This Was Indeed My Doing

Chong Yingbiao was Chong Houhu's eldest son.

Since his father had been staying in Chaoge City, Chong Yingbiao had taken sole charge of this visit by the Feudal Lords to pay homage.

One only had to hear his name to know he was no good.

Chong Houhu always boasted that he could do anything except wage war. In truth, he was no good at raising sons either: he had managed to turn the heir of the Marquis's Manor into a street thug.

Chong Yingbiao entered the city with gifts and beautiful women. After finding his father, he took his attendants out for a stroll.

Chaoge City truly was the most prosperous place under heaven, its splendor dazzling the eye.

He had only bought a few bundles of heartless vegetables, yet the old woman selling them grinned from ear to ear.

The people of Chaoge really were warm and hospitable.

Then Chong Yingbiao spotted a woman.

A beautiful woman drew attention wherever she went. Accustomed to throwing his weight around back home as an official's son, Chong Yingbiao made a snap decision and ordered his household warrior, Mei Wu, to snatch her.

So what if he abducted her? Was the son of the Marquis of the North not allowed to take a woman?

He even paid when he bought vegetables. After taking the woman, he could simply propose marriage afterward. Wouldn't that settle everything?

Heartless vegetables were everywhere, but a beauty like this might not appear once in several decades. If he missed his chance, it would be gone for good.

After Chong Yingbiao and Mei Wu abducted her, they hurried to one of the family's secondary residences.

Chong Houhu intended to spend his retirement in Chaoge and had purchased many residences. This was one of them.

Mei Wu guarded the door while Chong Yingbiao dragged the sack into the room.

The sack kept writhing and changing shape. The woman inside had a fierce temper.

An ugly leer spread across Chong Yingbiao's face as he pulled off the sack.

The woman's hair was disheveled. After drawing several gasping breaths, she forced herself to remain calm and demanded loudly, "I am the daughter of the Marquis of Jizhou! What do you intend to do?"

The Marquis of Jizhou ranked among the greater lords of the Eight Hundred Feudal Lords. As his daughter, she had a name powerful enough to move unhindered through Chaoge and keep villains from acting rashly.

Unfortunately, she had run into the utterly reckless Chong Yingbiao.

Chong Yingbiao considered it carefully. The daughter of the Marquis of Jizhou-was she Su Daji, whose beauty rivaled a heavenly immortal?

She must be. Only a beauty like that could catch his discerning eye.

But he was not afraid. His grin only widened. "My father is Chong Houhu!"

Daji's heart sank. Most people would not dare touch her after hearing her father's title, but the son of North Marquis Chong Houhu was no ordinary person. Jizhou lay within the Marquis of the North's jurisdiction; his father was her father's direct superior.

If her father knew she had been abducted, his fiery temper would drive him to confront even his direct superior. The problem was that she had sneaked out, and her father knew nothing about it.

Now she was in trouble.

Meanwhile, Chong Yingbiao had thought it through. She was the daughter of the Marquis of Jizhou, and he was the son of the Marquis of the North. Their families were well matched. A formal marriage proposal should not be difficult.

Having figured that out, he grew even more relaxed.

This girl really is beautiful! Unable to help himself, Chong Yingbiao stepped closer.

"Don't come any closer! If you come any closer..." Daji backed away in terror. How could she fail to understand what Chong Yingbiao was thinking?

"If you come any closer, I'll scream!"

Chong Yingbiao did not care. His mind was already made up, and he merely grinned. "Go ahead and scream! This is the Marquis of the North's residence. Even the King of Heaven himself couldn't get in!"

Daji lightly bit her red lip and looked toward a pillar in the room. "Come any closer, and I'll smash my head against that pillar and die!"

At that, Chong Yingbiao's grin became even more obscene. Rubbing his hands together, he said, "Dead is fine too. While you're still warm..."

Blood surged to Daji's head. Unable to endure the humiliation, she grabbed the lampstand from the table and smashed it against her head.

Zi Shou pursued them all the way to the secondary residence, bringing You Hun and the Royal Guards.

He recognized the residence. It had once belonged to Consort Yang of Xinqing Palace, before he entrusted it to Fei Zhong, who sold it indirectly to Chong Houhu. Now it served as temporary lodging for Chong Houhu's son, Chong Yingbiao.

The price had been three times the market rate, and Fei Zhong had surely pocketed a cut as well. At the time, Zi Shou had thought Chong Houhu would harbor resentment once he discovered it, yet several months had passed without him noticing anything amiss.

Consort Yang, on the other hand, had been delighted for quite some time and bought plenty of new jewelry. Even the soups she sent him had tasted better during that period.

Leaving that aside, since the residence had once belonged to Consort Yang, Zi Shou knew its hidden secrets.

The main gates were shut tight?

No matter. They were made of inferior wood. Under normal conditions, they looked fine, but exposure to rain left them incredibly brittle. A grown man could push them open.

Without another word, Zi Shou strode forward with his head held high and gave them a push.

With a crash, the gates collapsed, taking a section of the courtyard wall with them.

Zi Shou sheepishly withdrew his hand. This really was shoddy, tofu-dregs construction. Luckily, he had already sold it to Chong Houhu.

The Royal Guards followed, striding with their overbearing swagger. Several household warriors who came to investigate the crash recognized those distinctive strides and knew the Royal Guards had arrived.

And if the king's Royal Guards were protecting someone, who could it be but King Zhou?

They all stood aside, not daring to speak.

When Zi Shou reached the room, he happened to hear Chong Yingbiao say, "Dead is fine too. While you're still warm..."

Such extreme tastes? What a talent!

Zi Shou decided not to hold Chong Yingbiao accountable. If he gave this man an important post, he would surely fill the court with smoke and foul fumes. The fact that he abducted common women in broad daylight was enough to prove he was no good.

Mei Wu, guarding the doorway, wanted to stop him, but recognized Zi Shou. Yet he was also fiercely loyal to his master. After a moment of inner conflict, he decided to make a show of resistance.

Zi Shou saw through Mei Wu's intentions and did not make things difficult for him. He reached out and gave him a gentle shove. Mei Wu flew several meters backward and landed unconscious on the ground.

That acting... isn't it a bit much?

Zi Shou looked at his own hand, sensing that something was wrong.

Mei Wu was a household warrior of the Marquis of the North and would be appointed the Sky Star, one of the Host of Stars, after his death. His martial skills surely were not poor. How had a single shove sent him flying?

It must have been the effect of the Marrow-Cleansing Pill. Anything produced by the system was guaranteed to be quality goods. His desire to become a foolish ruler grew even stronger.

Zi Shou pushed open the door. With a clatter, the lampstand fell to the floor.

Daji fell to the floor as well, a beauty bathed in blood.

Zi Shou had not yet understood what had happened. He only took a cursory glance: the beauty's clothing was intact, so she had probably killed herself rather than submit to violation.

Zi Shou inwardly lamented the pity of it. If only I had been the leading man in this story!

That would make me a foolish ruler through and through-not only abducting a common woman, but driving her to her death. Countless people would curse me!

Just then, a valiant-looking middle-aged man rushed in. It was Su Hu.

Su Hu had heard from his deputy that Daji had been spotted in the market and abducted by a villain, so he had hurried after her.

As soon as he entered and saw Daji lying in a pool of blood, he flew to her side and gathered her into his arms, grief so deep that no tears would come. "Daji, my daughter..."

Hearing the name Daji, Zi Shou felt something was wrong.

This old fellow is Su Hu? This fiercely chaste woman is Daji?

Now that Daji is dead, how am I supposed to get Su Hu to offer his daughter, bring about his rebellion against Shang through that poem, and spread my reputation as a foolish ruler throughout the world?

Su Hu stared at Chong Yingbiao, who stood frozen nearby, and ground his teeth.

Of everyone in the room, Chong Yingbiao was the ugliest and looked most like the man who had abducted his beloved daughter.

Seeing Su Hu's expression, Zi Shou already had a plan. I'll take the blame for this.

Zi Shou immediately walked over to Chong Yingbiao and knocked him unconscious, lest he blurt out the truth in his panic. Then he declared with righteous conviction:

"Marquis of Jizhou, this was indeed my doing."

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