Qin Zhengtong was about to be driven crazy by the enormous pressure.
If Lord Yuan and his men were determined to put him on the fire, then why would he still be here, robbing Peter to pay Paul, and wasting his time searching for the Crown Prince? Why not just die together
Anyway, he had no choice but to be tied to this pirate ship.
If Lord Wei had not plotted against him and used his name to mobilize troops to search for the assassin, he would have had no way out. How could he have been in such a difficult situation now
Zhan Changshi snorted at the side and signaled Lord Yuan to lower his head.
Now is indeed not the time to create conflicts. If your own home is on fire, others will be the ones watching the fun.
Lord Yuan also knew that he couldn't force Tan Zhengtong into a corner, so he immediately put on a smiling face and said, "Don't worry, it won't get to that point. Even if the censor comes, we have them surrounded like an iron barrel. The people guarding them won't be able to get close to the censor. Besides, it would be the best if they could show up."
Tan Zhengtong understood what he meant. If Xiao Heng and the others wanted to prove their identities and leave Zhaotong, the best opportunity would undoubtedly be the Inspector General who was about to come to Zhaotong.
If they fail to seize this opportunity, then after the Inspector leaves, they can still search without restraint in the remaining time. As long as they don't really want to feed the tigers in the mountains of Yunnan, they now have only one way to go.
Thinking of this, Qin Zhengtong lowered his voice and emphasized indifferently: "Do things quickly and there must not be any more mistakes!"
Lord Yuan knew that this was not the time to get angry, so he agreed readily.
It was already late at night when he went out. A black cat just happened to jump out from the roadside, scaring Lord Yuan. He kicked the cat with his foot. Hearing the cat screaming, he wanted to go forward, but was stopped by Zhan Changshi. He could only spat in anger.
Zhan Changshi comforted him with a smile: "Forget it, sir, why bother with a beast? I know you are angry, don't worry, let's discuss it..."
Lord Yuan cursed at him for a while, but finally listened to him, and the two of them walked away together.
Qin Zhengtong returned to the backyard. It was clearly very late, but the food was still hot. He was moved and turned to his wife Chu and said, "Next time if I come back so late, you can eat first and don't wait for me."
Chu came over tenderly, holding her stomach, and served him food. Upon hearing this, she shook her head: "How can this be possible? Besides, how can I have an appetite if you don't come back?"
Qin Zhengtong's expression became even gentler. He stretched out his hand and pulled her to sit down. "Let's eat together. If you don't want to eat, the child will have to eat too. Don't worry, after the matter is settled in a few days, I will definitely give you a legitimate status so that you and your son can live in peace from now on."
Speaking of this, Chu's tears immediately flowed. She looked at Qin Zhengtong with tears in her eyes and shook her head, "Sir, I will always be yours in this life. You must not offend Madam for my sake. After all, Madam is your original wife. People say that you should not abandon your wife who has been with you for a long time. I heard that this will affect your reputation as an official."
Tan Zhengtong's first wife was married in the countryside at the behest of his parents when he failed the imperial examination. She was just the daughter of a farmer.
In fact, from the very beginning, Qin Zhengtong didn't like his wife very much, but there was nothing he could do. The orders of his parents at home could not be disobeyed, and his original wife served his parents-in-law and gave birth to children. If he divorced her, it would be unacceptable.
It was not until these few years when he took office in Zhaotong that he met Chu, the daughter of Zhaotong wealthy businessman Chu Yuanwai. He was immediately struck by her beauty and the two fell in love at first sight. He could not restrain himself and brought Chu back to his mansion and made her his concubine.
However, his original wife, Qiu, was always confrontational and disliked Chu. He already hated her very much. A few days ago, Qiu made trouble for Chu, who was already pregnant, and even pushed her down. Chu had a miscarriage and almost lost her life. He could no longer tolerate it, so he divorced Qiu and locked her up in the yard. Now everyone in the mansion knew that Chu would be his main wife in the future.
Speaking of this, Qin Zhengtong felt even more headache. He snorted, "If we don't talk about this, how can she be compared with you? After this matter is settled, I will send her back to her hometown, don't worry."
Chu held his hand, and the two talked for a while before she uttered a cry and looked at him with a blushing face: "By the way, sir, the thing I told you before..."
Qin Zhengtong came back to his senses, thought for a moment and said, "You mean your brother..."
Chu had a younger brother who was appreciated by the local education commissioner while studying in Guizhou. The education commissioner intended to marry his daughter to him, but when he heard that Chu was someone else's concubine, the matter became complicated again - the other party's family had a clean tradition and they did not want their son-in-law to have a sister who was a concubine.
This is also a good thing for Qin Zhengtong.
He had been stuck in the position of prefect for so many years and could not make any further progress. It was extremely difficult for him to find a good local position. Ultimately, it was because he had no money and no connections. Since he married Chu, he had never lacked money. If the Chu family could marry another daughter-in-law who was the governor of Guizhou, it would naturally be beneficial to him.
He nodded without hesitation: "You decide."
The son of the provincial education commissioner came in person. Even though he did not bring any official documents, he was still the son of a high-ranking official, and it was very reasonable to invite him to be a guest at home.
Chu had discussed with him before that she wanted to invite her younger brother and classmates to be her guests, so that they would see that she was not a concubine but a legitimate second wife.
After hearing his words, Chu breathed a sigh of relief. Her father and brother both attached great importance to this marriage, and if this marriage was to go through, first of all, it would be difficult for her to handle it due to her status. That's why they came up with the idea of inviting them to be guests. This is also a local custom, which is called checking on the family. Generally, when a woman is looking for a man, she will stay at the man's house for a few days to get familiar with the man's family environment and style.
Now, as long as Chu can pass this hurdle, the marriage will basically be a done deal.
Chu thanked Tan Zhengtong with her bulging belly.
Qin Zhengtong pulled her up and said, "You are so cautious. If you say your business is my business, you are still so sensible. If Qiu is half as considerate as you..."
When he said this, he shook his head again with a headache.
If the Qiu family had not made such a big fuss and given him evidence, he would not have been forced to become part of the same gang as Lord Wei.
Chu Shi still said gently: "Your Excellency's future is more important. Without your permission, I dare not overstep the boundaries no matter what."
The two of them stayed together for a while, and then sent Tan Zhengtong away. Chu raised her eyebrows and looked at her maid: "Okay, go back tomorrow and tell my parents that it's done. Let's have a banquet tomorrow and have someone come."