Chapter 9: Framing

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Volume 1: First Entry into a Different World

Zu An calmly replied, "I know full well that I committed such a beastly act, truly deserving of death. So when Second Miss found me last night, to cleanse myself of my sins, I offered no resistance, allowing her to whip me with the Whip of Wailing until I had endured eight lashes. Only then did I finally gain her forgiveness."

Everyone around secretly cursed his shamelessness. "No resistance, my foot!" they thought. "If Second Miss truly wanted to hit you, could a good-for-nothing like you avoid it by resisting?"

Chu Zhongtian and his wife then looked at the stretcher Zu An was on and the bloodstains on his body. Yue Shan, standing nearby, reported, "Reporting to Master, the son-in-law said he was severely injured by the Whip of Wailing and couldn't get out of bed, so your subordinate carried him here."

"Huanzhao?" Mrs. Chu was startled, then thought of her daughter's temperament and said, annoyed, "This is utterly preposterous."

A strange expression also flickered across Chu Zhongtian's face. "My dear, we held this meeting today precisely because of Huanzhao. Now that Huanzhao has personally punished him, perhaps we should just let this matter go?" Remembering what his daughter told him yesterday, he actually understood that there must be a reason for this matter and that Zu An couldn't be entirely blamed. However, with his wife in a rage and other family branches instigating, he had to convene this clan meeting merely for appearances.

Hearing this, Zu An immediately felt a surge of goodwill. "What a good father-in-law, truly hard to find even with a lantern!"

Before Mrs. Chu could reply, a harsh male voice rang out, "Brother, what you say is wrong! Our Chu family has always been known for its strict family discipline; we've never had such a scandal. If we trivialized this matter now, where would our Chu family's reputation stand? Do you know how many rumors are circulating outside, saying this boy sleeps with both sisters? If we don't punish him, wouldn't we be encouraging such depravity?"

The speaker was a somber-faced middle-aged man sitting below Chu Zhongtian. His two dark eye circles were particularly striking. He gently fanned himself with a fan. As Zu An recalled, this was Chu Tiesheng, from the Chu family's second branch. Chu Chuyan would call him second uncle.

"Second Uncle, what are you saying? He didn't actually do anything to me that night!" At that moment, a beautiful young woman rushed out from the back hall. Her spirited appearance in a tight leather outfit seemed to add a touch of warmth to the cold ancestral hall.

Chu Zhongtian hastily said, "Huanzhao, what are you doing out here? Go back inside quickly."

"Why are you being so fierce? Don't lose your temper with a child!" Mrs. Chu glared fiercely at her husband, then looked at her daughter, her face instantly breaking into a beaming smile. "Huanzhao, dear, don't listen to your father. Come to me, and tell me what really happened."

Chu Zhongtian gave an awkward smile. No one else showed any surprise, clearly accustomed to such occurrences.

Chu Huanzhao pointed the whip in her hand at Zu An on the ground. "Mother, I did indeed hit him with the Whip of Wailing last night, and I promised to forgive his actions that night. I don't want to go back on my word."

Zu An secretly gave her a thumbs-up. This girl, though a bit of a sadist, is quite honorable in her agreements.

"Niece, you are still too young; you don't understand the wickedness of the world. Anyone else punishing Zu An would be fine, but it cannot be you. If word gets out, people will only assume you genuinely suffered at his hands. As an unmarried young lady, how could you bear such a bad reputation?" said a plump, prosperous-looking man from the other side. Although he wasn't smiling as he spoke, his fleshy cheeks made his eyes narrow into slits, causing people to subconsciously think he was smiling, making it hard to feel any ill will towards him.

In his hand, he toyed with a gleaming, golden abacus, its exquisite craftsmanship making one wonder if it was pure gold.

Zu An recognized this smiling tiger as Chu Yuepo, the third uncle of the Chu family. He couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. Why did both side branches of the family want to kill him so badly? On the surface, he was just a useless son-in-law; whom had he provoked?

At this moment, Miss Pei, Pei Mianman, suddenly whispered to Chu Chuyan beside her, "Isn't the Whip of Wailing rumored to amplify pain tenfold? Could your husband be a hidden master?"

Although her voice was low, it was loud enough for everyone in the hall to hear. Zu An couldn't help but curse inwardly, "This woman smiles so gently, yet she's so devious and spiteful. What a total 'green tea bitch' act!"

Chu Chuyan frowned slightly, but Xue'er, standing behind her, was quick to answer, "He's not even a martial artist, so how could he be a master?"

At this, Chu Tiesheng of the second branch's eyes lit up, and he hastily said to Chu Zhongtian and his wife, "Brother-in-law, Sister-in-law, the power of the Whip of Wailing is well-known. Even you and I would likely find it hard to endure eight lashes. How could an ordinary person possibly do so?"

Chu Zhongtian and Mrs. Chu exchanged a glance. To be honest, they also found it hard to believe. At this point, Chu Huanzhao, who was standing nearby, became anxious. "I really did hit him eight times! Are you saying I'm lying?"

"Reporting to the family head, Second Miss naturally wouldn't lie. However, she has always been kind-hearted, so she most likely held back when whipping, not putting much force into it. Therefore, Zu An's injuries are not as severe as he claims. My nose was just broken by a punch from him; he's incredibly strong, hardly looking injured at all," said Diao Yang, choosing his moment to kick someone when they're down. That's why he hadn't mentioned this earlier.

Many people in the room looked strange. "Second Miss is kind-hearted? How can you say something so against your conscience! In all these years, who has ever seen her hold back when using a whip?" However, today's events were genuinely rather bizarre. Could it be that she had some feelings for her brother-in-law?

Chu Tiesheng seized the opportunity to say, "Now the facts are very clear. Zu An, having committed such a shameful act, not only shows no remorse but also exploited Huanzhao's kindness and innocence to try and escape punishment. We urge the family head to severely punish him as a warning to others."

Chu Zhongtian's expression was uncertain, clearly weighing his options. Zu An secretly thought, "This is bad!" Just as he was about to speak, a servant suddenly rushed in.

"Reporting to Master and Madam," the servant gasped, "there's a woman outside causing a ruckus, insisting on seeing the son-in-law. She's already drawn quite a crowd."

"A woman?" Mrs. Chu was taken aback. "Which family in the city is she from?"

Even Chu Chuyan, who had been as still as a mountain, felt a touch of curiosity. "Does Zu An know other women?"

Zu An was even more bewildered. "Does this guy have some confidante or something? But why can't I remember anything at all?"

Only Xue'er, standing behind her, had a faint smile play on her lips. "Unexpectedly, you survived such severe injuries last night. Thankfully, I had other preparations."

Seeing Madam's inquiry, the servant stammered, "She's from the House of Joyous Red."

At these words, everyone burst into an uproar. Who in the city didn't know what kind of place the House of Joyous Red was?

"What kind of behavior is this, making a ruckus outside? Let her in!" Mrs. Chu scoffed coldly, a hint of uncontrollable fury already in her tone.

Soon, a heavily made-up woman, swaying her hips, walked in. Upon seeing Zu An from afar, she rushed towards him, wailing loudly, "You heartless wretch! When you were done playing, you didn't pay me because you said you'd take me in as your concubine immediately upon your return, and that I could be sisters with the young ladies of the Chu manor! That's why I agreed! How could you abandon me like this?"

Xue'er twirled a small braid around her finger, her eyes crescent-shaped with delight. "Let's see you get out of this alive! No one but the parties involved would know if such a thing truly happened. So even if you deny it, no one will believe you, unless you publicly expose the fact that you are impotent. But once that's exposed, it would be an even greater scandal. Either way, you definitely won't be able to remain the son-in-law. Young Master, you will soon get what you wished for."

The entire ancestral hall once again fell into an eerie silence. Members of the second and third branches stopped speaking, as there was no longer any need for them to say anything.

Chu Zhongtian, who had been secretly speaking up for Zu An, was now also enraged. What was the status of his Chu family's daughter? And now, a low-class prostitute was openly claiming to be sisters with Chuyan! This was truly a great humiliation! And Zu An was the instigator of all this!

"You scoundrel, what more do you have to say?" Mrs. Chu's eyes, fixed on Zu An, seemed to spit fire.

Rage from Chu Zhongtian: 78!Rage from Qin Wanru: 300!

Zu An couldn't help but wonder how this guy had managed to live so long before. Since he transmigrated here, how many people had wanted him dead? He had no idea which faction hired this prostitute to deal with him – the second branch, the third branch? Or was it Miss Pei? It seems that living off a woman isn't so easy after all.

He calmly looked at the heavily made-up woman and asked, "What's your name again?"

"Oh, you heartless man, don't even think about pretending you don't know me! You used to call me 'Chunhua' so affectionately every day, and now you claim to have forgotten?" the courtesan sneered.

Zu An didn't argue. Instead, he said with a smile, "Oh, my dear Chunhua, haven't I been busy these past two days, my mind a bit muddled? By the way, how much do I owe you for your services?"

"What 'services payment'? Don't put it so crudely!" Chunhua waved her red handkerchief and "coyly" complained, "You stayed with me for well over half a month, on and off. That adds up to at least 20... erm, no, 30 taels of silver."

At these words, everyone present felt contempt. Zu An would even fancy such a cheap prostitute? Is he truly so desperate?

"Thirty taels?" Zu An nodded. "Not expensive, not at all expensive. How about this: I'll give you 300 taels, and the rest will be your betrothal gift."

This time, even the people from the second and third branches gasped in shock. "Is this guy trying to get himself killed?" They quickly looked at Chu Zhongtian, seeing that both he and his wife had turned pale.

Miss Pei also watched him with interest. For some reason, she felt there was something strange about this guy.

"Really?" Chunhua's face lit up with joy.

"Of course it's real," Zu An continued, looking at Chu Chuyan. "My dear wife, I'm a bit short on cash right now. Could you lend me 300 taels of silver for now?"

Everyone in the hall looked at him as if he were insane. He's paying for a prostitute and asking his own wife to foot the bill? What is this guy thinking? Chu Chuyan will probably tear him apart on the spot!

To everyone's surprise, Chu Chuyan simply nodded. "Very well. Someone, bring 300 taels."

Everyone was utterly bewildered. They couldn't fathom why this was happening. Even Pei Mianman stared at her in astonishment. Was this still the close friend she knew?

Mrs. Chu was about to erupt, but Chu Zhongtian, standing next to her, discreetly pressed her hand and subtly gestured towards their daughter. Mrs. Chu couldn't help but frown, deciding to observe the situation for now.

Zu An secretly gave a thumbs-up. "My wife is indeed incredibly intelligent! In this whole room, the only one who knows I'm innocent is probably Chu Chuyan. After all, she personally witnessed that moment of my... incapability, so she naturally wouldn't believe I'd visit a brothel. Huh, why do I suddenly feel like tears are about to stream down my face when I think about that?"

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