If you force me to take the blame, I'll spend a day in jail and gain a year's worth of spi

Hearing their self-righteous remarks, Zhang Yu gave a cold laugh, his laughter filled with sarcasm and absurdity.

"Fine, what a tantrum, trying to win favor."

Zhang Yu was speechless, thinking these people were out of their minds and couldn't understand human language, so he could only be more direct:

"Today, I, Zhang Yu, voluntarily go to the Jingzhao Prefecture to take responsibility for the crime of assaulting the Wang family members, which can be considered as repaying the debt of giving birth to me. From this day forward, I sever all ties with the Yong'an Marquis's Mansion and have no further connection with them."

After saying that, he turned and left without hesitation, heading alone to the Jingzhao Prefecture government office.

He spoke these heartless and severing words clearly and calmly, without the slightest hint of resentment or agitation.

However, these words were interpreted in a completely different way by Qin Xuehua and the others.

Qin Xuehua's tense expression relaxed a little, and she even revealed a hint of sneer, as if she had just expected it.

"Hmph, so he still obediently went to take the blame, didn't he?"

She whispered to Zhang Wanning beside her, her tone contemptuous: "I told you, he made this scene just because he was unhappy and wanted to show off his importance."

See? No matter how loudly you make threats, in the end you still have to obediently take the blame.

It's just a child's tantrum.

She didn't take Zhang Yu's declaration of severing ties to heart at all, thinking it was just a tactic Zhang Yu used to attract people.

Zhang Wanning also pursed her lips, with an expression that said, "I know everything."

"That's right, all talk and no action."

I thought he could really cause some trouble, but in the end he still had to take the blame.

What's with this talk of severing all ties? Who are you trying to scare?

After he suffers in prison for a few days, we'll still have to rely on the Marquis's mansion to get him out.

We'll see if he still has the nerve to say those arrogant things then.

Zhang Heng also breathed a sigh of relief: "That's just my brother's temper; he likes to get stuck on things. Mother, sister, don't take it to heart. Once he gets out of prison and experiences the hardships outside, he'll naturally appreciate how good things are at home."

There was no way around it; Zhang Yu's image as a people-pleaser had been deeply ingrained for the past three years, and no matter what he did, everyone would assume he was trying to please the Qin family.

After leaving the Marquis's residence, Zhang Yu did not go directly to the Jingzhao Prefecture.

He turned into a quiet street and went into a shop called "Moyunzhai" that sold writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones.

The shop wasn't big, and the shopkeeper looked a bit dull.

The shopkeeper, who looked a bit dull, immediately changed his expression and became very energetic when he saw Zhang Yu.

He quickly glanced at the doorway and lowered his voice, "Boss, what brings you here?"

This is one of Zhang Yu's own men, named Li Dagang, who is usually in charge of intelligence and business operations in the Beijing area.

Zhang Yu also lowered his voice and said in a serious tone, "My good younger brother Chen Heng has gotten into trouble, and the Marquis's mansion wants me to take the blame for him."

"That's going too far!"

Li Dagang, whom Zhang Yu had personally promoted, couldn't help but feel indignant on his behalf: "How many times has this happened? Since they are so heartless, why does Young Master always have to try so hard to win them over?"

Li Dagang was aware of Zhang Yu's reputation as a sycophant, but he didn't understand why Zhang Yu would go to such lengths to please those ungrateful wretches in the Marquis's mansion.

As Zhang Yu's capable subordinate, Li Dagang knew how vast the power Zhang Yu wielded was—a force powerful enough to easily overthrow the Yong'an Marquis's mansion.

Therefore, theoretically, Zhang Yu really didn't need to curry favor with everyone in the Marquis's mansion, which was something he couldn't understand.

So he could only echo what others said and think that Zhang Yu might have lacked love in his youth, which is why he desperately tried to please his family and friends in order to gain their approval.

Zhang Yu nodded silently and said, "This is the last time. After today, the Marquis's mansion will have nothing to do with me anymore."

"real?"

This time, it was Li Dagang's turn to be skeptical, after all, Zhang Yu's past actions were still fresh in his mind.

"You talk too much nonsense."

Seeing Li Dagang's disbelieving look, Zhang Yu said irritably, "Stop thinking about all that nonsense. I have something important for you to do, and you need to be quick."

"What, fabricating charges against yourself?"

Upon hearing Zhang Yu's explanation, Li Dagang was completely dumbfounded, even more surprised than when Zhang Yu said he would no longer try to curry favor with the Marquis's family.

How could someone fabricate charges against you?

Is the eldest brother driven mad by those people from the Marquis's mansion?

After a long silence, Li Dagang advised, "Boss, this... this is no joke."

"Even if you want to attract the attention of everyone in the Marquis's mansion, there's no need to debase yourself."

After some thought, Li Dagang came to the same conclusion as everyone else in the Marquis's mansion: Zhang Yu was using this as an excuse to curry favor.

Oh my God!

Zhang Yu sighed and rubbed his forehead. It seems that his reputation as a people-pleaser is not going to last.

"Stop talking nonsense, just do as I say."

Zhang Yu was too lazy to explain to him and directly ordered, "You immediately give the order to collect a batch of evidence. The crimes can't be too serious or too minor. It's best if they're the kind of crimes that only result in jail time, without any beatings."

Li Dagang understood that his eldest brother intended to spend a long time in prison in order to gain the favor of the Marquis's mansion.

Although I felt it was a bit unfair for the boss to do this, I still replied helplessly, "I understand, I'll go arrange it right away."

"very good."

Zhang Yu nodded. "Also, my days in prison can't be too bad. You spend money to bribe the jailers and guards. I want a clean single cell, and the food and drink can't be too bad; at least they have to be clean."

"Don't worry, boss, I'll take care of everything," Li Dagang assured him.

After explaining everything, Zhang Yu did not go directly to the gate of the Jingzhao Prefecture government office. Instead, he waited until it was almost dark before turning himself in, wanting to give Li Dagang some time to prepare.

The next day, at the Marquis's residence, in the back garden.

Zhang Heng stood tall and straight like a pine tree, wielding his long sword with effortless skill.

He is seventeen years old this year and already possesses the fifth-grade martial arts cultivation, making him one of the best among his peers.

This is also a major reason why he was favored by his parents.

Beside her, Zhang Wanning's paintbrush moved nimbly, and the canvas was dazzling, as if dragons roared and tigers howled.

She is a Taoist practitioner who uses painting to convey the Tao and communicate with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

The siblings, one practicing martial arts and the other cultivating magic, were both immersed in their own worlds, working diligently and single-mindedly.

As for Zhang Yu, the elder brother who took the blame for Zhang Heng and is now imprisoned... he has long been forgotten by them, as if he never existed.

Not only the two of them, but the entire Marquis's mansion seemed to have intentionally or unintentionally forgotten this name, as if wiping away some insignificant dust.

"Your martial arts have improved quite a bit in just a few days. Very good."

A clear, spirited female voice rang out.

As the voice spoke, a figure dressed in a red outfit landed gracefully in the courtyard like a swallow. The person who came was Zhang Yu's fiancée, Jiang Luohan.

She was twenty-one years old, a year older than Zhang Yu. She was beautiful, but her brows exuded a heroic spirit that rivaled even the most valiant men.

What is even more remarkable is her cultivation level—at only twenty-one years old, she has already reached the seventh rank of martial arts, and is hailed as the third fastest cultivation genius in the history of the Great Wei Kingdom.

Although she and Zhang Yu were betrothed since childhood, she was extremely annoyed by her timid fiancé.

Instead, he became very close to Zhang Heng, who was handsome, sunny, and equally talented. The two often went hunting and sparred in martial arts together, which aroused much discussion among outsiders.

Due to system limitations, Zhang Yu was forced to continue his "sycophantic" behavior, which led to ridicule and earned him the nickname "sycophant."

"Sister Jiang!"

When Zhang Heng saw the person, his eyes lit up. He sheathed his longsword and greeted him with a bright smile.

Zhang Wanning put down her paintbrush and smiled, "Sister Luo Han, weren't you training troops at the military camp in the northern suburbs? Why did you suddenly come back?"

Jiang Luohan patted off non-existent dust from her body and replied:

"I heard in the army that Xiao Heng had a conflict with the Wang family, and I was worried about him, so I rushed back. On the way, I heard that Zhang Yu took the blame for Xiao Heng, and this time he was quite sensible."

Her tone was one of undisguised closeness and doting affection towards Zhang Heng.

Regarding Zhang Yu's act of "taking the blame," there was only a slight hint of approval, as if he hadn't become a complete failure.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wanning immediately snorted coldly:

"Know the big picture?"

Sister Luo Han, don't overestimate him.

You didn't see his face back then. Mother made him take the blame, and instead of being grateful, he accused Mother of favoritism and said the Marquis's mansion was using him as a tool.

She embellished her account of that day, her words filled with denigration of Zhang Yu.

Jiang Luohan's strong eyebrows furrowed immediately, and her face showed obvious displeasure and disappointment:

"Is this really true?"

He...he disappointed me so much.

When the family is in trouble, it is precisely the time when someone needs to step forward. Not only is he unwilling to share the burden, but he also says such heartless and ungrateful things.

That's utterly ridiculous.

She didn't have much affection for Zhang Yu to begin with, and hearing that he had "disobeyed" the Marquis's mansion only fueled her disgust.

Seeing this, Zhang Heng quickly stepped in to "smooth things over," his face bearing a tolerant yet helpless smile:

"Sister Jiang, don't be angry. My brother... he's probably just having a moment of confusion and is just throwing a tantrum."

He just wanted to get everyone's attention this way, to prove that he was important too, and that he might not actually have bad intentions.

He seemed to be making excuses for Zhang Yu, but in reality, he confirmed Zhang Yu's characterization as "immature," "temperamental," and "competing for favor."

Qin Xuehua had arrived in the garden at some point. Upon hearing Zhang Heng's words, a look of relief appeared on her face: "Heng'er is so sensible, knowing how to be considerate of her brother. Unlike that wretched child, who doesn't care about the big picture at all and only knows how to throw tantrums."

She looked at Jiang Luohan, her tone reassuring and apologetic, "Luohan, I'm sorry you had to see this. Zhang Yu has been neglected since childhood, and his temperament is a bit unruly. Don't worry, his affairs with the Marquis's mansion will never involve you or your father."

Jiang Luohan shook her head, her tone cold: "Aunt Qin, you're exaggerating. Zhang Yu's behavior makes him unsuitable as a match. Although I am engaged to him, I must consider his character. Now it seems..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was already clear.