Chapter 271

Sun Chu picked up his chopsticks and reached for a slice of home-style tofu.

“Miss Su, there’s no need to be so nervous. Let’s talk while we eat.”

Su Xuerong was so anxious that she couldn’t settle down at all, much less eat.

She poured two cups of tea and handed one to Sun Chu.

“If Young Master Sun has no sincerity, then there’s no need for us to continue talking.”

As long as she wanted to escape, even if Su Chengzong blocked every possible route, she could still find another way out!

Sun Chu picked up a slice of tofu and placed it in Su Xuerong’s bowl.

“I am Sun Chu, the owner of the Thousand Gold Gambling House, and the man who is about to become Miss Su’s brother-in-law. Meeting you and saving you was purely accidental. I came to Wanfu Temple to investigate you and see whether I could recruit you to help extinguish the flames of war before they spread through Ningzhou City. If war breaks out, my gambling house and restaurant will be the first to be looted.”

With that, he gave Su Xuerong an explosive piece of news.

Su Chengzong had forced him into an alliance by marriage, offering Su Rui to him and ordering him to bring the betrothal gifts to the Su residence five days later.

The news startled Chun Tao so badly that she choked on her saliva and coughed several times in a row, drawing the attention of the guards in the distance.

Su Xuerong also widened her eyes and stared at Sun Chu in disbelief.

“You’re a homosexual?”

No matter how she looked at him, this man didn’t seem to be interested in men!

Besides, was Su Chengzong insane?

He was actually willing to sell both a son and a daughter to Sun Chu as playthings, all for the sake of money!

Sun Chu avoided her question and repeated the one he had asked earlier.

“Miss Su, you know that General Su is walking down a dead-end road. Why don’t you try to persuade him?”

After learning that Sun Chu was also a victim of Su Chengzong, Su Xuerong’s tension eased considerably, and her thoughts became clearer.

“Before I answer your question, Young Master Sun, allow me to ask you one.”

“Go ahead, Miss Su.”

“If the only way to stop the war is to kill my father, what would you do?”

“Then kill him. I hate being forced to do things I don’t want to do, and I hate people coveting my property!”

The instant he finished speaking, Sun Chu casually flung his chopsticks.

They sank three inches into one of the pavilion’s pillars.

Su Xuerong hadn’t expected Sun Chu’s martial arts skills to be so formidable. Shocked, she answered the question he had posed.

“I won’t persuade him because I want him dead.”

Since they had laid everything out in the open, there was no point in hiding anything anymore.

Hearing such treasonous words, Chun Tao wished she could rush into the pavilion and cover Su Xuerong’s mouth.

“Ahem, Miss, please watch what you say.”

She couldn’t understand why her mistress was being so honest with Young Master Sun when they had only met that very day.

Su Xuerong ignored Chun Tao and stared at Sun Chu in confusion.

“With your skills, killing my father would be effortless. Why would you rather submit to his demands than take action?”

If that scoundrel were dead, she wouldn’t have to risk her life to escape.

Sun Chu was beginning to feel hungry. After eating a few mouthfuls, he looked at Su Xuerong.

Her expression was calm, but beneath her eyes churned a sea of hatred.

He set down his chopsticks and explained, “Su Chengzong hasn’t publicly revealed his intention to become emperor. At present, he is still the commander of the garrison in Ningzhou City, not a rebel. If I kill him, not only will the emperor execute my entire clan, but Su Chengzong’s men will also hunt me down. I’d die right here in Ningzhou City.”

Killing someone was easy. Cleaning up the aftermath was hard.

Besides, killing Su Chengzong alone wouldn’t be enough. Every one of his followers would have to be eliminated as well.

Otherwise, after Su Chengzong’s death, those who coveted his position would clash with one another, throwing Ningzhou City into chaos.

Su Xuerong understood the implication behind Sun Chu’s words.

Now she also understood why he had chosen to cooperate with her to resolve the disaster Su Chengzong had caused.

She often entered and left the military headquarters. Not only did she know which people belonged to Su Chengzong, but she could also obtain the military deployment maps and wipe out all the rebels in one stroke!

Remembering how she had suspected that Sun Chu was working with Su Chengzong to scheme against her and marry her, Su Xuerong almost laughed.

She had actually misjudged him for once.

“What are you planning to do, Young Master Sun? What do you need me to do? And what benefits will I receive?”

Sun Chu looked at Su Xuerong, who had regained her composure, and asked, “You’re not Su Chengzong’s biological daughter, are you?”

His words exploded in Su Xuerong’s mind like a thunderclap.

She instinctively denied it. “What nonsense are you spouting?”

Outside the pavilion, Chun Tao could barely remain standing.

Countless methods of silencing someone forever flashed through her mind, only to be suppressed in the end.

Sun Chu’s martial arts were too powerful. She couldn’t kill him.

Sun Chu watched as Su Xuerong struggled to conceal her emotions, yet could no longer maintain her calm. The corners of his lips lifted slightly.

“Miss ​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‍Su, I have no ill intentions toward you. I hope you’ll be sincere with me. That’s the only way we can discuss cooperation.”

“You should know that if I hadn’t given you the pill to treat your heart condition, you would already be dead.”

Su Xuerong hated being threatened as well. Her mood soured, and she let out a cold snort.

“If you hadn’t charged toward the carriage, I wouldn’t have collided with you, and I wouldn’t have fallen ill and lost consciousness.”

Sun Chu recalled the scene in which he had saved Su Xuerong.

The way she had emerged from the carriage indeed hadn’t looked like she had simply fallen out from its momentum.

But what did that have to do with him?

He had no ability to see the future. Was saving someone now a mistake?

“Why don’t you say I shouldn’t have stopped the carriage at all? Should I have let it run over even more commoners?”

Su Xuerong knew that Sun Chu hadn’t done anything wrong, nor had he said anything wrong.

She had only argued because her emotions had gotten the better of her.

Rubbing her temples, her mind in disarray, she asked Sun Chu, “What exactly are you trying to do?”

Sun Chu picked up his chopsticks again and continued eating as he spoke.

“When I came to Ningzhou City, I passed through Haixi Commandery and encountered a wealthy merchant who was migrating south with his entire family. They were escorted by twenty members of an escort agency.

“The officials disguised themselves as bandits and robbed them. The escort guards were slaughtered, and all the young women were assaulted.”

Su Xuerong could not bear hearing about women being violated.

She asked angrily, “Were those soldiers my father’s men?”

“They were.”

“How do you know? What happened to the merchant’s family? And those women… what happened to them?”

“The merchant’s family encountered officials who were escorting the Qi family. Those officials arrived in time and slaughtered the bandits, sparing the women from being violated.

“The officials also learned from the bandits that Su Chengzong had taken control of the prefect and provincial governor and had rebelled.

“Moreover, there are many soldiers disguised as bandits, and countless civilians suffer every day.

“Worse still, Su Chengzong specifically selects traveling merchants carrying banknotes, lures them into the city, and murders them for their money.”

The more Su Xuerong listened, the colder her heart became.

After learning that Su Chengzong intended to rebel, she had focused all her thoughts on faking her death.

She had never imagined that he was even more vicious than she had expected.

“If you knew something had happened in Ningzhou City, why did you come here of your own accord?”

Meeting Su Xuerong’s sharp gaze, Sun Chu gave an answer that was only half true.

“The last thing merchants want to see is a time of chaos. If Su Chengzong succeeds in carving out a kingdom for himself, others will follow his example, and the entire Beichen Kingdom will descend into disorder. His ambition must be strangled before it can take root.

“I took the risk of entering the city to help Qi Yanzhou kill Su Chengzong, stabilize the situation in Beichen, and ensure that I still have a market for my businesses. As a bonus, I’ll make him owe me a favor.”

Naturally, he wasn’t about to reveal his true relationship with Qi Yanzhou.

Otherwise, the emperor might set his sights on him and seize the commercial empire he had built over the past three years!

Su Xuerong found Sun Chu’s explanation logical and well supported, so she believed him.

After all, Qi Yanzhou was very likely to become the next ruler.

His favor was harder to obtain than ten thousand taels of gold—worth taking the risk!

She asked, “Young Master Sun, why do you think I’m not Su Chengzong’s biological daughter?”

By no longer calling him “Father,” she had admitted that Sun Chu’s guess was correct.

Fifteen years.

Her mother and she had worked so hard to keep this secret for so long. They had even managed to fool Su Chengzong, yet they had failed to deceive an outsider.

Sun Chu told Su Xuerong all the clues he had uncovered.

“None of these can prove anything, but they do show that you’re not some obedient little lady. You’ve been pretending in front of Su Chengzong all along. So I threw out a brick to attract jade and tested you.”

Su Xuerong suddenly understood. Sun Chu had used one probing question after another to force her true nature to reveal itself.

“As expected of a merchant known as a ‘business prodigy.’ When it comes to calculating people’s hearts, I’m no match for you.”

Sun Chu smiled. “I’m nowhere near that level. I can’t compare to even a tenth of those in the royal family, official households, and great clans.”

Then, to ease the atmosphere, he teased, “To be honest, Miss Su, I did consider using a honey trap on you to turn you to our side. I even thought about capturing you and forcing you to compromise. I just didn’t expect that before I had the chance to do anything, Heaven would deliver an even better method right to our doorstep.”

Su Xuerong raised her delicate brows. “Young Master Sun thinks rather highly of me.”

“Anyone who can become the person Su Chengzong cares about most deserves to be valued.”

“He has never cared about anyone but himself. Back to the matter at hand—how do you plan to deal with Su Chengzong? What do you need me to do? And what benefit will I receive?”

“Actually, I’m only following orders. Qi Yanzhou has sent one of his men to Ningzhou City. Why don’t you bring a gift to Thousand Gold Gambling House in the name of thanking me and go meet him?”

Su Xuerong nodded. “I’ll bring a gift and pay him a visit on time during the hour of Shen.”

“Good. Eat up. The food’s going to get cold.”

Sun Chu had not expected the vegetarian food at Ten Thousand Blessings Temple to be so delicious.

By the time he put down his chopsticks, he had finished all three dishes and the soup.

As he was leaving, Su Xuerong suddenly asked, “Young Master Sun, you agreed to deliver betrothal gifts to the Su residence five days from now. Is there some deeper meaning behind that timing?”

“Miss Su, you should save that question for Zhang Zhou—the one working for Qi Yanzhou.”

With that, Sun Chu left the pavilion.

Chun Tao immediately entered the pavilion and stared at Su Xuerong with wide eyes.

“Miss, how could you tell Young Master Sun everything?”

Thinking of the one and only time in her life she had acted on impulse, Su Xuerong smiled. “It’s a gamble, but I have nothing to lose.”

If she won, they would not have to risk faking their deaths and escaping.

She was not entirely confident that she could get out of the lake with Chun Tao and her mother.

As for losing…

She felt certain that she would not lose!

But there was a major problem that needed solving.

“Chun Tao, sit down. Don’t worry. Your mistress knows what she’s doing.”

Chun Tao thought that since what had happened could no longer be changed, there was no point dwelling on it. She sat down beside Su Xuerong.

“Miss, what do we do next?”

“We’ll decide after I meet Qi Yanzhou’s man.”

“Then I’ll return to the residence now and take some valuable gifts from the treasury to give Young Master Sun as thanks.”

Su Xuerong caught Chun Tao by the arm and shook her head.

“There’s no rush. There are still two hours before the hour of Shen. Go to the dining hall and eat something first. I have something to tell you later.”

“This servant isn’t hungry. Whatever you want to say, you can tell me now.”

“Don’t be stubborn. Go.”

Chun Tao obediently rose, gathered the bowls and dishes from the stone table, and carried them to the dining hall.

Su Xuerong gazed at the lake beside the pavilion, her mind occupied by the urgent problem she needed to solve.

From what Sun Chu had implied, Su Chengzong would be finished within five days.

And rebellion was a crime punishable by the extermination of nine familial relations. Everyone in the Su family would be implicated.

She had to find a way to leave the Su family before anything happened to Su Chengzong!

Severing her ties with the family was impossible.

First, Su Chengzong would never agree.

Second, it would alert him and make him suspicious.

What way was there for her to leave the Su family openly and naturally without arousing suspicion?

Marriage!

Once Su Xuerong thought of the answer, the corners of her slightly pale lips lifted.

There was already a suitable candidate right in front of her.

Sun Chu!

Previously, she had worried that Sun Chu and Su Chengzong were working together and had deliberately staged today’s incident to use the rumors to force her into marriage.

She had never expected that less than an hour later, she would be planning to use that very incident to force Sun Chu into marrying her.

Of course, it would only be a performance!

“Getting married three days from now… I wonder if there’s enough time.”

Su Xuerong murmured to herself. Just then, the voice of a guard drifted over from a distance.

“Ninth Miss, your medicine has been brought back.”

“Bring it here.”

The guard who had returned to report to the Su residence carried the medicine for her heart condition to the pavilion and handed it to Su Xuerong.

Su Xuerong accepted it, her eyelids lowering to hide the disgust in her eyes.

“What did my father say when he heard that I wanted to stay at Ten Thousand Blessings Temple for a while?”

“The General said that there will soon be a wedding in the residence, so Miss should stay here for only a day or two before returning. As for the person who tried to abduct you, the General has already sent men to capture him. There should be news soon. He told you not to worry and to take good care of yourself.”

“Hmm, I understand. What happy occasion is taking place at the residence?”

The guard replied, “The General didn’t say specifically. I made some inquiries, and apparently the Fourth Young Master and the Sixth Miss, who both have a preference for men, are going to marry the owner of Thousand Gold Gambling House.”

The corner of his mouth twitched as he said this.

Having his son and daughter marry the same gay man was practically unheard of!

Su Xuerong furrowed her delicate brows and pretended to look troubled. “The person who saved me before was the owner of Thousand Gold Gambling House. Could it be that my father plans to marry all three of us siblings to him?”

The guard fell silent.

Everything had coincided too perfectly, leaving him unsure how to respond.

After all, the General’s exact order had been to kill the lecher who had ruined Ninth Miss’s reputation.

When he had heard that, he had even lamented the man’s terrible luck—he was going to lose his life simply for saving someone.

“Ninth Miss, the General doesn’t know that the owner of Thousand Gold Gambling House was the one who saved you. He ordered us to kill him. Should I return to the residence and inform him?”

“No need. With my father’s abilities, he’ll soon find out who the person he wants to kill really is.”

After saying this, Su Xuerong asked, “How are the commoners who were injured by the horse?”

“Replying to Miss, the physician has already treated them. Two of them are more seriously injured, but their lives are not in danger.”

“Is the money for their medical treatment enough?”

“The physician said it was enough for now, but they’ll need to spend more on medicine during their recovery.”

Su Xuerong removed the gold hairpin from her head and handed it to the guard.

“Follow up on this matter. I’ll cover all their medical and medicine expenses, and give them some additional compensation as well.”

“This subordinate obeys.”

The guard had been gone only a short while when Chun Tao returned to the pavilion.

Su Xuerong told her about her plan to marry Sun Chu, take his surname, and leave the Su family.

Chun Tao felt that the plan was inappropriate.

“Miss, even if it’s a fake marriage, it’s still a marriage. Your future husband will surely feel resentful about it.”

“Silly girl, I only want to live freely for whatever time I have left. I won’t really be getting married.”

Su Xuerong knew exactly how poor her health was.

Forget bearing children—even consummating a marriage would be difficult for her.

No man would take her as his wife!

Chun Tao knew why Su Xuerong had no intention of marrying. Feeling sorry for her, she changed the subject.

“Miss, if you marry Young Master Sun, could you let me accompany you as your maid? What will happen to Concubine Fang?”

“Surely they won’t make me take a companion bride, will they?”

“I’ll ask Qi Yanzhou’s men once we meet them.”

If she wanted their help, she couldn’t expect them to do it for nothing.

***

After leaving Wanfu Temple, Sun Chu returned to the Thousand Gold Gambling House.

Seeing that he was injured, Qi Yanzhou asked coldly, “Did Su Chengzong do this?”

“Yeah. When you take him down, have the executioner dull his blade before he chops off his head. Make him swing a few extra times for me.”

“Done. What have you found out about Su Xuerong?”

Sun Chu nodded. “Let me have some tea and change first. Then I’ll tell you everything.”

He went back to his room, pulled the wooden stopper from a copper tube in the corner, and rang the bell beside it.

The sound traveled through an iron pipe to the secret chamber in the rear courtyard.

The iron pipes in the chamber were used for eavesdropping.

But the one in Sun Chu’s room served a different purpose: it let the kitchen know he wanted hot water for a bath.

Before long, a servant carried water upstairs and adjusted the temperature.

The wound on Sun Chu’s neck wasn’t deep, but getting it wet would slow the healing.

So he only washed up quickly.

After his bath, Sun Chu changed into clean clothes and went to Qi Yanzhou’s room.

In short order, he told Qi Yanzhou everything that had happened that day.

Qi Yanzhou looked Sun Chu up and down, the corners of his eyes lifting with amusement.

“Are you into men?”

Sun Chu rolled his eyes.

“How was I supposed to know Su Chengzong was so depraved? He doesn’t even spare men. He wants me to marry two people at once, using one plan as a cover for another!”

He wanted Sun Chu to be his plaything, while his daughter bore him a son. What a thing for that old bastard to come up with!

Qi Yanzhou laughed and patted Sun Chu on the shoulder.

“It’s just a delaying tactic. Don’t pay him any mind.”

Sun Chu knocked Qi Yanzhou’s hand away and fixed him with a humorless stare.

“I sacrificed plenty for this. Don’t I get some sort of reward?”

“Didn’t Atang trade you a cookbook for gathering information around Ningzhou? You did what you were asked to do. What more do you want?”

“Honestly, you’re tighter than a miser!”

Sun Chu had only said it in passing. He wasn’t seriously expecting a reward.

“Su Xuerong will be here soon. Have you decided how you’ll negotiate with her? I think treating her heart condition would be a strong bargaining chip.”

With Ye Chutang’s medical skills, she might not be able to cure Su Xuerong completely, but she could reduce how often the illness flared up and perhaps give her a few more years.

For someone near death, that would be an irresistible offer.

Qi Yanzhou saw things a little differently from Sun Chu.

“Atang hasn’t examined Su Xuerong. Until we know whether she can treat her, I won’t promise anything on her behalf. What I can offer Su Xuerong is freedom from the schemes she’s been plotting in secret all these years, the truth about her birth, and the chance to kill the man who murdered her father.”

Sun Chu thought that made sense and nodded in agreement.

“Then we’ll do it your way. If we use this piece well, we can take Ningzhou without bloodshed.”

“Don’t worry. The opportunity has already landed in my hands. I won’t let it slip away.”

Time flew by, and soon it was the hour of the Monkey.

Su Xuerong arrived at the Thousand Gold Gambling House right on time, carrying a gift of thanks.

Her poor health made her look frail and sickly, utterly out of place in the smoke-filled gambling house.

The manager had already received instructions from Sun Chu. He immediately led Su Xuerong and her maid to a private room on the second floor.

He sent a servant to brew a pot of fruit tea, a favorite among young women.

“Please wait a moment, Miss Su. The proprietor will be here shortly.”

By the time the fruit tea and snacks were served, Sun Chu had arrived with Qi Yanzhou, who was disguised.

Sun Chu sent the servants away, then made the introductions. “Miss Su, this is Zhang Zhou, the man I told you about.”

It was the name Qi Yanzhou used when posing as a merchant from Liangzhou.

Su Xuerong looked at Qi Yanzhou’s unremarkable face. “Can Young Master Zhang make decisions on behalf of Young Master Qi?”

“I’m my master’s trusted aide. I can make decisions for him on minor matters.”

Qi Yanzhou and Sun Chu took their seats across from Su Xuerong.

“Killing Su Chengzong is a minor matter?”

“To my master, yes.”

“If it’s so minor, why do you need my help? Why not handle it yourselves?”

Su Xuerong’s probing questions did not anger Qi Yanzhou.

He explained, “Killing Su Chengzong is easy. Making sure the people of Ningzhou aren’t caught in the crossfire is the hard part. My master cares deeply for the people. He wants to deal with Su Chengzong quietly and take down all his followers in one stroke.”

“The officials escorting him number no more than a hundred. They can’t possibly take down Su Chengzong and his inner circle all at once.”

That was Su Xuerong’s greatest concern.

If they couldn’t wipe out Su Chengzong’s forces in one stroke, they might as well not act at all.

Once Su Chengzong was provoked, no one would come out unscathed.

And in the end, it would be the people who suffered.

Qi Yanzhou didn’t hide that reinforcements were on the way. “Miss Su, rest assured. We’ll have at least ten thousand men available. Will that be enough?”

The number startled Su Xuerong, but she nodded. “Yes.”

Ningzhou had sixty thousand garrison troops, and not all of them wanted to follow Su Chengzong into rebellion.

They knew perfectly well that Su Chengzong had neither the talent to lead nor the bearing of an emperor.

The rebellion was bound to fail.

But circumstances had left them no choice but to join Su Chengzong in committing treasonous acts that could bring ruin upon their families.

If they had the chance to choose, they would switch sides and stab Su Chengzong in the back.

Thinking this over, Su Xuerong said, “About twenty thousand officers and soldiers are loyal to Su Chengzong. If I can get hold of the city’s defense map, ten thousand men will be enough to defeat them.”

Qi Yanzhou had heard what he wanted to hear. “Miss Su, tell us what you want in return.”

Su Xuerong had already decided on her terms before coming to the Thousand Gold Gambling House.

But instead of stating them at once, she asked, “Can I first hear how Young Master Zhang plans to deal with Su Chengzong? I’ll only agree to work with you if you’re certain to succeed.”

Qi Yanzhou poured fruit tea for Su Xuerong and Chun Tao.

“As long as you give me the city’s defense map and tell me who supports Su Chengzong, my master can take control of Ningzhou without raising the alarm and resolve the crisis.”

He couldn’t tell her exactly how they would deal with Su Chengzong.

And he certainly couldn’t reveal when they planned to act.

He had to keep his guard up around Su Xuerong, just in case.

Seeing that Qi Yanzhou had given no details about the plan, Su Xuerong realized he was wary of her.

She pressed further. “Does Young Master Zhang plan to take down Su Chengzong’s supporters one by one once he has their names?”

Qi Yanzhou said nothing.

Su Xuerong continued, “I have a good way to identify and take down Su Chengzong’s men quickly and precisely.”

That piqued Sun Chu’s curiosity.

After all, this was a matter of military strategy.

“What’s your plan, Miss Su?”

Su Xuerong’s gaze settled on Sun Chu, and she smiled.

“We get married in three days!”