Chapter 946: Old and Cunning

"Wha... the hell?" Chu Tu, being someone who dabbled in dark arts, immediately realized that the person in front of him wasn't Zhao Zhi.

He was both shocked and enraged. "How dare you impersonate the Crown Prince of Qi! If the King of Qi finds out, he'll never let you go."

Rage points from Chu Tu +666 +666 +666...

Zu An smiled. "I've offended the King of Qi many times anyway, so what's one more thing?"

Seeing that Zu An wasn't afraid of the King of Qi, Chu Tu paused, then quickly added, "You made a Dao of Heaven vow! The Dao of Heaven cannot be deceived. If you break your word, you'll face retribution."

Rage points from Chu Tu +888 +888 +888...

Zu An sighed. "How can someone like you, who dabbles in the dark arts, be so naive? Don't you know these vows can be manipulated?"

Seeing that he had extracted enough rage points, Zu An casually knocked him unconscious.

"Damn it, which one of us is truly evil?" This was Chu Tu's last thought before losing consciousness.

Carrying Chu Tu, Zu An walked back. On the way, Sang Qian seemed to want to speak but hesitated. Noticing this, Zu An couldn't help but smile. "Xiao Qian, what do you want to say?"

Sang Qian then spoke. "Actually, Chu Tu had a point. The Dao of Heaven cannot be deceived, and making a Dao of Heaven vow is an extremely serious matter. If you intentionally exploit loopholes in your vows, the Dao of Heaven might reject you. It would be troublesome if you accidentally invited retribution."

Zu An chuckled. "Xiao Qian, I didn't expect you'd start considering things for my sake now."

"Pfft, I don't care if you live or die," Sang Qian retorted, spitting lightly with a blush.

Zu An then said, "Perhaps you all see the Dao of Heaven as an impartial and all-seeing entity, but I don't agree. As the saying goes, 'Heaven and Earth are inhumane, treating all things as straw dogs.' In the eyes of Heaven and Earth, human good and evil are irrelevant. It simply operates according to established laws, not favoring good people who follow rules, nor punishing bad people who cheat and scheme."

"'Heaven and Earth are inhumane, treating all things as straw dogs'..." Sang Qian and Zheng Dan were both stunned, replaying the phrase in their minds. They felt as if they had grasped something profound, but the feeling vanished the next instant.

"What you just said seemed profound and mysterious, but there's one point I disagree with," Sang Qian, always quick-witted, quickly responded. "In the world, those who do good and accumulate virtue often receive good fortune, while those whose evil deeds are obvious rarely come to a good end."

Zu An smiled, explaining, "Those are just conventional rules established by humanity over a long time, not the will of Heaven and Earth itself."

Sang Qian was startled. She was about to retort but suddenly realized there was some truth to his words.

Zu An said, "While Dao of Heaven vows are sacred, they only punish those who violate explicit promises. You've fallen into a cognitive trap, worshipping and fearing the Dao of Heaven too much, never realizing there are many loopholes to exploit. I've encountered so many wicked people, and witnessed such situations countless times, that over time, I've learned some clever tricks myself."

Initially, when he learned this, he even found the Dao of Heaven vows quite useless. But then he thought, if a legal professional were to transmigrate here, they could probably exploit these vows to their fullest potential.

His previous life was also a contract-based society. When contracts were signed, many people would think about how to break them, while legal professionals focused on how to close various loopholes.

Zu An mused that if he ever met such a professional, he would never dare to manipulate a Dao of Heaven vow.

At this point, Zheng Dan spoke up. "Ah Zu, although what you're saying makes some sense, no one truly knows how the Dao of Heaven works. As the saying goes, 'He who often walks by the river will eventually get his shoes wet.' What if one day a single oversight leads to divine punishment for you? It would be too late for regret then. Remember, there are many people in this world who care about your safety."

Zu An was startled, realizing that his mindset had indeed become a bit arrogant. After all, nothing in this world is guaranteed.

A cold sweat broke out on his back at the thought. He quickly thanked Zheng Dan. "Thank you for the reminder; otherwise, I might suffer a great loss in the future."

Originally worried he would stick to his own views, Zheng Dan's face immediately broke into a radiant smile when he agreed.

Sang Qian, standing by, rolled her eyes. "These two are really something! When I said something similar just now, that guy Zu didn't care at all, but now that sister-in-law said it, he immediately agreed. Is he deliberately trying to provoke me?"

After returning to the Sang residence, Sang Hong rushed over upon hearing the news. Seeing the unconscious figure in black robes in their hands, he asked in surprise, "What happened?"

Sang Qian gave a brief account of what had just happened. Sang Hong's face turned ashen as he listened. "The Hu Clan Merchants are going too far! Are they trying to bully the Sang family because they think we have no one to stand up for us?"

Zu An knew that half of Sang Hong's demeanor was genuine anger, and the other half was put on for Zheng Dan and the Zheng family behind her. Of course, he wouldn't expose him. "Uncle, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you with the Hu family's matter next."

"Of course," Sang Hong said coldly. "I've been lying low these past few years, making many people forget my capabilities."

Zu An had witnessed Sang Hong effortlessly manipulate local powerhouses like the Chu family, so he wasn't worried about a mere Hu family. "However, there's still a tricky matter: the information this person mentioned about the Duke of Yunzhong's younger brother plotting against his elder brother. How should we report it to the Emperor to our advantage?"

Sang Hong pondered for a long time. "In my opinion, it might be better not to report it."

"Why?" Zu An had actually considered the same, but hadn't yet made up his mind.

Sang Hong said in a deep voice, "The Emperor sent people to investigate the disappearance of the Duke of Yunzhong this time. Do you think he wants to find the truth?"

Zu An shook his head. "He just wants to use this pretext to completely bring down the Yu family of Yunzhong."

Sang Qian's expression subtly changed. She wasn't surprised by their analysis; her main concern was that her father and Zu An had mentioned the Emperor several times in their conversation without a hint of respect. If these discussions were leaked, they could be impeached for high treason.

It seemed her father had indeed deeply tied the Sang family to Zu An.

At this point, Sang Hong spoke again. "Precisely. If that's the case, reporting this person now would not only displease the Emperor but also make him think we're meddling. Regardless of his reaction, we would be in a passive position."

"Then what's your intention, Uncle?" Zu An asked.

"Cripple all his cultivation, break his limbs, and lock him in the manor's cellar. Let Qian'er and Dan'er guard him. Once we reach Yunzhong Commandery, we'll decide whether to use him based on how events unfold," Sang Hong said in a flat tone.

Zu An secretly clicked his tongue. Sang Hong was indeed ruthless; if it were him, he would most likely have given Chu Tu a quick death.

"Xiao Qian has to stay in the capital? I was hoping she'd come with us to Yunzhong Commandery and help us with strategies," Zu An said, sounding a bit disappointed.

Sang Hong gave a half-smile. Was this fellow genuinely hoping Xiao Qian would join them?

He didn't expose him. "My dear nephew, you might not be aware of court regulations. To prevent ministers on foreign assignments from developing disloyalties, their family members must remain in the capital."

"So that's how it is," Zu An said with a disappointed look.

Zheng Dan's cheeks felt slightly warm; even she sensed his ulterior motives.

As for Sang Qian, her eyes were rolling so hard they almost cramped.

After they had secured Chu Tu, Zu An noticed the late hour and prepared to leave, but Sang Hong stopped him, suggesting they have a few drinks together.

It was unclear how long they drank, but as everyone felt the onset of intoxication, the conversation naturally turned to Sang Qian. Sang Hong couldn't help but shed old tears, finally sighing for a long time, "Who knows how many days it will be before I return to the capital after this trip to Yunzhong Commandery... If Zheng Dan were to conceive Qian'er's posthumous child, our Sang family would have hope."

Zu An inwardly scoffed, thinking, "Are you senile? They hadn't even completed their wedding ceremony; how could she possibly have a posthumous child?"

Suddenly, a thought struck him: this old man had a hidden meaning behind his words.

He wanted to inquire further, but saw that Sang Hong had already succumbed to the alcohol, mumbling incoherently as he slumped over the table.

"Brother Zu, please forgive us, my father is drunk," Sang Qian said, her expression somewhat displeased, but she still rose to help her father. "I'll take him back to his room to rest first. Sister-in-law, I'll trouble you to keep him company for a while."

With that, she helped her father leave. Due to the alcohol, Zheng Dan's cheeks were flushed. She lightly spat. "Who ever heard of asking a sister-in-law to keep a non-family man company? That girl is truly mischievous!"

The maids and servants had been sent away by Sang Hong earlier. Only the two of them remained in the room, and Zu An had fewer reservations. He directly stepped closer and wrapped his arm around her soft waist. "How am I a non-family man now?"

Zheng Dan spat lightly and quickly pushed him away. "This is still the Sang residence; don't be ridiculous!"

Meanwhile, in another room, Sang Qian unceremoniously dropped her father onto a chair. "Are you really that impatient?"

Sang Hong opened his eyes, showing no trace of drunkenness. "There's simply no other way. This trip to Yunzhong Commandery will take at least half a year, round trip. If she gets pregnant after that, no fool would believe it's Qian'er's posthumous child."

"But I just feel like I'm letting my brother down," Sang Qian said, biting her red lip, her expression deeply conflicted.

Sang Hong scoffed coldly. "There are three ways to be unfilial, with having no heir being the greatest. The continuation of the Sang family lineage is paramount."

Sang Qian also grew anxious, finally voicing her long-held doubt. "But even if sister-in-law gets pregnant, the child will have no blood relation to the Sang family. If that's the case, why don't we just adopt one? We wouldn't have to do something so humiliating."

Sang Hong gazed at her silently. After a long moment, he said faintly, "There's a way for the child to have a blood relation to the Sang family..."