Chapter 113

Zhang Rang's mouth could turn the dead into the living.

He could even make an almost unsolvable matter sound alive; it was truly something.

"Eh?"

Sure enough, Liu Hong calmed down a bit upon hearing this, stroked his beard, and said: "Listening to what Father said, it seems that is indeed the case, huh?"

Then, Liu Hong frowned slightly and said: "But since that is the case, why didn't Su Xuan reveal it directly at the beginning, but chose to hide it and only announce it after the rewards were finished?"

"And why did he have to marry a daughter of a scholar-official clan?"

Zhang Rang quickly fabricated... phew! He analyzed: "Your Majesty, you have established him as a model to confront Grand General He Jin and the Lord Yuan clan;"

"If it had been spread early, I fear that not only would He Jin and the Lord Yuan clan have blocked and sabotaged this matter, preventing Su Xuan from gaining support;"

"But they would also have slandered Su Xuan's loyalty to Your Majesty, thereby making Your Majesty destroy your own arm?"

"Just like now, even if no one slanders him, Your Majesty would still doubt his loyalty, right?"

"In the end, Su Xuan was just trying to protect himself so he could keep his useful body to continue serving Your Majesty!"

"In the end, he is not a stupid person; otherwise, he wouldn't be valued and reused by Your Majesty, right?"

In short, there was one core point: Su Xuan was immensely loyal, and this was not to be doubted.

"Hmm!"

Liu Hong nodded in agreement: "Reasonable! Anything else?"

"As for why he had to marry a scholar-official's daughter!"

Zhang Rang continued to analyze: "This old servant speculates that this was something he had no choice but to do;"

"Your Majesty, think about it! With Su Xuan's current status, he couldn't just marry anyone;"

"At the very least, it needed to be a well-matched marriage, right?"

"And the fact that he didn't marry a daughter of other scholar-official clans, but specifically married a daughter of the Xun clan, is precisely because he values the Xun clan's loyalty to Your Majesty!"

"If he had married a daughter of the Lord Yuan clan, that would truly be a betrayal of Your Majesty;"

"It can be seen that Su Xuan has put in a lot of effort! Your Majesty!"

At this moment, Zhang Rang couldn't help but give himself a thumbs up in his heart.

He had actually managed to smooth over this matter.

I am awesome!

"Afterward, I must tell Su Xuan about my efforts so he can prepare a generous thank-you gift for me."

Zhang Rang thought to himself.

"That is indeed true!"

Liu Hong slapped his knee upon hearing this, his eyes brightening: "Looking at it this way, Su Xuan marrying a daughter of the Xun clan is actually a wonderful thing? Not only does it solve the problem of his main wife, but it is also indirectly expressing his loyalty to me?"

Although it felt a bit strange, it was not without logic.

"Your Majesty is sagacious!"

Zhang Rang flattered him.

Liu Hong glanced at Zhang Rang and said indignantly: "Alright! I won't make things difficult for you anymore!"

"I know that this is actually Su Xuan's means to ease his relationship with the scholar-official clans; don't think I can't see that;"

"You also said that this kid is a smart person; smart people naturally know how to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages, right?"

Liu Hong would not underestimate a young talent who could repeatedly seize opportunities, establish merits in just half a year, and make him willingly promote him.

Hearing this, Zhang Rang's forehead broke out in cold sweat: "Yes! Your Majesty is sagacious!"

Damn! It almost flipped over, but fortunately, it didn't flip over completely.

His Majesty had listened to most of it.

"Heh!"

Liu Hong sneered: "I'll let it go this time! I won't argue with him! After all, he was just trying to survive, and marrying a daughter of the Xun clan doesn't count as betrayal;"

"If he had married a daughter of a eunuch, I would truly have to be careful!"

That would mean Su Xuan was extremely sinister and cunning, stopping at nothing to achieve his goals.

For such a person, even if he appeared loyal on the surface, Liu Hong would not dare to trust or use him.

"Let it be!"

Thinking of this, Liu Hong waved his hand and pointed at the messy palace: "Have someone clean this up. Additionally, I do not want any wind of today's events to spread, understand?"

"Yes!"

In Zhongshan State, Jizhou, at the Zhen residence in Lunu,

Zhen Yi and the others also received the news that Su Xuan was to marry Xun Cai, the daughter of the great Confucian Xun Shuang, in three months.

"I never expected that my virtuous son-in-law would be so capable, not only being appointed as a General and enfeoffed as a Marquis, but also successfully united in marriage with the Xun clan?"

"With this, his future is truly going to be extraordinary!"

Zhen Yi exclaimed with admiration.

Su Xuan was far more powerful than he had imagined.

He even speculated whether Su Xuan had already established a connection with the Xun clan long ago.

"I wonder if this Miss Xun Cai will be easy to get along with?"

Zhen Jiang, who had also received the news, was slightly stunned as she thought this.

There was some worry in her heart.

"Jiang'er!"

At this moment, Zhen Yi said to Zhen Jiang: "Jiang'er, hurry up and pack your things; Father will also organize your dowry, and then we will depart as soon as possible and head to Nan Commandery."

"Eh?"

Zhen Jiang was slightly stunned and asked in confusion: "Father, why are we going to Nan Commandery at this time?"

"You are confused! Naturally, it is to marry you to Su Xuan!"

Zhen Yi explained with a look of "hate that iron does not become steel": "We will start preparing now; go early to reach a deep cooperation with the Su Clan Chamber of Commerce;"

"Then, after Su Xuan marries the daughter of the Xun clan, Father will offer the dowry so that you can marry Su Xuan as soon as possible;"

"It would be best to give birth to a son or daughter as soon as possible; only then will your status in the Su residence be consolidated, understand?"

Can this kind of thing be delayed?

Naturally, it must be handled decisively.

"Your father is right!"

At this moment, Zhen's mother, Zhang, also nodded in agreement: "Jiang'er! Time waits for no one! Su Xuan is now the Administrator of Nan Commandery, General Who Pacifies the South, and Marquis of Duxiang;"

"Crucially, he is only seventeen, has brilliant military merits, and his appearance and temperament are extremely outstanding. He is both civil and martial. With such a good son-in-law, I don't know how many people are eyeing him right now!"

"He is like a fragrant bun right now; everyone who sees him probably wants to take a bite;"

"Although the main wife position is given to the daughter of the Xun clan, there is no limit to the number of concubines!"

"Do you believe that if you delay for a few days, your entry time will be ranked behind the double digits?"

At this moment, Zhen Yi and Zhen's mother were very glad that they had chosen to marry Zhen Jiang to Su Xuan as a concubine.

And had even drawn up a marriage contract.

This decision was too wise.

Otherwise, where would their family be in line for such a good thing?

Zhen Jiang was ashamed by her mother's exaggerated description: "Mother, you are too exaggerated! What, 'ranked behind the double digits'? What do you take General Su for? A stallion?"

She was between laughter and tears.

But at the same time, she did indeed feel a sense of urgency.

She was worried that many vixens would win Su Xuan's favor before her and enter the Su family.

"It's not an exaggeration! Reality will only be more exaggerated than what Mother says!"

Zhen's mother shook her head.

She felt that her daughter just had too little experience.

She simply couldn't understand the madness of some families.

"Fine!"

Zhen Jiang stopped saying anything and nodded: "Let's do as you say! I'll go prepare!"

— Author's Notes —

PS: New book launched, seeking first subscriptions, self-subscriptions, and support!