Chapter 65: Left and Right Dilemma

Volume One: First Entry into Another World

Mingyue City's prosperous commerce, especially its salt and iron trade and grain transportation, largely relied on river transport. The River Defense Camp was established to manage and combat smuggling, and to escort strategic and essential goods. This was necessary because ferocious beasts also roamed in some areas along the riverbanks.

Sang Qian calmly replied, "The River Defense Camp is also responsible for maintaining local security. With so many people gathered here tonight, a slight oversight could lead to a massive stampede. It's perfectly reasonable for me to inquire about the situation."

"I’m afraid that won't be necessary, Commander Sang,” a soft voice interjected.

Immediately, a team of constables streamed in through the doorway. The one leading them held a paper fan, and his face was like white jade—truly a handsome young gentleman.

“Is this person a man or a woman?”

“Hush, do you have a death wish? That’s the City Lord’s son.”

Zu An was taken aback. He hadn't expected to see Xie Xiu, with his effeminate appearance, again. He used to not understand why historical emperors and nobles kept male consorts, but if those consorts looked like this, it wasn't… Bah, what nonsense was he thinking?

Sang Qian's eyes narrowed as he saw Xie Xiu enter. "So it's Young Master Xie. But if I'm not mistaken, Young Master Xie should still be studying at Mingyue Academy and holds no official position. Is it truly appropriate to summon so many constables?"

Xie Xiu closed his fan and smiled faintly. "Of course, I didn't bring these constables. I was just drinking at the Celestial Immortal Pavilion next door when I saw Uncle Pang leading a team over. Out of curiosity, I followed them. Isn't that right, Uncle Pang?"

A pot-bellied figure hurried in from outside, adjusting his official's hat as he walked. It was clear he had rushed quite a bit to get there.

“This is Pang Chun, the County Lieutenant of the city. He’s a fifth-rank cultivator and the third most powerful figure in Mingyue City. Our Chu family has always been on good terms with him. Don’t speak carelessly and offend him,” Chu Chuyan whispered urgently, worried about Zu An’s unrestrained tongue.

Zu An nodded, his expression somewhat strange. A man named "Chun" (Spring) – he wondered what his parents were thinking when they named him.

However, Chu Chuyan's words also revealed some information. It seemed the Chu family had a good relationship with the City Lord's side. Yet, earlier, Chu Zhongtian had mentioned that Governor Sang Hong, a trusted official, was targeting them, and Sang Hong's appointment clearly represented the imperial court's will. Good heavens, could it be that the Chu family harbored rebellious intentions, colluding with local officials, leading the court to want to eliminate them quickly? He had thought he'd latched onto a powerful supporter, but now it looked like he was on a sinking ship. No wonder they had been so reluctant to deal with a mere gang before! Should he find an opportunity to abandon ship as soon as possible?

If Chu Chuyan knew what he was thinking at that moment, she would probably have pinned him to the ground and given him a severe beating.

Upon entering, Pang Chun jovially cupped his hands to Sang Qian. "Greetings, Commander Sang."

Sang Qian dared not be careless. After all, the County Lieutenant was the third most powerful figure in Mingyue City, and even he couldn't treat him lightly. He quickly responded, "Greetings, County Lieutenant."

After exchanging pleasantries, both men looked towards Xie Xiu. Xie Xiu chuckled, "Why are you looking at me? I hold no official position. Things should be handled according to the rules."

Sang Qian cursed inwardly. Everyone knew Xie Xiu had called Pang Chun over; Pang Chun always followed Xie Xiu's father's lead, so wasn't he simply obeying Xie Xiu's instructions?

Pang Chun smiled at Sang Qian. "Then I'll take charge of this matter. Commander Sang, you won't mind, will you?"

Sang Qian forced a smile. "That is the County Lieutenant's duty; I wouldn't dare overstep."

The County Lieutenant was responsible for the city's public security and policing, effectively combining the roles of a modern-day police chief, prosecutor, and court president. Their authority was considerable.

Only then did Pang Chun drop his smile and look at the others in the hall. "So, what exactly happened?"

Chu Chuyan then spoke up, giving a general account of what had just transpired.

Pang Chun secretly clicked his tongue, clearly startled by the astronomical sum of 7.5 million taels. However, he quickly recovered and followed her words, saying, "Gang Leader Mei, this is where you are wrong. Since you run a gambling house, you should accept your losses. Otherwise, if all gambling houses acted like this, wouldn't chaos ensue?"

Mei Chaofeng was secretly furious but still replied, "County Lieutenant, you don't understand. This man won 7.5 million taels in just two hands. It's truly unbelievable. He must have cheated. How can we possibly acknowledge such a debt?"

Zu An couldn't help but chuckle. "You run a gambling house, yet you're afraid of customers cheating? Is it your lack of skill, or are you just shamelessly refusing to pay?"

“You!” Mei Chaofeng was enraged, thinking that if they were alone, he could crush this bug with a single finger. Yet now, he had to swallow his anger and reason with him.Rage from Mei Chaofeng +499!

At this point, Pang Chun also spoke up. "That's right, Gang Leader Mei. Since you claim he cheated, do you have any evidence?"

Zu An thought to himself, "It's so great to have powerful people on your side, speaking up for you. Besides, I was in the right to begin with."

Mei Chaofeng hesitated. "No, I don't. I wasn't here at the time. And Zu An came with Miss Chu. Given Miss Chu's fifth-rank cultivation, if she truly manipulated anything, our casino staff wouldn't be able to detect it."

Chu Chuyan's face turned cold. "Are you implying I helped him cheat?"

Now that both sides had dropped pretenses, Mei Chaofeng no longer held back. "That's hard to say. He is your husband, after all. Who knows if you two conspired to set me up?"

Chu Chuyan said coldly, "Our Chu family's reputation will not tolerate such slander. I challenge you to a duel!"

Mei Chaofeng also threw caution to the wind. "I was only being polite to you before because of the Chu family. Don't think I'm afraid of you!"

Zu An watched from the side with an excited expression, hoping they would start fighting immediately. He wanted to see what a battle between fifth-rank powerhouses was like, so he could be prepared in the future. As for Chu Chuyan suffering a loss, he wasn't worried at all. Not only were Xie Xiu and the County Lieutenant present, but Mingyue City was also, after all, the Chu family's fiefdom. Would Chu Zhongtian allow his daughter to be bullied? Furthermore, she had the backing of Mingyue Academy. Mei Chaofeng could not afford to offend either side.

At this moment, Xie Xiu stepped forward to mediate. "Please calm down, both of you. Allow me to say something fair. Everyone in Mingyue City knows that the Chu family has always strictly forbidden gambling…"

As he said this, he saw everyone's gaze turn to Zu An, and he paused, catching his breath. "Zu An, after all, isn't a Chu by surname, and he might not yet fully understand their rules since he just joined the family. But as for Miss Chu's character, everyone in Mingyue City should be clear about that by now."

“That’s right, how could Miss Chu possibly cheat?”“Gang Leader Mei, if you can’t pay, don’t slander Miss Chu.”“Exactly, Miss Chu would never do such a thing!”

The surrounding crowd echoed these sentiments, leaving Zu An utterly dumbfounded. "My cheap wife is quite popular, isn't she? So many people like her; it gives me a real sense of crisis."

Xie Xiu continued, "And as everyone knows, I don't have many other special talents apart from eating and drinking… ahem, and I'm quite skilled at gambling. As far as I know, all the gambling tools in all gambling houses under heaven have formations carved by Rune Masters that can block cultivators' spiritual energy detection. Therefore, it's completely impossible for Miss Chu to have cheated by relying on her high cultivation."

Sang Qian cursed Mei Chaofeng inwardly for being useless. Of all the excuses, why accuse Miss Chu? He had to speak up. "That's right, I would even stake my life that Miss Chu would never cheat. She…"

He hadn't finished speaking when Zu An's voice whispered in his ear, "Wifey, if you admit to cheating now, do you think this guy will just kill himself?"

Sang Qian: "…"Xie Xiu: "…"Pang Chun: "…"Mei Chaofeng: "…"

"I was just making polite conversation, and you actually took it seriously? What kind of utterly bizarre son-in-law has the Chu family acquired?"Rage from Sang Qian +213!

At this moment, Chu Chuyan also had a dark expression. "Shut up, don't talk nonsense."

Sang Qian had no choice but to pretend he hadn't heard what was just said and continued. "Wait, where was I? It's all that guy's fault!""Miss Chu would certainly never cheat. However, as for Young Master Zu, I imagine many in the city are aware of his past character and… abilities. It’s absolutely impossible for someone of his talent to win 7.5 million taels in just two hands. So, there’s only one possibility: he must have bribed and colluded with Plum Blossom Seven beforehand, working together to defraud the casino!"He might as well have directly called Zu An a good-for-nothing.

Mei Chaofeng's eyes lit up. "Brilliant!" His previous arguments had indeed been full of holes, but this new one completely negated the legitimacy of the opponent's 7.5 million tael win. Not only did it shift all blame onto Plum Blossom Seven, but it also allowed them to turn the tables and pursue Zu An's responsibility. As expected of someone from the capital, his methods were truly devious!

"Wuwuwu!" Plum Blossom Seven, on the other hand, was utterly terrified, his liver and guts quivering. Why did they keep pinning this mess on him? Unfortunately, his jaw had been dislocated, so despite his urgency, he couldn't utter a word.

*Clap, clap, clap.*

Suddenly, the sound of applause echoed through the casino. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound to see Zu An clapping. "Commander Sang, are you perhaps one of the hidden owners of this Silver Hook Casino?"

Sang Qian's expression changed dramatically. "Nonsense! Slandering an imperial official is a grave crime!"Rage from Sang Qian +200!

"If you're not the owner of Silver Hook Casino, then why have you been speaking on their behalf ever since you arrived?" Zu An asked.

Sang Qian snorted. "My statements were merely reasonable deductions based on facts."

Zu An immediately countered, "You just said it was a deduction. So, based on you constantly speaking up for Mei Chaofeng, can my reasonable deduction that you two are secretly colluding be used as evidence?"

“You!” Sang Qian, his face dark, turned away. "I can't be bothered to argue with someone like you."Rage from Sang Qian +100!

Clearly, he had slowly calmed down. Given his status versus Zu An's, arguing with him was simply too demeaning.

Zu An looked at the plump Pang Chun. "County Lieutenant, with your many years of experience in judging cases, you must be quite clear about the situation here, right?"

Sang Qian also spoke up. "Lord Pang, don't let certain people's threats influence your judgment."

"This…" Pang Chun hesitated, sweat beading on his plump face. He naturally knew what was going on, but the Plum Blossom Gang had been bribing various city departments for years, and their backing had always been mysterious. Now, Sang Qian was clearly protecting them. Could their backer be the Governor himself?