Having not seen him for several months, Bai Daqing appeared to be full of vigor, exuding an air of nobility all over. It seed that Bai Daqing had been living quite comfortably lately.
"City Lord Bai, I heard from my subordinates that you have inford His Majesty the Human Emperor about the assassination attempt on ?" Gao Fei inquired.
"Yes," Bai Daqing nodded.
"What did His Majesty the Human Emperor say?" Gao Fei asked eagerly.
"Don't worry," Bai Daqing smiled, "His Majesty the Human Emperor won't sit idly by and watch you be bullied."
"He..."
"You might not be aware, but just so days ago, His Majesty the Human Emperor had a new son."
"Oh?"
"One of the concubines gave birth to him, and they have already chosen a na for him, Dugu Guangming, which implies a bright future. In just a few days, he will be a hundred days old, and at that ti, His Majesty the Human Emperor will prepare a feast to entertain guests from all walks of life." At this point, Bai Daqing paused, "Then, representatives from various Sects and great families will attend to offer their congratulations."
"His Majesty the Human Emperor had a son, and I knew nothing about it, I really shouldn't have overlooked this."
"At the banquet, His Majesty the Human Emperor will take the opportunity to give a warning to the representatives of the various Sects and great families, to make them hold back, and dare not make a move against you again."
"Just a warning?"
"What else do you expect?"
"At the very least, make the various Sects and great families suffer a bit, only then will they restrain themselves."
"Suffer a bit?" Bai Daqing curled his lip, "I consider you one of our own, so I'll speak plainly... Though His Majesty the Human Emperor is the ruler of the Human Territory, he can't do whatever he pleases. Take a simple example, His Majesty the Human Emperor clearly knows that the bandits are supported by the various Sects and great families, yet he pretends not to know and has never troubled them over this issue. Do you know why?"
Gao Fei blinked, "Because the Sects and great families are powerful, and His Majesty the Human Emperor is wary of them?"
"You're only partly right," Bai Daqing picked up his teacup, blew on the steaming liquid, and then leisurely took a sip. "If there were only individual Sects or families, no matter how strong, His Majesty the Human Emperor wouldn't care about them. He could easily crush them with a flick of his hand. Many years ago, the various Sects and great families secretly ford an alliance, and the significance of their alliance was to contend with His Majesty the Human Emperor."
Gao Fei sat up straight, listening intently.
"A single chopstick can be easily snapped, but a bundle of chopsticks is much harder to break," Bai Daqing continued, "I have to admit that after forming an alliance, the Sects and great families have put a lot of pressure on His Majesty the Human Emperor. To maintain a stable situation, His Majesty the Human Emperor has had no choice but to make temporary concessions—listen carefully, temporary concessions. There will co a day when His Majesty the Human Emperor will settle accounts with them." With that, Bai Daqing added, "I understand His Majesty the Human Emperor, he's not soone who is willing to suffer losses."
"I understand," Gao Fei was no fool, and upon hearing a few words, he grasped the implication of Bai Daqing's words, "You an... His Majesty the Human Emperor has reservations, and for the ti being, can't afford to completely fall out with the various Sects and great families? Is that so?"
"You catch on quickly," Bai Daqing praised, "That's exactly it."
After pondering for a mont, Gao Fei then asked, "Suppose... I an just suppose... if His Majesty the Human Emperor and the various Sects and great families were to fall out now, and a conflict ensued, who would be the victor in the end?"
Bai Daqing frowned, "Why do you ask that?"
"I'm just curious, just asking..."
"Definitely His Majesty the Human Emperor would win! There's no doubt about that! But..."
"But what?"
"But it would co at a certain cost, and it's possible that the Human Territory would descend into great chaos."
"Oh."
"Gao Fei, listen to my advice, for the ti being, just be patient. I can assure you, sooner or later, I will seek justice for you."
"...I can be tolerant, but I'm afraid those sects and noble families won't be."
"That won't happen! With the Emperor stepping in to reprimand them, they wouldn't dare to trouble you further," Bai Daqing said confidently, waving his hand.
"What if they don't take the Emperor seriously?" Gao Fei said gravely. "What if they continue to attempt to assassinate ?"
"That's impossible..."
"I'm just hypothesizing..."
"Alright, if your hypothesis cos true, and those sects and noble families refuse to let you be... The Emperor surely won't turn a blind eye. He will intervene and discipline those sects and noble families. In a word, the Emperor will guarantee your safety."
"I'm still a little uneasy. Is it possible... to assign a few experts to protect ? Preferably experts at the Transcendance Tribulation Stage."
"What are you thinking?" Bai Daqing curled his lip. "You're just a minor commander. Even if you've earned so military rits, you don't qualify for the protection of Transcendance Tribulation Stage experts, and the Emperor wouldn't agree to it either."
"..." Gao Fei closed his mouth.
"If you really feel uneasy, you can stay at my place for a few more days," Bai Daqing suggested, patting Gao Fei's shoulder. "It would be a good opportunity to keep my daughter company."
"Your daughter?"
"Yes, she's been ntioning you quite a bit lately. It's clear she's taken quite a liking to you."
"I..."
"Dad!"
Speaking of Cao Cao, Cao Cao appears. A woman clad in pink clothing ran in, her features delicate and elegant deanor unmatched—it was Bai Daqing's cherished daughter, Bai Mudan.
"Mudan, you've co at the perfect ti. Haven't you been clamoring to see Gao Fei? Well, here he is. Have a good chat with him," Bai Daqing said with a smile, his eyes filled with affection. "Gao Fei, if you're not too busy, why not take Mudan out for so fun?" After saying this, Bai Daqing added, "The weather is nice today, perfect for an outing."
Bai Mudan glanced back at Gao Fei and said with a beaming smile, "Let's go."
Now that Bai Daqing had spoken, Gao Fei would definitely displease him if he refused. Sotis, people truly have no choice. They end up doing things they really don't want to do because of certain reasons.
And so, Gao Fei was led away by Bai Mudan.
Bai Daqing nodded slightly to himself. "These two do look quite matched," he thought. A father knows his daughter best, and long ago, Bai Daqing noticed his daughter's affection for Gao Fei. He himself held Gao Fei in high regard and was more than happy to have him as a son-in-law: "Hmm, I should find the right mont to talk to Gao Fei, and then choose an auspicious date to settle the matter." In Bai Daqing's mind, if Gao Fei and Bai Mudan married, it would certainly be Gao Fei marrying up. As long as Gao Fei wasn't a fool, he would definitely agree.
...
A gentle breeze stirred, the Sun peeked from behind the clouds as if to laze about, and occasionally, one or two beautiful birds flew across the sky.
A small boat floated leisurely in the river.
Standing at the bow were two figures, a man and a woman—upon closer look, it was none other than Gao Fei and Bai Mudan.
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