PDLP Chapter 350: All Dead Ends 1
Chapter 350: All Dead Ends 1
Ye Wenting didn't know how, but she started chatting and laughing with Xia Liang, just like a pair of sisters who met too late.
After listening to her story, Xia Liang was filled with emotion.
"You mean, that official son surnamed Gu has a bad character, but he asked your Ye family to marry you? Did he want to marry you after meeting you?"
Ye Wenting shook her head.
"I don't know where he's seen me before, but the Gu family's master is only a fourth-rank official in the court, and my father is a third-rank official. They must be trying to climb to higher power."
Xia Liang held his chin and murmured, "You wealthy families are also quite troublesome. Marriage is all about arranged marriages and transactions. They don't consider whether the two people are compatible or have feelings for each other. They just force them together. It's not even as free as animals loving each other..."
"So, I'm quite envious of how Miss Xia and Second Master Yan met and fell in love."
"So what? I have no parents. It would be very difficult for him to marry a woman like me."
"Then will you give up?"
"I, Xia Cao, love someone, so of course I can't just give up on him. However, if Yan Xuan gives up on marrying me because of his family's resistance, then there's nothing I can do. If he doesn't love me that much, then it's not worth it for me to persist."
Ye Wenting's eyes lit up again and again. She seemed to have seen such words in a storybook.
After a while, she lowered her head and whispered, "Then can I also pursue my own love?"
"Yes, of course. So who do you like? If that person doesn't have a girl he likes, then go for it! There are a lot of young men in the capital, so you can go to places where you can easily see them and secretly watch them. You can't just judge people by their appearance, you also have to see what kind of people they are like in their daily lives."
Miss Ye chuckled: "Miss Xia, you are so interesting to talk about. No wonder Second Master Yan likes you."
Finally, someone found one of his strengths, and Xia Liang sighed secretly.
When he was about to send Miss Ye off, he saw Yan Xuan standing outside the door, looking idiotic. He Yuan, who was following behind, didn't understand what was going on. He just looked up and saw Miss Ye in front of him. It felt like the whole building was lit by tens of thousands of candles.
"What are you doing here?"
Xia Liang was also surprised to see Yan Xuan, and he looked like he was frightened.
Yan Xuan looked at Miss Ye, then at Xia Liang, and it seemed that nothing big had happened.
"I, I just happened to be passing by and came to take a look."
Miss Ye covered her mouth with a handkerchief and chuckled.
"Second Master Yan is also an interesting person. He and Miss Xia are a perfect match. I won't bother you two anymore."
Xia Liang waved at her and shouted, "Miss Ye, welcome to come and visit us often! By the way, please give my regards to your cousin Ye Yucheng!"
Miss Ye was curious: "Do you know my cousin?"
"I don't know him, but I'll know him soon."
Yan Xuan reacted, pulled her sleeve, and whispered: "Xia Cao, don't talk nonsense."
As Miss Ye was walking down the stairs, she noticed the silly boy behind Yan Xuan. He looked dazed. He was almost as tall as Yan Xuan, and had a solid build, though he looked a bit childish. He didn't have the sharp angles of Yan Xuan's face. He looked like a little brat. Seeing his dull look, she couldn't help but sneer.
Xia Liang then patted He Yuan and shouted, "Look at the girl showing this expression, is there something wrong with her?"
He Yuan was so scared that he quickly shook his head.
"No, it's nothing."
Xia Cao pouted and invited the two of them into the house.
He took another closer look at He Yuan. In just one year, the brat had grown up a lot. He should be sixteen now. He looked good and was tall. The only problem was that he came from a poor family and had no parents, only a grandmother. This was a big problem.
He Yuan felt uncomfortable being looked at by her, and hesitantly said, "What are you looking at me for?"
Yan Xuan looked at He Yuan, then at Xia Cao, and asked anxiously, "Do you think He Yuan is also good-looking and you like him again?"
He Yuan: It’s so scary!
Xia Liang really wanted to jump up and pat him on the head.
"He Yuan is still young, he can still grow taller. It turns out that you, the Imperial City Division, really select guards based on appearance. They are all tall and good-looking."
Yan Xuan was very proud and held his head high as he said, "That's right, not just any man can enter the Imperial City Division."
Xia Liang was too lazy to pay attention to him, so he asked He Yuan: "After you returned to the capital, is your grandmother in good health? Has anyone arranged a marriage for you?"
He Yuan shook his head and immediately understood what she meant.
"Miss Xia, please don't misunderstand me. I just..."
"It doesn't matter if there's a misunderstanding or not. When it comes to love, you have to be brave and pursue it."
Yan Xuan also understood, and looked at He Yuan with sudden realization: "Are you interested in Miss Ye from before?"
He Yuan immediately lowered his head, very discouraged: "So what if it looks good? Do you think it's possible?"
Xia Cao laughed dryly and said, "It's really impossible."
"..."
Yan Xuan also wanted to say something to comfort He Yuan, but he didn't know where to start. After all, they had been through life and death together for so many days, and now they were very good brothers, so he had to say something.
After a long while, he finally managed to say, "If you go to the northwest border with me to fight, and you have your own military merits, and then get promoted, then maybe there is still a little chance."
Xia Liang rejected it: "It's too difficult, it's impossible."
He Yuan didn't feel that bad either. He knew his position very well. Although he had gained new insights after spending a long time with Miss Xia and other imaginative and fearless women, it seemed that nothing could really change him.
Even a man as authoritative as Prince Ning has difficulties being with Miss Luo Hong. Yan Xuan also has to confront his family elders for Miss Xia, and the outcome is still unclear. How can he dare to climb up the social ladder?
Xia Liang suddenly laughed.
"But there are always opportunities. The class stratification is too serious nowadays. People like us who don't have any background want to live a good life. We can only work hard to find a way to survive that suits us. As the saying goes, fortune and honor are sought in danger, and heroes emerge in troubled times..."
Yan Xuan was even more anxious: "Xia Cao, what nonsense are you talking about again."
Xia Cao was too lazy to pay attention to him and asked He Yuan: "Do you want to marry a beautiful wife that you like?"
He Yuan was stunned, and his dark red face turned even redder.
After thinking for a moment, he slowly nodded.
"That's right. It's not a bad thing to have ideals and pursue the beauty in your heart. Only with ideals can you be motivated to become a better person!"
He Yuan asked in a low voice: "Then, what should I do?"
"Follow Miss Qin. No matter what happens in the future, you must firmly stand by her side."
He Yuan: It is indeed very dangerous.
Yan Xuan muttered to himself, "Why does it feel a little strange? Things haven't been going well in the capital lately. The Emperor suddenly ordered his eldest brother to return with 20,000 troops..."
Is it because of the advent of the dragon?
Will the world really change hands?
He looked at Xia Liang again with an innocent look on her face. Could it be that she had observed the celestial phenomena at night and figured out something?
Currently, there are more than 200,000 imperial guards, and the emperor personally controls the tiger-shaped talisman to mobilize troops. Why does he still need to recruit the eldest brother to lead the troops back?
Seeing him lost in thought, Xia Liang smiled and asked, "What are you thinking about? Don't worry, we won't do anything rash. No matter what, Miss Qin and Sister Luo Yu always put the interests of the people first. Things like unrest cannot happen casually."
"Have you ever thought about what the consequences would be if you really summoned the dragon?"
Xia Liang laughed and said, "I don't know the consequences if I summon it, but if I don't summon it, my head will definitely fall off."
Yan Xuan's eyes darkened. She was right.
Seeing that he looked a little strange, Xia Liang pretended to be innocent and asked, "Are you hiding something from me?"
Yan Xuan is not good at lying. Even if he just shook his head and didn't say anything, Xia Liang would notice that his eyes were avoiding him.
"You must have a secret. I told you everything about my ability to summon a dragon, but you won't tell me anything. Humph!"
He Yuan wanted to cover his ears. He didn't want to hear any secrets now.
Then he walked out of the room and closed the door.
Xia Liang raised the corners of his mouth.
After a while, Yan Xuan whispered in Xia Liang's ear, "I heard that the Emperor is afraid of a rebellion, so the number of patrolling guards has increased recently. All of us in the Imperial City Division have to take turns changing shifts every twelve hours."
In the past, only a few people were needed to work the night shift.
"Oh? Are the rumors about Shenlong so powerful? Is the emperor afraid?"
"Well, there are also ministers who have asked the emperor for instructions, saying that since you can summon a dragon, you must be some kind of witch, and they want you to be burned alive."
"I didn't summon a monster, so how did I become a demon woman?"
"You can summon birds and beasts. Now everyone in the court is talking about you. Fortunately, the emperor wants to see if you can really summon a dragon."
Xia Liang grabbed a piece of cake and stuffed it into his mouth, mumbling:
"So, regardless of whether I can summon the dragon or not, I'm doomed?"
Xia Liang frowned slightly. To save her life, Sister Luo Yu had even drawn a dragon in the "Wutian Chuan" picture book to divert people's attention. She also hoped to persuade the emperor by saying that they could make a wish. Now, it seemed that her situation was even more precarious...