Mountain and River Festival 249. Arrange a marriage by being smart

Murong Family

The magnificent and majestic villa is no less grand than the royal villa. Perhaps because the owner's family is small, the whole villa also reveals a gloomy and decadent atmosphere. The splendor accumulated with countless priceless treasures gives people a feeling of heavy pressure that makes people breathless. When Murong Mingyan stepped into the gate, there were already groups of servants waiting at the door. Seeing her return, they hurriedly greeted her happily, "Miss, you are finally back. The old man was worried to death."

Murong Mingyan frowned in disgust, looked up at the fawning faces of the servants in front of her, and the magnificent eaves and beams of the carved and painted buildings. The elegant and otherworldly man in white flashed through her mind. She bit her lip, and a determined light flashed in her eyes.

"Grandpa, great uncle." Before she could go back to her room, Murong Mingyan was called to the study by the head of the Murong family. In the study was not only the head of the Murong family, but also the great uncle Murong Xiong, whom she had been very afraid of since she was a child. The head of the Murong family snorted coldly and said, "You still remember to come back?! You are the eldest daughter of the Murong family, who allowed you to run away casually?"

Murong Mingyan hung her head, helplessly twirling the silk in her hands, not daring to speak. In the eyes of outsiders, she was the noble eldest daughter of the Murong family. But since she was a child, she never had the chance to speak in front of her grandfather and great uncle. All along, she could only listen to them. But now... what they want to talk about is her lifelong event. Seeing her so well-behaved, the head of the Murong family subsided a little. He said in a slow tone: "Tomorrow is the last day of the martial arts conference. Your great uncle and I have already decided to marry you to Ling Tiehan, the master of Yanwang Pavilion."

"But... Ling Tiehan is already forty years old!" Murong Mingyan raised her head in surprise and couldn't help but blurt out. Forty years old is already an old man for Murong Mingyan, who is only seventeen years old. If her father were still alive, Ling Tiehan would be several years older than her father.

"Shut up!" The head of the Murong family looked gloomy, and looked at Murong Mingyan with a look of resentment, "What's wrong with being forty years old? Considering Ling Tiehan's martial arts skills and status, he is still very young. How many people in this world do you think can compete with Lei Zhenting? I would like to marry you to Prince Ding, but he doesn't like you and won't even come."

Being mercilessly ridiculed by her own order, Murong Mingyan's face turned red with shame, and soon turned pale and she was speechless for a long time.

After all, she is his granddaughter and his only blood in the world. Seeing her like this, the head of the Murong family sighed but softened his expression and said patiently: "We deliberately made such a big fuss, isn't it for your sake. There are only a few people in this world who are really capable. The fact that Prince Ding is unwilling to come shows that he doesn't care about you or the wealth of the Murong family. What's more, Prince Ding's deep love for Princess Ding is known to the world. Even the capital of the northwest is named after the princess. Even for the reputation of being infatuated and the Xu family, Prince Ding will never give up. "Princess, you can only be a concubine even if you marry him. As for the King of Chu and the King of Li, the King of Chu already has the Liu family by his side, so there is no room for us to intervene. As for the King of Li, we are afraid that it will be difficult for us to become powerful. But Ling Tiehan is different. He is the head of the Yanwang Pavilion. He lives in Xiling but has a good relationship with the Dingwang. It is precisely because of this identity that he is independent of the struggle, but no one dares to offend him. Moreover, Ling Tiehan has not yet started a family. If you marry him, you will be the head of the Yanwang Pavilion, and you will have the Murong family to support you. Who in this world dares to look at you?"

Murong Mingyan bit her lip stubbornly and did not answer. Even if her grandfather described Ling Tiehan as a flower, in Murong Mingyan's eyes, how could Ling Tiehan, who was dressed in plain clothes and looked ordinary, compare to the elegant and graceful Young Master Qingchen?

If Ye Li were here, she would definitely sneer at Murong Mingyan's eyes. It's not that Ye Li thinks Ling Tiehan is better than Xu Qingchen, but these two people are originally completely different types. Although Ling Tiehan is not as handsome as Xu Qingchen, Mo Xiuyao, Feng San, and Han Mingxi, he is tall and straight, and his appearance is also resolute and heroic. Even if he is put together with these world-famous handsome men, he is definitely not an existence that can be drowned. Moreover, everyone thinks that Xu Qingchen has a better temper than Ling Tiehan, but if Ye Li is to say, I'm afraid Ling Tiehan's heart is softer than Xu Qingchen.

If Ye Li had to choose one of these two men as her husband, she would most likely choose Ling Tiehan instead of Xu Qingchen. This also explains from another perspective why Young Master Qingchen, who is unrivaled in appearance and intelligence, has not yet married. Sometimes being too gentle is actually a kind of alienation and indifference. It's a pity that Murong Mingyan doesn't understand this truth.

Murong Xiong snorted coldly and said, "I know what the little girl is thinking. You just think Ling Tiehan is much older than you and not as handsome as many young men who come to participate in the martial arts conference. It seems that the Murong family has spoiled you too much. How good do you think you are? You went to see the boy from the Xu family tonight? Did he reject you? You may be considered a beauty in Ancheng, but Da Chu is not Xiling. The boy from the Xu family is not a beautiful woman. You have traveled the world and have seen all kinds of beauties. With your appearance, you may not be as good-looking as the boy from the Xu family! You don’t have to complain that Ling Tiehan is older than you. He can still look like a 30-year-old at 40, and he can still look like a 40-50-year-old at 70. Do you think you can still be a beauty at 50? Then he will give up on you! If you marry the boy from the Xu family and Mo Xiuyao, I’m afraid you will be forgotten before you are 30.”

"Great uncle!" These words were extremely vicious. Murong Mingyan had never been humiliated like this in her life. This humiliation was personally inflicted by her own family. Tears immediately flowed out of her eyes and could not be stopped no matter how hard she tried.

"Ahem...Uncle..." The head of the Murong family coughed lightly, and felt that Murong Xiong had gone too far. Although Murong Mingyan's appearance was not unparalleled, she was not to be rejected by others. The title of the most beautiful woman in Ancheng was not self-proclaimed by them. Although the uncle wanted to strike Mingyan to prevent her from being too ignorant of the seriousness of the matter, some things were too much or too little.

Murong Xiong glanced at Murong Mingyan, but in the end, he didn't say anything more. The head of the Murong family then looked at Murong Mingyan and said, "Anyway, your great uncle and I have already decided on this matter. No need to say more."

Murong Mingyan was unwilling to accept this. She knelt down in front of the Murong family master and said, "Grandfather, Mingyan has a better idea. Lingge Master may not be the best candidate." The Murong family master raised his gray eyebrows. It was not that he looked down on Murong Mingyan, but he knew this granddaughter very well. Naturally, he would not believe that Murong Mingyan could have any good ideas. Murong Mingyan hurriedly said, "Master Qingchen."

The face of the head of the Murong family changed, and he said angrily: "I have told you so much, but you are still stubborn! In the final analysis, you still can't bear to part with Xu Qingchen's face, and you dare to say it so high-soundingly. Don't forget who has been following you in your luxurious life all these years." Murong Mingyan looked at the head of the Murong family with tears in her eyes. Murong Xiong on the side frowned, raised his hand to stop his nephew's roar, stared at Murong Mingyan and said: "You tell me." Murong Mingyan was overjoyed and said quickly: "Young Master Qingchen is extremely wise. If... if we can get him to agree to marry into the Murong family..."

The head of the Murong family snorted and sneered, "Marriage? You think so, don't you see what kind of family the Xu family is? It's extremely difficult to get them to agree to marry you, and you want to marry me!"

After saying this, the Murong family head himself was also unhappy. Nothing is more disgusting than for someone who is proud of his family to admit that he is not as good as others. But in the eyes of the world, even if the Xu family is penniless, it is probably much higher than the Murong family. The so-called scholarly family... humph!

Murong Mingyan thought of Xu Qingchen's ruthlessness, and her beautiful eyes dimmed. She continued, "Granduncle and Grandpa are very powerful, and they will definitely find a way. If Master Qingchen can become a member of our Murong family, with the relationship between Master Qingchen and Princess Ding, we don't need to get involved with the killer organization at all, and the Xiling royal family will not dare to touch the Murong family easily. And with Master Qingchen's help, there is no need to worry about not being able to take the Murong family to the next level."

Hearing this, the head of the Murong family hesitated. It would be the best if the Murong family could move up a level. Once Xu Qingchen married into the Murong family, the Murong and Xu families would be relatives. Most importantly, the next generation of the Murong family's great-grandson would be the son of the world-famous Master Qingchen. Who would dare to say that the descendants of the Murong family were businessmen full of money? But... the Xu family has always been spotless, so how could they agree to such a proposal? The head of the Murong family looked at Murong Xiong with an inquiring look, hesitated for a moment, and then said: "If so, Xu Qingchen is indeed more suitable than Ling Tiehan. After all... Ling Tiehan, as the leader of the assassins, is probably not easy to control. But this matter... is probably not easy to accomplish."

Murong Xiong squinted his old eyes and pondered, his eyes emitting a sharp gleam. He said proudly: "What's so difficult about it? It's his blessing that I, Murong Xiong, am willing to marry my great-niece to him!" It was not because Murong Mingyan was worthy enough for Xu Qingchen, but because Murong Mingyan was his great-niece. His reputation as the world's number one master gave him enough confidence that Xu Qingchen would not refuse this proposal. The head of the Murong family looked at Murong Mingyan, who was kneeling on the ground with eyes full of expectation, and then looked at Murong Xiong, who was full of confidence, and finally agreed.

This year's martial arts competition can be said to be a place of excitement and disappointment. Half of the top ten masters selected on the second day of the competition died before the third day of the competition. Everyone knows how they died. After all, everyone wants to be the son-in-law of the richest man in the world, but the Murong family only has one daughter. Naturally, they want to reduce their enemies as much as possible. So when the competition started, when only half of the original top ten masters appeared, no one felt the slightest surprise.

"Master Ling Ge, are you interested in going on stage to try your skills this year?" King Zhennan turned his head to look at Ling Tiehan who was sitting aside with his eyes closed and asked with a smile.

Although he looked calm, King Zhennan was very cautious towards Ling Tiehan. This time, he was completely unable to see how strong Ling Tiehan was. In other words, even if Ling Tiehan was not stronger than him, he would definitely not lose to him by a single point. However, Ling Tiehan was still ten years younger than him. Thinking about Mo Xiuyao, who was seven or eight years younger than Ling Tiehan, King Zhennan suddenly felt a little tired and helpless. Compared with Mo Xiuyao, he was already old.

Originally, it was his son who should have competed with Mo Xiuyao, but unfortunately, his son was still far inferior to Mo Liufang's son. Looking back at Lei Tengfeng who was sitting behind him, King Zhennan began to reflect whether he had arranged too much for Tengfeng, so that he was now inferior to Mo Xiuyao in every way? Maybe... after returning, he should let him take charge...

Ling Tiehan opened his eyes and said calmly: "No interest, why don't you try, Prince Zhennan?" Among these so-called rookies, except for the young man named Ren Qining, who was somewhat interesting, the others were not in Ling Tiehan's eyes at all. Ling Tiehan, who had just fought with Mo Xiuyao, had no interest in fighting with a young man for the time being. Moreover... there are more powerful opponents in Ancheng now. Ling Tiehan lowered his eyes to look at his right hand resting on the armrest, and casually turned his gaze to the magnificent villa of the Murong family not far away.

King Zhennan laughed loudly and said, "How can Lei Tengfeng, with his limited martial arts skills, be qualified to compete on stage? He is not a man of the martial arts world, so he doesn't need to pay attention to this dispute of pride." The last sentence was said to Lei Tengfeng. Anyway, there was no way that the Murong family would marry their daughter to King Zhennan's mansion. It didn't make any sense whether Lei Tengfeng participated in the competition or not.

"That's right, father." Lei Tengfeng nodded in response. King Zhennan nodded with satisfaction, looked at his son with some satisfaction and said: "After returning to the capital, Tengfeng will lead the troops to the south to garrison." Hearing this, Lei Tengfeng was inexplicably surprised. He knew his father's intention to use the army. At this time, asking him to lead the troops to the south was to allow him to lead the troops alone. As long as he led them properly, he could have the military power that truly belonged to him. Seeing that he understood his meaning, King Zhennan patted him on the shoulder and said: "You are not young anymore, and it's time for you to be independent. Father is also old..."

"Father is in his prime, I would like to thank you very much..." Lei Tengfeng said.

The father and son of the Zhennan King said these things without any intention of avoiding people. Even Xu Qingchen, who was pretending to be asleep, seemed to be completely unconcerned. This was originally a test of Xu Qingchen by the Zhennan King. Young Master Qingchen's talent was known to the world, but many things were not just about talent. It also required determination and ruthlessness.

The terrain at the border between Nanzhao and Xiling is complex, and a quick victory is simply not feasible. Therefore, from the beginning, the King of Zhennan did not intend to attack Nanzhao first, so keeping it secret was relatively unimportant. In other words, if he could find out Xu Qingchen's true background, the King of Zhennan would think it was worth it even if he leaked a little military intelligence.

If Xu Qingchen chooses to save Nanzhao, it means that this person is soft-hearted and there is no need to worry. If Xu Qingchen chooses to stand aside and watch, there is no need to worry too much. If Xu Qingchen uses Nanzhao and Xiling to restrain each other, or even does something else, then... in addition to Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li, there will be one more person to be vigilant about in the northwest.

Xu Qingchen neither pretended not to hear nor paid attention to the topic. It was as if the father and son of Zhennan Wang were just talking about ordinary family matters, as if the father was praising his son. He opened his eyes and looked at Lei Tengfeng and smiled faintly, "Congratulations, Prince Lei."

Lei Tengfeng smiled and said, "Thank you, Master Qingchen." But the smile did not reach his eyes. Lei Tengfeng's life was actually quite aggrieved. Although he had good talents and means, he was under the great pressure of the King of Zhennan, leaving him no room to show his talents. If he did it well, it was like a tiger father having a dog son. If he did it wrong, it was like a good bamboo producing bad bamboo shoots. In terms of means, ability and knowledge, even if he was not as good as Mo Xiuyao, he was definitely not inferior to Yelu Hong, Yelu Ye, Mo Jingqi, Mo Jingli and others. However, as long as people mentioned them, the only impression they had was that of the Prince of Zhennan. Lei Tengfeng lowered his head, and a determined light flashed in his eyes. He would definitely let the world know what it meant to be a disciple who surpasses the master!

"Meet Master Qingchen." Xu Qingchen and the other two were chatting idly when a middle-aged man who looked like a servant of the Murong family came over and greeted Xu Qingchen.

Xu Qingchen sat up and nodded with a smile, "No need to be polite." The man looked at Xu Qingchen with a bit of flattery and flattery in his eyes, and said with a smile, "No, the old lady and our old man have invited the young master to the manor to talk." This morning, Murong Xiong and the head of the Murong family did not appear in the martial arts arena. Although everyone was surprised, there was nothing to say. Originally, no one intervened in the martial arts conference. This time, the Murong family had done enough to organize it.

Those present were not ordinary people, so they could naturally see that the man had a different attitude towards Xu Qingchen. Xu Qingchen frowned slightly and said, "I wonder what advice the Murong family master has?"

The man smiled and said, "The master of the family naturally has something important to discuss with Master Qingchen." Xu Qingchen nodded and stood up and said, "In that case, please lead the way."

Ling Tiehan, who was sitting on the side, also stood up and said with a smile, "I have long admired the elegance of the Murong family. I wonder if I can go and have a look?"

"This..." The visitor was a little embarrassed. The head of the family and the old lady definitely didn't want Ling Tiehan to come to their house now, but as the chief killer of the Yanwang Pavilion Master, how could he resist Ling Tiehan's majesty? Ling Tiehan didn't feel embarrassed either. He smiled generously and said, "Don't be embarrassed. It's just that this Pavilion Master has a good relationship with the Dingwang and the Princess, and he also promised the Dingwang that he must take good care of Master Qingchen. Since it's not convenient for me to go, I have to ask the Murong family master to come out and talk to Master Qingchen."

Isn't this embarrassing? The messenger's face turned pale and he forced a smile, "Master Qingchen is a guest. The Murong family will ensure your safety."

"Wasn't the first person to attack Master Qingchen at the martial arts conference a member of the Murong family?" Leng Liuyue, who was sitting behind Ling Tiehan, said coldly.

"In that case, please invite Master Lingge as well." The messenger gritted his teeth. He had been ordered to invite Master Qingchen over. If he was not invited, the old lady would usually deal with the people who did not do their job well first and then ask the reason.

After watching the group leave, Lei Tengfeng frowned and said, "Father, is the Murong family planning to..."

King Zhennan sneered, his eyes flashing fiercely, "That old bastard Murong Xiong wants to die, I will grant his wish!"