Chapter 1440
A Clever Move Backfires
Chapter 1440 A Clever Move Backfires
"He really has absolutely no idea how to be a live-in son-in-law."
"Aren't you going to peel an apple for Madam?"
"Don't you understand such a simple thing?"
The three men took turns criticizing and belittling Lin Hao.
"Everyone, everyone!" Seeing that the group was getting more and more carried away and criticizing Lin Hao to the point of being utterly worthless, Li Wei quickly stepped forward to stop them:
"Thank you for instructing my son-in-law. We have to leave now!"
After saying that, she tossed down some loose silver, grabbed Lin Hao, and left. Once they were a distance away, Li Wei noticed Lin Hao's displeased expression and cautiously said:
"Young Master, I was presumptuous just now. I shouldn't have called you a son-in-law. Please don't take offense!"
"It's okay, I'm not that petty, and I certainly wouldn't take out my anger on someone else!" Lin Hao shook his head and said.
Although Lin Hao said that, Li Wei clearly sensed that Lin Hao didn't seem to like the place very much, so she didn't continue exploring and instead followed Lin Hao back to the inn.
Li Wei guessed correctly; Lin Hao did indeed dislike this place, especially its extremely eerie atmosphere.
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The next morning, Shanggong Situ Jin arrived at the post station with the imperial edict from the Lord of Danchuan:
"By imperial decree of the Princess of Danchuan, Yin Qi, the son-in-law of Danchuan, is filthy, outspoken, and utterly wicked. He must undergo the 'husband's merit' test before he can see the princess. He is hereby summoned to the palace immediately!"
After Yin Qi accepted the imperial decree, Su Shen, who was accompanying her, couldn't help but ask, "May I ask, Your Excellency, what is meant by 'examining the husband's merits'?"
Yin Qi only realized what Su Shen was talking about after hearing it, and looked at Situ Jin: "By the way, what is that thing?"
Situ Jin glanced coldly at the two of them without saying a word, and then led the whole group to a palace.
Upon entering, one is greeted by more than a dozen mahjong tables, each occupied by a man playing mahjong.
After entering, Situ Jin pointed to an empty seat and asked Yin Qi to sit down, then said:
“We have criteria for evaluating a man’s character: appearance, speech, virtue, and achievements. Appearance, as the name suggests, refers to a man’s looks. The Fifth Master is clearly not up to par, and he is also disappointing in terms of speech and virtue.”
"Now, the only thing that can be salvaged is the ability to win at cards. If a man from Danchuan can't win money at the card table, he can't be considered a capable man."
After saying that, he looked at Yin Qi and said, "Fifth Young Master, please!"
Upon hearing this, Yin Qi reluctantly sat down at the table and played mahjong with these sons-in-law, while Lin Hao stood aside and watched.
"Bullshit!"
"bump!"
"I'll touch it too!"
Yin Qi sat down and started playing mahjong with three men he didn't know. Yin Qi only knew how to play; he wasn't particularly fond of mahjong and naturally didn't know how to count or remember the cards.
Therefore, the cards he played were either used to win or to give away points. In one game, he didn't even have to touch a card before someone else won by ponging them.
On the second floor of the mahjong parlor, Situ Jin took out a scoring sheet and began scoring.
"Ruined the game, bad sportsmanship, cross."
"Can't count cards, no brains, forget it."
"Last-minute blunder, bad luck, damn it."
"Hesitation at the card table, poor strategy, cross."
Looking at Yin Qi's dejected face, Lin Hao knew that he definitely couldn't win with his strength.
But Lin Hao had no intention of helping. Judging a person's character by playing mahjong was something Lin Hao was really annoyed about, but he didn't know how to express it.
Furthermore, if Lin Hao helps, Dan Chuan Master might have other ways to torment them.
At the same time, Lin Hao also wanted to see just how far Dan Chuan would go with things.
After all, it's common knowledge that Lao Wu isn't good at playing mahjong, and Lin Hao was quite curious that they insisted on using this method to judge Lao Wu's character.
As a result, Lao Wu lost every game, which made Yin Qi sweat profusely and he didn't know what to do for a moment.
All of this was observed by Situ Jin, who was giving the scores, and Dan Chuan Zhu, who had just arrived.
On the second floor, Dan Chuan Master Shangguan Yan saw Yin Qi's embarrassed appearance and then glanced at Lin Hao, who was completely indifferent and ignored her.
He then asked the female guard with some curiosity, "Is that the Sixth Young Master of Xinchuan?"
"Yes!"
Noticing that he was being watched, Lin Hao glanced at Shangguan Yan on the second floor, then looked at her with admiration before giving her a knowing smile.
Shangguan Yan was momentarily stunned by Lin Hao's smile, and her heart began to beat faster involuntarily.
After glancing at the scoring sheet in Situ Jin's hand, Shangguan Yan shook her head, gave a few more instructions, and left.
Soon, Situ Jin gave the card players a look and then turned and left.
Next, the three sons-in-law who received the news started feeding the fifth son the tiles, and as expected, the fifth son won a game by drawing the winning tile himself.
After finishing their mahjong game, the group went to the ear-cleaning area.
"Knowing how to serve the lady well is an essential skill for a son-in-law like me from Danchuan, and ear cleaning is an important skill in serving the lady!"
Watching the instructor in charge of ear cleaning talking, while Yin Qi practiced with Su Shen on the side.
This really got Su Shen working up a frenzy, making him moan and groan.
After some time, Situ Jin, who was in charge of grading, came to check the results, and needless to say, it was another "X".
Finally, the group arrived at the chili oil production workshop. Upon arrival, Lin Hao noticed that several people were already standing in their designated positions.
Situ Jin looked at Yin Qi: "Fifth Young Master, you and the others will make chili oil together, and the Princess will choose it by blind selection. If she chooses yours, you can meet her!"
Upon hearing this, Yin Qi quickly replied:
"How could that be? I already have bronchitis. Last time I cooked some chili peppers, I almost coughed up my lungs. You're clearly making things difficult for me!"
Upon hearing this, Situ Jin looked at Lin Hao and his group with a gloomy expression and said:
"Your Xinchuan, under the guise of an alliance, married off our princess but then mistreated her. This is what's truly making things difficult for us!"
Lin Hao and Yin Qi wanted to argue, but they quickly pulled him back, saying, "The bigger picture is more important!"
Upon hearing this, Yin Qi recalled his father's words before he left, and finally said with a bitter expression, "Fine, as long as your Chief Chuan can calm down, I'll accept it!"
"Hmph!" Situ Jin shook his head and said:
"All you're thinking about now is appeasing the leader of the Chuan family. You really don't understand life."
"Huh? What does this mean?" Yin Qi looked at Lin Hao with a puzzled expression as Situ Jin left.
"Sigh!" Lin Hao shook his head helplessly. The fifth brother was already simple-minded, but he still insisted on playing riddles with him.
Helpless, Lin Hao could only pat the fifth brother's simple-minded shoulder and earnestly remind him:
"Don't you understand? You came here for only one purpose: to beg Princess Shangguan Jing to change her mind!"
“But right now you’re only thinking about completing the mission and pleasing Lord Danchuan. Of course she’ll say you don’t understand life.” Upon hearing this, Yin Qi froze on the spot, while Li Wei, Su Shen, and the others also seemed to be deep in thought.
Li Wei walked up to Yin Qi:
"Fifth Young Master, put yourself in her shoes. Although you don't particularly like Danchuan, this is Jingjing's home. Here, women are respected. She lives a carefree life in Danchuan, but if she goes to Xinchuan, she will be all alone."
"You're the only one she spends time with every day, but you treat her well only so that you can take a concubine. How can she not be heartbroken?"
These words were like a wake-up call, and Yin Qi stood there motionless, ashamed.
Lin Hao then continued to enlighten him:
"The reason they're putting you through this is just to show you how women in Danchuan live. In other words, if you're not comfortable here, then isn't Shangguan Jing in Xinchuan the same way?"
Upon hearing this, the fifth brother calmed down, endured his discomfort with chili peppers, and carefully made a batch of chili oil.
An hour later, Situ Jin placed five portions of chili oil in front of Shangguan Jing for her to taste.
Having spent so much time together, Yin Qi often tries to make things that suit her taste as much as possible, so how could she not taste the difference?
Seeing the change in her sister's expression, Shangguan Yan immediately understood, and then said seriously:
"Since you already know which one he made, it also means you can choose not to choose that one!"
Her tone was full of protectiveness and domineering attitude towards her younger sister. After recalling the time she spent with Yin Qi, Shangguan Jing still chose the chili oil made by Yin Qi.
Having spent so much time together, Shangguan Yan did indeed have a bit of a crush on the somewhat naive and honest Yin Qi!
Moreover, she understood that she couldn't act on her own whims; as a princess, she had to consider the people of Danchuan.
She married into Xinchuan for the sake of the alliance between the two Sichuan regions. If the alliance were to break down because of her, or even start a war, causing countless families to be torn apart and people to die, how could she live with herself?
The matter should have been resolved satisfactorily, since Lao Wu had angered Shangguan Jing to the point of sending her back to her parents' home. Now, after being made to apologize by Dan Chuan Zhu, Yin Qi had been punished.
Next, he met with Shangguan Jing and coaxed her back to Xinchuan. Shangguan Jing made some requests, which Yin Qi readily agreed to, and the matter came to an end.
However, perhaps Shangguan Yan felt that Yin Qi had not learned his lesson and wanted to cause him more trouble, or rather, to test him.
"The decree of Lord Danchuan clearly states that if the princess selects the ingredients made by the fifth young master, the couple will meet. Now that the princess has indeed chosen the fifth young master, however, the young master of your esteemed Danchuan is morally flawed, so Lord Danchuan hereby rescinds his decree!"
Upon hearing the imperial edict read aloud by Situ Jin, Yin Qi was immediately furious, glaring angrily at the Lord of Danchuan: "No, you're just playing me for a fool!"
Shangguan Yan didn't refute, but directly admitted: "Fifth Young Master, I was just playing you."
"You already have someone you love, but you don't fight for him. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, you actually fawned over my sister. She was so happy, and you were just playing games with her."
"Just to fill the emptiness in your heart by taking a concubine, you treat my sister like this. I will naturally make you taste the same pain."
"Lord Danchuan, this is an imperial edict to be presented to our new Lord Danchuan. Are you trying to embarrass our Chuanchuan by treating this so lightly?"
Although Lin Hao knew that Shangguan Yan only wanted to take this opportunity to punish Yin Qi and vent her anger for her sister.
But given Shangguan Yan's actions, Lin Hao had no choice but to say something polite.
After all, Lord Danchuan was no longer simply teaching the fifth brother a lesson; he was making things difficult for Xinchuan, so naturally, he couldn't lose sight of Xinchuan's stance.
"Hmph!" Shangguan Yan snorted lightly, looking at Lin Hao and said:
"Sixth Young Master, you and I both know exactly what's going on. If this escalates to the level of the two rivers, do you think Danchuan will be afraid?"
"Lord Danchuan, be careful with your words!" Upon hearing this, Lin Hao composed himself and said calmly:
"You've all seen how much I value Danchuan. We've sent people here for you to mess with, we've given you all the face you deserve, we've made you lose face for Lao Wu, and we've vented your anger!"
"Now you're going back on your word. Is this really the behavior of a river chief?" Lin Hao's tone was calm, but his words carried great weight.
No, to be precise, Lin Hao was calm because he was genuinely angry, but he had swallowed his anger because his side had been in the wrong.
Dan Chuan's repeated attempts to make things difficult for Lao Wu were not a lesson for him, but rather an attempt to embarrass Xin Chuan.
Or rather, it was suspected of humiliating Xin Chuan, but since Lin Hao was not the Chuan chief, it didn't really matter, but Lin Hao felt very uncomfortable.
"You think that a ruler of a river can sacrifice his own interests for others, but that is absolutely not the case in Danchuan. If one cannot protect his own people, he is not worthy to be the ruler of a river!"
"What does Lord Danchuan mean? Does he want to divorce me, the Fifth Young Master of Xinchuan, and Princess Shangguan Jing?" Lin Hao looked into Shangguan Yan's eyes and said calmly.
"If the Fifth Young Master is not someone who can make my younger sister happy, a divorce might be better for everyone!"
Shangguan Yan sensed something was wrong and felt that things were getting out of her control. After saying that, she turned around and left.
If the argument continues, there is very likely no room for reconciliation.
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That evening, Lin Hao and Li Wei arrived at Yin Qi's room, where he was carrying a large bundle and preparing to leave.
Su Shen, on the other hand, pulled him aside, urging him to stay and prioritize the overall situation.
Seeing the two struggling, Li Wei spoke first: "Fifth Young Master, you can't just abandon them. What will happen to the others if you leave?"
"Then what should I do?" Yin Qi asked back, then said with a mournful face:
"If Lord Danchuan keeps causing trouble like this, I'm not going to live anymore!"
At this moment, Yin Qi felt extremely wronged. He had done everything he could, so why did everyone bully him and treat him like a monkey?
"Hey, Fifth Young Master, you're such a grown man, how can you still be so immature?" Li Wei chimed in, trying to persuade him.
Why have we all come here? As the young master, shouldn't you be even more concerned about the peace between the two rivers?
"I know you and Shangguan Jing have no feelings for each other, and I don't like the Sixth Young Master either. I'm only staying here for Jichuan!"
Lin Hao never expected that he would be the one getting involved in this gossip, and he stared blankly at Li Wei below.
Li Wei realized she had said the wrong thing and felt a chill run down her spine. She hurriedly looked at Lin Hao and explained:
"What I mean is, I'm not good enough for you, and you don't even look at me. I'm really sorry to have wronged you!"
Seeing this, Su Shen quickly tried to smooth things over and change the subject:
"Fifth Young Master, you have to think this way!" Su Shen quickly advised.
"You said that once you leave, the two Sichuan regions will definitely fall out, and that might even lead to a war. If that really happens, then you will be remembered for all time!"
"Alright, what does it matter to him whether there's a war or not?" Lin Hao criticized Su Shen, then went to Yin Qi and said:
"Fifth Brother, I advised you to prioritize the bigger picture before, but that was because you were in the wrong first!"
Although Lin Hao said this, he did not think that Lao Wu had done anything wrong. After all, she was a woman from Danchuan who had married into Xinchuan, so she should naturally abide by the rules of Xinchuan.
It's not like the fifth brother married into Danchuan. The fifth brother respects Shangguan Jing and can choose not to take a concubine for love, but that doesn't mean he can't take a concubine, let alone that he's wrong.
If the fifth son marries into Danchuan, then he will naturally follow Danchuan's rules. If their roles are reversed, and Shangguan Jing says she wants to take a husband, but the fifth son can't accept it and goes back to Xinchuan, will Shangguan Jing try to persuade him to come back like the fifth son did?
Now, everyone is supporting Shangguan Jing and blaming the problem on Lao Wu. They even want Lao Wu to come to Danchuan to apologize and invite Shangguan Jing back.
After all, in the early days of the Nine Rivers War, Xinchuan emerged victorious and was revered. The women of the other eight Rivers were forced into marriage alliances. If they did not comply, it would surely lead to renewed conflict.
It seems that everyone has recovered in the past few years, and with Xinchuan not being as assertive as before, everyone has their own agenda.
Thinking of this, Lin Hao changed the subject and said, "But I support you now, not by running away, but by waiting for Dan Chuan's attitude!"
Upon hearing this, Yin Qi thought to himself, "He truly is my good brother." Touched, he grasped Lin Hao's hand and said, "Sixth Brother!"