Chapter 1885: Keep the Goodies Within the Family
The king manor guards opened their mouths as if they wanted to say something. But when they saw Liu Jinxin’s miserable end, no one dared to say a thing. In the end, no one wanted to be like that unfortunate soul. All of them pushed and shoved each other as they tried to run away.
Zu An wasn’t a fan of slaughter, so he didn’t make things difficult for the lesser troops. When he looked at the mess and blood everywhere, he said with a frown, “Sorry, I’ve made a mess of your courtyard.”
After saying that, with a flick of his finger, a wisp of White Lotus Flame flew over to the corpse, quickly burning it until there was nothing left.
Murong Qinghe’s eye twitched when she saw that. She knew Zu An had to have burned away corpses many times before, considering how proficient he was at it.
Chu Youzhao couldn't help but say worriedly, “Brother-in-law, now that you’ve killed King Jin’s guard captain, things will be really troublesome now.”
Murong Qinghe added, “One should be responsible for one's actions. Just say I did it; we can't involve big brother Zu. I’ll be leaving the city soon. At that time, they won’t be able to catch me either."
Chu Youzhao couldn't help but hold her hands, saying, “You’re all alone now, and it’s really dangerous outside!”
“I actually shouldn’t have come back, but I just couldn't bear to… bear to leave big brother Chu. I wanted to see you, but I only caused trouble for everyone,” Murong Qinghe said; her expression was both annoyed and apologetic.
“Is there a need to talk about all of this between us?” Chu Youzhao replied as she held her hands tightly and wouldn’t let go. She couldn't help but cry too when she thought about how they’d have to live apart from each other from now on.
Zu An found this emotional moment of holding hands and shedding tears a bit amusing. He asked, “What kind of tragic story are you making up in your heads? He’s nothing more than a king manor guard. If he’s been killed, then so be it. What’s the big deal with that?”
“But he isn’t an ordinary king manor’s captain; he's the guard captain of King Jin Manor! Isn’t this the same as publicly striking King Jin in the face?” Chu Youzhao exclaimed in a panic. “King Jin definitely won’t let you go, and the court won’t just let this matter end either.”
Zu An thought to himself, Is King Jin’s face even worth as much as the crown prince’s bottom? He had even given the crown prince a vicious beating, so why would he fear some King Jin? He replied, “Don’t worry, just leave the aftermath to me. If I say it’s okay, then it’s okay.”
The two young women felt a bit more relieved when they heard him say that. However, there was still worry in their expressions.
Zu An looked around and said, “Still, staying here isn’t too appropriate. Why don't the two of you follow me back to my place?”
The Qin manor was already in tatters. The safety of this place was hard to guarantee.
Chu Youzhao’s eyes lit up. Didn’t that mean she could live together with her brother-in-law now? She replied, “Okay!”
Murong Qinghe was also a bit moved. That way, she could live under the same roof as big brother Chu. Just the thought of a blissful life together filled her eyes with expectation. However, she said, “But I'm currently a criminal. Wouldn’t I be involving big brother Zu this way?"
“It’s fine. It shouldn’t be too big of an issue for me to shelter the two of you now," Zu An replied.
When she looked at his large and tall figure, Murong Qinghe’s face turned a bit red.
Big brother Zu really gives off a mysterious sense of safety. He’s so handsome too… If it weren’t because I grew up with big brother Chu, I might even like…
Pah pah pah! Murong Qinghe, Murong Qinghe, when did you become someone so fickle? Big brother Chu is clearly the best in this entire world!
When they saw that Zu An was about to bring the two women away, the Qin clan’s guards asked with sullen expressions, “What will we do if you leave, Sir Zu? What if King Jin Manor comes looking for us again…”
“Just tell them the truth of what happened. If they want to look for me, they can come straight for me,” Zu An said. Afterward, he thought to himself for a bit and said, “Take good care of the Qin clan’s people. I'll send some people over after a while to help you protect the Qin clan.”
The current state of the Qin clan was definitely no good. If some bandits came to loot the Qin clan and harmed the women, that would be bad.
The Qin clan guards immediately became overjoyed. They exclaimed, “Sir Zu is righteous and great! Thank you, Sir Zu!’
The Qin clan’s masters had been captured, and their young masters were as well. The entire clan’s people had been alarmed, and many had already run. As for the massive Qin manor, they didn’t have enough manpower and couldn't protect this place. Now that they had Sir Zu’s help, they could at least stabilize the Qin manor again.
Zu An nodded. He took the two women and headed toward his own marquis manor.
…
“Brother-in-law, thank you so much, really,” Chu Youzhao said, rubbing her eyes. The Qin clan had suddenly experienced an unexpected calamity. She had racked her brains for anything and everything she could do day after day, but the Qin clan was still full of weaknesses. Now that big brother Zu had returned, everything would be easily solved.
“I'm only doing what I should,” Zu An said with a chuckle.
Chu Youzhao thought to herself, What do you mean, doing what you should?
Big sis already divorced him, and the Qin clan has nothing to do with him. Also, the Qin clan has never been that nice to him. Could it be that brother-in-law did all of this for me?
Her cheeks immediately began burning red when she thought of that.
Zu An looked at Murong Qinghe and asked, “Little sister Qinghe, weren’t you with the army back then? Why did you suddenly become a criminal?”
Murong Qinghe’s eyes immediately turned red when she heard that. She said while choking with emotion, “After what happened to his majesty on Golden Peak, eventually, the civil and military officials finally broke through the mountain protecting formation. However, all they saw was an expanse of ruins. A great battle had clearly taken place, and there was blood everywhere. His majesty was also nowhere to be seen. Later, the officials searched around Golden Peak for a whole month and saw that even Zhuxie Chixin’s jade identity token had fallen there. It was covered in blood, suggesting that the situation boded ill for him. Along the way, they found the broken weapons of the other guards. His majesty never appeared either. Even the ministers who had the most faith in his majesty’s unparalleled cultivation began to waver. After reviewing the situation, they suspected that it was a plan set up by King Qi, and that he had invited the other experts to kill his majesty there together. As for who those people were, they didn’t know, but they suspected that the daoists had joined in. Afterward, they began to investigate this. My father is the Supervisor of Attendants and bears responsibility for his majesty’s safety, so he was the first one to be blamed and thrown into prison.”
Even though she had spent a lot of her time in the army and thus had a bit of unruliness in her nature, she was still just a young lady in the end. After experiencing everything that had happened to the clan, how could she still hold on? She was already sobbing as she explained what happened.
Zu An’s brows furrowed slightly. He said, “It really is ridiculous. Everyone knows that the position of Supervisor of Attendants is just an empty title, and only one of the nine ministers in name. What does it have to do with General Murong?!”
The Supervisor of Attendants had been in charge of the Imperial Palace’s guards in the past, and had been responsible for the emperor’s safety. It was an important position that the common people had admired and revered. But as the years went on, the position gradually became an empty one. Its authority was gradually dispersed among the left and right guard generals, as well as others. Transferring Murong Tong from the position of Security Officer to Supervisor of Attendants was a transfer to an equivalent position, or perhaps even a promotion, on paper; but in reality, he had been given a useless role.
Murong Qinghe rubbed her eyes and said, “Everyone knows that, but what can we do about the fact that grandfather was a part of King Qi’s faction? This time, it was King Qi who arranged this assassination of his majesty. King Qi can't be found, so someone has to take responsibility. My grandfather just happened to be the Supervisor of Attendants, and because of his upright and outspoken nature, he offended a lot of people in the past. That was why he ended up becoming a scapegoat.”
“Then why did you run and become a wanted criminal?” Zu An asked curiously.
Murong Qinghe pursed her lips and said, “When the soldiers came to arrest him, my grandfather already knew that the Murong clan was finished. He didn’t want me to experience a tragic end, so he found a chance to send me away.”
Zu An nodded. Murong Tong was a bit irritable, but he was smart. He knew that he had become a scapegoat and wouldn’t have a good end. If Murong Qinghe were also imprisoned, she would likely also have to endure all sorts of inhuman tortures and interrogations. A pretty girl like that could even experience other dangers. In the end, she would probably have her cultivation crippled and be thrown into the government brothel, thus spending the rest of her life in suffering. Murong Tong had doted on his granddaughter a lot in the past, so how could he let her experience such a thing? As such, he had thought of a way to help her break out.
“You shouldn’t have returned to the capital and failed to live up to your grandfather’s hard work,” Zu An said with a sigh.
Murong Qinghe wiped the tears from her face. She replied, “The entire Murong clan is suffering, so how can I drift and live without purpose, without a clear conscience? The reason I came back to the capital was to see if there was a way to save the Murong clan’s people.”
When he looked at Murong Qinghe’s tattered clothes, as well as her haggard, dust and blood-covered face, Zu An knew that she had experienced a lot of hardship as of late. He sighed and said, “With your cultivation, you likely wouldn’t be able to save them, and would only be throwing away your own life pointlessly.”
“If I couldn't save them, then at worst I’d just die with them. The Murong clan’s people, whether they're men or women, have never feared death,” Murong Qinghe said. Even though she was young, there was a resolute expression on her face.
Zu An couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration. This young lady had a unique heroic spirit to her.
Chu Youzhao tugged his sleeves and asked, “Brother-in-law, can you help out Little Qinghe? She's just too pitiful.”
Murong Qinghe’s face blushed when she heard the nickname. She said, “Big brother Chu, the Murong clan’s crisis is too great. I can't trouble big brother Zu.”
She knew that after his majesty’s assassination, there had to be some kind of explanation for it all. Meanwhile, their Murong clan was disliked by too many people, so they had clearly become the best choice. Whether it was the emperor’s faction or King Qi’s faction, both of them intended to use the Murong clan to appease the world. How could that be something a single person could change?
Zu An thought for a bit, then said seriously, “There's no need for little sister Qinghe to be too worried. The situation might not be as bad as you think. You can stay at my place in peace for now. I’ll try to see if I can save the Murong clan.”
“Is there really a way?” Murong Qinghe asked. She had already been completely discouraged, but when she heard that, her eyes immediately shone brilliantly. She kneeled down in front of him and said, “If Sir Zu can save the Murong clan, the Murong clan will definitely remember this favor. Murong Qinghe will also work like an ox or horse for you in this life to repay big brother’s grace.”
Zu An couldn't help but reply mockingly, “Shouldn’t you say that you’ll devote your life in this kind of situation? Is it because you can’t bear to leave our family’s Youzhao?”
Murong Qinghe’s face paled. She did have strong feelings for Chu Youzhao and had reflexively spoken that way to avoid mentioning that. But compared to the safety of her clan, what did her own happiness matter? As such, she immediately said, “If big brother Zu doesn’t mind this poor figure of mine, for you I will…” She suddenly felt sour inside, and teardrops filled her eyes in the middle of her sentence.
Zu An was startled and quickly stopped her, saying, “I was joking with you. Why are you treating it as if I was being serious? It’s my rotten mouth that’s to blame; you don’t have to take it to heart at all.”
Chu Youzhao said with a big smile, “Little Qinghe, don’t mind it too much. Brother-in-law and I are one family, and I don’t even mind. We can all just happily live together!”
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