The husband and wife stared at each other. Could it be that their daughter already knew about this, and that was why she had detained the chief envoy for the wedding?
Peng Yulan could not help asking, "Who is the chief envoy? Could it be Lan Ruoting?"
Yuan Gang said, "It's Prince Shang's attendant mage, Niu Youdao!"
Niu Youdao? The husband and wife were left speechless. After a moment, Feng Lingbo frowned and snapped, "What nonsense!" It was impossible to tell whether he was criticizing Feng Ruonan or Niu Youdao.
Peng Yulan immediately turned around and called out, "Bai Yao, take two men and go have a look right now. Bring him here. Don't let that girl make trouble."
Behind them stood a middle-aged man, leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed. He held a sword in his embrace. He did not look old, but his head of white hair was as pure as silver frost. His expression was calm as he nodded, then strode out of the main hall. He called two men over outside, then rose straight into the air and landed on the roof.
The three men left the Prefect's Mansion from the high ground. They skimmed over the rooftops lining the streets and alleys of the city, their feet touching down lightly as they moved as nimbly as swallows. Few passersby noticed them. Before long, the three men flew down from a rooftop and landed in the open ground outside the military camp, then strode inside.
Although none of the camp guards stopped them, Bai Yao still flashed his pass token before leading them in.
They headed straight for the central command tent and barged in without waiting for the guards to announce them. They feared Feng Ruonan might do something foolish and actually kill the chief envoy. Inside, they saw Feng Ruonan in armor, standing with her hands behind her back as she studied the map on the tent wall.
"General..." The guard who ran in after them looked awkward, having failed to announce their arrival in time.
Feng Ruonan turned around. She froze for a moment at the sight, then waved for the guard to leave and asked in puzzlement, "Uncle Bai, why are you here?"
Bai Yao asked, "You detained Niu Youdao?"
Feng Ruonan froze again, then nodded. "Yes. What's wrong?"
Bai Yao looked around. "Where is he?"
Feng Ruonan said, "He's being watched in the tent next door..."
Before she could finish, Bai Yao turned and left. He stepped outside, looked to either side, and saw a tent on the left with guards posted at its entrance. He immediately strode over. The guards did not dare stop him, allowing him to lift the tent flap and barge in. Inside, Bai Yao saw Niu Youdao sitting there leisurely drinking tea, while Lan, dressed in black with a sword on her back, stood quietly on guard.
"Martial Uncle!" Mei quickly cupped her hands in greeting.
Bai Yao ignored her. After looking Niu Youdao up and down, he asked, "You're Niu Youdao?"
Niu Youdao slowly rose to his feet, a faint smile appearing on his face. He cupped his hands and said, "That's me. What instructions do you have?"
At that moment, Feng Ruonan lifted the tent flap and entered. She was just about to ask what was going on when she saw Bai Yao gesture toward Niu Youdao. "Come with me."
Niu Youdao did not care who had come for him. He was very agreeable, nodding with a smile. "All right!"
"Wait!" Feng Ruonan immediately widened her eyes and shouted to stop him. "Uncle Bai, he can't leave. I still have business with him."
Bai Yao said calmly, "Your mother wants to see him. Whatever business you have can wait until after he sees your mother."
Niu Youdao smiled warmly. He could tell that Yuan Gang had successfully reached his target. He had always trusted Yuan Gang to handle matters properly.
Feng Ruonan's expression twitched. She stubbornly said, "No. He still owes me money. He can't leave."
Can money really be compared to your mother's business? Bai Yao frowned at her with an expression that said she was being far too childish, then said gravely, "You can settle the matter of the money later."
Feng Ruonan said, "Uncle Bai, we made a bet. I can't let him leave now."
Niu Youdao sighed. "General, I'm not going to welsh on the debt. I won't get away."
With those words, Bai Yao did not bother saying anything more. He tilted his head toward Niu Youdao. "Come with me."
Niu Youdao cupped his hands toward him and followed. As he passed Feng Ruonan, the corner of his mouth curled into a sly grin.
Feng Ruonan was furious, but she could not stop Bai Yao from taking him away. She followed them out of the tent and shouted, "Niu Youdao, if you dare short me by even one coin, I'll make you pay!"
Niu Youdao turned around and cupped his hands in farewell. Then he left amid hearty laughter, laughing with wild abandon, looking utterly delighted.
"I'll let you laugh. Just wait and see how you cry later!" Feng Ruonan ground out through clenched teeth. She was about to order someone to go to the Prefect's Mansion and find out what was going on when Ju hurried back at that very moment.
Feng Ruonan temporarily put aside her plans to investigate and asked Ju as she approached, "Have you found out what happened?"
Ju's expression was strange, carrying a hint of helpless amusement. "That Yuan Gang took some people to the Prefect's Mansion to propose marriage."
"Propose marriage?" Feng Ruonan stared blankly. "Propose to whom?"
Ju lightly slapped her own mouth, looking as though she blamed herself for speaking poorly. She explained, "It wasn't exactly a proposal. He went straight to the door to help Shang Chaozong arrange the wedding."
"Arrange the wedding?" Feng Ruonan asked curiously, "Is Shang Chaozong marrying one of the Household's girls? Who is he marrying? How could I not have heard even a whisper about such a major event?"
Ju was speechless. How had the general still not realized it? With a bitter expression, she said, "General, he's marrying you! Yuan Gang bought a whole pile of wedding gifts and went to the door to ask for your hand on Shang Chaozong's behalf!"
"..." Feng Ruonan was dumbfounded. Her mind failed to turn for a long while. She stared blankly at Ju. "You're not confused, are you? Shang Chaozong is marrying me? How is that possible?"
Mei and Lan, standing behind her, were equally bewildered. They clearly found it impossible as well.
Ju stamped her foot. "General, it's true! Yuan Gang loudly announced it in front of the city's people, under everyone's eyes. This will probably spread throughout the whole city soon. I saw it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears. There's no mistake!"
Feng Ruonan suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. Somewhat flustered, she comforted herself, "Even if it's true, Father and Mother won't agree. There's no way they'll marry me off to Shang Chaozong, that dying man. They won't!"
Ju shook her head. "I don't know about that. I'm not sure what exactly Yuan Gang discussed with the Prefect and Madam, but judging by how things look, it seems there's room for negotiation."
"Impossible!" Feng Ruonan flatly rejected it. She suddenly understood something. Now she knew why Niu Youdao had brought up that bet earlier, betting that she would let him leave within an hour. He had known her family would send people to take him away, and that she could not stop them. He had set a trap and lured her straight into it, clearly intending to welsh on the debt!
Thinking of those ten thousand gold coins, she hurriedly asked, "Where's the money I lent him? Take some people and find a way to steal it back!"
Ju stood there blankly, still muddled by the marriage proposal. After being reminded, her thoughts finally returned to the money. She nearly stamped her feet as she said, "I'm afraid we can't get it back. Yuan Gang used the money he borrowed to buy a huge amount of wedding gifts. They've already been delivered to the Prefect's Mansion!"
Feng Ruonan immediately cried out, "What? He used my money to buy the wedding gifts..." She could not bring herself to say "to marry me," and her eyes widened.
Ju nodded with a bitter expression.
Mei cried out as well, "Shameless and despicable!"
Lan gritted her teeth and spat, "I've seen shameless people before, but I've never seen anyone this shameless!"
The women were clearly filled with deep loathing for such behavior.
"Ah!" Feng Ruonan finally came to her senses and let out a strange cry. She covered her face with both hands, so mortified that she wished the ground would swallow her. She had wanted to trick him, wanted both the money and the man. Yet he had truly taken both the money and the man. She had lost face beyond measure. It was not as if she had never been humiliated in her life, but she had never been humiliated this badly. She was simply an idiot. And she had actually thought everything was under her control!
She was so angry she nearly fainted. After stamping her feet repeatedly to vent her boundless frustration, she suddenly raised her head, her helmet almost blasted off by her fury, and shouted sharply, "Rally the troops! Follow me to slay the thief!"
More than a hundred iron cavalrymen soon assembled and thundered away. Feng Ruonan was truly enraged this time, charging through the city like a runaway bull. Wherever they went, chaos followed.
Zhu, who had been waiting by the roadside, watched Feng Ruonan and her group hurry away in a blazing rush. She was astonished and could not quite figure out what had happened. She had brought people here to wait, intending to set up obstacles so that Niu Youdao would be unable to return and repay the money on time...
Niu Youdao followed Bai Yao to the Prefect's Mansion. With Bai Yao leading the way, they encountered no obstruction and went straight to the main hall.
The eyes of Feng Lingbo and the others instantly focused on Niu Youdao as he entered. They all had the same first impression: young!
News from Nanshan Temple had also arrived. It was difficult to connect the image of the man who had easily defeated Song Yanqing and the other two with the person before them.
Bai Yao returned to stand behind Peng Yulan, leaning against the pillar with his sword in his arms.
Niu Youdao swept his gaze over the group, lingering slightly longer on Peng Yulan. He muttered inwardly, No wonder Feng Ruonan is so tall. So it's hereditary. His eyes finally landed on Yuan Gang, who was bound from head to toe. He frowned slightly. Ignoring everyone else, he only asked Yuan Gang, "Are you all right?"
Yuan Gang gave a slight shake of his head. Seeing that Niu Youdao had arrived, he was at ease.
Niu Youdao reached out and tugged at the knots, untying the ropes. In full view of everyone, he calmly freed Yuan Gang first, as though no one else was present. Only then did he turn to Feng Lingbo and Peng Yulan, standing in the seats of honor, and cup his hands in greeting. "Niu Youdao pays his respects to the Prefect and Madam!"
Feng Lingbo asked coldly, "You're the chief envoy Shang Chaozong sent to propose marriage?"
"That's right!" Niu Youdao answered, then corrected him. "Not to propose marriage, but to arrange the wedding. This matter shouldn't be dragged out. My Prince can't wait any longer, so it would be best to marry her into our household as soon as possible."
Did I ever agree to marry my daughter to Shang Chaozong? Feng Lingbo wanted to spit in his face, but business came first. Otherwise, he would not have hurriedly summoned this man. Raising the list of gifts in his hand, he asked gravely, "Are you aware of the lavish gifts listed here?"
Niu Youdao looked around. Aside from the husband and wife, there were several others who seemed to be cultivators. He hesitated. "Is this an appropriate place to discuss this?"
Peng Yulan spoke up. "Don't worry. Everyone here is trustworthy. Say whatever you need to say." These cultivators were all her fellow disciples. The matter was of great importance, and certain things required Tianyu Sect's support. Otherwise, she and her husband could not make the decision themselves.
Only then did Niu Youdao nod. "The Prince discussed it with me beforehand, so naturally I know about it."
Feng Lingbo waved the gift list again. "How do I know whether the things on this list are real or fake?"
Niu Youdao smiled. "Whether they're real or fake, I'm sure the Prefect already has a judgment in his heart. Why ask a question when you already know the answer?"
Feng Lingbo snapped irritably, "Enough nonsense! What am I supposed to use to judge?"
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