Chapter 391: Secret of the Yang Family

Chapter 391: The Secret of the Yang Family

The Yang family dispersed at the consort’s command, and Yang Jingxiu indeed had to attend to other guests, such as the Wang family—it would not do to linger here. In truth, Yang Jingxiu still could not fathom why the consort had come; he had just probed with a flurry of veiled questions, but Huangfu Qing evaded every one, revealing nothing of her true intent.

Yang Jingxiu, utterly bewildered, took it as some sort of signal from the emperor—perhaps the emperor wished to convey something to the realm?

He thought it better to discuss it with Wang Daozhong; maybe that would yield some insight.

Yang Jingxiu left a few perceptive maids and servants, dismissed all the men, and ensured the consort had ample comfort before taking his leave.

Huangfu Qing could not be bothered to ponder what he was thinking. She sat quite comfortably in a rosewood chair, sipping tea, and watched the flustered little girl before her, feeling immensely pleased.

As the Vermilion Bird, she could make life difficult for Xia Chichi; as the consort, she could twist the Cui girl around her finger, and even provoke Tang Wanzhuang.

She surveyed the world—who else could match her?

If this were the Three Kingdoms recorded in the annals of history, she would undoubtedly be the strongest Cao Wei—and a married woman at that, how fitting.

Over there was a female Zhuge, just emerged from Jingxiang… but now she had fallen into a state far from Zhuge-like, currently looking no different from a simpleton, not worth fighting.

As for this little girl… pity this isn’t Hefei, but it’s not too far either… from now on, Zhao Changhe’s courtyard is your Hefei—don’t even think of entering!

Huangfu Qing completely forgot that this place wasn’t far from Chibi either. She was so carried away she nearly crossed her legs, and said leisurely, “Your name is Yangyang, isn’t it?”

Cui Yuanyang truly had no idea what was going on with this consort. No matter how formidable the Cui family was, she had to observe proper decorum on the surface, so she answered honestly, “Reporting to Your Highness, Yangyang is my childhood name; my full name is Yuanyang.”

“Women generally don’t follow generation names. Your father gave you the ‘Yuan’ generation—that shows he has high expectations for you, implying that women need not be inferior to men, doesn’t it?”

“M-maybe.” Cui Yuanyang scratched her head. “Father dotes on me.”

“By that logic, the Cui family must want a son-in-law who marries into the family, right?” Huangfu Qing coaxed gently. “Isn’t it a bit improper for you to cling to a man in front of everyone?”

Cui Yuanyang: “?”

What business is it of yours… wait.

Hiss… this is the consort. If Brother Zhao is truly a prince, then she’s his stepmother. Could she be here to voice the emperor’s opinion?

If so, the problem is huge… Cui Yuanyang’s face turned green. “Your Highness… this…”

“Also, as far as I know, your birthday is at the end of the year. You’re still half a year shy of being truly of age, aren’t you?”

“Actually, I was old enough by the end of last year.”

What does “old enough” even mean? The phrasing… truly unbearable to behold.

Huangfu Qing stopped there. “His Majesty is very concerned about this marriage.”

Now Cui Yuanyang was truly restless. She wondered if she should go back and discuss it with her father… If the emperor really was paying attention, it seemed terribly complicated. The little rabbit couldn’t figure it out on her own.

“It’s getting dark. Go back to your room and rest.” Huangfu Qing picked up her teacup in satisfaction, seeing her out, and said earnestly, “Don’t be too flighty in all things. Give some thought to the Cui family’s reputation.”

It was unclear whether she meant “don’t be too flighty” or “don’t jump too high.” In any case, Cui Yuanyang was completely subdued. She hung her head and returned to her own courtyard, glancing at the wall next door but not daring to go over.

In truth, once the commotion subsided and everyone returned to their places, Zhao Changhe had serious matters to attend to. Yang Jingxiu’s birthday banquet was the day after tomorrow, and there was no gathering of guests for feasting yet. Instead, Yang Bugui, who was supposedly already gone, slipped into his courtyard to sit and drink with him.

“You’re really terrifying to be around, Brother Zhao,” Yang Bugui said with a sharp intake of breath. “Even Cui Yuanyang gets so aggressive around you, like a rabbit with its fur all bristled.”

“Yangyang is very well-behaved…”

“Yes, yes, yes.” Yang Bugui said, “What about Xia Chichi, the Holy Maiden of the Four Symbols Sect? Back at the Langya Sword Debate, everyone saw her feelings for you. Now that you’re really going to get engaged to the Cui family, I can’t imagine what the Holy Maiden’s reaction will be.”

Zhao Changhe glanced at him. “Hey, Brother Yang, don’t tell me you have feelings for Chichi.”

Yang Bugui lowered his head to drink, and after a moment of silence, surprisingly didn’t deny it. “I do have some interest, and I can see that Wang Zhaoling is also interested in her. Xia Chichi was meant to be a demoness who stirs up trouble in the jianghu, capable of throwing every family into chaos… Perhaps because of you, she shows no interest in other men.”

Zhao Changhe’s expression turned a bit odd. Hearing someone say they liked your girlfriend… yet saying it so openly and honestly, without being offensive.

He was reminded, oddly, that at the Langya Sword Debate, Cui Yuanyang had also made her mark, and she was a suitable match in status, yet none of these young masters from noble families showed any interest in her—they all liked Chichi instead.

The demoness template really hooks the hearts of noble scions, doesn’t it?

“Of course, Brother Zhao, you knew her when she was humble, and that bond can’t be envied. I’m just saying—if I really pined after a demoness, my father would probably beat me to death. Your existence has already nipped my family’s troubles in the bud.” Yang Bugui laughed heartily and raised his cup in a toast. “I also need to thank you, Brother Zhao, for helping capture Yang Qianyuan.”

Zhao Changhe drank and asked, “Did Chichi go after Yang Qianyuan only after contacting you?”

“Yes… The Four Symbols Sect wanted some cooperation with the Yang family. Yang Qianyuan was just an excuse for us to decline. I never imagined she would actually risk going into Kunlun to do it. Fortunately, you helped…”

Maybe Chichi dragging Yang Qianyuan back made you like her even more… Zhao Changhe didn’t dwell on that. He saw something more fundamental. “Why did the Four Symbols Sect think of cooperating with the Yang family? What did the Yang family reveal that made them think you could be won over?”

Yang Bugui narrowed his eyes and looked at him without speaking.

“Don’t worry, I won’t sabotage the Four Symbols Sect’s affairs… I don’t know if the Xiangyang incident counts, but I think its essence was to undermine Maitreya and the Wang family, not to directly provoke the Four Symbols Sect. Otherwise, the Vermilion Bird Venerable’s attitude when she saw me before wouldn’t have been so simple.” Zhao Changhe said, “The reason I’m asking you this, Brother Yang, has nothing to do with the Four Symbols Sect… It’s because I came here to discuss cooperation with the Yang family as well.”

Yang Bugui said, “Our move south to Xiangyang was only to send troops for joint defense, not to expand southward ourselves.”

“I know.”

“Brother Zhao and Chief Tang’s next move should be to sweep the south completely and eradicate the Maitreya threat. So what use is cooperation with us? You wouldn’t lack a few troops from us to join that battle.”

“To be precise, I need your father’s strength as number ten on the Earth Ranking. You and your father were both present at the time and saw the divine and demonic shadow behind Maitreya. I need to gather all possible forces to achieve victory in one stroke. Since your father participated in the siege of Maitreya before, if he really escapes, the Yang family might face some consequences later. I think your father would be very willing to cooperate with me again.”

Yang Bugui smiled. “That alone isn’t enough to bring Chief Tang along too… Brother Zhao has other ideas, so speak frankly.”

“The Wang family won’t want us to easily wipe out Maitreya and form a Tang family hegemony in the south. They’ll likely try to sabotage us. I don’t expect the Yang family to help defend Xiangyang, but I hope you at least won’t side with them on this matter, or we’ll be in a very passive position.”

Yang Bugui stared at Zhao Changhe for a long time, then suddenly said, “Originally, Brother Zhao didn’t care who rebelled. Now you’re trying to fix everything. This contradiction—how do you reconcile it? Specifically, between the Four Symbols Sect and Chief Tang.”

Zhao Changhe said, “Maybe everyone misunderstands… I still don’t care much who rebels. The reason I oppose Maitreya is that he’s even more trash. As for the Wang family, it’s purely because they want to kill me. And Chief Tang—I’d rather she retire to the countryside and stop meddling in these troubles, not make it easier for her to manage.”

Yang Bugui didn’t pay attention to Zhao Changhe’s long spiel but seized on one word: “Even more?”

Maitreya is “even more” trash—that implies the current one is also trash, hence the word.

Zhao Changhe was cursing Xia Longyuan.

Zhao Changhe didn’t answer that directly but instead said, “Brother Yang, you don’t need to keep probing my views… In fact, the Yang family probably doesn’t care much about what I think of the world. I think what the Yang family truly cares about is that you were once on par with the Cui and Wang families, but now your presence isn’t as strong… You, Brother Yang, are much more reticent, lacking the vigor of Wang Zhaoling and Cui Yuanyong.”

Yang Bugui’s smile vanished.

Zhao Changhe said, “No matter how much you look down on brute force, the Chaos Ranking is there, and the world cares. The Yang family hasn’t produced a Heaven Ranking member for generations—aren’t you worried about decline?”

Yang Bugui said slowly, “Brother Zhao, by exposing our scars, what are you trying to say?”

Zhao Changhe said, “The Yang family became a top-tier noble house, so its heritage is clearly no weaker than the Cui or Wang families. Yet it’s starting to decline—it can’t be that your talent is lacking, can it?”

Yang Bugui said flatly, “Our talent is indeed dull, inferior to the geniuses of Cui and Wang.”

“Why hide it from me?” Zhao Changhe said firmly, “Something must have gone wrong with the Yang family. The Four Symbols Sect saw that and thought they could discuss cooperation with you. So why can’t you discuss it with me? Maybe they couldn’t solve it, but I can.”

He paused, then added, “The Yang family has never held such a grand birthday celebration before. I suspect this banquet has something to do with it.”

Yang Bugui stared at Zhao Changhe for a long moment, then suddenly smiled. “I’ll convey your meaning to my father, Brother Zhao. Please sit tight. The banquet hasn’t started yet—I hope you enjoy your stay here.”

With that, he rose, bowed, and took his leave.

Zhao Changhe saw him out, then turned to look at Tang Wanzhuang’s tightly shut courtyard door, wondering if she had been listening to the conversation and what she thought.

And today, Huangfu Qing and Yangyang had both confronted him—could the master-sister’s pride take it? He was only halfway through pursuing her; would this situation ruin everything?

Zhao Changhe knocked on her door with a headache, trying to chat a bit, but there was no sound from inside, and no one opened the door.

Zhao Changhe rubbed his chin, thought for a moment, then returned to his own courtyard and directly climbed the wall.

A mere wall—who could it stop?

Just as his head poked over the wall, Baoqin, holding a large broom, leaped up and swung it at him. “Lecher! I knew you’d climb the wall—I’ve been waiting for you!”

Tang Wanzhuang sat in the courtyard reading a book, not lifting her head. “Climbing walls is a disgrace to the sect. Go copy the *Shennong Bencao Jing* a hundred times and reflect.”

Zhao Changhe dared not truly fight with Baoqin; he ducked and fled, muttering to himself, "It's all over."

She was truly angry, surely thinking that there should never have been anything between them in the first place, so why was she jealous of other women?

It's going to end... What to do?

Just then, a flash of red robe at the door, Huangfu Qing leaped in, her eyes brimming with allure: "Last time I said, next time we meet, if you don't devour me, I will devour you."

Tang Wanzhuang, reading in the next room, pricked up her ears.

Soon she heard the next line, a voice steeped in seduction: "Stealing a taste of the imperial consort right beside the court's first seat—thrilling, isn't it?"

Tang Wanzhuang's cool voice drifted under the moonlight: "You witch, how dare you!"