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Upon receiving an encouraging glance from his brother-in-law, Yang Xian immediately grew even more smug! Indeed, a person truly grows up qui
Upon receiving an encouraging glance from his brother-in-law, Yang Xian immediately grew even more smug! Indeed, a person truly grows up quickly through experience!
"Exactly! This old man also wants to ask the esteemed officials of the Ministry of Rites what kind of rule this is, to dare to draw blades at a banquet of a noble of another country!"
"They dared to kill people with reckless abandon in broad daylight; if the Marquis hadn't been here, wouldn't they have silenced all of us?"
"Disgraceful! Truly disgraceful! How can Wu State have such a general? And send him as an envoy?"
The Yang family members also echoed him one after another. Many of them held official positions in the court, though they were minor officials, they still had the right to petition the emperor, which gave them more confidence in their words! Moreover, as the maternal relatives of Concubine Yang, they were naturally looked upon favorably wherever they went.
"This... this... Marquis, calm your anger! Duke Yang, calm your anger!" Sun Shiyi, seeing that the matter had escalated, immediately rose and apologized to Wei Tingyu and Old Man Yang. Although the Wu State Six Gates Bureau had suffered a loss in this incident, it was clear that the other party was in the right when the story got out!
As for the other Wu State officials, including Prince Han, they secretly wanted to burst out laughing at this moment. After all, they had been subjected to the bullying of the Six Gates Bureau in the Wu State court for more than a day or two, always daring not to speak out in anger. Now, seeing the Six Gates Bureau suffer such a huge loss, and Zhao Ji, the head of the bureau, unable to back down, they were all extremely delighted! They wished to quickly finish their diplomatic mission and return to Wu State to spread the news of today's events far and wide! It was sure to be lively in the Wu State court then! Many officials would surely be celebrating with them! As for Zhao Ji, they would now see how he would manage to salvage the situation!
Zhao Ji also felt all eyes on him at this moment, and almost all of them were waiting to see the show! Some were even gloating! However, he was also in a bind! If he had known Wei Tingyu was so difficult, why would he have bothered to put on this act and covet this money? Now, if he were to directly back down to Wei Tingyu, he would certainly lose face! But seeking retribution from Wei Tingyu, he didn't have the guts for that! If the other party found an excuse, he might even be chopped down himself! What to do? What should he do next?
However, just as Zhao Ji was caught in this dilemma, a Wu State envoy who had remained at the guesthouse rushed in frantically, not even bothering to announce himself! Wei Tingyu winked at the Golden Shadow Guards, signaling them not to stop the rushing Wu State official, because he already knew why the other party was so panicked.
"It's terrible!" The man looked at everyone in the hall after entering. The miserable state of the six Six Gates Bureau warriors lying on the ground only made him pause for a moment before he immediately ran towards Zhao Ji and Sun Shiyi. It was evident that this person also knew that although Sun Shiyi was the head of the delegation, Zhao Ji actually held the most power. And something extraordinary must have happened; otherwise, this Wu State official wouldn't be so flustered. Seeing this situation, the Yang family members began whispering among themselves again.
"Speak louder!" Zhao Ji was annoyed and didn't know what to do next. Now, seeing this person acting furtively, seemingly wanting to report quietly, he immediately shouted impatiently!
"An urgent report just arrived from Wudu!" The man was startled, clearly also afraid of Zhao Ji, so he quickly shrunk his head and then said, "Our army was defeated by the An army at Tianmen Pass!"
At these words, all the Wu State officials present were unsettled, their faces showing panic. After all, they had just been toasting and wishing the Wu State army victory at the start of the banquet. Yet, before the banquet had even ended, they received the grim news of defeat! And most critically, the Wu State emperor had personally led the expedition this time! Now that they were defeated, the emperor's whereabouts became crucial! If he fell into An State's hands, then the Wu State's very existence would be in peril!
"Say that again!" As the Wu State emperor's hound, Zhao Ji was naturally the most unwilling for this to happen! Instinctively, he refused to believe it, so he abruptly stood up, glared at the messenger official from Wu State, and roared. At this moment, he wasn't afraid of the Yang family members hearing about it; after all, compared to the emperor's safety and his own future, everything that happened at today's banquet could be directly thrown out of his mind and forgotten. Moreover, the other party's intelligence system wasn't useless; now that the Wu State army had suffered a major defeat, this news would certainly reach here quickly, so there was no need to conceal it.
"Our army was defeated by the An army at Tianmen Pass!" The messenger official, startled by Zhao Ji's roar, shrunk his neck, but still dared not delay, quickly bowing his head and continuing, "We lost Xu, Jing, and Cai three cities!"
"His Majesty... His Majesty has already fallen!"
The Wu State official who delivered the news spoke the last part in a trembling voice. Although he hesitated, he dared not conceal such a major event. After all, with the emperor's demise, Wu State would surely enter a period of national mourning, and such news could not be hidden under any circumstances!
"Nonsense!" Zhao Ji saw that the official spoke earnestly, but he still refused to believe it in his heart, gritting his teeth and stubbornly denying it. At the same time, his eyes were not as firm as his words, darting left and right, showing how nervous he was now! As soon as his words fell, he saw two more officials run in from outside the door. However, this time it was officials from the Ministry of Rites of this dynasty, not Wu State envoys. Wei Tingyu was also surprised at this sight.
These two Ministry of Rites officials bowed respectfully to Sun Shiyi, the head of the delegation, from a distance, then said, "Senior Sun, Officer Zhao! His Majesty summons you two to the palace!" And at this moment, Wei Tingyu also just figured out the reason for this. Sure enough, this dynasty's intelligence system was also effective, and the speed of message transmission was no slower than Wu State's. It was even highly possible that there were spies from this dynasty constantly gathering intelligence on the battlefield where the two armies clashed. The old emperor's immediate summons of Sun Shiyi and Zhao Ji, these Wu State envoys, was certainly to discuss measures to curb An State's expansion!
Originally, this dynasty had enjoyed decades of peace because external forces were basically in a state of balance, none capable of posing a threat to this dynasty. However, now the An army had decisively defeated the Wu army, even killing the Wu State emperor in battle! This could lead to the immediate collapse of the Wu State court! If the An army took advantage of the situation to sweep through and annex Wu State, then this dynasty would gain a powerful opponent across its borders. Perhaps An State, having tasted success, would immediately turn its military might and invade this dynasty! Therefore, the old emperor certainly wanted to ally with Wu State to at least curb An State's attempt to annex Wu State; such an alliance would be beneficial to both sides!
Sun Shiyi immediately understood this point and quickly led Zhao Ji, following the two Ministry of Rites officials, out of the banquet hall. As for the six Wu State Six Gates Bureau warriors whose arms had been severed, they were simply bandaged and treated by doctors arranged by the Yang Residence and then sent back to the guesthouse. Everyone knew that the two countries were about to enter a honeymoon period; the minor incident at the banquet earlier was completely insignificant! Everyone would tacitly pretend as if nothing had happened!
Of course, the seven beautiful dancers, including Ren Ruyi and Linglong, naturally fell into Wei Tingyu's hands.
Bringing the Beauties Home
"Brother-in-law! Take it easy..." At the entrance of the Yang Residence, as Yang Xian saw Wei Tingyu into his carriage, he couldn't help but glance at the seven beautiful dancers standing in a row beside them, then whispered into Wei Tingyu's ear. The seven dancers naturally heard this and immediately showed shy expressions. Even Ren Ruyi and Linglong, the two assassins, pretended to be just like the other dancers at this moment.
"Nonsense!" Wei Tingyu shook his head helplessly, then lifted his foot and kicked Yang Xian hard on the butt, saying, "Don't talk rubbish!" Why does this fellow's words make it sound like I'm a lecher who thinks purely with his lower body? Wei Tingyu genuinely felt wronged! He was indeed fond of beauty, but rationality always prevailed! Anyone who doubted this was demeaning and insulting his character!
"I understand, I understand!" However, Yang Xian wasn't annoyed in the slightest after being kicked by Wei Tingyu. Instead, he smiled, shook his head, and leaned closer, saying, "Brother-in-law, don't worry! I will absolutely not go around blabbing!"
"Even if my sister asks me about it, I'll just tell her that brother-in-law had no choice but to take these pitiful women into the residence to save their lives!" Of course, Yang Xian had kept the latter two sentences extremely low, so low that not only the five ordinary dancers but even Ren Ruyi couldn't hear clearly. So, seeing Yang Xian whispering into Wei Tingyu's ear, a confused expression appeared on her face again. At this moment, she was genuinely curious about Wei Tingyu, and Ren Ruyi didn't yet know that curiosity was often the beginning of a woman's downfall!
"Enough!" Wei Tingyu saw Yang Xian's expression and knew there was no point in saying more to him, let alone telling him the whole truth. He could only shake his head helplessly and then waved his hand at him, saying, "I'm leaving! Don't see me off anymore!"
"Yes!" Yang Xian immediately retreated two steps, then cupped his fists and bowed to Wei Tingyu, saying, "Marquis, please proceed slowly!" Wei Tingyu nodded at this, then entered the carriage first. And the seven dancers, including Ren Ruyi, also boarded the carriage one by one in order, bending down and entering through the curtain.
"What beautiful dancers!" At this moment, two distant cousins of the Yang family, who had also attended the banquet, approached Yang Xian, saying with envious expressions. They were both Yang Xian's paternal cousins, and because Concubine Yang was favored, they were now also living a somewhat respectable life.
"Of course!" Yang Xian heard his cousin's envious voice and shook his head somewhat smugly, saying, "My sister's (husband)... the Marquis's taste is naturally impeccable! If they weren't beauties, would he have stepped in to save them?"
"Brother Xian! You have such a good relationship with the Marquis of Jining..." At this moment, the other cousin, with a lecherous expression, spoke again, "Why don't you ask the Marquis to give you two of these dancers?"
"What did you say?" Upon hearing his cousin's words, Yang Xian involuntarily shivered, then turned his head, glaring at the other with a look of terror and anger.
"I said..." This cousin was startled after seeing Yang Xian's expression, but didn't react and still continued to speak, wanting to repeat himself...
"You bastard..." However, before he could finish speaking, Yang Xian suddenly cursed loudly and kicked him in the stomach, directly sending this cousin tumbling to the ground and rolling twice. The other cousin beside him was also terrified at this moment, and at the same time, he secretly rejoiced that he hadn't spoken carelessly just now. But not just these two, the other Yang family members around them were also bewildered. Because everyone knew Yang Xian's previous personality; if such beauties appeared before him, it wouldn't be him if he didn't flirt a little. How could he get so angry now, just from a couple of mentions behind his back? Could it be because his ailment in that regard hadn't been cured, so he was harboring anger?
"I warn you!" However, Yang Xian didn't care what others were thinking at this moment. He directly glared at these two cousins, then looked at the other Yang family members around him and said, "From now on, anyone who dares to cause trouble for the Marquis of Jining will be causing trouble for me, Yang Xian!"
"And! As for the women of the Marquis's family, let alone wives, concubines, or mistresses, even an ordinary maid or singing girl, you are not allowed to harbor any designs on them!"
"Otherwise, don't blame me, Yang Xian, for turning hostile!"
His words were firm and resonated, and his expression was very serious, making the Yang family members look at each other in bewilderment, but because of this, they remembered his words deeply. After all, most of those present were distant relatives of the Yang family. Who dared to provoke Yang Xian, the only son of the main branch? Moreover, Concubine Yang, whom the entire Yang family relied on, was his own biological sister, so their closeness was not on the same level as that of these distant cousins.
"That's right!" At this moment, Old Man Yang, who was standing behind, also walked out. Seeing the bewildered expressions of the relatives present, he directly said, "From now on, no one is allowed to provoke the Marquis of Jining! When you see him, you must be respectful! Do not be negligent or disrespectful!"
"Otherwise, as the head of the Yang family, I will surely punish you severely!"
"No matter what your status! Relatives within a few degrees of kinship! All will be expelled from the Yang family, and even their names will be removed from the family tree!"
"Don't blame me for not clarifying beforehand!"
Good heavens! Everyone immediately shrunk their necks. Old Man Yang's words were much more powerful than his son Yang Xian's! To actually be expelled from the family? This was no laughing matter! Compared to Yang Xian's threats, it was clear that Old Man Yang's words had a more deterrent effect! After all, all of them relied on the Yang family's prestige to enjoy their current good lives. Once they were truly expelled from the family tree and driven out of the residence, they might end up as beggars wandering the streets!
Inside the Marquis's Carriage
Meanwhile, inside the Marquis's carriage, Wei Tingyu was sitting leisurely on the innermost main seat, while the seven dancers knelt neatly on both sides. Although the Marquis's carriage was spacious enough, it did feel a bit crowded now! Linglong's lapel, kneeling at the very front, almost touched Wei Tingyu's boots!
After the seven dancers entered, they knelt and bowed to Wei Tingyu. However, he had not spoken to allow them to rise, so the women could only obediently remain kneeling there. At the same time, several pairs of beautiful eyes occasionally stole glances at Wei Tingyu's face. Although kneeling in the swaying carriage was not very comfortable, compared to almost losing their lives just now, how could these dancers feel even a hint of unwillingness? At this moment, their hearts were filled with gratitude towards Wei Tingyu! And because Wei Tingyu himself had a rather upright appearance, coupled with his recent experiences and the faint aura of authority emanating from him, these women from the lower class were even more drawn to him. They all had a strong desire to be conquered and dreamed of finding a strong backing to rely on for the rest of their lives. Wei Tingyu was naturally the first choice at this moment! And after entering the Marquis's residence, he would be their only choice! These dancers would basically have no contact with other men!
Only Ren Ruyi and Linglong were unable to calm the stormy waves in their hearts. Unlike the other five dancers who had no martial arts, these two naturally knew that Wei Tingyu was deeply hidden and that his purpose in saving the seven of them was definitely not as simple as just taking them back to his residence for enjoyment. Thinking this, Linglong subtly turned her head and glanced at Ren Ruyi, who was kneeling to her side and slightly behind her, giving her a meaningful look. Ren Ruyi then raised her eyelids and glanced at Wei Tingyu again, seeing that he seemed to be resting with his eyes closed, his attention not on her. She also knew that Linglong was reminding her that now was a good opportunity to escape. It would probably be difficult once they entered the Marquis's residence.
However, as soon as Ren Ruyi thought of her previous encounter with Wei Tingyu in the Yang Residence courtyard and his few skilled guards who were now also by the side of the carriage, she again felt that it was not a good time. And Wei Tingyu, sitting above her with his eyes closed in repose, gave her a feeling that he was still paying attention to her. Ren Ruyi believed her intuition would not be wrong, so she quietly shook her head at Linglong.