coobybook Chapter 244 Only when they are all dead can he regain his title!
Chapter 244 Only when they are all dead can he regain his title!
Although Ye Shishu personally acted as matchmaker for Chen Zhan, You Jianchuan and Madam Ma did not expect that the Chen family would send the betrothal gifts to the Marquis of Yufeng's residence the very next day.
The betrothal gifts, consisting of three large carriages, left the couple speechless with envy.
They used to be suppressed by the elder brother and sister-in-law You Jianbin and the Wen family, and they could only make a living by doing small business. The dowry of these three carriages was many times more than they had earned in their entire lives.
Chen Zhan personally presented the betrothal gift list to the couple, saying, "My lord and my wife, this is a small token of my appreciation. Please take a look."
You Jianchuan accepted the gift list with trembling hands.
Madam Ma said excitedly, "Young Master Chen, our Xin'er must have accumulated so much good fortune in her past life to have caught your eye. We are truly flattered by such a generous betrothal gift."
Chen Zhan smiled and said, "Lord Marquis, Madam, we're all family now, so please call me A-Zhan. These betrothal gifts are just a small token of my affection for Xin'er, please accept them. Rest assured, now that I've decided to marry Xin'er, I will treat her with all my heart."
With Yu Chi Ling and Ye Shi Shu personally acting as matchmakers, who would dare to neglect this marriage? You Jianchuan and Madam Ma were naturally extremely relieved!
"Ah Zhan, please come in. I'll have someone call Xin'er out right away!" Although You Jianchuan was embarrassed, he still addressed him affectionately.
At this moment.
You Jianbin returned from outside.
Seeing the courtyard filled with chests and gift boxes, all adorned with red and colorful decorations, he hurried forward and asked, "Second brother, what's going on here?" Suddenly, he recognized the young man in front of You Jianchuan and Madam Ma and exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this Young Master Chen? What brings you to the Marquis's residence?"
Chen Zhan turned around and gave him a junior's bow, "Greetings, Uncle You."
He used to be the Marquis of Yufeng, but now he's just the eldest son of the You family. Given Chen Zhan and You Hongxin's marriage, he should indeed be called the eldest uncle.
But You Jianbin's expression wasn't good, and he asked You Jianchuan, "What exactly happened?"
You Jianchuan replied apologetically, "Brother, Young Master Chen wants to marry Xin'er, and he has come today to present the betrothal gifts."
Upon hearing this, You Jianbin turned around and looked at the piles of richly decorated boxes and gift sets, his eyes filled with envy and resentment.
The son of the Imperial Censor has actually taken a liking to You Jianchuan's money-losing son...
Why?
While he was still a high-ranking official, his daughter could only marry that good-for-nothing Wei Yonghuai! How was his daughter inferior to that little bitch You Hongxin?
These people deserve to die!
As long as the King of Liang helps him deal with Ye Gengxin, in his opinion, You Jianchuan, Ma Shi, and their two bastard children should all go to hell together!
Only if they are all dead can he regain his title!
Concealing the malice in his eyes, he turned to face You Jianchuan and said with a smile, "Second brother, the day after tomorrow is my birthday. May I host a banquet at the manor and invite the general as well, so we can all get together and have a good time?"
You Jianchuan and Madam Ma exchanged glances. Indeed, it was his birthday the day after tomorrow, and he wanted to hold a family banquet. This request was not unreasonable.
"Brother, don't worry, I'll have someone prepare the ingredients," Ma replied.
"Then I'll trouble you to make the arrangements, sister-in-law." You Jianbin was unusually polite to her, and then said to Chen Zhan, "Young Master Chen, you have important matters to discuss, so I won't disturb you any longer. Excuse me."
Chen Zhan bowed and saw him off.
After You Jianbin had walked away, You Jianchuan invited him, "Azhan, why don't you come to my residence for a visit the day after tomorrow?"
Chen Zhan didn't refuse and readily agreed, "Okay."
……
At night, Shu and Yuchi Ling temporarily hid in the general's mansion.
Because the wildfire in Siming Mountain had not yet been extinguished, Ye Gengxin was getting restless. "Shu'er, are you sure your older brother won't be in trouble? The wildfire has almost burned the mountain bare. Even if they have a place to hide in the mountains, what will they eat and drink?"
"Father, my elder brother has already signaled to us. He and Li Yao have already left Siming Mountain with their men, so you can rest assured. Yu Chi Rui and Mo Qian Xiao are at their most vigilant right now. We dare not send anyone to pick up my elder brother because we are afraid of being followed, which would be detrimental to their return to the city."
"That's good, that's good..." Ye Gengxin breathed a sigh of relief.
"General." Ninth Aunt came in from outside and handed him an invitation. "It's You Jianbin's birthday, and he's going to hold a family banquet. He'd like to invite you to attend."
Ye Gengxin said irritably, "These are turbulent times, why is he holding a banquet? Does he think everyone else is just as idle as him?"
Ye Shishu went over, took the invitation from his hand, and said with a smile, "Father, you have to go to this birthday banquet. If you don't go, I won't have a legitimate reason to kill him."
"What do you mean?" Ye Gengxin looked at his daughter with a puzzled expression.
“You Jianbin has already colluded with Yuchi Rui in private. This birthday banquet is most likely aimed at you. It just so happens that His Highness wants to ‘close the net.’ Let’s play along and take this opportunity to deal with Yuchi Rui as well.”
"They came for me?" Ye Gengxin frowned.
“Father, now everyone knows I’ve disappeared, and even the Crown Prince has vanished while searching for me. In Yuchi Rui’s view, my disappearance has firmly tied down the Crown Prince. Right now, you have the strongest military force. Your tens of thousands of troops have been stationed outside the city for so long. If we don’t get rid of you, how can Yuchi Rui rebel?”
Ye Gengxin gripped the armrests of the large chair tightly with both hands.
He knew that Yuchi Rui was still plotting against him, but he thought Yuchi Rui only wanted to regain the position of Crown Prince and never imagined that he would rebel.
But he couldn't take chances and gamble the fate of the Great Ye Kingdom with Yuchi Rui's conscience. The consequences would be unbearable for him, not to mention for all his ancestors!
"Father," Ye Shishu patted the back of his hand, where the veins were bulging, "Don't worry, I've already thought of a way. Right now, besides your safety, the most important thing is that badge you're wearing. While there's still one day left, quickly have someone make a fake one, and preferably two more. Since we're going to play along with them, we should have a good time, don't you think?"
Ye Gengxin glared at her irritably, "Your military seal is like cabbage at the market, you can have as many as you want? There aren't any more, I only prepared two a few years ago to prevent people from coveting them!"
Hear the words.
Ye Shishu laughed, "That's enough!"
……
The residence of Marquis Yufeng.
Today is You Jianbin's birthday, and as the current mistress of the Marquis's mansion, Madam Ma still prepared an extremely lavish birthday banquet for him.
You Qingrou, who hadn't been seen in public for a long time, also made an appearance.
Compared to her former arrogance, she is no longer glamorous. She is now filled with resentment, and her eyes are sharp as she looks at everything.
Chen Zhan arrived at the Marquis's residence early.
You Jianchuan wanted his daughter to develop a relationship with him, so he asked her to take him for a walk in the garden.
The two, standing a few steps apart, had just arrived in the garden when they encountered You Qingrou, who was coming to the main courtyard.
"Cousin," You Hongxin greeted her politely.
"I heard you're engaged to Young Master Chen?" You Qingrou said, but her eyes were fixed on Chen Zhan behind You Hongxin with a sinister look. "My cousin is so lucky. Our Marquis's mansion is in such a sorry state, yet Young Master Chen still takes a liking to us."
You Hongxin remained silent.
In the past, You Qingrou was arrogant and always bullied her, saying that they were cousins, but in her heart, they were not even strangers.
Chen Zhan stepped forward and stood beside her, saying to You Qingrou, "Miss You is mistaken. Xin'er is beautiful and kind-hearted, and she never harbors ill intentions towards anyone. As the saying goes, one should marry a virtuous wife. It is my good fortune to have married Xin'er."
You Qingrou's gaze darkened. "Young Master Chen, how much do you know about my cousin? How do you know she doesn't have bad intentions?"
She was truly indignant and resentful.
That good-for-nothing You Hongxin is actually being praised!
Chen Zhan glanced at You Hongxin beside him and said with a smile, "Although I am not very talented, I can read faces. Some people commit all kinds of evil without blushing, which shows how vicious they are. On the other hand, some people get embarrassed when praised, which shows how simple-minded they are. Miss You, do you think my way of judging people is accurate?"