Zheng Dan sighed. âI did it for my clan, of course. The Chu clan has their ancestorsâ achievements to help them maintain most of Brightmoon Cityâs market. The rest of us have been smothered until we canât even breathe, so we can only look for other methods to survive.
âI was young and ambitious back then. When I saw how troubled my parents were day after day, I wanted to help them take on a share of their burden. I also felt a little uneasy about our clanâs future myself, so I wanted to try a different type of lifestyle. I never expected things to escalate so much that I would end up creating something like the Whale Gang.
âThe Whale Gang has earned quite a bit of money for the Zheng Clan these past few years, and to some degree, it has weakened the Chu clan. Father has been smiling more, but I cannot say the same for myself.â
It seemed to Zu An that there really were different perspectives to every situation.
From the Chu clanâs perspective, the illicit salt smugglers were despicable, and so was the Zheng Clan for using all sorts of contemptible methods.
But in the eyes of the Zheng clan, they were dissatisfied that the Chu clan has enjoyed their privileges generation after generation. They didnât feel inferior to the Chu clan in any way.
Zu An couldnât say which side was right and which side was wrong. In the end, all that mattered was which side you belonged to.
âWhy couldnât you feel happiness?â Pity welled up within Zu An when he saw the worry etched between her brows. He reached out a hand to comfort her.
âThe Whale Gang was engaged in illegal activities after all, so we were definitely targets for the River Patrol Army. This was the main reason for our marriage alliance with the Sang clan. Only with the Sang clanâs protection did we have a chance of continuing the illicit salt trade. Otherwise, the Whale Gang wouldâve been wiped out a long time ago,â explained Zheng Dan.
When they found the Zheng clanâs butler involved in the smuggling, the Chu clan had already suspected that the Sang clan was most likely involved.
Now, they finally received confirmation.
This Sang Hong really was vicious! He hadnât even hesitated to risk colluding with the illicit salt smugglers in order to bring down the Chu clan.
Once exposed, not even the emperor would be able to protect his status as the governor!
Unfortunately, there was no proof for anything. There was no way he could just drag Zheng Dan over to testify against the Sang clan, right?
He couldnât bring himself to do something so merciless.
Zu An pondered a moment, and then he asked, âDo you like Sang Qian?â
Zheng Dan smiled. âAre you jealous?â
Zu An snorted. âWhy would I be jealous of him? If anything, he should be jealous of me.â
Zheng Dan obviously knew what he was talking about. She rolled her eyes and said, âRegardless of appearance, background, or ability, Sang Qian is an excellent husband for our Zheng clan. Unfortunately, I just donât feel much of anything when Iâm with him. The only reason I agreed to the marriage was because of the benefits it would bring the clan. Actually, I didnât even have a choice in this matter. The clan had already made the decision for me a long time ago.â
Sensing the dejection and loneliness in her tone, Zu An said, âWhy donât you just throw away this engagement then? You can follow me instead.â
âFollow you?â Zheng Dan said with an ambiguous expression. âWould I follow you into the Chu clan?â
Zu Anâs breathing stopped. When he thought of the grudges between the two clans, he really didnât know what to say.
Zheng Dan sighed. âEven though Iâve always appeared to others as a gentle and quiet person, Iâm actually incredibly proud and arrogant. I never wanted to become the wife of another, not even to someone with such an outstanding background like Sang Qian.â
When she saw Zu Anâs expression grow rather awful, she said, âBut Ah Zu, youâre different. Being your wife⦠is not impossible.â
When he saw the gentle feelings in her eyes, Zu An reached out to hold her soft hands. He didnât know what to say.
âWhat a pityâ¦â Zheng Dan moved the conversation on. âI cannot make decisions for myself alone. I have to think about the good of my clan as well. I cannot be that selfish and harm my clan.
âThe Sang clan came in response to the emperorâs will, so the Chu clan is merely fighting valiantly to hold back their inevitable defeat. Our Zheng clan has remained the Chu clanâs enemy for so many years already. I cannot make such a decision for the Zheng clan.â
âBut your purity is already⦠How are you going to marry the Sang clan like that?â Zu An couldnât help but mention this.
âIâll find a way to solve this in the future. Either way, itâs still a while before our marriage is formalized. I should be able to use some tricks to get by for now.â A hint of worry creased Zheng Danâs brow. The Sang clan werenât idiots. Sang Hong was even sharper than his son, so deceiving them was definitely going to be hard.
Zu An became a bit gloomy. âDo you really want to marry into the Sang clan that badly?â
Zheng Danâs soft fingers gently caressed his cheeks. âIs my daddy getting angry?â
Her teasing made both of them recall the words of passion they had shared the night before, stirring their hearts.
âI guess, in the end, we just arenât strong enough. We cannot make decisions for ourselves aloneâ¦â Zheng Dan sighed. However, she quickly added, âBut Ah Zu, please, thereâs nothing to worry about. Even if I marry into the Sang clan, I will always be yours. As long as you want me, you can find me at any timeâ¦â
There really was a type of mysterious charm when she spoke such captivating words with such a dignified tone.
Zu Anâs heart skipped a beat. âDo you think thatâs all Iâm afterâ¦â
Zheng Dan pressed her finger gently against his lips. âI know you arenât that type of person, but this is all I can do for you.â
âIâve been blessed with a life of luxury from birth, and my parents have treated me extremely well. I was granted resources and an education, so I really canât just abandon them. I hope Ah Zu doesnât blame me for this choice.â
Zu An shook his head. âThe reason you are making this type of choice is because you are a sincere and strong-willed person. You are doing this out of filial piety and out of a sense of responsibility. How could I selfishly blame you for that? Speaking of which, when are you and Sang Qian getting married?â
âIn about a year,â Zheng Dan replied after thinking for a bit.
âThen thereâs still time,â Zu An muttered to himself. His voice grew serious. âIâll definitely steal you back when the time comes. You wonât have to worry about your clanâs problems then either,â he declared.
A big smile appeared on Zheng Danâs face. Her beautiful, misty eyes were swimming with deep emotion. âIâll be waiting for you.â
âBut you definitely cannot let that Sang dude take advantage of you before that!â Zu An said with a serious expression.
Zheng Dan smiled and said, âDonât worry, I havenât even let him hold my hand.â
Zu An was astonished. âThen why did you approach me beforeâ¦â
She had clearly come to him with such an open mind! That was why he thought that she was like this with her fiancé too. If he hadnât confirmed that she was a virgin, he would have assumed much more.
Zheng Dan gave him a look. âI donât even know why myself. I always lose my mind when Iâm with you. I was supposed to set a honey trap for you, but I ended up suffering a double loss instead!â
Zu An laughed. âDoesnât this just mean that we are a match made in heaven?â
Zheng Dan smiled sweetly and pressed her cheek against his chest.
âBy the way, why did you approach me in the beginning?â Zu An asked, slightly curious.
âOf course I was after your promissory note from the Silverhook casino! Many clans have been eyeing Plum Blossom Sectâs assets.â Zheng Dan smiled in embarrassment as she recalled the incident. She was the one who had intentionally tried to seduce him.
âItâs not just the clans. Even the academy is eyeing them.â Zu An roughly explained his deal with the academy. The two were already so close, and he didnât want to hide this from her.
Zheng Dan grew flustered. âOn my goodness! You didnât have the seven-and-a-half million taels of silver from the start?â Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. âYou never said anything, even after I wasted so much energy!â
Zu An chuckled. âThe two of us were enemies back then. Why would I tell you anything? Besides, which man would be stupid enough to turn away a great beauty who is intent on throwing herself at him?â
âAhhhh!!! I hate you so much! Iâm going to bite you to death!â Zheng Dan bared her teeth and pounced at him. Zu An quickly dodged with a smile.
The two of them tacitly remained in the cave for the next few days. Firstly, they needed to recover from their injuries, and secondly, this was the most intimate place for them. In this place, they didnât need to think about their responsibilities, their clans, or any of the other things that troubled them.
This pair of lovers stayed here alone, and each time their eyes met, the heavens shook and the earth was rent asunder.
When Zheng Dan recovered from the Eighteen Spring Winds, the two of them shared a period of intense bliss.
From time to time, sounds that would make even passing birds blush could be heard, as well as the intimate words shared between lovers.
âEven if something happens and I canât steal you back in time, I wonât let him touch you even if you marry into the Sang clan!â
Zheng Dan giggled. âHe is going to be my real husband! Arenât you being too unreasonable~â
âI donât care! I wonât allow it!â
âThen you have to do your best to steal me back! I donât think itâll be that easy, though.â
âAre you trying to get me angry on purpose?â
âAh, forgive me daddy~â