The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 179

"What are you trying to do? You mere Imperial Guards dare to arrest me? You're courting death."

Seeing that Shen Lian completely disregarded her words, the woman panicked and said in a fierce but inwardly weak tone.

"Go and see if any civilians have been killed or injured by her."

Zhou Chu ignored the woman completely and instead looked at Lin Lu beside him.

Upon hearing this, Lin Lu instantly understood Zhou Chu's meaning: they needed to find enough evidence, or fabricate evidence if they didn't have any. In this way, they could be in the right, and as long as they were in the right, no one could stop them.

Soon, Lin Lu came over with two or three people. To be precise, one of them was seriously injured and had to be carried over by the others.

"Sir, these are civilians who were injured because they didn't have time to dodge."

Lin Lu said.

"Let's find a doctor to treat their injuries first."

Zhou Chu looked at the injured civilian; the injury was quite serious, and if it dragged on any longer, it would likely worsen.

"Yes, my lord."

After Lin Lu finished speaking, she led these people to find a doctor.

At this moment, the woman was still shouting wildly, but neither Shen Lian nor Zhou Chu seemed to take her seriously. This made her somewhat devastated. You must know that in the past, her status was invincible, and no one in the entire Jiangnan region dared to provoke her.

Even after Shen Lian arrested her, she still couldn't understand why this Imperial Guard was so audacious.

"Stop yelling. Didn't your uncle tell you not to mess with the Embroidered Uniform Guard lately?"

Zhou Chu looked at the clueless woman in front of him and teased her.

The woman was stunned when she heard this, not understanding what Zhou Chu meant.

“Write a letter to your family and ask them to find someone to bail you out.”

Zhou Chu pinched the woman's chin, looked her up and down, and found that she was not only stupid, but also unattractive.

Upon hearing this, the woman was momentarily dazed. She was suddenly confused; who exactly was this man? How dare he be so arrogant?

In the entire Jiangnan region, who dares to provoke the Cui family? No one can get away with it!

"You really don't know what's good for you. Just wait to die."

Soon, the woman was taken to the Embroidered Uniform Guard. This woman was Cui Tingting, Cui Wenkui's niece.

Cui Tingting was a notorious wicked woman in the entire Suzhou Prefecture, known for her unruly and difficult nature.

In Jiangshan, especially in Suzhou Prefecture, noble ladies generally do not travel by horse. Women from Jiangnan value gentleness and grace. While noble ladies in the capital may have some interest in horseback riding, Suzhou Prefecture is an exception.

Every time Cui Tingting went out on horseback, chaos ensued. The common people dared not be angry or speak out, after all, her status was undeniable. In the entire Jiangnan region, who would dare to offend the Cui family?

Cui Tingting's handwritten letter was quickly delivered to her home. Clearly, there was an information gap between this family and Cui Wenkui; they were unaware of Zhou Chu's information. Cui Tingting's father was Cui Wenkui's older brother, Cui Wenshan.

Upon receiving the letter, Cui Wenshan was furious. How dare a mere Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) arrest his daughter!

"Bring your men and surround the Jinyiwei. I want to see if a mere Jinyiwei has the guts to do something so audacious."

Cui Wenshan looked at the butler beside him and said angrily.

Soon, Cui Wenshan gathered nearly a hundred wicked servants and marched in a grand procession toward the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Wherever they went, the people avoided them, fearing that they would get into trouble.

Zhou Chu was overjoyed at the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters. After waiting for two months, the opportunity had finally arrived. Zhou Chu knew very well that officials like Cui Wenkui held absolute power in Jiangnan, and their relatives were unlikely to abide by the law. Zhou Chu had been looking for an opportunity for the past two months.

Unexpectedly, I actually found her, and she was a big fish at that—Cui Wenku's niece.

Zhou Chu found it amusing when he thought about it.

In his battle of wits with Cui Wenkui and the others, it all came down to who had more weaknesses. Clearly, people like Cui Tingting were their weaknesses, which was unavoidable.

"My lord, I have received news that Cui Wenshan is leading more than a hundred wicked servants towards our Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) post."

Chen Zhao said excitedly.

In the past, Chen Zhao would have felt like the sky had fallen when he received this news. Back then, no one dared to offend anyone in Suzhou Prefecture, where the Embroidered Uniform Guard was stationed.

But now it's completely different. The roles of offense and defense have shifted. Chen Zhao's lower back is sore, he can't retreat anymore, and he's speaking with more confidence.

"The more the better. Arrest as many as they come. Anyone who dares to besiege the Embroidered Uniform Guard will be guilty of treason."

Zhou Chu said with a half-smile.

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhao's eyes lit up even more. With Zhou Chu's words, he felt even more confident.

Now, in the entire Suzhou Prefecture, which official isn't terrified of the powerful and ruthless? In the past month or two, these people have all become incredibly obedient, and the powerful officials can't find any fault with them.

Now, the very person who has been handed this incriminating evidence is the governor's brother. How could Chen Zhao not be excited?

In the past, he wouldn't have even dared to dream of arresting such a high-ranking figure, let alone doing so.

It must be said that the Embroidered Uniform Guard was indeed pathetic in Suzhou Prefecture. Not to mention that they could not even get the attention of officials three ranks higher than them, and even officials of the same rank might not take them seriously.

Soon, Cui Wenshan led a group of wicked servants to surround the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) headquarters.

"Let Chen Zhao come out and see me."

Cui Wenshan looked at the Imperial Guards guarding the gate and spoke imperiously.

In fact, Chen Zhao had already received the news. If it were in the past, he would have rushed out long ago. But the situation was different now. As a commander of the Imperial Guard, he naturally had to put on airs. At this moment, he represented not only the Imperial Guard, but also Zhou Chu, and his confidence was greater than ever before.

Just as Cui Wenshan was about to lose his patience, Chen Zhao slowly walked out of the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) compound.

"Who dares to be so bold as to attack my Embroidered Uniform Guard? Are they planning a rebellion?"

Before Chen Zhao even saw the person, he uttered an angry rebuke.

These words not only failed to intimidate Cui Wenshan, but instead made him even angrier.

"Chen Zhao, do you not want to stay in Suzhou Prefecture any longer?"

Cui Wenshan roared in fury.

At this moment, Chen Zhao had already arrived in front of Cui Wenshan, his face full of surprise.

"Who do we have here? It's Master Cui! I wonder what Master Cui's intentions are in leading his men to besiege my Embroidered Uniform Guard? Are you planning a rebellion?"

Chen Zhao was all smiles when he said the first half of the sentence, but his expression changed drastically when he said the second half, and he angrily rebuked Cui Wenshan.

This sentence, coupled with Chen Zhao's attitude, left Cui Wenshan completely bewildered.

He couldn't figure out if Chen Zhao had taken the wrong medicine or if there was something he didn't know.

Cui Wenshan sensed that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. However, things had already come to this point, and he had no choice but to act. Cui Wenshan was instantly driven to his senses by Chen Zhao's attitude.

"Release my daughter immediately! Your Embroidered Uniform Guard is truly lawless! You dare to arrest someone from my Cui family?"

Cui Wenshan stared at Chen Zhaodao.

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhao immediately smiled.

"What's going on? Is Suzhou no longer part of our Great Ming Dynasty? Does your Cui family think you can control everything?"

“That’s right. In Suzhou Prefecture, the Cui family is the law. Don’t even mention a mere Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) like yours. Even the emperor himself wouldn’t stand a chance.”

After saying this, Cui Wenshan didn't bother arguing with Chen Zhaomo. Unlike Zhang Ziyi before him, he was truly willing to attack the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

After saying this, he waved his hand, signaling the wicked servants behind him to charge the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He knew, of course, that the small number of men he had brought were no match for the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but in his view, the Embroidered Uniform Guard would not dare to fight back, so he was fearless.

But the result was far beyond his expectations.

"Guards, arrest all these people who are plotting a rebellion."

Chen Zhao shouted angrily.