Chapter 33 Seeking Credit
"I'm sorry." Chu Ci thought of the care and love shown to him by the female members of the Fan family, and finally apologized sincerely.
Fan Jingrui was unwilling to accept the fact that his importance in Chu Ci's heart was not as great as that of Grandpa, Grandma, Qianyan, Qianxue and the others. But he had no way to deal with Chu Ci. After all, he had agreed to it in the first place.
A feeling of frustration surged in his heart, and Fan Jingrui had to force himself to let it go.
Chu Ci, the straightforward woman, was completely oblivious. "Husband, you won't blame me, will you? If there's anyone to blame, it should be the people behind this. If it weren't for them, those men in black wouldn't have gone crazy. I wouldn't have been forced into this situation..."
"So, my husband, I am really just a victim. There is no reason to place resentment on a victim like me."
Fan Jingrui: It turns out that it's all someone else's fault, and she herself is not at fault at all.
However, what Chu Ci said was indeed reasonable. Fan Jingrui had no choice but to change the subject. He turned to look at Dugu Lie and Duan Tianji, master and apprentice, and asked, "Who are these two?"
"My dear husband, you certainly wouldn't guess them. Let me introduce you to Duan Tianji, Qianyan's uncle. Mr. Dugu, Dugu Lie, Uncle Tianji's master." He didn't forget to brag about himself, "I'm really lucky. I just took a stroll and found out that the Tatars were actually building an arsenal in Black Cloud Mountain..."
Before Chu Ci could finish his boasting, he was interrupted by a high-pitched tenor voice: "Tatars? Arsenal? There are iron mines on Black Cloud Mountain?"
Chu Ci turned around and saw an official in a bright red official uniform, with a silver fish bag at his waist, striding towards him. The high-pitched tenor had come from this gentleman.
Uncle Master's arrival was just in time, Fan Jingrui muttered to himself. But he couldn't lose the proper etiquette: "Uncle Master Shen."
Then he turned to Chu Ci and introduced him, "Madam, this is Lord Shen Zhengnan, the governor of Shuzhou. He was also my grandfather's registered disciple. This time..."
Just as he was about to recount Shen Zhengnan's efforts in finding Chu Ci, he was interrupted. "Don't be polite. It's only natural for me to do anything for you, teacher."
Having said this, Shen Zhengnan paused before continuing, "Besides, Tatars, I believe you understand what iron ore means. You have really helped me a lot."
Shen Zhengnan had already said so much, what else could Fan Jingrui say? He could only act as the introducer again: "It's Jingrui's fault, Uncle Master, please don't blame me. Uncle Master, this is Chu Ci, my new wife."
Shen Zhengnan nodded repeatedly upon hearing this: "Okay, okay. My niece-in-law is truly my lucky star. Tell me quickly, what exactly is going on in Black Cloud Mountain? And these, are the ones under my feet still alive?"
When asked about this, Chu Ci suddenly woke up and realized that they were now like being in a pile of "dead bodies". If someone who didn't know the situation saw this, they would probably be terrified.
Chu Ci didn't want to give people the impression of murder, so he quickly explained: "They're alive, they're all alive! It's all my fault for being impatient. A fire, Jingrui came. The Tatars were also frightened. I had no choice but to ask Senior Dugu and the others to perform some small tricks."
Even after saying this, he was still afraid that people would not believe him, so he pulled out Dugu Lie and his apprentice as a shield. "If you don't believe me, why don't you ask Master Dugu?"
Dugu Lie had long known he couldn't escape the truth, so he admitted it openly. "Yes, these people, as well as those in the underground arsenal, were drugged."
As long as the person was still alive, Shen Zhengnan immediately shifted his focus to the arsenal. "Tell me in detail."
Dugu Lie knew what Shen Zhengnan was concerned about, so he skipped the human trafficking issue and said, "My master and I were captured and taken to Black Cloud Mountain five years ago. Since then, we've been imprisoned in an underground arsenal, working day and night to forge iron. In those five years, we've forged a total of 239 high-quality swords. The details of the rest of the group are recorded in these two account books. Please review them, sir."
After Dugu Lie finished speaking, he took out two account books that were still warm from his arms and handed them respectfully to Shen Zhengnan.
Shen Zhengnan took it and quickly flipped through it. After a long while, he angrily said with a sullen face, "How dare a mere Tartar act so recklessly in my Great Zhou."
This made Chu Ci, who had been influenced by the people-oriented ideology since childhood, quite dissatisfied. "Master Shen, please calm down. There are even more shameless things. Not only did they set up an arsenal, they also kidnapped and sold many people from my Great Zhou and forced them to bear children for the Tatars."
As expected, Shen Zhengnan's expression turned extremely grim. The territory under his jurisdiction was being run amok by spies from an enemy nation. If it weren't for today, if they were exposed in the future? Not only would he be skinned alive, but his family would also be implicated.
Thinking of this, Shen Zhengnan's voice became much gloomier: "Are there any other situations?"
Chu Ci was not afraid and nodded. "Although many people in the arsenal were captured at the beginning, some were corrupted later. Master Dugu was really amazing. Not only did he find the exit, but he and Duan Tianji also found the account books."
After praising Master Dugu Lie and his apprentice, Chu Ci didn't forget to take credit for himself. "As for me, I was almost there. In just one day, I discovered the secret of Black Cloud Mountain. Not only did I save Uncle Qianyan and Master Dugu, I also taught them a lesson and burned down their stronghold."
Perhaps Chu Ci had a histrionic personality, and he couldn't let go in front of acquaintances. But in front of strangers, Chu Ci was like a different person. He even took the initiative to ask for a reward: "Master Shen, can you earn a reward for the Fan family with the iron mine and the Tatar spy?"
Forgive Shen Zhengnan, he really couldn't keep up with Chu Ci's train of thought. So he asked blankly, "What gift do you want?"
"As a wise ruler, you should clearly distinguish between rewards and punishments. Rewarding meritorious service is the only way to inspire people. Of course, I know this little bit of merit isn't enough to reinstate Grandpa. But pardoning a criminal shouldn't be too much, right?" Chu Ci spoke with a powerful move, not only daring to criticize the emperor but even clearly outlining the rewards.
If this thought had not just flashed through his mind, Shen Zhengnan would probably have thought that Chu Ci had placed someone around him.
If Mr. Fan's previous exception due to the Chu Ci incident had left Shen Zhengnan with a negative impression of him, leading to his conversation being mostly polite, then at this moment, Shen Zhengnan couldn't help but sigh: "Old Jiang is still wise. The teacher is worthy of being a teacher, and the grandson's wife he chose is no ordinary woman. What matters is that her words and actions are appropriate and her manners are measured."
Are your words and actions appropriate and your manners measured? Fortunately, Fan Jingrui didn't know Shen Zhengnan had such an evaluation of Chu Ci. If he knew, he would definitely ask in return, how thick is your filter for Grandpa?
Unfortunately, Fan Jingrui didn’t know.
He could only helplessly watch as Master Shen unknowingly became more indulgent towards Chu Ci.
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