Ling Xiao roared in laughter, in high spirits, and with an even higher attitude. He waved his hands and said, âYou bunch of brats, donât scare off my daughter-in-law! Next time when one of your sons gets married, then you bunch of unrepentant brats can go and make a mess! Now, as Marshal, I command: Set off!â
Amidst the laughter, Ling Xiao was the first to ride out of the military drill ground, and closely following behind were the various flag bearers and drummers, followed by platoon after platoon of smartly fitted soldiers in neat rows. Their presence was overbearing, and their killing intent rose straight towards the heavens!â
Ling Tian waved his hands as he shouted, âReturn victorious and triumphant!â
All of the soldiers immediately raised up their weapons, shouting, âReturn victorious and triumphant!â Their voices were like thunder, shaking the mountains and seas!
Nobody noticed that at this moment, Ling Tianâs finger twitched, and a tiny ball of paper flew into the bosom of a young soldier standing behind Ling Xiao. The soldier in question almost imperceptibly nodded his head as he followed the army out.
Upon returning to the Ling Residence, Ling Chen abandoned Ling Tian as she flew like a hurricane into the little courtyard, likely about to wallow in embarrassment and shyness. Ling Tian couldnât help but laugh.
Old Madam Ling also helplessly let out a laugh as she shook her head, saying, âTianâer, your actions today were completely out of this grandmaâs expectations. But it really suits your reckless nature, indeedâŚâ
Ling Tian laughed once more, replying, âChenâer has already followed me for so many years, who can replace her? I should have given her a title long ago, and having given her a title only now I think that itâs a little late.â
Old Madam Ling could only sigh helplessly, âHis Majesty has just bestowed a marriage to you, and you actually went in front of all the officials as well as soldiers, brazenly proclaiming another girl to be your woman. That isnât too good, right? Even if you arenât afraid of the Emperor, what about your aunt and Jiao Yueâs side, how will you answer to them? Arenât you afraid that Jiao Yue would feel jealous?â
A cold light shone in Ling Tianâs eyes as he retorted, âHow the imperial court wishes to deal with it, thatâs their problem. I havenât even settled the matter of auntâs poison with them yet! The fact that I havenât dealt with them already speaks volumes of my generosity, and as for how Jiao Yue thinks, thatâs her own problem. If you want to be a woman of the Ling Family, then you have to follow the rules of our Ling Family! Even if the Jade Emperorâs daughter marries into our family, her identity would be that of a daughter-in-law of the Ling Family and not the Princess of Heaven! As for jealousy, hehe⌠she just needs time to get used to it!â Ling Tian smirked.
âTianâer, this way of thinking isnât quite correct,â On the side, Chu Tingâer frowned as she interjected, âAs a man, if you canât even placate your women, arenât you no better than a wimp?â
Ling Tian grimaced, âMother, cousin now still isnât considered my woman, at least in my eyes! Everything hasnât been set in stone anyways, so saying such things is still too early.â
âStill not set in stone?â As Chu Tingâer carefully pondered over Ling Tianâs sentence, she began to fluster. âHis Majesty has already bestowed the marriage upon you, so how could it still not be set in stone? Donât tell meâŚ!!â At this point, Chu Tingâer was completely horrified at what she wanted to say next!
Ling Tian laughed and turned to walk away while saying, âAll these are still indeterminate.â
âMotherâŚâ Chu Tingâer stared at Old Madam Ling, tongue-tied and at a loss for words. Old Madam Ling could only give a helpless smile as she replied, âTingâer, you still donât understand your son at all⌠and here I still thought that you were smart.â With this cliffhanger, Old Madam Ling also walked back to her room, leaving Chu Tingâer mutely frozen in shock, her face alternating between happiness and anxiety.
***
As with Ling Tianâs expectations, it was announced that the Xiao Familyâs auction was also going to be held in Smoky Thea Tower! Indeed, the fact that Gu XiYanâs twelve chambers could be linked together to form a huge arena for activities made it very suitable for such events!
The only difference was that for the scholarly meet, Gu XiYan had put forth all her effort without asking for any compensation. But for this auction, Gu XiYan had ruthlessly fleeced the Xiao Family, asking for fifty thousand taels of silver just for the first day! Just the price alone would scare most people that heard of it!
This made the Xiao Family incomparably depressed. Why did the other party not require any compensation but we ended up being devoured? However, since they had already chosen this location, they couldnât change it for fear of losing face. If word was to get out that the number one financial magnate changed venues because they couldnât afford to pay that paltry sum of cash, then they would end up as the number one laughingstock! As such, while Xiao FengYang was furious in his heart, he could only grit his teeth and swallow this injustice. Since he had already coughed up the fifty thousand taels of silver, he became unusually generous and immediately rewarded Smoky Thea Tower with another ten thousand taels for good performance in order to shame them. You want money? Iâll drown you in it!
But never in his dreams did he expect Gu XiYanâs face to not change, instead laughing happily as she accepted the money, constantly thanking him for it. âThis old woman is running a business, so of course Iâll take the money! If I donât fleece the Xiao Family, then how could I answer to my ancestors? But I never thought that the younger generation of the Xiao Family could be so different, immediately coming out with a dazzling ten thousand as a reward. If he was thirty years younger, I would actually consider becoming part of his family! Ai, why did he give ten thousand taels of silver? Might as well hand over ten thousand taels of gold! Could it be that he has taken a fancy to me? Hmm, if thatâs the case, then if he hands over ten thousand taels of gold, this woman will definitely consider it!â
Gu XiYanâs monologue was somehow heard by Xiao FengYang, immediately causing him to have an urge to vomit blood! He almost wanted to rush up to Gu XiYan and rebuke her, thinking, This old man here forged a bloody path on my own, but in your eyes Iâm actually a younger generation? And you even want to enter my harem, but I have to be thirty years younger??! This daddy here is only forty-five, Iâm in my prime! Pui! Even if you were twenty years younger, you still wouldnât have the qualifications to be my concubine! Am I interested in you? Sure, assuming that my head has been kicked by a mule!
Of course, with Second Master Xiaoâs upbringing, there was no way he would spew out such garbage. However, he choked on those words so badly he looked like he was ill!
Ling Tian was completely aware as to why Gu XiYan was doing this, and couldnât help but shake his head and laugh wryly. Women, oh women, itâs best not to provoke them!
Ling Tian was definitely aware of the feud between her and the Xiao Family, but he didnât expect that Gu XiYan would use such an evil approach to torture them. However, it was precisely such a rotten idea that hit the exact sore spot of the Xiao Family! Everyone knew that the Xiao Family would never lack silver, but Gu XiYan made use of their own silver to make them lose face!
What a bold move, indeed an ingenious move! Ling Tian couldnât help but praise Gu XiYan. In this area, she could really be considered a genius.
This time, the Xiao Family was extremely secretive when conducting the auction. The advertisements they sent out said that there were only seven items for sale, but all seven of them were incomparably precious treasures. While they didnât even specify what the seven items were, everyone was aware that in order to be recognized as precious by the number one financial magnate, what sort of items would they be?
On the day of the auction, the scene was extraordinarily lively. The various nobility and aristocratic families from all the empires came over, including some wealthy merchant families. The crowd was actually larger than the scholarly meet! Smoky Thea Tower could only purchase ten thousand extra chairs, placing them to allow the customers to sit. Of course, all of these were billed to the Xiao Family, furthermore inflated quite a few times. Based on Gu XiYanâs words, âYour Xiao Family definitely doesnât just have these paltry few thousands of taels!â
Under the expectant gaze of tens of thousands of people, the Xiao Family auction finally opened their curtains.
In the great hall of the Smoky Thea Tower, another small wooden stage was erected, with a table on top of it. A simple auctioneerâs mallet lay on top of the table. The difference was that this mallet was shiny and dazzling as it was actually made out of gold! How overbearingly rich! Just the price of this simple mallet was something that ordinary people couldnât afford.
Under the gaze of countless people, the little princess of the Xiao Family, Xiao YanXue, ascended the wooden stage. She was dressed in pale yellow robes, her bearing elegant, her figure and looks like carved jade, her temperament refined, and exuding a sense of nobility. This lit up the eyes of all those present, and just her beauty had already made many people feel that this trip wasnât in vain.
Even a few of the large merchant conglomerates who had lost in the merchant wars against Xiao YanXue were actually seeing this Goddess of Wealth for the first time in their lives, and couldnât believe their eyes. They actually lost to such a young lass in the merchant wars?
Read Latest Chapters at wuxiaworld.eu
Xiao YanXue didnât waste her time on superfluous words, merely giving two sentences of greetings before starting the auction.
Such a simple manner made Ling Tian inwardly sigh in praise. Xiao YanXue opened the auction with the words, âTodayâs auction has seven treasures up for bid. As for which seven they are, I believe everyone will find out in a short while, and this lass can guarantee that no one will be disappointed. I feel that each successive treasure will outstrip the last, and I invite all seniors and fellow students to analyze them.â
As the audience smiled, she continued, âThree years ago, four of my Xiao Familyâs herb pickers went to the Northern Snow Mountains on our orders. When they reached the summit, who would have thought that there would suddenly be an avalanche, and the entire mountain started to break apart. Our four workers were fortunate to have survived by the skin of their teeth. When the avalanche passed and they were warming themselves up on the cliff, they accidentally discovered three treasures!â At this point, Xiao YanXue paused, heightening the suspense.
Someone couldnât take the suspense, and urgently asked, âWhat treasures? Which three treasures?â
Ling Tian laughed softly to himself. This person not only cut in at the right time, but he also asked what was on everyoneâs minds at this time. Probably someone planted by the Xiao Family? With how prestigious the auction was this time, how could it be that everyone would be able to take the suspense? However, if everyone were to be like Ling Tian and ride through the suspense, then it would be slightly embarrassing for Xiao YanXue who was on stage trying to heighten it. As such, Ling Tian suspected that this person had been planted there, also called a âshillâ.