As soon as Luo Yan's name was mentioned, the men of the Xiao family stood up, left their seats and gathered around Xiao Jingkang. The Yun brothers and Mu Fengwu also walked neatly into the Xiao family team.
Yun Can followed them in disguise and joined the Xiao family army. No one was in the mood to pay attention to him at the moment, and his happy face was almost stretched to his ears.
"Our Xiao family has never had any dealings with Prince Qin. We are unworthy of accepting his gift." Xiao Jingkang's words clearly implied a refusal. Even if there had been no agreement between him and Prince Jing, Xiao Jingkang would not have accepted Luo Yan's gift. Asking his daughter to marry far away was like asking for his life. Unless the emperor issued an imperial decree, he would not agree to it until his death.
"His Royal Highness the Prince Qin said that you should keep the gifts for now. He will come to visit us in person soon, and then we will have some interactions. Half of these eight boxes of gifts are for the old Marquis' birthday, and the other half are small gifts for Miss Xiao. My job is to deliver the gifts to the Xiao family. Farewell."
Before anyone could react, dozens of people waved their sleeves and left quickly, without taking even a cloud with them.
"Xiao Si, take all these things back to the Princess's Mansion and tell your wife to write a letter to Luo Yan immediately, saying that His Royal Highness the King of Qin broke his promise and didn't abide by the agreement we made back then, and that his actions were purely the behavior of a villain."
As soon as the old Marquis Xiao finished speaking, the whole audience fell silent. Only an old man from the Xiao family could do such a thing as insulting another country's prince in public.
Xiao Jingkang supported himself on the table beside him with one hand, relying on it to keep from collapsing. He just couldn't understand why these people would not let the Xiao family and their daughter go, as they had never had the ambition to cling to the rich and powerful, and no one in the family, from top to bottom, had ever thought of using their daughter to gain wealth and glory.
A warm hand patted his shoulder. Xiao Jingkang turned around and saw King Jing's warm smile, as if to say that he didn't need to worry since he was there.
"I'll throw the things out the door." Xiao Jun kicked the box in front hard. His sister is his own and no one can covet her.
Mu Fengwu also imitated King Jing and patted Yun Yichen on the shoulder, saying, "Brother, take care of yourself. Your uncle is not a pushover."
"This is my junior sister's twin brother." Mu Fengwu pointed at Xiao Jun and introduced him to Kong Xuzhe.
They don't look alike at all, and that's not right. Their facial shapes are somewhat similar, and their foreheads are also quite similar. Kong Xuzhe took a break from his busy schedule to comment on Xiao Jun's appearance.
In such a solemn and dignified atmosphere, Mu Fengwu and Kong Xuzhe hid behind the scenes and whispered about Xiao Jun and his sister, not taking Luo Yan seriously at all. Because they both firmly believed that with King Jing and his son around, there would be nothing that could not be resolved.
Yun Yichen clenched his hands into fists hidden in his sleeves. He had no legitimate identity now and no say at all. He could only watch as clowns appeared one after another and humiliated the little girl, but he could do nothing.
"Dad, Xiyue is about to give birth. Can you please stop stimulating her?" Xiao Jingyan begged the old marquis. If his wife had a miscarriage, it could be fatal.
Old Marquis Xiao glared at his son. "Your wife is so important, so my granddaughter has to endure this injustice, right? After today, who knows what people in Kyoto will say about this matter!"
It so happened that the child from the Liang family went back to his hometown to build an ancestral hall, and he would not be back for at least a year or two. When he was needed, no one could be relied upon.
"Don't worry, old man. Let's work together to find a solution. We will never let anything happen to our junior sister." Yun Yifan was the first to state his position. He originally wanted to leave the opportunity to his cousin, but unfortunately that guy lowered his head and didn't know what he was thinking. He couldn't be relied on at all, so he had to take action himself.
Yun Can also wanted to take the opportunity to show his loyalty, but Mu Fengwu, who kept talking and glaring at him with disdain, picked him up and threw him back to his original seat. If Yun Yichen found out he was courting death, he might actually send him off himself.
I really don't know where Yun Can gets his self-confidence from. He thinks the Prince of Northern Jin and the newly crowned top scholar are both better than him. He should just go home and get married. He wants to join in all the fun. If I hadn't intervened just now, whether he fell into the hands of the old man or was caught by Yun Yichen, his fate would have been terrible. No, I can't help him for nothing. After today, I must ask for some interest and persuade him to stop dreaming. Look how kind I am!
"I'm responsible for taking care of these things, and I will definitely take care of them. Don't be angry, there are guests here!" Xiao Jingyan pitifully asked his second and third brothers for help, asking them to help ask the old man to let him go. It would be too embarrassing to be scolded in front of so many guests.
"Dad, that Prince of Northern Jin is mom's relative, right? If he dares to come, I will beat him to a pulp, to vent my grandfather's anger and avenge my sister." Xiao Yu rolled up his sleeves and walked out with his head held high.
Old Marquis Xiao cast a look of approval at his grandson. This kid knows how to distinguish between relatives and strangers. Not bad. Yun Yichen now felt a little more comfortable looking at Xiao Yu. "Go on! Go on!" This guy can scold Luo Yan for anything. Who doesn't know that children speak without restraint?
However, Xiao Yu's next words stunned everyone present, and they didn't react for a long time.
"Tomorrow I'll go out on the streets and post notices, telling everyone that my sister won't marry a stranger. If I marry her, I won't have to leave home and won't be bullied. How wonderful!"
"Okay? Okay?" Xiao Jingyan covered his son's mouth and dragged him away. He was afraid that if he was a step too late, his father and eldest brother would tear him to pieces.
The scene among the men was a complete mess. Tong Mingyu, who heard the news from the women, almost fainted. What had her daughter done to offend anyone? Why was there another crisis after another? What would the Jing Palace and the princess think? What if they changed their minds? Would Ping An have to marry far away?
She turned around and looked in the direction of her daughter. Hey! Where did this child go again?
What no one noticed was that a makeshift stage with a folding screen had been erected on the wall connecting the front and back yards. When everything was ready, a young veiled girl cleared her throat and said to the male guest, "Today is Grandpa's birthday. The grandsons and granddaughters have rehearsed a show. I hope you like it."
The old man still had the mood to watch the show? Many people began to shake their heads, thinking that the child's efforts were wasted.
"Good, Grandfather is just looking for a change of mood!" Through the gauze screen, the old marquis saw his beloved eldest granddaughter sitting behind the piano stand. He was a person whose mood would instantly improve as soon as he saw his granddaughter.
Yun Yichen and the others also spotted the people on the platform. Xiao Yuan, with her red skirt swaying and a light veil covering her face, looked mysterious and slender. Xiao Jun, wearing a light blue robe and standing beside her with a sword, looked like a young knight.
Behind the screen, one could only vaguely see a girl sitting behind the piano stand, with a boy who was even more burly than Xiao Jun standing next to her.
It’s Xiao Yao and Xiao Qi.
The sound of a guzheng (Chinese zither) was the first to be heard, and the tune "Swordsmanship" began to play melodiously in the ensemble of guzheng and flute. Xiao Jun and Xiao Yuan, each holding a sword, danced with swords in perfect unison, gracefully and calmly on the high platform.
The high-pitched and distant music, coupled with the graceful movements of the boys and girls, had the audience mesmerized.
Kong Xuzhe: Why wasn't I the one dancing with Xiao Ruyi? What a rare opportunity to get close to the little girl! Yun Shizi's uncle got it for free.
Yun Yichen: If the little girl knew Luo Yan had sent someone, she probably wouldn't be in such a good mood! There are too many boys in her family. Xiao Jun, who is obsessed with protecting his sister, and Xiao Yu, who dreams of getting married, just left, and now here comes a fat guy. No wonder the girl can't see other boys, because she has always been around him.
"Good." As soon as the performance on the podium stopped, Kong Xuzhe dropped the snacks in his hand and was the first to stand up and cheer.
King Jing looked helplessly at his son who was sitting there quietly without moving. Look how good other people are at making girls happy, can't you learn from them, son!
Yun Yichen felt King Jing's disappointed look and slowly turned his head to the side. He knew he was not good at this but still hinted at it. Was that interesting?
"Old Marquis..." Butler Feng came over again with a bitter face. He felt that he might not see the sun tomorrow, and the old Marquis would most likely throw him into the pond to feed the fish.
This time, the old marquis didn't even open his mouth. He just stared at Butler Feng, whose mood, which had just improved, suddenly became depressed.
"Yes... there is a Mr. Xie who wants to come in and celebrate your birthday." After saying this, Butler Feng quickly lowered his head. If possible, he would like to hide his head in his collar. Saving his life is important!
"Which Young Master Xie? I don't know him and I won't see him." Old Marquis Xiao first glared at Kong Xuzhe. There are bad-intentioned guys everywhere. He hasn't finished guarding against his eldest granddaughter yet, and someone is eyeing his younger granddaughter. These people can't bear to see him live a peaceful life, right?
"I'll go take a look." King Jing now felt immense sympathy for Old Marquis Xiao and Xiao Jingkang, as well as his own poor, unofficial son. His future daughter-in-law was incredibly alluring. He didn't even know how to handle the first two! And now another one had appeared, personally. The Xiao family would likely be the talk of the town tomorrow. This wasn't a good sign!
"Uncle Wang, let me go!" Yun Yifan stood up and walked out. Xie Zhuoliang has been very close to the prince recently, and he is probably thinking of making Xie Qingxuan the prince's consort. One of them needs someone to support him, and the other wants to have a place in Kyoto. It is very likely that they will reach an agreement.
Yun Yifan didn't care about his brother and the Xie family. What he was worried about was that Xie Zhuoliang would take the opportunity to take advantage of Xiao Yao and promise his brother some benefits in exchange for Xiao Yao.
Judging from his actions today, this man is going to take action.
How could he be worthy of Junior Sister with his character? So this matter must be stopped. Let him give up this idea as soon as possible.
"I'll go with you." Yun Yichen stood up with a dark face. When will these people ever stop?
"No, I can do it alone." After all, he was married, so Xie Zhuoliang wouldn't have too many associations. If his cousin frequently spoke up for the Xiao family, Xie Zhuoliang didn't know what he would say! Before the Jingwang Mansion and the Xiao family became relatives, it was best to avoid rumors. Who knows what the Empress Dowager and the Han family will do? They are willing to use any means, so you have to be on guard!
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