Chapter 1540 Extra: The Zhao Family's Unhappy Arrangement (Part 2)

Not only Xu Jie came, but Xu Quan also came.

Zhao Feng couldn't just throw the brothers out, so he ordered his men to prepare two more pairs of chopsticks. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt Xu Jie was acting strangely today; his eyes were darting around, constantly avoiding his gaze, making him seem guilty.

He has always been a straightforward person, and since he had a good relationship with Xu Jie, he naturally asked directly if he had any doubts.

"Wen Zhu, are you feeling guilty?"

A simple question made Xu Jie break out in a cold sweat.

Qin Li couldn't stand his old friend's bluntness and wanted to smooth things over, but when he saw the sweat on Xu Jie's forehead, he swallowed his words. His intuition told him that something was about to happen.

Xu Jie wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve and chuckled awkwardly.

"...Um, Da Yi, I heard that you've been worried about Da Wei's marriage all these years, and you've been looking for potential partners for her?"

Zhao Fengdao: "Do I even need to hear about this?"

Xu Jie clearly knew about this all along.

The question was blunt, yet Xu Jie didn't know how to respond, his fingers, half-exposed from his sleeve, curling unnaturally. Qin Li could tell that Xu Jie was experiencing great turmoil and struggle. He wondered what was troubling Wen Zhu.

"Um, what do you think of my Wenshi?"

Zhao Feng suspected he was hallucinating: "What did you say?"

Xu Jie took a deep breath and mustered his courage again: "My Wen Shi is in his prime, handsome and talented, and grew up with your Dawei. They were childhood sweethearts, innocent and carefree, how could they not be a match made in heaven?"

Zhao Feng blinked.

His brain seemed to have crashed from the shock of the news.

After processing the messages for a while, a sharp glint of light shot towards Xu Quan, who was standing beside Xu Jie. Xu Quan naturally couldn't avoid it, so he stood up and clasped his hands in greeting: "Uncle Zhao, I've come today to propose marriage."

Xu Jie lowered his head, wiped his sweat, and said with a forced smile, "The two children have a foundation of affection, and the two families are well-matched. Why don't you give them your blessing? You watched Wen Shi grow up, and you know his character better than anyone else. He's definitely better than others."

Zhao Feng remained silent.

Zhao Feng simply rolled up his sleeves.

The two simple actions made the Xu brothers sweat again.

They couldn't tell whether Zhao Feng was angry or not. Fortunately, at this moment, Zhao Feng's wife, Wang Xiu, spoke up: "Wen Shi is someone we elders watched grow up. That's why we're surprised that you two got together."

There must have been some indication of this, right?

If two kids grow up together, and if romantic feelings develop between them but don't blossom when they're around ten, why do they develop them when they're around thirty?

Zhao Feng said in a deep voice, "Axiu's problem is my problem. Xu Wenshi, you'd better be frank and tell me everything. I, Zhao Dayi, am not unreasonable, nor will I break up a loving couple. I want to find someone for Dawei. This matter may not be known to the entire court, but at least your Xu family knows about it. You haven't come over for so many years, and now you come during my family banquet?"

Xu Jie's sweat poured down even faster.

Actually, he didn't know either.

He didn't know how his cousin and Zhao Wei got together.

The relationship between these two kids is such that when they hug each other, they only choke each other, throw each other around, and fight like madmen.

The ship of friendship can withstand the test of stormy seas.

When did we disembark from the little boat of friendship and board the big ship of love?

Xu Jie knew absolutely nothing about it!

Does he need to know if he still needs to actively seek out the Ministry of Rites?

Over the years, his wife had tried to find Xu Quan suitable daughters from prominent families, but Xu Quan had turned them all down. In his younger days, he had been busy fighting on the frontier, and now his mind was only on cultivation, training troops, and construction. When he occasionally came back, it was always a short visit. As his cousin's wife, Xu Jie's wife couldn't be too harsh on him, and Xu Jie, as his cousin-in-law, couldn't bring himself to force him.

The couple could only comfort each other.

Martial arts masters have long lifespans, and Xu Quan is in his prime, with his strength still on the rise. Even if he's seventy or eighty, he'll still have plenty of time.

The guard's return this time was a complete shock.

Brother, could you please make a trip to the Zhao residence for me?

Xu Jie, finding no danger, said: "[A trip to the Zhao residence? What, you accidentally injured someone during your sparring session with Dawei? Your Uncle Zhao is a martial artist too; he won't hold it against you. Accidents are inevitable in martial arts sparring; as long as it's not fatal, it's not a big deal.]"

In the first few years of his cultivation, Zhao Wei was no match for Xu Quan.

However, as Zhao Wei accumulated military merits, the gap gradually narrowed.

Even before the era name was changed, the outcome was evenly matched.

The two were locked in a fierce battle, and at one point, their tempers flared. Their elders, watching from the sidelines, were worried that the fight might escalate into a fatal confrontation.

Xu Quan smiled ingratiatingly, "No, I want to propose marriage."

Xu Jie: [Oh, you want to propose marriage... Pfft—]

He quickly changed his clothes and brought his cousin over.

He cursed Xu Quan countless times in his heart.

He kept complaining about this damn thing on the way.

Both families were happy to see them get together. They were both good children who knew each other well, and the key was that the children understood each other. Wasn't this better than an arranged marriage? Zhao Feng wouldn't mind that the Xu family was of slightly lower social standing. If he did, his three sons wouldn't have married their orphaned comrade-in-arms. In Kangguo, who wouldn't want to be related to the Duke of Qin through marriage?

Kang Guoyuan noted that the proportion of single officials among his ministers was not low.

It's not common for outsiders to use marriage to build relationships.

Zhao Feng was incredibly popular, with many families wanting to arrange a marriage between him and his wife. However, Zhao Feng valued relationships and loyalty above all else, so he turned them all down and, after discussing it with his wife, arranged for his son to marry the orphan of a fallen comrade.

The marriages of his three sons would be three opportunities to expand his in-law network. Even if Zhao Feng was afraid of arousing the emperor's suspicion and was unwilling to choose a suitable match, he could have chosen a family with some social standing, instead of an orphan with no parents or maternal relatives.

Some people admired Zhao Feng for his loyalty and righteousness, while others secretly thought he was foolish. Zhao Feng's daughter, Zhao Wei, was exceptionally talented, but his three sons were all equally capable. The eldest son was mediocre, the second son was slightly better, and the youngest son was weak and often ill. Zhao Feng did not choose wives for his three sons who could help them. If the family were to separate in the future, the Zhao family would likely decline.

How many generations can the name of Duke Qin Guo last?

Xu Jie sighed when he heard the news.

There were also eligible women in the Xu clan, and he actually quite wanted to become in-laws with Zhao Feng. He was even prepared to propose marriage, but then Zhao Fengxian arranged a marriage for his son, so he stopped bringing it up. He thought the marriage between the two families would have to wait until their grandchildren, but unexpectedly, Xu Quan made a big move!

Xu Jie also knew Zhao Feng quite well.

He knew that Zhao Feng would not be happy to ask for his hand in marriage today, so he could only hope that Zhao Wei could put in a good word for him.

All eyes turned to Xu Quan.

Zhao Feng's three sons and his wife also blinked curiously.

They were desperate to know how their elder sister had taken a liking to Xu Quan; they hadn't heard a single word about it beforehand. Xu Quan, one of the parties involved, felt immense pressure under their gazes. The crowd could see the embarrassment emanating from the military general's burly frame; his face flushed red, and he opened his mouth several times but remained silent. Seeing his reaction, Zhao Feng immediately became furious: "You dare to propose marriage with such a lack of courage?"

Wang Xiu slapped the back of his hand.

Zhao Feng's anger immediately died down.

Wang Xiu's voice echoed throughout the hall: "The Zhao family can't accept an old marriage. They'll definitely have to choose one from the marriage between a son-in-law and a daughter-in-law. But no matter which one, the Zhao family won't choose a son-in-law who is irresponsible and cowardly. Wen Shi, since you dare to come and propose marriage, we'll give you a chance to explain yourself. If you can't explain yourself clearly, or if you try to cover things up, then we'll not mention this matter again and will just pretend it never happened."

She wouldn't break up a couple.

But as a mother, she also had her own principles. If Zhao Wei refused to respect her husband's and mother's opinions and insisted on having an affair with the poorly performing Xu Quan, then she was already an adult, and they could separate from the family sooner rather than later.

Xu Quan hesitated for a moment when facing Zhao Feng. He knew there was room for negotiation with Uncle Zhao, but Wang Xiu was different. If Aunt Wang made a decision, there was truly no hope of turning things around. Xu Quan had no choice but to confess, and he also deeply sympathized with Zhao Wei's tragic end.

A frank confession—

The elders all fell silent.

The three sons of the Zhao family and their wives exchanged awkward glances and quickly had the wet nurse take the baby away. This content was really inappropriate for children.

Xu Quan: "...That's...that's how it is."

His relationship with Zhao Wei was genuinely one of pure friendship at first. They were childhood sweethearts, innocent and carefree, with only a slight sense of guilt—a guilt stemming from Zhao Wei's failure to wear the Martial Courage Tiger Tally. If he hadn't been so careless with his nickname back then, Zhao Wei, a young and beautiful female general at the time, wouldn't have had to use the courtesy name "Dawei" for her entire life.

Unfortunately, the elders really like to call him Dawei.

Because of this old grudge, Zhao Wei loved to spar with him, determined to win every match. Initially it was just a matter of pride, but Zhao Wei later discovered that he was a truly cost-effective free sparring partner. Their visceral, fist-to-fist fighting friendship continued until the first year of the new era.

The pure friendship deteriorated that year.

Zhao Wei broke through another bottleneck and sought out him for a friendly sparring match.

Xu Quan disliked losing to anyone, and the two remained locked in a stalemate, their fight eventually reaching the edge of a deep mountain forest by a stream. As a female martial artist, Zhao Wei, although her body no longer produced menstrual blood, still experienced certain sensations a few days each month, her blood and energy several times stronger than usual, her spirit intensely excited. During these days, her cultivation flowed more smoothly than usual, like a fish in water. Both were drenched in sweat, and Zhao Wei tore off her clothes and jumped into the water, leaving Xu Quan completely stunned.

He immediately retorted angrily: "I'm still here!"

To act so oblivious to others, isn't that treating him as a homosexual?

It could be air; in any case, he wasn't considered a man.

Zhao Wei swam in the water like a fish, the cool water providing some relief from her feverish body. She looked at the thoroughly annoyed Xu Quan and said with a grin, "I didn't forget you were here either."

I am a man.

I didn't say you were my sister.

【Then you, then just tear it up!】

Similar actions have been taken before, but none have been this thorough.

Zhao Wei, hands behind her head, said lazily, "So what if you saw it? Don't you men also like to go shirtless and swim when it's hot? You won't lose a piece of flesh if you're looked at, and you won't feel ashamed if others look at you, so why should I care?"

The chest of a male military general...

Actually, she's no smaller than a woman.

Her full shape, coupled with her firm, delicate, and vibrant skin, evokes a sense of allure, and perhaps the feel of her skin would be even softer and more supple. Ordinary people wear clothes primarily to cover up imperfections, and the primal body is something everyone possesses. She tore her clothes to show Xu Quan her body—what does this prove?

This proves that Xu Quan saw her body under her clothes today.

There are no losses outside of this incident.

If it were anyone else...

Xu Quan always felt that his friends had been taken advantage of.

But then she thought, being taken advantage of meant being offended, and how many men in this world had the power to offend her? So she could be frank; to her, her body was just an ordinary shell. Even if others saw this, what difference would it make?

People don't get angry just because ants have seen through them.

Zhao Wei wouldn't consider anyone other than herself as an ant, but with her current strength and reliance, the weak would automatically resign themselves to the position of ants before her, and even if they had the intention to offend her, they wouldn't dare to do so. As the old saying goes, actions speak louder than words; Zhao Wei wouldn't even take offense at others' offensive behavior to heart, let alone the slightest thought.

She knew it, and she wouldn't care.

On the contrary, it is the ants with evil intentions who should be worried about losing their heads.

Xu Quan was lost in thought when he was suddenly splashed with water.

Coming to his senses, he realized Zhao Wei had already swum to the water's edge. Although she was looking up at him, her eyes held a scrutinizing gaze, like a hunter eyeing a bewildered prey. She grasped Xu Quan's ankle. Xu Quan's first sensation was the icy water, followed by the unnaturally hot heat of her palms. With a slight pull, he was pulled into the water. The river water over his head brought a brief feeling of suffocation, but he surfaced again a second later. He saw Zhao Wei straddling him, his back pressed against the cool rocks of the stream.

Xu Quan sensed that something had quietly changed.

This scene caused his mind to go blank once again.

Zhao Wei looked down at Xu Quan, hooking his hair braid with her finger, her expression playful. For some reason, Xu Quan didn't run away.

Are you sure everything around you is clean and tidy right now?

Xu Quan, embarrassed and annoyed: 【Why are you asking this?】

Zhao Wei pulled aside the few remaining scraps of cloth clinging to her body.

Xu Quan swallowed nervously, and mumbled, "Mmm."

Zhao Wei then asked, "You don't have someone you're interested in, do you?"

Xu Quan averted his gaze.

He wasn't some naive teenager anymore; Dawei's actions clearly indicated he wanted to change the nature of their friendship. He hadn't expected Dawei to have harbored feelings for him that went beyond friendship. He just hadn't decided whether to agree to let their friendship change...

Just as he was about to offer some advice, Zhao Wei reached out and pinched the tip of his tongue, making it difficult for him to speak: "Since that's the case, put out this fire for me."

It would have been better if Xu Quan wasn't around, but the fact that he was here made the fire in her body burn even more fiercely, to the point that she was hallucinating.

My childhood sweetheart, who's usually just an ordinary guy, looks strangely handsome right now.

She thought her eyes were probably burned.

Their friendship spanned so many years—

Surely Xu Quan wouldn't refuse to help with something as simple as this?

This assistance lasted for more than four years.

Before Xu Quan helped her, Zhao Wei's monthly periods of blood and qi stagnation weren't particularly severe, but strange things started happening after he helped her. She was fine when he wasn't around, but if he was nearby, her self-control inexplicably weakened. Torn between enduring it and not enduring it, she chose not to suppress her feelings.

Xu Quan asked the two of them several times when their marriage would be on the agenda.

Zhao Wei asked, "Why do we need to get married?"

The thought of her father's frantic efforts to set her up on blind dates gave her a headache, and she wanted to avoid it altogether.

Xu Quan: [Do you really want us to each start our own families in the future?]

Zhao Wei remained silent.

Her first words were: "I hadn't thought about that. If it were any other ordinary man, he wouldn't be as appealing as you."

The vigorous energy and blood of a martial artist cannot be relieved by ordinary people.

She was quite satisfied with Xu Quan in this regard.

Xu Quan: [Then let's get married.]

Zhao Wei said, "Your father will break your legs."

Xu Quan took a deep breath: "Uncle Zhao is always reasonable."

Zhao Wei neither confirmed nor denied this.

But on that day, she knew that Xu Quan's judgment was accurate.

My father is indeed very reasonable.

The result of reasoning was the court assembly the next day—

Zhao Wei, with her face bruised and swollen, stood out like a crane among chickens among a group of military officers. Officials who had never seen her before exchanged shocked glances—Zhao's mother truly had a face as black as steel!

Shen Tang was shocked.

"No, what did I miss?"

Shen Tang did some quick calculations.

"Oh, it's Old Melon."

She already knew about Zhao Wei and Xu Quan's affair from Gong Xi Chou. One day, Gong Xi Chou suddenly told her some gossip: his devoted fan had lost his virginity, and Xu Quan had been looking at him with shame and struggle for several days.

To follow an idol or to choose a childhood friend, that is the question.

Shen Tang assumed both families knew about their relationship and tacitly approved of it, so she didn't expose it. The young couple were only dating, not planning to marry; could she really force them to get married? Given the persistently high single rate among the officials of Kangguo, she had already given up on trying to save them.

|ω`)

That's all.

I went to the hospital today, hoping it will improve my condition.

(End of this chapter)