thefictionvixens Chapter 1188 - 1177: Wealthy Merchant
Chapter 1188 - 1177: Wealthy Merchant
"Many thanks to General Zhao for your righteous help. Please, move to the residence and have your wounds treated!" Ye Qiu walked up with a beaming smile.
Zhao Xiong, under Prince Linsan, was now gravely wounded; his entire left shoulder was almost sliced off. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Ye Qiu, as if he might explode into violence at any moment.
"What on earth did you use?" Now that the sword had tasted blood and every opponent lay dead, he gradually calmed down and pressed the question.
"Just a little trick some country doctor stumbled upon. I’m sure General would look down on it. General, please go in first." Ye Qiu’s manner remained deferential, but his back was ramrod straight; there was not the slightest trace of fear, flattery, or ingratiation on his face.
The doubt in Zhao Xiong’s heart only deepened. He had wanted to ask directly, but a glance showed that his own men had suffered heavy losses. He spoke cautiously, "I am stained with blood today. It would not be proper to enter your gates. I will come another day to discuss great matters with Family Head Ye."
"This..." Ye Qiu hesitated for a long moment. "Since General Zhao insists on being so polite, I won’t press you to stay. Why doesn’t General take a few of the residence’s physicians with you?"
"No need. I brought army medics." Zhao Xiong’s face grew even paler from blood loss. "Family Head Ye need not see me out. I’ll return in a couple of days."
"Take care, General Zhao."
Watching Zhao Xiong’s departing back, Ye Qiu’s gaze grew darker and darker. Now Prince Donghe’s troops were wiped out, and Prince Linsan’s men were all battered remnants, nothing to fear. Even if the two Princes, upon hearing the news, sent reinforcements, it would take at least a month for them to arrive.
And the men of the two Princes were bound to clash again. A month’s time was enough for him to do a great many things.
"Brother, I heard the men sent by Prince Linsan won. Why didn’t I see them enter the residence?" Ye Lu rushed over in a hurry and asked.
"Oh, General Zhao was wounded. He seems not to trust us and has already left with his men." Ye Qiu spoke as if it were of no consequence.
Ye Lu was irritated by his attitude and silently cursed Ye Qiu for lacking foresight. The Ye Family would have to attach itself to Prince Linsan sooner or later. What good did it do to clash with one of Prince Linsan’s top generals now?
Did her elder brother have any idea what he was doing? Her future investiture as Empress, and her son’s future position as Crown Prince, all required support. Now was the best time to build good relations. Why couldn’t her brother make more of an effort to keep him?
"Which way did they go? I’ll send two doctors over to take a look, and send some food and supplies along the way." Ye Lu began arranging things aloud to herself, not noticing Ye Qiu’s darkening face at all.
"Third Sister, he’s just a minor General. We haven’t even formed an alliance with that side. There’s no need to rush over and let them look down on us." Ye Qiu said in a low, grave tone.
Hearing his tone, Ye Lu felt a jolt inside, but once she thought it through, her heart filled with disdain again. What did this cheap elder brother understand? Zhao Xiong commanded tens of thousands of troops under Prince Linsan. The very fact that he had been sent this time meant he was giving the Ye Family face. Of course she had to treat him well.
But she couldn’t explain the whole story to her brother, so she rolled her eyes and said, "Elder Brother, he was sent by Prince Linsan, after all. Our family will have to attach itself to Prince Linsan sooner or later, and I will marry over there sooner or later. Why not take this chance to build good relations with him? Once we go over in the future, we’ll have someone to rely on."
Ye Qiu frowned at her. "When did I ever agree to attach ourselves to Prince Linsan?"
Ye Lu’s eyes widened. "Elder Brother, do you even know what you’re saying? Didn’t we already agree on this before?"
Ye Qiu cast her a sidelong glance. "I only said I’d consider it. Our Ye Family has a vast business; there’s no need to live under another’s heel."
"But can’t you see what kind of times we’re living in? If we don’t attach ourselves to Prince Linsan, sooner or later we’ll be swallowed by someone else." Ye Lu said, her face darkening.
Ye Qiu’s eyes turned sharp. "I have the ability to ensure the safety of our whole Ye Family branch."
"Elder Brother, you’re really confident." Ye Lu sneered. "Ability? Aside from money, what else do we have? Our family right now is a piece of fat meat everyone wants a bite of. Don’t ruin the entire clan over your momentary temper."
"This isn’t a momentary temper. I already have a foolproof plan."
Ye Lu didn’t even feel like answering. She was a transmigrant who had read the book; how could she not know how the future would unfold? Prince Linsan would ascend the throne as emperor; and was the Ye Family’s name ever mentioned in the book? Most likely they had already been carved up by the various factions at the very start of the war thanks to this cheap elder brother’s stubbornness.
If this cheap elder brother wanted to die, she had no intention of going along with him!
"You say such things without worrying you’ll bite your own tongue. What will you use to fight them? A single army of theirs could crush us without even trying. The men of Prince Donghe died here today—aren’t you afraid of retaliation?" Ye Lu spoke bluntly. Relying on her knowledge of the future, she showed not the slightest respect for Ye Qiu as Family Head.
"Third Sister, is that how you speak to your elder brother? The reason Prince Donghe’s men died here today is because their greed knew no bounds, and because Prince Linsan and he had old grudges. What does that have to do with our Ye Family? I am the Family Head. What I say goes. Third Sister, hurry and apologize to your brother." Before Ye Qiu could get angry, Ye Cheng flared up first. In the past few days, some of the orders Ye Qiu had issued and the things he had produced had long since convinced Ye Cheng, so he couldn’t stand seeing Ye Lu so disrespectful.
But hearing his words, Ye Lu not only felt no guilt, she even thought this cheap second brother Ye Cheng had been spoiled useless as well, without a shred of his own judgment.
"Elder Brother, if you won’t deal with General Zhao, I will." She stormed off, lifting her foot to head out the gate.
"Stop the Third Miss." Ye Qiu ordered coldly. "From now on, without my instructions, Third Miss is not to leave the residence at will."
"You wouldn’t dare!" Ye Lu whipped around. "I am the Third Miss of this family. I have my own human rights. You have no right to imprison me."
But Ye Qiu met her gaze head-on and said, "Before Father died, he entrusted this family to me. That gives me the right to discipline you. Third Sister, the affairs of our entire Ye Family clan are not for an unmarried young lady to decide."
Ye Lu gnashed her teeth. She hated this feudal society to death—women had no human rights at all. She swore that once she became Empress in the future, she would do everything in her power to raise women’s status.
"Elder Brother, you’ll regret this. Without Prince Linsan’s support, you’ll die sooner or later at the hands of those who want to swallow up the Ye Family." Ye Lu was still spitting venomous words as she turned to leave.
"My affairs are not for you to decide. You just stay home and keep Mother company." Ye Qiu no longer argued with her and left directly with Ye Cheng.
Watching his departing back, Ye Lu ground her teeth, a plan taking shape in her heart. She felt this cheap elder brother was beyond saving, but she would not be foolish enough to follow him to his death. She was determined to secure an alliance between the Ye Family and Prince Linsan, determined to marry Prince Linsan, determined to become Empress and savor the feeling of ten thousand people bowing at her feet!