Chapter 146: Zhanliu Manor |
The moment those words landed, Hu Rui'an froze briefly, and when he came back to himself, he could not help the flush that crept across his aged face. He quickly cleared his throat and said, "Your Highness is joking. A man of my years, how could I possibly bring myself to enter a martial arts competition for a bride?"
"And even if, for the sake of argument, I did have some wish to take a wife, I would absolutely never become that Shen Liancheng's son-in-law."
Hearing this, Li Musheng gave a nod, feeling it was for the best that the man had no such intentions.
Otherwise, at his age and with his appearance, if he were going to go after someone so much younger than himself, Li Musheng would have been too embarrassed to share a table with him at the feast, let alone acknowledge knowing him.
At this point, Hu Rui'an's expression shifted slightly, and he said, "If Your Highness is interested, you could always try your hand on the competition platform."
"Rumor has it that the Third Young Miss of Zhanliu Manor made a name for herself throughout the martial world of Great Li before even reaching twenty. She is said to be not only strikingly beautiful, but a remarkable young woman of both scholarly and martial accomplishment, and there is no shortage of outstanding young men from the martial world seeking her hand."
Li Musheng raised an eyebrow and gave him a look, then said with a meaningful tone, "Does Commissioner Hu really think I would go up on a platform and compete in a martial arts contest for a bride?"
Hearing this, Hu Rui'an paused briefly, then furrowed his brow slightly and shook his head.
He had assumed Li Musheng simply looked down on a martial world woman like the Third Young Miss of Zhanliu Manor, given his standing as a Great Li prince.
At this point, Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong, each now riding one of the two good horses they had borrowed from the black-robed man's group, caught up with the carriage and reported, "Commissioner, we asked around. Those men are all subordinates of the Sheng Province General, and they came to Zhanliu Manor for this very competition. However, they are only here to accompany the General's second son. While they claimed the decision to block the crossing was their own initiative, we suspect the second son was the one directing them from behind."
Hearing this, Hu Rui'an waved a hand, glanced at the Zhanliu Manor steward leading them ahead, and said mildly, "This is Zhanliu Manor's territory. They would have no way of not knowing about it. The fact that they ignored the whole matter means it was deliberate on their part, quietly helping to screen candidates for the Third Young Miss's future husband."
As he spoke, his expression took on a thoughtful look, and he said, "The Sheng Province General and the Sheng Province Governor are essentially in the same camp. If an opportunity presents itself, perhaps we could find an opening through the General's second son. That might even become a breakthrough for handling the business in Sheng Province."
These words were naturally directed at Li Musheng on purpose, every bit of them conveying the implication that his decision to accept the steward's invitation to Zhanliu Manor was in truth a move made with serious underlying purpose.
Yet Li Musheng did not engage with any of it, appearing to have little interest in the matter.
Hu Rui'an had no choice but to set the topic aside and say nothing further.
About one incense stick's worth of time later, the Zhanliu Manor steward led the group to the foot of an enormous estate.
The manor gates stood three zhang tall, a deep, dark iron-black throughout. The door studs were cast in fine iron in the form of Bi'an beast heads, their fangs clasping bronze rings, and above the gate the four characters for "Zhanliu Manor" had been carved and inlaid in flowing gilt script.
Before the gates stood two great bronze lions, each roughly one zhang in height, with bright pearls set as their eyes and their paws resting on black jade pedestals. They exuded an air of imposing majesty.
Looking out across the grounds, the entire estate of Zhanliu Manor was vast beyond measure, far exceeding the size of a prosperous small town.
When Li Musheng and his group arrived, only the occasional lavish carriage or martial world practitioner on a fine horse was making its way inside the manor gates. The scene looked far from lively, and struck them as rather quiet.
This was perfectly understandable, however, since the black-robed men had destroyed the bridge over the Julu River and blocked the crossing as well, meaning that martial world practitioners who lacked the ability to cross simply could not get through.
The manor steward led the old man in hemp and Li Musheng's group into the estate, then gave a few instructions to some servants, having them take charge of the horses and arrange rooms and courtyards for the guests.
He then led Li Musheng and the others further into Zhanliu Manor.
Before long, the sound of cheers and exclamations drifted from up ahead. The manor steward led the group through a covered walkway, and the view suddenly opened up wide before them.
Nestled among thick, verdant trees was a large lake, its surface glittering with shifting light, and rising above the water were more than ten lakeside pavilions alongside an enormous stone platform.
The platform was ten zhang in every direction, built from blue-gray basalt, positioned at the center of the surrounding pavilions, and supported by nine thick bronze pillars sunk into the lakebed below.
The lakeside pavilions were furnished with tables and banquet settings, and a number of martial world practitioners sat gathered around the tables, their eyes fixed on the stone platform at the center.
At this moment, two young men each wielding a sword were engaged in a fierce duel on the platform. Sword light and blade shadows flew in every direction, and the violent residual force of their martial True Qi sent the lake surface churning and rippling in endless waves.
The two young men on the platform were competitors in the martial arts contest, while those seated in the lakeside pavilions were martial world experts who had come from all corners of the martial world.
Their cultivations were by no means low, yet when something impressive was displayed, they held back neither their praise nor their spirited cheers.
The manor steward led Li Musheng and the others to one of the lakeside pavilions and courteously arranged for them to be seated at a banquet table, saying, "Please help yourselves to some food and drink. I will go and inform the Manor Master at once."
With that, he bowed in farewell and took his leave.
The pavilion held two banquet tables. One was already occupied by nine people. The other had only two seated at it, with seven places still empty.
Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong quickly moved stools over for Li Musheng and Hu Rui'an and helped them to their seats.
On the other side, the little girl in pink had already scurried eagerly to the table and was staring at the array of delicious food with her eyes shining.
The old man in hemp walked up beside her, reached out and pulled off a roasted chicken leg, and handed it over. The little girl licked her lips, took it, and began chomping away happily with great bites.
The two young people, a man and a woman, already seated at the table furrowed their brows slightly, and both glanced over at the old man in hemp, but neither said a word.
Anyone brought as a guest to Zhanliu Manor was absolutely not a figure to be taken lightly, and besides, the senior members of their respective sects had warned them before they set out that old men of this sort were best left well alone, as there was no telling whether one might be some long-lived martial eccentric.
Murong Xiaoya found a seat beside Li Musheng. She seemed not particularly hungry, and swept a glance over the dishes on the table without much interest, before her gaze settled on the little girl beside her.
Seeing the child eating the chicken leg with grease all around her mouth, looking utterly adorable and well-mannered, Murong Xiaoya promptly took out a handkerchief from inside her robe and gently wiped the corners of the girl's mouth.
"Th... thank you, Sister," the little girl in pink said very politely, though her cheeks were stuffed full and she was chewing away without pause.
A faint blush rose in Murong Xiaoya's cheeks, and she looked a little flustered.
Hu Rui'an called Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong to sit down at the table with them. Cao Gaoshan had gone off with the manor servants to see to the carriage and was not present.