HBWMA -Chapter 369 Protecting One’s Own

The dazzling summer sun shimmered with rainbow hues, while the koi by the pond dozed beneath lotus leaves.

Faint murmurs drifted intermittently from the main hall.

Jiang Huashan stood in the courtyard for quite a while, craning her neck to peek through the window lattice. Only then did she casually step into the main residence as if nothing had happened.

“Grandpa~~~”

The Commissioner was in the middle of a respectful report when he was suddenly interrupted, yet he showed no displeasure. Rising to his feet, he greeted her with a smile, “Oh, Miss Jiang.”

Two years ago, when the Fu family was on the brink of losing its reputation after being exposed, news suddenly broke that the second son had committed suicide out of guilt.

Before his death, Fu Jiaming left behind a confession letter, admitting to all charges—treason, debauchery, and more. With his death, the case was closed. The Fu family barely managed to preserve its foundation, but its reputation was irreparably damaged. Fu Jiasheng’s career was also affected—demoted from Chief Commissioner of Jinggang to mayor of Dongwan. In the end, the Fu family fell from the throne of the Four Great Powers, now ranking even below the rising Qiao and Gu factions.

And the Commissioner Cai before them was a protégé of Shen Qian, personally promoted by the Shen family.

Jiang Huashan didn’t recognize any Commissioner Cai or Wang, but she had become far more tactful than before. With just a glance, she grasped the situation.

Feigning curiosity, she said, “Isn’t this a police officer? What brings you to the Shen residence? Hmm? Could it be someone in our family broke the law?”

“Miss Jiang, you jest.” Commissioner Cai hurriedly glanced at Shen Zhuang, only relaxing when he saw the old master wasn’t angry.

So the rumors were true—this Miss Jiang was a living troublemaker, bringing misfortune to whoever crossed her.

Seeing through her mischief, Shen Zhuang smiled and lightly scolded, “Mind your manners. Commissioner Cai is here on official business. Sit properly.”

Commissioner Cai forced a polite smile and turned to Shen Zhuang. “You’re too kind, Old Master. Last night’s incident involves the royal family of S Country. Minister Zhou personally issued an urgent order overnight. Normally, this wouldn’t require my involvement, but my subordinates lack discretion. If they offended you or the young ladies, that would be a grave mistake—so I had no choice but to come in person.”

Shen Zhuang smiled faintly. “I only just heard about it myself. They’re all half-grown children, at that age where they like to stir trouble. If you hadn’t come today, I’d still be in the dark. The state has its laws, and the family has its rules. No need to hold back, Commissioner Cai—ask whatever you need. I’d also like to hear what kind of games young people are playing these days.”

Fu Sui’er and Shen Mianzhi exchanged glances, then simultaneously looked at Jiang Huashan—who immediately looked up at the sky.

“…”

Watching Shen Zhuang’s expression, Commissioner Cai hesitated on how to begin.

Shen Zhuang remained calm. “Sit.”

The man sat down and suddenly had an idea. Changing his tone, he asked, “Misses, we received a report that Miss Bai ordered her bodyguards to forcibly search someone and even pointed a gun at Miss Shen, posing a serious threat to her safety. Is this true?”

The bar where the incident occurred was Shen family territory. After Jiang Huashan cut the power, she immediately instructed the manager to destroy all surveillance footage from that day. Now that the police skipped over Bai Dina’s injuries and directly asked about the cause, it was clear the balance had already tilted.

Shen Mianzhi understood immediately. “Yes.”

Shen Zhuang raised his fingers slightly, his tone neutral. “Something like that actually happened? It seems Jinggang’s public security is rather worrying.”

Jinggang’s security was under the police department’s responsibility—this was clearly pointing out their negligence.

Commissioner Cai braced himself. “As the parties involved, did you see who injured Miss Bai?”

Jiang Huashan lowered her head, staring at the swirl of her fingertips.

Fu Sui’er said, “No. The power suddenly went out—it was pitch dark. I even got stepped on several times.”

Jiang Huashan suddenly brightened. Looking at Commissioner Cai seriously, she said, “I’ve got it! Maybe she hit herself—putting on a show to frame us?”

“…”
Commissioner Cai let out an awkward chuckle.

If he kept asking, he’d only make a fool of himself. He quickly stood up, exchanged a few pleasantries, and hurriedly took his leave. As he exited the courtyard, he happened to see three tall figures approaching.

Weren’t these the Shen family’s prized young masters? Commissioner Cai quickly stepped forward to greet them.

Though his rank was currently higher, once these young men graduated, they would likely become the next leaders of A Country within a decade. These “golden Buddhas” were worth paying respects to in advance.

“Commissioner Cai?” Shen Lanxi paused, glancing toward the main hall from across the corridor.

Shen Qingyu hadn’t intended to engage, but suddenly thought of something, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. “Minister Zhou certainly has influence—making Commissioner Cai personally come to collect evidence?”

Hearing this, Commissioner Cai realized the misunderstanding and quickly explained, “The bar’s surveillance failed, and the evidence of Miss Bai threatening with a gun may be insufficient. I came today to see whether the two Shen ladies would be willing to testify in court.”

“Thank you for your effort, Commissioner Cai,” Shen Guiling gently interrupted. “I’ve already submitted Miss Bai’s statement to the department. She has admitted to her misconduct last night. The rest will be left to you and your colleagues.”

In truth, Bai Dina had not confessed—Shen Guiling simply treated her silence as an admission and closed the case.

Those words were truly… reassuring.

“You’re too kind, Young Master Ling.” Commissioner Cai nodded modestly. Shen Guiling was the youngest one-star ensign at the Military-Political Academy—while others were still accumulating credits in school, he was already earning military merits abroad. His future was boundless.

Main Hall

“Grandpa, don’t be mad. I really was planning to sleep, but Su Miao kept calling me. I had no choice but to sneak out. It wasn’t even a big deal—who knew we’d run into that lunatic from the Bai family?”

Shen Mianzhi poured a cup of tea and handed it to Shen Zhuang. “Grandpa, there was an account mismatch in the Dark Hall. I went to handle it, but… but Sui’er said she needed me, so I didn’t go home.”

“…” Fu Sui’er shot her a glance.

Shen Zhuang said nothing, simply watching them perform.

Jiang Huashan took the teacup from Shen Mianzhi. “Honestly, couldn’t you have just told Grandpa beforehand? Why wait until the police came knocking? Don’t do this again.”

She handed the tea to Shen Zhuang, acting like a peacemaker. “Grandpa, let it go. They already know they were wrong.”

“They know they were wrong? Then where exactly were they wrong?” Shen Qingyu’s lazy voice rang out.