Chapter 202: The Prefect's Mansion Celebrates a Wedding
Chunzhi completely ignored Jiang Jingyan's petty actions; the one who had become the prey had no right to disagree.
Moreover, this can be considered as giving Su Zhenzhen an explanation.
The villa originally had maids and servants, but there was a shortage of manpower everywhere. So Chunzhi kept an old cook in the villa, and everyone else made use of their surplus labor.
Otherwise, Jiang Jingyan wouldn't have been able to barge into Su Zhenzhen's bedroom alone without anyone stopping him.
Furthermore, since he had arranged for people to keep an eye on Jiang Jingyan in the dark, he did not immediately step in to help Su Zhenzhen when she was being held hostage.
Chunzhi was in the wrong no matter what, and she didn't want to be criticized. Since Jiang Jingyan had the audacity to promise Su Zhenzhen the position of his wife, she would arrange a marriage for him, which would also be a way to vent Su Zhenzhen's anger.
Chunzhi waved her hand, signaling the guards to hide.
Before leaving, the guard asked, "If Su Zhenzhen encounters danger next time, should I offer my assistance?"
Chunzhi glanced at him lightly, "What task did I assign you?"
This is why Chunzhi wanted to use Jiang Jingyan to apologize to Su Zhenzhen. After all, her people weren't specifically there to protect her. Although there was some negligence in this matter, it wasn't their job. A light punishment would be embarrassing, while a heavy punishment might discourage her subordinates.
The guard understood, bowed, and retreated, instantly concealing himself.
This move stunned Hu Wen. He hadn't expected Chunzhi to have secret guards; he had initially thought they were just her subordinates.
“Well…” Hu Wen hesitated before speaking, “Does the General have any other secret guards? My family is large, and the guards in the manor are of varying quality. If any emergency were to occur, I fear my family’s safety would be in jeopardy. I wonder if the General would be willing to part with one of my secret guards? I am willing to offer a thousand taels of gold as a reward.”
The secret guards have many uses. They can hide in the shadows to gather intelligence, and in times of crisis, they can strike unexpectedly and catch the enemy off guard.
Moreover, the secret guards are all highly skilled in martial arts; ordinary martial artists would not hold their breath and conceal their presence.
However, the manpower and resources required to train a secret guard are also considerable.
"Thank you with a thousand pieces of gold?" Chunzhi raised an eyebrow slightly. "The Prefect is certainly wealthy."
Hu Wen remained calm and composed, saying, "Our family has been running this business for generations, so compared to a true aristocratic family, it's nothing."
Hu Wen dared to reveal his wealth because he wasn't worried at all that Chunzhi would murder him for money. Although this woman was capable and ambitious, she was extremely disciplined. Apart from the county government's public property, none of the private assets of the officials in Yangcheng were touched. However, this was also thanks to his discipline of his subordinates during his tenure in Yangcheng; even when they amassed wealth, it was done openly and honestly, and none of the officials in Yangcheng committed any crimes.
Just as the two were talking, Jiang Jingyan broke free of the ropes binding him and rushed to Chunzhi's side with lightning speed.
Hu Wen was so shocked his eyes almost popped out. A jumble of chaotic thoughts flashed through his mind. What was that bodyguard doing? How could he not even tie up a person properly? Shouldn't the bodyguard have rushed out and subdued Jiang Jingyan right away?
To everyone's surprise, without the guards even needing to lift a finger, Chunzhi kicked over the table in front of her. Jiang Jingyan was hit squarely, and the force sent him flying several steps before he lay on his back on the ground, his limbs twitching, unable to recover for a long time.
The table was still pressing down on Jiang Jingyan, and there was a noticeable dent on it.
Chunzhi calmly walked down from the hall, and when she reached Jiang Jingyan, she stepped on the indentation of the table.
"Crack—"
It was the sound of wood cracking.
"Clang clang—"
That's the sound of bones cracking.
Hu Wen watched in horror. No wonder Chunzhi was able to train the secret guards; her own abilities were extraordinary.
Who can break a person's bones with a single step? That absolute power is enough to make even a strong man tremble in fear.
Blood spilled from Jiang Jingyan's mouth as he struggled to raise his finger and point at Chunzhi.
"You...you..."
It hurt so much, it really hurt so much. The pain of my bones cracking, and the heavy feeling of my chest being crushed by a heavy object, made me feel like a stranded fish, with my life out of my control.
"You wouldn't listen when I told you to stand up and talk, you just like to crawl on your knees and look up at others, right?" Chunzhi withdrew her foot to avoid aggravating her injury. If the doctor couldn't save her, she would become enemies with the Jiang family's collateral branch.
"Your Excellency, please go home and make preparations. In three days, this young master Jiang will come to your home to hold a wedding ceremony."
Hu Wen looked shocked, “This…”
Who holds a wedding ceremony at the bride's home?
Chunzhi gave him a reassuring look, "That's right, just as you think. In three days, your Hu family will not be marrying off a daughter, but rather recruiting a son-in-law."
"How dare you, you lowly servant!" Jiang Jingyan reacted before Hu Wen, shouting angrily. This roar exhausted his remaining strength, and then his eyes rolled back and he fainted.
Hu Wenyuan was already satisfied with this marriage, and now he is even more satisfied.
Taking a member of the Jiang family as a son-in-law—what a prestigious thing that would be! You know, only those destitute people who can't even afford to eat would marry into the Jiang family.
Hu Wen immediately ordered his men to carry Jiang Jingyan away. This prospective son-in-law could not be harmed now. No matter who it was, he had to enter the Hu family before he died. Otherwise, wouldn't Hu Wen's daughter become a widow?
To prevent Jiang Jingyan from suddenly attacking and hurting people, Hu Wen specifically instructed the doctor not to set his bones, but only to give him ginseng soup to keep him alive, and that he would be able to hold the wedding ceremony in three days.
The news that the prefect's daughter had chosen a husband, and that the man was a son from a collateral branch of the Jiang family, spread like wildfire throughout the streets and alleys of Yangcheng.
When Su Zhenzhen heard about this, she didn't react at first. After thinking about it carefully, she realized that it was Chunzhi giving her an explanation.
Moreover, this move can also eliminate a potential threat, and it can also establish a connection with the collateral branches of the Jiang family.
This will give us a legitimate reason to do anything further.
Three days later, Su Zhenzhen was invited to the prefectural governor's mansion to attend a wedding banquet.
Hu Wen must have doted on this daughter very much; the prefectural governor's mansion was decorated with red silk everywhere, and servants were throwing lucky money out of the gate.
"May the young lady enjoy a long and healthy life, and live in peace and happiness."
"The Prefect's wealth is rolling in, and his career is on the rise."
The area outside the gate was crowded with people scrambling for the lucky money, each of them uttering auspicious words.
Su Zhenzhen and the other invited officials, led by their servants, carved a path through the crowd.
It looked lively from the outside, but only ten tables were set up inside the mansion. After all, there were only so many relatives and friends. It was better to save the money and exchange it for more food than to make a big show of it. That was the more practical thing to do.
The officials who attended the banquet were all alone. With a new emperor comes a new court, and now that the emperor has changed, they dared not act recklessly. Apart from Hu Wen, who was conscripted into the army every day, the others basically stayed indoors.
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