Madam Qian felt extremely smug, considering herself extremely clever.
Chu Hao'an was eager to leave. She chased after him and questioned, "In the future, you'd better go out less at night. The old lady was quite unhappy when she heard about you competing for the courtesan outside. Before you secure the inheritance right of the Chu family, you'd better behave yourself and don't cause any more trouble!"
"I'm not going to drink in brothels. I'm going to visit Cousin Wanchu."
Madam Qian frowned upon hearing this. "Although she's been married and not as reserved as a maiden, you're a man. If you go there at night, people will gossip. And Song Wanchu may not even open the door for you!"
Chu Hao'an didn't take it seriously.
"Mother, you underestimate your son's charm! When we visited her today, it was obvious that she had a favorable impression of me. Didn't she accept that waistband? This means she responded to my overtures!
Moreover, she's been a widow for a year. She must be lonely in her boudoir. Once I make a move, she'll surely fall for me. Once I've had her, it'll be much easier to propose marriage later."
Madam Qian was very satisfied with her son's appearance.
After a careful thought, if Song Wanchu had no interest in her son, she would have returned the waistband long ago.
Accepting it meant that she was eager for a man.
Madam Qian looked down on Song Wanchu in her heart, thinking her frivolous.
But she also thought that if her son married her and got a huge dowry, it wouldn't be a bad deal.
"Go then. It's good to test the waters, but don't be too hasty, or you'll anger her."
Madam Qian kept exhorting, "Her elder brother is not someone to be trifled with!"
Chu Hao'an stroked his smooth and shiny face, confident of success.
He didn't take Shi Luohan seriously at all.
What elder brother? He was just an orphan adopted by the Song family back then. He had no family background and no connections. How dare he challenge him?
Chu Hao'an walked briskly all the way, humming a tune as he came to the northwest corner gate.
The corner gate was locked, but it didn't matter. The old woman guarding the gate was in his mother's employ. As long as he showed up, she would let him in or out without question.
Just as he was about to knock on the door, his neck was suddenly grabbed from behind by a soft belt. But the attacker was incredibly strong. The belt tightened around his neck, and Chu Hao'an waved his arms wildly. A sense of suffocation came over him, and his vision went black.
"Help... How dare you... Who are you..."
The air in his lungs seemed to be sucked out. His whole face turned blue and purple from straining, and he could only make a hissing sound. He couldn't even utter a complete sentence.
Just when he thought he was going to die, the belt suddenly loosened.
Fresh air rushed into his lungs. Chu Hao'an coughed violently and slumped to the ground, his limbs twitching.
After he caught his breath, his anger flared up.
Who had the audacity to attack him at his own doorstep?
The first person he thought of was Shi Luohan.
Just as he was about to curse out loud, a pair of black boots came into his sight.
Chu Hao'an looked up along the boots, tilting his head and squinting his eyes.
The lantern hanging high on the corner gate illuminated the man's face.
On his chiseled face, his black eyes glinted menacingly. His tall figure cast a dark shadow, like a heavy mountain pressing down on Chu Hao'an.
This man exuded an overwhelming sense of oppression. Meeting those sinister black eyes, he couldn't help but tremble.
He was so terrifying, like a demon from hell!
"Who are you? Are you sent by Shi Luohan? Let me tell you, I'm the eldest young master of the Chu family. The eldest young master of the prefect's mansion is my close friend. If you dare to lay a finger on me—"
Before he could finish his sentence, he got a punch in the face.
Blood spurted out of his mouth, and two teeth fell to the ground with a "plop".
Chu Hao'an was shocked out of his wits. His face turned as white as a corpse.
Zhou Sheng sneered, "A mere fourth - rank prefect? How dare you use him to scare our master?"
Liang Yuzhou looked down coldly at the trembling man on the ground and let out a disdainful sneer.
When he laughed, Chu Hao'an was terrified, as if he heard the sound of a death knell!
"Please spare my life, sir! Please spare my life!" He kowtowed like a pounding garlic. "I don't know when I offended you, sir. Please spare my dog's life. I'm willing to offer all my family wealth to make amends!"
Zhou Sheng couldn't help rolling his eyes.
He thought the man had some backbone, but after just a couple of blows, he became as weak as a jellyfish.
Liang Yuzhou parted his lips and warned icily, "Stay away from her. If you dare to provoke her, I'll make sure your mother won't even be able to find your ashes."
A chill ran down Chu Hao'an's spine.
"Our master is asking you a question. Did you hear that?"
Zhou Sheng asked impatiently.
"Yes, I heard it! I heard it!"
A packet was thrown at his feet.
"Eat it, and I'll let you go!"
Chu Hao'an opened the paper packet tremblingly. A pungent smell of dust wafted out.
His neck was already painfully bruised from the choking, and his throat was burning. How could he possibly swallow such a thing?
"Sir, this... this thing is poisonous, isn't it..."
Liang Yuzhou's eyes were cold, and a sneer played on his lips. "So you know it's poisonous?"
Chu Hao'an shuddered. He knew what this stuff was...
"Hurry up and eat it!"
He cried miserably, and his hands trembled even more.
Zhou Sheng grabbed the back of his neck with one hand, picked up the paper packet, and stuffed it into Chu Hao'an's mouth.
Afraid that he couldn't swallow it, he even took out the water bag and kindly poured a few mouthfuls of cold water down his throat.
Chu Hao'an was choked so much that his snot and tears streamed down.
"Get out of here." Zhou Sheng kicked him on the butt.
Chu Hao'an felt as if he had been granted amnesty. He scrambled away.
Zhou Sheng mocked, "What a coward!"
Liang Yuzhou guarded the corner gate until after midnight.
Wanchu didn't come.
The dim candlelight shone on his angular face and into his lonely and desolate eyes.
"Master, maybe Madam is..."
Zhou Sheng wanted to say something comforting, but he couldn't even come up with a decent excuse.
Over the past year, the master had been through many such moments. He never said a word and always silently licked his wounds.
Liang Yuzhou lowered his eyes. His thick black eyebrows covered the frustration in his eyes.
He let out a self - deprecating smile. "I expected she wouldn't see me."
It was just a low wall. He could easily climb over it with a little effort.
He could have easily sneaked into Wanchu's room.
He used to do it often before.
But every time he went with the intention of apologizing, he always ended up losing his temper and hurting Wanchu badly.
He should have learned to respect her earlier, but he had realized it too late.
It served him right that Wanchu didn't want to see him.
He had no other motives. He was just greedy for a moment alone with her.
He also wanted to tell her to be careful everywhere. Although Yunzhou wasn't a big place, the various forces were intricate.
She had been targeted and plotted against on her way here.
He also wanted to tell her not to worry. He would protect her.
If she didn't want to see him, he would silently be her backup.
Liang Yuzhou looked at the wall again, suppressing the impulse in his heart.
"Let's go."
...
Chu Hao'an was like a lost soul all the way. He walked absent - mindedly to the courtyard gate and was stopped again.