Kong Xuzhe wanted to stop the war and make peace, but Xiao Yi was unwilling. He said that if anyone dared to bully his sister, he should be prepared to be beaten.
"Second brother of the Xiao family, this is the young prince of the Lingnan Palace. He really wants to learn the magic show of the second Miss Xiao, so he has resorted to this desperate measure. You must not hurt the harmony." Yun Yifan pushed Kong Xuzhe away with one hand and stopped Xiao Yi with the other. He could see that the Xiao family was really angry.
"Second brother, forget it!" Xiao Yao came over to help Xiao Yi straighten his sleeves, brush off the dust, and pull him back.
"Did he bully you two in the palace?" Xiao Yi glanced at Kong Xuzhe coldly, looked at his sister for a long time before asking.
"Nothing happened between Ruyi and me. Not only that, we were rewarded by the emperor!" Did you hear that, Prince Yun? Don't forget my gift. It's not from your Prince Jing's Mansion. Don't be so stingy, okay?
Yun Yichen lowered his head and smiled secretly. When did this little girl learn to be so petty? She even reminded him that he had never broken his promise to her.
"Boy, no matter who you are, don't bully my granddaughter, and don't try to do anything wrong. We in the Xiao family won't fall for that." Old Marquis Xiao led Xiao Yuan over. The old man had never worried about his six grandsons. But when it came to his granddaughters, everything changed. The two children were already being targeted by men at a young age. Now, the men in the family worry terribly whenever they see a boy near them.
"You are Lord Xiao. I have heard about you and I admire you very much. When you have time, how about you give me some advice?" Kong Xuzhe seemed to be looking at Lord Xiao, but in fact she had been observing Xiao Yuan. She didn't know what she was thinking at the moment. Her right index finger was against her lower lip, and her big eyes were unblinking, which showed that she was thinking of something.
"The Xiao family has six grandsons. If you can defeat them all, I, the old man, will personally teach you a lesson." This is another brat who just clings to Ping An because he's good-looking! Let the six grandsons teach him a lesson and teach him a lesson.
"I'll give you the playing cards, and then let my fourth brother teach you how to play. Then we'll be even. No one will recognize each other when we meet in the future. Okay?" Xiao Yuan reached into his purse, wanting to take out the playing cards to pay off the debt.
"Was this poker card drawn by Ping An?" Xiao Jingkang and Xiao Yi asked in unison.
"No, I asked my fourth uncle to draw it for me." Xiao Yuan wasn't stupid enough to give her sister's things as a gift. Her fourth uncle lost the bet to her sister, and this was the winning bet.
"Little girl, you really want to distance yourself from me! What a pity! You can't distance yourself from me since you hit me that time." Kong Xuzhe said with a smile.
"Don't talk nonsense here, Ruyi, ignore him, let's go home." Old Marquis Xiao didn't expect that the brat in front of him was running for his granddaughter. Did his family offend some kind of god? Ping An alone was already making people anxious, how should they get rid of this little prince who appeared out of nowhere!
"Grandfather, don't be angry. And this guy is obviously... the little girl's father?"
"My name is Xiao Jingkang, Xiao Yao's father and Xiao Yuan's uncle. This is my son, Xiao Yuan's cousin." Although he didn't want to talk to this young man, he still had to give him face for the Lingnan Palace.
"You are not the little girl's biological father, so I will call you uncle!" Kong Xuzhe thought to himself, thinking that he was the future father-in-law! But he guessed wrong.
Yun Yichen really wanted to kindly tell him that this was his future father-in-law, who worked in the Ministry of Rites. If he wanted to show his courtesy, he should go find him somewhere!
"Hello, brothers and sisters, let me formally introduce myself here. My last name is Kong Xizhe, and I'm from the Lingnan Palace. Maybe we'll be family in the future. If there's anything I can do, just let me know." Kong Xuzhe patted his chest and promised.
"Get out of here!" Old Marquis Xiao flew into a rage. Xiao Yi attacked again, and this time even Xiao Yao pointed at Kong Xuzhe and shouted, "Hit him." Because those who left the palace had not gone far, who wouldn't want to see the excitement? Everyone stopped to watch, and some couldn't help but criticize, "You Xiao family, just be happy!" It was such an honor for their granddaughter to be favored by the young prince!
"It's really rare. This young prince actually fell in love with that silly girl from the Xiao family. Look how angry that little vixen is. She really thinks she is the most beautiful girl in the world! But some people just don't buy her account." Han Yueting said gritting her teeth. At the same time, she was jealous of Xiao Yuan's good luck. Why could she catch the young prince's eye?
"And the prince is protecting Xiao Yao!" He Jinzhi was not only scolded by Yun Yichen today, but also embarrassed in front of everyone with Yun Can. Now she doesn't know how to face her parents when she returns home. All this happened because of Xiao Yao. She hated Xiao Yao and was even more afraid of Yun Yichen's revenge.
"The little vixen is only suitable for roles like a favorite concubine or a noble concubine. Who would let such a seductive-looking vixen be the mistress of the house?" Han Yueting said with certainty. She believed that she had an advantage over Xiao Yao in this regard.
They were suddenly plunged into a silent awkwardness. The ladies neither agreed with Han Yueting's statement nor dared or were unwilling to refute her.
"Young Prince, you'd better go first!" It would be strange if the old man wasn't angry if he snatched the old man's treasure in public. Yun Yichen imagined that if he said in public today that he was interested in Xiao Yao, the Xiao family would probably come together and that's not all. He believed that the old man would even find his uncle the emperor.
Tang Hao stood aside and looked at Xiao Yao quietly. It was really not an easy thing to marry her. Not to mention that there were many people coveting her, not to mention her attitude, even the old man and the men in the Xiao family had a hard time getting through this hurdle.
But life has to go on even if it's not easy. It's time for him to set off for his hometown. It's time to find an opportunity to have a long talk with the elders of the Xiao family. Tang Hao didn't dare to hope that they would agree to his marriage proposal immediately. If he could buy a few months to convince his family and settle everything before returning to Beijing, he would be satisfied.
Tang Hao stared at Xiao Yao as she walked towards the carriage. He didn't dare blink, afraid she would disappear. Xiao Yao turned around and waved at Yun Ruonan at the carriage door. Tang Hao memorized her every smile and frown, and he was still savoring them even after the carriage had driven away.
The next day, Xiao Jingkang went out to meet a friend. On his way home, he met Tang Hao, who was standing aside with a horse, as if waiting for someone.
"My nephew greets Uncle Xiao." Tang Hao threw the reins to Yan Bo and bowed politely to Xiao Jingkang.
"It's you! Looking for Ayang? He's home today, go ahead!" The son was working like a slave for his daughter. The daughter was known for not liking chess, so to shake off her reputation, she learned a little game called checkers. Seeing that everyone wanted to learn, she grabbed Xiao Jingyan and Xiao Yang's laborers and asked them to help make the chessboard and pieces.
"My nephew would like to invite you for a cup of tea. I wonder if you have time, uncle." Tang Hao extended an invitation to Xiao Jingkang.
"Okay." The boy finally couldn't help himself. He was about to return to Jiangnan to pay respects to his ancestors and await his appointment. Perhaps the emperor wouldn't let him return to Beijing for the time being. If he left quietly like this, he might miss his daughter forever. How could he possibly be willing to accept that?
Xiao Jingkang felt quite sorry for Tang Hao, as he was a leader among his peers in both talent and character. The only thing the Xiao family couldn't accept was the distance between the two families. For the men in the Xiao family, who were obsessed with granddaughters, daughters, and sisters, this was the most unacceptable thing.
The couple would bring up Tang Hao countless times in their private chats, with Tong Mingyu sometimes even saying that as long as the man was good, it didn't matter if he married far away! But Xiao Jingkang just couldn't bear to let his daughter go, and none of his sons agreed, not to mention the old man who jumped up and down at the mention of his grandson-in-law.
Xiao Jingkang guessed what Tang Hao wanted to say to him, and felt sorry for the young man's infatuation, so he decided to give him a chance to speak his mind. He also wanted to take the opportunity to persuade him to let go when it was time!
The two of them found a teahouse. Tang Hao personally poured a cup of tea for Xiao Jingkang. After he finished his drink, he stood up, bowed again, and said, "My nephew is about to return home. Before I leave, I have a few words from my heart. I hope my uncle will give me a chance."
"Just say whatever you want to say!" Xiao Jingkang was moved by the polite young man, but when he thought about the distance between Kyoto and Jiangnan, he couldn't agree. If he, his father, and his sons couldn't see Ping An for years, they would go crazy, and the end result would be unfair to this infatuated young man.
"My nephew has been in love with Miss Xiao for a long time. Ever since I met her in Suzhou that year, I vowed to study hard and come to Kyoto in the future. Now that all this has come true, I have to return to Suzhou. If I'm lucky, I might be transferred to an official position near Kyoto. If I'm transferred to another place, I don't know if I'll have the chance to see her again..." Having said this, Tang Hao couldn't continue. He felt extremely uncomfortable, as if someone had grabbed his heart and squeezed it hard, making it hard to breathe and the pain unbearable.
"Uncle understands your thoughts. To be honest, apart from the fact that Kyoto is too far from Jiangnan, it's hard for us to find anything we are dissatisfied with about you. However, I believe you are somewhat familiar with the situation of our Xiao family. We are reluctant to let Ping An marry far away, and we will never agree to her marrying far away."
"Nephew, I understand. If, nephew means if I can stay in Kyoto, will you agree to this marriage?" Tang Hao asked with a burning gaze.
"You will return to Jiangnan sooner or later, forget about her!"
"I am sincere to Miss Xiao. Can you swear that I will only marry her in this life and never take a concubine? I will never let her suffer any grievance?" Tang Hao pleaded with the last glimmer of hope.
"Ping'an's future husband must be devoted to her. Otherwise, no matter who he is or how long they have been married, I will take my daughter back to the Xiao family. She has her own food and doesn't need anyone else, so why should she suffer injustice? In our Xiao family, no man takes a concubine, and no woman will marry a concubine. This will never change."
My daughter is right. It is shameful for a man to regard not taking a concubine as alms to his wife. When he regards this as a condition, he no longer deserves to be regarded as an excellent and responsible man.
Xiao Jingkang drank another cup of tea, said take care to Tang Hao, and went home. He left cleanly and decisively, his heart no longer troubled. Rather than leaving his daughter with someone he didn't fully understand, it would be better to keep her by his side and let Master Tang give her to others!
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