Gao He forced a bitter smile, his expression turning serious. "For Your Highness to personally deliver the wedding invitation to the Duke of Jing's estate... it's a bit like asking for humiliation."
"I know none of them think much of me."
Yun Zheng let out a theatrical sigh and murmured, "I also know they certainly won't come to the banquet, but as long as I've fulfilled my duty of courtesy..."
Gao He choked slightly, instantly falling silent.
Before long, the two arrived at the Duke of Jing's estate.
By this time, the sky was growing dark.
"The Sixth Prince?"
Learning that Yun Zheng had arrived, Xu Shifu and his entire family were taken aback.
What is the Sixth Prince doing here?
Could he be here to make amends?
Even to make amends, he should go to the Third Prince's Mansion!
Why run over to their place?
"Let's go, let's go take a look!"
Though Xu Shifu couldn't figure it out either, he still called his family to go out and welcome him.
No matter how much they looked down on Yun Zheng, Yun Zheng was still the Sixth Prince.
If the Sixth Prince visited and they failed to greet him, it would be showing contempt for the imperial family!
"Welcome to the Sixth Prince!"
Xu Shifu led his family to the entrance and was forced to bow to Yun Zheng.
As a high-ranking official of the court, he and his family members did not need to perform the full kowtow to Yun Zheng.
Yet even a simple bow gave him the feeling of being insulted.
"The Duke of Jing needn't stand on ceremony."
Yun Zheng offered a "shy" smile, getting straight to the point. "I've come to deliver an invitation to the Duke of Jing."
"An invitation?"
Xu Shifu was slightly stunned. "The wedding date for Your Highness and Shen Luoyan has been set?"
As Xu Shifu spoke, he showed no intention whatsoever of inviting Yun Zheng inside.
Yun Zheng didn't mind at all. He shook his head and said, "It's not the wedding invitation. It's an invitation for my relocation to a new residence. I plan to host the court ministers the day after tomorrow, and I ask the Duke of Jing to honor me with his presence."
With that, Yun Zheng handed the invitation forward.
Xu Shifu took the invitation, glanced at it perfunctorily, and was about to close it when he suddenly realized something was amiss.
"This handwriting..."
Xu Shifu reopened the invitation, secretly frowning.
Why does this handwriting look a bit familiar?
*The old man has been waiting for this exact moment!*
Yun Zheng chuckled inwardly, though his face assumed an embarrassed expression. "I know my handwriting isn't very good, so I specially asked General Yuan Cong of the Left Tunwei to write the invitations."
Yuan Cong?
Xu Shifu's face turned green.
No wonder this handwriting looked so familiar!
It turned out to be written by Yuan Cong!
Yuan Cong was clearly on their side!
And now, he had gone off to write invitations for Yun Zheng?
When these invitations were all sent out, the entire court would know that the Third Prince's man had helped the Sixth Prince write his invitations!
Wasn't this directly slapping him and the Third Prince across the face?
Xu Shifu was nearly so angry he wanted to vomit blood. A burning sensation scorched his face, and deep in his heart, he made a firm resolution to teach Yuan Cong a harsh lesson.
That traitorous bastard!
"Duke of Jing, Duke of Jing..."
Yun Zheng's voice sounded in Xu Shifu's ear once more.
Xu Shifu snapped back to his senses and said indifferently, "Your Highness, I truly apologize. With official court business so pressing lately, I'm afraid I won't be able to attend your housewarming banquet."
Xu Shifu's response was entirely within Gao He's expectations.
Gao He glanced silently at Yun Zheng, thinking to himself: *Why put yourself through this?*
Knowing full well it was asking for humiliation, why still come?
"It's fine, it's fine!"
Yun Zheng waved his hand. "As long as the courtesy is delivered, that's enough."
*What the hell?*
Xu Shifu choked slightly.
As long as the courtesy is delivered?
Could it be that he came here to extort him?
Seeing the expression on Xu Shifu's face, Yun Zheng seemed to realize he had spoken wrongly and hurriedly corrected himself, "I don't mean you have to send a gift; I just mean the sentiment of courtesy should be delivered..."
*The sentiment of courtesy should be delivered?*
Xu Shifu and his family looked at Yun Zheng with amused expressions.
Wasn't this still a disguised demand for a gift?
This good-for-nothing actually dared to proactively ask them for gifts?
Grown some spine, have we?
"No, no..."
At this point, Yun Zheng waved his hands repeatedly, his face flushing red as he stammered, "I mean to say, I... my courtesy should be delivered, you... you all just do as you please..."
As he spoke, Yun Zheng deliberately put on a timid, frightened appearance.
Hearing Yun Zheng's words, Xu Shifu almost jumped up and broke into curses.
*His* courtesy is delivered, and they can do as they please?
How the hell does he expect them to "do as they please"?
An imperial prince came personally to deliver an invitation; isn't that courtesy large enough?
The prince has gone to such lengths, and if they don't show even the slightest token, when word reaches Emperor Wen, it would mean *they* don't understand courtesy!
Cursing endlessly in his heart, Xu Shifu forced a smile onto his face. "Your Highness, rest assured. Even if we cannot attend the day after tomorrow, we will prepare a modest gift to be sent to Your Highness's residence to congratulate Your Highness on your housewarming."
"Ah?"
Yun Zheng widened his eyes, waving his hands frantically again. "I... I really didn't mean for you to send gifts."
"Your Highness need not explain, we understand."
Xu Shifu said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "Since Your Highness's courtesy is so thorough, naturally we cannot lack in courtesy ourselves!"
"This..."
Yun Zheng smiled sheepishly. "Then we'll be leaving first."
"Respectfully seeing off Your Highness!"
Xu Shifu shouted with hypocritical politeness, while a raging fire burned in his heart.
Looking at the invitation in his hand, he felt even worse than if he had swallowed a fly, his entire body deeply uncomfortable.
Unlike Xu Shifu, Yun Zheng was currently overjoyed.
Right now, he and the Third Prince were practically at irreconcilable odds!
Since Xu Shifu, the Third Prince's uncle, was sending a gift, could anyone else afford not to?
Heh heh!
Another handsome sum of income!
And this was a gift for an imperial prince; no matter how stingy they were, it couldn't be too cheap, right?
Besides, he didn't have to pay for food or wine—it was all profit with zero risk!
Ah, next stop!
Yun Zheng felt wonderful inside. Ignoring Gao He's strange looks, he followed Gao He to Grand Secretary Zhang's residence.
This time, Yun Zheng was even more direct.
After stating his purpose, he said straight to Zhang Huai, "I just came from the Duke of Jing's estate. The Duke said he has too much official business, so his gift will arrive but he won't be there in person. I hope Grand Secretary Zhang..."
"This old man has plenty of matters to attend to these past couple of days as well!"
Zhang Huai interrupted Yun Zheng. "This old man's gift will arrive, but I won't. I ask Your Highness not to take it to heart."
"Oh..."
Disappointment showed on Yun Zheng's face, while his heart was gripped by wild ecstasy.
*Who the hell cares if you show up?*
*As long as the gift arrives!*
Another one down!
Next, Yun Zheng led Gao He to visit several more households.
With Xu Shifu and Grand Secretary Zhang leading the charge, everyone used heavy official duties as an excuse, declaring that their gifts would arrive in their stead.
After finishing the rounds, Gao He felt thoroughly embarrassed for Yun Zheng, but Yun Zheng was inwardly elated.
By the time they returned to the mansion, it was already quite late.
Without even eating dinner, Yun Zheng insisted on visiting the stables first.
"General Yuan Cong and the others' horses really do look a bit nicer."
Yun Zheng stroked his chin and muttered to himself.
Hearing this, Gao He's heart twitched violently.
*Just* a bit nicer?
Their endurance and explosive power were simply incomparable to ordinary horses!
After pondering for a moment, Yun Zheng said to Gao He, "These two horses are rewards for you and Zhou Mi."
"Your Highness, this cannot be! It's far too precious!" Gao He said in awed panic.
"Precious?"
Yun Zheng feigned ignorance. "How precious can a horse possibly be?"
"These are no ordinary horses!" Gao He shook his head. "In this subordinate's view, both of these are top-tier warhorses worth a hundred pieces of gold!"
"So precious?"
Yun Zheng looked utterly appalled.
One tael of gold was equivalent to a hundred taels of silver.
Didn't that mean he had directly scammed those two fellows out of twenty thousand taels of silver?
He had known the horses belonging to Yuan Cong and his son wouldn't be cheap, but he hadn't expected them to be this valuable.
Did he just trade a Santana for a Ferrari?
"They are indeed very precious!"
Gao He nodded. "Furthermore, they are priceless items with no market price!"
"Well, that's fine then!"
Yun Zheng thought it over and waved a hand. "My horsemanship is poor anyway, and I have no use for such fine horses. Consider them rewards for you two!"
Gao He tried to decline further, but Yun Zheng said firmly, "That settles it!"
Unable to refuse, Gao He had no choice but to accept the reward, the look he gave Yun Zheng now tinged with a hint of gratitude and respect.
Yun Zheng smiled casually, while silently shouting inwardly: *I made a huge investment here!*
*You two bastards better not turn out to be double-agents!*
*Otherwise, no matter the ends of the earth, I will hunt you down and kill you!*
***
Chapter 11: I Want to Rebel
Two days later, the Sixth Prince's new residence held its housewarming, inviting officials as customary.
However, while the area outside the Sixth Prince's Mansion was lively—with officials constantly dispatching servants or juniors to deliver gifts, though they left the gifts and departed without even stepping through the doors—the interior of the mansion appeared desolate.
Yun Zheng sat alone in the back courtyard, pondering his next steps. With today's haul of gifts, he should have enough funds.
Next, he needed to recruit some of his own people!
Yet he couldn't let anyone see his ambition, meaning he couldn't openly recruit retainers and knights-errant. That posed a bit of a headache.
"Reporting to Your Highness, Miss Shen is here."
At that moment, a maid came to report.
"Show her in."
Yun Zheng waved his hand with a feigned look of dejection, though a quiet doubt stirred in his heart.
What is Shen Luoyan here for?
Could she be here to watch him make a fool of himself?
Or has she thought things over, realizing that today, anyone else could skip it, but she had to come?
Once Shen Luoyan entered, Yun Zheng dismissed the maid.
"Weren't you hosting a grand banquet for all the officials? Why isn't even a single banquet table set?"
Without offering a bow, Shen Luoyan began mocking Yun Zheng the moment she stepped inside.
Yun Zheng shrugged indifferently. "Since nobody is coming anyway, setting up a banquet would just be a waste, wouldn't it?"
*Feigning ease!*
Shen Luoyan gave a cold internal snort and said calmly, "You're a bit tougher than I imagined. I actually thought you'd be hiding away somewhere crying your eyes out."
*I'll cry on your older and second sisters-in-law's graves!*
Annoyed, Yun Zheng asked with keen interest, "Then tell me, did you hide away and cry on the night our marriage was decreed?"
"You..."
Shen Luoyan's expression shifted, and she abruptly clenched her fists as she stepped forward.
"What about me? Planning to hit me again?"
Yun Zheng stared at Shen Luoyan with cold eyes. "For a general's daughter, you really don't understand the principle of 'follow the chicken if you marry a chicken, follow the dog if you marry a dog'?"
Hearing this, Shen Luoyan grew even more furious.
For a split second, Shen Luoyan truly wanted to smash her fist down.
Considering the consequences of doing so, however, she ultimately held back.
"You don't need to remind me!"
Suppressing her urge to beat him, Shen Luoyan said frostily, "I'm warning you, I can marry you, but if you dare lay a hand on me, I'll make sure you turn into a eunuch!"
"Alright."
Yun Zheng looked at Shen Luoyan speechlessly. "Would you die if you stopped putting on false bravado?"
Shen Luoyan raised an eyebrow and sneered, "You think I'm just scaring you?"
"Come over and sit down. Let's talk properly."
Yun Zheng beckoned to her lightly, patting the space beside him.
With a cold huff, Shen Luoyan walked over.
The instant she closed the distance, Yun Zheng suddenly lashed out, slapping her backside.
With lightning-fast reflexes, Shen Luoyan grabbed Yun Zheng's hand, her face frosted with fury as she barked, "Are you tired of living?!"
*Holy crap?*
Yun Zheng looked at Shen Luoyan in astonishment.
This chick's reflexes are this fast?
"Can you do martial arts too?"
Disregarding the murderous glare Shen Luoyan was giving him, Yun Zheng asked with lively curiosity.
"I asked if you're tired of living?!"
Flames danced in Shen Luoyan's eyes, her face fierce.
"Alright."
Yun Zheng shook his head with a smile. "I'll spot you the courage—do you dare kill me? Forget killing me, you don't even dare twist my arm off!"
*This chick!*
So reckless!
Always shouting about beating and killing people, but would she actually dare?
If she dared, she wouldn't have accepted the imperial decree with tears in her eyes.
"Is that so?"
Shen Luoyan sneered, immediately beginning to wrench Yun Zheng's arm back.
A jolt of pain shot through Yun Zheng, but he clenched his teeth, letting out not a single sound as his gaze locked onto Shen Luoyan.
*This good-for-nothing didn't even cry out?*
Slightly surprised, Shen Luoyan increased her force.
Yun Zheng still made no sound, simply staring at her.
Unbeknownst to herself, Shen Luoyan found her gaze meeting his, and a shiver ran down her spine.
In the end, Shen Luoyan didn't dare do anything to Yun Zheng. Resentfully, she released his arm.
Yun Zheng gently rotated his arm and asked again, "Looks like your martial arts are quite good!"
"Enough to deal with you!"
Shen Luoyan snorted, not forgetting to issue a chilling warning: "If you ever try to touch me again, I'll snap your arm right off!"
Yun Zheng chuckled. "Spare me the threats! Aren't you tired?"
"I..."
Shen Luoyan choked slightly.
She was clearly boiling with rage, yet unable to do anything to Yun Zheng, she could only sit there and seethe.
Yun Zheng glanced at her with an amused smile. "Did you come here of your own accord, or did someone send you?"
Shen Luoyan sneered, "If my mother and the others weren't feeling unwell, I wouldn't have come!"
She truly didn't want to come, but she had no choice.
Just as her second sister-in-law Ye Zi had said, this place would soon be her home too!
Even if it was just going through the motions, she had to show up!
Watching her unwilling expression, Yun Zheng couldn't help but shake his head with a smile. "If you don't want to look at me, go somewhere else! Or you can go back home, too."
Hearing this, Shen Luoyan immediately stood up.
However, she didn't actually move her feet.
A moment later, she sat back down and looked Yun Zheng up and down.
"What are you doing?"
Yun Zheng asked, bewildered.
Shen Luoyan locked eyes with him. "My second sister-in-law said you're a sneaky bastard who causes trouble behind the scenes! The other day, you deliberately fell off your horse to frame Yuan Gui, didn't you?"
*Hmm?*
*Ye Zi actually figured it out?*
*This woman is no simple character!*
A thought stirred in Yun Zheng's mind. With a straight face, he replied, "I wouldn't call it sneaky. I'd call it sixth-prince behavior!"
He was ranked sixth, after all!
Naturally, he had to do things a sixth prince should do.
"Sixth-prince behavior? What kind of nonsense is that?"
Giving him a puzzled look, Shen Luoyan pressed on, "So you're admitting you deliberately fell off your horse to frame Yuan Gui?"
"Yep!" Yun Zheng admitted readily.
"You..."
Shen Luoyan was taken aback. "Aren't you afraid I'll tell the Yuan family?"
"What's there to be afraid of?"
Yun Zheng smiled lightly, glanced around, and lowered his voice. "I can even tell you this: the only reason I hosted this banquet of officials today was to use the opportunity to gather wealth so I can head up to Shuobei and raise an army in rebellion!"
*R... rebellion?!*
Shen Luoyan's eyes widened abruptly as she stared blankly at Yun Zheng.
***
Shen Luoyan didn't even stay for lunch at Yun Zheng's place before hurrying back home.
After recounting everything Yun Zheng had said to Ye Zi, Shen Luoyan added excitedly, "I need to rush into the palace right now and tell His Majesty this news! As long as His Majesty executes Yun Zheng, I won't have to marry him!"
"Right, go on then—hurry!"
Ye Zi nodded gently. "And by the way, go prepare coffins for our entire family!"
"Ah?"
Stunned, Shen Luoyan looked at Ye Zi and frowned. "I haven't married him yet. Our family shouldn't be implicated, right?"
"Are you an idiot?"
Ye Zi was amused to the point of laughter. "Do you think His Majesty would believe your words? His Majesty would only think that because you don't want to marry the Sixth Prince, you're deliberately framing him for treason! Tell me, in his towering rage, do you think His Majesty would order our entire clan executed?"
"No... this..."
Shen Luoyan choked slightly. "This is what Yun Zheng said himself!"
"And then?"
Ye Zi rolled her eyes at her. "His Majesty would ask you: what does Yun Zheng plan to use to rebel? Does he think he can rebel with the three thousand troops under General Hulie? He moved into a new residence and not a single civil or military official came to congratulate him—does he have any faction backing him in this rebellion?"
She understood that by daring to voice it aloud, Yun Zheng was wagering on the certainty that nobody would believe he intended to rebel.
Shen Luoyan froze, temporarily at a loss for how to reply.
Indeed!
What did Yun Zheng have to rebel with?
If anyone who led three thousand soldiers could just up and rebel, the Da Qian Dynasty would have fallen into chaos long ago!
As for forming a faction for treason, that was even less likely!
Yet those were truly words spoken right out of Yun Zheng's own mouth!
How could saying such a thing result in nobody believing it?
"Alright, drop the crooked thoughts. You should be happy instead!"
Ye Zi pulled Shen Luoyan down to sit beside her. "This husband of yours is nowhere near as useless as people say! In my view, he's just biding his time and keeping a low profile!"
While counseling Shen Luoyan, Ye Zi privately resolved to find an opportunity to converse with this unfathomable Sixth Prince...
***
Chapter 12: The Beihuan Delegation Arrives
The housewarming banquet where not a single soul showed up left Yun Zheng rolling in wealth.
Although Emperor Wen had not attended personally due to state affairs, he had dispatched people to deliver gifts.
Since Emperor Wen sent gifts, those princes and princesses naturally could not fail to do the same.
In addition, many people to whom Yun Zheng hadn't even sent invitations had sent gifts over.
Roughly speaking, the gifts alone were worth a hundred thousand taels of silver.
The headache now was how to convert all this loot into liquid assets.
Receiving gifts one day and selling them the next day—word getting out would look rather poor, wouldn't it?
Yun Zheng pondered until midnight without coming up with a reasonable excuse to liquidate the items, so he simply gave up thinking about it.
After all, he'd be receiving another wave of gifts during the grand wedding anyway.
He could figure out how to cash them out together then!
Deep in the night, within the imperial palace.
"What's the situation over at Old Liu's place?"
Emperor Wen dismissed his attendants and summoned the Shadow Guard alone to inquire.
The Shadow Guard replied, "The civil and military officials basically all sent gifts over. However, aside from the Princess Consort Sixth, no one came in person to offer congratulations."
"How did Old Liu react?"
Emperor Wen asked again.
The Shadow Guard said, "According to people in the mansion, His Sixth Highness didn't seem to be in a very good mood. He skipped lunch and sat alone in the back courtyard for a long time."
"Sigh..."
Hearing this, Emperor Wen couldn't help letting out a sigh.
*Child, why torture yourself?*
Knowing full well that no one would show up in person, he still sent out so many invitations.
Granted, he fulfilled his duty of courtesy.
In the end, wasn't he the only one who suffered?
The Shadow Guard paused slightly, then added, "Your Majesty, there is one more matter."
"Speak!"
"The day before yesterday, His Sixth Highness visited the Shen Residence and happened to run into Yuan Gui, riding commandant of the Left Tunwei. Sixth Highness wished to learn horsemanship from Yuan Gui, but was knocked off his horse by him, and Yuan Gui laughed out loud on the spot..."
"Yuan Gui? Yuan Cong's son?"
"Yes!"