The Chu family has gone through a lot of trouble because of the mess on their faces.
All the servants, maids, and old women were summoned and questioned, but none of them admitted to doing it.
Madam Chu was extremely strict in her management; from the steward to the maids who did the rough washing in the mansion, everyone was handpicked by her.
Even if these servants had a hundred lives, they wouldn't dare to do such a thing.
The servants' chattering and pleading only made her more irritated, and finally she waved her hand, dismissing them all.
"This is truly bizarre. If it wasn't done by someone from our household, then who could have done it?" Master Chu was incredulous. Could the painting have grown onto the painting itself?
"No one in the manor would dare to do that; it must have been an outsider who painted it. We just don't know who it is."
Madam Chu analyzed the situation carefully, saying, "We need to be more vigilant."
"Master, please find some guards to protect our mansion, especially Yiyi's room."
"If someone manages to sneak in, I'm afraid it could be harmful to our daughter."
Chu Yiyi has a good reputation, and the thought of whoever sneaked in last night, whether male or female, is giving her the creeps.
"Mother~" Chu Yiyi also realized what Madam Chu was thinking, and the anger in her heart turned into panic. She was still a virgin.
When Master Chu saw his wife and daughter's expressions, he immediately understood what was going on and ordered the steward to silence the servants, for this matter was absolutely not to be spread.
He then sent the steward to find guards, partly to protect the Chu residence, and partly because he was thinking that if the thief came again, he would definitely capture him and cut off his hands and feet.
Unfortunately, he will never be able to catch this thief.
Having resolved the immediate issue, he then remembered the Xu family's affairs and summoned his trusted confidant for a talk.
By then, the Xu family had already resolved most of the previous problems, so they were no longer needed to affect the banquet.
"Hmph, the Xu family does have some ability." Although Master Chu was annoyed, he was not flustered. He had long expected that the Xu family would not surrender so easily.
The real show is yet to come. Only when trouble is caused at the banquet and the governor takes notice will it have an effect.
"Come on, prepare the carriage, I'm going to a banquet." He couldn't wait to see the Xu family's downfall.
"Master, your face..." the butler whispered a reminder. The makeup on Master Chu's face was still quite noticeable. If he went out like this, he would probably become a laughing stock.
"Damn it," Master Chu cursed under his breath, and summoned a servant to wash his face.
He almost rubbed his face raw, but the painting still wasn't clean. With time running out, Master Chu couldn't care less about the crooked lines on his face.
"Let's go." With that command, the coachman spurred the carriage along a shortcut to the restaurant.
Unfortunately, nothing went right today. The usually quiet alley was blocked by vendors, and even horse-drawn carriages couldn't pass.
"Turn around, turn around!" Master Chu said hurriedly, glancing at the sun and then at what lay ahead.
But there were people not only in front, but also behind. "Sir, there's no way out from the back either!"
"Oh dear, what are these stinking beggars doing here?" Master Chu was furious, but there was nothing he could do.
He ordered his servants to shoo the vendors away, but they all dawdled and seemed reluctant.
It's alright if it's just one person, but when everyone is like this, Master Chu is so angry he almost suffocates.
In the end, he paid for the vendors to move their stalls back a little so that the carriage could barely squeeze through.
Once they passed the congested road, Master Chu urged the driver to hurry, as he wanted to get to the restaurant as soon as possible.
Unexpectedly, they collided with someone else's carriage on the road.
The man persisted and pestered them, and Master Chu, growing impatient, finally settled the matter with money.
The people had left, and when they were about to set off again, the coachman discovered that the carriage had broken down and could not move.
"Damn it!" Old Master Chu's face turned black with anger. What terrible luck he had had; from the moment he opened his eyes until now, nothing had gone smoothly.
There was no other way; the carriage was no longer an option, so he had to ride a horse.
Given the series of unfortunate events that had just transpired, he dared not ride his horse recklessly through the streets, and so he cautiously and carefully rode to the restaurant.
He didn't encounter any bad luck, but he arrived too late.
"Has the banquet already started?" Before even going upstairs, Master Chu could hear the sounds of clinking glasses and exchanging toasts from upstairs.
Upon seeing him arrive, the servant hurriedly went up to report.
Just as Master Chu arrived upstairs, Xu Genshan stood up.
He glanced over discreetly; everyone was eating and chatting, and no one seemed to notice him.
Some people were even raising their glasses to toast here and there.
This situation makes it easy for him to sneak in, and then find an empty seat to sit down once inside.
I had barely stepped in when I heard Xu Genshan's voice.
"Master Chu? I was wondering why I hadn't seen you today. Oh, so you're here."
Xu Genshan was deliberately speaking loudly, and sure enough, everyone's eyes fell on Master Chu.
This sight made everyone burst out laughing. "Hahaha, Master Chu!"
"What kind of outfit is this? What's painted on your face?"
"It looks like a turtle to me."
"Oh, there are others. Let me go over and take a closer look."
"This looks like a scorpion, and this...does it look a bit like a centipede?"
"What's in the middle? Everyone, guess."
"A worm?"
"I don't think so. It looks like a snake. Look, it even has a forked tongue."
"My God, they're all poisonous."
"Yeah, looking at it this way, I'm starting to feel a little uneasy."
"I have to say, I felt my hair stand on end."
Those who had initially gone over to take a closer look retreated, rubbing their arms.
Master Chu stood there, unsure of what to do.
He felt like a monkey, being watched and played with by everyone.
"Who is this person?" Song Kangcheng glanced at the person opposite him.
"Replying to your question, sir, this is Master Chu, a local gentry."
The county magistrate was somewhat annoyed, as he had just been having a pleasant conversation with the governor.
Just then, Master Chu walked in, and everyone stared at his face.
The governor's gaze was also drawn to it, causing their conversation to come to an end.
Now, he finds Master Chu an eyesore, and he also notices that the smile on the governor's face has disappeared.
It must have been the appearance of this Master Chu that disturbed the governor's enjoyment.
Thinking he had guessed correctly, the magistrate hurriedly said.
"My lord, this man has something strange on his face and his clothes are disheveled. He is not suitable to stay at the banquet. I will make him leave immediately."
Song Kangcheng didn't have much of an objection to this, but since the county magistrate had spoken, he simply went along with it.
The county magistrate naturally couldn't condescend to go there himself, so he could only send someone else there.
Upon closer inspection, Xu Genshan came into view.
"Manager Xu, let Master Chu leave. Don't frighten everyone here."
He had heard everything everyone was saying. This Master Chu really didn't take him, the county magistrate, seriously at all.
Not only were they late, but they also painted so many poisonous things on their faces. What were they up to?
They can't stay, they can't stay.
"Yes." Xu Genshan responded and left. He was also surprised when he saw Master Chu's face, wondering what trick he was playing.
But no matter what tricks he used, it was no use now; he didn't even have the right to come in and take his seat.
"Master Chu, the county magistrate requests your presence." Xu Genshan's words were relatively polite.
He wasn't in a hurry to settle his score with Master Chu.
"Xu Genshan, did you say something bad about me in front of the adults?"
Master Chu couldn't believe he would be kicked out. He recalled the magistrate's conversation with Xu Genshan earlier and wondered if Xu Genshan had said something about him.
Xu Genshan gave a disdainful laugh. "Do I need to say anything bad about him?"
"Isn't what's on your face bad enough?" It's as if you want to announce to everyone that you're a bad person.
"You!" Master Chu pointed angrily at Xu Genshan.
"Xu Genshan, you're already showing off now. Let's see if you'll still be laughing later."
The thought that the people he had bribed would ruin the banquet made Master Chu somewhat happy.
"But he's celebrating too soon," Xu Genshan suddenly said.
“Master Chu, you don’t even take the magistrate’s orders to heart. Isn’t that a bit too presumptuous of you?”
"You just leave because I told you to? And you want to question the magistrate?"
The reason Xu Genshan said this was because he caught a glimpse of the county magistrate's figure just passing by.
The sound was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for the county magistrate to hear.
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