Chapter 97: Mutual Agreement

"So, our Chu family must now act with extreme caution, leaving no opportunity for our enemies," Chu Chuyan said, her voice filled with worry. It's said that a thief can be a thief for a thousand days, but a guard cannot guard for a thousand days. Yet, at this point, they had no choice but to persevere.

Zu An couldn't help but say, "I don't understand. Why insist on neutrality? Wouldn't it be better to align yourselves with one side, avoiding such a difficult situation?"

Chu Chuyan shook her head. "You don't understand. The main reason is that both sides are evenly matched. No one knows who will have the last laugh. If we were to choose a side and they lost, our Chu family would be utterly ruined. Choosing neutrality, though difficult at first, means that once the two sides decide their victor, our hard times will be over. The new ruler, upon ascending, will surely adopt a conciliatory approach towards all factions, and our Chu family can at least preserve its centuries-old foundation."

Zu An listened, dumbfounded. Indeed, none of those involved in court struggles were easy to deal with. Even a seemingly good-natured person like Chu Zhongtian possessed such deep foresight.

'Right,' he thought, 'I need to be even more careful from now on; they're all incredibly cunning.'

"By the way," he mused, "Pei Mianman previously sneaked into the Chu mansion looking for a ledger. I wonder which faction she's secretly working for?"

Just then, the carriage suddenly stopped. A commotion erupted from ahead, and Chu Chuyan furrowed her delicate brows. She tapped on the carriage wall. "What's happening outside?"

Soon, a Chu family guard reported back, "To answer you, Miss, it seems the Sixth Young Master Shi from the capital has arrived. Many people, having heard of his reputation, are flocking to see him, vying to throw flowers and fruit into his carriage, which has caused a traffic jam."

Zu An was startled. He instinctively blurted out, "Does he look like a gorilla? Why else would so many people be gathered around, throwing fruit into his carriage?"

At his words, the corner of Chu Chuyan's mouth subtly curved upwards, while Chu Hanzhao couldn't help but exclaim, "Silly brother-in-law, haven't you heard of Young Master Shi Kun of the Shi family?"

"Is he famous?" Zu An retorted, displeased. "I'm a prominent figure in Brightmoon City, you know!"

Even Chu Hanzhao found him unbearable and couldn't resist rolling her pretty eyes. "You're infamous! His reputation is far better. Young Master Shi, the Sixth Young Master of the Shi family, is a famously handsome man. Haven't you heard the story of 'fruit filling the the carriage'?"

"No," Zu An said, looking confused. "What nonsense is that?"

Chu Hanzhao explained, "Legend has it that the Sixth Young Master Shi of the capital possesses a beautiful face and elegant demeanor. Years ago, when he drove through the streets of the capital, even elderly women were enchanted by him, throwing so much fruit into his carriage that it was completely filled. Later, another young master in the capital heard about this and tried to imitate him by driving through the streets, but all the women on the street spat at him instead."

"That shows you how handsome Shi Kun is! I'd only heard rumors of this story, but I never imagined it was true."

"Is it really that exaggerated?" Seeing her excited expression, Zu An felt quite annoyed. He supposed this was a common thought among all men, wishing all beautiful women would flock to them.

"No, I have to go see how handsome this guy really is!" Chu Hanzhao eagerly got up, about to lift the curtain and step out, but her sister pulled her back.

Chu Chuyan calmly stated, "The Shi family belongs to the Empress's faction. His motives for coming to Brightmoon City are questionable, so it's best not to interact with him."

Zu An couldn't help but chuckle, giving Chu Chuyan a playful glare. "No wonder your parents often scold you. If only you could be as composed as your sister."

Chu Hanzhao sullenly sat back down, letting out a huff. "Don't think I don't know, Brother-in-law, you're just jealous."

Zu An sat up straight. "However handsome he is, could he be as handsome as your brother-in-law? Can't you just look at me?"

Chu Hanzhao's face flushed slightly, and she spat, "Shameless rotten brother-in-law!"

Just then, a gentle voice from outside suddenly called out, "Is Miss Chu inside? Shi Kun from the capital requests an audience."

Immediately, gasps of surprise from several women could be heard outside:

"Oh, if only Young Master Shi would do that for me!"

"Hmph, why don't you look in a mirror and see your own face?"

"As if you're so pretty yourself."

"Stop arguing, neither of you can compare to Young Miss Chu in terms of beauty."

"Hmph, no matter how beautiful she is, she's already married. I, however, have kept myself pure for Young Master Shi and am still a maiden."

...

Hearing the chatter around him, Zu An couldn't help but lift the carriage curtain and look. He saw several women there, tearfully moved, and felt depressed. He had expected to see some beauties, but they were all homely, and yet they dared to covet his wife.

It seemed that even if that so-called Young Master Shi was handsome, his good looks were quite limited.

He instinctively turned his head to look forward. In that instant, it was as if a bright light had blinded him. Red lips and white teeth, handsome and dashing, elegant and refined, a gentleman... all these descriptions perfectly fit the person before him.

He was damn handsome!

Even Zu An had to admit it; in terms of looks, the man was almost on par with himself.

Although he knew this, some women were often superficial and might not recognize it. He quickly pulled his head back into the carriage and looked at Chu Chuyan with concern.

To his surprise, Chu Chuyan's expression remained extremely calm, showing no hint of excitement. She stated indifferently, "I am already married, so it is not appropriate for me to see an outside man. I hope Young Master Shi will understand." After speaking, she tapped on the carriage to signal it to move again.

Zu An was so delighted that he wanted to hug and kiss her hard several times. He had always thought his wife was indifferent to him because she looked down on him, but now he realized she was just as indifferent to everyone else.

In comparison, she was rather good to him.

Watching the carriage slowly depart, a hint of gloom clouded Shi Kun's handsome face. The hand hidden in his sleeve clenched tightly into a fist. "Chu Chuyan," he thought, "one day, I will completely possess you."

At that moment, the change in his expression did not escape the eyes of his surrounding admirers. They couldn't help but fall into another round of whispers:

"That Miss Chu actually showed Brother Shi such disrespect, she's so arrogant!"

"If you were that beautiful, you could be that willful too."

"Even if I were that beautiful, I wouldn't treat Brother Shi like that, hmph."

"Exactly! What's Young Miss Chu showing off for? She still ended up with a useless husband. While I may not compare to her in other ways, my future husband will definitely be better than hers."

Of course, a timid voice also pointed out, "Young Master Shi's gaze just now was so terrifying..."

But it was immediately drowned out by other supporters: "What do you know? That's called alluring wildness! Such a unique charisma only Brother Shi possesses!"

Inside the carriage, Chu Chuyan felt extremely uncomfortable under Zu An's direct gaze. She couldn't help but ask, "What are you looking at?"

Zu An smiled. "Because you're beautiful, wife. I'm finding that I like you more and more."

Chu Hanzhao, sitting nearby, immediately protested, "Hey, hey, hey, there's a child here! You two should be mindful!"

Zu An was speechless. Although his sister-in-law was indeed young, she was hardly a child.

At this point, Chu Chuyan said, "Don't misunderstand. I refused Young Master Shi not because of you, but simply because I don't want to get involved with the Shi family."

Zu An grinned. "No matter the reason, I'm still quite happy that you rejected him."

Chu Chuyan's breath caught. She felt he hadn't quite understood her meaning, and after a moment's thought, decided to clarify. "Although I am publicly declared your wife, we both know the nature of this marriage. It's impossible for me to fulfill the duties of a true wife, so I don't want you to get too deeply involved, lest you get hurt more in the future."

Chu Hanzhao, sitting nearby, blinked her eyes. She suddenly felt pity for her brother-in-law. Although everyone had suspected it before, guessing was one thing, but hearing her sister say it herself was another. Her brother-in-law must be so heartbroken right now.

To her surprise, Zu An's expression didn't change at all. "I know," he said. "But my liking you is my own business; it has nothing to do with whether you like me or not. Besides, maybe you'll fall for me in the future."

Chu Chuyan shook her head. "That's absolutely impossible."

Zu An shrugged, unconcerned. "Since you've put it that way, I also need to ask something clearly. If you don't intend to fulfill your wifely duties, do you mind if I seek out other women?"

Chu Hanzhao, who had been feeling sorry for him, widened her eyes in disbelief upon hearing such a question. *She thought, 'That rotten brother-in-law! Sister will definitely teach you a good lesson!'*

Chu Chuyan was also taken aback. This question clearly surprised her, but she instinctively replied, "Of course, I don't mind, it's just that you..."

Her gaze shifted to his lower abdomen. Since her sister was also in the carriage, she naturally couldn't speak plainly.

"Don't worry about that; I'll recover in no time," Zu An assured her, patting his chest. Although he wasn't sure he could find the Vanishing Illusion Lotus, what man wouldn't try to act tough in front of a woman?

Chu Chuyan frowned and said nothing, merely assuming he was unwilling to accept the truth and was just deluding himself.

Chu Hanzhao, sitting nearby, gaped in astonishment. What kind of outrageous things were her brother-in-law and sister talking about? It was already ridiculous enough that her brother-in-law directly asked if her sister minded him seeking other women, but even more absurd was that her sister not only wasn't angry but actually replied that she didn't mind!

'Sister, you don't know that brother-in-law is far more excellent than you imagine. Once he's unleashed, all those tempting women out there will surely snatch him away!'

'No, I must help sister keep a close watch. No matter what, good fortune shouldn't flow into outsiders' fields.'

The three inside the carriage were lost in their own thoughts. Before long, they arrived outside the academy. Due to the academy's rules, students' mounts and carriages were not allowed inside, so everyone disembarked at the entrance.

Upon Chu Chuyan's appearance, gasps of surprise rippled through the crowd. It was clear that this 'foremost beauty' was rarely seen at the academy, and everyone felt quite lucky today.

However, when they saw Zu An step out of the same carriage, realizing he not only shared a carriage with their goddess but also lived in the same house and even shared a bed, they all couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.

"What a coincidence! To meet Miss Chu here again," a slightly familiar voice remarked.

Zu An looked back to see Shi Kun standing not far away, displaying what he clearly thought was a charming smile. To Zu An, it looked incredibly punchable.