You are not a good man
After a long pause, A Qiu finally organized her thoughts and said, "For some reason, Huli Guang explicitly told us that the person he wanted to marry was Miss Shangguan. I never expected that Miss Shangguan was so famous that her reputation had spread to the Northern Qiang and that this man had taken a liking to her."
Shangguan Yuqi raised an eyebrow, but thankfully she didn't get angry. She simply asked, "Did he explain the reason himself?"
A Qiu summarized Hulü Guang's explanation in her mind, and then said, "There are two reasons. First, he has admired the calligraphy of the former Empress Huan Xining since he was young, so he was determined to marry the daughter of the Shangguan family. At that time, we replied that there were many women from the Shangguan family who were good at calligraphy, so he should consider others instead of you, Miss. Hulü Guang then replied that it was because you were the most beautiful one among them."
After she finished speaking, she secretly glanced at Shangguan Yuqi out of the corner of her eye, afraid that she would get angry.
Shangguan Yuqi was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What kind of person is Hulü Guang?"
A Qiu was surprised that Shangguan Yuqi seemed interested in Hulü Guang. After recalling his appearance and demeanor for a moment, she tried to remain fair and said, "To be fair, this man is handsome and eloquent. He has the talent of a king and is expected to become the next emperor of the Northern Qiang. However, as for a good husband, I... do not recommend him."
Shangguan Yuqi turned to look at her, first surprised, then smiled and said, "It seems you really consider me a friend, otherwise you wouldn't have told me directly that this man is not a good person."
A-Qiu asked in surprise, "Is there a problem with this?"
Shangguan Yuqi smiled and said, "As the successor of the Junior Master, if you want to quickly gain prestige and power, the most important thing is to establish achievements and win people's hearts. If you really value power above all else, you will try your best to help me achieve what Hulü Guang wants. Firstly, the marriage alliance can be completed, and the North and South will not go to war at least in the near future, which can buy you time. Secondly, without me, the number one swordsman of the Southern Dynasty, His Majesty and the Crown Prince will rely on you even more."
A Qiu shook her head decisively and said, "If it were Hulü Guang, from my master's perspective, I wouldn't want any woman from our Southern Dynasty to marry him, including General Xiao Fan."
She thought for a moment and then said succinctly, "Because Master would certainly not think that sacrificing a woman's life and happiness to form a temporary compromise is something that someone in power should do."
Shangguan Yuqi glanced at her with an admiring look, then said calmly, "In that case, why don't we strike first and kill this person?"
A Qiu never expected that the usually aloof Shangguan Yuqi would speak of murder so calmly. Instead, she was taken aback and said in surprise, "I never thought of that. Our dynasty is known as a land of etiquette with a long history. When two countries are at war, envoys are not to be killed, especially since he came to negotiate peace. Killing him seems despicable."
Shangguan Yuqi smiled and said, "What if I let him voluntarily engage in a public duel with me?"
A-Qiu suddenly realized and said, "What you mean, Miss, is that since he has proposed to you, you can set conditions, such as that he must be able to beat you before he will marry you. This is not a bad plan. However," she hesitated, "what if, I mean, what if, Miss loses?"
Shangguan Yuqi said nonchalantly, "Then I'll marry him. If I really marry him, we'll be together every day, and I'll have plenty of opportunities to kill him."
A Qiu shuddered and said decisively, "No. I absolutely cannot let you take such a risk. Your uncle, the Right Chancellor, and even His Majesty and the Crown Prince would never agree to it."
For the first time, Shangguan Yuqi revealed a bright smile and said, "Don't worry, Hulü Guang is no match for me. Our Shangguan family has also investigated his strengths and weaknesses. He is skilled in spear fighting and has dominated the Northern Dynasty with his rusty silver spear. Few can rival him, but he still cannot defeat Binghuang in my hand. I'm just afraid that he will not agree to this duel."
A Qiu said with relief, "That's true." In her opinion, even Hulü Guang wouldn't last twenty moves against her. Shangguan Yuqi's skill was about equal to hers, so Shangguan Yuqi's words were credible.
She added, “There’s no need to be afraid of him. What’s strange is that Hulü Guang only knows that the young lady is the most beautiful woman in our dynasty, but he seems to have never heard of the young lady’s swordsmanship. He always acts very affectionate and has a great manner in front of us. If the young lady proposes a duel, he will definitely be too embarrassed to refuse.”
Firstly, since Hulü Guang was so infatuated, as a man, he dared not accept a woman's challenge, so he naturally had no right to ask to marry her. If this matter were to be reported back to the Northern Qiang, Hulü Guang would only become a laughing stock.
Shangguan Yuqi said casually, "What's so strange about that? When people from the Northern Dynasty mention women, they only describe their beauty and see them as prey to be taken into their possession. They would never bother to inquire about their cultivation and skills. Even if they did hear about it, they would just laugh it off as nonsense."
A Qiu was overjoyed that this difficult problem was solved so easily, almost jumping for joy. If it weren't for Shangguan Yuqi's aloof and ethereal demeanor, and her aversion to being near people, she would have wanted to hug her tightly.
Shangguan Yuqi said, "Have you ever thought about why he insists on marrying me, and not the daughter of some other powerful family?"
A-Qiu blinked and tentatively asked, "Is it because none of the other women are as famous as you?"
Shangguan Yuqi looked up at the clouds passing by in the sky and said, "The reason why His Majesty wants me to be the Crown Princess is the same as the reason why Hulü Guang is the Crown Princess."
A Qiu suddenly realized and said heavily, "So this Hulü Guang's ambition is not only to become the emperor of the Northern Dynasty, but also to become the monarch of the world after the unification of the North and the South. Therefore, a Han Chinese empress who comes from a top family in the Southern Dynasty and has the bloodline of the previous Empress Xining will be of unparalleled help to his prestige and the effect of winning over the hearts of the gentry in the world."
At this moment, she also deeply felt the helplessness of Shangguan Yuqi's situation.
Even though she only wished to stay away from the world and live a secluded life, her reputation and the symbolic significance of the Shangguan family behind her had already made her a target for powerful men.
Fortunately, she possessed exceptional cultivation; otherwise, she would have become a victim of political compromise, just like her aunt.
Shangguan Yuqi's clear understanding of the situation and her decisive and shrewd counterattacks were even more unexpected.
She used to think of Shangguan Yuqi as an ethereal fairy who didn't care about worldly affairs and wouldn't pay attention to the hypocrisy and scheming of people. Now, however, she felt much more at ease about Shangguan Yuqi's methods of self-preservation in the current situation.
Ah Qiu immediately said, "We told him that you had no intention of getting married, and Huli Guang asked to meet with you privately. He said he would definitely have a way to make you agree."
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Yuqi's eyes narrowed slightly, a glint of icy light flashing within them, and she coldly asked, "What makes him so confident?"
Ah Qiu thought for a moment and said, "Strictly speaking, with his elegant appearance, eloquent speech, and the look of deep and unwavering affection, he could probably deceive most young ladies. I guess he is quite confident in this regard, and therefore believes that as long as you are willing to meet him in private, you will definitely be moved after his confession."
Ah Qiu's words were not without reason. After all, Huli Guang, the Prince of Ning of Northern Qiang, was skilled in both literature and martial arts, proficient in calligraphy and painting, and handsome. He was also the future emperor of Northern Qiang. No matter which young lady he was placed in front of, he would be an excellent choice for a husband. Countless women would fight tooth and nail for him.
Shangguan Yuqi looked at her with amusement and said, "You've seen him in person, so why aren't you tempted?"
A Qiu was speechless. Although she could be considered a young lady, she seemed to have never thought of it in this direction.
Looking back, aside from the fact that she already had someone she loved, it was probably the bloody massacre in front of the inn that had first awakened her vigilance. It wasn't a matter of whether she liked Hulü Guang or not, but rather that she instinctively lacked trust in him. No matter how good his looks, background, or external conditions were, they were all just empty shells.
Shangguan Yuqi said in a deep voice, "Don't be so naive. If I'm not mistaken, as long as I'm willing to see him, he will definitely drug or use a sleeping potion to make me submit to him. Otherwise, no one in the world can be so sure that he can make any girl marry him without hesitation after just one meeting."
A Qiu felt a chill run down her spine. Seeing Shangguan Yuqi's certainty, she asked suspiciously, "Does he have the guts? This is, after all, within our territory, and you are the current head of the Shangguan family and the First Lady of the Eastern Palace."
Shangguan Yuqi sneered, "If you knew how many Han women had secretly died tragically in his mansion, you wouldn't think he didn't have the guts. Many of them were even daughters of high-ranking families. But this man is very adept at playing the Han people's game, unlike other Northern Qiang royal families who openly burn, kill, and plunder. On the surface, he even knows how to deliberately maintain a good reputation for himself."
She paused for a moment before saying, "Although the North and South are now separated, the Shangguan family still maintains some contact with the Han Chinese aristocratic families in the North. As the head of the family, I still know a lot of inside information from the North. With Hulü Guang's arrival in the capital, this information was delivered to me one by one."
A Qiu finally understood why Xiao Yu insisted on not marrying back then, preferring to give up her future position as Empress of the Northern Qiang and stay in Dawanshan.
It seems that even besides Li Wujiu, she was well aware of Hulü Guang's popularity, which is why she resisted to the death.
She also understood why Shangguan Yuqi clearly showed murderous intent whenever this person was mentioned.
Shangguan Yuqi continued, "He may use underhanded tactics against us, but I will only publicly challenge him to a duel. I must kill him in front of the whole world to avenge the humiliated women of noble families in the north."
A Qiu also said in a deep voice, "But this type of person must cherish his life. If he stays in Jianzhang for a while longer, he will definitely know about the young lady's reputation. I'm afraid that when that happens, he will try to back out of the duel agreement and escape this calamity."
Shangguan Yuqi said nonchalantly, "Therefore, I will grant his wish by meeting him privately and personally challenging him to a duel, leaving him no choice but to accept."
A-Qiu said, "Knowing that he would use poison, isn't this taking too much risk?"
Shangguan Yuqi smiled brightly again and said, "That's what you need to think about, Lord Sile!" She said almost playfully, "You relayed Huli Guang's message to me, and the message has been delivered. I have also agreed to meet, and I have explained everything clearly. So, how to protect my safety is naturally your concern!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
