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Chapter 69 Coffin
Cao Tianbao was talking to Duke Yan and was laughing heartily when he was startled by the loud noise. He frowned and looked over. Just as he was about to scold the clumsy and reckless servants, he looked closely and found that those people were unfamiliar to him. From their appearance to their clothes, it was obvious that they were not from their general's mansion.

"Who are you? What do you do?!" he shouted, instinctively realizing that the other party had ill intentions.

The middle-aged man in linen clothes looked at Cao Tianbao who was questioning them with a sad and angry face, turned around and tore off the red cloth tied on the big wooden box.

Everyone present subconsciously gasped.

That's not a big wooden box, it's clearly a coffin!
It's the birthday of the General who assists the country, and these people are carrying a coffin. They are deliberately coming to bring bad luck to him and cause trouble for him!

The key point is that given General Cao's prestige and power, who would be so bold as to do such a thing?
Zhu Yu had not been married for long, and in order to prove that she was "aiming to stay in the inner house", she had not been out for a while, so naturally she didn't know anyone.

After a brief moment of surprise, Lu Qing looked at the middle-aged man in linen clothes and quickly recognized him.

"Is that the owner of Qiongniang Villa?" He turned his head, as if speaking to Prince Lu Ze beside him, but his voice was just loud enough for Zhu Yu to hear clearly.

Lu Ze was not as tall as Lu Qing, so he stretched his neck to look forward for a while before nodding, "It seems so, his name is Zhuang Zhi or something.

I remember that his winery had a kind of fruit wine which was very sweet. My mother liked it very much, so I asked someone to buy it for her.

How strange! How could a businessman who owns a winery actually have dealings with General Cao?"

Lu Qing did not respond, but silently looked at Zhuang Zhi who had one hand on the coffin.

Zhu Yu was finally sure that Zhuang Zhi was wearing mourning clothes.

"General Cao, I am Zhuang Zhi. I run a winery in the capital. I have no connection with you, General, and I have no intention of disrupting your good fortune today."

At this time, Zhuang Zhi, who was dressed in mourning, also spoke. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was unshaven. "It's just that my poor daughter died so tragically. I have to give her an explanation.

I have been unable to find the general's nephew Cao Chenfeng these days. Today I am really helpless. Please ask the general to hand over Cao Chenfeng and give an explanation to my dead daughter!
If the general refuses to hand over Cao Chenfeng and insists on protecting his own nephew, I have no other choice. Since I cannot seek justice for my daughter, I will die to prove my loyalty. This coffin is for me alone!"

He spoke with grief and indignation, his voice choked with sobs, and his hand, which was resting on the coffin lid, was clenched into a fist.

Although he didn't say this clearly, it was enough for others to hear the clue. When they looked at Zhuang Zhi and Cao Tianbao again, their eyes were slightly different.

The Cao Chenfeng mentioned by Zhuang Zhi is the eldest son of Cao Tianbao's younger brother. He is also the oldest among his nephews and nephews. He is also the one who is most cultivated by Cao Tianbao. Although he has not yet obtained any position, he is often taken care of by his uncle on weekdays.

Cao Tianbao had many children in his life, but they were all daughters, not a single son. He had a lot of martial arts skills but no one could inherit his legacy. In his early years, he was hoping that his wives and concubines would be pregnant, but at his age, he no longer expected that.

Everyone in the capital knew that General Cao, childless, had placed special emphasis on cultivating his own nephews, hoping to find promising successors among his brothers' sons to pass on his martial arts skills and consolidate the Cao family's position within the court. Now, not only had Zhuang Zhi come to the door, bringing up a matter of life and death, but he also insisted on demanding Cao Tianbao hand over his nephew, seemingly implying that Cao Tianbao was abusing his power and bending the law. This was already embarrassing enough.

If Cao Tianbao could still control his anger just now, he was about to explode with rage now.

It was bad enough that a merchant came to his door carrying a coffin on his birthday. Now this guy kept saying in front of everyone that his nephew Cao Chenfeng had committed murder. This was intolerable!
"He's lying in broad daylight! Come, tie this guy up!" He shouted to the guards who had rushed over from behind Zhuang Zhi, "I'm hosting a banquet for distinguished guests at home today. Don't disturb us. Get him away from me before you beat him!"

Several guards immediately stepped forward and tried to tie up Zhuang Zhi and drag him away.

Unexpectedly, Zhuang Zhi seemed to have expected Cao Tianbao to react like this. Without waiting for the guards to get close to him, he pulled out a sharp knife from his waist and, under the gaze of everyone, pressed it against his neck.

"No one come here!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. "My daughter died unjustly and tragically. If I, as a father, cannot seek justice for her, I have no face to live any longer. I will die here today!"

The guards who were about to rush forward did not dare to move.

It was bad luck enough that someone mixed in with the gift-giving crowd and brought in a coffin to cause trouble when the master was celebrating his birthday.

If there was another bloody incident and someone died, the impact would be even worse if the matter got out.

"Humph, I've been fighting on the battlefield for so many years, I've seen all kinds of scenes! How dare you, a common slave, think you can scare me?!" Cao Tianbao sneered, and his hands, as big as a palm fan, pulled the wide sleeves of his robe and tried to tie them up, "My nephew is obsessed with martial arts and is diligent in training. When has he ever had any contact with your daughter?
How dare you come here in broad daylight to slander the reputation of my Cao family? Even if you can't bring yourself to do it today, you won't be able to leave my door unscathed!"

Cao Tianbao lived for fifty years, most of which he had spent on the battlefield. He had a hot temper and was really furious at the moment. It looked like he was going to kill Zhuang Zhi with his own hands.

Everyone around them tried to dissuade him, fearing that this hot-tempered general might do something wrong in a fit of rage. However, Cao Tianbao was so strong that the people around him could not stop him at all and were instead thrown aside by him.

When passing by Lu Qing, who had been silent all this time, suddenly reached out and grabbed Cao Tianbao's arm: "General Cao, calm down and don't be impulsive."

Cao Tianbao was angry when someone suddenly grabbed his arm. He tried to shake it off but couldn't get it free. He tried to pull it again but couldn't get it free either. He was slightly stunned and turned his head to see who was holding him.

It seems that what Lu Qing said before was absolutely correct. Cao Tianbao didn't like him very much from the bottom of his heart. It was always like this, not to mention when he was angry. He glared at Lu Qing and was about to get angry, but Lu Ze next to Lu Qing also stopped him.

"Your Highness Prince Shu, please move aside!" If Lu Qing was standing there, Cao Tianbao would probably push him away without hesitation.

But the person standing in his way now was Lu Ze. This seventh prince had not been as tall and strong as other boys since childhood, and he was quite favored by Emperor Jin. Cao Tianbao had to restrain his strength, fearing that he might accidentally hurt Lu Ze and have a hard time explaining himself later.

　Thanks to S20170823 for the monthly ticket! I'll update more chapters tonight for the monthly ticket, muah!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)