Category: The Big Landlord

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Chapter 70.1 – Getting Married

“What is this for?”
Translations by Vanilla Muse
Fu Wu Tian came up beside An Zi Ran and leaned one hand on the table.

Asides from the fine writing paper in front of him, there were two other pieces of paper above it. They were also filled with information on the industries. The writing was different. The ink had already dried up, so it was obviously not written recently.

As he spoke he picked up one of the papers and looked over it. The handwriting didn’t look as good as wang fei’s.

An Zi Ran looked up at him and said, “This is the dowry that my father prepared in advance for An Qiao E and An Ke Xin when he was alive. I was originally planning to wait for them to marry before bringing it out.”

“But unexpectedly they were unable to wait for their dowry. Fang Jun Ping ran off with her daughter. It seems that this dowry won’t be used,” Fu Wu Tian concluded his words.

An Zi Ran said, “This is the path that the mother and daughter chose. Even if we meet in the future I will not take out this dowry.” Only Steward Su and he knew about this dowry, so there was no need to think about the consequences. He was more than happy not to have to see them again. Although they were concubine-born daughters, for the sake of his face*, An Chang Fu still prepared a lot for their dowry. Indeed, it was a rich and imposing amount.

[*T/N: The concept of “face” in Chinese means reputation, honor, and/or self-respect.]

After he finished speaking, he took the paper from Fu Wu Tian’s hand, crumbled it into a ball, and threw it away.

“What about the other one?” Fu Wu Tian asked.
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An Zi Ran brought the other paper in front of him. With a brush he wrote a big X on the paper. “I will re-write a new one.”

Except for land property, the dowry list had everything else, including a dozen real estate properties. It was a very generous amount. But this was the list that An Chang Fu had drawn up when he was considering the prospect of marrying his daughter off to an official, which was why there were so many things.

An Zi Ran did not have such plans.

The most he could guarantee was to marry An Ke Xin off to a wealthy businessman, so that she would not have to be concerned over money for a lifetime. This was already the kind of marriage that many women dreamed of. For a concubine-born daughter like An Ke Xin, wanting to marry someone with status and rank was impossible. The other party may not even accept her as a concubine.

“Are you preparing to marry her off to the one surnamed Lin in Tong Tai County?” There was a flash of amusement in Fu Wu Tian’s eyes.

An Zi Ran did not deny it. He only said, “Although the Lin family is not as rich as the An family, but they are also one of the top wealthy businessmen in Tong Tai County. If An Ke Xin marries them, she will be the proper wife. Also Lin Xin is the Lin family’s only son. I have already investigated him. He has not married a wife yet. An Ke Xin will not be wronged. If she has brains and schemes, she will give birth to the Lin family’s first son. Then the entire Lin family will be hers.”

Fu Wu Tian gazed at An Zi Ran, who spoke frankly with assurance. “Wang fei, I couldn’t discern that you were thinking so much for her.”

“I wasn’t giving consideration for her, I was only declaring a fact.” An Zi Ran said unconcernedly. He was the type of person that reports when stared at. An Ke Xin should rejoice at her luck. If the Lin family’s son had not paid a visit that other day, he would definitely have found a random wealthy person and married her off.

Moreover, with his relationship, the Lin family would not dare to mistreat An Ke Xin. This was already the best outcome for her.

“Will she agree?”

“She doesn’t have a choice.”

An Ke Xin really did not have a choice anymore. If Zheng Bi had not put on such a grand play that day, then An Ke Xin would still have the right to choose her marriage partner. An Zi Ran would never let her marry at this troublesome critical juncture.

After making the decision, An Zi Ran summoned An Ke Xin before him.

When she heard that An Zi Ran wanted to marry her to the only son of the Lin family, An Ke Xin was stunned into silence. An Zi Ran did not speak again until she took the initiative to break the silence.

“I agree to marry Lin Xin.”

An Zi Ran arched an eyebrow.

An Ke Xin said with sarcasm, “Even if I don’t agree, you have already decided to marry me off at this time, correct?”

An Zi Ran generously admitted. “Yes.”

She said, “I know that you will not take me and my mother to Jun Zi City. You also won’t let me marry someone with status and position in Jun Zi City. That’s why you’re so eager to marry me off.”

He looked at her and replied, “Indeed. I won’t take you two with me. But there is one point you are incorrect about. Based on your birth, those people with status and position won’t marry you at all. Even if it’s a concubine, it must be the daughter of an official. Jun Zi City is beneath the foot of the emperor. An Yuan County cannot compare at all. Your desire to marry someone with status and power can only be a dream in your heart. If you say it out loud, you will only be laughed at and humiliated.”

Hearing him speak, An Ke Xin’s face turned blue and white.

She couldn’t be blamed for her way of thinking. It was all An Chang Fu and Zheng Bi’s fault for instilling the wrong ideas in her head. In addition, due to the An family’s high status in An Yuan County, An Ke Xin always thought that she was among the cream of the crop.

She had never been to the outside world, just like a frog at the bottom of a well. If she didn’t jump out she would never know how ridiculous her thoughts were.

“I agree to marry Lin Xin, but I have one demand.”

An Ke Xin said she would agree to the marriage, but it wasn’t because she came to understand her status in life, but because of Fu Wu Tian. After learning that he was a wang ye, she knew that she would never get out of her predicament. An Zi Ran would always be above her head.

Instead of living her days in fear, it was better to seize this opportunity. So even if An Zi Ran did not mention this matter today, she would go to him.

“What demand?”

An Ke Xin said, “Spare my mother.”

Although she blamed her mother for dragging her down into the water, they were still mother and daughter. This was the only thing she could do now. Consider it as her repayment to her mother for raising her.

“All right.” An Zi Ran did not hesitate.

Zheng Bi was nothing in his eyes. Even if he didn’t do anything, she would not be able to stir up any big waves. He was not interested in bickering with a married woman. As long as she didn’t bother him in the future then that was good. Later, he would find a courtyard for her to spend the rest of her life.

The two sides reached an agreement, and An Zi Ran ordered Steward Su to prepare for the Second Miss’s marriage. He had already contacted Lin Ji* of Tong Tai County. Lin Xin was very happy after knowing this and agreed to it without superfluous words.

[*T/N: Not a typo. Probably Lin Xin’s father.]

Knowing that the Second Miss was going to get married, everyone was very happy, because in the future there would be no need to see this savage Second Miss, and there would be one less disagreeable master to serve.

The festive atmosphere had somewhat diluted the blood of that day.

However, there were some obstacles in the arrangement.

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Thank you MiccieT for the coffee, but more importantly your very sweet comment. It made my day. 🍬🍭🍬🍭

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Chapter 69.2 – Feigning Madness

The servants of Jade Water Courtyard all asked Steward Su to reassign them to work elsewhere. Steward Su didn’t say much and quickly arranged it, but he did not add any more people to Jade Water Courtyard. An Ke Xin couldn’t find any servants so she could only go to the kitchen herself to get food.
Translations by Vanilla Muse
Chef Wang never liked this mother and daughter pair. After that incident, the master of the house ignored them, so when Chef Wang saw An Ke Xin, naturally he did not give her a good expression. Even the food he gave her was less than usual.

An Ke Xin’s face turned green. “How can this little amount of food be enough for us to eat? Chef Wang, don’t forget that you’re just a servant in the An family.”

Chef Wang smiled and said, “Second Miss, I, Chef Wang, is a servant of the family. I have not forgotten this point, but you also shouldn’t forget that the master of this house is the young master, not the two of you. Since Concubine Zheng is already mad, I think she won’t need to eat a lot, so why waste food.”

“You!”

An Ke Xin slammed the tray of food down on the stove. The force was too big and the dishes spilled over.

Chef Wang glanced at it, and then said in a pitying manner, “Second Miss, we only prepare just enough food for everyone in the family. Now that you’ve spilled your portion there is no more for you.”
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An Ke Xin sneered and said, “You think this lady cares about this pittance? You just wait, this lady will make you regret it one day.”

“Then I, Chef Wang, shall wait to see how Second Miss will make me regret.” Chef Wang was no longer afraid of her.

An Ke Xin turned and left.

Two maidservants saw her rushing over in a fit of rage. One of them immediately spoke loudly, “I heard Concubine Zheng colluded with that Prefectural Magistrate Jiang something or another to frame the young master. She did it right in front of the young master and gu ye. Since you dare to do it then you should have the guts to shoulder the consequences. What are you feigning madness to escape for? This kind of person deserves to be struck by lightning.”

“That’s right. This time, if it weren’t for gu ye, all of us would’ve been thrown into the dungeons.”

“Some people are still trying to throw their weight around as a lady. Why don’t they think about whether or not they are worthy of such status?”

An Ke Xin clenched her fists tightly. She vowed in her heart that someday she would make these people pay. Absolutely must!

She returned to Jade Water Courtyard.

Zheng Bi’s state was still the same.

An Ke Xin looked at her mother’s sloppy appearance. Her mother didn’t seem like an adult at all. She couldn’t help the anger that rose up within her. She rushed over and grabbed Zheng Bi by the shoulders. She shouted, “Mother, why? Why did you have to do such a thing that day? Do you know what kind of days your daughter is living? None of them are treating me like the Second Miss of this family. Every time they see me it’s frigid irony and scorching satire. They’re also saying that you’re faking your craziness. Is that really true? Is that true, ah!!!”

Zheng Bi’s spiritless eyes were instead looking outside.

An Ke Xin noticed. She abruptly released her hands and took a few steps back. She spoke sarcastically, “You don’t have to look. Right now, there is not a single servant in the Jade Water Courtyard. There is only you and I!”

Zheng Bi jumped up at once. She opened her mouth and said, “Food?”

She did not eat this morning and at noon. In order to continue her charade, she deliberately overturned the food. She only ate a bit of fruit for the time being, but she did not have enough food. Now she was waiting for the dinner meal.

“Mother, so you really were pretending.”

An Ke Xin looked at her mother. It was laughable. She was the last one to know. No wonder An Zi Ran wanted her to learn from her mother. It turned out that he had guessed that her mother was pretending.

Zheng Bi saw her daughter looking at her accusatorily and suddenly got mad. She said sharply, “Then you speak, if your mother doesn’t pretend then what should I do? Should I just wait for An Zi Ran to come knocking on my door to settle accounts with me? The one he married is a wang ye. If he bites down on me, then your mother’s small life will be gone!”

An Ke Xin shouted loudly, “But you also shouldn’t drag me down into the water with you, ah!”

Zheng Bi was stunned. When she regained her senses, she realized that her daughter was accusing her. She was even angrier. “What kind of words are these? How did mother drag you down into the water? That time I did that, wasn’t it for you? Otherwise, why would I have to take such a big risk and run out there? And now you dare to accuse your mother?”

An Ke Xin smiled coldly. “For me? Wasn’t it for your own sake?”

Zheng Bi took a breath. Her body swayed. She staggered towards a chair and fell onto it. She stared at her daughter with an incredulous expression.

An Ke Xin raised her head. She didn’t feel that she was wrong.

Zheng Bi found that she had raised a white-eyed wolf.

The Jade Water Courtyard happenings were passed onto An Zi Ran that night. Although the courtyard only had the mother and daughter, the sound of the two quarreling was loud. Zheng Bi was so angry that she couldn’t suppress her voice. As a result, when a servant passed by they heard everything.

An Zi Ran already knew that she was pretending, so he didn’t immediately go over to deal with them. He was busy enough with the preparations for moving the family to Jun Zi City.

However, he was not preparing to bring this mother and daughter pair to Jun Zi City with them.

These two were troublesome. He knew that An Ke Xin has been unrealistically thinking about marrying a powerful person without considering the fact that she was concubine-born. So before he moved, he must resolve the problem of An Ke Xin’s marriage first.

When Fu Wu Tian entered through the door, he saw his wang fei sitting and pondering the issue.

The youth had a very focused expression. At a glance nothing has changed, but Fu Wu Tian was keenly aware that his wang fei had lost weight. The excess meat on his face was gradually disappearing. His body was beginning to lengthen. The childishness was fading from his countenance. There was an alert light from his handsome face. More and more he was becoming too lovable to part with.

When he walked over he saw that the youth had written down all of the family’s industries on a piece of fine writing paper, and it was listed in great detail.

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Chapter 69.1 – Feigning Madness

Bi Shui Yuan (Jade Water Courtyard)
Translations by Vanilla Muse
Zheng Bi sat in a corner staring straight ahead of her with lifeless expression on her face. She kept muttering nonsense. Her hair was a scattered mess and there was not a trace of makeup on her face, which was ashen pale. Her whole person seemed to have aged twenty years.

There was not a hint of her previous beautiful appearance. She looked like a madwoman!

Zheng Bi was born with beautiful features. She used to rely on her face to charm An Chang Fu. Even after An Chang Fu’s death, she still paid attention to her appearance. For a woman well into her thirties she still had plenty of charm.

Everyone in the An manor knew that she was very conscious of beauty, just like the fourth concubine.

Seeing her tragic appearance, no one thought that she was acting. Furthermore, the situation at the time was indeed horrifying. Those servants who happened to witnessed the deaths of Guard Two and Jiang Zhong Ting still had nightmares every night. Whether it was day or night, they didn’t dare pass by that courtyard.

An Zi Ran stood in the hallway with a calm expression and looked into Zheng Bi’s room to see the woman giggling crazily to herself.

Fu Wu Tian was not by his side at the moment. Hong Province’s current state of affairs needed a person to be the decision maker. Since he was the one that caused the situation then naturally he should be responsible for his actions.

But he was still within the premise of An Yuan County, and the people of An Yuan County only knew that there was someone important in their county, but they did not know that he was a wang ye. All the things that happened within the An manor were also censored.

“An Zi Ran, what did you come here for?!”

There was a sudden roar from behind him.

An Zi Ran turned his head and saw An Ke Xin standing not too far away with a tray of food in her hands. Her pretty face was slightly distorted by anger and her eyes were full of hatred that could not be ignored.

“Haven’t you harmed my mother enough? Get lost! We don’t want to see you!”

Seeing that he was not speaking, An Ke Xin really wanted to take the tray of food in her hands and hurl it at his face, but she couldn’t, because if she wasted the food in her hands then she would have to go out and buy food with her money. The An family would not provide a second lunch. Moreover, after that incident, none of the servants wanted to see the mother and daughter pair.

All of this was An Zi Ran’s fault. If it weren’t for him then those things wouldn’t have happened, and her mother wouldn’t be reduced to this state of neither fully human nor fully ghost.

An Zi Ran looked at her indifferently.

An Ke Xin was flustered by him, but she stubbornly held her head up.

He spoke calmly, “An Ke Xin, aren’t you mistaken? This entire An family is mine, including this Jade Water Courtyard that you live in with your mother now. If I don’t want to let you live here anymore, I can justifiably chase both of you out. Do you believe it?”

An Ke Xin’s face turned white.

Of course she didn’t dare not believe. An Zi Ran definitely had this power and right.

What’s more, the words that her mother said in the courtyard that day was enough to have mother and daughter thrown into a cold cellar. If it weren’t for her mother suddenly going mad then An Zi Ran would’ve already settled accounts with them.

“Don’t let me hear you say another word of slander against me. Also, you should learn from your mother.”

An Zi Ran left behind this sentence, then he swept past her and left.

An Ke Xin dazedly entered the room and placed the food on the table. She looked at her mother who was still in the corner shaking her head and muttering to herself. She couldn’t help but mourn, how did things become like this for them? Ever since An Zi Ran changed, their days got worse and worse. She was fed up with living like this. In hindsight, she should’ve followed Fang Jun Ping and her daughter’s example and leave the An manor!

……

Steward Su was in the main hall commanding the servants to move things. When he saw the young master entering he immediately went over and asked, “Young Master, how is it?”

He knew that the young master had gone to see the third concubine Zheng Bi. Actually, he also suspected that Zheng Bi was feigning madness, but there was no evidence. Even a doctor couldn’t confirm or deny such a thing.

“What do you think?” An Zi Ran answered with a question.

Steward Su thought about it and said, “I think that she is likely pretending to be crazy.”

An Zi Ran said, “Reason?”

Steward Su explained, “Young Master, think about it, when that guard was killed by gu ye*, the third concubine was hiding and peeking in from the corridor. Then, when she heard that Prefectural Magistrate Jiang wanted to interrogate us, she came out to exculpate herself. At that time she spoke logically and her words were clear. Even the dead did not scare her. How could she be scared into madness after hearing that the gu ye is a wang ye? Therefore, I think she is definitely pretending to be crazy. Don’t you think so?”

[*T/N: 姑爷 gu ye: son-in-law (used by wife’s family)]

Seeing him speak in such a clear and logical manner, the corner of An Zi Ran’s mouth couldn’t help but turn up slightly. “You’ve said everything, so why are you still asking me?”

“So she really is feigning madness!”

Steward Su didn’t expect his conjecture to be correct, so his voice rose up in volume.

The great hall suddenly quieted down.

The servants glanced over. They all heard.

Steward Su’s old face twitched. “What are you looking at? Quickly get back to work!”

Everyone kept silent and resumed their work.

Henceforth, word started to circulate in the An family that the third concubine Zheng Bi was pretending to be crazy in order to avoid An Zi Ran settling accounts with her. The servants became even more disdainful of the third concubine. She dared to collude with outsiders to frame the young master, but she didn’t have the courage to bear the consequences of her actions. An Ke Xin quickly discovered this phenomenon.

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Chapter 68.2 – Coincidence

Fu Wu Tian would definitely investigate the matter with the ledger. At that time, many officials in Hong Province would be dragged down. He must make preparations so that he could deal with this matter at a moment’s notice. And right now, he must inform his grandfather.
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His movements did not go unnoticed.

Although they were a step slower, they soon discovered the situation in Hong Province.

Liu Fei Hong was captured. Hong Province lost its pillar. The army now controlled the prefectural magistrate’s huge mansion. News of such a big matter had already spread.

It didn’t take long for a memorial to be placed in front of the Chong Ming Emperor.

“Your Majesty, do you want to take a look at this memorial?” Eunuch Wang Ping lowered his head and did not look at the Chong Ming Emperor, who was flirting with an imperial concubine in his embrace.

This was the twenty-seventh year reign of the Chong Ming Emperor, who was now only forty-three-years-old, but looked to be over fifty-years-old. At this age, he was still addicted to wine, and nightly music entertainment. The noble ladies in the harem have changed from fighting for favor to supporting their sons in the struggle for the throne.

Only after a long while did the emperor respond.

“What kind of memorial? If it is not a big deal, just give it to the prime minister to deal with.”

Chong Ming Emperor had an expression of cold and indifference. Then he turned back around to flirt with the young and beautiful imperial concubine, making her giggle. The coquettish sound made the emperor’s bones go soft.
“The Big Landlord” translations are by Vanilla Muse
Wang Ping steadily replied, “In response to the emperor, it is a memorial to impeach the jun wang.”

With just one word, the Chong Ming Emperor’s attention was pulled back. The emperor pushed away the imperial concubine in his arms and she fell to the ground. She looked up, wanting to complain, but then she saw that his expression had suddenly became serious and majestic, thus she dared not speak. She got up, pulled on her transparent white robe, and left.

This was a rule that every smart woman in the harem must learn, otherwise they would be eliminated.

Chong Ming Emperor calmly read through the memorial. Then he closed it up and threw it to the ground. In a voice that caused others to tremble with fear he said, “Pass on our decree, to the person who wrote this memorial, strip him of his black cap. From now on, he may not be a government official anymore.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Wang Ping was not surprised at all. He left the study room and turned his head around to look at the closed door.

Those people only knew that the emperor wanted to take military command from the jun wang’s hands. So once the jun wang made some trouble they immediately thought to impeach him, thinking that this would make the emperor happy, but they did not know that this was the emperor’s real sore point.

Jun wang held the decree, the will, of the previous emperor. Even the current emperor, the noblest person in all of Da Ya, could not budge jun wang. To add oil to the fire at this point, that person was obviously seeking death!

Therefore, it did not take long.

The entire imperial court found out that the emperor had gotten rid of that official who wrote the memorial to impeach jun wang.

As a result, rumors sprung up everywhere.

Those who did not know the truth thought that the emperor was standing on the jun wang’s side. Others thought that the emperor did not actually want to seize the military power from the jun wang, and that he only deliberately created the false image to draw out those who were dissatisfied with the jun wang.

For a time, the imperial court was lively with rumors.

At the same time, due to Liu Fei Hong’s fall from power, there was unrest in Hong Province. Fu Wu Tian’s took quick action. The ledger’s contents were publicized the day after Jiang Zhong Ting’s death. Some officials who did not prepare in time followed Liu Fei Hong’s example and fell one after the other. They were detained, and their houses were searched and possessions confiscated.

In addition, some of Hong Province’s well-known businessmen also had their houses searched and possessions confiscated. Their generous family property was enough to make many people in Jun Zi City look on with great envy. This was an enormously lucrative job. They could fish up all the ill-gotten gains. This corruption and embezzlement have definitely been going on for more than a few years, perhaps even a few decades.

But who would think ahead of time and know that something like this would happen.

Word was that the ledger was inadvertently searched out, and by chance it happened to fall into the jun wang’s hands. This was making it too easy for the jun wang.

Everyone thought that the jun wang would take the confiscated money and transfer it to Da Ya’s treasury, but one thing that was spread later made everyone dumbfounded.

Don’t know when, but the jun wang took the initiative to ask the emperor for permission to take up the unwanted assignment of managing the disaster-stricken Chang Province.

Since ancient times, natural disasters have been a major sore point for every country.

Every year, the state treasury would send out a lot of money to deal with natural disasters, but corrupted officials often took out a big chuck of the money. By the time the money reached its destination there was not much left to spend on the common people.

It was like this every year. The treasury’s money flowed out like water from a stream. Chang Province was like a bottomless pit filled with resentment and dissatisfaction. In the end, those who were smart didn’t want to get involved. They would turn their backs and go to some place easier to manage. More and more it was heading towards the direction of an incapable ruler.

There were not many people who knew that Fu Wu Tian was managing this task. But those who knew were all watching the show.

Money was necessary for managing disasters. If you didn’t have money you couldn’t overturn the sky. Who knew there would be a case of corruption in Hong Province?

Just like that, there was money now.

The money that was confiscated from the corrupted rich families did not have to be handed over to the state treasury. It directly gave the jun wang a reason to use it in the disaster situation in Chang Province. Even the emperor could only support it.

An Zi Ran also did not expect this.

He expended so much effort storing up provisions, and in the end he ended up selling the food to Fu Wu Tian.

But these were all later matters. Right now the An family was getting ready to move.

The matter of people dying in the An manor courtyard left a shadow in many people’s hearts, for example, Zheng Bi and her daughter. An Zi Ran had yet to seek them out to settle their accounts, but Zheng Bi had already gone crazy.

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Chapter 68.1 – Coincidence

Jun Zi City, Wu Wang Palace
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Fu Yuan Wu was also very concerned about the ledger, particularly because there was information contained within that involved his maternal grandfather’s student. If someone with ulterior motives got a hold of that ledger then it could bring trouble to his maternal grandfather.

On the other hand, if they made use of this matter properly, then it could be very beneficial to them.

Hong Province’s moniker as the Hometown of Rice wasn’t just a random nickname. It was aptly deserved. Contained within Hong Province was an abundance of profit to be made. Therefore, there were quite a lot of people aiming for Hong Province. In addition to his maternal grandfather’s student, Liu Fei Hong, there was that group of people* with their sights set on Hong Province. If he could get the ledger and exploit it, then he had the confidence that he could bring those people down a few pegs. Even if he couldn’t uproot them completely, if he could break their wings then it would be very satisfactory.

[*T/N: 那些人 – literally “that group of people” or “those people.” Does not specify who, but I’m guessing it is his rivals for the throne.]

Fu Yuan Wu thought his calculations were very good. He even wanted to go to his imperial father and ask for an imperial decree.
Translations by Vanilla Muse
He never considered once that Jiang Zhong Ting would not be able to take down a small time landlord from the county, or the fact that Fu Wu Tian would be there.

But it didn’t take long for news of Jiang Zhong Ting’s death to arrive.

“What did you say? Jiang Zhong Ting is dead?”

Fu Yuan Wu stood up suddenly from his seat and glared at the person who came to give the report. He never thought that the plan could fail, let alone that Jiang Zhong Ting would die because of it.

The messenger hurried prostrated himself on the ground and did not dare to look directly at the angry prince.

[T/N: Don’t shoot the poor messenger, yo! >_<]

“First Prince, this subordinate received the news that Jiang Zhong Ting is indeed dead. Furthermore, he died within that landlord’s home. I heard that someone cut his arm off on the scene and then lopped off his head.”

Fu Yuan Wu’s eyes widened. His tightly clenched fist abruptly slammed down on the table. The loud sound scared the people outside the room into complete silence.

“Who is it? Who is so bold? They dare to kill Jinag Zhong Ting? Do they not know that Jiang Zhong Ting is this prince’s subordinate? Could it be the third prince’s faction?”

Only those people would not have any misgivings about killing his people.

That’s because they were all competitors for the throne.

“It… It isn’t…” The messenger stuttered.

“Then who is it?”

“It’s… It’s jun wang.”

Fu Yuan Wu strode forward. He grabbed the messenger by the collar and hauled him up. His face was twisted with anger. “What did you say? You are certain that it was jun wang?”

The messenger could not speak due to the tight grip around his collar. He could only nod frantically.

Fu Yuan Wu finally tossed him aside. His sleeves swayed vigorously and made a lot of noise. His chest heaved up and down violently. It was clear that he was angry to the point of being unable to think clearly. Compared to the death of Jiang Zhong Ting, Fu Wu Tian’s presence in the small An Yuan County surprised him even more.

He paced in place for a while but was still unable to puzzle it out. Fu Yuan Wu unexpectedly turned around. His sharp sight fell upon the messenger again. “Why did he appear there?”

The messenger had just crawled onto his hands and knees. He immediately replied, “In response to First Prince, do you still remember that in April there were news of jun wang suddenly getting married?”

Fu Yuan Wu turned again. “What is the relationship between these two matters?”

The messenger wiped the cold sweat on his forehead. “Of course there is a relationship, because the wang fei that jun wang married is that exact young landlord of An Yuan County. This time, jun wang showed up at that place, because he was accompanying his wang fei to visit the maternal home. It is just that they did not return immediately to Jun Zi City.”

There was such coincidence in this world?!

Fu Yuan Wu had no choice but to believe the facts. But this coincidence was a blow to him. When he thought of this, his anger rose again. “Then the ledger must have fallen into the jun wang’s hands?”

Hearing the man’s tone of voice, the messenger knew right away that the first prince was in a bad mood and thus he became even more cautious. “I heard that this is the case. Hong Province’s prefectural magistrate Liu Fei Hong has already been arrested by jun wang.”

Fu Yuan Wu’s temper actually wasn’t particularly explosive.

If it were the third prince instead, Fu Yuan Wu would have already picked up his sword and started killing people.

But thinking of how he and his maternal grandfather’s subordinate have fallen into Fu Wu Tian’s hands, he still had the urge to kill. Of all the people to come up against, why did it have to be Fu Wu Tian?

The messenger saw that the first prince’s expression was cloudy and uncertain. When he thought about it, he couldn’t help but say, “First Prince, this small person feels that Fu Wu Tian doesn’t look too highly upon you and the prime minister. He knew that Jiang da ren was your person yet he still dared to kill him…”

“Shut up!”

Fu Yuan Wu abruptly turned around and he bellowed at the messenger with a fierce expression.

The messenger was so scared that his entire body turned cold. He didn’t understand why the first prince was so angry. What he said was obviously true, was it not?

What the messenger said was indeed the truth, but what he did not know was that Fu Yuan Wu did not have the power to go up against Fu Wu Tian.

Fu Wu Tian had command of a massive military force. After he returned to Jun Zi City, all the princes were trying to rope him in to their side. But this wasn’t the most important point. The reason they all fell before Fu Wu Tian was because he held the previous emperor’s will. This was something that happened over ten years ago, so there were very few people in the know. Presently, no one dared to mention it, because they did not want to ruffle the Chong Ming Emperor’s scales.

“Immediately prepare a carriage for this prince. This prince wants to go to Zhang Sun Palace.”

[T/N: Zhang Sun is the surname of his mother, the empress]

Fu Yuan Wu did not hesitate anymore. He must report this matter to his maternal grandfather. He didn’t have many people in Hong Province. It would not be difficult to extricate himself. But Liu Fei Hong was indeed his maternal grandfather’s disciple.

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Chapter 67.2 – Settling Dispute

The crowded courtyard was as quiet as if it were the dead of night. Asides from the soldiers who have already seen Fu Wu Tian’s bloody side, everyone else was as white as sheet, in particular Zheng Bi, who was ready to collude with Jiang Zhong Ting and testify against An Zi Ran for her own survival. Her entire person had become dull and lifeless.

She thought she had found a way out of her predicament.
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How come it became throwing herself upon death’s door?

Fu Wu Tian wasn’t a businessman, but a genuine wang ye?

Zheng Bi’s eyes turned up in her head and she finally passed out.

Fu Wu Tian looked upon Jiang Zhong Ting, who was resisting the pain of his severed limb to crawl away, and suddenly heaved up his sword. Just as the blade was about to fall again, Jiang Zhong Ting suddenly raised his head.

“Wait a moment.”

The sword stopped in mid swing, just as he’d asked.

“Do you have some last words?” Fu Wu Tian looked at him with disregard. His murderous aura at the moment was really like the god of war in the rumors.

Jiang Zhong Ting looked at him with fear. “You can’t kill me.”

“Oh?”

Afraid that he would attack again without warning, Jiang Zhong Ting hurriedly explained in a low voice. “Wang ye should already be aware that this lowly official’s backer is the first prince, and the first prince is the most powerful candidate for the throne. If wang ye doesn’t want to offend the first prince then you best let me go.”

Fu Wu Tian was very patient and waited for him to finish talking. “Anything else?”

Jiang Zhong Ting’s breath stopped.

Of course there was nothing else to say. The backing of the first prince was his last card.

Fu Wu Tian had already gleaned the answer from his expression. He tilted his head, as if he were curious, and looked at Jiang Zhong Ting. He saw that there was nothing deeper to the man and said lightly, “Since there is nothing else…”

He had yet to finish his sentence and Jiang Zhong Ting’s head was already lopped off.

“Go report to King Yama.”

Fu Wu Tian’s movements were not big, because Jiang Zhong Ting’s head did not roll too far. After separating from its body, the head rolled on the ground and came to a stop before Liu Fei Hong, whose face was stunned and full of horror.

Liu Fei Hong’s scream echoed throughout the courtyard.
Translated by Vanilla Muse
He was going crazy!

In the end, all the constables brought by the two were detained. Although only two people were killed, the scene was very bloody because the two men bled everywhere. Those present were unlikely to ever forget this scene in their lifetime, and their subconscious would replay the scene in their nightmares.

The onlookers outside did not know what transpired. They only knew that a group of constables suddenly broke into the house early in the morning, but it didn’t take long for the army to arrive. The soldiers entered the house and not long after they brought the detained constables out of the An manor. The entire thing ended without a proper beginning and end.

The two corpses were stuffed into bags and carried out.

But the blood on the ground could not be taken away with the corpses.

Several of the soldiers cleaned up the intestines on the ground without a change in the color of their faces. They stuffed the intestines into bags, but the dregs could not be completely removed. They poured some clear water on top. Blood and water mixed together and spread out. The thick bloody smell in the yard still failed to dissipate.

The servants were all hiding away. None of them dared to come out. Zheng Bi and her daughter were also detained.

In the blink of an eye, only Fu Wu Tian and An Zi Ran were left in the courtyard. And also Ge Qian An, who had retrieved his sword from Fu Wu Tian.

Fu Wu Tian turned and saw his wang fei with a black face. His eyebrows gently arched up. The indifference from before morphed into a faint questioning look. “What is it? Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?”

An Zi Ran’s face was still black. Although he had already guessed that Fu Wu Tian’s way of solving the problem would not be simple, this was far bloodier than his expectations.

Ge Qian An, who was wiping the blood from his sword, glanced over.

Actually, it was quite understandable. After all, this should be wang fei’s first time seeing such a bloody scene.

“Wang fei?” Seeing that there was no response, Fu Wu Tian asked again.

An Zi Ran stared at him with fixed eyes. There was fury in his gaze. “Do you know whose home this is?”

Fu Wu Tian answered very naturally, “This is our home.”

An Zi Ran did not correct his ‘we,’ and said angrily, “This is my home, ah. If you want to kill can’t you choose some other place? Now the courtyard is all bloody. How is one supposed to live here in the future?”

In the future, every time someone passed by this courtyard, including him, would remember the scene of two people dying very gruesomely here. No matter how you think about the situation it was so unlucky!

Ge Qian An’s hand stilled in the middle of wiping his sword. He couldn’t help but give him a sidelong glance.

“What wang fei said does indeed make sense. It was this prince’s negligence.” Fu Wu Tian sincerely apologized. In retrospect, it was indeed a problem. A house where someone has died could not be lived in any longer, especially not for the wealthy people. It would affect the people who lived here, and may also affect business.

An Zi Ran glared at him. Negligence? Why did he think that it was deliberate?

Fu Wu Tian revealed an apologetic look, but he did not seem very sincere. “It seems that this house can no longer be lived in. What is wang fei going to do?”

What to do?

Obviously they had to move!

An Yuan County was a small place. There were only a few wealthy families. Big houses were even more rare, especially the ready-made ones. The population of the An family was relatively large. They couldn’t just live in any old house, and a new house could not be built in a short time. They could only move the family to Jun Zi City.

An Zi Ran married Fu Wu Tian, so it was impossible to stay in An Yuan County all the time. He had planned to wait for things to settle down here before considering the matter of moving to Jun Zi City with Fu Wu Tian. Now, not only was the matter advanced forward, there was also no need for consideration.

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Chapter 67.1 – Settling Dispute

How could the army be here in An Yuan County?
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Jiang Zhong Ting and Liu Fie Hong were shocked to see these well-trained soldiers here. They did not hear anything about this. Could the first prince or the prime minister have sent them?

Impossible!

If it were really the first prince or the prime minister, then there was no way that they wouldn’t know about this beforehand.

The two suddenly had a bad premonition.

The leading general came over. He carried a blood-filled and austere aura around him. His hard and expressionless face made people fear getting near. It was clear to all who lay eyes upon him that he was a soldier baptized by blood!

Jiang Zhong Ting and Liu Fei Hong hesitantly approached him. They were just about to speak, but the other party ignored them and walked directly pass their faces.

Both of their expressions froze over at the same time.

The uneasiness in their hearts grew deeper. When they turned around, they saw that blood-aura general walk up to Fu Wu Tian. He didn’t even spare a glance for the guard that had been cut in half on the ground. He got down on one knee. A feeling of great power emitted from him.

“Wang ye, this general has had this place surrounded as you ordered.”

Wang… Wang ye?

Jiang Zhong Ting and Liu Fei Hong were overwhelmed with shock. Their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. With increasing alarm, they looked at Fu Wu Tian, whose expression had not changed from beginning to end, but was still able to make people feel the ruthless cold detachment emitting from him.

There were only a few people titled wang ye in Jun Zi City, but they never knew that such a wang ye existed in the capital. Except there was that one jun wang who had only returned to Jun Zi City for a few months, but how could he be here?

The two finally realized what the uneasiness in their hearts was.

“Detain these people for this prince.”
Translations by Vanilla Muse
When Fu Wu Tian’s cold gaze fell upon them, Jiang Zhong Ting and Liu Fei Hong’s legs shook uncontrollably.

Everyone knew a thing or two about the jun wang’s military glory. All of the princes were making supreme efforts to rope him to their side, including the first prince. And now they have offended that jun wang. If the first prince found out, it would be a wonder if he didn’t skin them!

The general immediately executed his order. He went over to the two men and grabbed one in each hand. These two great lords were treated like sandbags. The general tossed them in front of the steps and they landed in a heap. It was a very funny picture, but no one dared laugh. They had yet to recover from the shock.

“Oh no, oh no…”

Liu Fei Hong rolled around and almost rolled on top of Guard Two’s corpse. He was so scared that his complexion turned blue and white. He almost threw up and crawled away at once. He could no longer care about his dignity.

Jiang Zhong Ting had never been so embarrassed in his life. In his heart he got more and more angry. He lifted his body and then raised his head to look at that man above him. Up close and personal the cruelty of that man was even more apparent. He really was a god of death come from the battlefield.

Now he finally affirmed that this man was the rumored god of war!

The sword in Fu Wu Tian’s hand suddenly rushed towards him.

Jiang Zhong Ting was so scared that he screamed, but the sword stopped in front of his forehead, resting just so against his brow. The tip of the sword pierced his skin a little and blood flowed down from between his eyebrows. He was so frightened that his body was paralyzed.

“Wang ye, spare my life!”

“Say it again,” Fu Wu Tian said.

The voice of Jiang Zhong Ting pleading for mercy stopped short. What do you mean say it again?

Fu Wu Tian leisurely said, “What crime did you say this prince’s wang fei committed?”

Jiang Zhong Ting’s entire body went stiff in a split second.

How could he dare to say that ‘the An family has rebellious intentions towards the empire’ again? With their (JZT and LFH) status and the help of those above them, to defame a little landlord was a simple matter – just casually create some evidence, find a random person to testify, and they could wipe out everyone in the An family.

But when you’re up against a jun wang it was no simple matter at all.

If he could not bring forth unequivocal evidence that would convince the populace, then he would be framing a relative of the emperor. At that time, he would definitely lose the black silk hat* on his head.

[*T/N: the black silk hat represents his government official position. Although I think he should be worrying more for his head than the cap on it. Just saying.]

“Wang… wang ye… this… this lowly official…”

Jiang Zhong Ting had the impulsive urge to bite off his tongue. Wanting him to retract his previous words was the same as telling him to slap his own mouth. But the words have already been said. If the person before him was not the rumored god of war, perhaps he could still say a few good words. But this time he had a premonition that he was doomed.

“Not speaking? Then let this prince say it for you.” Fu Wu Tian’s sword suddenly moved away from his eyebrows. “This prince heard you say that this prince’s wang fei was plotting a rebellion, that you want to execute all of this prince’s wang fei’s relatives, correct?”

Jiang Zhong Ting’s heart trembled and nearly collapsed like goo.

This so-called ‘execute all of one’s relatives’ didn’t exactly mean all of one’s relatives. It was just a general saying. Anyone who has some relation with the criminal would also be incriminated.

Fu Wu Tian was An Zi Ran’s man, so not only would he be included, but his relatives too, people such as the emperor and the first prince also counted within that group.

“Jiang Zhong Ting, you sure have guts. You dare try to frame this prince’s wang fei for rebellion? Are you aware of your crime?” The sword in Fu Wu Tian’s hand swung down once again. This time it wasn’t merely a threat. In front of Liu Fei Hong’s horror-filled eyes, the sword lopped off Jiang Zhong Ting’s right arm.

“Ahh!”

Jiang Zhong Ting let out a wretched scream and fell to the ground.

The arm flew through the air, trailing blood behind it, and finally fell in front of Liu Fei Hong. Fresh blood sprinkled across his face…

Everyone else was scared into a stupor.

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Chapter 66.2 – Behead

On the steps, Fu Wu Tian’s mouth twitched slightly.
Translated by Vanilla Muse
Right now that handsome face wasn’t one that made people’s cheeks blush and their hearts race. Instead there was a trace of cruelty and blood thirst written in the line of his brows. It was like Shura had risen from hell to stand before mere mortals. He was a god standing at heights that they could never climb. Beneath his gaze, they only felt like insignificant ants.

The constables who saw this scene felt a chill enter their hearts. Their hands shook, and the swords tumbled out of their weak grasp.

Liu Fei Hong was so angry that his pale face turned ruddy. Thirty people couldn’t even take down a single person. If news of this got out wouldn’t that make him a laughing stock?

“Prefectural Magistrate Jiang, quickly come up with a plan!”

Liu Fei Hong finally couldn’t help but ask for help from Jiang Zhong Ting. Due to his fear of the ledger’s contents leaking out, he had rushed over to An Yuan County, so there was no time to prepare much in advance. At that time, he had thought that his opponent was only a landlord. He never expected that it would be such a level of difficulty.

Jiang Zhong Ting’s eyes flickered indefinitely. Now that things have developed to this point, if he still couldn’t see the great difference between this man’s strength and that of ordinary people, then he was really blind. How could a businessman reek so strongly of blood and even kill someone without batting an eye? To say that he was an ordinary businessman, only a three year old would believe it.

It seemed like it would be inadvisable to make this matter any bigger than it was.
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Thinking of this, Jiang Zhong Ting finally stepped forward.

The constables immediately parted to make a path for him to pass through.

However, Jiang Zhong Ting did not have the courage to get too close to Fu Wu Tian. He stopped two and a half meters away, and looked up at the man on the steps.

“Since you are from Jun Zi City, you must have heard of the first prince’s great name. As long as you hand over the young landlord of the An family behind you, this prefectural magistrate guarantees to put in a few good words for you before the first prince, and to not pursue what happened today.”

Jiang Zhong Ting looked at this supernatural man’s indifferent expression and could not help but frown.

“Your distinguished self may be unconcerned, but sire, you should still think about your family in Jun Zi City, right? This is a big crime necessitating the execution of the perpetrator and all of his relatives. Even if sire is unafraid of the consequences, your family may still be afraid. You need to reconsider.”

“Executing all relatives?”

As if he heard something funny, Fu Wu Tian finally gave him a little reaction.

Jiang Zhong Ting did not notice the sly twinkle that flashed across Fu Wu Tian’s eyes. Thinking that the other party was finally scared, a trace of arrogance immediately entered his voice, “That’s right. If you don’t want to offend the first prince, then you better hand over that person behind you. This prefectural magistrate guarantees not to make things difficult for your family members.”

These words were actually a blank promise.

Rebellion was a treacherous crime that implicated all of one’s relatives. Since he was the An family’s son-in-law, then not only him, but also his family members would count as An Zi Ran’s relatives. Whether or not those people would be executed, that was not something a mere prefectural magistrate had any say in.

Just then, an unimaginable person rushed out.

A woman slammed into the ground and howled towards Jiang Zhong Ting, “Da ren, we are innocent, ah, my daughter and I are ignorant of An Zi Ran’s intentions to rebel. This matter really has nothing to do with us. Da ren, please distinguish right and wrong with acuity!”

After she finished speaking, she started kowtowing towards Jiang Zhong Ting. She used so much force that the skin on her forehead split.

This person was none other than the third concubine, Zheng Bi.

As for An Ke Xin, she stood in the hallway with a waxen face, looking at the scene with horror.

After hearing the news that the An manor was surrounded by the government, the mother and daughter pair rushed over just in time to hear Liu Fei Hong’s slanderous accusations. Then they saw Fu Wu Tian cruelly killing a bodyguard. The two nearly fainted.

[T/N: I’m surprised they didn’t…? XP]

Zheng Bi was did not know that the rebellion was purely a made-up accusation. She thought of Fang Jun Ping and her daughter. She never understood why those two would run away from the An family, but now she finally received an answer. In order to survive, she mustered up the courage to run out.

When Jiang Zhong Ting saw her, he immediately thought of a wonderful strategy. “What is your relationship to An Zi Ran?”

Zheng Bi quickly explained, “Da ren, I am his father’s third concubine, Zheng Bi, but you must believe me, da ren, my daughter and I really don’t know anything.”

Third concubine?

So she was one of An Chang Fu’s concubines.

Jiang Zhong Ting was very satisfied with her identity and looked at her with increasingly gentle eyes. “This prefectural magistrate wants to believe in you, but it is true that this family intents to rebel. Unless you can prove that you have nothing to do with the rebellion of the family.”

Zheng Bi was not stupid and soon understood the hints in his words. She suddenly got excited and replied with joy, “Da ren, I am willing to testify that An Zi Ran really had rebellious intentions.”

“Very good! Very good!”

Jiang Zhong Ting finally laughed out loud, and looked at Fu Wu Tian and An Zi Ran with an expression that said he was proud of himself.

“Ge Qian An, I only now found out that stupidity attracts stupidity.”

Shao Fei, who had been watching for a long time, couldn’t help it anymore. Watching them talk and scheme about how to harm their wang fei, he had the urge to split their heads open and see what was inside.

Ge Qian An ignored him.

On the other hand, Jiang Zhong Ting’s expression sunk.

At that moment, tumultuous sounds came to them from the outside. The noise seemed to be startled shouts coming from the farmers that had surrounded the manor to watch. There was the sound of neat and orderly footsteps. The duh duh duh sounds echoed in the hearts of the well-trained soldiers.

Just as Jiang Zhong Ting turned and looked behind him, a soldier in armor led several teams of soldiers to rush inside. The soldiers split to the left and right, and immediately surrounded the entire courtyard.

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Chapter 66.1 – Behead

The four men did not expect that someone would stand against them.
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They didn’t know why the An family wanted to rebel, but treason was a huge crime that affected nine generations of a family. Anyone who heard the word rebellion would go far, far away for fear of being implicated. Who would dare to step forward and defend the accused?

The four men looked at each other and came to a stop.

The man’s tall body was like a towering mountain peak. Standing on the steps and looking down on them from above, even without speaking, that expressionless face was enough to give them an invisible pressure.

“What are you all standing there for? Quickly capture them for this prefectural magistrate!” Liu Fei Hong saw that the men had stopped and his voice suddenly became irritated. “Rebellion is a great crime. Even if this person is the An family’s son-in-law, you still have to capture him for this prefectural magistrate.”

The four men really wanted to comply with the prefectural magistrate’s order, but when they came into contact with that man’s eyes and felt the pressure emanating from his body, they could feel their scalps tingling and their bodies stiffening, almost unable to move. Even they did not know why.

Liu Fei Hong let out a shout of ‘garbage.’

Jiang Zhong Ting, who was standing just behind, lowered his head and sent a hidden signal to the two guards at his side.

Guard One and Guard Two immediately noticed the signal and advanced forward. Being able to stay beside Jiang Zhong Ting, naturally these two were very carefully selected guards. Their strength was greater than the five men in black who were killed.

The two guards violently pushed aside the four men. They charged forward with large powerful strides, both brandishing huge swords. One came at Fu Wu Tian from the right and the other came from the left to lock him in a pincer. They guessed that Fu Wu Tian knew some martial arts. That was something that could be judged from his imposing manner. They wanted to slice him bloody with their weapons. This way, not only could they resolve this meddlesome man, but also impress an intimidating effect.

However, as they were rushing over, Ge Qian An, who was standing on the side, suddenly popped his sword out from its scabbard. Fu Wu Tian caught the long sword by the handle, and without batting an eye he chopped down the first guard who rushed towards him, which was Guard Two.

Blood splattered in the air.

Everyone saw Guard Two split into two parts. With a thud, both parts fell to the ground. Blood gushed out and stained the ground red.

The guard was still alive a second ago. Suddenly he lay in two parts on the ground with his visceral intestines spilled all over the place. It was a very horrible picture.

“Ouu…” [T/N: vomit]

Didn’t know who started vomiting first, but it triggered the others like a butterfly effect. There wasn’t a single person who did not vomit, including Liu Fei Hong, who was standing closer to the body. He even hurled out last night’s dinner.

Jiang Zhong Ting turned pale. He was the only person who resisted and managed not to throw up. But just from looking at him it was clear that he had taken a huge shock. Even on the battlefield, one may not see such a horrible picture of death, but what they didn’t know was that this kind of quick death from a single swing was already considered pretty good.
Translations by Vanilla Muse
In the past, the official that Fu Wu Tian cut in two did not die so quickly and suffered.

The guard who was slower by a step escaped death. He fell to the ground with a pale face. The blade he was holding had already flown out of his hands and onto the steps because of his trembling hands. He let out a ‘haa haa’ sound but no one paid any attention. He had yet to engage in combat and his heart already could not stand it anymore.

Fu Wu Tian flicked the blood off the sword with a blank face. His ruthless and cold gaze fell upon the guard on the ground whose muscles have softened from fright.

Guard One lost control of his bladder. His eyes were wide as he shook his head in horror. Broken sounds came out of his mouth. “Don’t… don’t kill me… I don’t want to die…”

Guard One was indeed an elite bodyguard chosen from a hundred people, but no matter how elite he was, someone who has never stepped foot on the battlefield wouldn’t know how horrific a dead person could be.

As soon as he stepped onto the stage he entered such a cruel and bloody scene. It was more than his psychological strength could endure. It was an immediate tragedy.

“Rebellion! Rebellion!”

The sharp voice of Jiang Zhong Ting suddenly sounded like a police bell striking everyone’s heart. The other people finally reacted. One of the ‘criminals’ that they were trying to capture had just blatantly slain a bodyguard in such a bloody and cruel way. Maybe he was also a participant in the An family’s treacherous rebellion.

“Capture these people for this prefectural magistrate. Even if you end up killing them on the spot, it’s fine. This prefectural magistrate will take full responsibility!” With a trembling finger, Liu Fei Hong wiped the sweat off from his upper lip. His face was still ghastly pale. He glared at Fu Wu Tian and An Zi Ran with eyes full of malicious intent.

The thirty or so men present at the scene hesitated for a good long while, before reaching for the swords at their sides.

This man was way too dangerous, but since he committed the crime of rebellion then he was punishable by death.

Although saying so, just thinking of how this man had split that powerful guard in half with one swing of his sword, their legs felt soft, and not one of them were willing to approach the man, dithering at a safe distance of two meters.

“A group of rubbish! Quickly heed this prefectural magistrate’s orders! We have so many people on our side and you’re still afraid of one man?!” Liu Fei Hong swung his arm and slapped the nearest man across the head.

On the steps, Fu Wu Tian’s mouth twitched slightly.

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Chapter 65.2 – Night Attack and Encirclement

Liu Fei Hong snorted and said dismissively, “What strange? I heard that the young landlord of the An family married a businessman from Jun Zi City. Some businessmen like to hire bodyguards. And it seems that that businessman is also at the An manor. Let’s take a step back and say that there really is something strange. Do you think they can resist the official government? If they dare, the government will slap them with the crime of treason!”
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“What Liu da ren said is correct.” Jiang Zhong Ting also thought the same thing and told his trusted aide, “Qian You Hao, perhaps you’re over thinking this.”

Even his own da ren was saying the same thing, so Qian You Hao no longer insisted. Maybe he really was thinking too much. As Jiang Zhong Ting’s trusted aide he was always putting forward plans and ideas. He’s the type that paid attention to small details, so his mind was always geared towards thinking of conspiracy theories.

And thus, they began to dispatch constables to rush towards the An manor.

County Magistrate Zhang was excluded from them. This kind of sensitive matter was not something that a low status person like him would originally know about.

It was only that when he learned that Jiang Zhong Ting and Liu Fei Hong were preparing to dispatch people to surround the An family he became very anxious. He only hoped that An Zi Ran would leave An Yuan County after receiving his letter.

Dawn just broke.

All the farmers of An Yuan County were accustomed to waking early.

They had just stepped out the door when they saw a large group of government constables running quickly down the street. They had never seen such a big disposition of troops, so they were very curious about what these constables were going to do.

Someone realized that they were heading towards the An family manor.

In a short time, the constables of the county magistrate surrounded the An manor.

This scene aroused the attention of many people; especially those who were preparing to get to work early. The An family were now their great benefactors, and they have not committed any crimes. Why would these constables surround the An manor? Not long after, there were many people around.
Translations by Vanilla Muse
Jiang Zhong Ting and Liu Fei Hong did not expect that there would be so many people paying attention to the An family. It was still early in the morning, and many people were still asleep. Only when Qian You Hao told them about the good deeds that the An family have been doing in An Yuan County during this time period did they knew what’s up. Then they no longer mentioned it.

What did it matter how many good deeds the An family did? It didn’t concern them at all.

Since the An family dared to take that ledger, even the great emperor wouldn’t be able to stop their determination right now.

That book must be retrieved and the An family must be eliminated. Who told that young landlord to see what should not be seen?

Guard One walked over and said, “Da ren, we have already surrounded the manor. Not even a fly could escape. We are ready at any time.”

Jiang Zhong Ting waved his hand and commanded, “Transmit my orders, immediately act now, capture everyone in the An family, don’t let even one person escape.”

Liu Fei Hong, who was next to him, suddenly felt a little unhappy.

This was his territory, but Jiang Zhong Ting was acting as if he was the master.

He stewed on it a bit more and then dismissed it. Right now he only cared about that ledger.

Guard One immediately passed down the command, ordering people around.

Just as the constables were getting ready to crash open the door and rush into the house, the front door opened by itself. Ge Qian An came out from inside. His cold eyes fell on Jiang Zhong Ting and Liu Fei Hong.

“Jiang da ren, Liu da ren, our lord said, if the two of you have the courage then come inside.”

The two men looked at each other. The other party actually knew it was them and was even able to call them by name? What kind of situation was this?

Ge Qian An ignored their reactions, turned, and went back inside.

Liu Fei Hong’s heart beat like a heavy drum.

Jiang Zhong Ting suddenly laughed coldly, “A good move, trying to gain the upper hand with a show of strength. I would like to see what a merchant from the capital is capable of. Even if they know a few people with status in Jun Zi City, I do not believe that they can beat the one above us.”

His backing was the first prince.

His words reminded Liu Fei Hong that he was the prime minister’s disciple. Also, the prime minister and the first prince were in the same camp. No matter how powerful the people inside were, could they possibly be bigger than the first prince and the prime minister combined?

With this in mind, the two of them brought the group of constables and rushed into the An family home. A mighty group of people, their actions were very boorish and crude. They slammed pass the two front doors causing the doors to creak on their hinges.

The servants inside were all already up and about. Some of them were in the courtyard sweeping up fallen leaves. Seeing the group of men rushing inside, they jumped in fright. None of them dared approach. Qi Qiao who was holding a breakfast tray also saw this scene. With her heart pounding in her chest, she picked up her pace and returned to Lan Xiang Courtyard.

They had yet to get to the great hall, when Jiang Zhong Ting saw the young landlord of the An family and an unknown man standing on the steps, seemingly waiting for them for a long time.

Jiang Zhong Ting ordered everyone to stop. Liu Fei Hong who was next to him stepped forward. His gaze fell upon An Zi Ran. This was the person that stole the ledger and almost ruined his official career. His eyes were cold. “You are the young landlord An Zi Ran?”

An Zi Ran’s indifferent gaze fell on his face.

Liu Fei Hong had long confirmed his identity and so he said, “Someone has lodged an accusation against you, saying that you’re colluding with foreigners with the intention of plotting a rebellion. We have both human testimony and material evidence. It is best that you don’t resist. Put your hands forward to be shackled.”

The so-called human testimony and physical proof were naturally fabricated from thin air.

They were just making up a reason to justify the capture.

An Zi Ran gave him a mocking glance. “This accusation of rebellion, An mou* cannot shoulder this, Liu da ren should be careful not to incite trouble with words. Since you said there is evidence, then bring it out.”

[*T/N: 某 mou: somebody indefinite. I’m not too clear on the precise meaning of this, but it is a way to refer to oneself.]

“When you come to the government office, this prefectural magistrate* will naturally let you see the proof, and make you accept wholeheartedly!” Liu Fei Hong sneered and then ordered the men behind him. “Capture these people. Don’t let a single one slip away. Bring them to the government office and have them questioned via torture.”

[*T/N: He refers to himself as 本府 ben fu, meaning “this prefecture” or “this seat of government” which refers to his government post as a prefectural magistrate. The Chinese word for prefectural magistrate is 知府 zhi fu.]

Four men immediately headed towards An Zi Ran.

Fu Wu Tian suddenly stepped forward and blocked them.

[T/N: Do you really need four men for one An Zi Ran? Then again you’re going to need more than four platoons for one Fu Wu Tian…]

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