It's... it's settled?
The words left the two of them utterly dumbfounded.
Zhu Li couldn't hold back any longer. "Grandmaster Kan," she asked directly, "did you go to persuade him to accept the fief, or to propose a marriage?"
Kan Luotang: "..."
She had no idea how to smooth things over. 'The outcome really is just like a marriage proposal!'
Kan Tianji's face flushed with embarrassment, and he grew agitated. "Luotang is my precious granddaughter! How could I bear to marry her off to that scoundrel? It's mainly that His Majesty and Zhao Ci ganged up to set a trap. I was careless and didn't see it coming..."
To be honest, his head was still buzzing.
Zhao Huan's words echoed in his mind: "Given Ci's current reputation in Lingge, what he lacks most are elders who appreciate him. I was worried his marriage prospects would be poor, but now it seems we've finally found a suitable candidate. A relationship, after all, requires a mutual commitment from both families."
Kan Tianji wanted to explain.
But if he did, Zhao Huan would just ask, "Could it be that Kan Qing's recent words of effusive praise for Ci were all against your true feelings?"
At that point, it was impossible to explain. Any further explanation would veer toward the crime of deceiving the Emperor.
"They set a trap? You were careless?"
Zhu Li frowned, sensing there was more to the story. A glint of wisdom flickered in her eyes as she leaned in and whispered into Kan Luotang's ear, "The way I see it, it looks more like Grandmaster Kan and His Majesty ganged up to set a trap for *you*..."
Although she had deliberately lowered her voice, Kan Tianji still heard her. He bristled, his beard trembling. "You silly girl, spouting such nonsense! I'm Luotang's biological grandfather. Would I ever harm her?"
Zhu Li craned her slender, pale neck. "The problem is, you were just too efficient! Everyone says you're a master of debate. If you weren't actively pushing for it, how could the marriage have been settled so quickly? You must have been arguing for the other side!"
Kan Tianji: "..."
"Zhu Li, that's enough!"
Kan Luotang remained relatively calm. "Grandfather, is there any room to reverse this marriage decision?"
Kan Tianji looked vexed. "I'm afraid it will be difficult. Although the date hasn't been set, His Majesty summoned the Ninth Prince before I had even left the Imperial Study. He said that among the princes of marriageable age, only the Ninth and Tenth Princes remain unwed, and that it was a good opportunity to select a suitable girl for the Ninth Prince as well."
"The Ninth Prince? Zhao Yong?"
Zhu Li's eyes lit up. "Of all the swarming bees and butterflies in Lingge City, Zhao Yong is the one most infatuated with Luotang. If they get into a fight over this, it might just be enough to derail the wedding."
But unlike Zhu Li, hearing this name made Kan Luotang, who had been relatively composed just moments ago, grow worried.
Thanks to her reputation, she had many admirers among the talented young men of Lingge, and the Ninth Prince was indeed the most high-profile of them all, having proposed marriage several times to no avail.
It was impossible that the Emperor didn't know about this. Yet, he had summoned the Ninth Prince moments after bestowing the marriage. This was definitely intentional on the Emperor's part, and its deeper meaning was likely tied to the Ninth Prince's identity.
The Ninth Prince and the Crown Prince were not born of the same mother, but his mother and the Empress both came from the Jinyang Zhu Clan, making him a die-hard member of the Crown Prince Faction.
In recent years, the Emperor's health had been declining day by day. While no one dared to openly discuss the struggle for the throne, the undercurrents were surging.
The Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince were locked in a life-or-death struggle. They had been evenly matched, but the Crown Prince Consort had recently died of illness. Consequently, the Crown Prince Consort from the direct line of the Yingchuan Feng Clan was promoted, becoming the new Crown Prince Consort. Adding that to the Crown Prince's existing backing from the Zhu Clan, he now had the sole support of two great clans and was riding a wave of success.
So, the Emperor's actions...
'It feels a bit like he's using Zhao Ci to keep the Crown Prince in check.'
Even though everyone in Lingge knew Zhao Ci was a good-for-nothing, the Emperor's favor toward him was excessive. Furthermore, his mother was highly valued, holding considerable power and also having the backing of the Jing Chu Xiang Clan.
Rumors in the streets claimed the Emperor intended to make Zhao Ci the new heir. Although that seemed unlikely given Zhao Huan's wisdom, who could guarantee an old man wouldn't do something foolish in his dotage?
Kan Tianji had helped Zhao Ci secure his fief this time precisely to avoid being drawn into the whirlpool of the succession struggle and to continue protecting his own interests.
But in the end, he had been dragged in anyway.
And from the look of it, the Emperor seemed afraid the Kan Family wasn't in deep enough.
Kan Luotang's heart grew heavy.
'I understand this kind of political maneuvering... But judging by Zhu Li's expression, she probably can't grasp the intricacies.'
"Luotang, Luotang!"
Zhu Li's face was flushed with excitement. "That guy Zhao Yong has had his marriage proposals rejected several times. Now that he's heard His Majesty has betrothed you to Zhao Ci, he must be furious! With his personality, he'll definitely go and block Zhao Ci's gate. Let's go too! We might be able to ruin this engagement!"
With that, she grabbed Kan Luotang's wrist and started pulling her outside.
Kan Luotang hesitated and turned to look at Kan Tianji, only to see him give a nod filled with hidden meaning.
...
"Phew!"
Zhao Ci let out a long breath, stood up, and stretched lazily.
After ten circulatory cycles, the True Qi in his body had grown considerably. At this rate, he would break through the Qi Recognition Stage in just a few days.
His progress was still far behind the average, though.
But his advantage lay in his solid foundation. He had completely comprehended the Qi Recognition manual. Both the groundwork he had laid and his fluid control over his True Qi would benefit him endlessly on his future cultivation path.
'Time to go to the palace.'
Zhao Ci already had a plan for the future. It would be difficult, but it was worth a try. Before taking action, however, he had to inform Zhao Huan.
Even though, to him, Zhao Huan was an old geezer with ill intentions.
But most of the time, he also played the role of a "father."
How to put it... 'He's part father, part geezer, I guess!'
Zhao Ci wiped the sweat from his forehead, changed into a clean set of clothes, and prepared to go out.
Just then, he saw a maid from his residence come running over.
"Your Highness, this is bad! The Ninth Prince is here! His carriage is right at the gate. He says there's a banquet in the east of the city tonight and wants to invite you to go with him!"
"Zhao Yong?"
Zhao Ci frowned slightly. Although he had never met Zhao Yong since transmigrating, he had plenty of memories concerning him.
Among the many princes, only Zhao Yong was his age, so it was inevitable that people compared them.
To be honest, Zhao Yong's talent wasn't particularly outstanding among the princes, but he was still much stronger than Zhao Ci. He had broken through to the Qi Recognition Stage almost half a year ago, and Zhao Ci wasn't sure if he was currently in the Body Refining Stage or the Muscle Strengthening Stage.
Moreover, he had quite a talent for business. He was currently in the Pill Alliance, managing a small Pill Workshop for the Imperial Family. Leveraging the resources of his mother's Jinyang Zhu Clan, he was achieving excellent results.
'He should be able to avoid the blood-draining at eighteen.'
'And last long enough to have his heart and lungs ripped out and kidneys harvested later on.'
'He's an elite mob, at least.'
Because of the Emperor's favoritism, Zhao Yong and the original owner of this body were constantly at odds.
The man was very petty, but not entirely without cunning. He had never initiated a direct conflict. After all, they were brothers of the Imperial Family. How could they do something so crude?
But Zhao Yong often organized various gatherings and invited the original owner, only to act two-faced, being outwardly friendly while constantly giving backhanded compliments and subtle put-downs.
Thanks to his efforts, the honest and dull-witted original owner became a perennial clown.
When he later died of depression, Zhao Yong could be credited with seventy percent of the cause.
'But from what I recall, this guy hasn't shown up for a long time.'
"Why has this guy suddenly shown up?"
Zhao Ci frowned slightly, feeling that something was off. In the past, when Zhao Yong invited the original owner, he would just send a messenger and wait for the owner to shamelessly go over himself.
'Why did he take the initiative to come pick me up in a carriage today?'
'I haven't had any interaction with him recently, have I?'
Zhao Ci asked, "How many people are outside?"
The maid hesitated. "There seem to be four or five young masters from prominent families, and another three or four at the back gate. They said tonight's banquet wouldn't be complete without you and that they absolutely must get you to come."
Hah!
Zhao Ci raised an eyebrow. 'Looks like they don't come in peace.'
He was focused on grinding his level right now and didn't want to get involved with these two-faced people. He couldn't compete in terms of martial strength, financial power, or numbers. 'Why would I go looking for trouble?'
But they were already blocking his gates. This wasn't a question of being reckless or cautious.
'If they refuse to leave, does that mean I can't go out?'
'How am I supposed to get anything important done?'
The maid asked worriedly, "Your Highness, should we lock the gates?"
Zhao Ci smiled. "No need. I'll go meet them!"