Chapter 2837: The Red Madame

Noticing the lack of response from Zu An, the soldier bucked up his courage and called out, “Milord? Milord?”

Zu An snapped out of his daze and asked, “What did you just say?”

“The Red Madame has brought her people here to raid our prison. I hear she’s here to rescue a scholar;y mooch she’s interested in,” the soldier anxiously replied.

Zu An slowly remembered the details surrounding his character.

Hong Chengchou’s current position was Shanxi’s Provincial Administrative Commissioner[1].

His position should have brought him great comfort and power during peacetime[2], but unfortunately, they were in the final years of the Ming Dynasty. There were frequent clashes with the Manchus in the Dongbei region, and the increased taxes on the populace had sparked rebellions all over the northern areas.

It was exceptionally bad in Shanxi. Many peasants had turned to banditry, and the Red Madame was a regional heroine with many brothers under her command. Few had seen her real face, though most recognized her by her trademark red clothes.

Black streaks appeared on Zu An’s face.

Even peasants are blatantly raiding the prison now. Are you sure it’s possible to re-establish order in Great Ming?

His original intention had been to rush to the Forbidden City to meet up with Chu Chuyan and Isabella, but he couldn’t turn a blind eye to this matter.

I guess I’ll take a look first before considering my next move.

Let’s see. The prison should be in this direction...

He tapped into the original Hong Chengchou’s memories and soon found the location. With a single stride, he was already at the prison’s vicinity.

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

The soldier who was left in the room exclaimed in astonishment, “I didn’t know Lord Hong was this formidable. We’re saved!”

Meanwhile, the prison was in complete chaos. Dozens of masked bandits charged ferociously at the wardens, breaching their defensive line.

Zu An noticed that these people weren’t fighting like normal feudal soldiers; they were utilizing cultivator methods.

Our appearance here must have induced some changes in the world’s background setting. Even ordinary troops have grown considerably stronger.

“Here comes another dog official!”

The bandits’ eyes lit up upon seeing Zu An’s official robes, and they immediately charged at him with their sabers.

Zu An was speechless.

And I was still thinking about which faction I should align myself with.

With a harrumph, he grabbed the incoming sabers and twisted them.

The bandits were left dumbstruck. In the blink of an eye, they were all lying on the ground.

“All hail Lord Hong!”

The wardens were moved to tears. They quickly captured the collapsed bandits before cheering for Zu An.

Before Zu An could react, a sweet, feminine voice echoed, “We’ve captured the target. Retreat! Hm?”

A red figure dashed out of the prison with a scholar in her hand. She was about to urge her subordinates to leave when she stiffened up upon seeing the situation outside.

Whispers broke out. Who could have thought the legendary bandit would be such a beauty?

Zu An figured that since the Red Madame was so well-known, it could be worthwhile to capture her and gather more information. Thus, he made a move.

He flashed forward to the Red Madame to grab her, but the latter reacted swiftly. Her body twisted at an incredibly exaggerated angle to dodge his hand.

“Hm?” While Zu An had held back to avoid alarming those present, it was still beyond the means of a normal bandit to avoid his grasp.

So, he made a second move. This time, he made sure to block every single route of escape.

“We’re on the same side!”

Zu An frowned. The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn’t put his finger on who it was in the moment.

The Red Madame took off her veil, revealing a sweet smile and a dignified demeanor. Her appearance should have been at odds with her fierce reputation, yet it somehow went well together.

“Tang Tian’er?” Zu An hadn’t expected to meet her here.

She had close ties with the secretive Hub of Freedom, and she knew that its goal was to help the previous dynasty’s imperial grandson reclaim the throne. However, Zu An’s deeds back then had unintentionally resulted in the Hub of Freedom’s disappearance, and she’d refused to accept his bestowment.

They’d gone separate ways afterward. Little did he expect to bump into her here. The odds of that were smaller than finding a needle in the ocean.

Tang Tian’er dropped the scholar to the ground and leaped into Zu An’s embrace. “

Wuuu!

I missed you! I thought I’d never see you again.”

Zu An’s arms remained open, feeling conflicted as to whether he should embrace her or not.

The nearby wardens and bandits were baffled.

What’s going on? Our boss is hugging that official (bandit)?

Zu An knew it wouldn’t be good to do this in public, so he brought her to a private room to talk.

While being pulled away, Tang Tian’er didn’t forget to say, “Don’t hurt my brothers.”

So, Zu An issued the order.

The wardens replied with smiles, “Alright, alright.”

You must be kidding me. There’s no way we would dare hurt the subordinates of Lord Hong’s woman.

“Time to speak. What are you doing here?” Zu An questioned the woman before him.

“You’re the one who disappeared into thin air and abandoned me...” Tang Tian’er suddenly began sobbing as if she had suffered a huge grievance.

Zu An replied, “...When were we even together?”

“We shared a bath! You’ve seen and touched me from head to toe!” Tang Tian’er glared at Zu An.

Zu An huffed, “It was an urgent situation. Besides, I didn’t touch you...”

“You just didn’t want to take responsibility. That’s why I didn’t bother you.” Tang Tian’er harrumphed. “When the Divine Palaces appeared, I followed my heart’s will and entered the Chaos and Enigma Divine Palace. I went through a few trials and became stronger. Then, I was brought to this dungeon. I didn’t expect to bump into you here. Looks like we’re fated.”

She wrapped her hands around Zu An’s neck and looked at him with loving eyes.

Zu An knew she was a liar at her core, so he took her words with a pinch of salt. “What’s your goal in this dungeon?”

“I don’t have any goals. The Deity of Chaos and Enigma never set any objective for the trials. I concluded that all I have to do is survive.”

“Is it that simple?”

It does make sense, considering Mi Li’s eccentric personality...

Zu An quickly reined in those dangerous thoughts.

“It isn’t simple at all! All the worlds I entered are dangerous. This world, in particular, is extremely chaotic. However, now that I’ve bumped into you, it should be fine.” Tang Tian’er said with a smile.

“You should be worried about bumping into me instead,” Zu An scoffed. He ignored Tang Tian’er’s shocked expression and continued, “How did you end up as the Red Madame?”

“It was all to survive. I’ve created a space for myself using my fists. I also don’t know why everyone calls me the Red Madame.”

“Who’s the scholar you were rescuing?”

“That stinky scholar? I noticed that he had sharp wits and wanted to bring him in as my strategist to dominate the world, but he refused to join me. I was glad when I heard he was captured by the officials. I thought I could make him owe me a debt by rescuing him, but I ended up bumping into you.”

Tang Tian’er’s eyes glistened. “Now that I have you, I don’t need the scholar anymore. I’ll be following you from now on. Are you going to become the regent once more and conquer the world?”

1. He can be considered the highest administrative official managing Shanxi, akin to a feudal mayor but with greater supervision and accountability to the imperial court. ☜

2. Being the Provincial Administrative Commissioner means that he’s at the top of the hierarchy in the region. The only one who can threaten him is the imperial court, but it’s too far away to properly keep tabs on him. ☜