Zuan calmly replied, "I know I have done such a beastly thing, and I deserve to die. So when the Second Miss found me last night, in order to wash away my sins, I did not resist at all and let her keep whipping me with the howling whip until I was whipped eight times before I finally got her forgiveness."

Those around cursed him inwardly for being shameless and offering no resistance whatsoever. "Pah! If the Second Miss really wanted to hit you, would you, a piece of trash, have been able to avoid it by resisting?"

Chu Zhongtian and his wife then looked at the stretcher under Zu An and the bloodstains on his body. Yue Shan, who was standing to the side, reported: "Reporting to the master, the son-in-law said that he was injured by the Howling Whip and was seriously injured and could not get out of bed, so I carried him over."

"Still confessing?" Madam Chu was taken aback. Thinking of her daughter's temperament, she said angrily, "This is simply absurd."

A strange look flashed across Chu Zhongtian's face: "Madam, we originally held this meeting today because of Huan Zhao's matter. Now that Huan Zhao has personally punished him, I think we should just let this matter go?"

Thinking about what his daughter had told him yesterday, he understood that there must be a reason for this, and he couldn't blame Zu'an. However, his wife was angry, and with the encouragement of the other branches of the family, he had no choice but to hold this clan meeting as a formality.

Zu An was immediately impressed; he was truly a father-in-law who was hard to find even with a lantern!

Before Madam Chu could answer, a harsh male voice rang out: "Brother, you are mistaken. Our Chu family is known for its strict family discipline and has never had such a scandal before. If we were to downplay this now, what would become of our family's reputation? Do you know how many rumors are circulating outside that this boy is promiscuous? If we don't punish him, wouldn't we be encouraging such a bad trend?"

The speaker was a middle-aged man with a gloomy face sitting at the head of Chu Zhongtian's table. His two dark circles under his eyes were particularly striking. He was gently waving a fan in his hand. In my memory, he was Chu Tiesheng from the second branch of the Chu family. By calculation, Chu Chuyan should call him her second uncle.

"Second Uncle, what are you saying? He didn't really do anything to me that night!" At this moment, a beautiful young girl ran out from the back hall. Her brisk and energetic appearance in a tight leather outfit made the cold ancestral hall seem to have gained a touch of warmth.

Chu Zhongtian hurriedly said, "Why did I call you out? Go inside quickly."

"Why are you being so fierce? Why are you taking your anger out on a child!" Madam Chu glared at her husband, then turned to her daughter and her face immediately lit up with a smile. "Still being obedient? Don't listen to your father. Come here to your mother and tell me what happened."

Chu Zhongtian chuckled awkwardly, while the others showed no surprise, clearly having become accustomed to such occurrences.

Chu waved the whip in his hand and pointed it at Zu An on the ground: "Mother~ I did hit him with the Howling Whip last night, and I promised to forgive his behavior that night. I don't want to break my promise."

Zuan secretly gave her a thumbs up. Although this girl had a bit of a sadistic streak, she had pretty good sportsmanship when it came to gambling.

“Niece, you are still too young and do not understand the dangers of the world. Anyone else can punish Zu An for this, but you cannot punish him. If word gets out, people will only think that you really suffered at his hands. How can an unmarried young lady like you bear such a bad reputation?” At this moment, a plump man with a rich appearance said from the other side. He was not smiling when he spoke, but his chubby face made his eyebrows and eyes narrow into slits, so people would subconsciously think that he was smiling, and it was difficult for people to feel any ill will towards him.

He was fiddling with a bright yellow, exquisitely crafted abacus in his hand; it was unclear whether it was made of pure gold.

Zu An recognized the smiling tiger as Chu Yuepo, the third uncle of the Chu family. He couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed. Why did the people from the two side branches want to kill him so much? He was just a useless son-in-law on the surface. What had he done to deserve this?

At this moment, Pei Mianman, the young lady of the Pei family, suddenly asked Chu Chuyan beside her in a low voice, "Isn't the legend of the Howling Whip supposed to amplify pain tenfold? Is your man a hidden master?"

Although her voice was soft, it was loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. Zu An couldn't help but curse inwardly. This woman had a gentle smile, but he didn't expect her to be so insidious. She was acting like a complete green tea bitch.

Chu Chuyan frowned slightly, but Xue'er behind her answered first: "He's not even a martial artist, let alone a master."

At this moment, Chu Tiesheng from the second wife's house suddenly lit up and hurriedly said to Chu Zhongtian and his wife, "Elder brother and sister-in-law, everyone knows how powerful the Howling Whip is. Even you and I would probably find it difficult to withstand eight lashes. How could an ordinary person like him possibly do it?"

Chu Zhongtian and his wife exchanged a glance. To be honest, they didn't quite believe it either. At this moment, Chu Huanzhao, who was standing to the side, became anxious: "I really whipped him eight times. Am I lying?"

“Reporting to the patriarch, the second young lady would never lie, but she is always kind-hearted. She probably held back when she whipped him, so Zu An’s injuries are not as serious as he said. My nose was just broken by his punch. He is very strong, he doesn’t look injured at all.” Diao Yang spoke up at this time. He knew that it was important to choose the right time to kick someone when they are down, so he hadn’t mentioned this at the beginning.

Many people in the room had strange expressions. "The Second Miss is kind-hearted? How can you say such a heartless thing! In all these years, who has ever seen her show mercy when whipping someone?"

But what happened today was really strange. Could it be that she has feelings for this brother-in-law?

Chu Tiesheng seized the opportunity to say, "Now the facts are clear. Zu An not only did not repent for his shameful deeds, but also took advantage of Huan Zhao's kindness and naivety to try to escape punishment. I hope the patriarch will punish him severely as a warning to others."

Chu Zhongtian's expression was uncertain, clearly he was weighing his options. Zu An secretly cursed and was about to speak when a servant rushed over.

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