Chapter 1443
Wild Ideas
Chapter 1443 Wild Ideas
In Danchuan Palace, in Shangguan Jing's bedroom, Shangguan Jing enthusiastically served food to Li Wei.
"Come on, eat more!"
Li Wei kept praising the tofu as she ate, saying, "This tofu is so delicious!"
Shangguan Jing asked, "Are you enjoying the food?"
"Uh-huh!"
"Is it spicy? I think so!"
"A little bit, but it's acceptable." Li Wei pinched it with her hand, leaving a tiny gap, and gestured as she spoke.
Then, looking at Shangguan Jing's injured hand, she asked with concern, "Are you sure your hand is alright?"
"It's nothing!" Shangguan Jing wasn't too concerned about her injuries, but other things were troubling her.
"Actually, I'm a bit conflicted right now!" Li Wei noticed Shangguan Jing's hesitation, and she felt the same way, but still offered some advice:
"I came here to persuade you to go back, but as a friend, I still hope you will choose according to your own wishes!"
"Although your sister said that if the Sixth Young Master wins, you will give the Fifth Young Master a chance, this isn't the first time she's gone back on her word. If you really have to force yourself to do this..."
Li Wei wanted to continue speaking, but before Lord Danchuan, Shangguan Yanren, could enter, her voice had already arrived.
"I think I heard people talking about me?"
"Lord Danchuan!" Li Wei quickly stood up, clasped her hands in a salute.
"No need for formalities, please sit down!" Shangguan Yan smiled and gestured with her hand.
Then, the three sat down at the table, and Shangguan Yan looked at Li Wei across from her and said:
"I heard from Jing'er that you are her first friend in Xinchuan. I want to thank you. Eat up!"
"Yes!" Li Wei nodded nervously.
Shangguan Jing pointed at the beef and said, "This beef is especially delicious, Li Wei, you should eat more!"
"Yes, actually I feel really good about coming to Danchuan this time. It feels so welcoming, like coming back to my hometown, Wuchuan!"
“In Wuchuan, everyone chooses their partner according to their own heart. It’s just that my father’s official position is too low, so I was forced to marry into Xinchuan!”
"Forced?" Upon hearing this, Shangguan Yan was overjoyed. Lin Hao's actions over the past two days had made her incredibly envious, and she hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise.
In all her years in Danchuan, when had she ever met a man like Lin Hao who could both move her heart and conquer her?
"Perhaps it's time to find a man." Since she hasn't found a husband to marry into her family yet, perhaps she could give it a try, Shangguan Yan thought to herself.
She already knew that Lin Hao only had Li Wei as a concubine, but she didn't really know the nature of their relationship. She hadn't completely believed what Lin Hao had said before.
Originally, she still cared about Li Wei, her sister's best friend, and couldn't bear to harm Lin Hao.
Hearing Li Wei say that she was "forced" to marry into Xinchuan and had no choice but to marry Lin Hao, her joy was palpable.
So she stared intently at Li Wei and said, "You mean you didn't want to marry the Sixth Young Master in the first place!"
"Of course!" Li Wei, that silly girl, hadn't realized someone was trying to steal her man, and even blurted out:
Who would want to marry someone they don't know?
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Jing immediately retorted with empathy, "Well, so, we are..."
Li Wei quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, we're the same!"
She then sighed dejectedly, "Marriage is nothing more than a business!"
Shangguan Yan narrowed her eyes slightly and raised the corners of her mouth, seemingly kindly saying, "Then I can issue a decree to let you stay in our Danchuan and marry into our family!"
In truth, she was already overjoyed, just waiting for Li Wei and Lin Hao to divorce so she could seize the opportunity.
"Cough cough cough!" Upon hearing this, Li Wei was so startled that she coughed several times and almost choked.
Shangguan Jing quickly helped her catch her breath and said with an excited expression:
"That's a good idea. At least one of us can escape this misery, right?"
Seeing that the two had misunderstood, Li Wei waved her hand and said, "No need, the Sixth Young Master is a very nice person. We get along like friends!"
As she spoke, Li Wei thought of how good Lin Hao had been to her, and said with a smile:
"Moreover, he never forces either of us to do things that a husband and wife should do, so I'm doing quite well. Thank you for your kindness, Lord Danchuan!"
Seeing that Li Wei rejected her "kindness," Shangguan Yan's smile faded slightly.
However, she has no intention of giving up. It's rare to meet someone she likes, and she will definitely make the most of Lin Hao's time in Danchuan and try to win him over in one fell swoop.
After Li Wei returned, Yin Qi couldn't wait to ask, "What did Shangguan Jing say?"
"She still hasn't said yes!"
Before Li Wei could finish speaking, Yin Qi said somewhat angrily:
"No, didn't we all pass the test? Old Six won the archery competition, didn't he? Why can't we pass?"
"How could these people do this!" Yin Qi thought with extreme dissatisfaction.
In his view, he had already gone through eighty-one tribulations, which was enough to make up for the mistakes he had made before.
But to his utter surprise, it still didn't work.
Li Wei began to defend her friend, saying:
"Fifth Young Master, if you only want to take her back because of Xin Chuan's orders, it's very unfair to her!"
"You should ask yourself if you want to continue living with her!"
"Me!" Yin Qi recalled all the happy and unhappy memories he had shared with Shangguan Jing, then lowered his head and said:
"In the face of crisis, the first thing to consider is survival, and then comes all those romantic and sentimental things. Besides, it's not that I'm unwilling!"
Lin Hao looked at Yin Qi with some surprise, not expecting him to have such awareness, so he patted him on the shoulder and said:
"Don't worry, if Shangguan Jing hasn't forgiven you, she won't have selected the chili peppers you made. If Master Danchuan really disagrees, she won't give you a chance!"
"Then why don't they agree?!"
"Steps!"
Suddenly, Su Shen came to report that people from Danchuan Palace had arrived and were reading out the decree of Danchuan Lord Shangguan Yan. Lin Hao and the others quickly came out.
"By decree of the Lord of Danchuan, if the two rivers form an alliance and it is based on a marriage agreement, then we sincerely invite the sixth young master of the new river to marry into the Danchuan family and establish a lasting friendship between the two rivers."
Upon hearing this, not only Yin Qi and Li Wei, but even Lin Hao was stunned. His first thought was that if Shangguan Yan got a taste of success, she wouldn't want to let go.
How could there be such a despicable person? To actually think of locking the bus, how utterly inconsiderate! "I didn't expect I'd still be so charming!" Lin Hao touched his handsome face and muttered to himself.
Yin Qi took the imperial edict, glanced at it, and pointed at Lin Hao, asking, "No, what does this have to do with him?"
Li Wei's expression turned much uglier. Although she said she didn't like Lin Hao, deep down she knew exactly how much she liked him.
Danchuan Palace.
"Is the Sixth Young Master surprised that I want to marry you?" Shangguan Yan walked in slowly, surrounded by several maids.
Shangguan Yan knew that her actions were somewhat absurd, as this was a decision that Danchuan had never made before since its founding.
However, it's rare for her to fall in love with someone, so what if it's a bit absurd? After all, she is the Lord of Danchuan.
"Yes, there is a little!" Lin Hao nodded.
"Danchuan needed Xinchuan's help, and Xinchuan needed Danchuan's marriage alliance, which is why the Fifth Young Master and Jing'er's ill-fated relationship ended."
"But now that Jing'er is unwilling, then I will arrange the marriage between the two Sichuan regions. Wouldn't that be a satisfactory outcome?"
Shangguan Yan spread her hands with a hint of smugness, then took a document resembling an imperial edict from her subordinate and looked at Lin Hao, saying:
"The marriage certificate has been drafted. If the Sixth Young Master is willing, I will immediately order someone to send the marriage certificate to Xinchuan."
Upon hearing this, Yin Qi leaned close to Lin Hao's ear and whispered, "Once the imperial decree for the marriage proposal is sent to Xinchuan, Father will definitely abandon you!"
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing!" Lin Hao replied softly, then stepped forward and asked:
"Lord Danchuan, are you sure you're serious?"
"Of course, what? Don't you believe me?" Shangguan Yan stood up, gracefully walked to Lin Hao, and said with her head held high:
"Although this is the first time I have opened my heart to someone, every word I have said comes from the bottom of my heart!"
The two were only about twenty centimeters apart, and Lin Hao could even smell Shangguan Yan's familiar and intoxicating fragrance.
However, Lin Hao still refused, because Xin Chuan not only had Li Wei, but also Yuan Ying waiting for him in the future!
Most importantly, marrying into another family is not his habit; marrying into another family is simply the most inhuman thing in the world.
Especially in an environment like Danchuan, where women are in charge of the household and polyandry is even possible, he felt very uncomfortable.
This wasn't Lin Hao's chauvinistic behavior; it was purely a physiological aversion and disgust.
In polygamy, at least the parents are clear, and the children know who their father and mother are.
However, if a woman has multiple husbands, who can be sure whose child is whose? A woman's full-term pregnancy is ten months, while premature babies are usually born at eight months, with the limit being seven months.
So who can guarantee who got the wife pregnant during those three months?
Although Lin Hao could guarantee that Shangguan Yan would only be loyal to him, and could even find other women, he didn't like such a backward environment.
Besides, there are so many other flowers waiting for you to pick, why be hung up on just one?
Lin Hao firmly refused, saying, "Although the Dan Chuan Master is indeed stunningly beautiful and I like her very much, I still choose to refuse!"
"Oh? Why?" Shangguan Yan was overjoyed at first, naturally delighted to hear that her beloved liked her.
But Lin Hao refused, which puzzled her greatly.
"I am already married, and it would be inappropriate for me to abandon my wife!"
"Ha, but I heard from Miss Li that you, like the Fifth Young Master and Jing'er, were forced into marriage without any feelings, and that she doesn't like you at all!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Hao glared at Li Wei. This girl was pretty, and her personality was actually quite good, but unfortunately, she had a big mouth.
How dare he say he doesn't like me in public? Looks like he deserves a spanking! Lin Hao thought to himself.
"My decree can maintain the peace treaty and allow Miss Li and Jing'er's ill-fated relationships to end peacefully. Isn't that a wonderful thing?" Shangguan Yan spread her hands and smiled sweetly.
Lin Hao walked up to Li Wei, who seemed a little lost, took her small hand, and looked at Shangguan Yan, saying:
"Although Li Wei and I are married by imperial decree, I personally sought that decree because I truly love Li Wei!"
"As for if she really doesn't like me, I won't force her. Therefore, I can only refuse Lord Danchuan's kindness!" Lin Hao said confidently.
He would never let go of Li Wei. How could he possibly let go of such a cute and adorable girl?
As for Shangguan Yan, to be honest, it would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted, but when he thought about Yuan Ying and all those other beautiful girls in the future, how could he possibly agree?
Seeing that her husband was about to be taken away, Li Wei panicked and quickly said:
"I said I didn't like the Sixth Young Master before I entered the palace. It was only after I spent more time with him that I realized his true feelings!"
"Actually, the Sixth Young Master is a pretty good person. I don't want to be separated from him like this. Please, Lord Danchuan, show mercy!"
At this moment, Li Wei deeply regretted what she had said earlier, and at the same time felt that she should face up to her feelings for the Sixth Young Master.
"Sister, don't break them up!" Shangguan Jing suddenly walked in and went to her sister Shangguan Yan, saying:
"Sister, if you separate them now, neither the Sixth Young Master nor Li Wei will be happy. We've made enough of a scene, so let me go back with the Fifth Young Master!"
Shangguan Yan felt helpless and thought to herself: Who's making a fuss? I've genuinely fallen for the Sixth Young Master.
Then Shangguan Jing's voice came over again, explaining, "I shouldn't have been so willful as to run back in the first place."
"Jing'er, I know you care about the alliance between the two Sichuan regions, but if you are unwilling, I will..."
Shangguan Yan wanted to struggle a little longer. Although everyone was against it, as long as her younger sister agreed, her sweetheart would definitely be hers.
When her sister hesitated, Shangguan Jing quickly continued to explain, "I'm willing, sister. Actually, the Fifth Young Master isn't bad either!"
Hearing Shangguan Jing say that, Yin Qi grinned, but he froze the next second.
"Although he's not good-looking, stupid and clumsy, has a bad temper, is impulsive and rash, neither gentle nor considerate, and is physically weak—he can't even beat me!"
Hearing this, Yin Qi wanted to show off, but considering he couldn't beat Shangguan Jing, and that this was Danchuan, he dared not be presumptuous in front of the Danchuan Lord.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Yin Qi quickly stepped forward and said anxiously to Shangguan Jing, "Um, quickly turn to that 'but'!"
Shangguan Jing glared at Yin Qi before saying, "But he's a good person!"
"Wow, is it now common to give out 'friend zone' cards here?" Lin Haohao chuckled to himself.
"What do you mean by being a good person? I—!"
Yin Qi was about to retort when Shangguan Jing glared at him again, and he was so frightened that he dared not speak.
He usually gets a severe beating from Shangguan Jing, otherwise he wouldn't be acting like this. Then Shangguan Jing continued:
"In short, we can get by, and he wouldn't dare to do anything to me."
"Besides, I quite like Xinchuan. He has friends like Li Wei there, so sister, please don't make things difficult for them!"
Shangguan Yan really wanted to say, "It's not that I'm making things difficult for them, it's that you're making things difficult for me," but she was the Lord of Danchuan, and there were many things she couldn't say.
At that moment, she could only helplessly say, "Alright, I understand!"