Chapter 399 Shura Field

The King of Chu waved his hand and glanced at the guard beside him: "Go, bring the young master of the Xie family here."

After saying that, he added, "Look at my memory, I forgot that Young Master Xie hasn't seen his family for a long time. Gentlemen, please wait a moment, Young Master Xie will be here shortly."

After saying that, he sat upright and continued to tease Cui Zheng in his arms. Cui Zheng answered the King of Chu's questions in a serious manner, which amused the King of Chu. Lin Changning stood aside and watched Cui Zheng with a smile.

Ah Zheng was the first proper disciple she had ever taken in. Seeing her disciple sitting in the King of Chu's lap, answering questions in a serious and methodical manner, his adoring gaze involuntarily drifted towards her, and her heart softened.

Following Cui Zheng's gaze, the King of Chu looked at Lin Changning standing beside him, smiled knowingly, put Cui Zheng down, patted him on the back, and said, "Ah Zheng, do you want to go play with your master? Go ahead, go ahead."

Cui Zheng stood on the ground, and when the King of Chu saw through his thoughts, he turned around with a slightly flushed face and gave the King of Chu a standard salute.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

After saying that, she took small, quick steps to Lin Changning's side, looked up, and called out in a clear voice, "Master~"

Lin Changning curled the corners of his lips, but his eyes glanced at the Prince of Chu beside him. He was a general under the Prince of Chu, and he dared not leave his seat without the prince's order.

Qi Rong keenly noticed Lin Changning's gaze and winked at him: "Xiao Liu, come here and bring A Zheng to sit with me."

Lin Changning clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes, Your Highness."

After saying that, he took Ah Zheng's hand and walked towards Qi Rong.

Li Mingxiu looked at Lin Changning and A Zheng beside her, and thinking of Li Xi whom he had recently brought back, he suddenly smiled and said, "I've noticed that Changning seems to be quite popular with children. Yue'er likes Changning too, and so does A Zheng."

The King of Chu's probing gaze fell on Lin Changning. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that his Yue'er did seem to like Lin Changning quite a bit, and the Queen Consort had also told him about it.

However, Shu'er doesn't know how she feels now. Since the child has only been home for a short time, she hasn't thought about it. But generally speaking, she doesn't seem to dislike Changning too much. Yue'er, on the other hand, genuinely likes Changning.

Thinking of what his queen had mentioned to him, the King of Chu looked at Lin Changning with a hint of inquiry in his eyes.

Li Mingxiu sat upright and smiled as he watched Lin Changning skillfully coax the child. He continued to tease, "If Changning becomes a father in the future, he will definitely be a good father. I wonder which young lady will be lucky enough to marry him."

Qi Rong followed his elder brother's gaze and looked Lin Changning up and down, then frowned slightly in displeasure: "Brother, Xiao Liu is shy, don't tease him!"

Li Mingxiu shrugged: "Second brother, look at how protective you are of your own."

After saying that, he shook his head, sighed, and said to the Cui and Xie families around him, "Don't mind him, everyone. The second brother is the most protective of his subordinates."

Li Mingxiu also had his own plans. Lin Changning's relationship with the Cui family was now nominally that of master and disciple. As a highly regarded subordinate, Lin Changning was of suitable age and had a promising future. In addition, Lin Changning's family background was also clean. If he could use this to win over the Cui family and have one of their daughters marry into the family.

Firstly, it can help Changning make up for the weakness of her family background. Secondly, the Cui family will be more trusted by them. One way to quickly enter into a powerful family is through marriage.

Thinking of this, Li Mingxiu looked at the head of the Cui family with great interest: "I have heard that the Cui family has a legitimate daughter who is sixteen years old this year and is proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy and painting. I wonder if she will come with her family this time?"

Just then, the King of Chu coughed heavily. Cui Jie stroked his white beard and paused for a moment, his mind racing. He thought the Crown Prince wanted to arrange a marriage between himself and the eldest daughter of his third brother.

He hesitated for a moment. If his eldest daughter were to become the Crown Prince's wife, she would be the rightful Crown Princess. Thinking of this, Cui Jie's eyes lit up. Just as he was about to say something, he was interrupted by the King of Chu's cough.

He couldn't help but look at the King of Chu sitting to the side.

The Xie family is now like ants on a hot pan. Seeing the young master asking about the Cui family's daughter, they assume that the young master also wants to choose a concubine. They can't help but feel anxious. If the Cui family and the Prince's Mansion really get married, wouldn't that make them inferior to the Cui family from now on?

Thinking of this, the esteemed scholar Xie coughed lightly, stroked his long beard, and said, "Speaking of the Cui family's daughter, I also have a granddaughter, sixteen years old, just the right age for her."

The King of Chu did want his own son and wanted to arrange a marriage between him and Changning, but he interrupted his son because of what the Queen Consort had asked him some time ago.

Seeing the sudden apparent confrontation between the Cui and Xie families, he smiled and stopped talking, quietly watching the Xie family scholar praise his granddaughter.

Are these two companies afraid that not enough people will surrender?

She wants to claim another spot as a princess consort.

The King of Chu glanced silently at his eldest son, picked up his wine cup and took a small sip. His eldest and second sons were good in every way, except that they were both slow to understand things.

They're both eighteen or nineteen, and their marriages are still undecided. As for the eldest son, a few years ago, various forces were vying for power, and the emperor was eager to bestow a marriage upon him, so he found an excuse to turn them down. The second son has been on the frontier these past few years, either fighting or on his way to fight, so he really hasn't had time to worry about marriage.

Now that the major events have been settled, perhaps it's time to start worrying about the children's marriages with the Princess.

Whether she is a daughter of the Xie family or the Cui family, she is qualified to be his son's crown princess. However, the crown princess is ultimately someone who will walk hand in hand with his eldest son. He must choose someone suitable and someone his son has his eye on, so that the couple can work together to make their lives better in the future.

Thinking of this, the prince suddenly looked at the scholar Xie and said, "I have long heard of the illustrious reputation of the two daughters of the Xie and Cui families. It just so happens that my daughter Shu'er is currently at home. We will be holding a banquet soon, and I would like to ask the two of you to invite your young ladies to attend."

As soon as the King of Chu uttered these words, the eyes of the Cui and Xie families lit up. After thanking the King of Chu, they returned to their seats.

The King of Chu's words were quite clear; he must be looking at the two young masters of his household. Now, whether they can seize the opportunity depends on the maids in their household.

Besides their legitimate daughters, the Cui and Xie families also have many daughters from various collateral branches. Even if they cannot become the crown prince's wife, it would still be a good opportunity for them to get to know the talented young men around the King of Chu.

Thinking of this, the Xie family elders couldn't help but shift their gaze to Qi Rong, while Cui Jie looked at Lin Changning, who was holding Cui Zheng. The Xie family scholar stared straight at Li Mingxiu beside the King of Chu, smiling silently.

Just as Li Mingxiu was about to say something, he was met with the naked gaze of the Xie family scholar, which startled him so much that he swallowed the words he was about to say.

The look in his teacher's eyes made him feel uneasy...