Outside the tent, a thunderclap roared, making their eardrums buzz.
Li Yuangui's gaze involuntarily fell upon the horizontal saber at Cheng Yaojin's waist. During the mourning period for the Supreme Emperor, even the imperial guards observed filial piety—wrapping their heads in hemp cloth and removing auspicious red tassels and banners—but their weapons and ceremonial regalia remained unchanged, and commanding generals still carried their blades. Unlike him, a filial son clad in mourning attire with only a bamboo staff as a weapon, which he didn't even know where he'd lost in his frantic rush here... Bah, what nonsense was he thinking?
A founding general tempered in mountains of corpses and seas of blood—if he really wanted to fight, would he even need a blade?
That ugly, temple-guardian-like face suddenly split into a grin as the corners of his mouth stretched wide:
"Not bad, got some guts. Worthy of being His Majesty's brother, even daring to come fight Old Cheng for a bride... I say, Fourteenth Young Master, is it your intention that I don’t marry this girl, and you’ll take her as your princess consort instead?"
"I..." It’s the greatest wish of my life... but not now.
"Well, that’s fine too." Cheng Yaojin flicked away some insects from his sleeve. "Since she doesn’t want me and has her heart set on someone else, forcing her into marriage wouldn’t be any fun. Old Cheng followed the Sacred Ruler to conquer and rule this land, and now I’m a duke and grand general—do you think I’d lack for wives? Why bother quarreling with you youngsters over such trivial matters? If you want her, take her... Wait, hold on."
The Grand General of the Left Military Guard wore a mocking expression: "Old Cheng just remembered something. Isn’t Prince Wu supposed to marry a princess in Gaochang? Huh? Just before you barged in, we military commanders were discussing how to arrange an escort for your journey beyond the pass! And now, in the blink of an eye, Your Highness has taken a fancy to the Wei family’s daughter? So the Fourteenth Young Master plans to secretly bring the prime minister’s daughter along while seeking a foreign princess’s hand? Tsk tsk, you youngsters sure know how to have fun!"
Li Yuangui gritted his teeth and turned away, refusing to look at Cheng Yaojin’s face, only to hear him continue:
"Ahem, there’s another matter—not pleasant to say, but it’s the truth. You know, Fourteenth Young Master, that old man Wei Zheng has been scrambling for money everywhere to secure a Cui family bride for his son. He demanded a sky-high dowry—50,000 bolts of silk from Old Cheng for his daughter! 50,000 bolts! Even for your princely estate, that’s a hefty sum, isn’t it? Who in this world could cough up such wealth without bleeding dry? Now, if you want to break off this marriage, fine—return the girl, but the betrothal gifts must be repaid too. Otherwise, how’s Old Cheng supposed to marry another girl? Who’s going to cover those 50,000 bolts? I know that old skinflint Wei Zheng—he’s already sent the dowry to the Cui family. Even if you grind his bones to dust, he couldn’t spit it back out. Are you, Fourteenth Young Master, willing to shoulder this debt? Huh?"
50,000 bolts of betrothal gifts... A flash of insight suddenly struck Li Yuangui, like lightning from outside the tent had jolted him.
Cheng Yaojin wasn’t wrong—50,000 bolts was indeed a colossal fortune. Aside from the imperial treasury, no household in the realm could produce such wealth on short notice. Cheng Yaojin was willing to annul the marriage and free Wei Shufen, but demanded the return of the betrothal gifts to marry another noble daughter—a perfectly reasonable request. Though the Wei family certainly couldn’t repay it—nor would they agree to cancel the marriage—this was... an impossible solution within impossibility.It's just money, Li Yuangui silently repeated. Cheng Yaojin was acting with such bravado, confident that no one could produce such a colossal sum, deliberately bringing it up to mock and humiliate him. But since he had said it, it had to be honored—it was merely money, after all!
"This debt—I'll cover it," Li Yuangui gritted out through clenched teeth. "I'll return your fifty thousand bolts of silk on behalf of the Wei family's young lady and restore her freedom! As for whom she wishes to marry... or whether she even marries at all, where she goes and what she does—let her decide for herself!"
Cheng Yaojin's eyes bulged like bronze bells. After a moment of stunned silence, he burst into another round of raucous laughter:
"Really? Hahahaha... Who knows, maybe the Wei girl would still prefer to marry this old Cheng! Fourteenth Young Master, won’t you regret it?"
He might very well be speaking the truth. Given the circumstances, for the sake of her family's dignity and under her parents' strict orders, Wei Shufen might still choose to honor the marriage contract after careful consideration. The thought made Li Yuangui's heart sink, but it didn’t shake his resolve.
He remembered that late winter day, light snow falling, when he had stood before Wei Shufen in the Hall of Established Governance and proposed to take her as his princess consort—only to be refused. Back then, the Wei family's young lady had declared outright that she was sick of these great men—chancellors and princes—presumptuously deciding her fate for her. She would rather die than submit to another's will... Much had changed since then, and perhaps her thoughts had shifted as well. But Li Yuangui still remembered those tear-filled eyes behind the veil of her hat in the snow, brimming with grievance and indignation yet resolute enough to move anyone.
So let her decide for herself. Whether she married Cheng Yaojin or chose to forge her own path, he would gather fifty thousand bolts of silk to repay this crushing debt and buy back her independence. Perhaps—Li Yuangui secretly hoped—with her unyielding spirit, once freed from worldly constraints, she might even seek refuge in places like the Purple Void Monastery, waiting patiently for him, waiting for the day when he too could...
"Tsk, truly a descendant of dragons and phoenixes—so wealthy!" Cheng Yaojin's voice yanked him from his reverie back to reality. The middle-aged general grinned at him. "Then it's settled. Fifty thousand bolts of silk—when will Your Highness deliver them to my home?"
"Uh—"
Fine. A mere fifty thousand bolts—just an enormous sum of money.
Where in the world was he supposed to get this "mere fifty thousand bolts"?
Li Yuangui reached behind his head, scratching it as if trying to claw out a few feasible ideas... A prince's stipend... Income from his fief... The Wu Prince's estate... His second brother-in-law... Dowry provisions for a prince's marriage... Rewards for venturing beyond the frontier... Loans... Money-lenders...
"Th—three days!" Under General Cheng's mocking, expectant gaze, he could only force the words through gritted teeth. "Give me three days, and I’ll give you a definite... answer!"
Cheng Yaojin threw his head back in another booming laugh:
"No rush, no rush! With the Supreme Emperor's state mourning, the court has decreed a three-month ban on weddings among the common folk. The Wei girl won’t be crossing my threshold anytime soon. Fourteenth Young Master, take your time scraping together the money, eh! This is a fine deal—why should old Cheng be in a hurry? Who knows, I might get both the girl and the money..."
While Li Yuangui might very well end up with neither—and exiled to the wilds again. So why had he rushed here like a madman to stir up this mess in the first place?He lifted the tent flap in a daze and stepped into the dimming world where raindrops had begun to fall. The anger that had fueled his journey here had dissipated, replaced by a suffocating sense of helplessness. Wei Shufen... the betrothal... fifty thousand bolts of silk... the Gaochang prince consort... What should he do now?
Suddenly, a large dark cloud drifted overhead, shielding him from the rain, accompanied by a comforting warmth radiating beside him.
Li Yuangui looked up to see Yang Xinzhi holding out a straw raincoat, preparing to drape it over his shoulders while already wearing one himself.
This was their first meeting since being arrested together. Under normal circumstances, they should have been overjoyed to see each other unharmed. But burdened with heavy thoughts, Li Yuangui couldn't muster any joy.
After donning their rain gear, the two left the military camp together. Yang Xinzhi briefly explained his situation: with the court's decision to send Li Yuangui to Gaochang, the Great Peace Palace case had been temporarily suspended. Yang Xinzhi had only received a reprimand and labor punishment, returning to Prince Wu's residence as a treasury guard while preparing to accompany Li Yuangui on his diplomatic mission. Having completed the paperwork these past few days and packed his belongings, he happened to hear about Li Yuangui's arrival and decided to return to the Seventeenth Prince's Residence with his lord.
Li Yuangui also shared his circumstances. When Yang Xinzhi heard about his promise to repay Cheng Yaojin fifty thousand bolts of silk for Wei Shufen, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Where would the Fourteenth Young Master get such wealth?" he exclaimed.
"I... don't know yet," Li Yuangui admitted, hanging his head. "If I liquidate all my family assets and fiefdom households, perhaps..."
"You might scrape together ten thousand!" Yang Xinzhi scolded irritably. "Your Highness hasn't even established your own household yet. What valuable items could possibly be in the Seventeenth Prince's Residence? If Chen Changshi hears about this grand promise of yours, he'll likely faint from shock..."
As Yang Xinzhi grumbled while walking, Li Yuangui tuned him out. When they passed through the camp gates onto the main forbidden garden path, the rain intensified with frequent flashes of lightning and thunder. Glancing at the sky, Yang Xinzhi suggested finding shelter and suddenly slapped his forehead.
"Fourteenth Young Master, let's go to Purple Void Monastery! It's nearby—we can take shelter and perhaps seek advice from High Truth Master!"
The idea struck Li Yuangui as sound, and he nodded in agreement. Chai Yingluo had always been full of clever ideas, and no one else could help with his current troubles. Then he remembered seeing her gravely ill at Supreme Polarity Hall that morning—she'd been sent back to the monastery and might not be able to receive them. Still, even checking on her condition would be worthwhile.
With their decision made, they quickened their pace toward Purple Void Monastery. The monastery wasn't far from the military camp, and the familiar path allowed them to dash through the mountain gate before becoming completely soaked.
The gatekeeping acolyte informed them that the abbess was indeed too ill to receive guests. Jing Xuan, who was managing the monastery affairs, welcomed them into the guest courtyard, mentioning there was already a visitor in the hall—someone they knew who was also sheltering from the rain, so they might as all chat together.
This visitor turned out to be no stranger at all. At the sight of him, Li Yuangui's first thought was:
The fifty thousand bolts of silk might be within reach.
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