The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Chapter 1037: Chapter 1014: Prestige Amidst Turmoil 82

The bus carriage wasn’t fast, but it was very steady.

Xiao Yuan sat in the carriage, looking at the sights of the Prefecture City, finding it quite a unique experience.

After they rode the bus, Xiao Yang checked his wallet, and found only a small scattering of silver left.

He then asked Xiao Qing, ”Brother, do you have any silver?”

Xiao Qing asked Xiao Yang to look at his wallet, and indeed, only a few copper coins were left.

The two kids looked at Xiao Yuan very angrily, ”Dad, did you bring us out to pay for you, or did you bring us out for shopping?”

Xiao Yuan walked leisurely with his hands behind his back, ”Is there a difference?”

The two kids were even more frustrated.

Xiao Qing said, ”I’ll definitely tell Mom when I get back, and say you specially came out to look at pretty girls.”

Xiao Yang said, ”I’ll tell Mom you were talking to a sister.”

Just as Xiao Yang finished speaking, a stunningly pretty girl came rushing towards them, and if Xiao Yuan hadn’t dodged quickly, he might have been bumped into by her.

The girl, seeing that she hadn’t bumped into Xiao Yuan, tried to reach out and grab him.

Xiao Yuan quickly dodged again.

The girl, tears in her eyes, urgently asked, ”Sir, have you seen a child about so tall...?”

She cried while gesturing, ”If you’ve seen him, please help bring him to the Fuyun Inn.”

Xiao Yuan nodded and pulled Xiao Qing and Xiao Yang along to leave.

Xiao Qing, while walking, said to Xiao Yang, ”You’re such a jinx, mentioning pretty sisters, and here one just happened to show up.”

Xiao Yang was a bit speechless, ”How would I know?”

After walking for a while, they saw a middle-aged man approaching slowly. Seeing Xiao Yuan, he paused, then quickly came over to pay his respects, ”Is this Third Young Master Xiao?”

Xiao Yuan smiled, ”Yes, and are you Mr. Zhang?”

The middle-aged man also smiled, ”What a coincidence, it’s better to meet by chance than to invite. May I invite Third Young Master Xiao for a meal?”

”Let’s go.”

Xiao Yuan looked around and saw a restaurant nearby, so he took the lead and walked over.

Xiao Qing and Xiao Yang followed behind, whispering to each other, ”Do you think Dad is hungry and didn’t bring money, so he found an excuse for a meal?”

Xiao Yang said, ”Do you think Dad knew he would run into a guy named Zhang today, so he intentionally didn’t bring money?”

Xiao Yuan looked back at the two brothers, ”Hurry up and follow.”

Once inside the restaurant, Xiao Yuan had the waiter take them to a private room upstairs.

As soon as they entered, Mr. Zhang laughed and said, ”I originally planned to visit Third Young Master after preparing for a few days, but we ran into each other on the street. What a coincidence!”

Xiao Yuan poured tea while responding, ”Indeed, very coincidental.”

He called the waiter, ”Bring a few of your best dishes, and add six plates of dried fruits and six plates of snacks. As for drinks, give us some of your Southern Yi’s peach blossom wine.”

After Xiao Yuan ordered, the waiter smiled and went to inform the kitchen to prepare.

Only then did Xiao Yuan ask Mr. Zhang, ”Are you here in Southern Yi for anything important?”

Mr. Zhang, seeing Xiao Yuan finish his tea, refilled his cup, ”To be honest, this time in Southern Yi, one purpose is to give the family children a break, and the other is to seek cooperation with the Third Young Master.”

”Oh?”

Xiao Yuan casually responded, his gaze turning deeply towards the door.

At the door, a woman holding a lute stood, and another woman in a red long dress stood by her side.

This was the girl who almost bumped into Xiao Yuan earlier.

”This is...”

Mr. Zhang introduced, ”These are my two goddaughters. They accompanied me to Southern Yi, and upon meeting Third Young Master, I thought they could sing a song for Third Young Master to enjoy.”

As soon as Mr. Zhang said this, Xiao Qing and Xiao Yang’s expressions changed.

The two girls at the door were extraordinarily pretty, each with a distinct charm.

The girl with the lute was more voluptuous, while the other was more slender.

The lute girl had exquisite features and a bold, flamboyant appearance, while the slender girl bore a high-minded aloofness, with a poor, delicate charm and an indescribable fragile scholarly air.

Such girls, each of them could captivate any man, and if they entered the inner courtyard, they’d likely enchant any man’s soul away.

By bringing two completely different beauties, Mr. Zhang must have a grand scheme.

Xiao Qing remembered a saying from Anning, ”If someone offers a gift, they must seek something in return.”

Mr. Zhang was flattering and treating them, now even offering women, clearly indicating his high demands, so much that he’s resorting to a honey trap.

”Let them sing.”

Xiao Yuan nonchalantly said, ”This waiter’s service is really slow, not even delivering a few plates of dried fruits yet.”

As he was complaining, the waiter brought in six plates of dried fruits and six plates of snacks.

”Please enjoy,” he said as he smiled and left.

Xiao Yuan grabbed a handful of melon seeds and asked the two girls as he cracked them open, ”What songs do you know?”

The slender girl said, ”We can sing new songs.”

Xiao Yuan tossed the melon seeds back onto the plate, ”Songs full of literary airs are dull. My two kids here love stories. Sing a story for us.”

That truly put the two girls in a difficult spot.

Mr. Zhang, noticing Xiao Yuan wasn’t interested in the two girls, waved them away, ”You may leave for now.”

Once the girls had left, Mr. Zhang softly addressed Xiao Yuan, ”I’ve been observing your recent actions, and it seems you have intentions towards Jiangnan.”

Xiao Yuan didn’t respond, neither confirming nor denying.

Xiao Qing grabbed a few lotus seeds to chew on, while Xiao Yang was eating osmanthus cake.

He spat out a piece and said, ”How much sugar did they put in this? It’s so sweet it’s bitter. This place’s food is really subpar...”

At this point, Xiao Yang, with a half-smile, looked at Mr. Zhang, ”You overestimate my dad, talking about ambitions towards Jiangnan. Jiangnan is a prosperous land. Who isn’t interested? Aren’t you, Mr. Zhang? Your family has long been in Jiangnan, esteemed among the noble families. I’ve heard many lands in Jiangnan are held by your Zhang family. Whenever a new official takes office, they must seek good terms with your family. If their opinions don’t align with yours, their term is bound to be difficult. Your Zhang family is like the local emperor of Jiangnan. Are you planning to hand Jiangnan over to my family?”

Mr. Zhang’s face couldn’t quite maintain composure, his expression shifting from blue to white.

He took a deep breath, ”I wouldn’t dare say give, but with my Zhang family’s assistance, the Third Young Master could surely control Jiangnan sooner. We don’t ask for much, just a few designated places. Aside from those, the entire Jiangnan would belong to the Third Young Master.”

Xiao Yuan picked up a walnut and cracked it with his fingers.

”You’ve got me wrong, sir. My current aim is to govern Southern Yi well. I haven’t given much thought to anything else. However, I’m grateful for your kindness. Should I ever consider sending troops to Jiangnan, I’d definitely seek your cooperation.”

Mr. Zhang chuckled awkwardly, ”In that case, that’s good, very good.”

Still somewhat unwilling to give up, he added, ”My daughters sing beautifully, and they also serve well. They admire the Third Young Master and his conduct deeply. I wonder if the Third Young Master...”

At that moment, a clear and sweet voice cut in, ethereal and piercing straight to the listener’s ear.