Chapter 1330: Agreement

"How was it?"

No sooner had he returned to the manor than Xiao Mei hurried over to greet him, concerned about the results of the interview.

Wang Yan smiled. "Not bad. There shouldn't be any issues."

"That's good," Xiao Mei said. "This matter is of great importance; we cannot afford any mistakes."

Wang Yan waved his hand. "You're overstating it; it's no big deal. If it succeeds, that's certainly better, but if it doesn't, it doesn't matter. We can't let major affairs hinge on a single woman, can we? If there's no princess, do we just stop working?"

Xiao Mei did not argue; she loved Wang Yan's confidence. Up to this point, everything Wang Yan had told her—save for rebelling to become Emperor—had either already been realized or showed signs of coming to fruition.

Like earning a marquisate in a single battle, like doing business, like winning the hearts of the people on the farm and raising death-sworn soldiers. In just two years, he had gained both power and a certain level of influence. Sheltered under the name of Yang Guang, his actual power was even greater.

As for his influence, that went without saying. His reputation among the Bingzhou border troops was unmatched; he was the absolute embodiment of loyalty and righteousness.

After the war, how he treated the brothers who had braved life and death with him was something any small soldier in Bingzhou could recount clearly. They all wanted to fight for Wang Yan; they were even willing to die for him. Wang Yan truly got things done.

Xiao Mei then turned to ask Wang Yan, who was playing with the children there, "Husband, how did you feel at court today?"

"I didn't feel much of anything, just caused a little bit of trouble."

"Oh?"

"I cursed Yuwen Shu as an old dog and grabbed some court official—I don't even know who he was—by the neck and threw him flying out."

Xiao Mei widened her eyes. "What did His Majesty say?"

"Half a year's salary docked."

"Then it's nothing serious. Husband, this move of yours was truly too reckless."

"It doesn't matter. They already look down on us anyway; we can't just let them bully us. At the very least, I earned my marquisate through slaughter; it's not as if just anyone can come before me and throw their weight around."

Xiao Mei shook her head. Wang Yan's background was indeed insufficient; that was the greatest difficulty.

But fortunately, they had never counted on those people accepting them; they had their own base of operations.

At this moment, a retainer of the household shouted from the second gate: "Marquis! The Yuwen family has come to our doorstep!"

Wang Yan smiled. "Look, speak of the dog, and the dog arrives. Wife, wait a moment; I'll go meet this idiot who dares to come to my door."

Having said that, he picked up the eight-faced Han sword from the rack in the hall—the one from the Chen state treasury—and strode out.

"Marquis, the person who came says he is Yuwen Chengdu, the son of Yuwen Huaji. He's shouting that you insulted his father and wants to fight you to the death. The brothers originally wanted to teach him a lesson, but this person has immense strength and high martial arts; he injured more than a dozen of our brothers."

"I'll get their medical expenses back for you in a moment."

Wang Yan spoke lightly, but if Yuwen Chengdu had no brains and beat his retainers to death, then Yuwen Chengdu would have to die today. However, if Yuwen Chengdu died, it would indeed cause some trouble. After all, the lives of his retainers were certainly not as precious as those of a noble scion like Yuwen Chengdu...

Having exited the marquis manor, Wang Yan scanned the area. He ignored the wide-eyed young man and first looked at his retainers, who were groaning in pain.

He asked, "Brothers, are you all alright?"

"Marquis, it just hurts."

"Yeah, Marquis, this grandson is too good at fighting. The brothers were no match for him. Marquis, avenge us!"

The retainers spoke all at once, and they didn't spare Yuwen Chengdu in their speech, cursing him with the filthiest language.

Yuwen Chengdu was angry because of Wang Yan's disregard.

"Wang Yan, you dog thief! You insulted my father and bullied my family. I'll fight you to the death!"

Having said that, he took his Phoenix-Wing Gilded Trident and charged over.

Wang Yan looked at the callow youth before him. He didn't even draw his sword; instead, he threw it to a retainer behind him and grabbed the shaft of the weapon directly with his hand. He felt the strength behind it, then stepped forward, tapped a few points on his chest, and followed up with a slap that sent him flying.

Yuwen Chengdu did have good martial arts; he flipped two and a half times in the air and landed in a half-squat on the ground.

He glared at Wang Yan, let out a roar, and charged again.

Wang Yan held Yuwen Chengdu's Phoenix-Wing Gilded Trident in reverse, not using the tip of the shaft, but swinging it like a staff.

In the next five minutes, Yuwen Chengdu was brutally beaten by Wang Yan. It wasn't until Yuwen Chengdu had no strength left that he lay on the ground, gasping for air, looking at the clear sky, unable to understand why Wang Yan was so strong.

"Tie him up."

Wang Yan gave a light order, then said to the Yuwen family retainers not far away, "Go, go back and tell your master to bring the four hundred mu of land around my manor outside the city, and another thousand taels of medical expenses to redeem him."

The retainer looked at Yuwen Chengdu, who was already trussed up like a dumpling and completely spiritless. He bowed to Wang Yan, turned, mounted his horse, and rode off to report the news.

Wang Yan threw the weapon to his retainer and glanced sideways at Yuwen Chengdu. "Children shouldn't meddle in the affairs of adults. You'll definitely get another beating when you get home. Considering you held back a little, I'll go easy on you and give you a lesson to remember. Go, tie him to the target; I'll practice my archery on him."

"Yes, sir!"

The retainers weren't in pain anymore; they happily dragged Yuwen Chengdu to the family's martial arts field and tied him to the target.

Yuwen Chengdu was only sixteen or seventeen years old. Although he had great strength and decent martial arts, he was still very callow. Wang Yan only used one hand to beat him now. By the time he was over twenty, perhaps he would need two hands.

But in short, the power level of this world was indeed not bad, even stronger than the Three Kingdoms, but that was about it. It didn't exceed his control and was within an acceptable range.

Yuwen Chengdu's mind was not yet mature, or rather, even if it were mature, it wouldn't matter.

Anyone tied to a target, gagged, and watching someone aiming with a bow and arrow from dozens of paces away would tremble.

It was just that he was gagged; he couldn't shout if he wanted to, and couldn't curse if he wanted to. He could only endure the fear and keep his body motionless.

"Don't move around, here it comes."

As Wang Yan's voice rang out from afar, Yuwen Chengdu watched the arrow leave the string and shoot toward him. He closed his eyes instinctively.

He only heard a 'thwack' sound, which drilled into his brain right by his ear. The vibration of the target also shook his body and, even more, shook his soul.

Fortunately, he controlled himself well enough, otherwise he would have been scared to the point of wetting himself.

He opened his eyes, turned his head to look at the arrow vibrating incessantly by his ear, and then let out a long breath.

But just as he was gasping for air, 'thwack, thwack, thwack' sounds rang out one after another.

Yuwen Chengdu didn't know how much time had passed, nor did he know what he was thinking. By the time he came to his senses, arrows had already surrounded his head in a circle. The closest one had even let his ear feel the coldness of the iron.

Wang Yan was still aiming. With a release of his hand, a 'whoosh' sound passed, and the arrow hit the target. In the end, dense arrows surrounded Yuwen Chengdu's head; from afar, it looked as if he had styled a trendy haircut...

"Marquis, a messenger from the Prince of Jin has come to find you, asking you to go to the Prince's manor immediately."

Wang Yan looked at the messenger from the Prince's manor in the distance, then shook his head. He shot one last arrow, threw the bow to the retainer serving him, and said from afar to Yuwen Chengdu, "Your Yuwen family is truly shameless. Such a small matter could have been settled with money, yet you had to trouble the Prince of Jin."

He shook his head as if hating that they wouldn't improve, then turned and left.

Yuwen Chengdu's eyes were splitting with rage; he struggled angrily. He felt ashamed of his cowardice just now; he felt humiliated.

But what of it?

He was still tied to the target, and beside him, Wang Yan's retainers, whom he had beaten down earlier, were boredly using feathers to tickle him—just for fun...

Yuwen Chengdu was so angry he felt like he was going to die.

The child was still too young, and his temper was too big...

Wang Yan arrived at the Prince of Jin's manor and, as expected, saw Yuwen Huaji.

"Hmph!"

Seeing Wang Yan look over, Yuwen Huaji, who was kneeling and drinking tea, let out a cold snort.

"Your Highness, look, he's the one who started snorting first?" Wang Yan pointed at Yuwen Huaji. "His son beat his way to my manor, and he still thinks he's in the right? Yuwen, my son—no, that's wrong, Yuwen, my dear grandson, your grandfather is telling you: I originally intended to hang your son on the gate of my marquis manor to practice my skills. It was only out of consideration that your grandfather and you are colleagues under the Prince's command that I left some face for the Yuwen family.

You useless thing, wouldn't it have been over if you just paid the money? Why trouble the Prince with such a small matter?"

Yang Guang waved his hand helplessly. "Alright, alright, that's enough. The Yuwen family is in the wrong this time. But you cursed Lord Yuwen first, and Chengdu was just being filial. You both have faults; don't keep harping on it."

He hoped Wang Yan would be a handy, useful isolated official. In fact, Wang Yan was indeed handy and useful; he had earned immense merit in a single battle.

But he was just a bit too reckless. He was loyal to him, but he would fight anyone he met. It wasn't that he was overbearing; he always had his reasons. He clashed with Yuwen Huaji every time they met, which gave him a headache.

He also knew the reason: it was the arrogance of noble scions looking down on Wang Yan's humble origins. It just so happened that Wang Yan was a man full of thorns; he would explode at a touch, and cursing was the least of it.

In Taiyuan, some of the arrogant officers under his command had been dealt with miserably by Wang Yan.

Apart from this, Wang Yan was someone he could absolutely trust. He never caused trouble, just lived his life honestly, earned his own silver, was polite to everyone, and had a good attitude toward everyone. Even at home, when mentioning him, the Prince of Jin, he was quite respectful, regarding him as a great benefactor...

"I'll listen to the Prince, but his son injured my retainers. Prince, those are brothers who have braved life and death with me. He has to pay money; he has to pay for medical expenses. It's almost New Year; the brothers all need to have a good New Year."

As he spoke, Wang Yan sat cross-legged opposite Yuwen Huaji, eating pastries while glaring at Yuwen Huaji with dead-fish eyes.

Although Wang Yan's gaze was terrifying and Yuwen Huaji was trembling inside, he knew Wang Yan would absolutely not kill him, so he had some confidence. He glared back without showing weakness, though his eyes inevitably flickered, and his confidence was very lacking.

To think that he, a scion of the Yuwen noble family, would lack confidence before a mud-legged man—it was truly a great humiliation.

But fortunately, he was already used to it.

Ever since Wang Yan slapped him flying at the Chen Palace, he had gotten used to it...

"Alright, stop glaring. Aren't your eyes dry?"

Yang Guang patted the table. Watching the two of them drinking tea, he then said, "Wang Yan, the manor next to yours is also mine. I'll give you two hundred mu, and another two thousand taels of silver for medical expenses."

As a leader, not wanting to favor or target anyone, this was the best way to handle it; it could be considered a compromise.

Of course, in this compromise, he was actually favoring Wang Yan. Because Wang Yan was of low rank, yet Yang Guang did not punish him and even gave him money—this was favoritism.

"How could the Prince pay..."

"Hmm?" Yang Guang put on his dog face again, glaring gloomily at Wang Yan.

Wang Yan acted as if he was unconvinced but had to be convinced, let out a long breath: "It's fine if the Prince rewards the land, but I don't need the silver."

"Are you bargaining with me? Is there any reason for you to push back what I give? Two thousand taels it is!" Yang Guang pointed at the attendant on the side. "Go, send the deeds for the manor and the fields, along with two thousand taels of silver, to his manor. And send Chengdu back."

"Yes, Your Highness." The attendant took the order and left.

Wang Yan bowed. "Thank you for the reward, Your Highness."

"Be steady, don't look for trouble. You are all my trusted aides; arguing endlessly every day, what kind of decorum is this? Letting others see my joke!"

Yang Guang said letting others see his joke, but he was truly angry. Because Wang Yan was truly cursing Yuwen Shu...

Having drunk two cups of tea to calm down for a while and soothe his mood, he turned and said, "I've talked with the Emperor. The matter of going to Yangzhou is settled. We move the garrison to Jiangdu; we leave the day after tomorrow. Wang Yan, you are transferred there to lead the Yangzhou garrison."

"I obey the Prince's command."

Seeing Wang Yan staring at him, Yang Guang let out a helpless sigh. "As for your marriage with Qionghua, the Emperor and Empress have already approved. The decree will be issued after the New Year. You don't need to prepare the gifts; I'll pay for them. Truly, I'm marrying off my sister, and I have to pay the dowry."

"Thank you for the reward, Your Highness." Wang Yan smiled honestly.

"Alright, go back and pack your things. We'll be spending this New Year on the road." Yang Guang waved his hand impatiently, and Wang Yan left decisively.

By the time he returned to the manor, Yuwen Chengdu had already left, and Xiao Mei was flipping through the land deeds and property deeds.

"Rewarded by the Prince. The Yuwen family got off cheap."

Wang Yan also flipped through them. Although Yang Guang said it was two hundred mu, it was actually over two hundred and thirty mu.

As for the so-called two thousand taels of silver, it certainly wasn't two thousand taels of actual silver. It was an equivalent value of two thousand taels of silver, such as silk, calligraphy, paintings, gold, silver, jewelry, etc.

Like the land, the actual value also exceeded two thousand taels. Boss Yang was as generous as ever.

Wang Yan said, "Pack up, we're leaving again."

"Yangzhou? So urgent?"

"It's a time when people are needed, after all. We need to quell the chaos as soon as possible. Also, there's one more thing."

Xiao Mei was stunned for a moment. Looking at the smiling Wang Yan, she had a flash of inspiration: "The Emperor agreed?"

Wang Yan nodded with a smile, then said, "Alright, arrange to pack things. We leave early the day after tomorrow. I'm going to take a look at the new manor; they're all adjacent. I need to make arrangements, otherwise, I'll neglect one and lose the other, and no one will be happy."

"Go, go. I'm here at home."

Xiao Mei waved her hand to urge him, then happily directed the servants in the house to pack things up.

It was as if it wasn't Wang Yan marrying a princess, but she herself... ===== CHAPTER 1331 =====