Because of the developed commerce of Mingyue City, especially the salt and iron trade and grain transportation, many of which had to go through the canal, the River Defense Camp came into being. Its main purpose was to manage and combat various smuggling activities; at the same time, it escorted the transportation of some strategic and civilian supplies, because there were also ferocious beasts in some areas along the river.

Sang Qian calmly replied, "The river defense battalion is also responsible for maintaining local security. With so many people gathered here tonight, a large-scale stampede could easily occur if we're not careful. It's only reasonable for me to come and check on things."

"I'm afraid we won't need to trouble Commander Sang with that," a gentle voice said.

Immediately afterwards, a group of yamen runners surged in from the doorway. The one in the lead held a paper fan and had a face as white as jade; he was quite a handsome young man.

Is this person male or female?

"Shh, are you out of your mind? This is the young master of the city lord's family."

...

Zu An was taken aback, not expecting to see Xie Xiu, who looked like a boy but had feminine features, again. He hadn't quite understood why emperors and nobles in history liked to keep male concubines, but if those male concubines looked like this, it wasn't...

Pshaw, what nonsense are you thinking?

Sang Qian's eyes narrowed when he saw Xie Xiu enter: "So it's Young Master Xie. But if I remember correctly, Young Master Xie should still be studying at Mingyue Academy and doesn't hold any official position. It's probably a bit inappropriate to mobilize so many yamen runners."

Xie Xiu closed her fan and smiled slightly, "These constables were certainly not brought by me. I was drinking at the Tianxian Restaurant next door when I saw Uncle Pang leading a group of people over, and I followed them out of curiosity, right, Uncle Pang?"

A portly figure rushed in from outside, adjusting his official hat as he walked, clearly exhausted from his journey.

"This man is Pang Chun, the county magistrate of the city. He is a fifth-rank cultivator and the third-in-command of Mingyue City. He has always been on good terms with our Chu family. Don't speak recklessly and offend him as well," Chu Chuyan hurriedly reminded him in a low voice, worried that Zu An might speak without thinking.

Zu An nodded, his expression somewhat strange. He wondered what his parents were thinking when they named the man "Chun."

However, Chu Chuyan's words also revealed some information. It seems that the Chu family and the city lord have a good relationship. But Chu Zhongtian mentioned earlier that he trusted Prefect Sang Hong because he was targeting them. Sang Hong's appointment obviously represents the will of the imperial court.

Good heavens, could it be that the Chu family harbors rebellious intentions and is colluding with local officials, making the imperial court eager to punish them?

I thought I'd found a powerful backer, but it seems I've boarded a ship that's about to capsize. No wonder they were so hesitant to deal with the gang before!

Should I find an opportunity to jump ship as soon as possible?

If Chu Chuyan knew what he was thinking at this moment, she would probably have already pinned him to the ground and given him a good beating.

After Pang Chun entered, he smiled and cupped his hands in greeting to Sang Qian: "Greetings, Commander Sang."

Sang Qian didn't dare to be careless. After all, the county magistrate was the third most powerful person in Mingyue City, and even he couldn't be disrespectful. He hurriedly replied, "Greetings, County Magistrate."

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, the two looked at Xie Xiu, who chuckled and said, "Why are you looking at me like that? I don't hold any official position. I'll handle things according to the rules."

Sang Qian thought to himself, "Who doesn't know that you're the one who called Pang Chun over? He always follows your father's lead, isn't he? He just listens to you."

Pang Chun smiled and looked at Sang Qian: "Then leave this matter to me. Commander Sang won't mind, will he?"

Sang Qian forced a smile: "This is the duty of the county magistrate, and I dare not overstep my bounds."

The county constable was in charge of maintaining order and apprehending thieves in the city. In a sense, he was equivalent to the combined power of the city's police chief, prosecutor, and court president in later times, wielding considerable authority.

Pang Chun then stopped smiling and looked at the others in the room: "What exactly happened?"

Chu Chuyan then spoke up and briefly recounted what had just happened.

Pang Chun clicked his tongue in amazement, clearly taken aback by the astronomical figure of 7.5 million taels. However, he reacted quickly and followed her words, saying, "Chief Mei, this is where you are wrong. Since you run a gambling den, you should accept your losses. Otherwise, if all gambling dens in the world acted like you, wouldn't it be chaos?"

Mei Chaofeng was secretly furious, but still replied, "Your Excellency, you are unaware of the truth. This man won 7.5 million taels in just two rounds, which is simply unbelievable. He definitely cheated. How can we accept such a debt?"

Zuan couldn't help but laugh: "I say, you run a gambling den, and you're afraid your customers will cheat? Is it that your skills are lacking, or are you just too shameless?"

"You!" Mei Chaofeng was furious. She thought that if the two of them were alone, she could crush this bug with her little finger. But now she had to swallow her anger and reason with him.

Grass!

Mei Chaofeng's anger level increased by 499!

Then Pang Chun spoke up: "That's right, Chief Mei. Since you say he cheated, do you have any evidence?"

Zu An thought to himself how great it was to have connections in high places, with everyone speaking up for him, especially since he was in the right.

Mei Chaofeng hesitated for a moment: "No, I wasn't here at the time, and Zu An came with Miss Chu. As a fifth-rank cultivator, if Miss Chu really wanted to do something, none of us in the gambling house would be able to tell."

Chu Chuyan's face turned cold: "You're saying I helped cheat?"

Now that things have come to this, and the two sides have completely broken off relations, Mei Chaofeng has no more reservations: "That's hard to say. After all, he is your husband. Who knows if you two are deliberately setting a trap for me?"

Chu Chuyan coldly said, "Our Chu family's reputation cannot be slandered like this. I challenge you to a duel!"

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