CHAPTER 806: CHAPTER 805: ADVANCING BY RETREATING

Seeing the stunned look on Fu Gui’s face, Zhou Xuennian’s vanity was greatly satisfied, and he straightened his back.

That’s right, he was Zhou Yingmei’s elder brother, their father had already passed away, and it was said that the elder brother was like a father. Since their father was gone, it was up to him to make decisions and support her, so he had the right to question.

Fu Gui, having been by Wu Lihong’s side for many years and having mingled with many people, had long trained his ability to read the room. He could immediately see what Zhou Xuennian was thinking, and he felt a deep disdain in his heart.

"Great lord, don’t be angry, sit down and let’s talk this over." Holding back his nausea, Fu Gui helped him to sit down and said, "Aren’t we having the discussion you wanted?"

Zhou Xuennian snorted and said, "Wu Lihong wronged my sister. If he were a real man, a man with responsibility, he should come and explain himself personally."

"It was all a misunderstanding, great lord. Our master was also greatly shocked to learn of their existence. Didn’t he send me to find them? Where has the great lady moved to?" While pouring tea for him, Fu Gui asked.

Zhou Xuennian, however, hesitated in his heart and didn’t reply.

He had his considerations; if he revealed the address just like that, what else was left for him to do?

So, he picked up his tea and said, "You have Wu Lihong come and talk to me."

Fury flashed in Fu Gui’s eyes; what kind of person are you to dare to demand our master come to see you?

"The master is busy with official duties and probably can’t spare the time..."

Zhou Xuennian’s heart jumped: "Master?" He narrowed his eyes and said in a deliberately cold manner, "So, Wu Lihong became successful and abandoned his wife and daughter? What kind of official is he!"

Fu Gui sneered inwardly and said, "Great lord, that’s a serious accusation. To say he abandoned his wife and daughter, there must be a reason. I still remember that the master and the great lady never had a formal wedding; how could it be called a wife? Now, the master’s legal wife recorded in the Wu family genealogy is the legitimate daughter of the Yongan Earl’s Mansion in the capital, Lady Wang. As for your noble sister, isn’t the great lord a learned man? Does he not know about youthful romances? A young man and woman, smitten at first sight, secretly pledging for life, it was never condoned by law or ethics."

He stopped speaking at this point, but Zhou Xuennian understood clearly. It meant that Wu Lihong and Zhou Yingmei weren’t legitimate husband and wife, just a couple of wayward lovebirds. If people didn’t acknowledge it, no one could say much; at most, they could just comment on youthful indiscretions—who doesn’t have a few romantic tales in their youth?

In contrast, your family’s girl, engaging in such relations without a matchmaker, was not practicing feminine virtue and had no regard for dignity.

Zhou Xuennian was choked and silenced, his face burning.

"In that case, you’ve found the wrong person. Goodbye!" Zhou Xuennian flung his sleeves and was about to leave.

Fu Gui raised an eyebrow and hurriedly pulled him back, saying, "Oh my, look at you, little me just said a few words, and the great lord is already angry? I was just joking. If our master had no intentions, how could he have sent me to find someone?"

Zhou Xuennian breathed a sigh of relief internally. His strategy was just to retreat for the sake of advancing, not to actually leave. Now that he was held back, he casually said, "You’ve already mentioned about noble scions, don’t they have secret affairs? Could we dare to climb so high? Besides, even without backing from your master, life has been hard, but we’ve managed all these years. Moreover, as for my sister and her daughter, their lives are quite good now, not lacking in food or drink, and it doesn’t matter if they meet or not. Even Wufu has reached the age of marriage, what need is there to stir up trouble again?"

It must be said, Zhou Xuennian’s words were skillfully spoken and carried a lot of weight. Even if this confidence didn’t come from the Zhou family but from Wufu and her own, it was still enough to hold Fu Gui in check.