Zuan laughed heartily: "They say girls are more outgoing, and it's true! My dear Manman really values ​​me, her lover, more."

"You're such a bastard!" Pei Mianman said angrily, biting him hard on the shoulder.

Hearing the sounds of laughter and playfulness upstairs, Hongzao downstairs covered her ears and muttered, "Miss is such a spineless girl, she's already made up with the young master so quickly."

Her gaze shifted to the pastry box that Zu'an had brought, and she couldn't help but swallow hard. "It's not my fault. Even Miss has forgiven the young master. What can I, as a maid, do?"

After talking to himself like this, he seemed to have let go of his mental burden and quickly opened the food box to eat heartily.

"Mmm, it smells so good~ My son-in-law is the best!"

After a long and tender time together, Zu'an and Pei Mianman went to see Pei Shao.

Although Pei Mianman didn't say it, Zu An knew that she also longed for family affection.

Even if we can't stop Pei Shao's ambition, we should at least delay the time it takes for him to board the Qi King's chariot.

"Lord Zu, what brings you here?" Pei Shao was somewhat surprised when he saw him. The key point was that the other party did not seem to have come through the main gate or given prior notice; it was a sudden visit. "Someone, bring tea."

“No need, I have something I want to say to the city lord alone,” Zuan stopped him.

"I wonder what advice Lord Zu has for me?" Pei Shao naturally sensed that he didn't want any outsiders present, and couldn't help but feel secretly alarmed, thinking to himself, "This guy isn't going to assassinate me, is he?"

He had heard a lot of rumors about his opponent these days, and he wasn't confident he could beat him in a one-on-one fight.

"The city lord should know that many people were arrested today, right?" Zuan asked bluntly.

“I have indeed heard about it, but unfortunately Lord Sang keeps everything a secret, so I have no idea what crimes these officials and merchants have committed,” Pei Shao replied.

"Does the city lord really not know, or is he pretending not to know?" Zu An said with a half-smile.

Pei Shao's expression changed: "What do you mean, Lord Zu!"

Zu An smiled and said, "I've heard that the City Lord is planning to form a marriage alliance with Prince Qi?"

Pei Shao chuckled awkwardly, "Lord Zu is too kind. The Prince of Qi's heir is a figure we would never presume to be worthy of such a title."

Seeing that he was still dodging the issue even at this point, Zu An sneered inwardly: "The city lord is a smart man and should have guessed what the arrest of those people means. With the status and foundation of the Pei family, they can simply observe the situation and make a decision when things become clearer. If they get tied to certain people too early, they won't be able to clear themselves when a huge change occurs."

Pei Shao's expression changed several times. In fact, he had been having doubts when he heard that those arrested were people related to the Prince of Qi. Now, upon hearing this, he immediately thought of all sorts of possible consequences.

He asked in a deep voice, "Why is Lord Zu telling me all this? Is he acting as an intermediary for...?"

Zu An smiled and said, "The city lord thinks too highly of himself. The emperor is too busy with state affairs to attend to matters at the city lord's level."

Pei Shao's expression was grim, but he knew the other party was telling the truth.

At this moment, Zu An sighed: "It's mainly because Miss Pei helped me a lot when we were in Bright Moon City, so I'm just repaying her a favor. The city lord is a smart man, so take care of yourself."

Without waiting for the other person to stop, he quickly disappeared out the window.

Pei Shao hurriedly called a servant: "Go and call the madam over, and also inform my father-in-law that there is an urgent matter to discuss."

However, just as the servant was about to leave after receiving the order, Pei Shao called him back: "Never mind, there's no need to call him."

His subordinate looked at him with a bewildered expression.

Pei Shao pondered for a long time before ordering, "Have the people in the manor postpone preparing the dowry until I give you further instructions."

...

Over the next few days, Zu'an kept a close eye on the Pei family's movements. He learned that Pei Shao had postponed the preparation of his dowry and that he seemed to have had a big argument with his wife about it. He breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that his words had had an effect.

Pei Mianman was relieved to learn that she would not have to marry the Prince of Qi for the time being, and she became even more tender and affectionate towards Zu An, letting him enjoy all her tenderness.

It's just that Hongzao is so tired that she can't sleep every night and always has dark circles under her eyes.

After a few days of blissful days, Prefect Xu Yu suddenly summoned all the high-ranking officials of Yunzhong County to the Prefectural Governor's Mansion, saying that there was a major matter concerning the life and death of Yunzhong County to discuss.

Zuan and Sang Hong were completely baffled, unable to find out what had happened through various channels. However, since the other party spoke so solemnly, they had no choice but to accept the invitation and go.