Chapter 43: Good son-in-law, you are truly outstanding!

The Count is indeed feeling some regret.

He cares too much about his reputation and doesn't want to go back on his word, hence why he let Shen Lang leave.

But who would have thought that Shen Lang could actually memorize the entire family rules in just one night? All the Count could do was lift the ban on Shen Lang.

The Countess comforted him, "Husband, it's no big deal for a young man to suffer a bit. After all, Tian Hong wouldn’t dare to harm Lang, right? He wouldn’t actually hurt him, would he?"

The Count sighed, "Behind Tian Hong are Liu Wuyan and Zhang Jin. One is crafty and cunning, the other is ruthless. Shen Lang is just a naive kid who doesn't realize the consequences. He only sees Tian Hong as a gang boss. I fear not for his losses, but for the trouble he might bring upon us by falling into someone else's trap."

Of course, the Count had one more thing he didn't say out loud.

That if Shen Lang were to fall into Tian Hong's trap, he would also drag down the Count's house with him. But he would never say that out loud. Shen Lang is just a child and wouldn’t be able to bear such a huge blame.

The Countess said, "It's good for young people to go out and experience the world's dangers. It will make it easier for you to control him in the future. Lang is someone with his own ideas. He needs to figure things out for himself, we can't force him."

The Count coldly snorted, "Let him suffer this time, maybe he'll become more obedient in the future."

The Countess added, "He's still young. Hopefully, Tian Hong will have some sense and not go too far. He shouldn't think that just because of his relationship with the governor, he can really provoke us."

In the Count's eyes, Shen Lang alone wanting to challenge Tian Hong in Xuanwu City would only end in disaster.

Because he wouldn’t just be facing Tian Hong, but also Zhang Jin, the Xu family, and even Liu Wuyan.

The only suspense was how big of a loss he would suffer.

Presumably, Liu Wuyan would be quite clever and know the limits. She wouldn't really provoke the Count's house to the extreme.

After Shen Lang's defeat and return home, the Count could use this opportunity to discipline him properly, so he wouldn't act recklessly without understanding the consequences.

And at this moment, a figure rushed in quickly and knelt down, "Greetings, Master, Madam."

He was Jin Hui, a skilled member of the Count's house, and had been sent by the Count to secretly protect Shen Lang. There were more than ten others with him.

The Count asked, "What happened? How badly did Shen Lang get hurt? Did Tian Hong dare to harm him?"

Jin Hui's expression was somewhat peculiar as he replied, "Master, Madam, Master Lang was overwhelmingly victorious! He almost drove Tian Hong to bankruptcy, publicly broke both legs of Tian Thirteen, and broke the legs and hands of Tian Fourteen. He even made Tian Hong vomit blood in front of everyone."

Upon hearing this, everyone present was completely stunned.

The Count and the Countess looked at each other for a long time before speaking, "This... how is that possible?"

Yes, how was that possible?

Shen Lang was just one person, and he was facing Tian Hong, a major figure in the area, and the powerful forces behind him.

Xuanwu City was essentially their territory.

"Did Zhang Jin and Liu Wuyan not intervene?” the Count asked.

Jin Hui spoke, “Zhang Jin and Liu Wuyan were both malicious, wanting to take advantage of the chaos to harm young master and create a major incident, then pin the blame for the dozens, or even hundreds of innocent lives on him, and frame our Xuanwu Count's house."

At this, the Count and the Countess stood up abruptly.

Were these two people really so mad?

The Count's house had already been very restrained and hadn't intervened in local affairs at all, had it?

"What was the outcome?" the Count asked in a cold voice.

He just couldn't fathom how Shen Lang, a mere son-in-law, could handle such a dangerous situation at that time.

Jin Hui then described the process of Shen Lang's impressive performance at the gambling den.

"What?" the Count exclaimed in anger. "He... he dared to go to the gambling den? And he won a lot of money? Did he bring the money back? If he did, our Count's house's centuries-old reputation will be ruined in an instant."

As long as Shen Lang brings back the money won at the casino, the entire Yue Kingdom will soon be filled with rumors.

The Marquis of Xuanwu's Mansion is in trouble, already in dire straits, to the point where even the son-in-law needs to go to the casino to win money.

At that time, the impact on the Marquis's reputation was huge.

Jin Hui shook his head and said, "No, young master didn't bring back a single coin, he gave all the money to the people of Xuanwu City. And he said that today, he didn't act for the money, but to seek justice for the countless people of Xuanwu City who were harmed by Tian Heng's casino. He wanted to take this money from the people and return it to the people."

"He also said that the Marquis treats the people like his own children, he was influenced by you, and couldn't bear to see the people of Xuanwu City being deceived by Tian Heng, so he took action out of a sense of justice."

"There were countless people cheering for the Marquis, and countless citizens saw the young master as a hero."

Huh!

The Marquis was speechless.

This boy actually took the opportunity to boost the reputation of the Marquis's Mansion?

And the Marquise's eyes shimmered with excitement, she could imagine how impressive Shen Lang must have looked at that time.

Good son-in-law!

Good child!

Next, Jin Hui detailed how Shen Lang resolved the bigger crisis and outwitted Lord Liu Wuyan.

Jin Hui continued, "The young master forced Tian Heng to write a promissory note for a full seventeen thousand gold coins, then in front of everyone, he stormed into the Fuqi District and handed this promissory note to the Lord, requesting him to claim this debt and use all the money to assist the poor families of Xuanwu City."

"In this way, he not only thwarted the conspiracy of Liu Wuyan and Zhang Jin to provoke a riot and trample, but also directly pinned the blame on the Lord."

"Tian Heng spat blood on the spot."

The Marquis and the Marquise could imagine how furious Lord Liu Wuyan must have been at that time, but completely helpless.

For a good while, the Marquis said, "This cunning little rascal is really clever."

The Marquise said, "Evil people need to be dealt with by evil means, I think Lang has very good character, look at how filial he is to his parents."

Who would have thought that Shen Lang single-handedly went to Xuanwu City to deal with Tian Heng.

Not only did he not suffer any losses or defeat, but he also achieved a complete victory.

Tian Heng, a local tycoon, was completely humiliated and even spat blood in public.

Lord Liu Wuyan was also outsmarted and completely helpless.

Who would've thought that their son-in-law was so capable?!

The Marquis felt both pleased and content, yet frustrated.

"The situation today, although this little scoundrel won, was too risky."

The Marquis was still jittery with fear.

"And this little scoundrel may become even more audacious in the future." The Marquis said, "No, I have to take the opportunity to suppress his arrogance. My dear, you must cooperate with me later, don't mess it up, otherwise, this little scoundrel will get out of hand."

The Marquise smiled and said, "Rest assured, dear husband, I will definitely cooperate with you in teaching this boy a lesson."

...

When the sky was getting dark, Shen Lang came back.

He sneaked through the door of the Marquis's Mansion and hurried to his own courtyard as quickly as possible.

He must not meet his father-in-law.

He had won today, but after all, he had gone to the casino and taken a big risk.

And at a critical moment, despite taking risks, he might have won big, but his father-in-law's conservative nature couldn't stand risks.

So, this old-fashioned father-in-law would definitely punish him and take the opportunity to pressure him.

Shen Lang absolutely couldn't hit a snag, he had to quietly hide in his courtyard and feign illness for two or three days, avoiding the limelight.

However...

As soon as Shen Lang pushed open the door, he saw his father-in-law's handsome yet stern face appear behind the door.

Shen Lang was speechless.

Father-in-law, you, a noble marquis, are squatting behind the door to catch me?

Isn't this beneath your dignity?

"Oh, the gambling god is back?" The Marquis said coldly, expressionless.

Father-in-law, when did you, such an upright person, learn to talk in such a sarcastic manner?

Shen Lang felt vexed but put on an extremely obedient expression.

Without a word, he stood up straight.

"Father-in-law, I was wrong!"

The Marquis cut in loudly, "Shen Lang, you have a lot of nerve, you said you had a way to win against Tian Heng, I thought it was some brilliant plan, but it turns out you went to the casino to gamble. My Marquis's Mansion, with a history of hundreds of years, has never had a child entering such..."

The Marquis didn't finish his sentence.

Shen Lang bent down and said, "Father-in-law, I will never dare again."

"Do you know, your actions today..." The count trembled as he pointed at Shen Lang's hand.

Shen Lang stepped forward, allowing the count's finger to touch his forehead.

"Father-in-law, I will never go to the gambling den again," Shen Lang earnestly said, "All the blame is mine. Please don't get yourself worked up over this."

"You, you..." The count was shaking with anger.

"You scoundrel, if you knew it was wrong, why did you keep interrupting me when I was trying to teach you," he said under his breath.

"You're right, father-in-law. Your teachings are reasonable. I will surely obey your instructions in the future," Shen Lang replied.

At that moment, the countess approached, soothing the count and continuously patting his chest, saying, "Alright, alright, why are you getting angry? Lang is still young, why can't we have a civilized conversation? Besides, his intentions were good, it's just that his methods were a bit off. You don't have to keep scolding him."

The count was speechless. I haven't even started scolding him, and they've already blocked me.

What did you just say? You should cooperate with me in scolding this little rascal, so he won't be so carefree in the future.

Remembering the promise she made earlier, the countess pretended to be stern with Shen Lang, "From now on, you're not allowed to go to a gambling den, and if you do, I'll punish you. Do you understand?"

"Yes, mother-in-law!" Shen Lang's voice became sweeter.

The countess said, "Alright, Lang, are you hungry? Let's go eat."

"Hey!" Shen Lang exclaimed.

The count was even more speechless. Is that... Is that all the scolding there is?