Chu Yan's arrival exceeded everyone's expectations.
Chu Jinli and Mrs. He looked up blankly at the valiant figure, failing to recognize at first that this was the weak, obedient and manipulable bastard son.
Chu Yan was dressed in a light blue brocade robe with cloud patterns, which matched the embroidered cloud - mountain pouch around his waist perfectly. There was a hint of coldness beneath his noble air.
Although he was clearly a heroic young man full of high - spiritedness, he was extremely adept and experienced in deploying troops, just like a general who had returned from years of bloody battles.
He calmly and efficiently issued orders: "Block the three exits in the front and back of the shop. The rest of you dismount and search inside with me!"
At his command, everyone quickly and orderly took action, replacing Chu Jinli's soldiers and firmly guarding every important exit.
Chu Yan dismounted with his men, and rushed into the shop with four of them. In just the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the four men carried out two boxes and placed them on the carriage for transportation.
Chu Yan single - handedly carried a man whose hands and feet were tied and whose mouth was gagged with a cloth, and threw him onto the carriage as well.
He clapped his hands, lowered his head to smooth his robe, and murmured dissatisfiedly in a low voice: "He dirtied the clothes sister - in - law gave me."
Chu Jinli, who had been ignored the whole time under the eaves, just then came to his senses and asked Mrs. He beside him, "What did he just say?"
Mrs. He didn't care what Chu Yan murmured at all. Looking at the two boxes of account books and the shopkeeper who had been taken onto the carriage, she was so panicked that she almost fainted.
Chu Yan mounted his horse, waved his hand, and all his men retreated and got on their horses, preparing to go to the next shop.
Chu Jinli shouted angrily: "A Yan! What are you doing? Where did you get these soldiers?"
Chu Yan looked in the direction of the voice, as if he had just noticed Chu Jinli. He said, "Brother, so you're here. I thought you had already withdrawn your troops."
Chu Jinli ignored his sarcasm, walked into the middle of the street and asked again, "Where did you get these soldiers?"
Chu Yan replied, "The soldiers of the Prime Minister's Mansion."
The soldiers of the Prime Minister's Mansion? So it was Shang Yunruo who had sent Chu Yan to mobilize them? Since she had already used his men, why did she send Chu Yan to the Prime Minister's Mansion to mobilize troops?
Did she not trust him?
Anger had rushed to his head. He didn't even bother to think about why Chu Yan was so skilled in deploying troops. In a fit of rage, he recalled his soldiers and galloped back to the Marquis Mansion.
Seeing Chu Jinli leave, Mrs. He was completely at a loss, but still scolded Chu Yan as usual: "What are you showing off for, you bastard son? Hurry up and release the shopkeepers!"
Sitting on his horse, Chu Yan looked down at her condescendingly, his face cold and expressionless. He looked at her as if she were a dying person, giving her a contemptuous glance before raising his arm and tightening the reins heavily.
A troop of horses set off simultaneously. The flying dust choked Mrs. He. She waved her sleeves wildly, coughing violently and could hardly open her eyes.
She opened her mouth to scold, but instead of scolding anyone, she swallowed a mouthful of dust mixed with horse manure.
"Damn... Ugh... You little... Ugh..."
---
When Chu Jinli returned to the mansion, seeing Shang Yunruo sitting calmly in the courtyard, he was instantly filled with anger and questioned her:
"Don't you trust me? You used my soldiers, yet you still sent Chu Yan to the Prime Minister's Mansion to mobilize troops?"
Shang Yunruo had already guessed that Chu Yan had gone to her father to ask for troops. Hearing it from Chu Jinli now, she wasn't very surprised.
Although it wasn't her who had sent Chu Yan to mobilize troops, she was very glad and grateful that Chu Yan had thought of doing so.
Otherwise, all her efforts today would have been in vain.
Facing Chu Jinli's accusation, Shang Yunruo didn't rush to explain. She calmly stood up and counter - questioned, "Then, husband, have you ever let down my trust?"
Chu Jinli's full - blown anger was instantly frozen. The words got stuck in his throat, neither able to be spat out nor swallowed, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
After a long while, he managed to squeeze out a sentence: "How have I let you down?"
Shang Yunruo said, "Husband, why did you let auntie stall for time and delay searching for the account books?"
Chu Jinli blinked his eyes, and his tone lost its previous arrogance: "When did I stall for time?"
Shang Yunruo replied, "Part of the account books had already been burned. If Chu Yan hadn't arrived in time, the rest of them would probably have been completely destroyed."
Chu Jinli said guiltily, "I didn't even know where the account books were. Wouldn't it take time for me to search? With auntie there, I could just ask her."
Shang Yunruo was puzzled. Didn't Chu Yan give the drawing from Shan Junxin to Chu Jinli?
Suddenly, there came a commotion from outside. Chu Jinli snorted coldly: "He came back quite quickly, as if he knew where those account books were hidden."
Shang Yunruo understood. It must be Chu Yan bringing back the account books.
The commotion softened a bit in front of the courtyard. She faintly heard Chu Yan's voice, as if he was instructing the people outside to be quiet.
His footsteps also became lighter. As they approached, his clear and gentle voice like jade also reached her ears.
"Sister - in - law, I've brought back the account books for you."
Chu Jinli, who had been eager to vent his anger, turned around and said angrily to him, "You only see your sister - in - law? You're becoming more and more disrespectful."
Chu Jinli stopped in his tracks. Different from his previous cheerful tone, his voice became low and a bit aggrieved as he bowed to Chu Jinli: "Brother."
He looked exactly like a wronged little rabbit bearing humiliation.
Chu Jinli's nameless anger flared up again. Although Chu Yan had done nothing wrong, why did he look so detestable in this way?
Shang Yunruo quickly interjected, "Chu Yan was acting on my orders. Don't be so harsh on him."
Chu Jinli pointed at his own nose, looking completely incredulous: "I'm being harsh on him? You don't even know how domineering he looked just now when he was giving orders. He's just pretending to be weak in front of you!"
Chu Yan stood beside Shang Yunruo and said softly, "I went to the Prime Minister's Mansion to borrow troops without permission. If brother wants to blame someone, blame me."
Shang Yunruo said, "It's not A Yan's fault. He was just trying to help me. Husband, don't be so aggressive."
Chu Jinli opened his mouth but couldn't say a word.
After all this, he had become the aggressive one?
No, this sounded so familiar. Who had said something similar?
Unable to figure it out and being irritated again, Chu Jinli roared angrily, "Fine, I'm being aggressive. Then I'll leave. Shang Yunruo, don't beg me to come back!"
After leaving the Marquis Mansion, Chu Jinli went to Jinghuiyuan. The anger he had suffered in the Marquis Mansion was finally soothed in Changchunting.
Thinking of Chu Yan's heroic appearance just now, he couldn't help but wonder, "Do you think A Yan has been pretending all along, or was he pretending just now when he was deploying troops?"
Xue Ning'an said in a soft and gentle voice, "If he were really as capable as cousin said, why wouldn't he have resisted before?"
Chu Jinli slapped the table: "Yes! You're absolutely right. It must be the Prime Minister who taught him what to do. Isn't it easy for him to learn?"
Xue Ning'an gently pleaded for him, "Speaking of which, how could cousin - in - law question the master? She should have absolute trust in you."
After this analysis, Chu Jinli felt much better. He held Xue Ning'an's hand: "I still feel comfortable here with you."
Xue Ning'an sighed softly, "It's a pity that no matter how comfortable cousin feels, he still has to go back and can't stay with Ning'an."
"Why can't I stay? Liu Qian!"
He called his personal servant and ordered, "Go to the Marquis Mansion and tell Shang Yunruo that I'll be staying at auntie's place tonight. Even if she comes to plead with me in person, I won't go back!"
Liu Qian took the order and left. Xue Ning'an asked worriedly, "Cousin - in - law always tries every means to invite you back. If she really comes to plead with you this time, will cousin really not go back?"
Chu Jinli snorted coldly: "I won't go back. Unless she apologizes to me, I'll stay here forever."
Although he said so, Chu Jinli knew that Shang Yunruo would surely find a way to invite him back after hearing Liu Qian's report. So he didn't even go back to his courtyard but just sat upright in the pavilion.
The night wind was a bit cold. It wasn't until his body was almost frozen that Liu Qian came back.
Chu Jinli immediately straightened his back again and asked arrogantly, "Did the mistress come to plead with me to go back?"
Liu Qian replied, "No. The lights in the mistress's courtyard are out."
Chu Jinli: …?