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

Chapter 213

"Lord Cui, please take a seat."

Tang Bohu was also a little tipsy at this point. After all, it was his big day, and he was somewhat fond of drinking, so it was normal for him to drink a bit more.

Even though he was slightly tipsy, he could tell that Cui Wenkui had come to see Zhou Chu. He first looked at Zhou Chu, and after seeing Zhou Chu nod imperceptibly, he invited Cui Wenkui to sit down.

"Lord Zhou, I have a favor to ask."

After sitting down, Cui Wenkui stopped acting and didn't care what the others at the table thought of him. He knew very well that no one sitting at this table would spread the news without Zhou Chu's permission.

At this moment, many people at other tables were quietly observing Zhou Chu's table. After all, in their eyes, apart from Wen Zhengming and Zhu Zhishan, anyone at this table was a big shot.

How often do they have the opportunity to get so close to such important figures?

When they saw that Cui Wenkui's attitude towards Zhou Chu was somewhat humble, even pleading, these people all widened their eyes, and some even hurriedly turned their heads away, not daring to look anymore.

Those who turned their heads away had their hearts pounding. They were thinking, "I've seen this side of the Governor. Will he hold me accountable later?"

At the same time, they were utterly shocked by what they had just witnessed. They had already overestimated Tang Bohu's disciple because of Wang Yangming, Yan Song, and others, but what they had just seen had once again shattered their expectations.

Who is Cui Wenkui? The governor of the province is so powerful that it's no exaggeration to say he can control everything. Yet, this high-ranking official is so humble when facing this commander of the Imperial Guard.

For a moment, many people felt their minds couldn't process it; they simply couldn't imagine what Zhou Chu's identity was.

"Lord Cui, please speak plainly. Why beat around the bush?"

Zhou Chu ate and drank without paying any attention to Cui Wenkui.

"Lord Zhou, could you please show mercy and spare my elder brother and my ignorant niece?"

Cui Wenku said in a low voice.

"Why would you say such a thing, Lord Cui? Your brother led men to besiege the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Would it be an exaggeration for me to say that he was plotting a rebellion?"

Zhou Chu held his wine glass, looking at Cui Wenkui with amusement.

It wasn't that Zhou Chu was deliberately giving Cui Wenkui a hard time; if Zhou Chu really wanted to do that, he could have embarrassed Cui Wenkui in front of everyone just now.

But after Cui Wenkui sat down, he seemed to be trying to let the matter drop, which Zhou Chu naturally wouldn't allow.

"Your niece has been running amok on horseback, acting arrogantly and domineeringly, causing injuries to several civilians, and this is not the first time. Isn't that a fact?"

Zhou Chu pressed for more information.

"According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, which of these two things is not a serious crime? Although Lord Cui is a provincial governor, he cannot expect me to disregard the laws of the Ming Dynasty, can he?"

Hearing this, Cui Wenku felt a surge of resentment, but there was nothing he could do. He understood exactly what Zhou Chu meant: unless he offered something that would tempt him, there was no point in discussing the matter.

"I wonder what Lord Zhou would do to get rid of the father and daughter."

Cui Wenkui suppressed his anger and forced a smile.

"What you say, Lord Cui, is not without a solution. I have heard that your brother has annexed a lot of land belonging to the people of Suzhou Prefecture, and the land alone is no less than 100,000 mu."

Zhou Chu said with a half-smile.

These were the conditions Zhou Chu proposed: hand over the 100,000 mu of land, and there was still room for negotiation.

Even though Cui Wenku had anticipated that Zhou Chu would make an exorbitant demand, he hadn't expected him to be so greedy.

"Ten thousand acres of land, isn't Lord Cui afraid of overburdening himself?"

Cui Wenku asked in return.

He thought that Zhou Chu wanted to take these lands for itself.

"What are you saying, Lord Cui? These lands are naturally meant to be distributed to the people and the military households of Jiangnan Province. I am wholeheartedly devoted to the people, how could I be as lawless as Lord Cui's brother?"

As Zhou Chu spoke, his expression became extremely serious, and his tone became stern.

"Lord Zhou, have you thought carefully about the consequences of doing this?"

Cui Wenkui understood perfectly well what Zhou Chu wanted to do, but he also knew that if Zhou Chu did this, he would be rejected by the entire gentry class in Jiangnan, and no one would be willing to let him open this door.

"I know what I'm doing, and I don't need Lord Cui to worry about it. I just want to know if Lord Cui is willing to part with these 100,000 mu of land?"

Zhou Chu pressed for more information.

Upon hearing this, Cui Wenku laughed instead.

"Does Lord Zhou think that my elder brother forcibly seized the people's land? Those people couldn't survive, so they voluntarily gave their land to my elder brother. If you do this, I'm afraid it will be a thankless task for you, and those people may not appreciate it."

"There's no need for you to worry, Lord Cui. I have my own solutions."

Zhou Chu replied.

“Alright, I will make the decision for my elder brother to give these lands to Lord Zhou.”

Cui Wenkui finally had to give in. Between land and people, he could easily choose. Land could be replaced, but people were gone forever. Besides, the Cui family had countless riches and could buy as much land as they wanted.

In Cui Wenku's eyes, nothing was more important than the safety of his elder brother's family.

"Lord Cui, please don't be in a hurry. I have one more request."

Zhou Chu smiled.

"You! Lord Zhou, don't push your luck."

Cui Wenku's expression changed.