Matchmaking

A Zheba felt he had nothing to reproach himself for. He had never sworn loyalty to the Dragon King, and had made his position perfectly clear: his master would always be Prince Dudun.

But once he stepped out of the tent, he still couldn't put his mind at ease.

Dudun had made no decision in front of everyone, only saying that he needed to meet the Dragon King in person. If A Zheba had been the man he once was, he would have taken every word the Prince said at face value, just like the other companions. But now he couldn't help looking a layer deeper. He sensed that the Prince felt intense hostility toward the Dragon King, and that his own advice might well have driven that hostility home.

From an objective standpoint, A Zheba felt his advice had been faultless. With a man like the Dragon King, there were only two choices: oppose him or submit to him. Any wavering would be seen through.

The young king, Shulitu, had chosen submission, while Dudun leaned toward resistance. For some reason, A Zheba felt the young king had made the right choice.

He suppressed the rebellious thought. After resting a little, he went to visit Shangguan Ru as a friend, to carry out a task he had no heart for.

Dudun was rough on the outside but perceptive within. He had seen A Zheba and Shangguan Ru nod to each other, and afterward asked, "You know a woman from the Xiangji Kingdom?"

"Yes." A Zheba briefly described how he had met Shangguan Ru in the Old Khan King's prison. His story set his companions off teasing him, and made Dudun even more interested.

"I'm courting her. I want her to be my Great Yanzhi. What do you think?"

"There's no