250 Angering the wrong people

sn't much of an ideal match anyway, so it was fortunate that Li'er also didn't fancy him. Even more surprisingly, the Emperor agreed to annul their engagement. As for why he wouldn’t allow this… Altho...250. Provoking the Wrong Person

In the magnificent hall of the Mu Sang family, Xu Qingchen sat calmly drinking tea.

Ling Tiehan naturally sat beside him and drank some high-grade aromatic tea from the Great Chu Kingdom. Ling Tiehan couldn't help but marvel, "It's no wonder it's the Mu Sang family; even in the Great Chu Kingdom, such high-grade aromatic tea is rarely seen." Xu Qingchen smiled faintly and said, "Brother Ling likes it I'll have someone send two boxes over to Brother Ling later."

Ling Tiehan raised his eyebrows. "There are a lot of this kind of tea in the northwest" That shouldn't be possible; such tea is already rare in the Great Chu Kingdom itself. Although the Great Chu Kingdom now does business with the northwest, there are actually some things that are embargoed from being exported to the northwest, including this tea known as the number one aromatic tea in the Great Chu Kingdom. These actions don't affect the northwest much; it's purely a move by Mo Jingqi to irritate Mo Xiuyao.

Xu Qingchen smiled faintly and said, "That isn't the case. In springtime, the northwest brought in some of this tea. Li Er sent several boxes over to me. However, such tea... while it's fragrant, its excessive richness covers up the natural fragrance of the herbs themselves. The people at my place don’t like it much, so I have a bit more."

Ling Tiehan twitched his mouth corner; so you're giving this to me because you don't like it "I know, all of you scholars are overly meticulous. Not only do you insist on the best tea, but you even classify it into different grades."

Xu Qingchen smiled without responding.

The servant who was waiting nearby started sweating slightly; they had been instructed by their mistress to serve the best tea to Mr. Qingchen, but didn't know that Mr. Qingchen actually didn’t like this particular tea and weren’t sure whether to leave it as is or replace it with a fresh cup.

"Haha… Esteemed Mr. Qingchen, your visit to our Mu Sang family truly adds luster to us." The head of the Mu family had a bright and cheerful smile, seeming like a hospitable host. Beside him was the veiled Mu Mingyan; looking at Xu Qingchen with an extremely amiable expression. However, such amiability made both outsiders present, Ling Tiehan and Xu Qingchen feel their skin crawl.

Xu Qingchen smiled and said politely, "The head of the Mu family is being too kind. May I ask what you wish to instruct me about"

The head of the Mu family laughed loudly, "Mr. Qingchen is a straightforward person; I won’t beat around the bush. I heard that Mr. Qingchen hasn't married even after reaching thirty years old"

Xu Qingchen's expression changed slightly, his half-closed eyes darkened as he said faintly, "That’s true." The head of the Mu family smiled with satisfaction and asked, "What do you think of our Mingyan" Mu Mingyan blushed; she shyly glanced at Xu Qingchen, but saw him calmly staring at the tea cup in front of him without even giving her a glance. She felt a blockage in her heart as a slight resentment welled up, making her eyes immediately redden.

Sitting on one side, Ling Tiehan raised his eyebrows and looked mockingly at Xu Qingchen with a look that suggested he was enjoying the show. However, Xu Qingchen's mood wasn't particularly pleasant because Mo Xiuyao had guessed correctly about Mu Sang family's intentions regarding him. Just thinking about how Mo Xiuyao would ridicule him after this meeting made him feel uneasy.

The originally confident and smiling head of the Mu family’s smile gradually faded as he waited for a long time without getting an answer from Xu Qingchen. After some time, Xu Qingchen said coolly, "Thank you for your kind offer, but currently I have no intention of marrying. I fear I will disappoint the head of the family's good intentions." The head of the Mu family forced a smile and said, "As they say, to manage one’s own household is to govern a country; since you’ve reached thirty without getting married, it’s time to think seriously about it."

Xu Qingchen smiled faintly and said, "Master Zhuang is right. These past years, I've been diligently working on self-cultivation, but unfortunately, my dull nature hasn't yielded any results." Ling Tiehan couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly as he listened to the conversation. However, with his deep martial arts cultivation and endurance, he managed to suppress his laughter. When the head of the Murong family mentioned Qijia's method of governing a country and pacifying the world, Xu Qingchen cleverly took the ancient saying "self-cultivation leads to household harmony which then leads to governance and peace" and emphasized that he was still in the process of self-cultivation without time for household affairs.

This kind of refusal was already very clear, especially when it was done in front of Ling Tiehan. It practically severed any possibility of the Murong family choosing another path. The head of the Murong family's face darkened as he coldly said, "Since that's the case, why did Young Master Qingchen spend the night alone with Mingyan last night Could it be that Great Young Master Xu doesn't know about men and women not touching each other or the importance of a woman's reputation Are you going to give our Murong family an explanation for this matter"

"Explanation" Xu Qingchen frowned, looking at the head of the Murong family and Murong Mingyan with puzzlement. The sheer confusion in his calm eyes almost made it impossible for them to maintain their expressions.

Xu Qingchen said, "Last night, Miss Murong came to visit on her own accord; originally, I thought that we could talk at the door, but she insisted on talking privately with me. Or do you think it would be better if people passing by saw us arguing at the entrance Furthermore… Even if it was a private conversation, as for my identity, I believe the head of the Murong family is aware; I can guarantee that there were no fewer than four people in the room at the time. Moreover, I certainly didn't touch Miss Murong."

Murong Mingyan was both ashamed and embarrassed as she said through her tears, "Young Master Qingchen, am I truly so unworthy of your eyes"

Xu Qingchen frowned and replied coolly, "Sorry."

With this, the situation had become a deadlock. Ling Tiehan was thinking about whether he should say something; no matter what, he needed to get Xu Qingchen out of the Murong family intact. He didn’t care about anyone else but was worried that the old monster Mu Rong Xiong might suddenly strike, which would put them in real danger today.

The head of the Murong family glared at Xu Qingchen and said coldly, "Young Master Qingchen, if not for yourself, then consider Duke Ding and his consort." Xu Qingchen raised an eyebrow and said, “Headman Murong’s words puzzle me.”

The head of the Murong family sneered and said, “Our Murong Family controls nearly 60% of West Ling country's commerce. Even in Great Chu including Northwest Li City, we have a considerable amount of business dealings. To be precise… Is it not that the iron mines in the northwest are purchased from Great Chu and West Ling Coincidentally… Our Li City purchases seven out of ten iron mines from West Ling through our Murong Family.”

To ordinary people, they might never use much ironware in their lifetimes. However, for Duke Ding's household with nearly a million troops, without iron mines there would be no weapons. Thus, iron mines were a critical issue to the northwest. How could the wealthy and powerful Murong Family miss such significant benefits Long before the northwest broke ties with Great Chu, the Murong Family had initiated contact with Duke Ding's household. Xu Qingchen lowered his gaze in silence; if the head of the Murong family could see it, he would detect the mocking coldness in his eyes. Unfortunately, the head of the Murong family didn’t notice and thus interpreted Xu Qingchen’s silence as submission. He nodded proudly and chuckled: “Young Master Qingchen, why not consider this thoroughly Although our Murong Family is a merchant clan, we are also immensely wealthy. After marrying into our Murong Family, you will be the next generation's headman; isn't that better than being a counselor under Duke Ding”

"Cough… cough…" Such astonishing words made even the steady Mountain Pavilion Lord Ling almost choke on his tea. Ling Tiehan looked at the head of the Murong family with admiration: Asking Xu Qingchen to marry into their clan You really are bold… If Xu doesn’t ruin your Murong Family, I’ll give you my Yan Wang Pavilion. The period that Ling Tiehan and Xu Qingchen had known each other was not short; although they didn't often meet, this didn’t stop Ling from understanding Xu deeply based on personal experience.

Eventually, the two were politely escorted out of the Murong family by their subordinates who flattered Xu extensively, convinced that he would be the future son-in-law of the Murong Family. Once they were far away from the Murong Estate, Ling Tiehan finally burst into laughter and looked at Xu Qingchen with a grin.

Xu Qingchen looked coldly at him and asked calmly, "Very funny" Ling Tiehan admitted boldly, “Pretty good. For so many years… Young Master Qingchen has finally entertained me once.” Usually, it was Young Master Qingchen who enjoyed watching others' misfortunes, but now it was his turn to be the center of attention. Being forced into marriage and becoming a son-in-law… If this were known, people would surely be shocked.

Xu Qingchen glanced at him before turning towards the city. Ling Tiehan looked at his back and scratched his chin, pushing thoughts of his sisters and brother waiting for him to the back of his mind as he eagerly followed behind.

Since Xu Qingchen didn't know martial arts, naturally, he could only walk slowly back; Ling Tiehan walked beside him with ease. “Have you thought of a way to deal with the Murong Family Or are you really preparing to marry into the Murong Family and become the richest man in the world” Xu Qingchen stopped walking and looked at him thoughtfully; Pavilion Lord Ling immediately became wary and floated back several feet. "What do you want to do I can't beat that old monster of the Murong family."

Xu Qingchen smiled and said, "Someone told me that as long as there is a master like Pavilion Master Ling’s level of proficiency, it would be enough to deal with Meng Xiong."

"Mo Xiuyao!" Ling Tiehan gritted his teeth and glanced at Xu Qingchen, saying, "No problem. Tell Mo Xiuyao himself to come here. I also want to see if he has made any progress. By the way, what's in it for me to help you deal with the Meng family" Although they were friends, business was business. He wouldn’t move without a benefit for such a major matter as dealing with the Meng family.

Xu Qingchen stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly, "Of course I won't let Brother Ling down. However… to deal with the Meng family, it's not enough just with you and me. We also need a collaborator." Ling Tiehan frowned and said in a low voice, "Thunderbolt Zhen Ting" To become the King of the Netherworld Pavilion at such a young age and躋身江湖四大高手之一，淩鐵寒自然不是笨人。In the Western Capital's territory, dealing with the mighty Meng family, which even the royal family feared, without official permission would undoubtedly be extremely difficult. "Will Thunderbolt Zhen Ting collaborate with you His feud with Mo Liufang is well-known across the world."

"There are no eternal friends in this world, nor are there permanent enemies. Thunderbolt Zhen Ting will come to us himself." With these light words, Mr. Qingchen left gracefully. Ling Tiehan shook his head and sighed helplessly: "It seems that the Meng family's luck has truly run out; otherwise, why would they offend such a deity"

"Your Highness," Duke Zhen Nan looked solemnly at the martial arts competition on stage, but Thunderbolt Tengfeng knew his father’s mind was no longer focused on the擂台。

"How is it going" Duke Zhen Nan asked the Gold Robe Guard next to him. The Gold Robe Guard said in a low voice, "I just got news that the Meng family wants Mr. Qingchen to join them."

Duke Zhen Nan was startled and quickly sneered, "They're rather optimistic about it. How did Xu Qingchen react"

The Gold Robe Guard said, "Mr. Qingchen doesn’t seem agreeable. He left with an unpleasant expression just now. He has already returned to the city." Duke Zhen Nan lowered his head and thought silently for a moment before Thunderbolt Tengfeng whispered, "Xu Qingchen is a prodigy from a scholarly family; he must be arrogant and hard to persuade."

Duke Zhen Nan furrowed his brows and asked sideways, “Tengfeng, if you were Xu Qingchen, would you agree” Thunderbolt Tengfeng thought for a moment before honestly nodding. "Your Highness, I would agree." Duke Zhen Nan nodded with a smile, saying, "You finally speak the truth. Let's go back to the city!"

Getting up, Duke Zhen Nan turned and walked out of the venue. Thunderbolt Tengfeng naturally followed him immediately. Sitting next to Cold Liuyue saw the two leave and looked at the mostly empty chairs in front and thought, "Brother Three, let’s go." The Sick Book Student would not contradict Cold Liuyue's words; he nodded and got up as well. Ren Qining, who was competing on stage, glanced down at the nearly empty seats with a flicker of cold light in his eyes, then threw his opponent off the擂台。

After bidding farewell to Ling Tiehan, Xu Qingchen wandered around the city before returning to his temporary inn. As soon as he entered the room, he saw two people sitting inside. Before Xu Qingchen could speak, a few dark shadows rushed forward. Duke Zhen Nan naturally didn’t care about these shadow guards; with a sneer and a flick of his cup, he casually struck them out. The shadow guards clearly realized they weren’t his match and exchanged positions, pouncing on one side to attack Thunderbolt Tengfeng while two others surrounded Xu Qingchen.

"Stop," said Xu Qingchen.

Before the words were out of his mouth, the shadow guards had already withdrawn their attacks and stood at attention by the side. Duke Zhen Nan clapped and laughed, "Well done! I can see why you're known as the King’s Shadow Guards. Mr. Qingchen, forgive my impertinent visit."

Xu Qingchen emerged from behind the shadow guards and waved his hand, saying, “Stand down; Duke Zhen Nan has no ill intentions.”

"We withdraw," said the shadow guards without delay as they withdrew in an efficient manner.

Duke Zhen Nan raised a brow and couldn't help but look at this graceful Mr. Qingchen differently, "Oh How did you determine that I have no ill intentions

Xu Qingchen smiled and said, "If Prince of Southern Peace wanted to ambush me, there are countless places where you could have done it. Why wait until in my inn room" The Prince of Southern Peace nodded and said, "You're right. I envy Prince Ding so much. Not only does he have a wise man like Qingchen by his side, but also his people are well-trained. Initially, I wanted to enter without being noticed, but someone had already discovered me. More surprisingly is that they kept their composure."

Xu Qingchen walked over and sat opposite the Prince of Southern Peace, pouring himself a cup of tea from a green porcelain teacup, smiling as he said, "Your Excellency is too kind."

With a smile, Xu Qingchen looked at the Prince of Southern Peace and said, "I know why Your Excellency has come. I have no interest in selling myself to anyone."

The Prince of Southern Peace had an odd expression on his face as he said, "The Mu Clan is rich enough to rival a kingdom."

Xu Qingchen smiled calmly and said, "Wealth that rivals a kingdom can only be used by those who know how to use it. If someone only needs 100,000 taels of silver to live extravagantly for life, then what's the point of having another million Beyond a certain amount, money is merely a number."

The Prince of Southern Peace narrowed his eyes and sized up Xu Qingchen as he said, "I don't understand your meaning."

Xu Qingchen smiled and said, "At my current status, I'm extremely short on money. A million taels or more would be welcome. But if the circumstances were different, 80,000 to 100,000 taels would suffice."

The Prince of Southern Peace's eyes flashed as he bowed and said, "You're a high talent that this prince wishes had been by his side. Prince Ding is truly fortunate." Xu Qingchen’s words were easy to understand – He was now an important figure in the northwest and governed its affairs. The more silver one has while managing a territory naturally brings greater benefits. However, Qingchen himself wasn't interested in money at all. The Prince of Southern Peace looked at him and said, "Qingchen seems unshocked by my visit. Or… did you deliberately wait for me to come"

Xu Qingchen smiled calmly and replied, “I just told Master Ling that there are no permanent friends or enemies in this world, only interests. Now I add: Only ever-changing benefits matter. At least for now, our goals align, don't they Or… does Prince of Southern Peace think that I am incapable of controlling the Mu Clan"

"There's no permanent friend and no permanent enemy; only mutual benefit," The Prince of Southern Peace praised.

"Just borrowing someone else’s words. But I happened to hear from Princess Consort Ding, and thought it was apt here, don't you agree" Xu Qingchen asked as he sipped his tea.

“Princess Consort Ding… she's truly a rare woman in this world. If you're confident of taking control over the Mu Clan, then why seek an alliance with me” The Prince of Southern Peace inquired.

"Wasting time," Xu Qingchen said bluntly. He certainly could take down the entire Mu clan, but it would require more than a few days or weeks; it might not be possible within three to five years. Currently, if Mo Xiuyao had to let Xu Qingchen out for this long because of the Mu Clan, he’d likely burn all their properties rather than wait. Who was going to handle his official duties and deal with public welfare issues after Xu Qingchen left

The Prince of Southern Peace pondered over what Xu Qingchen said; if possible, he definitely didn't want to cooperate with him. Cooperation meant sharing benefits, but the majority of the Mu Clan's interests were in Western Capital territory, which rightfully belonged to them. However, if he refused and didn’t agree to cooperate, the Prince of Southern Peace had no doubt that even without Xu Qingchen wanting to become a son-in-law of the Mu clan, he would have ways to sabotage him. Moreover, with Greater Chu around, forcing the Mu Clan to directly ally themselves with Greater Chu would be counterproductive.

After some time, the Prince of Southern Peace lifted his head and asked, "What does Qingchen want"

Xu Qingchen was satisfied as he showed a composed smile. "All the business assets of the Mu Clan in the northwest will belong to Prince Ding’s mansion; for those within Western Capital territory… I don’t ask for much. Three parts go to Prince Ding's mansion, and one part goes to the Hell Pavilion." the first time he had felt frustrated; after hesitating in his heart, he no longer cared and continued speaking. “My Lady should know that our country has many transactions with Chu and Nan Zhao each...