“No need, I’ll congratulate her myself.” Zu An said in a downcast voice.
Xie Daoyun was shocked to see how sullen Zu An’s expression had become. However, she didn’t think too much of it. “Ah Zu, do you want to go together?”
She was worried that Zu An might get into further conflict with Liu Yao. The Xie clan might not be able to stop them if that happened, so she wanted to separate them first, if possible.
“Sure, give me a moment.” Zu An smiled. He ran back to explain a few matters, and then he entered Xie Daoyun’s carriage. “I’m ready.”
Xie Daoyun blushed. I did say we could go together, but I didn’t tell you to get in my carriage!
She opened her mouth to object, but the two of them had just ridden on the same horse, so it felt a little unnatural to refuse him now. She left her objections unvoiced.
However, she still felt a little uncomfortable sitting with another man in such a private carriage. She immediately looked for a topic to alleviate her awkwardness. “Ah Zu, what do you plan to do now?”
“Obviously, I will act according to how the situation unfolds,” Zu An replied.
Xie Daoyun hesitated, but decided to carry on with her reply. “I shouldn’t really be saying these things, but as a friend, I can’t watch you continue to sink into the abyss.”
Zu An was stunned. “What is Miss Xie saying?”
Xie Daoyun pursed her thin lips. “I know that Brightmoon Duke has chosen a neutral stance. However, even though maintaining neutrality may seem as though you are refraining from offending either side, the reality is that you will end up upsetting both sides. All the disasters that have fallen upon the Chu clan have been precisely because of this. The Chu clan is already on the verge of collapse! Are you all really still going to maintain your neutrality?”
Zu An said with a smile, “Is Miss Xie trying to recruit me in King Qi’s stead?”
Xie Daoyun sighed. “I won’t deny that I am trying to rope you in. However, these are also the sincere words of a friend. Even though your Chu clan has the three-thousand strong Red Cloak Army, what can you all do against the powerful imperial court with just a mere three thousand men?
“Moreover, once you lose your Chu clan’s land, the salt mines and the iron in the mountains, what can your Chu clan rely on even to sustain this force?
“Everyone knows what Brightmoon Duke is like. I refuse to believe that he will allow the Red Cloak Army to attack caravans like how the Blackwind Stockade does. Without any income, the Red Cloak Army will soon crumble. When that happens, it would be too late for regrets.”
“What you say makes a lot of sense,” Zu An said. “We will carefully consider your offer.”
Xie Daoyun looked carefully into his eyes for a long time, before she finally said, “I don’t know why, but I feel like your words aren’t sincere. I don’t sense the slightest bit of nervousness from you. Instead, it looks like everything is going according to your plan. However, I really do not understand how the Chu clan can possibly come back from this!”
Zu An smiled and said, “Let’s talk about something casual, like romance. I don’t want to discuss this any further.”
The image of the two of them riding on a single horse suddenly appeared in her head, and her cheeks grew red. “Who wants to talk about romance with you?” she said with a snort.
She looked out the windows with a guilty expression. She suddenly noticed that there were soldiers following behind the carriage, which startled her. “Why did you bring the Red Cloak Army with you? What are you trying to do?”
Zu An looked out the window in the direction of the Sang clan’s estate. “I’m going to congratulate them on their wedding.”
He’d left most of the Red Cloak Army behind to protect the Chu clan, but brought a few hundred men along with him to the Sang Estate.
Xie Daoyun obviously didn’t believe him. She said in panic, “I know that you and the Sang clan share many grudges, but this is Zheng Dan’s important day! Please don’t do anything reckless!”
She began to feel regretful. What in the world had she been thinking when she’d invited him to come with her? This guy loved to start trouble! Disturbances sprang up around him no matter where he went.
“Don’t worry, I won’t.” Zu An smiled. His eyes were hard to read.
Xie Daoyu didn’t know what to make of his response. Not knowing what to say, she couldn’t help but worry inside. The first thing she was going to do after reaching the Sang clan was to send someone to contact her father.
Zu An looked out the window. Unlike the heavy atmosphere that had hung around the Sang Estate during his last visit, it was now decorated with large red lanterns and symbols of luck.
A lively atmosphere had already sprung up around the estate. The marriage of a governor’s young master and the Zheng clan’s first miss was a huge deal. All the important figures in the city were present.
If Zu An hadn’t suddenly brought the Red Cloak Army into the city, Xie Yi and Liu Yao might have been here as well.
The servant at the gate announced the guests and their gifts.
“First miss Xie has arrived with twenty-eight of the highest quality eastern pearls as a congratulatory gift.”
“The Chu clan… huh? The Chu clan’s young master has arrived with… with a green hat as a congratulatory gift.”[1]
The festive and lively Sang Estate suddenly grew quiet at these words.
All of the people here were respectable figures. Most of them knew about the grudge between the Chu and Sang clans.
They had just been discussing the confrontation between the Red Cloak Army Zu An brought back and Liu Yao. Why was one of the main figures involved suddenly showing up here?
Also, what in the world was up with that hat?
1. Wearing a green hat is slang for being cuckolded.