Chapter 626

PS: Want to hear more of your voices, want to receive more of your suggestions, now search the WeChat public account 'qdread' and follow, give more support to Medical Unification!

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Here, it's yours!' He took down the reward bestowed by Empress Dowager Jiang from the saddle and strode into the Nanfeng Inn.

The warriors in the hall saw Hu Xiaotian and, already excited, shouted loudly: 'Sir Hu is back, Sir Hu is back!'

Before he could return to his own small courtyard, he saw Long Xi Yue rush out, her beautiful eyes full of concern, and Hu Xiaotian smiled at him and said: 'Go, help me fetch a basin of hot water to wash my face.'

Long Xi Yue replied, and her heart finally settled.

Hu Xiaotian returned to the room, threw the bundle containing the reward onto the table, making a loud thud!

Long Xi Yue came in carrying the washbasin, surprised, and asked: 'What's inside?'

Hu Xiaotian laughed: 'It's the gold bestowed by Empress Dowager Jiang.' He went to the washbasin, washed his face, took the cotton towel Long Xi Yue handed him, and wiped the water off his face.

Long Xi Yue said: 'I heard you went to Cien Garden; everyone was worried about you.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Cien Garden is no dragon's pool and tiger's den, and the Empress Dowager is no tigress; there's no need to worry.'

Long Xi Yue originally wanted to ask him what had happened after he went to Cien Garden, but suddenly Wu Jing Shan's voice came from outside: 'Sir Hu, you've finally returned.'

Hu Xiaotian stood up and laughed: 'Sir Wu, I just got back and haven't had a chance to look for you yet.'

Wu Jing Shan walked in, saying: 'You've worked hard all day; hurry up and sit down to rest.'

Hu Xiaotian had Long Xi Yue bring over a pot of tea, invited Sir Wu to sit and drink tea; after they were seated, Wu Jing Shan sighed and said: 'Sir Hu, I heard you went to Cien Garden. Did you see the Empress Dowager?'

Hu Xiaotian smiled, nodded, and said: 'I saw her!'

Wu Jing Shan asked concernedly: 'Then, did you tell her about our sending the princess here to complete the marriage with the Seventh Prince?'

Hu Xiaotian shook his head.

Wu Jing Shan felt a bit disappointed: 'Sir Hu, why didn't you say? This is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity; you finally saw the Empress Dowager, why didn't you tell her about it?'

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said: 'It's not yet the time.'

Wu Jing Shan blinked his eyes. Puzzled, he said: 'Not the time?'

Hu Xiaotian nodded, changed the subject, and said: 'Sir Wu, did you go to visit the princess?'

Bringing up this matter, Wu Jing Shan couldn't help but sigh again and said: 'The guards at the Qixing Palace are really over the top; they won't even let this old man in—what's the reasoning?'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'There must be someone behind this pulling the strings; it's just unclear who exactly is making them do this.'

Wu Jing Shan looked around; Long Xi Yue had already gone out. In the small building, besides the two of them, there was no one else. Wu Jing Shan lowered his voice and said: 'I've already contacted the Dakang envoy?'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'What do you mean?'

Wu Jing Shan gave a wry smile and said: 'According to what they said, the mother of the Seventh Prince, Consort Shu, is not pleased with this marriage alliance; I think there's an eighty or ninety percent chance that Consort Shu is behind this.'

Hu Xiaotian had already heard this news from Xiao Tianmu; now that Wu Jing Shan says the same, it should be correct.

Wu Jing Shan said: 'I think the Da Yong royal family may not all know about the princess's arrival. They kept the princess in the Qixing Palace to block the news; if it's just deliberate obstruction, that's not a big deal, but what I fear most is that they might have some ulterior plot.'

Hu Xiaotian nodded, lifted his teacup and took a sip, then said in a low voice: 'Sir Wu, are you worried they'll harm the princess?'

Wu Jing Shan said: 'The princess must not come to harm. If something happens to the princess, all our previous efforts would be wasted, and how would we explain ourselves to the Emperor?'

Hu Xiaotian remained silent.

Wu Jing Shan again said: 'Having suffered such humiliation, we could actually have reported to the princess. Tear up the Marriage Pact and leave, but after what happened in Yongjiang, we only have one choice left: we must let the princess marry off smoothly; if this marriage alliance fails, we are finished.' Wu Jing Shan's meaning is obvious: the current Princess Anping is merely a counterfeit; if the genuine princess were alive, there would still be a way back, but this counterfeit princess can only grit her teeth and go down a one-way road to the bitter end; she must be married off to the Da Yong Seventh Prince, and only in this way can they have an explanation to give to the Dakang Emperor Long Yelin. It's a pity that the goods have been delivered, but the recipient seems dissatisfied, always at risk of a return; if a return occurs, he and Hu Xiaotian will have only a dead end.

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Sir Wu, there's no need to worry; the marriage alliance between the two countries is a decision made by the two monarchs. Even ordinary folk follow their parents' orders and the matchmaker's words, let alone a monarch? No matter what tricks Consort Shu and her son play behind the scenes, it won't affect the final outcome.'

Wu Jing Shan said: 'The urgent matter is to let the Da Yong emperor know as soon as possible that the princess has arrived in Yongdu.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'I'll take care of this.' Having cured Empress Dowager Jiang's illness, now wanting to accomplish this task will basically not be difficult; it's just that Hu Xiaotian is choosing the right moment.

Wu Jing Shan said: 'Sir Hu, this must not be delayed; the sooner the better. I worry that Consort Shu and her son will harm the princess; if something happens to the princess, we don't have enough heads to lose!'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'It seems we should definitely go to the Qixing Palace today to have a good talk with the princess.'

'The sooner the better, but those guards always deliberately make things difficult; it's probably not easy to see the princess.'

Hu Xiaotian laughed: 'Just a bunch of rats; since we've come to Yongdu, we're not afraid of making a big fuss.'

Wu Jing Shan sucked in a breath of cold air and said: 'Sir Hu, a mighty dragon does not overwhelm a local snake; this is the capital of Da Yong, so we still need to act cautiously.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'The bigger the commotion, the more it will attract the royal family's attention; Sir Wu, rest assured, I will keep things in proper measure.'

Wu Jing Shan said: 'In all matters, caution is best, after all we're not in Dakang.' He obviously lacked Hu Xiaotian's courage and mettle.

Outside, a report from Zhan Peng sounded: 'Sir Hu, someone from the Prince Yan's manor has come, saying they wish to see you.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Sir Wu and I are discussing matters; let him wait outside.'

'Yes!'

Wu Jing Shan hurriedly said: 'Sir Hu, in my opinion, you should go over as soon as possible; maybe Prince Yan is looking for you about something important.'

Hu Xiaotian laughed: 'It's usually hard to see them, but now they've come to our door; we can't just have no standing, right?'

Wu Jing Shan said: 'Sir Hu, this is Yongdu!'

'What's so special about Yongdu? People are like that; the more you respect them, the more they look down on you; if you ignore them, they'll instead come crawling over.'

Wu Jing Shan said: 'We definitely need to hear what his purpose is.'

Hu Xiaotian put the Chazan in his hand on the table and called out: 'Let him in!'

The one who came to see Hu Xiaotian was actually the chief aide of the Prince Yan's manor, Ma Qingyun; this was somewhat unexpected to Hu Xiaotian, who had thought this time it would again be the usual steward Tie Zheng he often dealt with, but instead it was someone else.

Ma Qingyun and the icy Tie Zheng formed a stark contrast. He came before Hu Xiaotian with a beaming smile, clasped his hands and bowed, saying: 'I am Ma Qingyun, acting on the Prince's orders to specially invite Sir Hu to the Prince Yan's manor for a chat.'

Wu Jing Shan heard that he was an envoy from the Prince Yan's manor and also wore a full smile, turning his head to look at Hu Xiaotian. But he saw that this fellow had no smile at all, as if Ma Qingyun weren't even there, legs crossed, slowly lifting the Chazan and sipping tea, saying: 'This tea is a bit cold.'

Long Xi Yue saw Hu Xiaotian putting on airs and couldn't help but want to laugh; she held back her laughter and came over to add some hot tea for him.

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Who are you, again?'

Ma Qingyun could hardly fail to see that Hu Xiaotian was deliberately making things difficult for him, yet he still smiled and said: 'I am Ma Qingyun; I handle affairs in the Prince Yan's manor.'

'I don't think I've seen you before.'

Ma Qingyun said: 'Sir Hu, with your stature, how could you possibly remember a nobody like me?'

Hu Xiaotian secretly sighed, this Prince Yan is truly unusual—one plays the good cop, the other the bad cop, and he has all kinds of people under him. But someone who can be both flexible and firm is definitely more formidable than Tie Zheng; Hu Xiaotian said: 'Mr. Ma, please have a seat!'

Ma Qingyun laughed: "I'm not sitting; I came this time to give the Prince a message. Please, Sir Hu, come to the manor for a chat."

Hu Xiaotian said: "What does the Prince want with me?"

Ma Qingyun said: "As a subordinate, I dare not ask about the Prince's affairs. I think the Prince and Sir Hu hit it off at first sight and want to deepen their relationship."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "It's rare that the Prince shows favor; I should have gone right away, but now I'm tied up with many matters and can't leave for a while."

Ma Qingyun didn't expect Hu Xiaotian to refuse him like this; he opened his mouth to speak, but Hu Xiaotian added: "Actually, if the Prince Yan has nothing else to do, he can come sit here!"

Ma Qingyun, hearing this, thought it outrageous: "This guy, if he speaks plainly he's clueless, if he's on point he's shameless. What stature does our Prince have? Just asking you to come to the manor is giving you face; refusing isn't enough, and you even dare to ask the Prince to come in person." Ma Qingyun, though angry inside, kept a bright smile: "Sir Hu, the Prince sincerely invites you; if you don't go, I fear I'll have trouble explaining to the Prince when I return." A mix of soft and hard, threatening Hu Xiaotian to comply.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Zhan Peng, help me see Mr. Ma off."

Ma Qingyun only now realized what kind of oddball he had met—this guy is either foolish or doing it on purpose, he's trying to slight the Prince's dignity. Since things have come to this, Ma Qingyun saw no need to stay, nodded and said: "Then I'll head back first, Sir Hu, you'd better think it over."

After Ma Qingyun left, Wu Jianshan panicked and said: "Hu Xiaotian, how can you say that? What kind of person is the Prince……"

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "What person? He's just a Prince; there are plenty of Princes in Yongdu, merely an empty title with no real power."

Wu Jianshan lamented: "Hu Xiaotian, do you truly not know or are you pretending? The Prince is the Da Yong Emperor's blood brother and also Empress Dowager Jiang's biological son; you've offended him—what good fortune can we expect?" Wu Jianshan was fearful and apprehensive; they had come this far, and the situation was already like walking on thin ice, yet Hu Xiaotian not only ignored his advice to be cautious but actually seemed eager to make things worse. Wu Jianshan already felt his prospects grim; if they truly provoked this Prince, letting them die without a grave would be just a thought away.

Please vote for recommendation! (The novel 'Medical Unification' will have more fresh content on the official WeChat platform, and there's also a 100% draw prize for everyone! Now open WeChat, click the '+' in the top right corner 'Add Friends', search for the public account 'qdread' and follow, hurry up!)(To be continued~^~)