Chapter 7: Half-Brothers from Different Parents

"Do you know why I agreed to betroth Xining to you?" Madame Yu suddenly asked as they walked along the quiet corridor.

Chen Zhi'an was slightly taken aback.

If one were to follow the original owner's thinking, the answer would be simple—naturally because the young master was exceptionally talented, with extraordinary aptitude and a promising future...

But Chen Zhi'an was no longer the same young lord as before.

After pondering for a moment, he calmly replied, "Yesterday, it was Qian San Gao who mentioned the new brothel on Baihu Street, Yang Lao Er saw through Xining's disguise, and finally Wei San pushed me. It's a conspiracy!"

"It's not entirely hopeless!"

Madame Yu nodded slightly and continued, "Is there anything else?"

Chen Zhi'an raised an eyebrow.

He hesitated whether to speak further.

Of course, there was more to this matter than met the eye.

But some things were not pleasant to hear.

"The Marquis of Xibo's mansion may seem to have a noble lineage, but it's just a candle in the wind. A family of widows. Once I close my eyes, it will fade away with the wind."

Madame Yu's face remained calm, but her words carried a sense of decline and desolation, "If you marry Xining, it's as if you're marrying the entire marquis's mansion... There's no need to conceal anything. I want to know your true thoughts!"

"In that case, Zhi'an will speak frankly."

Chen Zhi'an spoke slowly, "This conspiracy has never been solely directed at my Chenliu Marquis's mansion, but also at the Marquis of Xibo's mansion!"

Madame Yu's expression remained unchanged, indicating him to continue.

Chen Zhi'an helped her sit on a stone bench in the corridor and whispered, "The Wei family of Hejian wants to seize an heir. However, the threshold of the Marquis of Xibo's mansion is too high. Therefore, they had to lower it. If it weren't for you entering the palace overnight, Your Majesty meditating, perhaps the one coming to propose today...

would not be me, Chen Zhi'an.

It would be Wei Zixian.

A disgraced Xining County Princess, coupled with the strong support of Aunt Wei, Wei San could have married into the marquis's mansion, or even married officially, which would no longer be an impossible matter."

A hint of astonishment flashed in Madame Yu's eyes.

If these words were spoken by anyone else, she wouldn't be surprised at all. Many people in Chang'an City could sense the scent of this foolish conspiracy.

But coming from the mouth of this reputed playboy, it was somewhat unbelievable.

Who in Chang'an City didn't know?

The Chenliu Marquis's mansion was full of useless people.

A Chen Aman who couldn't even hold onto the hereditary throne,

A bookworm without cultivation aptitude,

A waste with a broken cultivation path.

And a so-called rare cultivation fool...

The reputation of a tiger's master, dog's son, and mouse's grandson didn't spread overnight.

Looking at this young man in a blue shirt with a relaxed demeanor, Madame Yu suddenly felt that the Chenliu Marquis's mansion might not be as simple as it seemed.

At least, Chen Zhi'an before her was not a fool in speech and behavior.

After a long silence, she spoke, "If that's the case, why hasn't Chen A Man made any move? Is he willing to be used as a pawn so easily?"

"Because the Wei family of Hejian... is just a pawn too!" Chen Zhi'an smirked, "You may not know, Minister Yang from the Ministry of Revenue is affiliated with the Crown Prince, as is Qian San Gao."

At this revelation, Madame Yu's pupils contracted slightly.

Minister Yang from the Ministry of Revenue had clashed with the Crown Prince more than once, accusing him of being a lackey of the Fourth Prince, Li Chengbang. But he was affiliated with the Crown Prince? How did Chen Zhi'an know about this secrecy?

Furthermore!

Was there a need to target a useless person like Chen A Man?

She began to doubt whether this young scoundrel was just speaking off the cuff to flatter himself.

Seeing her reaction, Chen Zhi'an didn't explain further. He had heard about Minister Yang from Li Cheng'an himself.

The Third Prince, Li Cheng'an, was a bastard child with mediocre cultivation aptitude, having no chance of inheriting the throne. He had left the palace early and spent his days frequenting brothels, colluding with Chen Zhi'an, sharing a similar disgraceful reputation.

They were regarded as close friends.

He was arguably the number one playboy in the capital, with a reputation even worse than Chen Zhi'an's.

As for why the Crown Prince targeted the Chenliu Marquis's mansion, Chen Zhi'an himself wasn't clear. He could only attribute it to Li Chengding losing his mind.

"Let's go, I'll take you to meet someone."

After a long silence, Madame Yu got up and walked towards the inner courtyard.

Chen Zhi'an felt a faint sense of anticipation.

Yesterday, the original owner had been too drunk to see clearly. He only vaguely remembered a girl on the street who seemed exceptionally beautiful before being kicked into Xining's arms by Wei San.

He hadn't paid much attention.

As they passed through a corridor, Chen Zhi'an realized something was amiss. This wasn't the way to the courtesans' chambers...

They reached a fake mountain.

Madame Yu stopped in front of it.

She lightly tapped her cane on a protruding rock, and the fake mountain silently split open, revealing a narrow path.

Without a word, Madame Yu walked into the passage.

Chen Zhi'an hesitated for a moment before following suit.

Just as he entered the narrow passage,

he immediately heard a low, painful groan.

Chen Zhi'an looked up...

and saw a man covered in blood hanging in a stone cell not far away.

His face was barely recognizable.

It turned out to be the third son of the Wei family of Hejian.

A companion from yesterday's playtime at Qingle Pavilion...

Seeing Chen Zhi'an and Madame Yu appear together, the old woman stopped her whip, covered in barbs, and silently retreated into the darkness.

The expression on the face of the third son of the Wei family became extremely complicated.

"I didn't expect...

After planning for so long, I ended up making wedding clothes for you, you idiot!" Chen Zhi'an ignored him.

Inwardly, he couldn't help but admire the old lady, who was on the brink of death.

Although the Wei family of Hejian had humble origins, their ancestors were eunuchs of the previous dynasty.

But in recent years, they have grown immensely wealthy, controlling many industries in Hejian.

It was said that the head of the Wei family, Wei Zhongli, had reached the Profound Connection Realm, and his cultivation was quite impressive, qualifying him as a minor master.

As Wei Zhongli's youngest son, Wei San was favored and often accompanied by a guardian at the Essence Transformation Realm.

When they used to play together, Wei San never missed a chance to show off.

But now...

Wei San had been quietly captured by this old lady...

"This person is yours now. Whether he lives or dies is entirely up to you!" Madame Yu glanced at Wei San, closed her eyes, and sat aside, appearing indifferent.

In terms of relations, the Wei family and the Marquis of Xibo's mansion were quite close.

Wei Zhongli's younger sister was the second wife of the Marquis of Xibo's mansion.

When they were young, Wei San often visited the Marquis of Xibo's mansion and was clever and good at pleasing Madame Yu.

But things changed.

Once a distinguished guest, now a prisoner...

Chen Zhi'an raised an eyebrow, knowing this was the old lady's test.

Picking up a red-hot iron spike from the stove, Chen Zhi'an walked up to Wei San and smiled faintly, "Zixian, I should thank you!"

"You should thank me." Wei San's face was full of mockery, "If it weren't for me, you, this idiot, wouldn't even stand a chance with Xining!"

"I've schemed everything out, but I never expected that this old hag would become more timid over the years, not daring to kill even a useless person. I also didn't expect that His Majesty would be a matchmaker for you, this idiot. One wrong move and we lose everything..."

With that, Wei San suddenly lunged at Madame Yu, his face twisted in a grimace, "Old witch, your treachery and ruthlessness, will you bury them with your short-lived son? Ah!"

"Smack!"

Chen Zhi'an backhanded him with a slap, sending him back.

Stepping on Wei San's chest with his foot, Chen Zhi'an blinked at him, "Zixian, you're not determined to die. Don't dig your own grave. Madam Yu said, whether you live or die is entirely up to me. Why seek death? Think about our relationship..."

Hearing this, Wei San was stunned.

His madness stemmed not only from resentment but also from fear.

Madame Yu's methods were vicious, and falling into her hands would be worse than death.

But if it fell into Chen Zhi'an's hands...

Thinking of their silly but endearing past, he couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope.

Seeing this, Chen Zhi'an continued, "Zixian, we are half-brothers from different parents. Although you schemed against me yesterday, I didn't suffer any losses. Instead, I gained from adversity and got engaged to Xining. So, in retrospect, not only can I not kill you, but I also have to thank you!"

"Zhi'an, do you think so?" Wei San was somewhat moved.

But Chen Zhi'an sighed softly, "Zixian, do you know? The situation at the Marquis of Chenliu's mansion is dire...

Yesterday, Chen A Man donated the last three thousand taels of silver in our family to Wang Fugui, that treacherous scoundrel.

As long as you're willing to pay for your freedom, I can decide to let you go."

Wei San fell silent.

He was quite familiar with the situation at the Marquis of Chenliu's mansion.

A bunch of useless people, with poor management, and they had reached the point of destitution.

He knew Chen Zhi'an wasn't playing the victim.

But the idea of buying his freedom seemed somewhat unreliable.

Turning his head to look at the old lady sitting aside, he saw her face was dark, but she didn't reprimand Chen Zhi'an.

He couldn't help but believe it a little.

He also thought that perhaps it was because his father had reached the Profound Connection Realm that this old witch had developed some fear. The so-called redemption with money was just an excuse to find a way out!

Thinking of this, he thought he had seen through the truth and straightened up suddenly.

Sitting down calmly, he asked coldly, "How much?"

Chen Zhi'an's face lit up with joy and hurriedly said, "Eight thousand taels of silver, half upfront, and half upon release!"

"Pathetic!" Wei San was somewhat disdainful.

The Marquis of Chenliu's mansion was truly impoverished.

He, the third son of the Wei family of Hejian, was only worth eight thousand taels.

This amount of money...

wasn't even enough for him to enjoy himself in Chang'an for a year.