Nangong Yun’s movement stiffened as he looked at Nangong Zheng.
Nangong Zheng asked him with a stern face, "Are you doubting my decision, uncle? Do I not have the right to handle Nangong Family affairs?"
Nangong Yun immediately withdrew his hand, replying languidly, "No, Young Master Zheng is indeed fit to make decisions for the Nangong Family."
Having said that, he no longer took action against Xie Yuan and quickly walked towards Nangong Zheng.
Xie Yuan looked back at Nangong Zheng, meeting his gaze. The boy’s face was tense, but his eyes were cold and calm. He smirked, "Nangong Zheng, I’m looking forward to the day you’ll take revenge on me for your grandfather."
Nangong Zheng responded with a taut face, "Alright, you just wait. If I don’t kill you today, I’ll surely do it someday."
Fen Ling was irritated with Xie Yuan’s sluggishness. As he watched the members of the Nangong Family join Nangong Zheng’s ranks, he grew impatient and could not help but bolt out of line, grab Xie Yuan, and pull him into the group.
Xie Yuan scolded him, "Rude."
Fen Ling held his tongue, "Master, you truly know how to test one’s patience."
"Although Nangong Zheng is young, he won’t turn back on his word. So what if I’m taking my time? Since he promised to trade, he wouldn’t take the opportunity to kill me." Xie Yuan reasoned.
"But that might not be the case. Nangong Yin is the person he respects the most and who mentored him since he was young. Given the opportunity, he would not hesitate to take revenge on you." Fen Ling muttered, "She let him and the entire Nangong Family leave Nanchu because of you. This could pose a future threat."
"Is she afraid of threats?" Xie Yuan scoffed, "That young lady is bold and ambitious. If she dares to even contemplate swallowing Dawei, what can a mere Nangong Zheng and the Nangong Family do to her?"
Fen Ling chuckled knowingly, "That is true."
Once Nangong Zheng had his people switched back, he ordered, "Retreat!"
The elder madam of the Nangong Family said unsteadily, "Zheng, storm them, kill Xie Yuan, kill Su Rong. Seek vengeance for your grandfather, and for all those from the Nangong Family who have died."
Nangong Zheng looked at the elder lady, "Great-grandmother, a man who can’t be trusted is insubstantial. Since I have given my word to Su Rong, I won’t go back on it. Our revenge can be bade another day."
"Zheng, you’re being naive. You have an army of 300,000, how much does Su Rong have now? She has less than 150,000. Your forces are twice as many as hers. What do you have to fear?"
"She has an additional 300,000 troops from Daliang backing her." Nangong Zheng calmed her, "Great-grandmother, the Nangong family’s ancestral tomb is still in Nanchu, would you really want me to break my word and risk her destroying our ancestral tomb one day?"
The old lady choked, "We could... kill her so that it wouldn’t be destroyed."
"We won’t be able to." Nangong Zheng stated, "Her mass of troops will arrive at the latest by tomorrow. We cannot win this battle within a day."
The elder lady suddenly deflated, "Can’t we at least try?"
"Why bother trying when we already know the result?" answered Nangong Zheng.
The elder lady’s eyes reddened, "But if we leave today, will we have another chance? Whether Dawei will be able to compete against the alliance of Nanchu and Daliang in the future remains to be seen."
Nangong Zheng responded, "That will depend on how powerful Dawei becomes in the future and what we can do to help it."
The elder lady fell silent.
The wife of Marquis Wan’an helped steady the elder lady, "Let’s go, mother. You should listen to Zheng. Our whole family is depending on him."
The elder lady pursed her lips. After a while, she finally deflated, nodded, and, supported by Marquis’ wife, boarded the carriage.
At Nangong Zheng’s command, the troops retreated, with soldiers flooding away like the tide.
Fen Ling admired, "This Nangong Zheng certainly is a character. He withdrew his troops just like that, without taking a gamble."
Ye Guixue remarked, "If it hadn’t been for the Marquis of Wan’an’s insatiable greed, he would have been the most brilliant gem in Nanchu. What a shame we couldn’t retain him."
Xie Yuan continued, "The Nangong Family is like a malignant tumor. Unless we completely eradicate it from Nanchu, it will be a never-ending threat. Before I killed Nangong Yin, I also considered whether we could subdue the Nangong Family. I then realized that couldn’t happen. As long as Nangong Yin lived, his ambition would as well. With Nangong Yin’s death, all hope of subduing the Nangong family died with it."
Ye Guixue responded, "What Master Xie said is correct."
Xie Yuan looked at Ye Guixue, "The Nangong Family and Nangong Zheng are but one family and one person. The presence of the Ye Xiang Residence and Second Young Master Ye is more than sufficient as a counterbalance for Nanchu. "
Ye Guixue gave a salute, "Master, you overstate. I am far from deserving your compliment. If not for the Princess’ timely intervention, the Ye Xiang Residence and I would long have been turned to ashes. We owe our lives to the Princess and swear to serve her loyally and gratefully."
Xie Yuan smiled, patting Ye Guixue’s shoulder, "There, there, The Ye Xiang Residence and you are both doing well. The Princess knows the score. As long as the Ye Xiang Residence remains loyal to Nanchu, you will not be wronged."
Ye Guixue showed a hint of a smile, "Thank you, Master."
Xie Yuan acknowledged his thanks, asked, "Where is the Princess?"
Ye Guixue’s gaze fell on a carriage not far away amidst the group, its curtains firmly drawn. He responded, "Lord Thursday is still recovering from his severe wounds from protecting Her Majesty and cannot move. The Princess has gone to see him."
Xie Yuan nodded, somewhat annoyed but also amused, "It seems she has learned to show empathy now."
Ye Guixue remained silent.
Xie Yuan casually mentioned, "When we first met Zhou Gu in Jiangning County, she already had her sights set on him. They spent every day together back then, and she was exceptionally patient with him, whereas she is usually not a patient person. But she patiently tested Zhou Gu time and again, even taking him to the Green Building, yet Zhou Gu never held any grudges against her. Then, I realized that even though they were in love, they didn’t seem attached to the point where they couldn’t be separated. Therefore, when she was assassinated, and after learning about her lineage, I didn’t stop her from deciding to call off the engagement after weighing the pros and cons. After all, it was a mere puppy love, how could it be so deep after only a month? She was my protege, and I had confidence in myself. It was unexpected, however, that Zhou Gu, who had been sent to the Eastern Palace under the strict guidance of Grand Tutor Qin since childhood, proved to be so stubborn."
Ye Guixue listened quietly.
Xie Yuan continued, "I always knew that besides the assassins sent by Nanchu Queen to Jiangning County, there were others from Nanchu lurking and gathering information. Later, I suspected it was done by the Nanchu King. I hadn’t expected that he had started planning a marriage alliance five years ago when he found out about his daughter. Had I been aware of it, I wouldn’t have agreed to send the old Duke’s grandson to Jiangning County. I would have stopped them. If they had never met, all these other troubling events wouldn’t have occurred."
Ye Guixue looked at Xie Yuan in surprise.
Giving him a slight smile, Xie Yuan said, "Listening to me, you might think that I dislike Zhou Gu. Don’t misunderstand. I want to tell you that when it comes to a person’s destiny and marriage, these things are predetermined by fate, and no one can control them. It’s not that you’re not good, or that Zhou Gu is any better, but rather it’s about time, opportunity, and fate. Don’t be disheartened due to this."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
