly and offered no further explanation. Since they had already fallen out, he saw no point in maintaining appearances.

Just then, some commotion came from the back of the mansion. Sang Hong asked in a low voice, "What's going on? Have you found something?"

Soon, a subordinate came to report, "Reporting, Your Excellency, we've searched everywhere else, but there are three places they won't let us search."

A Chu family guard quickly added, "Those are the master's and madam's rooms, as well as the boudoirs of the eldest and second young ladies. How can we let so many men enter them?"

Qin Wanru's brows were furrowed in anger. "Governor Sang, isn't this going a bit too far?"

Sang Hong chuckled. "This is merely routine procedure, and also for your safety. What if a criminal happened to be hiding there? Wouldn't that endanger you? Furthermore, all other families' private quarters have been searched. If we don't search yours, wouldn't it imply that I, Sang, am playing favorites and bending the law?"

Qin Wanru was furious, but with every word, he used official duties to pressure her, making it difficult for her to erupt.

Zu An stepped forward and asked, "Governor Sang, are you looking for people or items?"

Sang Hong frowned slightly. "Of course, we're looking for people."

"But I just saw many rooms turned upside down, and even places where a person clearly couldn't hide were rummaged through," Zu An chuckled twice. "Anyone who didn't know better might think Governor Sang is using the pretext of searching for people to look for something else in the Chu family, like ledgers or something?"

Hearing his words, Sang Hong's expression subtly changed, and the Chu family members nearby looked at him with suspicion.

Feeling as though the Chu family members were a suppressed volcano on the verge of erupting, Sang Hong also chuckled. "I didn't expect this visit to cause such a misunderstanding. Very well, given the Chu family's tight security, those criminals couldn't possibly get in. There's no need to search the remaining areas. Call off the soldiers."

He had been able to openly raid the duke's manor for a search only by holding a justifiable pretext. Now that pretext had a flaw, giving the Chu family members an excuse to resist. He dared not take that risk. Besides, his goal for the day was mostly achieved; those three places were likely the only ones where ledgers could be hidden anyway.

The rest would be handled by that person.