Chapter 305: Chapter 263: Dog Eat Dog (Part 2)

Su Yaoguang had seen off all the other guests.

After seeing off the guests, she left the remaining matters to Zhou Wangshu to handle and returned to her own room to rest.

The maid had prepared hot water, and Su Yaoguang lay in the bathtub, letting the hot water soak her weary body.

The maid was massaging her shoulders from behind.

"Marquis Jing’an and Prime Minister Wang haven’t left yet?"

The maid replied, "It seems like they haven’t. I can hear the argument from the study even from here, which means neither Marquis Jing’an nor Prime Minister Wang plans to let this matter drop; they both want an explanation from the Marquis. Young Madam, today’s banquet was prepared for you and the Young Master, and such a big incident occurred. Marquis Jing’an and Prime Minister Wang won’t make things difficult for the Young Master, right?"

Su Yaoguang said tiredly, "Marquis Jing’an probably won’t, but Prime Minister Wang... that old fox might not highly regard that son-in-law of convenience, but he also won’t miss this opportunity to extort something. Once my husband returns, we’ll know what terms Cheng’an Hou Mansion used to settle this matter."

Su Yaoguang finished her bath and let the maid dry her hair.

She dozed off at the table, and when she heard footsteps by the door, she immediately sat up, alertly watching the door.

"You’re finally back," Su Yaoguang remarked, glancing at the moonlit night outside. "You’ve been in the study for so long, how did the discussion go?"

Zhou Wangshu leaned down to kiss Su Yaoguang’s forehead. "Let me bathe first, and I’ll tell you everything once I’m done."

"I’ll have them prepare hot water." Su Yaoguang said, "The water inside was used by me."

"No need, I’ll just use this," Zhou Wangshu said efficiently, undressing and quickly settling into the bathtub.

Su Yaoguang took the comb from the maid’s hand, dismissing her so she could rest in her own room.

While combing her hair, she asked, "What benefits did Prime Minister Wang get in exchange for Xiao Yanci’s reputation?"

Zhou Wangshu chuckled, wiping himself as he replied, "Such a dirty thing isn’t worth much. They just compensated him with an estate on the outskirts of the city. That estate originally had hot springs, which Prime Minister Wang surely has his eyes on, intending to build a resort villa there."

"Sounds nice, it should be a good estate; giving it away like that is quite a loss," Su Yaoguang remarked.

"That estate is quite a troublesome thing," Zhou Wangshu commented. "I was afraid they wouldn’t be interested. Now that it’s in Prime Minister Wang’s hands, it’s getting interesting."

"What do you mean?" Su Yaoguang asked curiously, coming out from behind the screen and finding a stool to sit by the bathtub, watching the handsome man bathe.

Zhou Wangshu took the comb from her hand and gently combed her hair, saying, "That estate has a hidden passage with treasures inside. As far as I know, these treasures were left by remnants of the previous dynasty. If these treasures are discovered, the charge of colluding with rebels would be established."

"Even if the estate falls into Prime Minister Wang’s hands, everyone knows its original owner was Marquis Cheng’an. Even if a crime is prosecuted, Marquis Cheng’an wouldn’t escape involvement," Su Yaoguang said.

Zhou Wangshu lifted a lock of Su Yaoguang’s hair, saying, "What does this have to do with me, a newly registered legitimate eldest son in the Xia Family Tree?"

Su Yaoguang eventually realized.

Zhou Wangshu intended to achieve multiple objectives with one move.

In today’s debacle, Jiang Yihuan and Xiao Yanci’s affair came to light. Even if the pair of scoundrels are good at deceiving their partners, once the seed of suspicion is planted, it will eventually grow into a towering tree, and that will be the time to drain them dry.

The biggest gain was Xia Zhen completely withdrawing from the competition for the heir position of the Cheng’an Hou Mansion.

Then there was the hidden chess piece Zhou Wangshu planted. This piece needed to be fostered before eventually casting the net.

Su Yaoguang wiped Zhou Wangshu’s back with a cloth.

She saw the burn marks on Zhou Wangshu’s skin, her eyes filled with distress: "It’s just an act, why leave scars on yourself? It must be painful."

"It’s for others to see," Zhou Wangshu said. "I’ll apply some burn ointment later, and in time these scars will disappear."

At that moment, Marchioness Cheng’an stayed by the bedside, watching one doctor after another diagnose Xia Zhen. After receiving one disappointing shake of the head after another, she could no longer bear it. She slammed the table, eyes red, and said, "Anyone who can wake up my son will receive a reward of one thousand taels of silver. Anyone who can make my son’s scars disappear will receive ten thousand taels."

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