Chapter 68: Fiancée

Even the Chu family's Red-Robed Army cast sidelong glances at him. Their son-in-law was truly a bit shameless.

Mei Chaofeng exclaimed furiously, "Who charges interest immediately after lending money? At least wait until a year later!"

Anger value from Mei Chaofeng +200!

"Ah, is that not how it works?" Zu An looked around, feigning unfamiliarity with the local customs.

Chu Chuyan felt an urge to palm her face. How had she ended up choosing such a rogue? "Generally, interest is indeed collected after a year. However, Boss Mei's gang typically follows the 'Nine Out, Thirteen Back' principle for their daily loans, so collecting 750,000 taels in advance is justifiable."

The 'Nine Out, Thirteen Back' principle refers to usury where, for a nominal loan of 10 coins with 1 coin interest per month, you only receive 9 coins upfront but must repay 13 coins after three months. Many people in the world are often ruined by such predatory loans.

Compared to the Plum Blossom Gang's usual practice of collecting one fen (10%) interest per month, collecting one fen per year now was quite lenient. If the amount of 7.5 million taels hadn't been so immense, she wouldn't have agreed to such a repayment method.

Of course, she could tell Mei Chaofeng intended to default on the debt. After all, 7.5 million taels was an amount even selling the entire Plum Blossom Gang couldn't cover. So, getting something now was better than nothing, to avoid future complications.

Mei Chaofeng gritted his teeth. He knew he wouldn't get away without paying something today. He waved a hand at his subordinates, "Someone, bring 100,000 taels in bank notes!"

Then he turned to Chu Chuyan and said, "Please forgive us, Miss Chu. We don't have that much cash on hand on such short notice. We'll present 100,000 taels now as a gesture of sincerity, and the remaining interest will be paid by the end of the year. What do you think, Miss Chu?"

He didn't bother asking Zu An this time. Who knew what tricks that scoundrel might pull? In any case, Chu Chuyan was the one truly in charge here.

Chu Chuyan hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. 100,000 taels was likely the most they could produce on such short notice, and pressing them too hard wasn't ideal.

A trusted subordinate of the Plum Blossom Gang brought the bank notes. Mei Chaofeng initially intended to hand them to Chu Chuyan, but then he reconsidered and immediately gave them to Zu An instead, "Would Young Master like to count them?"

After all, if the money was in Chu Chuyan's hands, it would be difficult to get back. But if it was with Zu An... *hmph*, there would always be a way to make that brat cough it up.

"Yes, of course!" Zu An took the bank notes, moistened his fingertip with saliva, and began counting them one by one. There were 1,000 notes, each worth 100 taels.

Mei Chaofeng's breath caught. *I was just being polite*, he thought. *Who actually counts money right in front of people?*

Anger value from Mei Chaofeng +111!

Watching Zu An's money-grubbing manner, Sang Qian, standing nearby, frowned. *How could the fairy-like Miss Chu choose such an unpresentable fellow as her husband? It's truly like a beautiful flower planted in cow dung. In what way am I not a hundred times better than him?*

Many around them shared this thought, even quite a few of the Chu family's warriors felt the same, collectively contributing another wave of anger points.

"Hey, is one missing?" Just then, Zu An suddenly exclaimed loudly, drawing everyone's attention to him.

Mei Chaofeng's face darkened. "How is that possible? With so many eyes watching, how could one be missing?"

Feeling everyone's gaze, Zu An shrugged. "I just said it casually to see if you were trying to trick me."

Mei Chaofeng was speechless.

*So, you're here to swindle me?*

Anger value from Mei Chaofeng +211!

Sang Qian, who had been watching, finally couldn't bear the farce any longer. "Alright, alright, since the matter has been satisfactorily resolved, everyone can disperse."

He didn't want to stay there any longer. Watching a good-for-nothing act so arrogantly while he could do nothing was incredibly infuriating.

Pang Chun also chuckled cheerfully. "Very good, very good. It's great that the matter is resolved. Everyone, disperse, disperse."

His heart had been in his throat just moments ago. If the Chu family's army and the River Defense Camp clashed here, or if the Plum Blossom Gang fought to the death, a huge disaster could erupt, and he, as the county commandant, would lose his official position.

With the two powerful figures having spoken, the gamblers who had been watching the spectacle felt as if they had been granted a general amnesty and quickly rushed out. Who knew if staying there would make them collateral damage?

Xie Xiu waved to Zu An. "Brother Zu, you've really impressed me today. I'll treat you to drinks another day; there's a lot I'd like to ask you about."

Zu An also smiled widely. "I also have many things I'd like to ask you about, Brother Xie, such as how to remain carefree and untainted despite frequenting places of pleasure."

"Let's talk about it later, later~" Noticing Chu Chuyan's darkened expression beside him, Xie Xiu gave an awkward smile. *This guy really has some nerve, saying such things right in front of his wife.*

Fearing an unprovoked disaster, he mumbled a few words and quickly made his escape.

Seeing everyone rush out, Zu An felt a lingering sense of dissatisfaction; he hadn't earned enough anger points. So, he turned back to Mei Chaofeng, "Boss Mei, will your casino still be open in the future? Can I still come to gamble?"

Mei Chaofeng was speechless.

*If you dare come again, I'll skin you alive!*

Anger value from Mei Chaofeng +267!

Chu Chuyan couldn't stand it anymore. "Let's go." Even with her usually aloof temperament, she couldn't tolerate his constant antics.

Yue Shan directly came over and escorted Zu An out. Having served the Chu family for many years and being accustomed to various noble etiquettes, he truly couldn't stand Zu An's roguish behavior.

Mei Chaofeng stared darkly at their retreating figures, his fists clenched, knuckles cracking.

"Boss, are we really going to repay that guy 7.5 million taels?" an unthinking subordinate came forward, voicing his concern.

"Repay your mother!" Mei Chaofeng slapped him to the ground, leaving him unable to get up.

He ran back to the room specially prepared for him in the casino, his face gloomy. A delicate and enchanting figure was already waiting there.

"Miss Qiao, you made me write this enormous IOU. How do you plan to handle this matter now?" Mei Chaofeng closed the door, his tone already quite unfriendly.

"You knew the situation back then, didn't you? Could we have gotten through it so smoothly without writing it?" The young woman was naturally Xue'er. Seeing Mei Chaofeng's face twitching, she quickly reassured him, "Don't worry, the IOU is in that good-for-nothing Zu An's hands. It will be easy to retrieve it."

Mei Chaofeng frowned. "I'm just worried he'll hand the IOU over to the Chu family."

Xue'er shook her head. "No need to worry. Chu Chuyan has always been aloof and wouldn't take Zu An's money. As for Chu Zhongtian, he's an upright man, and the Chu family strictly forbids gambling, so he certainly wouldn't want this gambling debt. In fact, when Zu An returns this time, he won't receive praise; instead, he'll be severely punished by the Chu family, as he committed a crime strictly prohibited by them."

"Even severe punishment would just be family disciplinary action. Are they really going to kick Zu An out of the Chu family?" Mei Chaofeng said discontentedly.

Xue'er sighed. "Although 7.5 million taels is a lot, if it successfully leads to Zu An being expelled from the Chu family, it wouldn't be unacceptable."

Mei Chaofeng was speechless.

He was speechless for a moment. *It's not your money, so you don't care, huh? Do you, little girl, even comprehend what 7.5 million taels means? You could hire countless assassins with that, even eliminate the Chu family head! Is it really necessary to spend so much money just to deal with a mere good-for-nothing?*

Fortunately, Xue'er's next sentence pacified him. "Don't worry. Tonight, I will personally act. I'll not only help you retrieve the IOU but also kill that brat, eliminating the problem once and for all."

Mei Chaofeng was overjoyed. "Thank you so much, Miss Qiao." In truth, with his cultivation, killing Zu An would be easier than squashing an ant. However, Zu An was either at the City Lord's manor or the Chu family residence, making it impossible for him to act. Now, with Xue'er operating from within the Chu family, dealing with Zu An would be far more convenient than doing it himself.

Meanwhile, not far from the Silver Hook Casino, at the Zheng family residence, a beautiful woman in palace attire was preparing tea. Her fair, delicate face, with soft, elegant lines as if drawn with a single stroke, exuded extreme concentration. Her eyes, clear as a spring bubbling from rock, combined with her jade-like skin, made her truly stunning—bright-eyed and snow-skinned, of incomparable beauty.

"What's wrong, Young Master Sang? You look quite upset." The beautiful woman gracefully presented a cup of tea to the man opposite her. Her every movement throughout the process was exceptionally elegant, exuding classical beauty in her gestures.

The man opposite her was indeed Sang Qian, who had just come from the Silver Hook Casino.

"Miss Zheng, your tea-making skills are truly exceptional." Feeling her quiet and gentle demeanor, Sang Qian found his anxious mood calming down somewhat.

The beautiful woman smiled slightly. "After we're married, I can make tea for you every day."

This beautiful woman was Zheng Dan, the esteemed daughter of the Zheng family, one of Moonlit City's four prominent clans. The Zheng family had already betrothed her to the Sang family, and she was now Sang Qian's fiancée.

Although it wasn't the first time he had seen her, a hint of awe still flashed in Sang Qian's eyes. Initially, when his father proposed a marriage alliance with a merchant's daughter from Moonlit City, he had been quite reluctant and argued with his father frequently. However, after meeting Zheng Dan, all his resistance and hesitation vanished. This merchant's daughter, whom he had looked down upon, was simply too beautiful; marrying such a woman seemed like no great loss after all.

"Thank you, Miss Zheng." As Sang Qian took the teacup, he subtly tried to touch her hand, but she gracefully evaded him without showing any trace of discomfort.

Zheng Dan's crimson lips parted slightly. "Young Master Sang, after we are married, I will naturally comply with whatever you wish. However, for now..." Her implication was clear: she wanted him to refrain from any inappropriate actions before their marriage.

A flicker of annoyance crossed Sang Qian's eyes, but he quickly concealed it. The more she acted this way, the more his heart felt clawed by impatience. He even wondered if men were inherently perverse, often not cherishing what came easily, but longing endlessly for what was difficult to obtain.

"Something just happened at the Silver Hook Casino..." To hide his embarrassment, Sang Qian briefly recounted the incident.

A hint of surprise appeared on Zheng Dan's fair and flawless cheek. "Oh, the Silver Hook Casino actually let Zu An win 7.5 million taels? Rumor has it that this Chu family son-in-law is a good-for-nothing. It seems rumors truly aren't to be believed."

Hearing the commendation in her tone for another man, Sang Qian felt a wave of discomfort. "Hmph, it was just dumb luck. He only played two rounds; who knows how a blind cat just happened to stumble upon a dead mouse."

Zheng Dan pursed her lips into a smile, her rosy lips forming an exquisitely beautiful line. She had guessed the man's thoughts and said nothing further to provoke him.

Sang Qian continued, "By the way, I came here today because I need your help with something."