Chapter 1125: Important Person
Zu An had clearly acted so forcefully as a deliberate show of strength. Xu Yu’s men were trying to step all over the Duke Manor. If he didn’t do anything, his subordinates would immediately lose morale. At that point, the other party would only press forward bit by bit.
Those were words he had often heard the arrogant villains in TV shows say. He had always wanted to try it himself. He hadn’t expected to actually get a chance to do so.
I have to admit, it does feel pretty freaking good.
No wonder all those villains loved saying these things!
As for the consequences, he couldn't care less. Xu Yu had been scheming and using underhanded tricks against him. With his current cultivation, if the court criticized him, the fact that the other party had offended the Duke Manor in the first place would be a huge crime, let alone the fact that the Imperial Envoy consisted of his own people anyway. They had absolutely no chance.
Huh? Wait, why do I sound more and more like a villain now?
At first, he thought the other party might resist or shout aggressively. He had already made plans for what to do then. Surprisingly, however, no one disagreed with his actions, as if they had been completely expected.
Fei Xun endured the intense pain and cupped his hands apologetically, saying, “This lowly one has acted too impetuously today and offended the duke. I hope the duke can overlook this matter.”
There would obviously be no need to fear a seriously injured and dying cripple of a duke. But the cultivation the duke had displayed in that instant made it seem as if he hadn’t been injured at all!
Fei Xun had been incited a bit by his superiors, but he wasn’t stupid. How could he continue to clash with the other side in such a situation? He quickly called back his subordinates and left, looking like a sorry sight. As for the arrest of the fiend race criminal, he didn’t dare to say even a single word about that
After the soldiers left, the servants and maids in the manor all rushed toward Zu An, crying, “Duke!”
Their fears and glory were completely tied to their master. The more powerful their duke was, the greater the glory they would feel. Otherwise, they would be completely helpless if random scoundrels tried to take advantage of them.
Someone quickly reported to him about what had happened to Yu Yanluo. Zu An said, “I understand. Summon General Wang, General Li, General Chen … to the manor for a discussion.”
The people he named were all of Jian Yanyou’s remaining trusted aides in the Duke Manor. There were also some people who had good relationships with the Yu clan.
…
After giving out his orders, Zu An then went to the inner courtyard to find Chu Ji. There, Chu Ji was sobbing as she chatted with Maid Xing. She quickly got up and kneeled down when she saw him, crying, “Please save the madam, my duke!”
Zu An supported her back up and said, “I have heard everything that has happened. Do not cry anymore.” Then, he gave Maid Xing a look and asked, “Where are your clansmen hiding? I will first arrange for all of you to leave the city.”
Maid Xing was a bit alarmed. For some reason, she felt as if the other person was somewhat familiar when he talked to her. She was just about to reply when she hesitated. If the duke was deliberately currying favor with her, her clansmen would be in danger.
As Yu Yanluo’s personal maid, she obviously knew that the two of them were only husband and wife in name. Only once before, and quite recently, did the two seem to have slept together. She had asked Yu Yanluo about it after the fact, and she had said that nothing of the sort had happened between them. As such, she worried that the duke might betray them at the most crucial moment.
Chu Ji spoke up just then, saying, “Big Sis Maid Xing, the duke is completely trustworthy.”
Others might not know, but she understood their relationship the best. The madam had even taken the man in to impersonate the duke, so he was definitely trustworthy. She and Liu Ji had made guesses as to his real identity in private, but they had tacitly agreed not to explore it further.
Maid Xing was incredibly shocked. But when she thought about how Chu Ji was the duke’s spouse, there likely weren’t too many problems with what she said. Besides, she really didn’t have many others to ask for help at the moment. As such, she replied, “Recently, life for our clansmen in the north has been too difficult. That was why the madam arranged some work for them on the other side.
“The local products there were used to exchange for daily necessities like food and medicines, but it had to be done in absolute secrecy. Things would become very bad if even the slightest leak occurred. That is why we carefully chose some quick-witted clansmen to come into Cloudcenter Commandery and work in certain businesses. At the same time, we took in some talented clansmen to study human society. That way, they could use their knowledge to improve their hometown.
“The madam was worried that there might be danger, so she did not have our clansmen remain in the Yu clan, instead arranging them in hidden places throughout the city. Now, it seems the madam really had deep foresight.”
Zu An thought to himself, Yu Yanluo was probably also extremely conflicted back then. On one hand, she would have wanted to do everything she could to take care of her clansmen. On the other hand, the fiend races and humans had fought for a millennium, so she would have been worried that it would end up harming her father’s Yu clan.
“Right, where is Uncle Fu? Are you able to contact him?” he asked. The elder who had driven Yu Yanluo’s carriage in the past appeared in his mind. Uncle Fu’s cultivation was quite formidable. With his help, Yu Yanluo wouldn’t have been captured so easily.
“The madam arranged for him to deal with some goods that were stolen in the neighboring commandery. It should be about time for him to return. As long as we can leave the city, I have ways to contact him,” Maid Xing replied.
Chu Ji said, “But the entire city is locked down right now, so it will be difficult to leave the city. Furthermore, the duke is also someone who is being watched carefully. He will also be in great danger if he uses his name to bring all of you out of the city.”
Maid Xing felt conflicted and quickly said, “I would not dare to have the duke take such a risk. Whether or not we can leave the city is a small matter. However, I earnestly request for the duke to save the madam.”
Zu An thought for a bit, then replied, “Do not panic. I will save the madam, and I will try to find a way to send all of you out as well. You should first contact the clansmen left in the city so they do not end up exposing themselves in their alarm. It would be much more difficult to save them then. Maid Xing, you should not show yourself since everyone is searching for you right now.”
Chu Ji said, “Then I will contact them.”
Zu An gave her a look and replied, “Be careful. I am sure that there are people watching our Duke Manor right now.”
Chu Ji blushed when she sensed his concern. She lowered her head in embarrassment and said, “Do not worry. I have been trained in these matters before; it should be okay.”
Zu An nodded. After they exchanged a few more words, someone arrived to report to Zu An that the generals were already rushing over.
“They have already started moving that quickly?” Zu An was surprised. Soon afterward, however, he found out that after something had happened to Yu Yanluo, many had subconsciously chosen to consult with him, so they had ended up bumping into each other over the same matter.
…
Zu An thus carried out a discussion with the generals in a private room. Soon afterward, a group of people left with grave expressions. A short time later, several armies gathered outside the city domineeringly.
In order to keep the other force in check, the main forces of the Martial Affairs Manor were practically all stationed on the city outskirts. The city guards were all nervous, guarding the gates carefully. At the same time, they issued reports to Xu Yu.
But Xu Yu wasn’t in the mood to deal with those matters right now. ‘Jian Yanyou’ and his generals had arrived with their respective personal troops.
Xu Yu had his subordinates make preparations, while he himself greeted the party at the entrance with a smile. He remarked, “Is the duke not supposed to be resting? I did not expect you to have recovered so quickly.”
Xiao Yao also stood next to him while holding his sword, clearly on guard against any sudden attacks. Sang Hong had also rushed over when he heard the news.
Zu An’s gaze scanned over those present and he said coldly, “This world might already have been flipped on its head if I had still not made an appearance.”
Xu Yu shook his head and replied, “In the end, this world is the Great Zhou Dynasty and his majesty’s world. It cannot be changed.”
Zu An knew Xu Yu was saying that on purpose to pressure him using the court and the emperor. He said indifferently, “I, Jian Yanyou, consider myself to have lived cautiously and conscientiously all these years. Even though I do not claim to have made heroic contributions to the court, I have done my fair share. However, why is Sir Xu unable to distinguish between right and wrong, arresting my very own wife?!”
Xu Yu replied, “The duke misunderstands. This official has no intention of going against the duke. The reason why we must capture Yu Yanluo is only because she is the Medusa, a fiend race individual who has been hiding in human society!”
The ordinary soldiers on Zu An’s side looked at each other in dismay when they heard that. They had only known that Yu Yanluo had been captured previously, but hadn’t known the exact reason. When they heard she was the Medusa, they all had confused expressions.
The generals frowned. They hadn’t really believed the rumors they had heard previously. They hadn’t expected that to really be the reason.
“A bunch of nonsense!” Zu An roared. “Do you think I could not even distinguish whether my wife was a human or a fiend for myself? Would I need an outsider to tell me?”
His subordinates all nodded when they heard that. The small disturbance quickly fell silent. In their opinion, those accusations had just been made arbitrarily by Xu Yu.
Xu Yu replied, “The fiend races have always been crafty; it is not strange at all to have been deceived. To be honest, I am ashamed to have been fooled by Madam Yu’s beauty myself, and only recently did I discover the truth. The duke does not need to concern yourself over such things. Bring out the proof for the duke to see.”
Zu An obviously knew what the proof was. If he allowed it to be shown, his troops’ morale would drop. He raised his hand and stopped Xu Yu, replying, “There is no need! From the years we have spent together, I know what kind of person my own wife is. She normally would not even harm a chicken; she would shed tears if an ant were accidentally trampled. She is such a kindhearted woman, and yet you all accuse her of being a fiend race individual? What a joke! Even if there is any proof, it was definitely forged!”
When all the soldiers recalled Yu Yanluo’s unmatched grace and the warmth she treated others with, all of them voiced their grievances. Let alone the ordinary soldiers, even the generals refused to believe that Yu Yanluo was some Medusa.
Xu Yu frowned and said, “According to what I know, the duke and the madam are only husband and wife in name; the two of you do not live together. It is natural for you to not know her true self.”
Many people immediately began to whisper among each other. Only a few people had known Jian Yanyou and Yu Yanluo’s true relationship. When the others found out that the two were only husband and wife in name, many of them were extremely shocked.
Some of the officials even began to breathe harder. These two weren’t even really husband and wife? Then didn’t that mean Yu Yanluo was still a virgin? Didn’t that mean they still had a chance? However, they all felt worried when they thought about how Yu Yanluo might be the Medusa.
“Hmph, you should stop trying to sow dissent regarding our relationship,” Zu An replied. “The reason why we have lived apart is because we are both leaders of our clans, and we have many things to take care of. That has never affected our feelings for each other, and we meet in private often. I definitely know more about her than Sir Xu.”
Since both sides were sticking to their own story, Zu An’s subordinates obviously trusted what the duke said. Meanwhile, Xu Yu’s faction believed in him more. Both sides were stuck at an impasse.
Xu Yu’s face darkened. He replied, “Commandery Duke, could it be that you are insisting on shielding a fiend race individual?”
“Do not try to attack me with random accusations. I am merely trying to save my innocent wife!” Zu An exclaimed, appearing behind him. The guards behind him drew their longswords. A harsh and austere mood rapidly swept through the place. “I am going to bring the madam back today. If anyone stands in my way, do not blame me for being merciless!”