Chapter 143: Concession (Part One)

Wu Tan had originally thought she would provoke him. She expected him to fly into a rage, but she never imagined that the end of it all would be a tranquil resolution, like the wind dying down after a storm.

Taken aback, she sat there and rubbed her chin. Sensing that Xiao Yue’s gaze was still fixed on the top of her head, she slowly raised her eyes to look at him.

Xiao Yue’s expression was solemn and composed as he looked down at her from his height.

When he spoke again, his tone was much gentler, though it remained grave and composed. "Think about it. Even if you continue to stay with them, there will come a day when your grandmother grows old and passes away, and your eldest brother gets married and establishes his own household, with his own wife, children, and new family. No matter how well they treat you now, no one can dote on you and accompany you for a lifetime."

Sensing once more what he was about to say, Wu Tan muttered rebelliously, "Even if I get married in the future, it doesn't mean I have to marry you."

In front of Xiao Yue, she had long since grown accustomed to pushing her luck.

Whenever she saw that he was in a decent mood or not frowning with anger, she would habitually climb up the pole to press her advantage...

Besides, he wouldn't hold it against her anyway... She had tried it many times, and nothing much ever came of it.

While Wu Tan might seem bold, she actually cherished her life more than anyone else. Even when provoking Xiao Yue, she subconsciously assessed the situation, playing soft when she needed to. Everything was—

Underpinned by her survival instinct.

At that moment, she seemed completely unaware that although Xiao Yue was always picking on her and she had made plenty of trouble for him time and again, if he hadn't deliberately tolerated her and chosen not to stoop to her level, she would have died several times over.

The results of repeatedly probing him had formed a subconscious realization—

To her, Xiao Yue did not represent a threat to her life.

Accustomed as he was to her bickering and riling him up for no reason, Xiao Yue felt a tightness in his chest, but he managed to hold back and refrained from losing his temper.

He bent down and sat on the edge of the bed.

Since Wu Tan’s leg was inconvenient to move, she immediately shifted her body sideways to put some distance between them, making her stance clear.

"Would following someone else be better than following this prince?" Xiao Yue didn't quibble; he simply looked straight into her face and continued, "Even if you did as you planned before, taking in a scholar from a humble background as a matrilocal husband for the Dingyuan Marquis Manor—yes, his family background and status are inferior to yours, and perhaps he would obey you in everything. But the moment an accident or political storm strikes, would he have the ability to protect you? Or the ability to protect your entire Wu family clan and your elderly grandmother? Some matters shouldn't be thought of too simply, but neither should they be thought of too complicatedly. You are so clever; haven't you always known how to weigh the pros and cons? Think carefully, is following this prince really that bad?"

With Xiao Yue’s lofty status, detached position, and handsome appearance—aside from his self-righteous, foul temper—he was practically flawless.

At that moment, when he wasn't putting on airs, he looked much more pleasing to the eye.

Fairly speaking, if the Dingyuan Marquis Manor weren't a powerful estate, Wu Tan had to admit that, aside from the awkward age gap, Xiao Yue would indeed be a flawless candidate for a husband.

Having spent the past decade accustomed to doing as she pleased, she couldn't stand being restricted, nor could she endure the days of kowtowing to a large household.

If she followed Xiao Yue, even though his unpredictable moods were quite annoying, at least given his status and standing, she would only need to put up with him alone...

The real question, however, was—

Why on earth was this man pestering her relentlessly? Wu Tan could never fully trust his intentions.

Given Xiao Yue's favorable attitude and earnest tone at the moment, Wu Tan felt too embarrassed to shout back at him. Instead, she lowered her head to play with her fingers and muttered softly, "If I were just looking for a powerful backing, why didn't I pester the Crown Prince directly to marry him back then?"

Those words were tantamount to stepping on Xiao Yue's tail.

The temper he had managed to suppress with such difficulty flared up instantly. Looking nearly furious enough to make his hair stand on end, he stood up abruptly with a whoosh.

Startled by the sudden movement, Wu Tan looked up at him in alarm.

Xiao Yue’s face seemed to instantly don an ice-mask as he stared down at her and sneered, "You are always suspecting this prince of harboring ill intentions toward your Wu family, but those are merely suspicions. Yet the exploitation of the Wu family by Xiao Zhi and his son is already laid out plain and clear for everyone to see. Why does the Crown Prince want a marriage alliance with the Wu family? You know the reason better than this prince does. If we must argue along these lines—to step back ten thousand paces, even if this prince did harbor exploitative motives, since both sides are using you, at least this prince shows you far more tolerance than Xiao Yun ever would. What else do you have to choose from?"

The Emperor indeed harbored the intention of roping in and utilizing the Wu family; this was something everyone knew implicitly.

Confronted with Xiao Yue’s questioning, Wu Tan was momentarily choked and left with no room for rebuttal.

Seeing that she still refused to yield, Xiao Yue finally reached the limit of his patience and emphasized once more, "Wu Tan, this prince will clarify this to you one last time: this prince has no ulterior motives whatsoever toward the Dingyuan Marquis Manor or the Wu family!"

Wu Tan refused to believe that even if her life depended on it. She immediately gave a cold snort and stiffened her neck. "Then it must be that Your Highness has really taken a fancy to me! Exactly what is it about me that caught your eye? I am ignorant, have a terrible temper, and noble daughters who are far better-looking than me are ten a penny in the capital..."

*You just *had* to fall for me? Are you blind or what?*

Hearing her argufy with such high-sounding logic, Xiao Yue laughed out of sheer anger. "Since you know you are utterly worthless, how do you still have the face to roar at this prince?"

Wu Tan pursed her lips, wearing an expression that seemed to say—

*See? I knew all along you had ulterior motives.*

Xiao Yue was so infuriated he felt smoke coming out of his seven orifices. If he weren't restrained by the fact that he couldn't hit her, he would have dragged her over and given her a beating long ago.

He pointed a finger at Wu Tan for a long while. Seeing her expression of utter indifference—like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water—he could only grit his teeth and drop a harsh ultimatum: "This prince has exhausted all the kindest words on you, yet you stubbornly refuse to listen no matter what, is that it?"

Wu Tan remained silent.

Finally driven past his limit, Xiao Yue flicked his sleeve and stormed out in a fit of rage. After striding forward two paces, he still felt stifled—

Wu Qingyu, who had been eavesdropping plastered against the door, didn't manage to dodge in time. He stumbled forward and crashed right into the room.

Having spent all his energy dealing with Wu Tan just moments ago, Xiao Yue’s mental capacity was truly stretched thin, and he hadn't noticed the movement outside.

When someone suddenly lunged headfirst into him, he merely stepped aside by reflex.

"Er... well..." Wu Qingyu steadied himself, turned around, and offered an awkwardly ingratiating smile. "His Highness is here, haha! Forgive our poor hospitality!" His guilty gaze swept all around, and catching sight of Cheng Cheng standing in the courtyard holding a tea bowl, he quickly added, "Why don't we... go to the front hall for a cup of tea?"

Having been driven into repeated compromises and concessions by Wu Tan, Xiao Yue was already burning with anger. To think that such a humiliating scene had been eavesdropped on by someone else!

Xiao Yue’s face darkened to the point where water could practically drip from it.

Wu Qingyu’s smile looked as though it were plastered on like a smiling mask, already stiffened through and through.

The gaze the Prince of Sheng was directing at him looked as though he could devour him alive!

Fortunately, Xiao Yue still showed Wu Tan some face. After locking gazes with Wu Qingyu for a moment full of warning, he flicked his sleeve and left once more.

Leiming felt immensely fortunate at that moment.

When Wu Qingyu had rushed over earlier wanting to eavesdrop, Leiming hadn't had the heart to block him too harshly, but he had intercepted everyone else, keeping them standing in the middle of the courtyard.

Judging by the expression on his lord's face when he emerged from the room, that little ancestor must have said something humiliating and embarrassing again. Fortunately, the others hadn't heard a thing...

The moment Xiao Yue left, Leiming hurriedly led the elderly physician away in his wake.

Having been subdued by the murderous look in Xiao Yue’s eyes just moments before, Wu Qingyu only patted his chest and let out a long sigh of relief once he watched the retreating figure exit the courtyard.

When he turned back, Wu Tan was glaring at him balefully.

Feeling much more at ease in front of her, Wu Qingyu strolled inside with a beaming smile, sat down by the table, and began chatting with his younger sister with a great deal of affectionate concern. "Not bad, girl! I was originally worried that someone like you would never manage to get married, but who knew you were so capable? You’ve managed to latch onto the second-most powerful golden thigh in the entire imperial court right beneath the Emperor himself?"

Thinking about it, he found it quite amusing—

Did the Prince of Sheng have some sort of peculiar fetish? Although Wu Tan's face was exceptionally pretty, at her current age, she had neither breasts nor hips, coupled with a foul temper to boot. What on earth did Xiao Yue see in her?

Judging from the content of their bickering earlier—

There was even a rather awkward undertone of unrequited yearning?!

Accustomed as Wu Tan and Xiao Yue were to throwing away their shame and dignity with each other, she hadn't felt it was that big a deal at the time. But that didn't mean her skin was truly that thick. Being teased to her face by Wu Qingyu like that, her face inevitably flushed with heat.

Fixing a cold glare on Wu Qingyu to bolster her momentum, she retorted unmercifully, "Even someone like *you* managed to find someone; why wouldn't I be able to get married?"

"Haha..." Wu Qingyu had been holding it in, but at that, he finally broke and burst into roaring laughter, laughing so hard tears came to his eyes. "Don't get me wrong, little sis. As your brother, I'm genuinely happy for you... Tell me, what kind of soul-stealing potion did you feed that man to make him so utterly devoted to you? He threw down harsh threats to that extent—is this supposed to be a romantic tale of 'preferring beauty over the realm'?"

Sharing a similar train of thought with Wu Tan, he naturally assumed that Xiao Yue’s motives were tied to the Wu family's military power and status.

Teasing Wu Tan was one thing, but inwardly, he remained highly vigilant with all twelve of his guards up.

Mortified to the core, Wu Tan hurled a pillow at him. "None of your business! Get out!"

Catching the pillow, Wu Qingyu hugged it to his chest. Instead of leaving, he dragged his stool closer to her and continued teasing her with a half-joking tone, "Hey! Let's talk business. We're true siblings, and as your brother, I have to give you a warning—no matter how sweet a man's words sound, listen to them and leave it at that; don't take them seriously. What truly matters are his actions. Only things he actually does for you count for real; everything else is empty and cannot be trusted."

Wu Tan had no wish to listen to his lecturing, but who told him to be such a wretch and eavesdrop on them?

In her current state of physical immobility, she couldn't chase him away even if she wanted to, so she could only glare at him coldly while forcibly suppressing her temper.

Having listened in confusion for a long time without understanding a thing, Xingzi couldn't help inquiring with naive curiosity, "Miss, what on earth did His Highness say to you just now? You didn't curse him out again, did you?" Judging by the look on his face when he left, it was truly terrifying.

Xingzi asked with the utmost sincerity and an expression full of worry.

Having even less way of explaining things to her, Wu Tan shot her a look full of bitter resentment.

Having returned from the Duke of Ningguo's estate in the morning with a heavy heart, the Old Lady hadn't had the chance to check on Wu Tan right away. After turning the matter over in her mind, she had someone invite Wu Qinglin over.

That morning, Wu Qinglin had been searching through military dispatches in Wu Xun's study. The doorkeeper hadn't known his whereabouts and failed to find him immediately, so by the time he learned of Xiao Yue's arrival and rushed over to Wu Tan's quarters, Xiao Yue had already left in a huff.

Wu Tan had buried her head under the quilt in a fit of temper and refused to speak with him, and the two maidservants knew very little.

Hearing that Wu Qingyu had eavesdropped on them, Wu Qinglin originally intended to go question him for the details. However, Wu Qingyu had been temporarily summoned out by Lin Yanxu.

Just as Wu Qinglin returned to the front courtyard from Luoyun Pavilion, Ruyi came over with a message saying the Old Lady wanted to see him.

Without delay, Wu Qinglin returned to the inner courtyard and hurried to the Old Lady's chambers.

Upon entering, he found the Old Lady sitting on the heated brick bed, sighing with a furrowed brow.

"Wasn't Grandmother going to the Duke of Ningguo's estate this morning? Did the talks with the Zhou family not go well?" Wu Qinglin asked, brushing aside his robe and sitting down by the table.

"Oh! You're here?" The Old Lady looked up upon seeing him, opened her mouth, and followed up with another sigh.

Puzzled, Wu Qinglin asked, "Is something wrong with Zhou Changyin's condition? Or are members of the Zhou family being unyielding and giving Grandmother a hard time?"

"No!" the Old Lady replied. Though her heart was filled with trepidation, some things needed to be made clear. After deliberating repeatedly, she finally spoke: "Regarding that matter, the Zhou family said that the Prince of Sheng took the initiative to step forward and shoulder the responsibility. The Dowager Duchess of Zhou came over the other day specifically to apologize to me for her granddaughter's behavior. It's just that today she specially mentioned another matter to me, which has left me feeling unsettled all morning."

Since Xiao Yue had directly taken the blame for the cause of Zhou Changyin's injuries onto himself, the incident could no longer be blamed on the Wu family or Wu Tan. The Zhou family remained reasonable people.

Observing the expression on the Old Lady's face, Wu Qinglin guessed the gist of it. "It still has to do with the Prince of Sheng?"

"Qinglin..." The Old Lady let out a low murmur, finally raising her eyes to look at Wu Qinglin's face. "Has that Prince of Sheng still not let up regarding Tan'er? Today, the Dowager Duchess of Zhou told me that when he went to the Zhou family the other day, he explicitly stated that he intends to marry our little Tan'er in the future. The Empress Dowager spends year-round chanting Buddhist scriptures in the detached palace; since he solemnly made this declaration even to his maternal relatives, he is certainly not just talking idly. Over in the palace, His Majesty still hasn't made his stance clear. I have no idea how this matter will finally end up, and my heart truly feels unsettled."

Given that Xiao Yue had visited just today, how could he possibly have let up?

With a helpless sigh, Wu Qinglin said, "In any case, none of this is up for us to decide. Grandmother, try not to overthink it for now. When the boat reaches the bridge-head, it will naturally straighten itself out. Why don't we wait and see?"

Knowing that worrying wouldn't help matters, the Old Lady simply felt uneasy and wanted someone to talk to.

Seeing that the Old Lady's spirits were low, Wu Qinglin chatted with her for a little while longer before urging her to take a midday nap, then stepped out.

The following morning, after finishing breakfast and just as he stepped into his study, Wu Qingyu arrived right on his heels. "Eldest Brother, I heard you were looking for me yesterday? I came back too late last night, so I didn't come over..."

Before he could finish, Mutong rushed in from outside with hurried steps. "Young Marquis! Big news!"

Lifting his gaze, he realized Wu Qing钰 was also there, so he quickly cupped his fists in salute. "Second Young Master!"

Turning to look at him, Wu Qinglin asked, "What is it? Why are you in such a panic?"

Unfazed by Wu Qingyu's presence—figuring it wasn't a secret anyway and everyone would know soon enough—Mutong reported with a solemn expression, "The news this subordinate just heard is that during this morning's early court session, His Highness the Prince of Sheng submitted a memorial to His Majesty requesting to resign from his post as the commander of the northern borders, and voluntarily returned the northern border military tally! He said he has no wish to return to the northern borders ever again and will remain stationed permanently in the capital!"

***

[Author's Note]

Imperial Uncle: To win a wife, this prince has truly invested his entire fortune...