Qin Wanru took a long moment to gather herself. She looked nervously at her daughter. “Even Physician Bao couldn’t do anything. How does he know the correct method of treatment? I’ve never heard of him having any medical skills!”

“He probably learned it from his mysterious master.” Chu Chuyan gave Zu An an embarrassed look, and then continued, “He used acupuncture to extract the cold energy bit by bit from my body. I could even sense the changes happening to my body.”

“Acupuncture?” Qin Wanru’s expression grew alarmed. She said in a hurry, “Physician Bao and Divine Physician Ji have both mentioned that everyone’s bodies are unique. Trying to remove your cold energy this way without having a sound understanding of your body’s condition can easily result in irreparable harm! Stop this treatment immediately! You’re not allowed to do something so risky!”

“He is different… he knows my body well.” Chu Chuyan lowered her head in embarrassment, and her ears started to burn.

Qin Wanru blinked her eyes as she tried to comprehend her statement.

What do you mean, ‘he knows your body’?

Chu Chuyan had no choice but to reveal the events that had transpired in the dungeon. She hurriedly added on, “I think it’s because the technique he learned from his master is special. Either way, I can clearly feel my condition improving. Mother, you should be able to tell that my body has become warmer these days too, right?”

“You really do have such skills?” Qin Wanru was still skeptical, but a different thought suddenly came to mind. She quickly pulled her daughter to the side and asked quietly, “When he removes the cold energy through acupuncture, do you… have to take off your clothes?”

Chu Chuyan’s face immediately flushed bright red. She lowered her head and mumbled out a confirmation.

“You took off your clothes?” Qin Wanru was absolutely floored. She stared blankly into space for a long moment.

She knew better than anyone why the Chu clan had taken Zu An in. His marriage to Chuyan was a sham, a ruse to deceive outsiders.

Her daughter had always been extremely proud ever since she was young. She was surrounded by geniuses, yet she had turned down so many other men.

Qin Wanru really found it hard to understand why her daughter would undress in front of Zu An.

She was struck by an even more serious issue. “Then the two of you have already… done the deed?” she asked in a rush.

“Mother, what are you saying?!” Chu Chuyan blurted out immediately. She was still rather inexperienced when it came to such matters, and her habits as a young lady weren’t easy to change. How could she shamelessly admit to this in front of her mother and sister? “He only needs to see my back in order to administer the treatment. The rest of… my body is covered.”

Qin Wanru sighed with relief. Even so, it was hard for her to understand why her daughter had agreed to this.

Yet another matter surfaced in her mind. She lowered her voice and said, “Did he… do anything disrespectful to me last night?”

When she thought about how she had not only been drugged by her younger daughter, but had her accupoint struck by the older one, the last of her energy seemed to drain out of her.

Chu Chuyan recalled how Zu An had hugged her mother all over, thinking that she was her, and her cheeks heated up. She immediately said, “No. I made sure to cover you up properly.”

She knew that her mother was already furious. She might really go mad if she found out what happened last night.

Either way, nothing had really happened, so what she’d said couldn’t truly be considered a lie, right?

It had always been Chu Chuyan’s nature not to tell lies. But after she met Zu An, she noticed herself beginning to blurt out all sorts of white lies.

At her daughter’s words, the great boulder that had been weighing down on Qin Wanru’s chest finally disappeared.

“I don’t feel like dealing with this terrible mess anymore. Since the two of you stirred it up, you can also clean it up on your own.” With that, she stormed off with a huff.

Her own daughters had drugged her and struck her accupoint, and even dared to go against her to defend another man! This really was too much for her heart to take.

All of this stemmed from this brat Zu An!

You have successfully trolled Qin Wanru for 44… 44… 44…

Zu An was speechless. He hadn’t expected this woman to still hold so much resentment towards him.

Chu Huanzhao also felt a little guilty. “Mother, let me accompany you…” She tried to console her mother, following her as she walked off.

When they were out of sight, Chu Chuyan turned to Zu An. “You don’t want to stay in the Chu clan anymore?”

Zu An felt his resolve wavering as he looked into her enchanting eyes. “It’s mostly because your mother keeps harassing me…”

Chu Chuyan shook her head. “My mother only acts tough on the surface. She had everyone withdraw from the study to help you maintain some dignity. She was going to let you off with some light scolding, but she never expected you to charge at her head-on. This left her in an awkward position.”

“I can’t just remain her punching bag forever, right?” Zu An said with a frown.

Chu Chuyan said, “Mother isn’t as terrible to you as you think. Her words might have been a little harsh today, but a different clan might have ordered you flogged immediately. This is well within the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, but she didn’t resort to it in the end. Despite her anger, she decided to leave out of consideration for me and Huanzhao, in order to let the matter come to a close. If the situation had become even messier, our Chu clan would have been thrown into chaos.”

Zu An shuddered when he heard her mention flogging. The drafted son-in-laws of this world really don’t have any human rights…

Of course, if she had taken it that far, there was no way he would have suffered it willingly.

His status as a drafted son-in-law really was a ticking time bomb. Who knew when it would be used against him?

Chu Chuyan’s voice grew gentle when she noticed his awful expression.

“Please be understanding. Mother’s mood has been quite terrible recently. First, she was worried about my sudden illness, then Governor Sang Hong began to pressure our clan for contributions through a court decree. It’s been very stressful for her. On top of all of this, you just refused to back down, which led to things getting so out of hand...”

She cut off as another bout of coughing came over her. All the talking had clearly agitated her.

Zu An immediately helped her to sit down. “You shouldn’t get too worked up, especially since you’re not fully recovered yet. You need more rest while your body is still weak.”

Chu Chuyan sat down and drank some water. Her complexion became a lot better.

“What are these contributions that need to be offered?” Zu An asked curiously.

Chu Chuyan explained it to him. “Whenever the country needs money for disaster relief or any large scale projects, they will always call for donations from rich merchants. These are the so-called contributions.”

“That’s actually a thing?” Zu An blinked in puzzlement. “If it’s something voluntary, can’t we just refuse?”

“How can it be that simple?” Chu Chuyan shook her head. “It seems voluntary on the surface, but in actual fact, it isn’t. Those asked to make these contributions are all great and wealthy clans, and the reason why these clans had been able to grow in the first place was mostly due to the policies of the royal court.

“If you refuse to contribute, the smaller clans under you would be more than willing to take your place. They’re eager to obtain this sort of opportunity, because it could influence the court to enact policies that are favorable to them.

“Our Chu clan is involved in the salt and arms trade. We are the most wealthy clan in all of Brightmoon City, perhaps even within the nearby commanderies as well. There is no way for us to dodge the payment of these contributions.”

…

Zu An gradually picked up on the situation. “According to what you’re telling me, this contribution is a political contribution. The rich merchants offer up some of their wealth, and the court will treat them favorably, resulting in a win-win situation. Why would this be such a vexing situation for us?”

Chu Chuyan explained, “Let’s explain things using the salt industry as an example. The royal court’s certifying system has helped some salt merchants achieve market dominance and earn tremendous profits, and the royal court expects some form of reciprocation. Those same salt merchants understand that the reason for their current success is completely due to the royal court’s policies. That’s why they don’t oppose these contributions at all.

“But, if the court were to ask for contributions every few days, no clan—no matter how rich or powerful—would be able to tolerate such blatant milking.

“Even more galling is the fact that our Chu clan has owned our land for centuries. Our prosperity today isn’t because of any favor bestowed on us by the royal court. Rather it is built upon the salt and iron mines that we obtained through our own blood and sweat. In fact—and this is heartbreaking—our Chu clan has owned this land since before the Great Zhou Dynasty had even been founded.

“Not only have we not received any benefits from the court these past few years, yet we’re now being pressured to make contributions. Of course there’s some unwillingness on our part.”

Zu An was flabbergasted. “From your tone, it’s almost as if the Chu clan has already decided to rebel,” he observed.

“Don’t spout such nonsense,” Chu Chuyan replied, giving him a stern look. “We are merely a little dissatisfied. Things haven’t reached that point yet. Besides, the royal court is currently rich and powerful. Even if we did have such thoughts, acting upon them would be nothing more than courting death.”

“This will definitely make your clan a thorn in the side of the royal court, though.” Zu An sighed. “If I were the emperor, I would get rid of you first.”

“Actually, there are still quite a few clans like ours who are similarly powerful, and cannot be eliminated just because the emperor wants them gone. If he did so, the whole country could easily rise up in rebellion,” Chu Chuyan replied. “That is why the emperor can only act through the system of laws. Sang Hong came here precisely to carry out this task. They have their eyes set on our salt and iron mines, but they can’t blatantly steal them from us.

“Both sides will continue to fight covertly to see who can have the last laugh.”

Even though Chu Chuyan’s voice remained calm throughout, her brows slowly knitted together with worry.

Zu An was compelled to offer his opinion. “As the saying goes, ‘the branches of a tree will always be at the mercy of the roots’. I can’t help but feel that your Chu clan is walking further and further down a path of destruction.”

Chu Chuyan narrowed her eyes at him. “Of course we’re aware of that. But we can’t just let the foundations established by our Chu clan ancestors crumble under our watch, right? That’s why, even though we know the odds are stacked against us, we still have to try our hardest. This is the glory and devotion we hold towards our clan.”

Zu An was stunned. Her face seemed to glow with a strange radiance as she spoke.

Rarely did his previous world have families like this, so it was quite hard for him to understand their decisions. This was eye-opening for him.

If it was a question of morality, then regardless of whether it was the emperor, the royal court, or the Chu clan, none of them were wrong. They all had their own motives and objectives. In the end, this was just a clash of interests.

“By the way, what’s with that Qiu Honglei? Why did she suddenly contact you?” Chu Chuyan asked. She stared at him with a strange expression.

“I don’t know what she’s thinking either. Don’t worry, nothing happened between us. I still have to defend my purity for your sake!” As Zu An said this, he suddenly recalled what had transpired between him and Snow, and his resolute attitude crumbled.

Although, now that I think about it, wasn’t Snow offered to me right from the start? Strictly speaking, I didn’t really let Chu Chuyan down.

His self-righteousness immediately shot back up.

“Defend your purity?” Chu Chuyan sneered. “Was she the one that left you that lipstick mark last night?”

Zu An ground his teeth silently.

Why do you still remember that?

Chu Chuyan sighed, then said, “Just don’t run around anymore today. Chen Xuan already tried to assassinate you this morning. Don’t give him another chance.”

As she spoke, she fished out a booklet from her inner pocket and handed it to him. “This is for you. If you spend your idle time cultivating, it might just give you another layer of protection against Chen Xuan.”

“What is this?” Zu An was stunned. He reached out to take it. The cover bore the words ‘Snowflake Sword’.