Zu'an, however, was not worried. Sang Hong's scheme against the Chu family showed that he was not one to fight head-on.
Now countless people know that I have come to the dock, and I am accompanied by so many Chu family guards. If something really happens, it will be a huge problem.
Seeing that the situation was tense and about to break out, Zheng Dan took a step forward and stood between the two sides: "Aunt, from what you're saying, you suspect that our Zheng family is involved in smuggling."
“That’s not what I meant. It’s just that it’s possible that some of the lower-ups are deceiving their superiors and smuggling salt. You are also victims, and I’m sure you want to find out the truth about all of this, right?” Zu’an replied.
“Of course we want to find out the truth, but if people know that our Zheng family steward has been arrested, what will they think? They will definitely suspect the Zheng family first, causing irreparable damage to our family’s reputation,” Zheng Dan said.
“The innocent will remain innocent, and the guilty will remain guilty. Why should Miss Zheng worry about these things?” Zu An smiled slightly, still not giving an inch.
Sang Qian's side couldn't let him take the person away either, so a stalemate ensued.
Just then, a series of orderly footsteps sounded, followed by a loud laugh: "Since that's the case, why not leave it to us?"
Zu An looked back and saw that it was an old acquaintance, County Lieutenant Pang Chun, who was leading a group of yamen runners over.
Sang Qian said coldly, "Isn't this within the jurisdiction of our anti-smuggling department? Isn't the county magistrate overstepping his bounds?"
Pang Chun was not annoyed at all, and smiled slightly: "Commander Sang is too kind. I just saw that neither of you wanted the suspect to be taken away by the other. Wouldn't it be better to have me, a neutral third party, interrogate him?"
Sang Qian thought to himself, "You're nothing but a neutral party."
Just then, Pang Chun added, "Commander Sang is related to the Zheng family by marriage, and this time it was someone from the Zheng family who got into trouble. Shouldn't they avoid suspicion?"
Sang Qian was startled. He knew that he definitely couldn't take the person away in the current situation. In that case, it was better to hand the person over to Pang Chun than to the Chu family.
There was no objection from Zu'an. Pang Chun was Xie City Lord's man. In a sense, Xie City Lord and the Chu family were not of the same lineage, but neither were they of the same lineage as Sang Hong. Moreover, the Xie family and the Chu family were closer.
Pang Chun quickly took the people away and sealed up many witnesses and physical evidence from the scene.
Zu'an also hurriedly went back to inform the Chu family of what had happened.
After both sides had left, Sang Qian called Zheng Dan to a secluded corner and looked at her with displeasure: "Why did you leave Hou Yun behind? Why were all those bags in the cabin filled with yellow sand? It's full of flaws, anyone can see the problem at a glance."
Zheng Dan replied, "We received the message too late. Even if we tried to delay, there wasn't enough time. Where could we find so much cottonseed in such a hurry? Using yellow sand as a substitute is the best we can hope for."
"As for Hou Yun, to get these things done in a short time, there has to be someone here to coordinate and arrange things, and he is the best candidate."
Sang Qian knew she was telling the truth, but the thought of Hou Yun being taken away still made him worried: "But Hou Yun was still taken away by Pang Chun's men. If he says something he shouldn't, then we'll be in big trouble!"
Zheng Dan smiled slightly: "Don't worry, Uncle Hou is an elder in the family and can be trusted. Moreover, he has weathered decades of storms, and some petty squabbles can't scare him at all. Besides, there's no concrete evidence for any of this today."
Sang Qian sneered, "Often, you don't need any evidence when handling cases. You probably don't know how severe the punishments in the yamen are. The heroes in the plays who can endure severe torture are extremely rare. I see that Hou Yun looks like he's living a life of luxury. If he falls into my hands, I guarantee he'll spill everything he knows within three days."
Zheng Dan sighed: "So we need to rescue him as quickly as possible, lest things get complicated."
“They’ve all fallen into Pang Chun’s hands, and the Chu family is keeping an eye on them too. How can they be rescued so easily?” Sang Qian said with dissatisfaction.
Zheng Dan remained calm: "Don't worry, I had already thought of a plan from the moment I received the notification, and I also discussed it with Uncle Hou. He was mentally prepared to be arrested."
"What method?" Sang Qian hurriedly asked.
"You'll find out tomorrow, of course, I'll need Lord Sang's cooperation then," Zheng Dan replied.
Seeing her feigned mystery, Sang Qian didn't bother to press her for details, as that would make him seem foolish. Instead, he asked another question he was concerned about: "By the way, what happened to those smuggled salts from before?"
"There was no time to spare, so of course we had to dump it into the river. Otherwise, if they found out, our Zheng family would be finished." Zheng Dan sighed, his brows furrowed with regret.
"That damned Zu'an! How much silver have we lost because of him!" Upon hearing this answer, Sang Qian cursed angrily.
Anger from Sang Qian: +999!
Zheng Dan, standing to the side, still wore that perfect ladylike smile, but inwardly she was sighing. Her fiancé usually seemed quite imposing, but when faced with a problem, he panicked like this and could only rage helplessly. In this respect, he was far inferior to his father.
In comparison, although Zaun is usually carefree and irresponsible, he is terrifyingly calm and difficult to deal with when it matters.
Thinking about what had happened between her and Zuan, she suddenly felt her heart race, and a faint blush spread across her fair face.
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That's all for today, three chapters for now. I'll add more each day from now on!
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