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

Chapter 229

These days, Chu Li has been surrounded by many ill-intentioned people, and she almost fell into their trap and was arrested several times.

If Zhou Chu hadn't anticipated this and arranged for the Imperial Guards to protect her, and if these people hadn't been unaware of Chu Li's true identity, thinking she was just an ordinary merchant under Zhou Chu, they wouldn't have paid her much attention.

Even so, Chu Li felt the sudden increase in pressure. This was only the impact; Chu Li dared not imagine the storm that Zhou Chu, who was at the center of the vortex, was facing.

Chu Li had long known that the grudge against her family's massacre was not caused by any one person, but by the entire Jiangnan Group. Her father had uncovered the Jiangnan Group's plot to kill the late emperor, and the one who attacked the Chu family was none other than Liao Feng, the then Vice Minister of Rites.

After Zhou Chu became the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the first person he killed was none other than Liao Feng, which made Chu Li and Chu Huizu extremely grateful to Zhou Chu.

At the same time, they also deeply hated the entire Jiangnan Group and were willing to fight for Zhou Chu.

Chu Li's feelings for Zhou Chu are complicated. To her, Zhou Chu is both a teacher and a friend. Chu Li has respect for Zhou Chu and also admires him. However, since the incident in the Chu family, Chu Li has kept these feelings to herself and has never revealed them again. She just wants to stay by Zhou Chu's side, regardless of their status.

After all, the Chu family is gone, so she no longer needs to care about these things.

At this moment, Zhou Chu was in the county government office of Huating County when he met two people he had not expected.

The two brothers, Zhang Heling, Duke of Changguo, and Zhang Yanling, Marquis of Jianchang.

Zhou Chu didn't expect these two to appear here, but it wasn't hard to predict. When Cui Wenkui was out of options, he would probably call these two over.

These two are both stupid and wicked, making them excellent pawns.

Besides these two, there were several others, all retired officials from the imperial court, some of whom were third-rank officials and others of fourth-rank officials. They were all in their seventies or eighties now, and it seemed that Zhou Chu was taking advantage of their age.

"Lord Zhou, shouldn't the task of surveying land be handled by the Embroidered Uniform Guard? Have you overstepped your bounds, Lord Zhou?"

One of the old men, holding a huanghuali cane, looked at Zhou Chu with a lecturing posture.

"Who is this?"

Zhou Chu asked with a puzzled look.

"I am Chen Jing, and my father was once the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Now he is retired and at home."

The old man said this with a face full of pride.

"So you're just an unemployed official? Well then, I'd like to ask you, old man, what gives you the right to question me when you hold no official position? Who gave you the audacity? Is it any of your business how I do things? Go home and enjoy your old age, or you'll end up not even able to take care of yourself in your old age."

Zhou Chu sneered.

This remark was barbed and showed no respect for the old man. Chen Jing was so angry that he couldn't speak for a long time and almost couldn't utter a word.

"Lord Zhou is far too sharp-tongued. Old Chen is merely here as a representative of the people of Huating County to ask Lord Zhou why he is so disregarding the lives of the people and persecuting them?"

Duke Changguo, Zhang Heling, picked up the conversation.

"Representatives of the people? Persecuting the people?"

Zhou Chu felt as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Do they truly represent the common people, or those officials? Who is it that oppresses and persecutes the people, me or them? Duke Changguo, you are so unable to distinguish between public and private matters, right and wrong, and you come up here to question me like this. Can I interpret this as Duke Changguo taking their money to speak on their behalf?"

Zhou Chu wasn't going to tolerate Zhang Heling and directly retorted.

This conversation left Zhang Heling speechless. He was a complete fool, and those words he had just spoken were taught to him by others. With Zhou Chu's slight rebuttal, he was at a loss for words.

"You ignorant brat, spouting nonsense! Doesn't Lord Zhou fear causing unrest in Jiangnan and the court by doing this?"

Seeing his elder brother rendered speechless, Zhang Yanling immediately stepped forward to confront Zhou Chu.

"Oh? Is the Marquis of Jianchang threatening me, or the imperial court? Does the Marquis of Jianchang intend to incite a rebellion?"

Zhou Chu's eyes flashed with a cold light as he glanced at Zhang Yanling.