Chapter 133

Chapter 133: Calling Off the Engagement Go to the palace? That absolutely would not do! Qin Shaoyuan quickly said, "There's no need, truly no need. Yunting, you're too agitated. Our two families are about to become in-laws, which means we'll be one family, crickets on the same rope." He was hinting to Xie Yunting that if the Qin family's reputation suffered, Xie Yunting would also be implicated, since the Emperor had bestowed the marriage and it could not be revoked. But Xie Yunting said, "Today, I simply refuse to believe that you can have me under your thumb!" Xie Yunting waved his hand grandly, and Shuanzi followed closely behind. Seeing that Xie Yunting truly intended to enter the palace, Qin Shaoyuan hurriedly chased after him, but with his old arms and legs, he simply could not catch up to Xie Yunting. By the time he had hitched the carriage and arrived at the palace, Xie Yunting was already at the palace gates. Just as Qin Shaoyuan reached the outside of the great hall, he heard the eunuch say that General Xie had already gone inside and had been crying for quite some time. His heart skipped a beat, and his scalp went numb. Provoking Xie Yunting was truly the Qin family's misfortune. Qin Shaoyuan steeled himself and went inside. No sooner had he steadied himself than the Emperor ordered him to kneel. His knees went weak, and Qin Shaoyuan fell heavily to the ground. "I beg the Emperor to grant this minister justice. Such a marriage, this minister no longer dares to accept. This minister has said that the marriage was bestowed by the Emperor, and this minister feels only gratitude. As for whom the Qin family wishes to marry off, this minister will only be grateful and thankful." Xie Yunting was sniffling and crying, painting himself as utterly pitiable. "This minister knows that Lord Qin looks down on this minister's origins. If not for the alertness of the centurion by my side today, when I woke up, I might have been in some servant girl's or old maid's bed." Xie Yunting wailed, "I beg the Emperor to grant this minister justice. Though this minister is a man, even a man must mind his reputation!" The Emperor looked over in anger. "Qin Shaoyuan, what do you have to say?" "Your Majesty, this minister did no such thing!" Qin Shaoyuan said. "This minister merely asked in good faith which granddaughter General Xie had taken a liking to. Matters of marriage ought to consider whether the younger generation is mutually satisfied, would you not agree?" "Spare me that. The imperial physician has examined Xie Yunting. If you hadn't drugged him with knockout drops, would he have drugged himself?" The Emperor was furious. "Are you dissatisfied with the marriage I bestowed?" "This minister is not!" "Then why did you propose swapping the bride?" The Emperor had long found these pedantic old ministers irritating. He had wanted to send troops north several times to reclaim lost territory, but they had obstructed him at every turn—and this was a matter that would go down in history. The question left Qin Shaoyuan without an answer. But he would absolutely never admit to the drugging. If he confirmed the charge, he would be the next Qian Jin. "Your Majesty, this minister truly does not know. Perhaps the servants mixed up the wine, for this minister drank from the same wine himself." Qin Shaoyuan pressed his forehead to the ground. But Xie Yunting said, "Would the servants of your Qin household be so careless?" He gave two cold laughs, clearly unconvinced. Qin Shaoyuan firmly insisted he had not drugged anyone. Xie Yunting said the evidence was conclusive. "Why not let this minister search the Qin household? Surely something would be found!" At the mention of a house search, Qin Shaoyuan felt as if a great enemy was upon him, his face turning pale. "That cannot be! This minister has been diligent and careful all these years, never once at fault. I beg Your Majesty to spare this minister's dignity. Absolutely not!" The Emperor did want to deal with Qin Shaoyuan, but Qin Shaoyuan had a faction of supporters behind him. Striking at Qin Shaoyuan's dignity would likely be unacceptable to the aristocratic families. The Emperor thought it over and ultimately demoted Qin Shaoyuan, ordering the Qin family to compensate Xie Yunting. "Minister Xie, is this acceptable now?" "With Lord Qin acting in such a manner, this minister truly dares not form a marriage alliance with him. Otherwise, if a Qin daughter married over bearing resentment, she might stab this minister in the middle of the night, and this minister would die without even knowing how." Xie Yunting also knelt, begging the Emperor to revoke the bestowed marriage. He had been waiting for this opportunity all along. He had to wait for the Qin family to panic and act rashly before he could get a handle on them. This put the Emperor in a difficult position. Revoking the marriage would not only embarrass the Qin family; the Emperor's own face would also be affected. Only now did Qin Shaoyuan understand Xie Yunting's scheme. So Xie Yunting had been waiting for him to make a move all along—Xie Yunting had never intended to form a marriage alliance with the Qin family. "No, if Your Majesty revokes the marriage, would that not be a slap to the imperial family's face?" Qin Shaoyuan quickly said. "Moreover, the granddaughters in my household are innocent. If the marriage is called off, how can they hold their heads up in the future?" "What's the problem with that? You have plenty of nephews, don't you? One for each of them would do nicely, wouldn't it, Lord Qin?" Xie Yunting's words carried a pointed meaning, sending a cold sweat down Qin Shaoyuan's back. Could it be that Xie Yunting knew the third girl had feelings for someone else? Qin Shaoyuan's mouth went dry in an instant, terrified that Xie Yunting truly knew of the third girl's intentions. If Xie Yunting revealed it, every woman in the Qin household would be ruined. Seeing Qin Shaoyuan fall silent, Xie Yunting kowtowed again. "I beg Your Majesty to take back the bestowed marriage. This minister knows Your Majesty has his best interests at heart, but since this minister has become enemies with the Qin family, we would have to take detours just to avoid each other in the future. How could we possibly form a marriage alliance?" The great hall fell silent. After a moment, Xie Yunting spoke again. "The lost territories have not been reclaimed, and this minister has no heart for starting a family." He pressed his forehead to the ground once more. "I beg Your Majesty to take back the bestowed marriage." "Minister Xie, have you thought this through?" the Emperor asked. Xie Yunting said he had thought it through very clearly. "In that case, so be it." The Emperor's words sent a chill straight through Qin Shaoyuan's heart. As the two walked out of the palace gates, the sky had already darkened completely. The dim lantern light couldn't illuminate both their faces fully, but Qin Shaoyuan knew that Xie Yunting, having gotten his way through his schemes, was especially pleased. "Xie Yunting, are you satisfied now?" Qin Shaoyuan's lips trembled as he spoke. "You've schemed against my entire family like this—aren't you afraid of retribution?" "Who exactly schemed against whom?" Xie Yunting countered. "If it weren't for your own greed, would things have come to this? Lord Qin, a man can't have his cake and eat it too. When your abilities fall short of others', you must accept your fate." Having achieved his goal, Xie Yunting was in high spirits. He rode his horse, humming a tune, and upon returning to the residence, immediately dragged Cui Zeyu and Shuanzi into drinking to celebrate. Cui Zeyu was happy for Xie Yunting as well—the Qin family's daughter was no suitable match, and Xie Yunting deserved better. The three drank until the middle of the night and fell asleep in disarray. When Cui Zeyu woke the next morning, Xie Yunting and Shuanzi were still asleep. Rubbing his eyes, he got out of bed. Just as he finished washing up, the steward told him that the Duke of Dingguo had arrived again. "Your master isn't awake yet. Bring me a basin of cold water—I'll go see the Duke of Dingguo today." Cui Zeyu's gaze was resolute. He splashed his face with water and walked with heavy steps to the front hall. Father and son had not seen each other for over a decade. As Cui Zeyu stepped over the threshold, he caught sight of the white-haired man in the hall and narrowed his eyes slightly. The Duke of Dingguo seemed to sense something and turned around. Seeing the person he had longed for day and night, he blurted out in agitation, "You... you are my Peng'er?"