Chapter 426: Placed in a Deadly Situation to Survive

Zu An broke out in a cold sweat. Although he guessed Chu Zhongtian said this intentionally to gain trust, why did it sound so strange? It seemed his close relationship with Xiao Zhao in daily life had been observed by his father-in-law all along, but he simply hadn't spoken about it.

The others present erupted in chatter. Zu An's "romantic escapades" had already spread throughout the streets and alleys during this period. People had gone from initial shock to numbness, but now, hearing phrases like "sister duo," they became excited again. After all, this was a fantasy for many men, and they hadn't expected someone to actually achieve it.

"Have you seen Second Miss Chu? I have. She's been a beauty since childhood. Perhaps she'll be even more beautiful than her sister when she grows up."

"First Miss Chu and Second Miss Chu, all in one go! That boy Zu An truly has a blessed love life."

"And that's not all. There were rumors before that he also had an affair with Madam Chu. Perhaps Master Chu's fury in expelling him from the family this time is precisely because he discovered that."

People had a natural fervor for such scandalous gossip, and the scene instantly became noisy with discussions.

Chu Zhongtian's eyelids twitched. With his cultivation, how could he not hear what those people were saying? He never expected that his act had been too convincing, leading to such a misunderstanding. Yet, he couldn't explain such a matter. Was he supposed to come out and tell everyone that Zu An had no relationship with his wife? Who would believe that? Instead, people would think he was making a confession, making things worse by trying to clarify. Thinking of this, he felt stifled and aggrieved.

Qin Wanru, standing by, was also flushed. She hadn't expected such an unforeseen development and couldn't help but glare angrily at Zu An.

Zu An, however, was secretly delighted. He had received a long string of rage points in the background, reaching over ten thousand in the blink of an eye. Clearly, a large number of people had contributed due to envy, jealousy, and hatred. "If there are more good things like this in the future, please bring them on."

Prince Liang and Liu Yao hastily had the Embroidered Uniform Guard present the imperial decree. They found that, just as Chu Zhongtian had said, it indeed demanded the Chu family hand over their son-in-law, Zu An. They immediately stared resentfully at the leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The leader's old face also flushed. After all, the imperial decree had been formed based on the words he recited; how could he have known such a loophole would appear?

It was Prince Liang, the seasoned veteran of the imperial court, who reacted quickly. He immediately sternly accused Chu Zhongtian: "How dare you play word games with the imperial decree? This is deceiving the emperor, an act deserving of death!"

"I wouldn't dare accept such a grave accusation from Prince Liang," Chu Zhongtian retorted testily. "We strictly followed the Emperor's decree. How can that be called deceiving the Emperor?"

Jiang Luofu, who had been silent all this time, now spoke up: "Indeed, Duke Mingyue makes a lot of sense. Now that so many people have heard it, since Zu An is no longer the Chu family's son-in-law, it would be unreasonable to demand he be handed over by the Chu family."

Seeing the principal take the lead, Xie Yi also seized this good opportunity to curry favor with the Chu family: "This official also feels it would be unreasonable to further press the Chu family. Perhaps I could dispatch my most capable constables to assist Your Highness in searching for Zu An everywhere?"

"No need for Chief Xie to trouble himself." Prince Liang knew exactly what he was thinking. Constables to arrest Zu An? At this point, no one knew where Zu An had run off to, so how could they catch him? Besides, even the Embroidered Uniform Guards couldn't catch him before. What good would a few constables under Xie Yi do?

He directly ignored Xie Yi, then went to discuss what to do with Liu Yao and Huang Huihong, the leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Liu Yao chuckled, "Since the Emperor has dispatched Your Highness to handle this matter with full authority, this general will naturally follow Your Highness's lead in all things."

Prince Liang secretly cursed. This old fox spoke nicely, but wasn't he clearly pushing all the responsibility onto him? The scoundrel completely disregarded the friendship they'd forged from their night out at the Divine Immortal Residence a couple of nights ago. Prince Liang could only look towards Huang Huihong: "Commander Huang, what do you think?"

Huang Huihong said in a deep voice, "I don't care about anything else, but Zu An must be captured and brought back. This is a death order from the Emperor. Otherwise, after returning to the capital, not only we, but probably even Your Highness, will not escape punishment."

Prince Liang's expression kept changing, clearly engaged in a fierce internal struggle. After a moment, he finally made up his mind. He came before the Chu family and declared loudly: "Given that Zu An is no longer the Chu family's son-in-law, the imperial decree's clause regarding clan extermination does not apply. However, the Chu family's actions are suspected of deceiving the Emperor and harboring Zu An. The specific details will be decided by the Emperor at that time. Come! Arrest everyone from the Chu family and escort them back to the capital starting today!"

As a loyalist of the Emperor, he naturally knew that the Emperor had long wanted to seize this opportunity to reclaim the Chu family's profitable salt and iron businesses. Thus, arresting the entire Chu family and taking them to the capital would naturally resolve this issue. That way, even if Zu An wasn't eventually caught, he could still atone for his shortcomings with this achievement.

"What?!" The Chu family immediately grew anxious upon hearing this news, and many even secretly gripped their weapons.

At this moment, Xie Yi lightly coughed: "Your Highness, this might be inappropriate. Forcibly arresting a ducal family and taking them to the capital will surely cause an uproar both within and outside the court."

Prince Liang said coldly, "I will take full responsibility for any consequences!" Then he looked at the Chu family members: "What, do you still intend to resist? Do you want the Embroidered Uniform Guards to summon another imperial decree? However, in your current state, I fear there's no need for another decree. With me and General Liu, we could probably suppress you easily." As he spoke, he deliberately glanced at Xie Yi and Jiang Luofu, clearly intending half of his words for them. Sure enough, both Xie Yi and Jiang Luofu frowned and said nothing more. Prince Liang and Liu Yao alone might have been manageable, but the key was that the Embroidered Uniform Guards could act on behalf of the Emperor. If they were to summon another imperial decree, no one here could withstand it.

Soon, a group of imperial guards went to arrest the Chu family members. Various heart-wrenching cries echoed through the Chu manor—wives reluctant to part with husbands, sons reluctant to part with fathers, elderly mothers reluctant to part with sons...

"Patriarch?" Everyone else looked to Chu Zhongtian, clearly needing him to make a decision in this situation.

Chu Zhongtian's expression flickered several times. He looked at his wife nearby, seeing encouragement and trust in her eyes. He took a deep breath and slowly said, "The Chu clan's ancestors established their family through martial prowess. Chu descendants have always only known to die on the battlefield; we have never heard of surrendering and being at the mercy of others. Rather than becoming prisoners in the capital and being humiliated by low-ranking officials, it's better to fight a glorious battle. Sons of the Chu family, those willing to fight with me, raise your swords!"

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" All the Chu family members drew their weapons, clearly unwilling to be arrested and taken to the capital in such a manner.

Prince Liang was furious: "Are you trying to rebel?!" As soon as he finished speaking, all the imperial guards pointed their long spears and long blades at the Chu family.

"Ah~" Seeing that a fierce battle was imminent, the surrounding commoners panicked. They had come to watch the show, but they didn't want to lose their lives here.

Xie Yi was sweating profusely, wiping his brow while trying to dissuade both sides: "It's not that bad, it doesn't have to come to this. Duke Mingyue, calm down! Prince Liang, please calm down! Principal Jiang, quick, try to persuade them!"

Jiang Luofu opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing. She knew what fate awaited the Chu family if they were truly taken to the capital, and she simply couldn't bring herself to offer words of persuasion. However, with the Chu family now a group of depleted forces, there was virtually no chance of victory if a conflict truly erupted.

Just as the tension in the scene reached a breaking point, a voice suddenly rang out: "Wait!" While Prince Liang and the others remained somewhat composed, the Chu family members and Jiang Luofu all trembled in unison, turning their heads to look in the other direction.

Zu An had already removed his mask, revealing his true face. He slowly walked out from the crowd: "You want to arrest me; why bother others?"

"Ah Zu!" Seeing him emerge, Qin Wanru was both angry and anxious. What was the point of him coming out now, when things had come to this? He might as well have taken Chu Chuyan and fled, then gone to rescue Xiao Zhao and You Zhao later.

Zu An offered an apologetic smile to the Chu couple: "Since you have already expelled me from the Chu family, please excuse me for not bowing." He didn't want to implicate the Chu family, so the cleaner the break in their relationship, the better. Then he turned to Prince Liang and the others: "You want to arrest me. Come."

Prince Liang chuckled, "I didn't expect you, young man, to have such backbone. Well done!" Ultimately, his efforts against the Chu family were mainly to force Zu An to show himself. Now that his objective was achieved, there was naturally no need to further trouble the Chu family. After all, a direct confrontation with the Chu family, resulting in a large-scale bloody incident, would make it difficult for him to predict the subsequent repercussions.

"Ah Zu, rather than sacrificing yourself, why not fight alongside us?" Chu Zhongtian knew that Zu An had already escaped but suddenly appeared for the sake of the Chu family. With Chu Zhongtian's character, how could he stand by and watch the other party sacrifice himself for him?

Zu An smiled faintly: "I have no relation to the Chu family now, so Duke Mingyue needn't worry. Furthermore, I won't be sacrificing myself. After all, the 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture' is in my possession. How could the Emperor easily kill me before he gets his hands on it?"