Sang Hong was taken aback, not expecting her to state her position so clearly. But then he thought about it and realized that she had also targeted the Chu family a few times earlier. It shouldn't be that she was intentionally favoring the Chu family, but rather that she was simply acting in accordance with the academy's consistent principle of impartiality.
Thinking it over, he felt relieved: "Alright, now that the outcome is decided, I hereby declare that the Chu family has won this family competition." Although he wanted to target the Chu family, he also represented the face of the imperial court, so he couldn't be too obvious about many things. Today's outcome was already decided, so it seemed he could only make other plans for the future.
The Chu family cheered. Today's events had been full of twists and turns. They thought they had lost because of the schemes of the Wu and Yuan families, but unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better in the end.
The expressions of the people in the Wu and Yuan families changed drastically. After preparing for so long, they ended up like this, which was unacceptable to anyone.
"Prefect!" Wu Wei's face was somewhat ashen; he was quite dissatisfied with the other party's ungrateful act.
Sang Hong glanced at him and then said, "Of course, Young Master Yuan is seriously injured, and the Chu family also bears some responsibility. Lord Mingyue, you are hereby ordered to be responsible for Young Master Yuan's medical and recuperation expenses. Do you have any objections?"
"Of course I have no objection," Chu Zhongtian said cheerfully. He was quite angry that the Yuan family had to pay for Xiao Zhao's injuries not long ago, but he didn't expect that the tables would turn and he would get his revenge so quickly.
"No need, our Yuan family can afford this little bit of medicine." Yuan Zhengchu's face was ashen. He knew that the prefect had given up on them. He gestured for his family members to lift his son up and turned to leave.
Just then, Zuan's lazy voice rang out: "Wait a minute, are you just going to leave like this?"
Yuan Zhengchu turned around abruptly, his eyes filled with resentment: "You surnamed Zu, what else do you want to do?"
Yuan Zhengchu's anger level increased by 783!
Not to mention them, even the Chu family members were puzzled, not understanding why he suddenly called out to the Yuan family.
"It's nothing, I just know you hate me to death, so I'm giving you a chance to get revenge," Zu An pointed his sword at Yuan Wenji in the crowd, "Let him fight me again, so that you can settle your scores and avenge your grievances."
Upon hearing this, many audience members who were about to leave sat back down, excited to see what a show was about to unfold.
Yuan Zhengchu was taken aback at first, then realized what he meant: "Hmph, I'm afraid you're trying to take this opportunity to avenge Miss Chu, aren't you?"
Zu An shrugged: "I don't deny that I have this thought, but this is also an opportunity for your Yuan family. In the future, I will have the Chu family guards protecting me, and you may not have this chance to take revenge. You'll miss this opportunity if you don't take it. Think about it carefully."
Chu Huanzhao, on the stretcher, had a gleam in his eyes and his face was full of excitement: "My brother-in-law is so good to me!"
Qin Wanru frowned: "This is utter nonsense. Does he think he's invincible just because he happened to defeat Yuan Wendong? Although Yuan Wenji is not as good as Yuan Wendong, his cultivation is still higher. Moreover, he has learned from his previous mistakes, so why would he fall for a trap again? Isn't Zu'an putting himself in danger?"
Yuan Zhengchu's ears twitched. At this moment, Shi Kun's secret message came through: "Promise him, seize this opportunity to cripple the one surnamed Zu, and our Shi family will not treat you unfairly."
Yuan Wendong had the same idea, and now that he had received the Shi family's promise, he was overjoyed. He looked at Zu An and grinned maliciously, "Fine, you'd better not regret this!"
Zuan shrugged: "Everyone present was a witness. This duel was fair, just, and open. Regardless of who wins or loses, neither side is allowed to retaliate afterward."
Sang Hong's eyes lit up and he immediately agreed: "Alright, today I will be a witness for these two young heroes."
He originally didn't want to get involved in this matter, but his son had just told him about Zuan's betting with a long face. He was shocked to hear that he had lost a million taels. Although a million taels is not a lot for wealthy families, it is not a small amount for newly emerging nobles like them.
Annoyed by his son's self-righteousness, he could only try to resolve the matter first. He overheard the bet between the two parties and realized that if anything happened to Zu'an, the debt would become an unsolved mystery, which he could easily deny later. So he immediately agreed.
He announced it too quickly; Chu Zhongtian couldn't stop him in time.
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To avoid making everyone wait too long, I've updated a long chapter directly, with about the same word count as two normal chapters. I'll also update at 12 PM and 5 PM.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
