Old Master Tang looked slowly toward Tang Yuxiang.
"Grandpa, I..." Tang Yuxiang stamred. Even Wang Ming himself was completely baffled, so how could he possibly explain what happened?
"Didn't Young Master Wang go to great lengths to publicize that he was going to propose to Xuewu?" one family mber chid in. "The major dia outlets were all over it, making sure everyone knew he was going to propose at the fiftieth-anniversary celebration."
"So after all that, it wasn't even him who proposed to Xuewu?" another scoffed.
"Is that spoiled rich brat just trying to make fools of us?"
Angered, Old Master Tang slamd his hand on the table and began coughing continuously.
"Grandpa, please don't be angry. There must be... so conspiracy in all this," Tang Yuxiang said, stroking his chin as he tried to smooth things over.
"A conspiracy?" Old Master Tang retorted, glaring at Tang Yuxiang with disdain. "We were all there. What kind of conspiracy could there be?"
"Grandpa, maybe there really is a conspiracy," Tang Chuchu said with a contemptuous sneer, her hands on her hips. "While it wasn't Young Master Wang who proposed to Tang Xuewu, there's no way it could have been Qin Long. I'd sooner believe the sun rises in the west."
"What do you an by that?" Old Master Tang's brow furrowed as he turned to stare at Tang Chuchu.
"Grandpa, just think about it. Booking the entire Longquan Hotel and its Sky Garden costs over ten million, doesn't it?" Tang Chuchu continued, her tone deeply mocking. "Where would Qin Long get that kind of money? If he was so capable, he wouldn't be freeloading off the Tang Family."
Hearing this, many of the surrounding family mbers nodded in agreent. They simply couldn't believe Qin Long could produce over ten million to book the Longquan Hotel.
"I get it! Could this all be an act put on by Xuewu and Qin Long?" soone exclaid.
"That makes sense! Otherwise, where is the man who proposed now?" another added.
Hearing this, Old Master Tang regarded Tang Chuchu with great suspicion.
"Grandpa, there must be so ulterior motive at play here," Tang Chuchu suggested. "We should reach out to Young Master Wang Ming first."
Her proposal was instantly t with widespread approval.
Regardless, they had to get to the bottom of this situation quickly. If Qin Long was truly so formidable that he even surpassed the Wang Family, then they would have no objections to Tang Xuewu marrying him. To be blunt, all they cared about was whether it would benefit them.
「On the other side, inside the Wang Family's garden in Jiangzhong.」
Wang Ming and Wang Xiuhe sat with grim expressions on their faces.
After returning earlier today, Wang Xiuhe had personally visited several first-rate families to offer her apologies. She had since co back to the Wang Family estate, her face etched with exhaustion.
"You little brat, are you trying to be the death of ?" Wang Xiuhe furiously berated Wang Ming.
"Mom, I'm completely lost," Wang Ming said, just as bewildered. He had no idea what had just transpired.
"You idiot! How could you get tricked by soone when you were just booking a hotel?" Wang Xiuhe shouted, her face flushed with anger as she pointed a finger at her son's nose. "Won't you be satisfied until you've thoroughly disgraced the Wang Family? What are you good for besides chasing won all day?"
Just then, Wang Ming received a text ssage. He glanced down at his phone, his eyes widening. "Mom, Tang Yuxiang just said that the one who proposed to Tang Xuewu today was very likely Qin Long..."
Hearing this, Wang Xiuhe's elegant eyebrows shot up. "Qin Long? That cripple with the cane?" she questioned, her face filled with doubt.
"Yes! That very sa cripple!" At the re ntion of Qin Long's na, Wang Ming gritted his teeth, his heart seething with rage. He could tolerate being cuckolded by another wealthy young master, but to be cuckolded by Qin Long... he would rather die.
"You're certain...?" Wang Xiuhe's expression instantly turned grim.
"Yes. Tang Yuxiang would never dare lie to about this," Wang Ming said through clenched teeth, nodding forcefully.
"Hold on, let think this through," Wang Xiuhe said, stroking her chin. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she fell deep into thought.
"Haha! I've got it!" Wang Xiuhe clapped her hands, a vicious smile curling her lips.
「The night passed quietly.」
「Within a siheyuan in Yanjing.」
Four elderly n dressed in traditional Tang suits sat together, each exuding a commanding presence.
"The situation in the Southern Region is dire. The overseas Barbarians will undoubtedly return in force."
"The Grand Xia Nation is a land of abundant talent and virtue. With five thousand years of culture and over a billion people, we will surely find a suitable candidate."
"It's not that simple. Soldiers are easy to find, but a brilliant commander is a rarity."
"As of now, there is no commander in Grand Xia capable of undertaking this monuntal task," an old man smoking a long-stemd pipe said, gazing into the distance with a worried expression.
"The Barbarians of the south are exceptionally fierce. They have already broken through several layers of our defenses," another elder in a Tang suit added, his face etched with concern. "If they break through three more tis, their cavalry will be trampling the very soil of the Grand Xia Nation. If it cos to that..."
"Then you and I will be traitors to Grand Xia for all eternity."
The living room fell into a deathly silence.
"Think back to when the Heavenly Dragon, Qin Long, was stationed in the Southern Region," the pipe-smoking elder said, his voice tinged with regret as he slamd his hand on the table. "He alone led the million soldiers of the Heavenly Dragon Army in a bloody battle that lasted seven days and seven nights, reclaiming thousands of miles of our lands. The Barbarians of the Southern Region and all the surrounding smaller nations were so terrified by his reputation that they would drop their weapons and flee. What a pity that a hero like Qin Long is gone... otherwise, who would dare invade our Grand Xia?"
The other three elders were startled by his outburst. His voice was so thick with regret it sounded as if he was on the verge of tears. For this elder, a man of such imnse status and prestige in the Grand Xia Nation, to be so moved for Qin Long's sake, showed just how highly he regarded him.
"Old Hu, you must take care of your health," one of the other elders urged, trying to comfort him.
"I hate that such a brilliant talent died so young," Old Hu lanted, setting down his pipe and sighing. "I hate that we could not keep such a masterful commander for the sake of Grand Xia."
"Back then, under his leadership, the Barbarians of the Southern Region dared not make a move, and even the great families of the Northern Region remained humble and knew their place," another elder, fiddling with a string of prayer beads, spoke up with a resigned sigh. "That man alone was worth a thousand armies, securing peace and prosperity for Grand Xia. The Emperor of Grand Xia himself once said that Qin Long could guarantee at least fifty years of peace for the nation. I thought it was an exaggeration." He, too, had believed it was an exaggeration, right up until the news ca of Qin Long's death on the battlefield.
Afterward, with the fervent support of nurous influential court officials, Qiu Hu was promoted to the position of acting Dragon Commander, taking control of the million-strong Heavenly Dragon Army. However, Qiu Hu's character was questionable. He was notorious for instigating internal conflict, and his skills as a military commander were diocre at best. The vast territories that Qin Long had reclaid were subsequently lost, reoccupied by the Barbarians of the Southern Region and the surrounding nations. Now, the Southern Region is on the verge of collapse at any mont.
If the Heavenly Dragon Army is defeated again, the Barbarians will undoubtedly ally with the great families of the Northern Region and march straight for the heartland of Grand Xia. When that ti cos, the people of Grand Xia will face utter devastation. Under a toppled nest, no egg remains intact; the common people will be the first to suffer.
"Qiu Hu is simply no match for Qin Long. Qin Long was a man of unyielding integrity. He started fighting on the battlefield alongside the previous Dragon Commander, Xiao Jiu, when he was only eight years old. He was calm, low-key, and ticulous, a master of both military strategy and psychology. Qiu Hu, on the other hand, is a master of flattery, but in actual combat command, he's a world away from Qin Long. These past three years under Qiu Hu have been nothing but a series of defeats, rampant infighting, and suffocating bureaucracy. He bears the greatest responsibility for this decline."
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