Romans PaiPai - Chapitre 85
The princess left, and the young master's illness never improved. But he made it clear that he wanted to annul the engagement.
"If you break off your engagement with the Hua family, are you going to marry the princess?"
"No matter who I marry, or whether I marry at all, I'm announcing the engagement," the young master, who always wore a rose-like smile, said coldly as he lay on the bed.
The young master rarely shows such an expression, and when it does, it means that the matter is beyond redemption.
For example, sinking the sword back then, and refusing to enter the Beiling Tower.
Everyone knows they can't change his mind, but should we just let him be so willful?
Baili Wushuang remained silent.
She sat at the head of the table, the seat of the city lord, with two intersecting swords carved on the back of the chair, pointing to the sky.
Sitting in such a position must be unsettling, right? The sword seems ready to be drawn at any moment.
"Everyone."
After a long silence, she spoke.
The clamor of arguments subsided, and everyone looked at her, knowing that she was about to make the final decision.
"Anneounce the engagement." Before the elders who opposed it could speak, she said, "Everyone knows Wuyou's temper. Even if we force Miss Hua to marry into the Hua family, the suffering she will endure will likely cause the two families to turn against each other. Before things go terribly wrong, let's calmly resolve this matter. Elder Xu, Elder Luo, you are both highly respected, so I will trouble you to make a trip. Go to the Tang Clan first, then to the Hua family. Consider the two swords 'Bright Moon' and 'Chengzhao' in the Hidden Sword Pavilion as gifts from me to the Tang Clan head, and ask him to mediate on my behalf."
"The Bright Moon Shines Brightly is the sword left behind by the old city lord!"
“I think Father would be willing to do this for Wuyou’s happiness. Because Wuyou is his only son.” Baili Wushuang stood up and looked around at everyone present. “I would also be willing to do this, because Wuyou is my only brother. I believe none of you would object to this, because he is your only young master. Those who are willing to sacrifice his happiness for the sake of Suoding City, please step forward.”
Chapter 167
Everyone looked at each other, and no one stepped forward.
"Let's do it that way then."
After the gifts were arranged, Elder Xu and Elder Luo set off. Thinking of Tang Congrong, the legendary head of the Tang Clan, who was known for holding grudges, and Tang Qiefang, the Tang Clan's patriarch who would use poison when angry, the two elders subconsciously slowed their journey.
But no matter how slowly they progressed, the distance between them and the Tang Clan was still decreasing day by day.
"...We'll be entering Chengdu tomorrow."
That noon, during lunch, Elder Xu said...
Elder Luo lost his appetite as a result and put down his chopsticks with a sigh.
"I heard that Tang Qiefang's first move is bone-dissolving powder. Should we prepare some first—"
Before he could finish speaking, Elder Luo stared at the inn's door and swallowed a "medicine" in one gulp.
Two young men entered through the door, followed by a group of attendants carrying large piles of gifts. However, what truly impressed the elders of Suoding City wasn't the sheer number of people and gifts, but rather the young man leading the way. He was lavishly dressed, his jeweled crown adorning his temples, the brilliance of the pearls reflecting off his face, dazzling many who stared at him. The man behind him was gentle and composed, his appearance not particularly striking, yet even standing beside such a distinguished figure, no one could ignore him.
Clearly, he's someone important. But what kind of person? The two elders of Suoding City had no time to think about it, because they had already recognized the person in front of them. It was none other than Tang Qiefang, whom they had just mentioned.
Tang Qiefang also saw them. The two families had business dealings and were familiar with each other's key figures. Elder Xu and Elder Luo regretted not buying some detoxifying medicine the night before, and stood up, their hearts pounding, but smiles already forced on their faces.
Tang Qiefang greeted them with a smile and introduced the person beside her to the two. It turned out to be Yan Shengjin from the Hua family. Yan Shengjin was in charge of the Hua family's business throughout the country. He was the one who arranged the marriage between the Hua family and the Baili family. Elder Xu and Elder Luo had been unable to see him that day due to other matters, and now that they had met him, they were even more worried. "Oh no! We've run into each other!" The young lady's plan to "first deal with the Tang family and then have the Tang family cooperate in dealing with the Hua family" had fallen through.
Tang Qiefang instructed the waiter to bring them better food and wine, and with a smile, asked the two men what they thought of the local scenery. She then invited them to go boating and drinking on East Lake later, showing great hospitality. Yan Shengjin, nominally a servant, rarely interrupted, but when he did speak, he was always respectful, polite, and articulate. If the two elders hadn't been so guilty, drinking and chatting with these two young men would have been quite a pleasure.
After several rounds of drinks, the two elders exchanged glances. Tang Qiefang was very talkative, and they could chat until dark without any problem. However, the longer they dragged it out, the less sincere they seemed. It was better to clarify some things sooner rather than later.
"Brother Tang," Elder Xu spoke first. Although Tang Qiefang was young, he was of extremely high seniority; the head of the Tang Clan was his grand-nephew. The head of the Tang Clan also listened to him very much, so Elder Xu and Elder Luo, sent by Baili Wushuang, were the most senior elders in Suoding City, just so they could have a proper conversation with Tang Qiefang. "We two old men are not here as guests, but to apologize to both families."
"How dare I? How dare I? Only the Tang family has failed Suoding City. Why do you say such things, sir?" Despite saying this, Tang Qiefang's expression became noticeably stiff, and she exchanged a glance with Yan Shengjin.
Chapter 168
Elder Luo coughed and said, "The marriage between my young master and Miss Hua—"
Before he could finish speaking, Tang Qiefang sighed deeply, stood up, and bowed deeply. “This is our fault. We were ordered by the head of the family to go to Suoding City to apologize to the young lady and the young city lord in person. Now that the two elders have arrived, Qiefang is ashamed and asks for your bow.”
Yan Shengjin also bowed, and with a wave of his hand, an attendant stepped forward with a gift list. Yan Shengjin presented the gift list with both hands, saying, "This is just a small gift; I hope you will accept it with a smile."
The two had no interest in looking at the gift list. They looked at each other in shock. They had come to give gifts, so how did they end up receiving them? Elder Luo hurriedly declined, "My young city lord is ill and bedridden, which may ruin Miss Hua's life. The eldest young lady sent us to the Tang Clan and the Hua family to apologize. You two, alas, how can we accept such a request?"
They finally said it: if Tang Qiefang wanted to sprinkle bone-dissolving powder on them, they would have no choice but to accept it.
To everyone's surprise, Tang Qiefang and Yan Shengjin exchanged a look of astonishment, and then Tang Qiefang suddenly burst into laughter. His face was as beautiful as jade, and his laughter was like a gentle breeze rustling through the flowers and trees, utterly enchanting. He said, "No need to apologize, no need to apologize. Actually, the burdens on our shoulders are the same as yours! Haha, that's good now, no one has to owe anyone anything, and we don't need to apologize anymore. Come on, let's drink this!"
So they were there to break off their engagement too!
We just started our journey a bit late and bumped into each other here!
The two elders breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling as if they had been reborn. After three cups of wine, the atmosphere was completely different from the previous tense and perfunctory exchanges. All four felt relaxed and chatted enthusiastically. Soon, the smell of alcohol began to rise. Tang Qiefang, who had a good tolerance for alcohol and whose eyes remained clear, said, "It doesn't matter if your people can't marry our people, our people can marry yours!"
The two, who were a little tipsy, hurriedly asked what he meant.
"My family head is unmarried, and your young lady is unmarried. Isn't this a perfect match?"
"Ah, indeed! Indeed!"
At that moment, both the leaders of Tangmen and Suodingcheng felt a chill run down their spines. They had no idea that the people they had sent to break off the engagement had tied them together right there at the dinner table.
"absurd."
My first impression of Baili Wushuang.
Elder Xu and Elder Luo shared a similar feeling. Agreeing to Tang Qiefang's marriage proposal before fully understanding the young lady's intentions was indeed too hasty. However—"The Tang Clan Head and the young lady are a perfect match, and he is also a handsome and talented man. Young lady, you really should consider marriage!"