Chapter 69: Beauty Trap

Zheng Dan smiled faintly, "We're about to become family, so your concerns are naturally mine. Feel free to speak your mind."

Sang Qian fumed inwardly, though his words were sweet. He still wouldn't even let her hold his hand. "Doesn't that fellow Zu An have an IOU for 7.5 million taels? But he's protected by the Chu family, and the rest of the time he's at the academy. You know I can't easily interfere with academy matters, so could you approach him and help me 'acquire' that IOU from him?"

"How would I approach him?" Zheng Dan frowned, a faint sense of unease stirring within her.

"Even heroes find it hard to resist a beautiful woman, let alone a good-for-nothing like him. With your beauty, if you take the initiative, you'll surely charm him completely and have him wrapped around your finger." Sang Qian made a gesture implying effortless success, a sneer playing on his lips.

Zheng Dan's face grew cold. She stood up abruptly and said, "What kind of person do you take me for?"

"I know this is a bit unfair to you, but you're the most trustworthy person I have right now, which is why I came to you," Sang Qian hastily explained.

Zheng Dan, incensed, scoffed, "So you want your fiancée to seduce another man?"

Sang Qian frowned. "Don't put it so harshly. It's just an opportunity to get close to him, not to sleep with him. What understanding does that fellow have? With your beauty, a few soft words will be enough to make him completely obedient."

Zheng Dan said coldly, "His wife is Chu Chuyan, the most beautiful woman in Mingyue City. How can a man who spends all day with her be considered unsophisticated?"

Sang Qian's eyes darted, and a plan formed in his mind. "In my heart, I've never thought you were inferior to Chu Chuyan. In terms of beauty, you both excel, making it hard to say who's better. The reason she's been chosen as the most beautiful, overshadowing you, is probably more because she's a duke's daughter. Don't you want to take her man and get revenge for all these years?"

He knew that although his fiancée was usually gentle and quiet, she secretly compared herself to Chu Chuyan. Whenever something involving Chu Chuyan came up, Zheng Dan would inevitably lose her usual composure.

As expected, Zheng Dan's eyes brightened noticeably upon hearing his words; she was clearly persuaded. "Since you don't mind, then I can try to approach that Zu An. But if he genuinely takes advantage of me, you'll be the one losing face."

Sang Qian laughed heartily. "Others might not know, but don't I? Although you're usually gentle, deep down you're incredibly discerning. How could a good-for-nothing like Zu An possibly catch your eye? There's no way he could take advantage of you."

Zheng Dan said calmly, "That's hard to say. Since you're asking me to use a honey trap, if he doesn't get any benefit, he might not truly fall for it. So, we should prepare for the worst. What's the maximum you're willing to accept?"

"At most, a hug. No, no, at most, just a touch of hands," Sang Qian quickly corrected himself. The thought of Zu An taking advantage of his fiancée made the flesh on his face twitch uncontrollably. "Afterward, I will definitely chop off his hand."

Zheng Dan chuckled softly, thinking, "What's the big deal about touching hands? Just wash them afterward. Ultimately, it's just these men's possessiveness acting up."

"By the way, what do you need that IOU for? You don't actually think the Plum Blossom Gang can pay back 7.5 million taels, do you?" Zheng Dan asked curiously.

"They can't afford it, but their patron behind them can." Sang Qian let out a few cold sneers. Although they were currently cooperating, they weren't truly aligned. It was inevitable that they might turn against each other one day, and keeping this would be useful then.

Zheng Dan nodded slightly, too lazy to inquire about the shady dealings behind the scenes. The higher one's status, the more despicable and sordid the schemes behind them. "Tell me about Zu An. I've only heard rumors before, but you saw him today, so your information should be more accurate."

Recalling what he had witnessed at the gambling house, Sang Qian said bitterly, "He's just a shameless fellow who's arrogant because of the Chu family's backing. Utterly, utterly shameless..."

"Achoo!"

Zu An sneezed, rubbing his nose as he wondered who was speaking ill of him behind his back.

Chu Chuyan, who was beside him, glanced at him. "Are you feeling very proud right now?"

Zu An chuckled, "Anyone who wins 7.5 million taels would inevitably feel proud, wouldn't they?"

Chu Chuyan snorted, "Today's events caused such a stir that my parents must know about it by now. We'll see how you resolve this."

Zu An was taken aback. "Is winning money also a problem?"

Chu Chuyan said calmly, "The money isn't important. What my parents value most is the Chu family's reputation. It's well-known that our family strictly forbids gambling. You've caused such a huge commotion this time, almost inciting a conflict between our family's private soldiers and the local army. They will definitely punish you."

Zu An looked displeased. "7.5 million taels! Does your family even make that much profit in a year? And I'm still getting punished for it."

"The key is, have you actually received that 7.5 million taels?" Chu Chuyan's single question left him speechless. "Everyone knows they can't pay back that 7.5 million. Yet, our Chu family has to take such a huge risk for this IOU. Naturally, my parents will be displeased."

"Can't we collect interest annually if they don't pay?" Zu An weakly countered.

"That's just talk; there will definitely be complications later." Chu Chuyan sighed. There was nothing to be done, as she couldn't genuinely order the Red-Robed Army to slaughter the Plum Blossom Gang. That would give political enemies a legitimate pretext, allowing the imperial court to justly deal with the Chu family.

"Miss, Miss!" Just then, Xue'er came jogging over, panting and clearly exhausted.

"Where have you been? Why did it take you so long to return?" Chu Chuyan frowned.

Xue'er quickly explained, "I don't know why, but my stomach felt a bit uncomfortable today..."

Upon hearing this, Zu An, standing nearby, waved his hand dismissively in front of his nose. "So you went to poop, huh? You were in there so long, you must have filled up the latrine!"

Xue'er was speechless.

Rage from Qiao Xueying +444!

She had just come from Mei Chaofeng. Her excuse was merely to appease Chu Chuyan, as such matters were usually not questioned in detail. Who knew Zu An would dig so deep, and his look of disgust made it seem as if she genuinely smelled bad.

"Miss, look at him~" Xue'er stamped her foot and tugged on Chu Chuyan's sleeve, whining.

She planned to kill this detestable fellow tonight, so she couldn't start a conflict now, lest she be suspected afterward.

Chu Chuyan glared fiercely at Zu An. "Can you stop being so disgusting!" Although she was reprimanding Zu An, she unconsciously and subtly pulled her hand away from Xue'er's grasp. Clearly, Zu An's previous words had made her subconsciously feel that Xue'er's hands weren't entirely clean.

This subtle action inflicted immense damage on Xue'er, and the culprit for all of it was that scoundrel!

Rage from Qiao Xueying +300!

Zu An shrugged. "You don't find this 'feces-making machine' disgusting, yet you find me disgusting now."

"Feces-making machine?" Xue'er felt a rush of blood to her head, nearly fainting from anger. She even had an impulse to disregard everything and annihilate this scoundrel on the spot. She had never hated anyone so much; every inch of the person before her, from his hair to his toes, made her want to tear him into a million pieces.

Rage from Xue'er +888!

Yue Shan, who had been silently walking ahead, also shivered. He thought, *Although this son-in-law is a good-for-nothing in other aspects, his ability to infuriate people is unmatched in all of Mingyue City. I must never provoke him in the future.*

"Alright, alright, stop bickering, both of you. Aren't you afraid of people watching and laughing at you in public?" Chu Chuyan seemed to faintly see smoke rising from Xue'er's head and quickly separated her from Zu An.

Xue'er huffed resentfully, thinking, *If I don't make this scoundrel wish he were dead tonight, I'll take his surname from now on!*

They returned to the Chu family mansion, where an old man stood guard at the main gate. His clothes were meticulously neat, without a single wrinkle, and though his hair was somewhat gray, each strand was combed perfectly into place, clearly indicating a fastidious person.

Zu An recognized this man; it was none other than Steward Hong Zhong of the Chu Residence.

Upon seeing Chu Chuyan, Hong Zhong bowed to her. Chu Chuyan didn't dare to be disrespectful and quickly returned the bow. The man had served the Chu family tirelessly and loyally for decades, earning the respect of everyone in the household.

Only then did Hong Zhong continue, "Master has ordered that as soon as the son-in-law returns, he is to be taken to the study immediately." He then turned and began to lead the way. Chu Chuyan gave Zu An an "I told you so" look, then followed behind him.

Zu An was surprised. Hong Zhong's demeanor and tone hadn't changed at all from before, which was somewhat unexpected. After all, the conflict he had with Hong Zhong's son at the academy earlier that day must have reached his ears. Why was there no hint of disturbance?

As if guessing his thoughts, Hong Zhong suddenly spoke, "Miss, son-in-law, I've already heard about Hong Xingying's matter during the day. That child is young and arrogant, and he rudely offended the son-in-law. I apologize on his behalf here, and I hope Miss and the son-in-law won't take it to heart. I will teach him a good lesson."

"Uncle Zhong, you're overstating it. Zu An also had his faults in this matter," Chu Chuyan quickly replied.

Zu An, standing by, looked indignant, thinking, *What does that have to do with me? That arrogant fellow started it first.* He was about to say something when Chu Chuyan glared at him, forcing him to swallow his words. It seemed Hong Zhong's status in the residence was extraordinary.

*Fine, you're beautiful, so you're right. I'll listen to my wife.*

Hong Zhong shook his head. "I know that rebellious son. He has some improper ambitions, so his mindset is inevitably a bit unbalanced. This incident was provoked by him. Although Master and Madam haven't said anything, I've felt very guilty..."

Hearing his sincere tone, which didn't sound feigned, Zu An secretly sighed. *How could such an upright and honest father raise such a narrow-minded son?* *Well, given his sincerity, as long as that fellow doesn't provoke me again, I won't seek revenge on him either.*

Chu Chuyan quickly took over the conversation, resolving Hong Zhong's awkwardness with just a few words. She naturally shifted the topic to discuss some of the Chu family's business matters, and the atmosphere of their conversation became extremely harmonious.

Zu An had previously wondered how such an icy woman could manage the Chu family so orderly. Now, he finally understood.

Before long, the group arrived at the study, where Chu Zhongtian and Qin Wanru were already waiting.

"Zu An, how audacious of you! How dare you gamble at a casino in broad daylight, and even bring Chuyan along?" Qin Wanru slammed the table heavily and glared at him.

Rage from Qin Wanru +77!