Zuan odpowiedział ze spokojem: «Wiem, że popełniłem czyn gorszy niż bestia i naprawdę zasługuję na śmierć. So when the second young lady found me last night, I offered no resistance in order to wash away my sins, letting her whip me with the Bat Lamentu until I took eight lashes, only then did she finally grant me her forgiveness."
Around them, people secretly cursed him as shameless. No resistance at all, bah! If the second young lady truly wanted to hit you, you pathetic wretch, would your resistance have saved you?
Chu Zhongtian and his wife then looked at the stretcher under Zu An and the bloodstains on his body. Yue Shan, standing nearby, reported: "Reporting to master, the son-in-law said he was injured by the Bat Lamentu and was too severely wounded to get out of bed, so this subordinate carried him over."
"Huanzhao?" Madam Chu was startled. Thinking of her daughter's personality, she said with some annoyance, "She's simply being ridiculous."
Chu Zhongtian's face also showed a hint of strangeness: "Wife, we were supposed to have this meeting today precisely because of Huanzhao's matter. Now that Huanzhao has personally punished him, perhaps we should let this matter go?"
He thought of what his daughter had told him yesterday, and he actually understood that there must have been a reason for this incident, and it wasn't entirely Zu An's fault. However, his wife was still angry, and with the instigation of the other branches of the family, he had to convene this clan meeting to go through the motions.
Zu An felt a surge of goodwill upon hearing this. Truly a father-in-law hard to find even with a lantern!
Before Madam Chu could reply, a sharp male voice rang out: "Elder brother, you are mistaken. Our Chu family is known for its strict family discipline, and we have never had such a scandal. If we make light of this matter now, what will become of our Chu family's reputation? Do you know how many rumors are circulating outside, saying this boy is indiscriminate with women? If we don't punish him, aren't we encouraging such a perverse trend?"
The speaker was a middle-aged man with a gloomy expression sitting below Chu Zhongtian. His two dark eye circles were particularly striking, and he was gently fanning himself with a fan. In his memory, this was Chu Tiesheng from the Chu family's second branch. By relationship, Chu Chuyan would call him second uncle.
"Second Uncle, what are you talking about? He didn't really do anything to me that night!" At this moment, a beautiful young girl rushed out from the back hall. Her dynamic appearance in a tight leather outfit seemed to bring a touch of warmth to the cold ancestral hall.
Chu Zhongtian hurriedly said: "Huanzhao, why did you come out? Go back inside."
"Why are you so fierce? Why are you yelling at a child!" Madam Chu glared fiercely at her husband, then turned to her daughter with a beaming smile, "Huanzhao dear, don't listen to your father. Come here to mother, tell mother what exactly happened."
Chu Zhongtian gave an awkward smile. The others showed no surprise, as this kind of thing was clearly commonplace.
Chu Huanzhao pointed her whip at Zu An on the ground: "Mother~ I did indeed whip him with the Bat Lamentu last night, and in the end, I agreed to forgive his behavior that night. I don't want to go back on my word."
Zu An secretly gave her a thumbs-up. This girl, although a bit of a masochist, had good sportsmanship.
"Niece, you are still too young and don't understand the wickedness of the world. Anyone else here can punish Zu An, but you cannot. If this spreads, people will think you were truly wronged by him. As an unmarried young lady, how can you bear such a bad reputation?" At this moment, a plump man with a prosperous appearance on the other side spoke. Although he wasn't smiling, his fleshy face made his eyes squint into slits, making people unconsciously think he was smiling, and it was difficult to feel ill will towards him.
He was fiddling with a delicate, golden abacus in his hand, wondering if it was pure gold.
Zu An recognized this smiling tiger as the Chu family's third uncle, Chu Yuepo. He couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. Why did the people from the secondary branches all want him dead so badly? He was just a pathetic son-in-law on the surface now, who had he offended?
At this time, Miss Pei Mianman of the Pei family suddenly whispered to Chu Chuyan beside her: "Isn't the Bat Lamentu said to magnify pain tenfold? Is your family's husband some hidden master?"
Although her voice was soft, it was enough for everyone in the hall to hear. Zu An couldn't help but curse inwardly. This woman looked so gentle when she smiled, but he didn't expect her to be so malicious, acting just like a green tea bitch.
Chu Chuyan frowned slightly, but Xue'er, who was behind her, quickly replied, "He's not even a martial artist, how could he be a master?"
At this moment, Chu Tiesheng of the second branch's eyes lit up. He hurriedly said to Mr. and Mrs. Chu: "Elder brother, elder sister-in-law, the power of the Bat Lamentu is well-known. Even you and I would have trouble withstanding eight lashes. How could an ordinary person possibly do it?"
Chu Zhongtian and Madam Chu exchanged glances. To be honest, they didn't quite believe it either. At this moment, Chu Huanzhao, who was by their side, became anxious: "I really hit him eight times, am I lying to you?"
"Reporting to the family head, the second young lady would naturally not lie, but she has always been kind-hearted. She probably went easy on the whip and didn't use much strength, so Zu An's injuries are not as serious as he claims. My own nose was just broken by his punch a moment ago. He has great strength, how does he look injured?" Diao Yang spoke up at this time. Striking while the iron is hot requires good timing, so he hadn't mentioned this at the beginning.
Many people in the room had strange expressions. The second young lady was kind-hearted? Could you speak such unconscionable words! In all these years, who had ever seen her go easy with the whip?
However, today's events were indeed a bit strange. Could it be that she had some feelings for this brother-in-law?
Chu Tiesheng seized the opportunity and said: "The facts are clear now. Zu An committed a shameful act, not only showing no remorse but also exploiting Huanzhao's kindness and naivete in an attempt to escape punishment. I hope the family head will severely punish him as a warning to others."
Chu Zhongtian's expression was uncertain, clearly weighing the situation. Zu An secretly thought it was bad and was about to speak when a servant rushed in.
"Reporting to master and madam, there is a woman outside clamoring to see the son-in-law and has already attracted a crowd."
"A woman?" Madam Chu was startled. "Which family's daughter from the city is it?"
Even Chu Chuyan, who had been motionless, felt a hint of curiosity. Did this guy Zu An know other women?
Zu An was even more bewildered. Did this fellow have other female admirers? But why couldn't he remember any of them?
Only Xue'er, standing behind her, had a slight smile on her lips: I didn't expect you to survive last night's severe injuries. Fortunately, I had made other preparations.
Seeing Madam's inquiry, the servant hesitantly replied: "From Yihongyuan."
As soon as this was said, everyone was in an uproar. What kind of place was Yihongyuan? Everyone in the city knew.
"Making such a scene outside, what does it look like? Let her in!" Madam Chu snorted coldly, a trace of uncontrollable anger already in her tone.
Soon, a woman with heavy makeup, swaying her hips, walked in. As soon as she saw Zu An from a distance, she rushed over, crying dramatically: "You heartless man, you didn't pay me after you were done with me back then! You said you would take me into the family as soon as you returned, and that I could be sisters with the young ladies of the Chu family, which is why I agreed. How could you abandon me after playing around?"
Xue'er's fingers twirled around a small braid, her eyes happy as crescent moons. This time, let's see if you don't die?
Apart from the parties involved, no one else would know whether this was true or not. So even if you deny it, no one will believe you, unless you publicly reveal that you are incapable. But once that is exposed, it will be an even bigger scandal. In any case, you definitely cannot continue to be the son-in-law.
Young master, you will soon get your wish.
The entire ancestral hall fell into an eerie silence again. The people from the second and third branches stopped speaking, as there was no need for them to say anything further at this point.
Chu Zhongtian, who had been secretly speaking in favor of Zu An, was now angry. What was the status of his Chu family daughter? Now, a lowly prostitute was shamelessly claiming to be sisters with Chu Yan, which was truly a deep humiliation!
And the instigator of all this was none other than Zu An!
"Wicked creature, do you have anything else to say?" Madam Chu's eyes were practically spitting fire as she looked at Zu An.
Anger from Chu Zhongtian +78!
Anger value from Qin Wanru +300!
Zu An couldn't help but wonder how this guy had managed to survive for so long. Since he had transmigrated here, how many people had wanted to kill him?
He wondered which party had hired this prostitute to deal with him? The second branch, the third branch? Or that Miss Pei?
It seemed that eating soft rice wasn't so easy after all.
He calmly looked at the heavily made-up woman: "What did you say your name was?"
"Oh, you heartless man, don't pretend you don't know me! You used to call me Chunhua affectionately every day. Why do you say you've forgotten now?" the brothel woman sneered.
Zu An didn't argue. Instead, he smiled and said, "Ah, my dear Chunhua, I've been so busy these past few days that my mind is a bit muddled. By the way, how much do I owe you for my courtesan services?"
"What courtesan services, speaking so crudely," Chunhua waved her red silk handkerchief, and said coquettishly, "You stayed with me for more than half a month, on and off. Calculated, it should be around 20... no, 30 taels of silver."
At these words, everyone present felt contempt. Such a cheap prostitute, and Zu An still found her appealing? Was he truly indiscriminate in his desires?
"30 taels?" Zu An nodded. "Not expensive, not expensive at all. How about this, I'll give you 300 taels, and the rest will be the betrothal gift."
This time, even the people from the second and third branches gasped. Was this guy trying to court death like this? They hurriedly looked at Chu Zhongtian, only to see that the faces of the couple had turned ashen.
Miss Pei also watched him with great interest. For some reason, she felt that this guy was somewhat strange.
"Really?" Chunhua's face lit up with joy.
"Of course, it's real," Zu An continued, looking at Chu Chuyan. "Wife, I'm a bit short on cash right now. Can I borrow 300 taels of silver from you?"
The entire audience looked at him as if he were a madman. He wanted to sleep with a prostitute and even wanted his own wife to pay? What was this guy thinking? Chu Chuyan would probably tear him apart on the spot?
Who knew that Chu Chuyan would actually nod: "Okay. Someone, go get 300 taels."
This time, everyone was completely dumbfounded. They didn't know why this had happened. Even Pei Mianman stared at her in astonishment. Was this still the same best friend she knew?
Madam Chu was about to erupt when Chu Zhongtian quietly pressed her hand and gestured towards her daughter. Madam Chu couldn't help but frown and decided to wait and see.
Zu An secretly gave a thumbs-up. His wife was indeed intelligent and perceptive. The only person present who knew he was innocent was probably Chu Chuyan, as she had personally witnessed him being incapable that night, so she naturally wouldn't believe he would visit a prostitute.
Hmm, why does it feel like tears are about to stream down my face?