Protect Our Clan Leader

Chapter 1041: Chapter 64: The Wind Rises in Shangjing! Shou Zhe is Doomed (Seeking Monthly Votes)_3 Chapter 1041: Chapter 64: The Wind Rises in Shangjing! Shou Zhe is Doomed (Seeking Monthly Votes)_3 “Rest assured, Your Highness Commandery Prince of Rong. Our Old Ancestor has already exchanged views with Prince De Xin, and he is very supportive of this matter,” Zhao Yuankun said.

“Since the Old Ancestor has no objections, I am naturally happy to see it succeed,” Commandery Prince of Rong finally relaxed and said.

“Very well, in that case, our Zhao Clan will prepare and soon formally propose marriage,” Zhao Yuankun said.

At such an occasion, Wu Yingcai and his wife, the biological parents of Wu Xuening, hardly had any say even in voicing their opinions.

Wu Yingcai had always known that he would mostly not be the decision-maker in Xuening’s marriage, and he was mentally prepared. He had no objections to the young Zhao Yuanqing, hence he had always appeared calm; however, Chen Clan’s expression was somewhat displeased.

Yet now, in front of the Consort of Kang Commandery Prince and Zhao Zhikun among others, she managed to control her expression, not making it too obvious.

After the gathering had dispersed, Wu Yingcai and his wife returned to their garden residence.

Chen Clan could no longer restrain herself and exploded: “Wu Yingcai, that old fool is practically selling Xuening off, and you didn’t even let out a word?”

Wu Yingcai’s face was slightly taken aback, “My lady, do you actually disagree with this marriage? I think Yuanqing is quite good—good talent, good potential, and nothing to criticize about the person.”

“Good my foot!” Chen Clan angrily retorted, “Although Xuening shares the imperial bloodline, she also carries our Chen Clan’s bloodline. Our Old Ancestor treasures her like a jewel, always saving the best of everything for her. Yet you are marrying her off to the Zhao Clan. Where does that leave our Chen Clan?”

You must understand, the Chen Clan now has two Divine Skills holders, and their power and position in the court are second only to the Zhao Clan. They have also been covertly aiming to acquire a third Divine Skill and become a Second-class Prominent Family.

Although it may not look like the two families have had any major conflicts on the surface, in reality, they have crossed swords countless times in various fields, subtly at odds with each other.

“My lady… but the Old Ancestor De Xin has agreed,” Wu Yingcai said with an unnatural look, “Surely the Old Ancestor must have his reasons.”

“Of course, he has his reasons!” Chen Clan irately spoke without mincing words, “The old fool’s biggest aim now is to secure the throne for the Commandery Prince of Kang. Hence, he does not hesitate to use Xuening as a bargaining chip to sell to the Zhao Clan, to make them lay aside all hesitations and support the Commandery Prince of Kang wholeheartedly. In the process, he also binds our Chen Clan to this battle, forcing us to pick a side. Why wouldn’t he be pleased?”

The Zhao Clan is not simple; they are the only Second-class Prominent Family in the Great Qian Land, aside from the lineage of the Transcendent Emperor, and their comprehensive strength amounts to almost thirty to forty percent of that of the Imperial Household.

Once the Zhao Clan let go of all reservations and chose to support the Commandery Prince of Kang unreservedly and oppose the Commandery Prince of An, even those in the Imperial Household with the right to vote would inevitably be more cautious, and even the emperor himself would weigh things carefully.

“Isn’t it good for the Commandery Prince of Kang to succeed?” Wu Yingcai said, “We are much closer related to him in blood than to the Commandery Prince of An. He is my cousin…”

“Whether he should succeed or not is beside the point; why should our Chen Clan’s direct granddaughter be sacrificed to please the Zhao Clan?” Chen Clan discontentedly said, “Wu Yingcai, you go now to Old Ancestor De Xin and tell him that you temporarily disagree with this marriage and need time to consider!”

“What?” Wu Yingcai’s face turned pale with fright, “You—you—you, you are actually asking me to defy the Old Ancestor De Xin?”

“I knew you wouldn’t dare,” Chen Clan said with a severe look, “But Old Ancestor De Xin has really overstepped his bounds on this matter, showing too little regard for our Chen Clan. The Zhao Clan may be very powerful, but are we Chen Clan that easy to bully? We Chen Clan also have two Divine Skills holders!”

“Although Xuening carries the imperial bloodline, she is ultimately the direct granddaughter of our Chen Clan in whom great hopes are placed. Did he even consult our Ancestor before making a decision?”

“Someone, prepare the carriage. I need to go back to my maternal home immediately, to see my brother and Old Ancestor.”

After Chen Clan’s outburst, she immediately returned to her maternal home.

Wu Yingcai, somewhat henpecked, also hurriedly followed. His wife, Chen Clan, was not to be trifled with—her brother, Chen Jinglong was a Divine ability holder of the Da Qian Chen Family and certainly not a simple character.

One can imagine, once people of Third-grade Chen Clan were informed, it was bound to cause another commotion.

Let’s leave this matter aside for the moment.

… At the same time.

Changning Peace River Crossing.

The Changning Peace River Crossing, now under the contract of the Wang family, was managed by them, including repairs, upkeep, and operation. Besides paying a fee of thirty percent of the revenue as contract money, the Wang family handled their profits and losses.

Under the management of the Wang family, the Peace River Crossing had become increasingly busy, and the port expanded continually, gradually becoming the top port in the downstream of Peace River. A lot of goods transferred from Longzuo County through the water route were gradually gathering at Peace River Crossing.

The flourishing commerce also attracted more peddlers to seek their fortune. They were typically Independent Cultivators, or Profound Martial families’ members below Rank 9, or side branches of some families.

They either traveled alone, in groups of three or five, or in larger groups, using a small number of carts to transport goods and making profits that were sometimes meager and sometimes substantial.

Don’t underestimate the peddler industry; in terms of transportation scale and capital, they were far behind formal commercial firms.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com