Chapter 404: Flag cannot be set recklessly

Soon, the video mirror connected, and Chu Chuyan's figure appeared in the mirror. Her beauty was as stunning as ever, though a hint of helplessness now graced her face. "A'Zu," she said, "I really don't have that many Yuan stones to chat with you idly. How about this: you can punish me however you want when I get back, alright?"

Seeing her blush, Zu An's heart skipped a beat. But remembering the urgent matter, he quickly said, "I really have something urgent to discuss this time. Something has happened to the Chu clan..."

He then quickly recounted everything that had transpired with the Chu clan.

Chu Chuyan's expression changed several times as she listened. "It's General Wei Liu Yao... he's a core member of the Empress's faction. It seems the Empress is ready to close her net."

"What should we do now? The entire Chu clan is under control. I've settled Xiao Zhao at the academy, but I don't have any good ideas myself." Zu An felt quite a headache. Last time, dealing with Old Man Mi and Wei Dan was purely a stroke of luck.

Strictly speaking, he hadn't dealt with Old Man Mi or Wei Dan. Wei Dan had been killed by Old Man Mi. And even facing a dying Old Man Mi, despite using all his trump cards and tricks, Zu An was still successfully subdued. If not for the issue with Old Man Mi's soul possession, Zu An probably wouldn't be alive.

So this time, facing a peak ninth-rank master, plus a large contingent of fierce Imperial Guards, with such an absolute disparity in strength, he wasn't a god; what solution could he possibly come up with?

"Don't worry," Chu Chuyan said, "the Chu clan has stood for centuries; it won't fall so easily."

Zu An was speechless.

"Wife, where does your confidence come from? Honestly, I really don't have high hopes for you this time."

Chu Chuyan suddenly asked, "How many men did Liu Yao bring this time?"

"I don't know the exact number," Zu An replied, "but probably a few hundred."

"That's good then." Chu Chuyan breathed a sigh of relief.

Zu An was speechless.

A peak ninth-rank General Wei, plus hundreds of elite Imperial Guards—how could that seem like nothing to her?

Chu Chuyan then asked, "Oh, by the way, what about Yue Shan?"

"I heard Yue Shan was also arrested," Zu An replied. He grumbled inwardly, thinking Yue Shan was only fifth-rank; even if he hadn't been arrested, what difference would it make?

Chu Chuyan then continued, "Then I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to risk going back to the Chu clan, quietly contact my mother, get the military tally from her, and bring in the Red-Robed Army from outside the city."

Previously, when Chu Zhongtian ran into trouble, he entrusted the military tally to Qin Wanru for safekeeping before he left.

Zu An naturally knew that moving troops required a military tally, otherwise it would cause serious trouble. But at this moment, he was even more surprised by something else: "Wife, what are you doing? Are you planning an open rebellion?"

As someone from a civilized world with numerous historical events to draw upon, he knew that attempting a rebellion in the early stages of a mature, unified dynasty was almost suicidal.

What's more, the strongest person in this world was the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and other officials were ranked by their cultivation. The highest-ranked member of the Chu clan was only eighth-rank. How could they possibly fight?

Chu Chuyan smiled slightly. "The Chu clan existed even before the Great Zhou Dynasty was founded. We control the profitable salt and iron industries, and have stood firm for nearly a thousand years. Do you think we relied on individual martial prowess?"

"What else?" Zu An blinked. To be honest, he found it a bit strange too. Ever since he came to the Chu clan, he'd noticed it seemed like a soft dough, easily kneaded by various factions.

"Of course, it's because of our Red-Robed Army, passed down through generations!" For the first time, a hint of fervor appeared in Chu Chuyan's eyes. "As long as that Red-Robed Army exists, the Chu clan will endure! It seems we've kept too low a profile these past years, and the world has truly begun to think the Chu clan is easy to bully!"

Zu An couldn't help but say, "No matter how formidable the Red-Robed Army is, their numbers are limited. And if they clash with the Imperial Guards, it's an open rebellion. The Emperor is so strong, I still don't see a future for the Chu clan."

Chu Chuyan couldn't help but smile. "I didn't expect someone as bold as you to get cold feet."

Zu An snorted. "If you're truly determined to rebel, I'll be with you. Others started with nothing but a begging bowl and successfully rebelled to become emperor. Why can't we succeed with such good starting capital? In the future, I'll be the Emperor and you'll be the Empress!"

Chu Chuyan was startled. "Don't just blurt out things like that, or it'll be trouble if the authorities hear you. I'm asking you to gather the Red-Robed Army, but it doesn't mean we're going to fight the Imperial Guards to the death. It's mainly to display our strength and deter Liu Yao and his men from acting recklessly."

"Deterrence?" Zu An was a little confused.

"Exactly," Chu Chuyan explained. "When the Emperor does anything, he always has to ensure it's legitimate; he can't just act on a whim. Otherwise, powerful as he is, it would be effortless for him to destroy our Chu clan. But doing so would easily shake the foundations of his rule. After all, with our example, everyone would feel insecure, and his throne wouldn't be stable."

Zu An suddenly understood. No wonder Sang Hong was sent earlier, using the Yuan clan to target weaponry, then the Zheng clan to target private salt, detaining Chu Tiesheng over salt license issues, and finally even turning Hong Zhong against Chu Tiesheng. No one could find fault with these methods, yet they still failed.

He couldn't help but lament that the Emperor must feel constrained. Even as the most powerful person in the world, he still couldn't do exactly as he pleased.

"So bringing the Red-Robed Army here is to deter Liu Yao from disregarding rules, prevent him from using torture to extract confessions from the Chu clan members, and also to stop him from being disrespectful to my parents," Chu Chuyan continued. "It's also to showcase our strength to various factions, prove the Chu clan's value, and cause other forces to act accordingly."

Zu An listened, dumbfounded. "I suddenly feel like marrying you was a mistake."

Chu Chuyan's face paled. "What do you mean?"

Zu An sighed emotionally, "My wife is too smart. It'll be inconvenient for her husband to go out and fool around in the future."

Chu Chuyan was speechless.

Rage points from Chu Chuyan +233!

"Just kidding, hahaha," Zu An quickly and nervously changed the subject. "I still don't quite understand. Even if the Red-Robed Army comes to deter them, Liu Yao will still find something if he investigates further, after all, the deficit in the Salt Transport Office still exists."

"It's fine, as long as it buys us time," Chu Chuyan replied.

"Buy time?" Zu An was momentarily stunned.

Chu Chuyan smiled mysteriously. "You'll know soon enough."

After hanging up the video mirror, Zu An was still full of doubts. But he knew Chu Chuyan's character; she would never act without purpose. So, he pushed aside his questions and decided to go to the Chu clan to find Madam Chu first.

Arriving near the Chu clan residence, he found the area already under martial law by the Imperial Guards. However, this didn't deter him.

Firstly, he was very familiar with the Chu clan's layout. Secondly, with his fifth-rank cultivation and his "Bright Mirror" skill, breaking through the defenses of these ordinary Imperial Guards was not difficult.

He just needed to avoid the bad luck of running into that ninth-rank General Wei.

He stealthily moved through the courtyards, arriving near the pavilion in the back garden. This was where Qiao Xueying had kicked him into the water, and he had pulled her down with him.

Thinking of Qiao Xueying, he was momentarily distracted. It was then he noticed two people chatting in the distant pavilion.

Just then, one person in the pavilion looked up, and their eyes met from a distance.

Both froze. Then the other person shouted loudly, "Zu An! That's Zu An!"

"Damn you, Hong Xingying!" Zu An cursed under his breath and took off running.

At that moment, a figure shot out from the pavilion instantly, moving many times faster than him.

In the entire Chu clan, the only enemy with such speed must be that ninth-rank General Wei.

Zu An wanted to slap himself. After watching so many movies in his previous life, hadn't he learned the cost of jinxing himself?!

He wished he had more legs to run, but it was too late. The opponent was so fast that they were behind him in the blink of an eye.

Liu Yao was already annoyed he hadn't caught Zu An or Second Miss Chu yet. Now that he saw Zu An, how could he let him go? He stretched his hand forward and a massive, ethereal hand formed, closing in on Zu An from all directions.