Chapter 2276: The Only Choice

Zhang Zitong frowned slightly. “That’s against the rules…”

She was about to refuse when Qin Wanru interrupted her. “Ah Zu is already so drunk that it won’t be appropriate for you to bring him back like this. Besides, this place isn’t that close to the Imperial Palace, and there might be some unexpected dangers along the way, so it’s safer if he stays with us. Anyway, Ah Zu is our Chu clan’s son-in-law and not an outsider. Could it be that you're worried we’d harm him?”

Zhang Zitong naturally knew about the relationship between Zu An and the Chu clan. But she still had her responsibility and didn’t dare to show any carelessness. And yet, she found what Qin Wanru said reasonable too. What if there was an ambush on the way back? That would be dangerous indeed.

While she was hesitating, Zu An mumbled, “It’s fine, just… Just let me stay the night here.”

Zhang Zitong sighed in relief when she heard him speak. “Then I’ll be troubling the madam.” Immediately after, she assigned the imperial guards to guard crucial points around the manor to root out any potential dangers.

Qin Wanru nodded, then had the servants bring Chu Zhongtian, who had also drunk too much out of excitement, back to his room. Then, she woke up Chu Youzhao, who was also lying on the table in a drunken stupor. “Hurry and wake up, and take your brother-in-law back for some rest.”

“Oh… Okay.” Chu Youzhao rubbed her eyes. She raised her head in a daze. She wasn’t like Zu An, who had wanted to get drunk, and she hadn’t drunk that much either. That was why she quickly woke up when she was called.

Even Zhang Zitong couldn't help but give her a second look.

The Chu clan’s young heir really is handsome. He might even be prettier than a woman.

If it wasn’t for the strict training she had undergone with the Embroidered Envoy, she would have thought that Chu Youzhao was a cross-dressing woman... Of course, there was no way she could know that Youzhao had a special magic treasure that helped hide her gender.

With Chu Huanzhao’s help, Chu Youzhao brought Zu An to the inner residence. Zu An was the Chu clan’s young master to begin with, so no one felt that it was strange for him to enter. Zhang Zitong helped along the way as well.

Qin Wanru said with a smile, “Miss Zhang must be tired from working all day. Come and eat something, then get some rest. Otherwise, people might think that our Chu clan doesn’t treat our guests properly.”

Zhang Zitong shook her head. “I will stand guard at the young master’s side.”

Qin Wanru said with a smile, “We're in the Chu manor either way. Do you really think we’re going to sell him off or something? How about you ask Ah Zu then? See if he's willing to see you work so hard. If I remember correctly, he treasures women the most.”

Zhang Zitong’s face heated up a bit, but she still remembered her responsibility and remained at Zu An's side without taking half a step away.

When she saw that, Qin Wanru didn’t continue to advise Zhang Zitong. Instead, she had some servants prepare some food to bring over to her.

Zhang Zitong wanted to say that she didn’t need it, and that guards like them had their prepared rations and wouldn’t eat random things from outsiders to prevent unexpected situations. But since this was sir’s mother-in-law and she had already refused many things today, she thought that refusing more would end up making her lose face, so she didn’t say anything else.

Soon after, Chu Youzhao and Huanzhao took Zu An to a courtyard in the back.

With a wave of Zhang Zitong’s hand, the guards quickly searched the place and didn’t find anything strange. Of course, the situation was a bit special, so they couldn't search every single corner.

Meanwhile, she gave the courtyard, which was decorated with lanterns and colored banners, a look. There were characters of ‘double happiness’ everywhere. She was a bit surprised.

So the bride’s room is behind this place!

Qin Wanru nodded, saying, “That’s right. These are the two best courtyards of the Chu manor. One is for the newlyweds, while the other naturally needed to be left for Ah Zu.”

Zhang Zitong didn’t feel as if there was anything wrong. With Zu An’s current status, only a place like this was worthy of him. Soon after, she helped Zu An into the room and watched as servant girls helped clean him up. They removed his outer garment and shoes, then put a blanket over him. After watching the whole process, she sighed in relief.

“Brother-in-law is already so drunk, should I stay behind to take care of him?” Chu Huanzhao volunteered herself.

“Nonsense! How could a young lady like you stay behind here?” Qin Wanru shot her a look. Then, she said to Zhang Zitong, “We’ll be troubling miss Zhang again. I’ll leave several maids outside, ready to listen to any orders.”

“We’ve troubled you, madam.” Zhang Zitong had to admit that Qin Wanru’s arrangements were organized and efficient. Then, she said to Chu Youzhao with a smile, “Young master, please don’t delay here any longer. The bride is still waiting for you inside the bridal room.”

Chu Youzhao’s face turned red. She bowed before excusing herself. Chu Huanzhao was also brought away by her mother while pouting. The entire courtyard immediately became much quieter.

Zhang Zitong arranged for the guards to patrol nearby, while she continued to stand guard outside, ready to receive Zu An’s orders at any time. However, everything she did was just a formality. She knew about sir and the Chu clan’s relationship. This place was basically his home, so why would they need to be so guarded? The only thing they had to worry about were people who could come in from outside.

Besides, with Zu An’s current cultivation, even though he was drunk, the ki protecting his body wouldn’t allow any injuries. If someone wanted to harm him, his powerful spiritual sense would immediately detect it. Then, his ki would operate and all of his drunkenness would disappear.

Zhang Zitong had a smile of self-mockery when she realized that.

I really am just acting based on groundless fears.

…

Meanwhile, after Qin Wanru left with the others, she sent Chu Huanzhao to get some sleep. Huanzhao had gone around excitedly the whole time, so she was already tired. Besides, she didn’t have her brother-in-law around anymore, so she felt that things were now too boring. She grumbled as she headed off to sleep.

Then, Qin Wanru had the servants leave as well. She and Chu Youzhao looked at each other and the room became quiet.

“Mom, do we really need to do that?” Chu Youzhao was a bit hesitant.

Qin Wanru sighed. “Your mother doesn’t want to do this either, but it’s your wedding night. Normally, you might be able to hide your status as a woman with the treasure, but you need to ‘share the bed’ with your wife tonight. How could you possibly fool her?”

Chu Youzhao’s little face paled a bit. She was also really nervous. This was, after all, the Chu clan’s greatest secret. A single mistake could result in everything being ruined.

Qin Wanru continued, “If Qinghe discovered the truth and ran back to the Qin clan, not only would our two clans not be able to complete this marriage, it would even result in the grudge. Then, everyone would know that the Chu clan lacks an heir, while we would become the sinners of the entire Chu clan.”

“But even if Qinghe found out, she wouldn’t tell everyone!” Chu Youzhao tried to speak up for her childhood sweetheart.

“I know Qinghe is naturally kind, and that she gets along with you well. It's most likely as you say, but we can't take that risk.” Qin Wanru shook her head slightly. When she saw that Chu Youzhao was still conflicted, she sighed and held her daughter closely, saying, “Actually, it would be meaningless even if we made it through tonight that way. Even if Qinghe likes you enough and is willing to be married to you now, after a few years, you would still run into the issue of children. After all, you two can't produce an heir for the Chu clan, so wouldn't the problem remain?"

She paused for a moment, then said, “If you really don’t want to, then forget it. We’ll find someone else to complete this task in the future.”

Chu Youzhao immediately shook her head. “No way! If it ere anyone else, little sister Qinghe would definitely go crazy. I will never agree to any other man bullying her.”

“But if it’s your brother-in-law, the two of you are willing?” Qin Wanru’s expression became a bit strange.

“Brother-in-law is naturally an exception.” It was impossible to tell what Chu Youzhao was thinking, but her face became red. “I asked Qinghe something similar in the past. Back then, she couldn't resist my endless pestering and secretly admitted that if she hadn’t met me, she would most likely have liked brother-in-law. Actually, in my opinion, she already likes brother-in-law a lot.”

“That guy is indeed very good at making women like him.” Qin Wanru felt a bit sour inside, but she had to admit to Zu An’s charm. Forget about Chuyan, even Huanzhao and Youzhao liked him a lot. Even the glorious empress was dead set on him. But after some hesitation, she didn’t expose Youzhao’s feelings for Zu An.

Chu Youzhao took a deep breath, and then made up her mind. “If we have to do this eventually, the only choice is to go with brother-in-law!”