Chapter 70

After inspecting the guns he brought back, Han Tusi and Lan Yingde were thrilled. How could they not be excited? Over a hundred guns! He patted Lan Yingde on the shoulder and repeatedly said, "Great!"

After returning to the flower hall to drink tea, Tusi Han felt that this business was really profitable, so he asked Lan Yingde to find a few more horse caravans to help transport the goods, as he had plenty of minerals and medicinal materials.

Lan Yingde smiled and said, "Master, you don't know. This ore is not like transporting salt. The buyer is only once, and the most important thing is whether the horse team transporting the goods is reliable. I also observed Yang Liu's horse team for a long time before I dared to let him accompany me to Burma to deliver goods."

Li Yang felt that Lan Yingde's words were all empty talk, his purpose was to firmly control the opium transportation line. He said somewhat bluntly: "We have plenty of people. As long as they are equipped with guns and horses, they can do the work."

With a smile on his lips, Han Tusi casually turned the ring on his thumb, wanting to see how Lan Yingde would answer.

Lan Yingde nodded with a smile, not caring about Li Yang's attitude.

"Young Master is right. This horse racing business can be supported by just a few people buying a few horses, but that's just an ordinary caravan. As the saying goes, money can tempt the heart, and the huge profits in the mineral business are enough to give rise to evil thoughts. The journey is long and arduous, and if you encounter someone with evil intentions, you can kill the owner with a knife and bury him in the desolate mountains. Once he escapes to Myanmar, he will disappear into the sea."

"Oh!" Li Yang said unconvincedly, "How can it be said that the people you find are loyal, while those in our Tusi Mansion are all rebellious?"

Lan Yingde chuckled, "Master, you've misunderstood me. Of course, the people in the Tusi Mansion are loyal to you. But I, Lan, have been wandering around for a while, and I've always been a little skeptical of human nature. I used the Du family before because they had nowhere else to go and I was the only one who could help them. His family can live a peaceful life in Yunxiang because of your kindness and protection, and they don't dare to have any other thoughts. I'm using Yang Laoliu now because the Fifth Master of the Zhaotong Gang is guaranteeing him. He has some reputation in the underworld and won't do anything treacherous. The most important thing is that he's not familiar with the roads and doesn't have any buyers. If he robs the goods, we won't know where he'll run to."

Li Yang seemed to be thinking about it: "What you said makes some sense. When hiring people, either hire those who are desperate or those who are trustworthy."

Tusi Han looked at his eldest son as if he was an idiot, and finally couldn't help but said, "Your uncle Lan is telling you that it's important to know the ins and outs of a person when hiring him."

Lan Yingde looked at Tusi Han in astonishment. He had previously asked the two young masters to address him as Mr. Lan, but why were they now calling him Uncle? Was he completely overjoyed by the over a hundred guns he had brought back?

Before Lan Yingde could react, Han Tusi put his elbows on the chair, leaned towards Lan Yingde and said with a smile: "Brother Yingde, let me tell you something. My second son has fallen in love with your daughter. Let's choose a date to get married, shall we?"

Li Yang couldn't bear to see his father's straightforward way of proposing marriage, so he quickly picked up the teacup and pretended to drink tea.

Lan Yingde was completely stunned after hearing what Han Tusi said. What he feared was indeed what happened. The second young master of the Han family really had feelings for Yueming. She was still a child. Was that boy a pervert?

The atmosphere at the welcoming dinner at the Tusi Mansion wasn't very good. The Tusi kept glancing at Yin Tai with a look that seemed to be asking for help. Yin Tai responded with a "you deserved it" expression and then greeted the guests with a pleasant expression.

Li Yang would occasionally glance at his younger brother with sympathy. The two children dared not breathe, and with their heads hanging low, they didn't dare to pick up any vegetables. In fact, they didn't need to explain it explicitly. Just by looking at the knife in Lan Yingde's eyes as he rushed towards Yun Kai, they should have understood what was happening.

The third wife and the third daughter were the only ones at the table who felt puzzled, but they didn't dare to ask anything and just ate their meal full of questions.

The welcome banquet tasted like a farewell dinner.

After dinner, Lan Yingde declined the chieftain's invitation to stay for tea and insisted on returning home. When the chieftain's family offered to send him a carriage, he casually said, "I heard Li Shengmeng has already sent a carriage and a groom for my daughter, so I won't bother the family." He turned it away.

Yueming's luggage was loaded onto the carriage one by one. Lan Yingde and the chieftain bowed and said goodbye before getting on the carriage first. As Changsheng helped Yueming onto the carriage, he quietly asked, "What happened to the master? Who made him angry?"

Yueming laughed dryly, "Maybe, maybe, it could be me."

After returning home, Lan Yingde asked Changsheng to take two maids to Yueming's room to put away the luggage. He called out to Yueming, who was about to sneak away, and said sternly, "Stop, come in."

Yueming looked at Changsheng with a miserable expression. Changsheng gave her a look that said wishing her good luck and a quick death before being reborn. Then he helped Yehu and Ai Ye carry their luggage and left.

It seemed that no one could save her tonight. Yueming cheered herself up and stepped into the main hall carefully.

Lan Yingde was sitting on an armchair in the hall. Seeing her coming in so slowly, he lost his temper and said sternly, "Come here."

Yueming was startled and didn't dare to hesitate any longer. She quickly walked up to him, lowered her head and dared not say a word.

Lan Yingde asked in a deep voice, "Do you know that Master Han proposed to me today and wants you to marry the Second Young Master Han?"

Yueming suddenly looked up, her mouth wide open in surprise. She guessed that Lan Yingde was angry because she was in love, but she didn't expect that Han Tusi would be so quick as an arrow piercing the clouds to put the marriage on the agenda.

Lan Yingde glanced at the door, then softened his tone and whispered, "Tell me the truth, Daddy. Has Second Young Master Han done anything inappropriate to you?" He was furious after hearing Han Tusi's proposal, convinced that Han Tusi had let Han Yunkai do something filthy to Yueming in order to keep him firmly tied to the Tusi Mansion. He almost pulled out his gun and shot that bastard at the dinner table.

Yes! But if she told the truth, Han Yunkai would probably die. She shook her head: "No. Dad, Han Yunkai is very good to me."

Lan Yingde's mind felt like it had been struck by thunder. Yueming's words not only confirmed Han Yunkai's behavior towards her, but also confirmed that they were indeed in love. He leaned back in his chair weakly, and after a while, he said, "Don't you want to go back to Kunming? Don't you want to study abroad?"

Seeing Lan Yingde looking like he had aged ten years, Yueming felt very anxious: "I want to go back. I also want to go to England. But... Dad, I can't bear to leave Han Yunkai. Can't we take him with us?"

Go together? How? Although the eldest son of the Han family is the best candidate for the succession, he is not very smart. How can Yun Xiang let the second son stay out of the future Tusi Mansion?

Lan Yingde was disappointed. He had always believed his precious daughter was smart and independent. He had paved a bright future for her. He wanted Yueming to see more of the world, not to be like most girls, who entered into early marriage and began to live a predictable life in their teens.

Yueming likes to paint, and he also hopes that Yueming can make achievements in art. He doesn't want her to be like the women in the chieftain's mansion, who can only see the sky as big as the yard and have nothing to do but worry about whether the master has looked at that lady too much.

But Yueming has developed feelings for the second young master of the Han family. If he objects, the child will not only be sad but may also do something drastic.

He suddenly felt the same way as the Taotou man. When Mannu married him regardless of everything, the Taotou man must have felt as disappointed and sad as he did now!

Seeing Lan Yingde in a daze without saying a word, Yueming became increasingly anxious. She whispered, "Dad."

Lan Yingde came to his senses, looking at his daughter's anxious and fearful face. He knew he couldn't object outright now. She was still young, and girls her age were naive and ignorant. It was no wonder she'd plunged headfirst into the situation without ever having seen a man's romantic methods. If he objected now, she wouldn't have the energy to consider whether she truly loved Han Yunkai, or whether it was worth giving up her free and easy life for him. She'd probably only be thinking about opposing her father. Rather than letting them secretly plot and cause trouble, it would be better to coax her first and find a way to separate her from Han Yunkai. Girls of thirteen or fourteen are immature and will gradually lose interest.

He touched his daughter's wrinkled face and said with a smile, "Don't be afraid. Daddy isn't blaming you. Daddy is thinking about how to get Master Han to agree that Second Young Master Han will come with us."

Just coax her like this for now, and take her away as soon as the Siam business is successful.

Lan Yingde was worried about his daughter, and Han Tusi also asked Yin Tai for mercy because he had betrayed his son.

Hearing the master asking him to propose marriage to Lan Yingde again, Yin Tai said calmly while smoking a water pipe, "Hasn't the master already explained everything to Lan Yingde? He's not hard of hearing, so why should I repeat it again?"

Han Tusi smiled bitterly and said, "You still have to worry about your children's marriages. I said the wrong thing as soon as I opened my mouth. You said before that we should wait a few days, so I should have listened to you."

His words stirred up old and new animosities in Yin Tai's heart. He slammed his hookah on the table and snorted, "You're only saying I was right after you've messed up. It's too late!" Yin Tai grew angrier as he thought about it. "I told you before about Yu Yan that I had to ask the Third Brother for his approval. But you acted so arrogantly, making the Third Brother think I couldn't tolerate Yu Yan. You acted like a madman and made the whole Tusi Mansion a mess. I told you to bring up the matter of Yun Kai and Yue Ming later, but you kept getting in my way. Did Lan Yingde refuse?"

Han Tusi was unconvinced and said, "How did he refuse? He just said he would go back and think about it."

Yin Tai was so angry that she wanted to slam the table. "You want him to tell you directly that I don't like your son and ask him to stop chasing my daughter, right? If he had a wife, it would make sense for him to go back and think about it. He's a widower and he makes all the decisions at home. Our two families are well-informed. If he really thinks your son is good, why would he consider it? You've hit a snag, what else can I say?"

After Yin Tai's explanation, Han Tusi was also irritated by Lan Yingde's rejection. He slapped his thigh and cursed, "Lan Yingde is so ungrateful. If my son didn't like him, it would be difficult for his daughter to become Yun Kai's concubine. I'll give him a few days to think about it. If he refuses, I can just snatch her away. With both father and daughter in my hands, how can I fly away with wings?"

Yin Tai sneered, "Do you think Yueming is a farmer's daughter that you can just snatch away at will? Have you forgotten where Lan Yingde got the gun for you? You're making a good marriage into an enmity."

Tusi Han suppressed his anger and clasped his hands together, begging for mercy from Yin Tai: "My dear wife, I was wrong, okay? This is not just because Yun Kai likes Yue Ming. You have also seen Lan Yingde's ability. How could we buy so many guns in the past? Business is just a matter of money. A few more or less is not a big deal. With guns in hand, those Mengquan will not dare to do anything wrong, and the Han army will not dare to provoke us easily. Tie him up, and we will have a good life."

Yin Tai knew this, which was why she didn't let Han Tusi rush into things. Do you think people can't see your Sima Zhao's intentions? How can they be confident in marrying their daughter into your family?

Looking at the man in front of him who was more likely to cause trouble than help, Yin Tai waved his hand helplessly: "I'll think of another way! The key to this matter lies in Yueming. If Yueming is determined to be with Yunkai, then Lan Yingde can only go along with his daughter."

Li Yang was also speaking up for his brother: "Lan Yingde is so ungrateful! You, the young master of a Tusi mansion, are you really going to treat his daughter so unfairly? If he doesn't know what's going on, we have people and guns. At worst, I can snatch that little girl Yueming back from you and make her your concubine. That will make Lan Yingde so angry that he dies."

Yun Kai sat helplessly in his chair, watching Li Yang pace around his room, nearly rubbing the teak floor. He said this with good intentions, but he had to admit, if he weren't his brother, he'd have beaten him to death. He didn't even think about who got the guns. He only cared about having the guns, but where were the bullets? Lan Yingde still had to get them.

"Leave this matter to my wife, and don't worry about it."

Li Yang poured cold water on him: "What if the wife can't persuade him?"

The clouds are clearing...Thank you for considering the worst possible outcome for me.

He suppressed the urge to sigh and said to Li Yang, "Do you think Lan Yingde is satisfied with just making some money selling opium for our family? He was supposed to come back for the Dragon Boat Festival, so why is he so late? It's because he took his apprentice to Bangkok. He also has something to ask of our family. If he marries Yueming to me, everything will be easy. If he doesn't agree, then nothing will be convenient."