Time Travel: The Noble Family

Zhou Shu felt a tightening in his heart: "Rest assured, I will not act rashly."

Zhou Shu’s unusual behavior did not escape the notice of those keenly observing.

The Second Old Grand Master of the An Family looked solemn: "What is Zhou Shu doing?" He watched Zhou Shu’s stance, which hinted of a looming storm, yet they still didn’t know what was happening.

After a while, a servant from outside came in and said: "Great Grandfather, Master Luo is outside seeking an audience with you." Ever since Yueyao was rescued, Luo Zhong had been secretly protecting her. During other times, he rarely went out. Of course, Yueyao was not aware of this.

Second Old Master An immediately said: "Please invite him in."

Luo Zhong relayed the latest news to the Second Old Grand Master: "The Imperial Censor at the court has impeached Zhou Shu, listing twelve charges. The Emperor is furious and has already dispatched an imperial envoy to investigate. The envoy is already on the way."

The Second Old Grand Master asked: "Did the Marquis say who is behind this?" He was thoroughly familiar with the officialdom of Haikou, so he was very certain that this was not Luo Shao’s doing.

Luo Shao was a smart person; someone who controlled military power would absolutely not meddle in civil affairs, especially in a place like Haikou, where trade is so prosperous. There were neither confidants of Luo Shao in Haikou’s administration nor in its military, let alone someone gathering evidence against Zhou Shu. No matter how powerful Luo Shao was, he couldn’t send someone to Haikou to collect Zhou Shu’s incriminating evidence without risking the Emperor’s suspicion. Luo Zhong’s visit this time was an exception, and he would leave once Yueyao did. Therefore, the Second Old Grand Master was certain that the person behind the Imperial Censor was not Luo Shao.

Luo Zhong shook his head: "The Marquis doesn’t know either. I suspect, could the person behind this be the one who sent us the previous message?" This mysterious and extensive power instinctively felt like it to Luo Zhong. He just didn’t know what connection it had with Yueyao.

The power was so vast that even if Luo Shao didn’t know, he could roughly guess who was behind it. Just that such matters were not convenient to disclose to others.

Luo Shao deliberately had Luo Zhong tell Old Grand Master An about the imperial envoy arriving to investigate, knowing this matter would have widespread implications. Luo Shao was giving the Second Old Grand Master a heads-up to prepare. If there was anything inappropriate, it was time to clean up the traces.

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The Second Old Grand Master unexpectedly thought of the mysterious person who sent the previous message. He pondered in his heart, who is behind it that has such extraordinary prowess? However, now was not the time to consider this; the most important thing was to ensure the stability of Haikou.

The Second Old Grand Master had once become friends with an unfavored Emperor through chance, later even becoming his study companion. The Emperor trusted him profoundly, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been sent to govern Haikou. Haikou, a significant trading city, required a trusted confidant.

The Second Old Grand Master was not worried about the imperial envoy being unfavorable to him. After all, he was only in charge of Haikou’s military affairs and did not directly engage with the merchants, leaving no connection with Zhou Shu. However, the Second Old Grand Master linked it with Zhou Shu’s previous conduct; it was evident that Zhou Shu received the news earlier and was ready for a desperate fight, or rather, a last stand. This meant they had to guard against Zhou Shu acting recklessly, which could create chaos in Haikou.

An Zhichen quickly got wind of the news too and was somewhat surprised: "It wasn’t the Marquis, and it wasn’t the Zhou Family, so who made the move?"

The Second Old Grand Master couldn’t figure out who it was either: "Not very clear. But right now, what we need to focus on isn’t that. The profits from Haikou trade are astonishing, and many people are eager to get a share. When the imperial envoy arrives, it will surely implicate many. This time, there will definitely be a massive cleansing of Haikou. We must ensure that Haikou can smoothly get through this ordeal." Zhou Shu had entrenched himself in Haikou for over a decade, wielding great power. If he intended to cause trouble, Haikou’s stability would be in jeopardy. If Haikou were to descend into chaos, collecting the mandated taxes might become impossible.

An Zhichen fell silent.

The Second Old Grand Master spoke solemnly: "Brother Chenchen, the reason Zhou Shu dared to abduct Zichang is nothing but his assumption that even if he kidnaps Zichang, no one would hold him accountable. After all, for girls, their reputation was of the utmost importance, and if something like this happened to the daughters from other families, their families would barely have enough time to cover it up, much less openly pursue the matter. Now Zhou Shu should be tasting the consequences of this action, so he is definitely not bold enough to repeat it." Zhou Shu surely thought that after abducting Yueyao, the Ma’s Mansion would report a sudden death for her at most. Then he would change Yueyao’s name and identity, and the matter would be concluded. Since Yueyao had no parents and her only younger brother was not yet of age, upon being kidnapped, others would merely lament without anyone standing up for her. Had Zhou Shu known the repercussions of abducting Yueyao, he would never have acted.

What the Second Old Grand Master meant was that Zhou Shu wouldn’t dare to target Yueyao again. He was telling An Zhichen to temporarily set aside personal matters and focus on his career.

The Second Old Grand Master’s analysis was indeed spot-on with Zhou Shu’s thinking. The first time Zhou Shu abducted Yueyao, no word of it spread in the Capital City, and no one pursued it. Even if rumors were spread, Yueyao didn’t take any action, and the Marquis Jingning’s Residence seemed oblivious as well. This only emboldened Zhou Shu.

An Zhichen nodded and said: "Great Grandfather, I know what to do. Right now, the urgent thing is to guard against Zhou Shu acting desperately. If Zhou Shu stirs up internal chaos in Haikou, no one will be able to bear the consequences."

Old Grand Master An nodded, acknowledging that his grandnephew’s head was still clear. Unfortunately, they let their guard down too soon. The next morning, the Second Old Grand Master learned that Zhou Shu’s wife and children had left their residence a day earlier and had not returned by nightfall.

Upon hearing this news, the Second Old Grand Master became even more cautious. Without any concerns holding him back, Zhou Shu was bound to act more recklessly.