Overall, he was a broad-minded man. He had experienced things like wiping spit from his own face, but he could also be quite petty about certain matters—such as this one before him. Feng Ruonan wanted to kill him, and it was only natural and proper for Yuan Gang to intervene. Yuan Gang had been quite polite, merely blocking her without doing anything else. There was nothing wrong with the old man stepping out to mediate, either, but there had been no need for him to strike such a vicious blow in secret.
Hearing the other party call himself "this old servant," it was obvious that he was a servant protecting his master and standing up for his young master. Niu Youdao could understand that sentiment, but he was no pushover either.
His earlier question about whether the other party was tired of living had not been an idle threat. He could completely use the matter of the hundred thousand Crow Generals to force the old man to be punished, or at the very least make him apologize and leave him utterly humiliated. However, considering the situation before him and wishing to avoid complications, he decided to yield a step. As for any apology, he would let that go too. He would keep this matter in reserve!
The little interlude seemed to have passed, but Feng Ruonan, who had been struggling with all her might, refused to let it go. She shouted, "Mother, I won't marry him! If I'm going to marry, I'll marry a real man who stands tall between heaven and earth. I absolutely will not marry Shang Chaozong, that cowardly rat who clings to life!"
When she said that, Niu Youdao refused to let it stand. How could he allow this woman to ruin things? Did she think she could simply refuse to marry because she wanted to? Since she was restrained and could neither move nor bite anyone, he walked up to Feng Ruonan and asked in surprise, "General, why would you say that? Is there really a man in this world more upright and heroic than our Prince?"
With one sentence, he had slapped down all the other men in the world. The group of men present was left speechless, though they all knew his words could not be taken seriously.
The corner of Feng Lingbo's mouth twitched as he grumbled inwardly, There's nothing wrong with praising Shang Chaozong, but was it necessary to belittle everyone else like that?
Having even despised himself for saying such a thing, Niu Youdao naturally had no concern for what other men thought.
"Bullshit!" Feng Ruonan spat at him with extreme vulgarity, leaving Peng Yulan somewhat embarrassed. She might be a female general, but she was still a daughter of the household—and this was her daughter.
Niu Youdao ignored her vulgarity. After all, he was not the one marrying her. Instead, he loudly demanded, "General, have you ever met our Prince? How much do you know about him? If you have never met him, then on what basis have you decided that our Prince is a cowardly rat who clings to life?"
Feng Ruonan spat, "Bah! Why would I want to meet him? Tell him to scram as far away as possible. Better yet, don't let me see him, or I'll surely stab him to death! And you, you dog of a villain, you heartless dog..." She unleashed a torrent of abuse.
A few curses would not cost him a chunk of flesh. Niu Youdao understood her desperate struggle and did not stoop to argue with her. Then he suddenly shouted, drowning out Feng Ruonan's furious bellowing: "General, you are being far too arbitrary about the Prince! Do you know what it feels like to spend several years locked in the Imperial Prison? Especially when you face torture and forced confessions every day—after enduring such brutal torment for years, how many men in this world can refuse to submit and never loosen their tongues? Of all those I know, only our Prince!"
He looked around at everyone and raised his thumb. "To endure hardship without bending, with an iron backbone—that is a true man! That is a true hero! The facts speak for themselves, and time is the ultimate proof. Those so-called heroes and good men cannot compare!"
He turned back and asked Feng Ruonan, "General, do you know what happened outside the gates of the Capital City? The city guard deliberately humiliated him, yet the Prince dragged his withered, sick body—fresh out of the prison—and publicly struck him down with a blade in fury! Tell me, beneath the Son of Heaven's feet, how many people in this world would dare to disregard life and death and kill a city guard? General, would you dare?"
He shouted that last question especially loudly at Feng Ruonan.
Then he turned around again and asked the others, "Among all of you here, who would dare do such a thing? If you dare, step forward and let us see!" His gaze fixed on Feng Lingbo. "Would you dare, Governor?"
Feng Lingbo nearly rolled his eyes at the question. He wanted to say that Shang Chaozong had probably been certain the current Emperor would not kill him, which was why he had dared to act that way. But Niu Youdao turned back and raised his thumb at Feng Ruonan in praise. "That is a hot-blooded man! That is a true man who stands tall between heaven and earth, not the so-called man your imagination has conjured up. Imagination is useless when the facts are right before your eyes. Why do you refuse to see them? Why cast aside what is near and real to chase what is distant and imaginary?"
Feng Ruonan was so thoroughly bluffed that she could not turn the corner in her mind for a moment.
Niu Youdao turned his head and walked over to Peng Yulan. "Our Prince is a hereditary noble, and his father, Prince Ning, once shook the world with his name. Even the current Emperor still fears him to some degree. Though he has now been stripped of his princely title, he remains an honorable Commandery King. If your daughter marries the Prince, she will become his legitimate Princess Consort. How many women in the world can enjoy such dazzling honor and glory? Just the four words 'son of Prince Ning'—could they possibly bring shame upon your daughter? These are words from the bottom of my heart. I hope, Madam, that you will judge them wisely!"
"Princess Consort?" The words flashed through Peng Yulan's mind. She glanced sideways at Feng Lingbo's expression, then waved toward the old man. "Take her down and keep watch over her for now!"
The old man immediately pushed Feng Ruonan by the shoulder and led her outside. Feng Ruonan came back to her senses, but she was powerless to resist. Turning her head, she shouted, "Mother, I won't marry him! I won't! This vile villain is a swindler, a swindler! How can you believe anything a swindler says? Mother... Niu Youdao, give me back my money! Give me back my money..."
She disappeared from sight, but her cries for repayment continued to echo. Yuan Gang's expression remained impassive, though his brows twitched twice.
Peng Yulan was also slightly puzzled. She asked Niu Youdao, "What is this about you giving her back her money?"
The question made things awkward. Niu Youdao cheerfully replied, "It turns out that your daughter and I are old acquaintances. We were both young back then, and I had not yet joined the Shangqing Sect. While traveling downriver on my way to seek entry, I happened to encounter your daughter. She nearly shot me to death with an arrow, but afterward she gave me a nameplate and other things, telling me to seek refuge with her in the future. Well... in short, it is rather embarrassing to say, but I was short of money—very short of money—and borrowed a little from your daughter. I'll definitely pay her back. I definitely will!" He deliberately kept things vague.
Peng Yulan suddenly understood. She seemed to have heard mention of that chance encounter downriver. But he had borrowed money too? She had never heard of that. A down-and-out young man probably could not have borrowed much anyway.
Feng Lingbo spoke up. "Enough. Stop talking about useless matters and get to the point. If you cannot produce the things on the betrothal gift list, why should I marry my daughter to Shang Chaozong?"
The fact that he could say this showed that he believed the hundred thousand Crow Generals existed.
Niu Youdao pointed outside. "The things are in Cangwu County, within the Prince's fief, Qingshan Commandery. That is the hidden reason the current Emperor is forcing the Prince to return to Cangwu County!"
Feng Lingbo narrowed his eyes. "Since the current Emperor knows where they are, will he wait for me to retrieve them?"
"If they could be found that easily, the Prince would have died in the Imperial Prison long ago. How could he have survived until now? This matter is no small thing. When Prince Ning refined them, he must have sought the utmost secrecy. Even if the Prince goes to Cangwu County, he will still need to search slowly and carefully."
"If even he has to search slowly, then what use is he to me? I can search for them myself..." Feng Lingbo stopped halfway when he saw Niu Youdao looking at him with a faint, knowing smile. He felt speechless. Niu Youdao had already said that preparations had long since been made. If he dared to cut Shang Chaozong loose and search on his own, Niu Youdao could immediately spread the matter far and wide. When that happened, even Feng Lingbo would be unable to bear the consequences.
After thinking it over, he changed his wording. "If I truly agree to this marriage alliance, and my people go to Cangwu County, the current Emperor will likely react immediately and suspect that I already know this secret!"
Niu Youdao spread both hands. "And so what? The internal and external troubles plaguing Great Yan were created by him alone. At a time like this, would he dare openly turn against the Governor? If he dared, he would have wiped out the Governor long ago. Is he not merely afraid of allowing foreign enemies to take advantage of the chaos? He would not dare expose this matter either. If the various kingdoms learned that Great Yan possessed such a thing, the consequences would be obvious: they would rise up and attack together, and Great Yan would fall at once! Once the current Emperor knows that the Governor has grasped this secret, he will instead be wary of the consequences and dare not push the Governor too hard. If the Governor holds this leverage, Guangyi Commandery will become as secure as an iron fortress. At the very least, the Imperial Court will not dare attack it recklessly again! This is a case of killing two birds with one stone. Governor, there is no need to hesitate. You should make your decision early!"
Feng Lingbo stroked the short beard on his chin and fell into deep thought.
Peng Yulan poured cold water on the idea from the side. "The son of Prince Ning sounds impressive, but do not tell me you are unaware of Prince Ning's extreme views while he was alive. All the cultivators under heaven are dissatisfied with Prince Ning. If we accept his son, where does that leave my Tianyu Sect?"
Niu Youdao immediately spun around as if injected with a shot of adrenaline and argued point-blank, "Madam is a heroine among women. How could you have such an ordinary housewife's opinion? Was Prince Ning a fool? How could a famous general who had spent years on the battlefield so easily place himself in a losing position? Even if he truly held such extreme views, do you think Prince Ning would have publicized them under normal circumstances? Others may not understand, but our Prince was caught in the middle of it all and knows the hidden cause better than anyone. Madam, think carefully about the situation at the time. The late Emperor was showing Prince Ning exceptional favor, and to many people, it was almost certain that Prince Ning would inherit the throne. Yet precisely then, the matter of Prince Ning intending to oppose all the cultivators under heaven suddenly emerged. Is that not suspicious? After the incident, the late Emperor first came under immense pressure. I would not be surprised if the Tianyu Sect had also exerted pressure. Then, without the slightest warning, the late Emperor suddenly died. His death was suspicious, and an imperial edict suddenly appeared, transferring the throne to the current Emperor. The entire situation was overturned. In the end, who benefited? Though there is no definitive evidence, anyone who is not a fool can guess who performed this fine deed."
He turned and surveyed the several cultivators in the hall. Niu Youdao guessed that they were all members of the Tianyu Sect, so he explained to them, "A father's views do not mean his son must inherit them. Even if human hearts are unfathomable, let us set that aside for now. So long as the Tianyu Sect is willing to accept Commandery King Yongping and publicly declares that he has abandoned his father's views, whether everyone believes it or not, the Tianyu Sect's strength is right there for all to see. No one will risk fighting the Tianyu Sect to the death over a fallen Commandery King and suffer mutual destruction. That would be a terrible bargain. The only concern is that the current Emperor might mobilize the cultivation sects within Yan Kingdom to join forces and pressure the Tianyu Sect. But the Tianyu Sect would then hold the leverage of the 'hundred thousand Crow Generals.' The current Emperor could not bear the consequences of exposing it. Tell me, would he dare force the Tianyu Sect like that? Therefore, Madam's worries are actually nothing to worry about!" He flicked his sleeve, looking precisely as though the matter was beneath concern.
He turned back to Feng Lingbo and continued persuading him. "There is another benefit. The Governor can use this to test whether the matter of the 'hundred thousand Crow Generals' is true. If the current Emperor dares mobilize a great army to attack Guangyi Commandery and urges the various sects to pressure the Tianyu Sect, then the matter of the 'hundred thousand Crow Generals' must be entirely false. The Governor can abandon the Commandery King at any time. Even if he kills him, we will have no complaints! If he dares not, then I need say no more about the current Emperor's misgivings." With that, he cupped his hands toward the husband and wife. "Our Prince's desire to marry your daughter is truly sincere. I hope the Governor and Madam will grant them your blessing!"
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