Chapter 514
Chapter 514
Ning Yuanxian’s eyes widened.
‘You rascal, I knew it. You never set foot in here unless you want something. If you didn't have a favor to ask, you wouldn't have come to see me for a fortnight. The moment you need something, you put on that fawning expression, but when you don't, you toss me aside. Shen Lang, aren't you a little too pragmatic?’
But the moment Shen Lang spoke, Ning Yuanxian was already inclined to grant his request. If Ning Zheng had come asking for the same thing, he would have refused under any circumstance, citing a hundred reasons. However, even if he was going to say yes, Ning Yuanxian had to make Shen Lang sweat a little. If he got what he wanted too easily, Shen Lang would start making demands whenever he pleased.
“You want the Northern Garden Hunting Grounds? Very well…”
Ning Yuanxian smiled, already calculating what he could extort from Shen Lang. But just then.
*Crash!*
The door was suddenly thrown open, and a fragrant breeze swept in as a flame itself walked through. It was the spoiled, peerless beauty, Zhong Sisi, whose very presence seemed to brighten the room.
“Godfather, Godfather.”
Zhong Sisi barged in with an air of insolence. Without so much as a greeting, she rushed over and grabbed Ning Yuanxian’s arm. Her attitude was even more brazen and intimate than that of Princess Ning Yan.
Ning Yuanxian doted on her, saying, “What is it? What? Men and women should maintain a proper distance. How can a young lady like you just grab a man's arm so carelessly?”
Zhong Sisi was the niece of Consort Zhong, so she had called Ning Yuanxian ‘Godfather’ since she was a child. Of course, it was a playful title. Who in the world could truly take the monarch as their godfather? But Zhong Sisi had always called him that, and no one dared to correct her.
Zhong Sisi said, “Godfather, I want something, and you must give it to me.”
“First, tell me what it is.”
Zhong Sisi glanced at Shen Lang and scolded him angrily.
“Are you the one they call scum? Godfather, I want two things. First, this pervert harassed me on the street, so his eyes must be gouged out. Second, I've brought two thousand cavalrymen with me, so give me the Northern Garden Hunting Grounds.”
‘Damn it, just when things were going well, this she-devil shows up!’
Seeing Ning Yuanxian’s hesitation, Zhong Sisi gripped his arm tighter and said, “Don't you dote on me the most? Are you giving it to me or not? If you don’t, I’ll make a scene!”
Zhong Sisi pointed at Shen Lang and shouted, “Men! Come and gouge this scum’s eyes out! And I will have the Northern Garden Hunting Grounds. I’m taking my soldiers to garrison there right now!”
With that, Zhong Sisi prepared to leave the palace immediately to lead her troops and occupy the hunting grounds. She hadn't been asking Ning Yuanxian; she had been informing him. Ning Yuanxian cleared his throat and said, “Sisi, what a coincidence. I just gave the Northern Garden Hunting Grounds to Shen Lang.”
Hearing this, Zhong Sisi’s expression changed drastically. Ever since she was a child, she had always been imperious and had gotten her way everywhere she went. Her father, Zhong Yao, was very strict, so she didn't dare act rashly in front of him, but with everyone else, she was completely willful. This was especially true with Ning Yuanxian. Since Consort Zhong was her paternal aunt, King Ning Yuanxian tolerated her behavior far more than he did Princess Ning Yan’s. Of course, his indulgence was not just out of affection; it was primarily for political reasons.
Ning Yuanxian needed the Zhong Clan, and the Zhong Clan, of course, needed the king. The hundred-thousand-strong army under Zhong Yao’s command followed his will alone, and the Zhong Clan had controlled the Western Army for over a century. However, that army still belonged to the State of Yue. Their weapons, armor, provisions, and fodder were all supplied by Yue, and their salaries were paid from the national treasury. The Zhong Clan naturally had their own private soldiers, but they numbered only around ten thousand. Moreover, while the Zhong Clan had been arrogant and tyrannical for the past century, they had remained loyal to the king.
Although Zhong Yao was not close to Ning Yuanxian, he obeyed every royal edict without defiance, not even feigning compliance while secretly disobeying. Zhong Yao was more obedient to the king’s will than even Zheng Tuo, who had been Ning Yuanxian’s direct subordinate. Zhong Yao knew his place as a subject, which was why Ning Yuanxian, despite not being close to him, still trusted him. More importantly, the prestige of the Western Army under the Zhong Clan was so great that they were indispensable in resisting the massive army of Chu.
For these reasons, Ning Yuanxian had always granted Zhong Sisi’s requests, doting on her more than his own daughter. But now, for the first time, Ning Yuanxian had formally rejected her request, causing her to lose face slightly. Zhong Sisi was stunned, her beautiful eyes widening as she looked at Shen Lang. This was the first time she had truly looked at him. Before, she had regarded him as nothing more than a stray dog or cat on the street.
‘His Majesty rejected my request because of this man? This man is far prettier than any woman.’
However, Zhong Sisi did not like pretty men; she preferred imposing ones. A man had to be not only handsome but also full of masculine vigor. Men like Zhu Hongxue, or her fiancé. Originally, Zhong Sisi’s fiancé was the Third Prince, Ning Qi. Zhong Sisi and Ning Qi were as close as siblings, so their engagement was a natural outcome. She thought it wouldn't be bad to marry Ning Qi. However, for certain reasons, their engagement was later called off. Of course, this was never made public; both their betrothal and its dissolution were handled in secret.
The reason for breaking the engagement was quite simple: their blood relation was too close. The Ning Clan had intermarried with the Zhong Clan for a long time, and as a result, problems had arisen in the children of several couples. Ning Qi’s mother was Zhong Sisi’s paternal aunt, so if they married, there was a high probability that their future children would have issues. For an ordinary noble family, this might not have mattered. If one child had problems, they could simply have two or three more. But Ning Qi was a prince, involved in the struggle for the throne, and he could not afford to take such a risk. Thus, Zhong Yao had voluntarily broken off the engagement between Ning Qi and Zhong Sisi, marrying Zhong Ying to Ning Qi instead to maintain the marital alliance between the two families.
Zhong Ying had not been part of an intermarriage with the Ning Clan for three generations, making her blood relation to Ning Qi more distant. Furthermore, she was more composed and magnanimous than Zhong Sisi, making her a suitable candidate to be a future queen who would care for her people. A personality like Zhong Sisi’s was certainly not suited to be queen. But as a result, Zhong Sisi’s marriage prospects had been delayed, and she remained unmarried at the age of nineteen. Not that the princess of the Western Suppression Citadel was at all worried about getting married.
Despite her incredibly unruly and tyrannical nature, she was the foremost beauty of the western frontier of Yue, hailed alongside Jin Mulan as the twin treasures of the East and West. Moreover, the Zhong Clan’s power far surpassed that of the Jin Clan. The men who courted Zhong Sisi numbered in the tens of thousands, so many that she was tired of even looking at them. And recently, word had finally come that Zhong Sisi was to travel to the capital for a prospective marriage meeting. It was said that the man’s status was exceedingly noble.
Zhong Sisi asked, “Who are you?”
“I am Shen Lang.”
Zhong Sisi’s beautiful eyes widened.
“You’re Shen Lang? Jin Mulan’s live-in son-in-law?”
Then, Zhong Sisi began to circle Shen Lang, looking him up and down for a long moment.
“Jin Mulan’s martial arts are rotten, but her taste in men is even worse. How did she pick a pretty boy like you, all looks and no substance? It seems she’ll never catch up to me in this lifetime. She’s not as beautiful as me, her figure isn't as good as mine, and now the husband she married is far inferior to what I’ll have.”
Then, Zhong Sisi looked away from Shen Lang and turned back to Ning Yuanxian, her voice full of authority.
“Your Majesty, I don’t care. Since I’ve decided to take the Northern Garden Hunting Grounds, it doesn’t matter who you give it to.”
“Sisi, I have explicitly given the Northern Garden Hunting Grounds to Shen Lang and Ning Zheng for training soldiers. This is an important matter. Why don’t you stay at the manor in the Western Gardens instead? It’s much more comfortable there than the Northern Garden Hunting Grounds.”
To appease this little tyrant, Ning Yuanxian had no choice but to offer up that location. The manor in the Western Gardens was indeed a much better environment; it was where Ning Yuanxian went to escape the summer heat. The manor had pavilions, halls, and various other structures, boasting a picturesque landscape. Normally, Zhong Sisi would have been satisfied with staying at the Western Gardens manor, but she couldn't stand it now.
‘No one in this world can take what is mine. Ning Yan was a princess, yet I beat her until she cried when we were children, and I took her things. Who do you think you are, a mere live-in son-in-law? So what if the Jin Clan got Raging Tide City? How many soldiers do they have in total? Isolated across the sea, not even in the core of power—what’s so great about that? You dare to contend with me? Ridiculous.’
Zhong Sisi immediately crossed her legs and sat down, fiddling with the golden whip in her hand.
“Hmph, it’s useless even if Your Majesty gives it to him. I’ll just go and take it myself.”
Hearing this, even the king was at a loss. He had no way of dealing with this lawless little tyrant. She wasn't his daughter, so he couldn't be too strict with her. The Zhong Clan was powerful, yet loyal to the state. If Zhong Sisi forcibly took the Northern Garden Hunting Grounds, no one could do anything to her. This girl would only listen if coaxed; she would rebel if met with force.
Zhong Sisi looked at Shen Lang and said, “Since His Majesty has bestowed the Northern Garden Hunting Grounds upon you, go ahead and garrison your people there. The moment you do, I will lead my army in, conquer the place, and drive you out. What can you do then? I have two thousand men. How many do you have? Shall we fight until a river of blood flows?”
“Stop this nonsense!”
Ning Yuanxian reprimanded her loudly, then immediately softened his tone.
“Sisi, what’s so great about the Northern Garden Hunting Grounds? It’s been desolate for a long time. The Western Gardens manor is much more comfortable.”
“No. I want the Northern Garden Hunting Grounds. If I lead my soldiers and occupy it, what can you, a live-in son-in-law, possibly do?”
Zhong Sisi said coldly, then stood up to leave.
Just then, Shen Lang spoke to her.
“Wait!”
“What? Are you admitting defeat? It’s no use!”
“I heard you struck my wife?”
“I did. Struck her so hard she coughed up blood. So what? It’s her fault for being weak, not mine.”
“Then have you heard about my martial arts?”
“Useless trash, scum, a pretty face with no substance. I heard you don't even have the strength to please a woman. It would be hard to find a martial arts weakling like you in this world.”
“Congratulations. You’re right on all counts.”