Chapter Twenty-Five: He Will Come Again Another Day to Propose

  Chu Yihua smiled faintly, not taking Water Ripples' words to heart at all. He raised his hand, picked up the teacup, took a light sip and put it down before continuing: "As for Prince Yu's place, Fourth Miss doesn't need to worry, this young master will take care of it." After speaking, he even threw a flirtatious glance at Water Ripples.

  As soon as this was said, the atmosphere in the house became somewhat stiff. Shui Yunheng and Madame looked at each other, both with some displeasure on their faces. Between the lines, Shui Yunheng, including Madame and Shui Lianyue, had already made it very clear that Chu Yihua still spoke like this, obviously not putting the Shui family in her eyes.

  "If you can really get King Yu's nod of approval, then that's your skill", Shui Lianyue glanced at Chu Yihua with disdain and snorted softly, no longer speaking.

  "Whether the king answers or not is not important, what's most important is that Fourth Miss agrees to marry this young master," Chu Yihua kept his eyes fixed on Shui Lianyue, every move she made, every glance, was all taken in by him, especially the fleeting glint of calculation in her eyes, which couldn't escape his notice.

  King Yong, named Shocking Heaven, that year, the Crown Prince had just ascended to the throne and sent Nan Gongyong to the extremely cold barbarian land on the border, letting him lead 5,000 soldiers to garrison.

  The land of the barbarians, where it is extremely cold all year round, is mostly inhabited by nomadic tribes who are lazy and disobedient. Due to the harsh weather conditions, food is scarce, so these tribes make a living by hunting, and they are known for their proud and ferocious nature.

  The previous emperor was quite fond of Nan Gongyu, but there were many criticisms about the matter of the crown prince's opposition in the previous dynasty. Therefore, the crown prince and the empress dowager had always disliked Nan Gongyu, but they didn't show it openly due to Yun Fei's protection of him and the influence of the Shui family.

  I thought that even if Nan Gongyu didn't die from illness due to the weather, he would still be killed by the bandits for being unable to tame them. Alternatively, if he returned safely to the capital, he would be charged with a crime and stripped of his title as Imperial Prince, demoted to a commoner prince.

  Who would have thought that after five years of not returning, one day he returned, not only was he vigorous and full of vitality, but also the land of the barbarians was governed in an orderly manner, there had been no turmoil for many years, the people's lives were stable and peaceful, although they did not wear brocade or eat delicacies, they were well-fed and warm, everyone could eat their fill, it was even better than peace.

  Later, King Woo was sent to other barbarian lands to quell the unrest, and he successfully resolved each case with great merit. The soldiers of the Jin Dynasty admired him so much that they all bowed down to him in respect. He governed his army strictly, with clear rewards and punishments. One thing he did was to cherish his subordinates very much, which also made him famous overnight.

  He, Nan Gong Yu, if he didn't have real talent and true learning, wouldn't have been feared by the Emperor for many years. The Empress Dowager had long regarded him as a thorn in her eye and a pain in her flesh, hating that she couldn't get rid of him quickly. These things others didn't know, but Chu Yi Hua knew them all too clearly.

  He dared to compete with Wu Wang because of the Chu family's technology for smelting and casting iron.

  Chu Jia, also known as Chu Yi Lan, was his elder brother. He had a gentle disposition and was not good at the intricacies of business, whereas Chu Yi Hua completely inherited the cunning and cleverness that a businessman should have. Therefore, the future master of the Chu family would be none other than Chu Yi Hua.

  The expression and words of Shui Lian Yue just now, it's clear that he wants to shift his target to Yu Wang, the principle of the snipe and the clam fighting each other while the fisherman benefits, Chu Yihua has been in business for many years and is still very aware of this.

  "Then please take these betrothal gifts away first, and let's talk about the engagement after resolving the matter with King Yu."

  You have your Zhang Liang's plan, I have my ladder to climb the wall. Humph! The cold and indifferent moonlight shines on Chu Yihua as I secretly think to myself.

  Shui Yunheng couldn't help but take a few more glances at Shui Lianyue after hearing her words. This daughter of his was becoming increasingly intriguing, with that icy demeanor, stunning looks, and intelligent mind - all qualities the Shui family had never seen before. It seemed he really needed to observe her carefully now.

  Chu Yihua smiled lightly and didn't refute Shui Lianyue's words. She stood up, walked to the middle of the room and said: "Alright, I'll have these betrothal gifts taken back for now. This will be considered a response to Fourth Miss's words. Another day, I'll come again to propose marriage."

  As soon as the words fell, Chu Yihua looked at Shui Lianyue with a profound meaning, and then waved his hand to the housekeeper outside, striding away.