Lord Tang was a fat man, and a jovially plump one at that.

His large belly jutted out as he paced back and forth in front of the gate, from left to right, then right to left again.

Perhaps tired from walking, he eventually just plopped down on the steps to catch his breath.

Jiang Ran grimaced. He felt he was in a difficult position.

If the Tang family weren’t decent people, he would have had many more ways to resolve this matter.

Whether it was ridding the people of a scourge or robbing the rich to help the poor.

In short, he could have minimized the trouble caused by the old drunkard.

But as things stood, that path was clearly not an option.

And Jiang Ran still had no idea what had actually happened between the old drunkard and the Tang family.

Although the noodle stand owner was talkative, Jiang Ran’s subtle inquiries hadn’t yielded any clues.

He sighed, stood up, and, saber in hand, headed for the Tang Mansion.

’Since I’m already here, I have to see this through.’

’Wasting time here isn’t a solution... And since Lord Tang is right here by the gate, if worst comes to worst, I could always take him hostage.’

With these wild thoughts running through his mind, he reached the gates of the Tang Mansion in the blink of an eye.

Lord Tang, who had been resting on the steps for a moment, looked up and saw Jiang Ran.

He was carrying a pack on his back and a saber in his hand, approaching slowly.

A closer look revealed his handsome features: brows like distant mountains, eyes like stars, and a sharply defined jawline. A fine-looking man indeed.

Lord Tang only glanced at Jiang Ran before suddenly scrambling to his feet.

Jiang Ran immediately cupped his fist, about to speak, when he heard Lord Tang shout:

"My dear son-in-law, you’re finally here! I’ve been waiting for so long!!"

"???"

The words Jiang Ran had been about to say were caught in his throat by the term ’son-in-law.’

His first reaction was that the old man had mistaken him for someone else.

But on second thought, that didn’t seem right...

’Who doesn’t recognize their own son-in-law?’

Before he could make sense of it, Lord Tang grabbed him by the wrist.

"Come, come, hurry inside! You must be tired from your long journey. We’ve prepared a banquet to welcome you and wash away the dust from the road."

"Oh, right. I am Tang Zuo, your father-in-law."

Jiang Ran wanted to protest, to tell him he had the wrong person...

But after hearing that, he was even more bewildered.

’What...? So, does this mean the father-in-law has never met the son-in-law, and the son-in-law has never met the father-in-law?’

’Why else would he need to introduce himself?’

’Just how was this marriage arranged, anyway?’

Jiang Ran was here to rescue his master, not to inexplicably become someone’s son-in-law.

He quickly said:

"Lord Tang, you’ve mistaken me for someone else. I..."

"Ah? Son-in-law, you’re not trying to back out of the engagement, are you?"

Lord Tang’s eyes instantly turned red, and he looked like he was about to cry.

Jiang Ran felt his scalp tingle with dread.

’This man is a respected figure in Cangzhou Prefecture, for crying out loud. How can he just start weeping in the middle of the street?’

He had come today to apologize for the old drunkard. If he made the man burst into tears right at the start and then brought up the matter in public, wouldn’t that just humiliate Lord Tang even more?

Lord Tang had a good reputation, and it wasn’t like he could just draw his saber and start hacking away.

After thinking it over, he decided it was best to play along for now. They could talk things over properly behind closed doors once they were inside the mansion.

He quickly said:

"Lord Tang, please don’t cry. That’s not what I meant..."

"It’s not?"

Lord Tang’s mood cleared up in an instant, like the sun after a storm. He nodded repeatedly.

"Good, that’s good! Come, son-in-law, the banquet is ready inside to welcome you. Let’s go home."

Despite all his martial arts skills, Jiang Ran found himself completely powerless against this man.

Dazed and confused, he was led through the main gate of the Tang Mansion.

He sighed inwardly. ’What is all this nonsense?’

’Still, this isn’t my fault. Lord Tang is the one who made the mistake.’

’When I explain the situation and tell him the real reason I’m here, I expect he can’t blame me.’

’Besides, by not exposing the mistake at the gate, I even helped him save face. If people found out the great father-in-law couldn’t even recognize his own son-in-law, wouldn’t he become a laughingstock?’

After passing a spirit screen, Jiang Ran began to understand just how wealthy the Tang family truly was.

As they walked, he saw gardens, rockeries, long corridors, and small pavilions—everything one could imagine.

The courtyards were exquisitely arranged, with a new vista at every turn. It was truly an eye-opening experience.

Lord Tang’s face was flushed with delight. As they walked, he pointed out various places and courtyards to Jiang Ran.

Whenever they encountered servants, he would casually introduce them to Jiang Ran as well.

Before they even reached the main hall, Jiang Ran had already been introduced to a crowd of maids and servants, as well as a head steward in his fifties named Sun Fu.

When they arrived at the hall, a banquet was indeed laid out. Seeing the table laden with dishes, Jiang Ran was even more speechless.

He felt an urgent need to clear things up. Otherwise, if the real ’son-in-law’ were to storm in halfway through the meal, the situation would be even harder to explain.

Just as he was thinking this, Lord Tang pulled him down into a seat.

"My dear son-in-law, you must be tired after your long journey."

"Have something to eat first. Your mother-in-law and the others will be out shortly."

Jiang Ran had already learned from the noodle stand owner outside that this Lord Tang was quite the romantic character.

He had one official wife and three concubines.

However, he had no sons, only two daughters.

The eldest daughter was kept secluded in the inner quarters, but the second daughter was an active sort who spent her days playing out on the streets.

The noodle stand owner had sighed with emotion at this point, saying that whoever was fortunate enough to become a son-in-law of the Tang family would basically inherit half of their vast fortune.

Jiang Ran, of course, had no interest in this. Seizing the opportunity, he quickly said:

"Lord Tang, please listen to me. I..."

Before he could finish, he heard the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps.

A young servant burst into the hall, shouting "This is bad! This is bad!" Lord Tang’s face immediately darkened.

"Such a panic! Have you no manners?"

"What’s ’bad’? I’ll have you know, your master is having a very good day today!"

"The best day ever!"

The young servant’s face went pale, and he stood there, not daring to speak.

Lord Tang smiled at Jiang Ran.

"Son-in-law, the servants are ill-mannered. Please excuse the display."

Seeing the servant’s desperate expression, Jiang Ran thought, ’Could it be? Has the real son-in-law arrived?’

He immediately said:

"Why don’t we hear what he has to say first?"

"Mm... that’s a good point."

Lord Tang immediately looked at the young servant.

"Speak. What is it?"

The young servant quickly replied:

"Master, the Second Young Miss has been taken by the young master of the Qinghe Gang!"

"Mm, it’s nothing... just have..."

Lord Tang nodded slightly. Hearing the words "Second Young Miss," he assumed the girl had gotten into some trouble outside again.

He subconsciously started to tell the servant to get money from the bookkeeper to settle the matter.

But then he suddenly realized what was said and shot to his feet.

"What did you say? The Qinghe Gang? The Qinghe Gang’s young master, Fan Jiwu?"

"What does he want with my daughter?"

"Th-th-this..."

The young servant was flustered by the question and couldn’t answer.

Jiang Ran was also stunned. He had thought the genuine article had arrived, giving him the perfect opportunity to explain.

He never expected that Lord Tang’s second daughter was the one in trouble.

Seeing that Lord Tang was at his wit’s end, he helped by asking:

"Where is she now?"

"She’s already at the Qinghe Gang’s headquarters!"

"Aiya!"

Lord Tang frantically started for the door, but after two steps, he couldn’t help but look back at Jiang Ran.

"Son-in-law, you... you eat first... I’ll be right back."