Chapter 429: Shorn Bald

Hearing him, Chu Zhongtian suddenly remembered something: "Oh, right, what about Chuyan? She's in the capital. Let's ask her to help plan ahead and see if there's a solution."

Qin Wanru shook her head: "Judging by the time, Chuyan should be on her way back to Brightmoon City. The video mirror was lent to Zu An earlier, so we can't contact her now."

Chu Zhongtian's expression froze, then he let out a long sigh: "Is this fate?"

While the Chu family was overcome with grief and despair, everyone else present was full of energy.

Xie Yi came over, exchanged a few pleasantries with Chu Zhongtian, and then hurried away. He was eager to report to King Qi about the Nirvana Phoenix Scripture.

Many other people at the scene had similar intentions, though it was unclear which faction they represented.

Jiang Luofu watched the departing convoy, her beautiful brows deeply furrowed, clearly finding the situation quite tricky.

"That troublesome brat!" she snorted, and with a flash, her figure disappeared.

In a pavilion on the other side, a graceful figure was hidden behind a window. Although her face was obscured by the shadows, her ample, proud figure betrayed her identity.

Pei Mianman twirled a strand of hair repeatedly with her fingers, muttering to herself, "You really do give me a lot of surprises. Sigh, I should have snatched you away earlier. But perhaps it's for the best; at least now I don't have to compete with Chuyan for you."

Her smile quickly faded, as trying to snatch someone from the emperor would be far more difficult.

"It seems I'll need to ask my family for help; they'll certainly be interested anyway." After saying this, Pei Mianman turned and left, leaving only a faint fragrance lingering in the air.

Meanwhile, in the academy dormitory, a young girl sat with her chin in her hand, lost in thought: "Stinky brother-in-law, why have you been gone so long without coming back for me?"

In the prison cart, Zu An sneezed several times in a row, then couldn't help but sigh, "Some beautiful girl must be thinking of me again, and it's not just one."

Zheng Dan, beside him, couldn't help but roll her eyes: "Teacher Zu is as narcissistic as ever."

With so many eyes watching, especially Sang Qian in another prison cart nearby who was practically straining his ears to catch their every word, she dared not show any hint of impropriety. She could only interact with him as Miss Zheng.

Zu An chuckled, "What can I do? I've always been this popular."

Zheng Dan couldn't help but exclaim, "I don't know whether to admire your open-mindedness or laugh at your foolishness. Do you realize that going to the capital this time is a death sentence?"

She voiced her inner worry with a mocking tone. She truly didn't understand why this man would voluntarily step forward to seek death. Was that woman from the Chu family really so important to him?

Rage points from Zheng Dan +233!

Seeing the string of rage points appear in the background, Zu An paused, then reacted: "What, is Miss Zheng jealous?"

Zheng Dan turned her face away and snorted, "I hope you'll have some self-respect."

"Well done!" In the other prison cart, Sang Qian was thrilled to hear his wife respond so sternly. If his mute acupoint hadn't been sealed, he might have already clapped and cheered.

Zu An deliberately shifted closer to Zheng Dan, then provocatively glanced at Sang Qian: "Come and bite me if you dare?"

Sang Qian: "..."

"I'm going to duel you, you bastard!"

Seeing the man getting closer and closer to his wife, yet utterly powerless to stop him, Sang Qian was almost exploding with rage. He made muffled sounds, but with his mute acupoint sealed, he couldn't speak.

This only made him angrier.

Rage points from Sang Qian +999!

He could only repeatedly bang on the prison cart's wall, calling out to the surrounding soldiers.

"What's wrong?" The soldier guarding him turned around impatiently.

Sang Qian quickly pointed at Zu An in front, gesturing wildly to express his anger.

The soldier said impatiently, "They haven't even touched, so what are you rushing about?"

Sang Qian became even more agitated. If they *did* touch, what good would his urgency be then?

Just then, another soldier reprimanded, "What do you expect him to do in broad daylight? Don't be so lewd in your thoughts. If you don't quiet down, don't blame us if we're not polite!"

Before, they might have been more polite to Sang Qian and his father. After all, Sang Hong was an eighth-rank master, and there was always a chance he could rise again.

But the recent arrangements by King Liang made it clear that Sang Qian and his father were finished.

King Liang must have had more information. The fact that he showed no regard for their reputation spoke volumes. While their other skills as subordinates might be passable, their ability to read situations and adapt needed to be top-notch.

Therefore, there was no need for them to be polite to Sang Qian. Moreover, with King Liang valuing Zu An so highly, they clearly understood who was truly in charge here.

Not to mention Zu An merely sitting closer to Zheng Dan, even if he were to actually pounce and do something, the two soldiers likely wouldn't stop him. Rather, they'd enjoy a lively show. Why not?

Sang Qian, being a man of the bureaucracy himself, immediately understood and was furious. "These two sycophantic curs! When I escape someday, I'll kill Zu An first, then finish you both!"

The commotion from Sang Qian's side didn't escape Zheng Dan's notice. She couldn't help but ask, "Why do you insist on provoking him?"

Zu An chuckled, "I can't help it; we just don't get along. He gets annoyed when he sees me, and I get annoyed when I see him."

Zheng Dan gave him a resentful look: "Haven't you bullied him enough?"

Zu An smiled; this was clearly a secret only the two of them understood.

The beauty before him was still adorned in a vibrant, luxurious wedding dress. The Zheng family had poured their hearts into preparing it for her, and its most precious feature was the ninety-nine gemstones, part of the betrothal gifts from the Sang family, which had been directly inlaid into the gown, making her appear even more radiant.

He hadn't had a chance to look closely before, but now, seeing her up close, Zu An was mesmerized. He couldn't help but exclaim, "You're truly beautiful, even when you were just angry."

"Wuwuwu!" Sang Qian frantically banged on the prison cart. This guy was openly flirting and teasing!

The thought of his delicate, beautiful young wife being bullied by this scoundrel filled his eyes with bloodshot veins.

Rage points from Sang Qian +1024!

As if hearing the commotion, Zu An turned his head: "What's wrong with you? Otherwise, let them judge: Miss Zheng is so beautiful, am I wrong for simply stating the truth? Do I have to call her ugly to make you happy? What kind of mindset is that?"

"Exactly!" At this, the surrounding soldiers also looked at Sang Qian with disdain. Was it really a problem for someone to compliment his wife's beauty? He was being far too sensitive.

Sang Qian: "What the hell..."

It was clearly the other guy's ill intent, yet now somehow it had become his fault?

He nearly fainted from exasperation!

Rage points from Sang Qian +999+999+999...

Sang Hong, beside him, reached out and pushed him back down into his seat in the cart, writing on the floor with his finger: "Out of sight, out of mind."

Sang Qian was so furious he almost coughed up blood, his eyes clearly asking: "Am I just supposed to watch him torment my newlywed wife?"

Sang Hong continued to write: "Isn't he not doing anything? Even if he *were* doing something, have you forgotten what I told you back then?"

Sang Qian froze, then remembered that to steal the exorbitant IOU from Zu An and uncover the mysterious master behind him, he had entrusted Zheng Dan with a honey trap to get close to the man. At the time, his father had even given him a lecture: even if they were to genuinely get intimate, he shouldn't react on the spot but find a way to maximize his own benefit.

But understanding the principle was one thing; being able to follow it was another. Seeing Zu An grinning impishly next to his newlywed wife, a surge of irrational fury erupted in his heart.

Watching the constantly refreshing rage points in the background, Zu An started to worry a bit. "If I keep milking one person for all they're worth, won't they eventually run dry?"