Zu An laughed. “Sounds good. I’ll go with you.”

Chu Chuyan shook her head. “No, please stay behind.”

Zu An was confused.

Why did he feel like he’d shot himself in the foot? He wouldn’t have suggested that if he had known this would be how it would turn out.

“Ah Zu,” Chu Chuyan said, “my dad is currently detained by Sang Hong. If I leave as well, only my mother and Huanzhao will be left at home. You know that Second and Third Uncles have always coveted the position of power that our man branch holds. Not to mention that the Sang, Wu, Zheng, and Yuan clans are all staring at us like tigers waiting to pounce as well. How can I feel at ease, with trouble brewing both inside the clan and outside?

“Huanzhao is still immature, and my mother has a bit of a temper. If I leave, they will definitely cause trouble.”

Zu An wore a troubled expression. “Honey, you know how your mom feels about me. There is no way she’ll listen to me! There’s no point in me staying behind at all.”

“My mother doesn’t actually hate you. She was only acting that way before out of concern for me.” Chu Chuyan held his hand. “Ah Zu, we’ve really done you wrong all this time.”

Zu An wrapped an arm around her waist. “How could I feel that I’ve been wronged when I have such a beautiful wife keeping me company every night?”

Chu Chuyan’s cheeks grew red. She couldn’t hold back a snort. “You’re so annoying.”

Zu An pulled her into his arms. “But honey, I don’t feel comfortable letting you go to the capital alone!”

Chu Chuyan said with a smile, “I’ve traveled alone before I met you. Besides, my cultivation is still higher than yours! Hmph!”

Zu An’s face darkened. “Do you have to rub salt in that wound?”

This really was a sore spot for him. He had all sorts of cheats, yet the girls around him all had higher levels of cultivation than him.

Even that brat Chu Huanzhao’s cultivation had been higher than his at first. She even bullied him for a period of time.

Chu Chuyan leaned against his shoulder. “Ah Zu, I know that you’re different from what the rest of the world believes you to be. You’re actually really amazing, and I believe that you will protect my mom and my little sis while I am gone.”

“Please don’t place such high expectations on me!” Even though he said this, Chu Chuyan’s praise had left him feeling overjoyed. He felt as if he was on cloud nine.

When they returned to the Chu clan estate, Chu Chuyan called a meeting with Qin Wanru and Chu Huanzhao, and told them her plans.

Qin Wanru was excited. “Perfect! We should have started our counterattack a long time ago. Your father is an excellent person, but he is just too indecisive. We’re already being attacked on all sides—how can we keep being so concerned about what-ifs?”

Zu An clicked his tongue inwardly when he heard this. This woman really was a hothead, never pulling her punches.

Chu Huanzhao looked reluctant. “Big sis, how long are you going to be away for?”

Chu Chuyan hugged her little sister and said gently, “If things go smoothly, I should be back in three months. Otherwise, it could take half a year. You have to listen to your mother and brother-in-law while I’m gone, and you can’t play around so much anymore.”

Chu Huanzhao gave her acknowledgement. “Don’t worry, I won’t cause any trouble!”

The recent events seemed to have helped her grow in maturity.

Qin Wanru was somewhat shocked. Telling Huanzhao to listen to her was one thing—why did she have to listen to her brother-in-law as well?

And yet, Huanzhao hadn’t even thrown a temper. She willingly accepted this without a hint of resistance.

Chu Chuyan passed a booklet to her. “Mother, please take care of this account book for me. I don’t want to bring this with me to the capital.”

She obviously couldn’t carry her trump card with her, especially if she were going to provoke and threaten these individuals. She couldn’t take the chance that this book would fall into the enemy’s hands, especially if these people decided to abandon all restraint and somehow kidnap her.

Naturally, Qin Wanru knew what she was thinking. She carefully stored the booklet away. “Don’t worry, mother will safeguard it until I die!”

Zu An couldn’t help but say, “Madam, we haven’t reached such a stage yet. Please do not say such ominous things.”

Qin Wanru glared at him, but for the first time, she didn’t argue back.

Chu Huanzhao’s voice was colored with worry. “Big sis, will you be in any danger?”

Chu Chuyan rubbed her head. “Don’t worry Huanzhao, given your sister’s level of cultivation, taking care of myself is no issue.”

“Even though big sis is strong, there are so many old freaks in the capital! What if those old farts throw caution to the wind and target you somehow?” Even though Chu Huanzhao often behaved in a carefree manner, it didn’t mean that she was dumb.

Chu Chuyan smiled. It seemed that even her little sister had begun to make reasoned calculations. “Don’t worry. As long as the account book exists, none of those people will dare to make a move against me.”

She then turned to the other two with a serious expression. “Mother, Ah Zu, I will send you a letter every so often, just so you know I’m safe. If you don’t receive any news from me for several days, that means that something has happened to me. If that happens, you should go ahead and expose the contents of the account book. Our entire Chu clan was forged on the battlefield, through hard work and determination. We are not scared of taking everyone down with us.”

Qin Wanru tightly gripped her daughter’s hands. Choking back her emotions, she called her daughter’s name. “Chuyan!”

Even though she was strong-willed, she was still a woman. Something bad had happened to her husband, her daughter was headed on a journey into the unknown, and the future of the Chu clan was shrouded in mist. It was inevitable that the softer side of her would surface.

Seeing their mother like this, her two daughters could no longer hold themselves back.

Zu An subconsciously wanted to separate them, but he knew that it would be terrible for him to say anything at this time. As such, he let them have their moment. Better to release all of it now, instead of letting it fester in their hearts.

The three women sobbed together for a while, then gradually calmed down.

Only then did Qin Wanru seem to realize that Zu An was still there. Her face grew red, and she quickly straightened, hastily wiping away the tears staining her cheeks. “By the way, Chuyan, since you’re going to the capital, pay your third… third brother a visit. He’s been alone in the capital for all these years. We’ve really let him down.”

Zu An had known for some time that the Chu clan’s youngest son was studying in the capital. It was a pity that they’d never met.

I wonder if I’ll get along with this brother-in-law.

I guess it doesn’t matter if we get along or not. If it comes to it, I’ll just whoop his ass, and then we’ll become best buds.

Chu Chuyan nodded. “I will.”

“Also, look for your grandfather if you need any help,” Qin Wanru advised her.

A flash of understanding suddenly hit Zu An. The Chu clan was a dukedom. For someone like Qin Wanru to marry Chu Zhongtian, and even prevent him from having any concubines after all these years, she had to have some pedigree of her own. It was just that no one in the estate had ever mentioned her side of the family.

Chu Chuyan seemed unsure. “Mom, isn’t grandfather’s clan and our Chu clan…”

“Blood is thicker than water. He wouldn’t turn a blind eye, not when things are so dire.” Qin Wanru hesitated a little before adding, “If he really is so heartless, then you can seek out your aunt. She will definitely help you.”

A smile appeared on Chu Chuyan’s face when she heard Qin Wanru mention her aunt. “Okay.”

When they returned to the Unvoiced Residence, Zu An asked Chu Chuyan, “Your mom has a younger sister?”

“Yeah.” Chu Chuyan began to pack her things.

“Is she a blood relative?”

“Of course. My aunt has always treated me well, but I haven’t seen her for a long time.” A faint smile appeared on Chuyan’s lips as she was reminded of the past.

“Oh,” Zu An replied. A thought struck him. “By the way, you have to remember that you are threatening those people to help and not begging them for help,” he reminded her. “Don’t do anything stupid for the sake of the clan’s interests.”

Chu Chuyan was stunned. “Stupid?”

Zu An hesitantly explained, “For example, some clans might demand your innocence as one of their conditions in order to help the Chu clan. You absolutely cannot agree to such things.”

Those melodramatic TV shows from his previous world were rampant with trashy plots like these. He definitely didn’t want to see it happen to him, and so he was warning her in advance as a precaution.

Chu Chuyan smiled. “Oh my goodness, are you getting jealous?”

Zu An sniffed. “I’m just warning you.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not that foolish. Besides…” Chu Chuyan’s face reddened slightly. “In my heart… no other man can compare to you.”

Zu An was overwhelmed with emotion when he heard this. He picked her up in his arms and walked off towards the bed.

“Wait…” Chu Chuyan panicked. She took out a book. “Keep this properly.”

Zu An gave it a look. It was written in large words on the cover: ‘Sweet Pampered Wife: Dominating Sword Immortal’s Ninety-Nine Days of Searching For Love’.