Chapter 234

Chapter 234: So What If You Know?

Qi Shu Xian’s guess was right. Only a moment after he led his men away, the Northern Di army recovered and pulled manpower to search for him. The battle outside Wu Du Pass a few days earlier had made countless Northern Di soldiers remember his name.

Luckily, he withdrew in time.

In this night raid, Sheng Kingdom sent more than forty thousand from Wu Du Pass to face Northern Di’s fifty thousand. Their dead and wounded were only a little over two thousand, while the number of Northern Di they killed was roughly estimated to be close to ten thousand.

More importantly, they burned down Northern Di’s tents. Without tents, in this ice and snow, the Northern Di army would have no choice but to retreat back within its borders to resupply.

When Qi Shu Xian returned to Wu Du Pass, his first battle leading the Mo Bei army became a huge victory.

After Governor-General Xu calmed from his excitement, he ordered fast riders to race to the capital city with the report.

In the seventeenth year of Shengchen, on the fourth day of the third month, the almanac said it was auspicious for na cai and na ji.

Since the marriage was personally granted by Emperor Chong Sheng and was an Imperial House wedding, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau had already matched their eight characters. So na cai and na ji were set to happen on the same day.

Early that morning, a spirited wild goose led the procession.

Behind it came eight chests each of gold and silver ingots, countless jade pendants, pearls, and jewelry, bolts of fine silk and cloth, Fen wine, yellow wine, fruit wine, rice, flour, and round cakes.

After that came three dumb sheep, two pigs hung with red silk, geese, and other livestock.

The long line of betrothal gifts covered an entire stretch of Yong Kang Street and still spilled out beyond it. commoner packed shoulder to shoulder to watch.

The nannies Liang Rao sent counted the chests until their heads spun. When they returned to report, it was Liang Rao whose head spun instead.

She had originally thought that since Shang Xing Yu was heartless and drove them out of the manor, she would not bother with his marriage at all. Shang Xing Yu was a good-for-nothing who knew nothing. How could he understand all the twists and turns of these rituals?

If he made any mistake in the ceremonies, he would embarrass himself. And if the higher-ups blamed someone, she could always play the victim, saying she had been driven out and bullied by her stepson and so on. In the end, the one who looked ugly would still be Shang Xing Yu, that wretched brat.

Who would have expected Shang Xing Yu actually understood all of it?

Not only that, even though he was sending na cai gifts to a woman marrying a second time, he still used the highest level of ceremony.

Where did Shang Xing Yu get all this?

Was it not all carried out of Liang Rao’s own storehouse?

Thinking of that, Liang Rao was so furious that she lost her dignity as the Fengguo General’s Madam for the first time. She smashed bowls and plates in her room and cursed Shang Xing Yu viciously.

The courtyard was small. Shang Xiu Yuan, who had been hiding in the manor for many days and did not dare go out, heard every word clearly. Half of his face showed impatience, and half showed resentment.

Why was Mother still cursing now?

If she had been ruthless enough, she should have killed Shang Xing Yu before he grew up, not wait until now to smash things.

After she smashed all the cups and dishes, did she think buying new ones did not cost silver?

He could not even afford a decent inkstone anymore.

And he only learned recently that Mother did not know how to manage things at all. The reason those shops used to make profit was because the Qin Family stewards left behind had been holding everything up.

Shang Xing Yu relied on the imperial decree to take those Qin Family shops back, and the Qin Family stewards in those shops naturally left with them.

Once that happened, the few shops Father had added finally stood out among the rest. Not only did they not make money, but many times they needed silver poured into them from the farmlands and estates just to keep going.

Now whenever Shang Xiu Yuan went to see Mother, she always complained to him about all of this. She was no longer like before, asking what books he had read, what poems he had written, and what friends he had made.

Friends…

Shang Xiu Yuan felt even more suffocated when he thought of that. After that day, he had tried many reasons to explain himself, but it did not help.

Now wherever he went, the place fell silent.

People would be laughing and talking just fine, but the moment he walked over, no one spoke to him. As someone who used to be the center of the crowd, Shang Xiu Yuan struggled to accept that drop.

So these days, aside from showing up for roll call, he had no social life at all.

As for the matter of Shang Xing Yu possibly hiding his skills, he dared not tell anyone.

If people found out Shang Xing Yu had been pretending, then what did the reputation Shang Xiu Yuan built by stepping on him all these years even count for?

And Father-

Would Father also abandon Shang Xiu Yuan and turn to cultivate Shang Xing Yu instead?

Even if Shang Xing Yu was now a princess consort, it was not unheard of for princess consorts in past dynasties to hold important posts.

Rules were dead. People were alive.

What if?

Shang Xiu Yuan could not gamble on that, and he did not dare gamble either. He could only bury his head in the sand like an ostrich, hoping that since Shang Xing Yu had pretended this long, he would keep pretending even longer.

Best of all, he would pretend for the rest of his life.

Shang Xiu Yuan tore off two balls of cotton, ready to plug his ears.

Just then, a shrill scream came from next door. “Someone! Where did that pot of Red Coral the General gave this Madam go? Why is it missing?!”

Shang Xiu Yuan’s body stiffened. He pressed his lips together and said nothing.

What happened at the Gathering Sages Teahouse during the literary gathering had been sealed under the Emperor’s order, so not even rumors spread in the end.

Shang Xiu Yuan had been so angry that he spat blood. For a time, he even forgot to tell Mother about the Red Coral.

Only now did he remember it.

He wanted to pretend he had not heard anything.

But soon he heard Mother’s voice next door. “What? You are telling the truth? You saw it in Shang Xing Yu’s na cai gifts?!”

“Good!” Liang Rao sneered. “He dared to steal the gift the General gave me just to save face. Gu Yu, go report it to the authorities. Say our Fengguo General’s manor was robbed and we lost something!”

She wanted to see for herself. If it was discovered on the day of na cai that Shang Xing Yu stole from his stepmother, would he still have any face left?

“Yes.” Gu Yu answered and was about to leave.

But the door next door suddenly opened.

Shang Xiu Yuan stepped out with a gloomy face and barked, “Stop. You are not allowed to go!”

Liang Rao froze.

But toward her son, Liang Rao’s patience was clearly much greater.

Shang Xiu Yuan was her pride, and he was her future hope. Compared to Shang Xing Yu, that fool who only got an official post by marrying a princess, her Yuan’er was far more outstanding.

“Yuan’er, are you feeling better?” Liang Rao stepped forward with concern.

To avoid suspicion, Shang Xiu Yuan had claimed he caught a chill at the literary gathering. Liang Rao had her doubts, but seeing him finally come out, she still felt relieved.

Shang Xiu Yuan avoided her hand. “Mother, I’m fine. I have something to tell you.”

Shang Xiu Yuan walked into the room.

Liang Rao was startled. What could not be said outside?

Still, her son was willing to speak privately with her, and that made her happy. She followed him inside.

After they sat down, Shang Xiu Yuan said, “Mother, that pot of Red Coral was something I gave to Shang Xing Yu.”

“What?” Liang Rao stared at him, unable to believe it.

Shang Xiu Yuan said, “I can’t explain the reason to Mother in detail, but if Mother wants Red Coral, I can still find it for you later. If you want one pot, two pots, even three, I will bring them all to you.”

Liang Rao pressed her lips together.

But was that the same?

No matter how much Red Coral he found, it would not be the one the General gave her back then.

“Yuan’er,” she asked, “tell Mother. What exactly happened in the last few days?”

Shang Xiu Yuan said impatiently, “Mother, even if you know, so what? Instead of wasting time on this, you should manage the General’s manor-”