Chapter 397: Weighing

Zu An smiled and said, "What kind of miraculous medicine? Shouldn't you go to Doctor Ji for treatment? Or you could find Ji Xiaoxi at school."

Zheng Dan sighed, "Of course we went to Doctor Ji, but unfortunately, even he couldn't do anything."

"You know Sang Qian was severely injured last time, hanging by a thread. Even Doctor Ji could only keep him alive, but after all these days, he's still not out of danger. Doctor Ji has no solution for this either."

"Although Sang Hong has two children, he only has one son. If Sang Qian dies, he'll truly be without an heir."

Zu An scoffed, "He's done too many bad deeds. What's so strange about being without an heir?"

For all this time, the Chu family's chaos has ultimately been due to Sang Hong stirring up trouble behind the scenes.

Zheng Dan bit her lip. "But a father who loses his son in his old age will definitely become exceptionally desperate, and that would be even worse for the Chu family."

"Are you threatening me?" Zu An's displeasure grew, and he instinctively squeezed her hand harder.

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

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

"I'm just delivering his message," Zheng Dan sighed. "We're on the same side, so let's skip the pleasantries. You should know that Sang Hong was behind all the trouble the Chu family faced recently. Just a few days ago, Lady Chu was on the verge of death, and even Ji Dengtu couldn't do anything, yet you saved her life with a bottle of miraculous medicine."

"Sang Hong was very shocked by this, so he wants to make a deal with you. He'll release Duke Mingyue and completely give up on targeting the Chu family. In return, you'll gain the Sang family's friendship, all for a bottle of miraculous medicine."

Zu An retorted irritably, "Now that the Chu family has recovered the salt certificates, what reason does he have to detain Duke Mingyue anymore? Besides, his plan against the Chu family has already failed, so what difference does it make if he gives up or not?"

Zheng Dan shook her head. "It's not that simple. Take Duke Mingyue, for example. Qin Wanru had already replenished the salt certificates before, so logically, Duke Mingyue should have been released much earlier. But Sang Hong still found excuses to detain him for longer. Similarly, if he knows he can't hold him anymore and truly makes up his mind, it wouldn't be difficult to arrange for Duke Mingyue's unnatural death."

Zu An's face changed drastically. "Sang Hong would be 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's presence here represents the Emperor's will. The Emperor already wants to get rid of Duke Mingyue, so if Duke Mingyue truly dies accidentally, the Emperor would at most reprimand him verbally and not actually punish him."

"Sang Hong's plans against the Chu family have repeatedly failed during this period. With the Emperor's decree, he's on the edge of a cliff and absolutely cannot allow Duke Mingyue to return safely."

"But if you can save his son's life, he can abandon this mission, even if it means facing the Emperor's reprimand later."

Zu An's expression flickered between different moods. He truly didn't want to save Sang Qian, but if doing so caused Chu Zhongtian's death, not only would he be letting down Chu Chuyan and her sister, but he also wouldn't be able to live with himself.

Moreover, given Sang Hong's insidious nature, it was almost certain he would publicize the fact that Zu An had the chance to save Chu Zhongtian but didn't, making it impossible to keep 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 come to kill you, and then secretly execute me. How could he possibly send me to negotiate a deal with you?"

Zu An said disapprovingly, "You're not officially married to his son, so what right does he have to interfere so much?"

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

Zu An realized that engagement in this era held 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 close, and I don't want to hide anything from you. Regardless, Sang Qian is my future husband, and while what happened between us was for a reason, I still feel a bit guilty and want to do something to make it up to him. Also, if this deal is successful, it would bring great benefits to the Zheng family. So, if you could help me save him, that would be for the best."

She paused, then smiled and added, "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 clearly know that's impossible. I'd be willing to marry you, but would you be willing to elope with me?"

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

Zu An weighed the options for a long time, finally saying, "It's not that I can't save him, but when I think about him recovering and soon marrying you, wouldn't I be putting horns on myself? No, that won't do!"

Zheng Dan blushed and chided him, "You're the one who put horns on him..."

Zu An scoffed, "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 that if something were to happen to his body later, preventing him from... it would be perfectly normal..."

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

Zheng Dan's eyes reddened. "This is clearly for your sake, so how am I being ruthless? Don't I want a normal husband? Besides, you can't possibly marry me anyway..."

As she spoke, she couldn't help but sob. Zu An quickly wiped away her tears. "It was my slip of the tongue. This really does solve my problem. I shouldn't be acting like a hypocrite."

Fortunately, they had arrived near the classroom dormitory, and there weren't many students around. Otherwise, their pulling and tugging would surely have led to gossip spreading immediately.

Hearing his words, Zheng Dan chuckled, blushing as she said, "Pfft, pfft, pfft, if you're a prostitute, what does that make me?"

"You are my..." Zu An whispered a word into her ear.

Zheng Dan's neck turned red, and her whole body softened.

Zu An took the opportunity to scoop her into his arms and carried her into his dormitory, where they quickly tumbled together.

"So, you agree?" Zheng Dan's delicate hand rested lightly on his chest as she bit her lip and asked.

Zu An looked disgruntled. "Can we not talk about this right now? You're making me sound like a big villain, forcing you to save your lover as a condition."

Zheng Dan scoffed, giving him a slightly resentful glance. "Didn't you used to love playing these kinds of games?"

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

Zheng Dan immediately put on a pitiful expression. "Please save him. I'll do anything you ask."

Zu An secretly called her a temptress. This woman was a born actress. How could he possibly resist? He immediately began to discuss the matter of saving him or not.

After all, Sang Hong was the one who first threatened Chu Zhongtian's life, so it was only natural for him to retaliate now.

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Just a heads-up, Sang Qian will meet his end in a different way. You'll find out the details soon.