Chapter 358: Huyan Wei Cried

Mr. Yucang inclined himself slightly.

"Your Majesty may speak freely."

Hao Yuntu said, "My daughter Hao Qingqing has reached marriageable age. General Huyan's youngest son is also old enough to take a wife. The two are just right for one another. I would like to trouble Sir to act as matchmaker. What does Sir think?"

Expectation was plain in his eyes. At those words, San Qianli, Bei Xuan, and Yuwen Yan exchanged glances. They more or less understood why the emperor had brought all three of them here.

Mr. Yucang might be famous and ranked fifth on the Golden Core Ranking, but there was still a considerable gap between him and the three of them.

Each of the three Sect Leaders held a seat in Misty Pavilion, and Misty Pavilion was the institution that held authority over the entire world. The difference was obvious. Mr. Yucang's status alone was not enough to require all three of them to appear together merely to entertain him. After all that, the emperor had gathered them because of the Grand Princess's marriage! The three sect leaders also knew the background. The State of Qi's finest heavy military force lay in Huyan Wuhen's hands.

The Valiant Cavalry had been built personally by Huyan Wuhen, and within that army his position and prestige were irreplaceable. So long as Huyan Wuhen was unwilling, anyone the court sent to the Valiant Cavalry would find it impossible to sit securely in the commander's seat.

This was not the sort of problem that could be solved simply by assigning a few cultivators to "protect" Huyan Wuhen and remain ready to take his life at any moment.

Would the emperor truly dare kill Huyan Wuhen rashly? Even if he wanted to, he would first have to ask whether the three major sects agreed. If Huyan Wuhen died, the Valiant Cavalry would inevitably fall into disorder. At worst, it could erupt into a full-scale mutiny.

And if outside powers took advantage of that chaos to intervene, the interests of all three major sects would be affected. They could never sit by and ignore it.

Thus, to put it unpleasantly, if one day Huyan Wuhen suddenly declared his support for some prince, the three major sects would have no choice but to take his opinion seriously. If such a day truly came, even Hao Yuntu's throne might be in danger. The State of Qi might look peaceful, but that did not mean no one coveted Hao Yuntu's imperial seat. Naturally, this left Hao Yuntu deeply uneasy about Huyan Wuhen.

And yet Huyan Wuhen was not disloyal to the State of Qi. Nor was he disloyal to Hao Yuntu. For certain reasons, he simply refused to bind his children through this kind of political marriage. But Hao Yuntu could not feel at ease. There were too many uncertainties beneath Heaven. Who could say what the future would bring? He had to bind the Huyan clan to himself. Mr. Yucang's arrival had given Hao Yuntu an opportunity.

Yucang could be counted as one of Huyan Wuhen's teachers. As an elder and teacher, he was better placed than most to persuade Huyan Wuhen. The three Sect Leaders could hardly say anything about it. Mr. Yucang fell silent for a moment. His reputation had not come from nowhere. Naturally, there were things he understood perfectly well. The emperor's intention was far too obvious. Never mind Huyan Wuhen—even outsiders understood it.

Once one of Huyan Wuhen's sons married the princess, the emperor would inevitably interfere in the internal affairs of the Huyan clan. Not over household trifles, but over succession.

Whichever son married the princess would receive the emperor's support, and the man the emperor supported would inevitably become the future head of the Huyan clan. If Hao Yuntu insisted on promoting someone, how many people could stop him? And more importantly, the matter might not end with mere support. To raise one son up, the emperor might well suppress Huyan Wuhen's other sons. Clearly, Huyan Wuhen did not want the emperor's hand reaching into his household and throwing the Huyan clan into disorder.

Mixing family affairs with affairs of state would bring the Huyan clan no good. If Huyan Wuhen had been willing to agree easily, the emperor would probably never have needed to ask Mr. Yucang for help. Mr. Yucang also heard the exchange hidden inside Hao Yuntu's request. Help me bring about this marriage, and I will help you find Niu Youdao.

After some thought, Mr. Yucang said, "I've heard of the Huyan clan's youngest son as well. A willful young rogue, a wastrel. I'm afraid he isn't worthy of the Grand Princess."

Hao Yuntu said, "If he truly were mud that could never be plastered onto a wall, I wouldn't be raising this matter. I've watched the boy for years. He appears rough, but he's meticulous inside. He is nowhere near as worthless as he looks. Besides, my own daughter has been spoiled since childhood. She's a troublesome girl herself and hardly any better. A meek, obedient boy wouldn't suit her. What she needs is a man who dares discipline her. One is ready to marry, the other ready to wed. They're a match made by Heaven itself!"

If Hao Qingqing had heard her own father speak of her this way, she probably would have gone berserk.

Mr. Yucang said, "There may be someone more suitable for the Grand Princess."

Hao Yuntu answered, "I simply like that boy from the Huyan clan!"

With the emperor having spoken this plainly, Mr. Yucang remained silent for a while before slowly nodding.

"Very well! Men and women marry when they come of age. It is a fine thing. Once I leave the palace, I'll visit the Supreme General's residence and help bring the match together."

"Many thanks, Sir!" Hao Yuntu was delighted.

He raised his cup in both hands.

"I toast you!"

Mr. Yucang returned the toast. The three Sect Leaders exchanged glances without changing expression. None intended to involve himself in this matter. Between the emperor and Huyan Wuhen, supporting either side would be inappropriate. After putting down his cup, Hao Yuntu immediately turned toward Bu Xun.

"Madam Zhong has crossed a thousand mountains and ten thousand waters to seek a master for her son. The journey has been exhausting. How can we let her come all this way for nothing? Send people to search immediately. You must locate Niu Youdao's present whereabouts as soon as possible!"

"Yes!" Bu Xun bowed.

He already knew where Niu Youdao was. Naturally, he understood Hao Yuntu's meaning. They had just claimed not to know. They could hardly slap themselves in the face a moment later. If Mr. Yucang succeeded in arranging the Grand Princess's marriage, then naturally Niu Youdao's whereabouts could be found. If he failed, the result would naturally be something else. This side was not so easy to fool either. And Mr. Yucang did keep his word.

Before the banquet even ended, he said that once he left the palace he would go straight to the Supreme General's residence to discuss the marriage. Hao Yuntu was overjoyed and immediately had Bu Xun prepare a carriage to take him there...

"The boss hasn't seemed right lately."

At the Tofu House, Niu Lin and the others returned from training outside. Seeing Yuan Gang once again sitting alone in the pavilion, leaning against a pillar with a wine jar in his arms, they could not help whispering among themselves. For the past two days, Yuan Gang had not joined their training. He had remained at home alone. And Yuan Gang was certainly not the sort of person who drank enough to interfere with business.

None of them had ever seen him clinging to a wine jar like this before.

"Wuuu..."

Someone else came running in from behind, actually sobbing. The group turned around and stared dumbfounded. Huyan Wei came stumbling in, crying openly. Yuan Gang looked back and froze too. He could hardly imagine a thick-skinned wastrel like Huyan Wei actually crying. Huyan Wei ran to him, snatched the wine jar from his hands, tilted his head back, and gulped furiously. Wine ran from both corners of his mouth and soaked his clothes.

He lowered the jar, dropped heavily onto a seat, lifted his face toward Heaven, and let the tears stream down as though his heart had broken.

"Third Young Master, if you're going to cry, go cry outside," Yuan Gang barked.

He was already irritated. Watching a grown man weep only made him more irritated. Huyan Wei wiped his tears with his sleeve and turned to stare at him.

"Your brother can barely go on living, and you don't have the slightest sympathy?"

Yuan Gang said, "You just received a huge share of money. How can you suddenly be unable to go on living?"

"Money is worth shit!" Huyan Wei waved his arms in grief and fury. "If you can solve this trouble for me, I'll give you every coin I earn each month!"

That was strange. The man did not even care about money anymore. This was nothing like the Third Young Master of the Huyan clan Yuan Gang knew. He looked Huyan Wei up and down.

"What happened?"

The question only made things worse. Huyan Wei burst into loud sobs.

"My family wants me to marry the Grand Princess!"

At the mention of the Grand Princess, Yuan Gang remembered the woman at Ice and Snow Pavilion who had lifted her chin proudly and told him that she liked him. A very distinctive woman. He found this strange.

"Wasn't your father always opposed to you marrying her? Why did he suddenly agree?"

Huyan Wei immediately cursed, "It's all that old bastard Yucang! Why did he have to stick his nose into it? My whole life is ruined in his hands! Is Hao Qingqing, that bitch, someone a man can marry? If I bring her home, will I have any life left?"

He was cursing his father's teacher as an old bastard while calling the Grand Princess a bitch. One could imagine the depth of his grief and indignation. In truth, after Mr. Yucang visited the Huyan residence, he had not forced Huyan Wuhen too heavily. He merely explained that the emperor had asked him to act as matchmaker.

Then he advised Huyan Wuhen that he had two choices: either relinquish his military authority, or let his son marry the Grand Princess.

Otherwise, dragging matters on like this was no solution—unless Huyan Wuhen intended to rely on the soldiers in his hands and openly break with the emperor. There was one point Mr. Yucang warned him about very seriously.

If Huyan Wuhen would rather surrender his military authority than allow his son to marry the Grand Princess, then he would have offended the emperor to the bone. He would have humiliated the emperor publicly.

And once he no longer possessed military power to protect him, he would also lose his influence over the three major sects. Sooner or later, the emperor would settle accounts with the Huyan clan. How could Huyan Wuhen fail to understand this reasoning? He had only been dragging things out.

He had even deliberately indulged his son in wine and women, hoping the emperor would eventually change his mind so the Huyan clan could remain stable. But now Mr. Yucang had personally come to his door.

Huyan Wuhen learned that the emperor had even called out the three Sect Leaders and then sent Huyan Wuhen's own teacher to act as matchmaker. He understood that the emperor had made up his mind and would not let go of his son. Refusal was probably no longer possible.

Since some things could not be avoided forever, Huyan Wuhen chose to follow the current and do his teacher a favor. He agreed to the marriage. After roughly understanding the situation, Yuan Gang sighed too. He felt some sympathy for Huyan Wei. Being the emperor's son-in-law was not such an easy position.

Others might dream of clinging to dragons and phoenixes, but for the Huyan clan this was not necessarily a good thing. Nor did they need to marry an ancestor into their own household. Yuan Gang tried to console him.

"The Grand Princess may be a little willful, but she probably wouldn't go so far as to throw her weight around inside the Huyan household..."

"Bah!" Huyan Wei spat, cutting him off. "Is throwing her weight around even the issue? Do you really think I'm stupid? Do you think I don't know why the emperor wants me to marry his daughter? Isn't it because he has his eye on the military power in my father's hands? What sort of purpose is behind a marriage like that? If I really marry that bitch, the Huyan clan will never know peace again. The emperor will start suppressing my two elder brothers. How are we brothers supposed to get along after that? Damn Hao Yuntu, that wolf-hearted, dog-lunged bastard..."

Yuan Gang interrupted him.

"Third Young Master, mind your words!"

"Brother An, if you truly regard me as your brother, lend me some money!" Huyan Wei wiped his tears and stretched out a hand.

Yuan Gang stared.

"The shop just divided a large sum of money with you. Isn't that enough to spend?"

"I'm already in this state. Am I not even allowed one last spree in the pleasure houses? Are you lending it or not?"

Huyan Wei thrust out his hand again and again. Things had already come to this.

What could Yuan Gang do?

Feeling considerable sympathy for him, Yuan Gang made him write an IOU and lent him three thousand gold coins. Huyan Wei took the money, wiped his tears, and left with absolute determination, never once looking back. Yuan Gang assumed he merely wanted one last spree.

Only deep into the night, when a large force suddenly surrounded the Tofu House and the Huyan clan itself mobilized troops to seize Huyan Wei, did Yuan Gang finally understand what Huyan Wei had borrowed the money for. Huyan Wei had run away. That bastard had never intended to repay the money at all.

He had fled the marriage!

[End of Chapter 358]