APSIL -Chapter 43 What Will Fall From the Sky Next?

In the front courtyard, Zhu Yu was kneeling upright on the ground.

His cheeks were swollen high, his clothes were torn across the shoulders, revealing several crisscrossing bloody marks.

When he saw Zhu Ying repeatedly ordering A-Liu to immediately send Zhang Shou back to his room, he finally couldn’t hold back and shouted: “Young Lady! That man is nothing more than a countryside fraud with a good-looking face. He’s not worth you putting so much effort into! A phoenix only perches on a parasol tree. How can someone like him, who deceives the world and steals fame, possibly be worthy of you? If he had even the slightest bit of a man’s backbone, he wouldn’t pretend to be asleep and refuse to take responsibility even after entering his own home! The Lord would never have arranged such a marriage for you. The Grand Madam must have lied—”

Before he could finish the final word, Zhu Yu was struck hard in the chest by a flying kick.

It turned out Zhu Ying, who had been walking away, had suddenly returned in fury and kicked him over.

She raised her whip, intending to strike down heavily.

But in the end, she forcibly stopped herself.

Instead, she coldly stepped back several paces.

“If you truly look down on A-Shou, if you truly believe he isn’t worthy of me, if you think my efforts to build his reputation are childish and ridiculous, then have the courage to advise me directly to my face!”

“You obeyed obediently when I gave orders, then secretly played tricks behind my back. Isn’t that exactly what it means to act one way openly and another way secretly?”

“And now you dare use the excuse that you were doing this for my own good? Do you think my eyes are blind?”

“Even if you leaked the news, people like Tang Ming and Xie Wanquan are extremely proud of themselves. They don’t even know A-Shou. Why would they travel all the way here pretending to be righteous people who cannot tolerate deception?”

“Do you think I don’t know they were ordered by someone else and came here targeting my Zhao State Duke Manor? A-Shou was merely dragged into this because of my own overly confident arrangements?”

“You were an orphan my father brought back. He raised you from childhood, provided you with food and clothing, taught you literature and martial arts. Is this how you repay him? Is this how you repay the Zhao State Duke Manor?”

“If you don’t want people to know, don’t do it. I already investigated everything. You actually spread rumors privately, saying that Grandmother intended to make A-Shou a live-in son-in-law!”

“You deliberately damaged the reputation of my Zhao State Duke Manor! I only regret that I didn’t deal with you sooner!”

At this moment, Zhang Shou was being carried into the hall by A-Liu.

Hearing those words, he remembered the conversation he had overheard in Xu the Carpenter’s backyard, as well as the loud slap that followed afterward.

Later, when he arrived at Cuiyun Residence, the only person he saw was Zhu Hong.

He couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.

So that’s what happened.

Back then, I never took the word “live-in son-in-law” seriously. Sure enough, someone had been plotting behind the scenes.

But this Young Lady truly had sharp eyes and a clear mind.

Trying to fool her with clever words and excuses?

That person had clearly chosen the wrong target.

After A-Liu carried him into the eastern side room, Zhang Shou slipped down from his back and stood steadily.

Although exhaustion made him yawn heavily, he still forced himself to stay awake and quietly gave A-Liu a few instructions.

“Go quietly tell Yingying that she should stop being angry. More importantly, tell her not to continue using private punishment. Otherwise, someone might use that against her.”

“Tie up Zhu Yu. Tomorrow morning, have Zhu Hong bring several reliable people and send him directly to the Shuntian Prefecture Office.”

“Tell them that a household servant betrayed his master, colluded with outsiders, and damaged his master’s reputation. Ask Prefect Wang to uphold justice for the Zhao State Duke Manor.”

If it had been anyone else, they would certainly have asked countless questions.

But A-Liu had always been the perfect example of someone who followed instructions without hesitation.

He silently nodded and immediately left.

When he returned to the front courtyard, he saw Zhu Yu collapsed on the ground, unable to speak, while Zhu Ying had finally thrown down her whip after being persuaded by her two maids.

A-Liu quickly stepped forward and repeated Zhang Shou’s instructions word for word.

Neither Zhu Ying nor the two maids noticed that A-Liu’s voice could only be heard by the three of them.

The impatient Liuyin almost blurted out a protest, but Zhanjin grabbed her arm and stopped her.

She could only sulk silently.

Zhu Ying, meanwhile, changed expressions several times.

Only after a long while did she stiffly nod.

When A-Liu quietly stepped aside, she looked down at Zhu Yu, who was lying there like a pile of mud, with eyes as sharp as knives.

“You worthless dog. Do you have anything else to say?”

Zhu Yu, clutching his chest and unable to stand, moved his lips.

Seeing the hatred in Zhu Ying’s eyes, he suddenly shivered.

The appearance of a loyal servant who had acted entirely for her sake could no longer be maintained.

He took a deep breath and spoke hoarsely: “Now Lord Zhao and the Young Master are still missing, and officials in court are constantly submitting accusations. The Zhao State Duke Manor is already in a dangerous situation.”

“Does Young Lady really intend to use private punishment and kill me to silence me?”

“You…”

Zhu Ying’s heart, liver, and every part of her body seemed to ache from anger.

She wanted nothing more than to kick this ungrateful traitor to death.

But at that moment, A-Liu’s words from earlier suddenly echoed in her ears.

The furious Zhu Young Lady, who had been burning with rage, instantly suppressed her anger.

“Killing you to silence you?”

She glanced at the bloodstained whip on the ground.

“Why would I dirty my own hands?”

“Fortunately, I didn’t use the whip Father gave me. Otherwise, it would have been a waste of a fine weapon.”

“Zhu Hong, choose two capable people. Tomorrow morning, bind this dog and send him to the Shuntian Prefecture Office.”

“Tell them that I, Zhu Ying, personally request Lord Wang to give me justice.”

“Someone has been bribed from within my Zhao State Duke Manor to ruin the reputation of my grandmother, my father, and myself. Make this matter as big as possible!”

“If Lord Wang cannot give me an explanation, I will return to the capital and cry before the Empress Dowager!”

“A-Shou is clearly Grandfather Ge’s final disciple, yet someone dared to call him a fraud who stole fame. He may be broad-minded enough not to care, but I, Zhu Ying, cannot swallow this humiliation!”

In the corner, A-Liu’s normally expressionless face briefly showed a trace of amusement.

Later, when he quietly returned to the eastern room in the inner courtyard, he explained everything that happened.

He then quickly prepared a bathtub and filled it with water of the perfect temperature.

Turning his back and standing near the door, he heard Zhang Shou—who moments earlier had claimed he didn’t even want to move a finger—stumble into the tub and sit down.

Suddenly, A-Liu asked without turning around: “The Young Lady said she would make this as big as possible. Shouldn’t Young Master try to persuade her?”

“This matter should never have been hidden.”

Zhang Shou felt like he could fall asleep at any moment in the bathtub.

The only way he could fight the drowsiness was by talking.

Even then, his voice was already half-dreaming.

“Besides, the one she hit was someone else, but the one who gets angry and suffers is herself.”

“That’s bad for her health. It’s better to hand this over to the authorities.”

“The other side already made the first move, so our counterattack should simply be bigger.”

“When her father and brothers’ safety are still uncertain, the more openly she acts, the more people will hesitate to target her.”

“Send him to Shuntian Prefecture. Then there’s no need to worry about someone silencing him. If he dies there, that’s Shuntian Prefecture’s responsibility.”

Zhu Ying happened to enter the back courtyard from the hall and heard every word clearly.

For a moment, her emotions became incredibly complicated.

Beside her, Zhanjin and Liuyin had also heard everything.

They were about to speak up and defend Zhang Shou.

But Zhu Ying interrupted them.

“Don’t say anything!”

She shouted.

Yet in her heart, she thought:

Clearly, I was the one who acted without thinking.

Clearly, someone around me betrayed us.

Clearly, he almost ended up being branded a fraud because of me.

Yet he doesn’t blame me at all.

Inside the eastern room, Zhang Shou let out another yawn.

His consciousness became even hazier, and his voice grew intermittent.

“First, a stunningly beautiful fiancée falls from the sky…”

“Then, a teacher unrivaled under heaven falls from the sky…”

“What will fall from the sky next?”

“No matter what it is, I probably won’t be surprised anymore…”

The originally conflicted Zhu Ying couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

She suddenly realized Zhang Shou had forgotten something.

A whole group of students had also fallen from the sky.

She was rather curious herself.

After all…

Things usually happened in threes.

So next time…

What would fall from the sky?