Chapter 412: Wedding

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

However, Miss Xie, a refined lady from a prestigious family, detested such common, vulgar tactics. At that moment, he saw Xie Daoyun's bashful expression, which irritated Sang Qian even more. What was wrong with these women? Did all women fall for this kind of thing?

Rage points from Sang Qian +412!

Zu An was somewhat surprised. What was with these sudden rage points? Was Sang Qian jealous that he was more popular? He didn't care in the slightest; in fact, he wished for more rage points.

"What business do you have with us, young Master Zu?" Sang Hong asked, glancing at the red-robed soldiers behind Zu An and roughly estimating their number.

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

"Dead dog?" Sang Qian was so furious he wanted to draw his sword. Unfortunately, he fumbled several times and couldn't find his weapon, then remembered it was his wedding day, so he wouldn't be carrying any arms.

Rage points from Sang Qian +666!

Sang Hong quickly reached out and held him back, preventing him from acting rashly and ruining everything.

Zu An continued, "You begged me to save him, and in return, you promised me many things, including no longer being an enemy of the Chu family and not targeting them, right?"

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

The surrounding people all had strange expressions, thinking, "This is what it means to lie through your teeth."

Seeing Sang Hong's face full of smiles, as if he were a good-natured old man, Zu An cursed him silently as an old fox. "No matter how eloquent you are, Master Sang, you can't change your original promise. After all, you made an oath back then. Aren't you afraid of divine retribution for breaking your word?"

Sang Hong's smile vanished. "That's right, I did agree to similar conditions, and I've upheld my word. I haven't broken my promise."

"Haven't broken your promise?" Zu An fumed. "Then what about Liu Yao and the Imperial Guards who are investigating now? I've already discovered that you bribed Chu Tiesheng to obtain the Chu family's ledger, and then used it to frame them!"

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 secretive about it and feared the so-called divine retribution. So why hadn't Sang Hong been punished by divine retribution? He didn't know the mechanism of divine retribution, but he guessed perhaps he needed to expose Sang Hong's scheme to the world for the heavens to deliver punishment? That was why he had come here today with such a grand display.

Upon hearing his words, there was an uproar among the crowd. Although the upper echelons of Brightmoon City were aware of the conflict between the Sang and Chu families, most middle and lower-tier families didn't know the specific details. Hearing this now, 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 definitely worthwhile.

Sang Hong showed no sign of the expected panic or anger. He merely replied calmly, "You calculate for yourself: when did Chu Tiesheng steal your ledger, and when did you deliver the medicine to Qian'er? At that time, I promised not to target the Chu family again, and I have kept that promise these past days, simply preparing for my son's wedding. As for General Wei's current investigation into the Chu family, it's because the Chu family steward's son reported them to the imperial court for revenge. It has nothing to do with me."

"Even if we assume, for argument's sake, that there was a connection," he continued, "it occurred before I made my oath, so it doesn't conflict with my promise."

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

Zu An was immediately stunned. "What the heck, he can do that?"

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

Zu An's expression flickered between shades of anger and resignation. After a long silence, he sighed. "Master Sang, your profound cunning truly impresses me."

"Young Master Zu, you flatter me," Sang Hong said. "You are still young, and with your intelligence and talent, given time, your future will be boundless."

Xie Daoyun, standing nearby, was somewhat surprised. She sensed a strong appreciation in Sang Hong's words. Was he trying to win Zu An over? However, Zu An found Sang Hong's words distasteful. It was clearly a jab at his youth and inexperience. He usually prided himself on his wit, constantly setting traps for others, but this time, he had fallen for a major one himself. Putting aside their adversarial positions, he couldn't help but admire Sang Hong. He was cunning and precise in his actions. The vast Chu family had been brought to the brink of destruction by his calculated moves.

Just then, a voice spoke up, "Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, please make yourself at home, Young Master Zu, and don't delay my daughter's auspicious wedding time."

The speaker was Zheng Yutang, the head of the Zheng family. He glared at Zu An with ill will. He had previously stumbled upon his daughter meeting Zu An, and although his daughter hadn't said anything, he shrewdly sensed there was something going on between them. Everyone else assumed Zu An was here because of the Chu family's predicament, but Zheng Yutang feared it had something to do with his daughter. He wanted to get rid of this troublesome person quickly to prevent further complications. He couldn't be blamed; anyone choosing between the Governor's son and a Chu family son-in-law would unhesitatingly pick the former. Furthermore, the Zheng family was already deeply intertwined with the Sang family in every aspect; there was no way they could change alliances now.

Sang Hong, however, chuckled. "It's alright. If Young Master Zu wishes to stay and enjoy some wedding wine, he is most welcome."

Zheng Yutang wanted to object, but the reason involved his daughter and couldn't be spoken aloud, so he hesitated, unable to voice his thoughts.

Zu An smiled. "Since Master Sang is so earnestly inviting me, it would be rude not to accept."

Sang Qian's face turned extremely ugly. He absolutely didn't want this guy at his wedding, but his father had already extended the invitation, so he couldn't refuse. He merely grunted and turned to walk inside.

Zu An saw this and thought, "Oh, this guy's got a bad attitude." So he spoke up, "Speaking of which, Miss Zheng is my student. Young Master Sang is marrying Miss Zheng now, so shouldn't you pay your respects to me as her teacher when you see me?"

Sang Qian: "..."Sang Hong: "..."Xie Daoyun: "..."

Sang Qian pretended not to hear, his face dark, and quickly entered the house. Sang Hong, also worried about further trouble, quickly followed him inside, secretly regretting inviting Zu An to stay.

Zu An couldn't help but sigh, "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 surprising.

Xie Daoyun, beside him, couldn't resist asking, "Why do you say that?"

Zu An explained, "My voice was so loud just now, yet Young Master Sang couldn't hear me. This proves he has poor hearing. Earlier, Divine Physician Ji told me that such an ailment in a young man is often caused by kidney deficiency."

"Kidney deficiency?" Xie Daoyun's face flushed. As a famous talented woman, she had read many books of all kinds 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 around and challenge Zu An to a duel.

Rage points 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 said, his face beet red.

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

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

Sang Hong frowned slightly. He actually thought Zu An was talented and had considered winning him over, but given the deep animosity between Zu An and his son, forcing an alliance would be pointless. He decided to re-evaluate later.

After this commotion, the wedding ceremony noticeably sped up. Someone shouted, "The bride is coming! The bride is coming!"

Everyone turned their heads 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 enchanting figure revealed her 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, a fact for which he was not a small part responsible.

Seeing Zheng Dan, a faint smile appeared on Sang Qian's grim face. "Hmph, that Zu fellow can only run his mouth now. I'm about to take the beauty home, while he can only watch enviously from the sidelines."

He quickly went forward, took a red silk ribbon from a member of the Zheng family – the other end held by Zheng Dan – and led the bride inside.

Seeing the couple about to perform the ceremonial bows, Zu An felt a surge of anxiety. Why hadn't what he was waiting for arrived yet?