Shanhe Festival 250. Provoking the Wrong Person

In the magnificent hall of the Murong family, Xu Qingchen sat drinking tea with a calm expression.

Ling Tiehan naturally sat beside him and drank the top-grade fragrant tea from Great Chu. Ling Tiehan couldn't help but sigh, "As expected of the Murong family, this top-grade fragrant tea is rare even in Great Chu." Xu Qingchen smiled and said, "Brother Ling likes it. I'll have someone send two boxes to Brother Xu later."

Ling Tiehan raised his eyebrows, "There are a lot of this kind of tea in the Northwest?" That shouldn't be the case. There aren't many of this kind of tea in Da Chu. Although Da Chu and the Northwest do business now, there are actually some things that are banned from the Northwest. This includes this kind of tea, which is known as the best tea in Da Chu. These actually don't affect the Northwest at all. It's just Mo Jingqi's move to annoy Mo Xiuyao.

Xu Qingchen smiled faintly and said, "That's not the case. A batch of tea was imported from the northwest in the early spring, and Li'er sent me a few boxes. But this kind of tea... is fragrant, but it's too strong and covers up the fragrance of the plants themselves. People in my family don't like it very much. So I have more."

Ling Tiehan's mouth twitched. So you gave it to me because you didn't like it? "I know, you scholars are always picky. Not only do you want the best tea, but you also classify the best tea into different grades."

Xu Qingchen smiled but said nothing.

The servants who were serving on the side were sweating slightly on their foreheads. They had received the young lady's instructions to serve the best tea to Master Qingchen, but who knew that Master Qingchen didn't like this tea. They didn't know at all whether they should just let it go or get another cup of tea for Master Qingchen.

"Haha... Master Qingchen. It is a great honor for our Murong family to have Master Qingchen come to visit us." The head of the Murong family smiled brightly, as if he were a warm and hospitable host. Murong Mingyan, who was wearing a light veil, smiled at Xu Qingchen in a very friendly way. However, this friendly way gave the two outsiders present, Ling Tiehan and Xu Qingchen, goosebumps.

Xu Qingchen smiled and said, "Master Murong is too polite. I wonder if Master Murong has asked someone to invite me here. What advice do you have?"

The head of the Murong family laughed and said, "Master Qingchen is a straightforward person, and I will not beat around the bush. I heard that Master Qingchen is over thirty and still hasn't got married?"

Xu Qingchen's expression changed slightly, his half-closed eyes sank slightly, and he said lightly: "Indeed." The head of the Murong family smiled with satisfaction: "Mr. Qingchen, what do you think of my Mingyan?" Murong Mingyan blushed and glanced at Xu Qingchen shyly, but saw that Xu Qingchen stared at the teacup in front of him calmly, without even a glance at her. She couldn't help but feel blocked in her heart, a little grievance surged in her heart, and her eyes immediately turned red.

Ling Tiehan, who was sitting on the side, raised his eyebrows and glanced at Xu Qingchen with a smile, looking like he was enjoying the fun. Xu Qingchen was not in a very good mood at the moment, because Mo Xiuyao had guessed the Murong family's plan. He could not feel good just thinking about how Mo Xiuyao, that bad-tempered bastard, would laugh at him.

The confident and smiling Murong family head kept Xu Qingchen silent for a long time, and the smile on his face gradually faded. After a while, Xu Qingchen said calmly: "Thank you for your kindness, Murong family head. I have no intention of getting married yet, and I am afraid I will disappoint you." Murong family head forced a smile and said: "As the saying goes, the Qi family governs the country and the world. Young master is over thirty and has not yet started a family. You should think about it carefully."

Xu Qingchen smiled faintly and said, "Master Zhuang, I have been working hard to cultivate myself these years, but unfortunately I have gained nothing because of my dullness." Ling Tiehan couldn't help laughing secretly when he heard this, but he had deep martial arts skills and sufficient endurance, so he suppressed his laughter. The head of the Murong family said that the Qi family ruled the country and brought peace to the world, and Xu Qingchen directly took it out of context and added the previous self-cultivation. The ancients said that self-cultivation allowed the Qi family to rule the country and bring peace to the world. The eldest son Xu was still working hard to cultivate himself and had no time for the Qi family.

Such a rejection was obvious enough, especially in front of Ling Tiehan. It almost cut off the possibility of the Murong family choosing another path. The head of the Murong family looked gloomy and said in a cold voice: "If that's the case, why did Master Qingchen stay alone with Mingxian last night? Could it be that Master Xu, who has read so many sages, doesn't know that men and women should not touch each other? Doesn't he know the importance of a girl's reputation? Could it be that Master Qingchen is not going to give the Murong family an explanation for this matter?"

"Explanation?" Xu Qingchen frowned, looking at Murong Patriarch and Murong Mingyan in confusion. The pure confusion and doubt in their calm eyes almost made the two of them unable to maintain their facial expressions.

Xu Qingchen said, "Last night, Miss Murong came to visit us herself. I originally wanted to talk at the door, but Miss Murong insisted on talking to me alone. Or did Master Murong think it would be better if we were to stand still at the door and let passers-by see us? Besides... even if we talked in private, Master Murong must know my identity. I can guarantee that there were definitely no less than four people in the room at that time. Moreover, I definitely did not touch Miss Murong at all."

Murong Mingyan was ashamed and sad, she said with tears in her eyes: "Master Qingchen, is Mingyan really so unattractive to you?"

Xu Qingchen frowned and said calmly, "Sorry."

At this point, it was a stalemate. Ling Tiehan wondered whether he should say something. No matter what, he had to get Xu Qingchen out of Murong's house safely. He didn't care about anyone else. He was just afraid that the old monster Murong Xiong would suddenly make a move. Then they would be in a real predicament today.

The head of the Murong family frowned, stared at Xu Qingchen and said, "Even if Master Qingchen doesn't consider himself, he should at least consider Prince Ding and Princess Ding, right?" Xu Qingchen raised his eyebrows, "Please forgive me for not understanding what the head of the Murong family said."

The head of the Murong family sneered and said, "Not only does the Murong family have nearly 60% of the business dealings in Xiling Country, but we also have a lot of business in Dachu, including the northwest Licheng. Speaking of which... the iron ore in the northwest is all purchased from Dachu and Xiling, right? Coincidentally... 70% of the iron ore purchased by Licheng is purchased from Xiling from the Murong family."

For ordinary people, they may not need many iron tools in their lifetime, but for the Dingwang Mansion, which has nearly one million troops, there is no weapon without iron ore. Therefore, iron ore is a vital issue for the Northwest. How could the Murong family, the richest in the world, not see such huge benefits? As early as the Northwest just broke up with the Great Chu, the Murong family had already taken the initiative to contact the Dingwang Mansion. Xu Qingchen lowered his eyes and said nothing. If the head of the Murong family could see it, he would definitely notice the sneer and coldness in his cold eyes. Unfortunately, the head of the Murong family did not see it, and therefore regarded Xu Qingchen's silence as a compromise. He nodded with a hint of pride and laughed, "Master Qingchen, why don't you think about it carefully? Although our Murong family is a merchant family, it is also rich enough to rival a country. After marrying into the Murong family, Master Qingchen will be the next head of the family. Isn't it a thousand times better than being an aide to Prince Ding?"

"Ahem..." Such shocking words, even the calm and steady Ling Pavilion Master almost choked on the tea. Ling Tiehan looked at the Murong Family Master with admiration: You want Xu Qingchen to marry into the family? You really dare to think... If Xu Qingchen hadn't killed your Murong Family, I would have given you the Yanwang Pavilion. Ling Tiehan and Xu Qingchen had known each other for quite a long time. Although they didn't meet often, it didn't prevent him from understanding Xu Qingchen. Because this was his personal experience.

In the end, the two were politely escorted out by the Murong family's servants, who flattered Xu Qingchen along the way. It seemed that the Murong family's servants had already determined that Young Master Qingchen would be the future son-in-law of the Murong family. When they were far away from the Murong family, Ling Tiehan finally held back a snort, then looked at Xu Qingchen and laughed.

Xu Qingchen looked at him coldly and asked calmly, "Is it funny?" Ling Tiehan admitted generously, "Not bad. After all these years... Master Qingchen finally entertained me once." Master Qingchen usually looked at other people's jokes with a bright and cheerful face, and this time it was finally someone else's turn to watch his fun. Being forced into marriage and giving away a dowry... If it gets out, I don't know how many people will be shocked.

Xu Qingchen glanced at him, turned around and headed towards the city. Ling Tiehan looked at his back, stroked his chin, and forgot about his second sister and third brother who were still waiting for him at the venue, and followed him with an expectant look on his face.

Xu Qingchen didn't know martial arts, so he could only walk back slowly. Ling Tiehan followed him easily and casually, "Mr. Qingchen, have you thought about how to deal with the Murong family? Or are you really going to marry into the Murong family and become the richest man in the world?" Xu Qingchen stopped and looked at him thoughtfully. Ling Gezhu immediately stepped back a few feet in vigilance, "What do you want to do? I can't beat that old monster from the Murong family."

Xu Qingchen smiled and said, "Someone told me that as long as there is another master as skilled as Lingge Master, we will be able to deal with Murong Xiong."

"Mo Xiuyao!" Ling Tiehan gritted his teeth and glanced at Xu Qingchen, saying, "No problem, let Mo Xiuyao do it himself. I also want to see if he has made any progress. In addition, what benefits can I get from helping you with the Murong family?" Friends are friends, and business is business. He would not take action if there was no benefit to such a big thing as the Murong family.

Xu Qingchen stood with his hands behind his back, speaking calmly, "Of course I won't let Brother Ling down. However... it's not enough for us to deal with the Murong family, we need a partner." Ling Tiehan frowned and said in a deep voice, "Lei Zhenting?" Ling Tiehan is no fool, as he was able to become the head of the Yanwang Pavilion and rank among the four great masters at such a young age. In Xiling, it would be extremely difficult to deal with a huge group like the Murong family that even the royal family feared without official permission. "Will Lei Zhenting cooperate with you? His hatred for Mo Liufang is known to the world."

"There are no eternal friends in this world, nor eternal enemies. Lei Zhenting will come to us on his own." After leaving a few words, Master Qingchen left gracefully. Ling Tiehan was left shaking his head and sighing helplessly, "It seems that the Murong family has really run out of luck, otherwise how could they have offended this god?"

"My Lord." King Zhennan looked at the competition on the stage with a sullen look on his face. However, Lei Tengfeng, who was sitting behind him, knew that his father's mind was no longer on the stage.

"How is it?" King Zhennan asked the Golden Guard in front of him. The Golden Guard whispered, "I just got the news that the Murong family wants to marry Master Qingchen."

King Zhennan was startled, then sneered, "They have a nice idea. What is Xu Qingchen's reaction?"

The golden guard said, "Master Qingchen doesn't seem to agree. When he left just now, he didn't look very happy. Now he has gone back to the city." King Zhennan lowered his head and thought for a long time without saying anything. Lei Tengfeng whispered, "Xu Qingchen became famous at a young age and came from a scholarly family. He must be arrogant and would hardly agree to such a proposal."

King Zhennan frowned, turned his head to look at Lei Tengfeng and asked, "Tengfeng, if you were Xu Qingchen, would you agree?" Lei Tengfeng thought for a moment and nodded honestly, "Father, I will agree." King Zhennan nodded and smiled, "You are finally telling the truth, let's go back to the city!"

Standing up, the King of Zhennan turned around and walked out of the venue, and Lei Tengfeng naturally followed immediately. Leng Liuyue, who was sitting next to him, saw the two people leaving, and then looked at the half-empty chairs in the front row and thought for a while and said, "Third brother, let's go too." The sick scholar naturally did not refute Leng Liuyue's words, nodded and stood up and left. Ren Qining, who was fighting on the stage, glanced at the empty seats below, and with a flash of cold light in his eyes, he backhanded a sword and knocked his opponent off the stage. Standing on the stage, Ren Qining looked at the Murong family not far outside the venue, thinking.

Xu Qingchen said goodbye to Ling Tiehan and walked around the city before returning to the inn where he was staying. As soon as he entered the room, he saw two people sitting in the room. Before Xu Qingchen could say anything, several shadows had already rushed over. King Zhennan naturally didn't take these secret guards seriously. He sneered, put down his teacup, and slapped him lightly. Several secret guards obviously realized that they were not this man's opponent. Their bodies crossed, and in a flash, two people entangled King Zhennan and the other two rushed towards Lei Tengfeng on the side. And two people appeared from behind Xu Qingchen again and blocked Xu Qingchen.

"Stop." Xu Qingchen spoke up to stop him.

Before he finished speaking, several secret guards had already stopped their attacks and stood aside with their heads bowed. King Zhennan clapped his hands and said with a smile, "Well, you are indeed the secret guards of Prince Ding's Palace. You are indeed worthy of your reputation. Master Qingchen, I hope you will forgive me for my intrusive visit." Xu Qingchen walked out from behind the secret guards and waved his hand, saying, "Retreat. King Zhennan has no ill intentions in this visit."

"I'll take my leave." Several secret guards did not delay and retreated neatly and quickly after confirming Xu Qingchen's words.

King Zhennan raised his eyebrows, and couldn't help but look at this gentle and graceful Master Qingchen differently. "Oh? How can Master Qingchen be sure that I have no ill intentions?"

Xu Qingchen smiled and said, "If the King of Zhennan wanted to sneak attack me, he could have done it anywhere instead of waiting in the guest house?" The King of Zhennan nodded and said, "Yes, I really envy the King of Ding. Not only does he have a wise man like Master Qingchen to assist him, but his subordinates are also well-trained. Originally, I wanted to come in quietly, but I didn't expect to be discovered. What's more rare is that they can be so patient."

Xu Qingchen walked over to sit opposite the King of Zhennan, took a celadon teacup and poured himself a cup of tea, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, thank you for the reward."

Xu Qingchen smiled and looked at the King of Zhennan and said, "I know why the King of Zhennan came here. I am not interested in selling myself to anyone."

King Zhennan smiled strangely, "The Murong family is rich enough to rival a country."

Xu Qingchen smiled calmly, "Wealth that can rival a country is only useful if people know how to use it. If a person only needs 100,000 taels to live the most luxurious life for a lifetime, then... what is the meaning of 1 million taels to him? When the amount of silver reaches a certain level, it is just a number." King Zhennan narrowed his eyes, looked at Xu Qingchen and said, "I don't understand what you mean, sir."

Xu Qingchen smiled and said, "With my current status, I am very short of money. Hundreds of millions are not too much. But if I change my status, eighty or ten million will be enough."

King Zhennan's eyes flashed, and he said with a bow: "Young Master is so talented. I will regret not having someone like you to assist me. King Ding is so lucky." Xu Qingchen's words were easy to understand. He was now an important figure in the northwest, in charge of the northwest's political affairs. To govern a territory, the more money the better, but Young Master Qingchen himself had no interest in money. King Zhennan looked at him and said: "Young Master Qingchen doesn't seem to be surprised by my visit, or... Is Young Master Qingchen waiting for me to come?"

Xu Qingchen smiled faintly and said, "I just said something to Master Lingge. There are no eternal friends or eternal enemies in this world. Now I will add one more sentence, there are only eternal interests. At least for now, our goals are the same, right? Or... does the King of Zhennan think that I don't have the ability to control the Murong family?"

"There are no eternal friends, nor eternal enemies, only eternal interests? Very insightful!" King Zhennan praised.

"I'm just repeating what others have said, but I happened to hear the princess mention it and I think it's just right to use it here. Isn't it?" Xu Qingchen asked while drinking tea.

"Princess Ding...Princess Ding is indeed a rare and extraordinary woman in the world. Since Master Qingchen is confident that he can control the entire Murong family, why does he want to cooperate with me?" asked King Zhennan.

"Waste of time." Xu Qingchen said rudely. Of course, he could take down the entire Murong family, but that would take ten days or half a month, and it would probably not be easy to complete within three to five years. And now, if Mo Xiuyao let Xu Qingchen out for so long for the Murong family, he would rather burn down all the Murong family's industries. Who would handle his official duties and take care of the people's livelihood after Xu Qingchen left?

King Zhennan lowered his eyes and thought about Xu Qingchen's words. If possible, he would never cooperate with Xu Qingchen. Cooperation means that the benefits obtained cannot be enjoyed alone, and most of the benefits of the Murong family are in Xiling, which originally belonged to Xiling. But if he disagreed, King Zhennan had no doubt that even if Xu Qingchen was unwilling to be the son-in-law of the Murong family, he would have a way to ruin it for him. What's more, there is Da Chu. If the Murong family is forced to directly surrender to Da Chu, it will be even more of a loss.

After a long while, the King of Zhennan raised his head and asked, "What does Master Qingchen want?"

Xu Qingchen smiled with satisfaction, "All the Murong family's properties in the northwest will be owned by the palace. As for those in Xiling... I don't want much, 30% will be owned by the palace, and one floor will be owned by Prince Yan's Pavilion."

The face of the King of Zhennan darkened slightly, "Master Qingchen's appetite is a bit too big." He asked for 40% of the Murong family's industry right away, which is equivalent to about 20% of the entire Xiling industry. Xu Qingchen smiled calmly, "King of Zhennan, do you mean that your Zhennan Palace can take down the Murong family alone? Or can the King of Zhennan guarantee that Da Chu, Nanzhao and Beirong will not intervene? Although the Beirong royal family did not send anyone this time, but... now we are on the territory of the King of Zhennan, I don't believe that the King of Zhennan will not know what Beirong is doing. Taking a step back, is the King of Zhennan sure to deal with Murong Xiong?"