Chapter 205 - Meeting Enemies After Returning in Victory
\n“You……” Taizi was very angry. He hated this Third Wangzi who went against him on everything and everywhere.
Now that he saw him wanting to fight with him for Zi You, he was so angry that he hated that he couldn’t punch his handsome face.
They were like two roosters fighting as they glared at each other. But they suddenly heard someone shouting nauseatingly, “You meimei, you’re finally back.”
The two of them, no, they along with Second Wangzi, Shangguan LingRan, and Zi You looked towards the sound.
They saw a man wearing a lake blue satin embroidered robe. A wide Hetian jade patterned belt was around his waist. A jade hair crown decorated with gold and red was on his head. He draped on a silver silk plain brocade cloak. If he didn’t limp or had swollen eyes, he could be a prominent family’s elegant gongzi. This person was the slag male Zhao HongXiang.
Zi You secretly sneered. He was here putting on airs and he really wasted his wolf skin.
Everyone saw Zi You’s fiancé come over. Their hearts were stifled. Their faces instantly sunk and they no longer spoke.
Zhao HongXiang’s eyes popped wide open when he saw Zi You. But he knew that he couldn’t go overboard. He quickly went over to greet Old General Mu. “This junior pays respects to grandfather. Wishing grandfather good fortune!”
Zhao HongXiang thought that he was elegant and refined. Although he had a limp, that didn’t prevent women from liking him.
Especially now that he had entered the Ministry of War under Taizi’s arrangements. He was a fifth-rank minister and his career was on the rise.
One reason was because he was young. He would also be a titled Duke in the future. He was from Taizi’s camp and he was Old General Mu’s future grandson-in-law. His future was limitless.
Otherwise, why would Yu Lanxuan wholeheartedly want to marry him and affectionately confess to him? “Xiang gege, I just want to be with you. I’m willing, even as a maidservant or a concubine!”
And what about the maidservants in Duke Yongnan fu? Which one didn’t want to become his woman? It could be seen that he was very charming. Other than his slight limp, he was good in all aspects.
Old General Mu should be very pleased to see his outstanding grandson-in-law. He should be very polite to him. Otherwise, if he was aloof like before, Zhao HongXiang wouldn’t bother serving him.
Shangguan LingRan was angry as soon as he saw Zhao HongXiang. He had already decided to make things difficult for him, so he didn’t speak when he saw Zhao HongXiang bow to him. He just looked at him with eyes that burned like a torch, which gave Zhao HongXiang nowhere to hide.
Zhao HongXiang was originally a lustful and fickle person. He was almost always in a state of excessive lust, so his waist and legs were always sore. He was angry being stared at by Shangguan LingRan and straightened up.
Shangguan LingRan instantly and coldly snorted. “Huh! Did this old man tell you to get up? It has been six months since we’ve seen each other. Did you forget how to respect your elders?”
Zhao HongXiang immediately lost all of his patience. He sneered in dissatisfaction. Even his address changed. “Is Old General Mu dissatisfied with this junior? If this junior did something wrong, you can point it out another day. You and You meimei just came back. Aren’t you tired?”
It could be said that the only thing Zhao HongXiang was satisfied about Zi You was her appearance. As for everything else, if he was interested in Old General Mu’s prestige before, he didn’t care anymore now.
That was because Zhao HongXiang had submitted to Taizi and found a larger backer. Moreover, according to what Taizi had privately told him, Taizi seemed to want to seize Old General Mu’s military power. Old General Mu had nothing worthy of his respect or fear anymore. There was a saying that “a hairless phoenix was inferior to a chicken.” If Old General Mu didn’t have his military power, he wouldn’t even be as powerful as Yu Lanxuan’s father. So what did Zhao HongXiang have to be afraid of?
Xuan’er’s father used to be the Minister of Revenue. But he was demoted two ranks because of Yu Meilian’s involvement in Fourth Gongzhu’s matter. But Old General Mu would be inferior to him if he didn’t have his military power.
Besides, his mother had said, “That Mu Zi You was saved by some expert and had her injuries healed. But who knows if that expert did something to her? If she’s defiled, then we’ll suffer a loss!”
His mother was right. If Mu Zi You’s Shifu really took advantage of her, then wouldn’t he be a sucker?
Would she still think that she is still so outstanding? Therefore, Zhao HongXiang dared to be so arrogant today.
“You…… Cough, cough……” Shangguan LingRan pretended that he was angered and coughed.
Zi You hated that she couldn’t go slap the slag man a few times. But she remembered her plan and bowed to Taizi, Second Wangzi, and Third Wangzi. She said apologetically, “Please forgive us, Taizi, Second Wangzi, and Third Wangzi. Grandather is too ill. He can’t stay out in the wind too long. I’m bringing him into the horse carriage.”
She ordered someone to bring Shangguan LingRan into the horse carriage. Then she turned to look at Zhao HongXiang and coldly smiled. “We haven’t seen each other in more than two years. Shizi’s temper has grown, but your manners have not.”
She then lowered the curtain and blocked everyone’s sights.
On the way into the capital, the streets were filled with people welcoming the Mu army.
They knew that Nanjiang was now a county of Great Yan. They knew that when the Mu army was trapped in swamps, the female medical team Commander and Old General Mu’s granddaughter Mu Zi You saved the Mu army at the most critical moment. Hence, everyone wanted to see Zi You.
The people were very excited. It could be seen that Zi You and Old General Mu were deeply respected and loved by the citizens.
“I heard that Old General Mu’s granddaughter is an immortal now. When she got to the swamps, she waved her hand and saved the soldiers.”
“A military family’s descendant wouldn’t be bad of course. Just take a look at Old General Mu.”
“But I heard that Old General Mu is ill. He was trapped in the swamps for more than ten days! I heard that there were all sorts of demons and ghosts in the swamps.”
“It would be great if we could see Mu Xiaojie and her immortal Shifu.”
“……”
The noise of the crowd outside poured into the horse carriage like a wave. But Zi You and Shangguan LingRan didn’t smile at all.
Zhao HongXiang’s arrogance and insolence made them detect something abnormal.
Zi You thought about it and said, “We should take a two-pronged approach. At the same time I dissolve the engagement with Zhao HongXiang, we have to ruin Zhao HongXiang and Yu Lanxuan’s reputations. I want them to wish that they are dead!”
Shangguan LingRan could see deep hatred in Zi You’s eyes. It was the same as when he saw her resentful and vicious gaze at Zhao HongXiang when they were in Zhao HongXiang’s study that time. If she didn’t have a deep hatred for him, YouYou could never dislike someone like this.
He had known her for so long now and really understood her. She was actually a warm, but cold-faced person. As long as you treated her well, she would dig her heart out for you. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have rushed over without even thinking about it to save Mu YingYi and the soldiers when they were in danger of the flash flood.
Shangguan LingRan reached out in distress to tightly hold Zi You’s hand. “Why do you hate them so much?”
Zi You was shocked! She then realized that she had no more defenses in front of Shangguan LingRan. All of her emotions were seen by him. This was something that she never even did in front of her grandfather and uncle.
She was a little nervous. She didn’t know how to tell Shangguan LingRan because she couldn’t guarantee what he would do to her after she told him the truth. She was a ghost who had died unjustly!
Shangguan LingRan was even sadder to see her frown with her eyes full of grief. He thought of how she didn’t have her mother’s care and how her father was such fickle scum. Even if her grandfather and uncle doted on her, they were military men who fought in wars. How could they be attentive and understand a girl’s thoughts? Although her aunt also cared about her, how could she compare with Zi You’s biological mother?
Shangguan LingRan then thought about Zhao HongXiang and Yu Lanxuan. One was the son of her grandfather’s friend. One was her stepmother’s niece. YouYou must have been humiliated by them and couldn’t tell her grandfather. That was why she wanted to seek vengeance on her own.
Shangguan LingRan pulled Zi You into his arms and comforted softly, “Don’t say it if you don’t want to say it. YouYou, I will never abandon you no matter what! I will always protect you and never let you suffer any little grievance with me here.”
Shangguan LingRan’s appearance of “There’s me for everything” made Zi You’s cold heart warm up again. She snuggled into his arms, as docile as a kitten.
She said cowardly, “It’s not that I don’t want to say it. When the time is right, I will definitely tell you. I just want to say that those two are not good people!”
“I think so too.” Zi You hadn’t finished speaking when Shangguan LingRan said, “Then we’ll let those two hateful pests wish that they are dead. I will support you no matter what you do, YouYou!”
“There’s also that Wang Yiping.” Zi You thought of her uncle’s desolate appearance and couldn’t help but say rensentfully, “I suspect that it’s her plan that that maidservant climbed onto the bed. Only if uncle and aunt are in conflict could she take advantage of the chaos to get the household management back.
“Only when she has power can she embezzle money from the thousands of acres of farmland and more than a dozen shops in the bustling areas. Duke Yingguo furen is also a moneygrubber. I think that half of Wang Yiping’s sixty-eight dowry boxes are empty.”
“Isn’t that easy enough to check?” Shangguan LingRan smiled confidently. “Find the real dowry list and it will all become clear. Leave it to me. I will take care of Duke Yingguo furen.”
Zi You looked coquettishly at him and wanted to speak, but couldn’t.
Shangguan LingRan couldn’t help but reach out to poke her pretty nose. He asked dotingly, “What is it? What can’t you say to me? Is it something difficult to say?”